Suddenly I stopped and with the tip of my weapon flipped a second katar to Walker who caught it more from reflex that from a desire to use it herself.
“Merge,” commanded Kat.
I felt her power surge, reaching for and touching Walker. We were parts of a whole that suddenly and satisfyingly came together. Another spike of power and Walker's Beast rose to the surface causing her weapon to transform as mine had.
“Defend!”
Without hesitation Kat moved in on Walker. There was no attempt to give her a moment's preparation. There was only a desperate attack with each thrust and sweep a potential killing blow. I watched in shocked wonder as Walker danced away, parrying each thrust and swing as if she'd also had a lifetime of training. Like Kat her movements were fluid and effortless. Then suddenly she was the one on the attack, pushing us back! Thrust, sweep, pull, block! It went on for what seemed an eternity but was in reality only a couple of minutes. Neither held back. Each blow had the potential to kill and each was blocked or avoided.
“Stop!”
Kat's command broke the link dropping Walker to one knee. Her katar snapped back to its non-lethal form before falling from her grasp to land beside her. Mine did the same. Suddenly I felt weak. Like Walker I ended up on one knee, breathing heavily as if all the energy I'd expended had suddenly come due.
“What the hell was that?” I asked in exasperation, struggling with my breathing. Kat had blindsided both of us and I didn't like it. What we'd just done seemed incredibly dangerous. If one of us had slipped the other would surely have died. “We could have killed one another!” I shouted.
“Hardly."
Kat's answer was cool and matter of fact. “We're linked. I felt certain the merge would allow Walker to instinctively access my knowledge of the katar just as you did, particularly if she was under direct attack. Her use of the weapon was adequate. There was little danger of injury.”
“Little danger,” repeated Walker looking equally incredulous. “And you thought I'd be ok with you just jumping into my mind? I'm supposed to be ok with that?”
Walked moved closer. “See what I mean? This is a perfect fucking example of what I've been saying! She‘s been doing this so long she can't relate to us anymore! I doubt she even realizes how violated I feel right now. She barged into my mind without warning and just... took over!”
I was feeling somewhat the same but for me there was a difference. Kat was inside me, all the time. I’d even become comfortable with her. She didn't have to stay in the background but was doing so and living up to our agreement and because of that I was beginning to trust her. I took a deep breath. This wasn’t a boat I wanted to rock but Kat had stepped over the line with Walker and she was already thinking of leaving.
“Walker's right Kat. You shouldn't have done that, not without some warning. You might have been certain we were safe but I was just as sure I was going to kill her. Then when she started fighting back...” My mind replayed that moment, with the two katars flashing. I'd felt the rush of air as the metal edge from her weapon swooshed past my throat. “..I was equally sure she was going to kill me. So how about you work on your communication skills, especially with this mind merge which frankly scares the crap out of both Walker and I. You can't just decide to do something like that without consultation. This was supposed to be practice for Christ’s sake! And another thing. This mind merge is too personal to just turn on and off like a switch. It's too invasive. Don't invoke it without permission.”
I wasn't sure what else to say under the circumstances. For me there was little difference since Kat was in my mind virtually all the time, but for Walker it must have been terrifying. As for myself, it was just another day at the office which only served to emphasize how enormously screwed up my life was.
I felt Kat moving inside my head. Sensed her impatience.
“There was no danger. The test was successful. Why are you both complaining? We had to know it would work. Now we do.”
“Let me tell you something,” snarled Walker through clenched teeth, “If you ever do that again without permission, I'll bring the Major here myself. He’ll slap your ass into a hole where you'll rot while all those super curious doctors take you apart!”
In my mind's eye I saw Kat's brittle smile. It was becoming increasing obvious these two would never become friends. Kat's most recent screw-up had only made things worse. Could they get worse? I wondered. I had the feeling they might. This was about it for Walker. I figured Kat had used up all her slack and was hopeful Kat realized this as well.
“Perhaps you'd like to learn about the other items on the table?” Kat suggested coldly.
I picked up the vest. It was lighter than expected. I felt the hairs on the back of my hand rise and dropped it. Instead of falling however, all the diamond shaped beads lit up and the vest kind of floated down to rest gently on the table.
“That’s different.”
I waved my hand over the slowly pulsing vest and felt it gently push back. A moment later and the beaded lights faded out. I moved my hands back over the vest but felt nothing.
“The vest repels energy. It will be sufficient against any energy weapon Kailex or Fusto might plan to use against us on this backward world.”
I smiled. Finally, something to help us. “Now you're making sense. These will help. But why now? Why not earlier before Kailex tried to kill us? These would have been pretty handy then.” Reflexively, I went to pick up the katar but stopped myself. Damn. It really did have a mind of its own. “I thought you had to live with a 'no weapons rule'?”
“Another lie,” interjected Walker obviously still pissed. “She left the weapons behind because she wanted to sink her teeth into Kailex. He's ex-Council. Maybe the one who created her in the first place; certainly one of those who sentenced her to a lifetime of slavery. Who wouldn't want revenge? This was her chance. Just him and her! And if others got hurt in the process? No biggie.” Walker shrugged. “There was never any rules against weapons, she just wanted to look him in the eyes when she killed him. Tell me I'm wrong!” She stopped, panting from the force of her emotions, facing me, eyes bright and searching for some recognition of the truth.
