by S. E. Smith
“Yeah, well, I’ve got to die someday and taking you out first might just be worth it,” she snapped back in frustration, watching as the other men stepped closer. “I wouldn’t if I were you. I’ve got this gun pointed right in the center of his back. One shot and you’ll be looking for a new boss.”
Badrick’s chuckle drew her attention to him. “I understand what you mean now about a thorn in your side,” he commented dryly. “Unfortunately, I do not have time for this. My starship is prepared for departure. Kill him, I have no further use for his services.”
Colbert’s mouth tightened into a straight line as he glared back at the Usoleum Councilman. “You bastard! Kill them all!” He ordered, flashing a look at his three guards.
Kali stumbled forward when Colbert jerked hard to the left as his men opened fire on Badrick. The force of his sudden move, combined with her shaky limbs, almost sent her sprawling. She caught herself at the last minute as she lurched forward.
Colbert spun around and kicked out. His booted foot caught her in the side, knocking the wind out of her as he connected with her ribs. This time she wasn’t able to prevent herself from hitting the floor. The pistol she had taken from him flew out of her hand as she hit the unforgiving concrete.
She rolled away from Colbert as gunfire and laser blasts lit the large open area of the former metro station. She crawled toward a stack of crates in an effort to find some form of protection. A harsh cry ripped through her as one of the blasts from the laser cut a path along her right thigh. It stung, but she was pretty sure it was just a glancing blow as she tumbled behind the crate and leaned back against it.
Kali glanced down at the wound and breathed a sigh of relief that it was just a thin slice; more like a long scratch from a branch than a deep wound. Her hand trembled as she pushed her hair back. From the sound of the fighting, others had joined in.
Her eyes swept the area to see if there was any possible way to escape. She was boxed in. The crates offered her protection, but if anyone decided to come looking for her she was toast.
Leaning her head back, she was about to close her eyes in resignation when she saw the rungs that led up to the exhaust vents. Hope soared inside her as she calculated how fast she could make it up them. She was still weak from the Taser and her head injury, but she felt confident she could make it. She moved her wounded leg to see how bad it felt.
Not bad at all, she thought as she looked up again.
Biting her lip, she gave a nod. It was good. She had run with worse. Twisting around until she was on her feet again, she crouched and listened to the exchange of gunfire. If anything, it sounded even louder. Turning on her heels, she placed her hands on the floor and breathed deeply in and out as she imagined the route she would take.
“Jump on the crate, push off the wall, grab the second rung and use the back wall to walk up,” she murmured as she forced everything else going on away from her mind until all she saw was the crate, wall and metal rings. “One, two, three!”
Kali exploded upward with the graceful motion of a gymnast. She jumped up on the crate, used her forward momentum to push off the wall with her feet and twisted in midair where she captured the second rung. Before her body could hit the wall, she was using her feet against it to push her up, while her hands grabbed the next hand grip.
She didn’t stop until she had reached the top. She swung over the side railing onto the narrow platform high above the fighting. It was only as she glanced down that she saw men that she had fought beside day after day, month after month for the past six years.
Her eyes widened when she saw her brother fighting side by side a Trivator warrior that she knew all too intimately. From her vantage point, she could see everything going on. The Alliance councilman was lying in a puddle of dark blue blood as were one of his security men. Three of Colbert’s men were dead. Unfortunately, more had appeared when they heard the gunfire. Now, they battled her brother and other Trivator warriors. While her brother’s forces were outnumbered, the Trivator warriors fighting beside them were drastically evening the odds.
Kali couldn’t contain her cry of dismay when she saw William in the mass of bodies that had fallen. The old man who had livened up the small world she lived in lay to one side, a deep red stain coating his chest. She bit her fist when the sound caught the attention of Razor who was cutting through the two men attacking him.
Her eyes locked with his for a brief moment before he turned when another one of Colbert’s men tried to thrust a knife into his back. It almost found its mark. The shift of her gaze and the look of horror had him twisting to deflect it in time.
“Destin,” Kali breathed when she saw her brother was in trouble.
Not stopping to think, she ran down the narrow catwalk to the end. A long chain, used to hoist heavy equipment, hung from a pulley. She jumped over the edge of the railing, grabbed the chain and slid down it. Right before she hit the bottom, she let go so that she landed on the backs of the two men that had Destin cornered.
“Damn it, Kali,” Destin cursed out as she rolled to the side as one of the men struggled to get up. “Get the fuck out of here!”
“Not happening, Destin,” she yelled back as she kicked the man closest to her in the face as Destin killed the second man. She reached for the gun at the male’s waist. It was empty. “Damn.”