I wanted to tell her Kat would never risk us for personal revenge but something inside me, maybe the link we shared, told me she wasn't wrong. Kat must have decided there was no sense lying because she didn't deny it.
“You think you know me girl? I was created to serve and I’ve served for a very long time.” Kat spat out the words. It was like a darkness in her was coming to the surface. “They keep my physical body locked in a room inside pinched space. I have no life of my own. I wait there for Hunts, without friends or family. There is no one who understands me. All I know about the world I’ve learned through the hunt. They send me to kill, and I do as they ask or pay their price in pain for disobedience.
I shall pay dearly already for what I’ve done. This hunt should have been my priority. It should have dominated all my thoughts. But I allowed myself to be diverted. I took a body and worried whether it lived or died. I worried about its friend, a female who despite everything that's happened can still have a life when this is over. Instead, I find she's on a hunt with rules that will get her killed. Ironic that you can have a life, but will die, while I can’t and will probably live.” Kat twisted inside me, seething. I had the impression she was pacing back and forth. “You condemn me for seeking revenge but you‘re wrong to do so. I have to show them I‘m not a tool, not a thing! When this is done, they’ll know what I want them to know.” She sighed and seemed to gather herself. Was quiet for a moment more as if considering something.
“The desire for revenge pushed me to engage Kailex too early. And it‘s true I wanted to kill him with my own hands. However, the weapons you see on the table are the only ones allowed. For Hunters there is nothing else. No guns. Nothing that can be used from a distance. All who watch must see the eyes dim when the body falls. Those are the rules.” Again she fell q
uiet for a moment.
“These weapons have weaknesses. The vest can defend against two or possible three energy bursts before powering down for a fifteen second recharge. If you‘re shot or stabbed when that happens and it‘s a killing blow, you‘ll die. So you see? They provide us with the katar but only reluctantly. They‘d rather we killed as a Hunter would kill, with our hands and our Beasts."
"Most Hunters don't survive long. The Games brutality corrupts them. Their Beast takes over. And your planet? One of thousands. Backward. Expendable. Meaningful to the Council only for its entertainment value.” Her voice rose a little. “I'm to die a slave, so yes, this is personal.”
At first I wanted to tell her she wasn't a slave, that she could do whatever she wanted, but that wasn't true. She was trapped and there was no way for me to help her. All I could do was support her now. Even that would be difficult. If she caught the slightest whiff of pity ... I stifled the thought even as I sensed her stiffen.
“Well then,” I said, “We'd better make sure we get him. “Walker, are you still on board?”
Walker moved to the table and put on the smaller vest. “What does the belt do?” she asked, strapping that on as well. “Lighter than I imagined but the skull hanging off it is pretty cheesy.”
“The skull powers the vest and katar. I‘m forbidden to make any changes to them. The Keeper believes they create the right atmosphere.” Kat sounded relieved the discussion had moved on but her voice was low and distracted in my head. “When you‘re ready, step to the door. We must practice before we meet our enemy for the final time."
◆◆◆
A door opened at the far end of the room. Through it I could see a jungle not unlike the one Walker had built. In fact, it looked almost exactly like the one she'd built.
The two of us stood in the doorway for a moment looking out. Below was the same drop to a sandy beach and I wondered why it was these two women loved terrifying heights so much. This was a simpler version of Walker's world. There was no river now, only a small lake at the bottom of the drop where the water pooled. The trees were gone, replaced by clumps of dense brush tall enough to hide any number of dangerous creatures.
“Oh shit,” I thought. Sudden movement below caught my eye as several holes in the ground opened spewing Walker's favourite beastie, the Crocopede! These ones were different however. Their tails ended in sharp scorpion hooks that swung back and forth above their backs. The barb at the end was long enough to go right through a large man. Their two foremost legs now ended in sharp crablike claws powerful enough to cut off the arm or leg of anyone foolish enough to get within reach. The rest of the creature was pretty much as before, armor plating and long jaws full of sharp, snapping teeth. And they were big, much bigger than Walker's.
I wondered if this was really necessary. These crocs looked dangerous. Then I remembered SHIP wouldn't let them hurt us and changed my mind. A little exercise wouldn't hurt and I was curious to see how the katar worked as a weapon. With Kat's help, how dangerous could this be? My head turned toward Walker and I felt Kat push forward a little.
“Are you ready?”
Walker nodded and suddenly her katar activated.
“Merge.”
I felt my Beast rise with Kat's. The two circled one another before deciding to join. Immediately I struggled with the new more powerful Beast, then Walker was there helping. Kat was there as well. Together we took a collective breath, then joined more fully. Once we were sure of our control Walker jumped. I jumped right after but a little behind. Privately I wondered if she was trying to make a point; perhaps show she could hold her own? If so it was wasted effort. I’d seen her in action. She had nothing to prove.
We fell at a terrifying speed and landed with enough force that a roll was needed to cushion the blow. Kat was taking this practice seriously. Not for the first time I wondered how seriously.
“Just how dangerous are these creatures?”
We'd already been spotted and a couple had turned our way. Their eyesight must not have been good because they appeared confused, as if unsure what we were. Once they figured out we weren't one of them I knew they’d charge. Anything not them was part of their food chain.
“Very dangerous. They're faster than Walker's. Look out for the tail. The poison may not kill you but the stinger will be like shoving a stake through your heart.” She laughed and I realized she was totally loving this. Danger was a rush for her.
An image came to me of the distant hill. “To complete the practice get to the top of that hill. At the top is a door. That's the way out and signals the end of this drill."
My mind was having difficulty registering the meaning of her words even as my eyes tracked the open savanna before us culminating in a steep rocky hill. A black silhouette cut into the hilltop. That was probably the door we needed. Despite the fact there were a number of crocs in between us, I felt confident. As fast as they were, we were faster. And we didn't have to kill them all, just get past them. There were about thirty spread out between us and the hill. I frowned thinking this didn't look too difficult. I'd expected more from Kat.
“This isn't a good time to be daydreaming!” snapped Walker as she vaulted onto the back of a charging crocopede. Sliding to the right just enough for the tail to miss her she brought her katar across in a slashing motion that severed the stinger. In the same motion she spun and brought the other end down through its head, killing it instantly. “If this is your way of making friends Kat, it's no wonder you have so few.” Then she was on to the next creature.
Watching her I realized how alike the two were. Like Kat, Walker was enjoying this. Maybe that was their problem; they were too similar.
“Walker’s got a point,” I said running low and to the left so the creature in front of me had to twist to follow my progress. “What's the point of training if we die during it?” A big crablike claw swooshed over my head and as it did, my katar cut the claw cleanly away from the body. Next I cut away the support legs on the same side so the head flopped forward into the dirt. With the neck exposed, I easily severed the head before sprinting on to the next.
The creatures were fast and dangerous, but also mindless. I quickly developed a simple routine that more often than not exposed the head to a killing thrust. I saw Walker doing the same. It was easy until it suddenly got harder. We'd made it most of the way across the expanse leaving a bloody trail of croc corpses. I felt bad for them but in a sick way I‘d also begun to enjoy myself. My body had changed over the last month and this was the first time I was getting a chance to test its limits. We'd been fighting for the better part of forty minutes and my breathing was still regular and controlled. My timing was right on as I dashed between claws with enough power to crush me or swerved to avoid a slashing tail that would have cut right through me if it had connected. Through it all Kat kept up a constant stream of advice, coaching both of us on the most efficient way to use our weapons. Feeling cocky I remarked that her training set was too easy. We were almost at the end with the hill in front of us.
Kat only laughed. “The thing about battle is that outcomes can change in an instant. A true warrior prepares for the unexpected.”
Suddenly the ground around us erupted in crocopedes! There were so many they were climbing over each other to get at us. Fortunately, their very numbers interfered with their ability to get close. We tried standing our ground but there were too many and we were pushed back down the hill. As I looked behind the grounds disgorged another huge glut of crocs. We couldn’t stay where we were or we'd be overwhelmed. Now we had them in front and behind us.
“Never be afraid to run Nicholas. Just be sure to run with purpose,” advised Kat calmly. There was no going straight up or back for us now.
“Which way? And don’t say back, because that option isn’t there anymore!” shouted Walker.
My mind vibrated with the force of Walker’s question. She seemed pretty concerned. Probably with good reason. I looked around. Most of the creatures
were to our left both above and below us. There really wasn't any choice. We had to run. If we were fast enough I figured we might be able to scoot around them and then up the hill. Twenty yards up the hill became fairly sheer and the crocs wouldn’t be able to follow.
“Forget about killing them. Go to our right hard!” I shouted. “As fast as those spindly legs can move you! Stay close and don't fall. We’re going around them! Hopefully.” Then I sprinted hard.
Behind us the beasts crashed together on the steep slope opening up a little more time for us. Some took offence at the ones crashing into them and fell to fighting. There weren't many but there were enough to hold up the main body so that we made it to the base of a particularly steep part of the hill that offered enough purchase for a human to scramble up but little else. It was too steep and the rock too bare for the crocs. We went on all fours in places, sometimes running, sometimes jumping to grab a piece of rock we could use to haul ourselves up. It was close. The crocs climbed on top of each other to get at us and standing on their tails they had a hell of a reach. More than once I had to jig to the left or right to avoid being skewered. I heard Walker squeak a couple of times as she dodged what must have been very close calls. Gradually the din behind us settled down and we realized we'd left them behind. We stopped and rested in a small sheltered alcove, breathing heavily. Below us the crocs danced on their tails, claws extended and snapping but no longer a threat to us. Behind us I saw our alcove opened up into a thin chasm leading to the doorway out.
“We did it!” shouted Walker, jubilant and all smiles. We high-fived one another in a childish display of enthusiasm. We'd passed Kat's test and felt vindicated. We were warriors, not to be taken lightly, our Beasts strong and undefeatable.
The God Hunters Page 29