She gasped as Destin reached down and hauled her up to her feet. He pressed one of the knives he had taken off one of the dead men into her hand. His look of rage and warning told her he didn’t like what he was seeing.
“Are you okay?” He grunted out as they pressed back against one of the curved pillars for protection. “You’ve got a shitload of blood on your face.”
“That happens when you hit a brick wall with it,” she snapped, yanking him back as a bullet flew mere inches from his head. “What are you doing here with Razor?”
“You and I need to have a serious talk!” Destin growled under his breath. “The guy claims you are his Amate!”
“Oh shit,” Kali muttered.
“Yeah,” Destin bit out. “What the fuck were you thinking?”
Kali didn’t know how to answer her brother’s coarse question. She glanced around the side of the pillar and watched as Razor cut a deadly path through those that stood in his way. The way he was looking around told her he was looking for her. She pulled back with a grimace. If she thought she was trapped before, it was nothing to what she was feeling right now. She turned to Destin just as another figure rounded the pillar.
“Destin, look out!” She cried out in warning.
She pulled him backwards at the same time as Colbert struck. Pain exploded through her as the knife aimed for Destin struck her instead as she stepped protectively in front of her brother. The force pushed her back into Destin.
“You son-of-a-bitch!” Destin roared in rage, striking back at Colbert. He hit him hard in the jaw, knocking him backwards several steps. “Why? You were like a brother to us. Why?”
“I was never your brother,” Colbert choked back as he tried to defend himself from Destin’s vicious attack. “I didn’t want you as a brother.”
Destin struck hard again, knocking the bloody knife out of Colbert’s hand as he hit him in the jaw again with his fist. He rammed his knee into Colbert’s stomach before he struck him again. The force of the blow knocked Colbert off his feet. While Colbert might have been the taller of the two men, Destin was more thickly built from working out continuously over the years. That strength was only enhanced by his rage.
Destin stood breathing heavily over the man he used to care about like he was family. No more. Colbert’s jealousy of Kali and his desire for power made Destin sick to his stomach.
“This ends here and now,” Destin said in an emotionless voice. “The city needs to heal. You’re through, Colbert. Get out before I kill you.”
Destin turned away from the prone, bleeding figure lying on the ground. Kali needed his help. Her white face stared back at him in sh
ock and pain. He started to take a step toward where she was sitting against the pillar when the expression in her pain filled eyes changed from pain to horror. He deftly palmed the switchblade he carried strapped to his wrist. Flicking it open, he turned and threw it in a single graceful arc. The long, sharp blade cut deep as it embedded itself in Colbert’s chest.
Destin watched with regret as the life faded from his old friend’s eyes. For a brief moment, he saw the small boy he and Kali had befriended when they were just kids. The look of fear and confusion tore at him almost as much as the tears in Colbert’s eyes.
“I love you. I always have,” Colbert whispered faintly as the life faded from his eyes.
Destin pushed back against the grief threatening to overwhelm him. He wanted to cry out against the unfairness of the world. He wanted to roar out his pain, but he couldn’t. He was now the leader of Chicago. He had too much responsibility and too much to do to give in to his own feelings of grief, pain and despair.
Turning on his heel again, he walked toward Kali who stared back at him with dark, sad eyes. He knew she could feel his pain and sorrow. Her own eyes reflected it as she watched him walk toward her.
“How bad is it?” He asked in a husky tone as he knelt beside her.
“Not so bad,” she whispered even as the tears coursed down her cheeks. She raised a trembling, bloodstained hand and gently touched his damp cheek. “I love you, Destin. Together, we will rebuild our home.”
Destin turned and stood up as Razor stepped around the pillar. He studied the huge Trivator’s face as the alien knelt in front of Kali. A frown crossed his face for a moment as the male pulled a small pouch out from his waist. Razor pulled a thin piece of cloth-like material out of it and pressed it against Kali’s neck. Even as he watched, the look of pain faded from her eyes and she began to slide to the side.
“What did you do to her?” Destin asked in a voice thick with emotion.
“I gave her a pain patch,” Razor replied stiffly as he bent and scooped Kali’s lethargic body up. “She needs immediate medical attention.”
“No,” Kali said with a weary shake of her head. “Doc can stitch me up. He’s done it enough times.”
Destin studied Kali’s mutinous face for a moment before he looked back at Razor. His mouth tightened as he pushed his personal feelings aside. He had made a deal. Razor would protect Kali and keep her safe in exchange for the Trivator’s help in defeating Colbert. It was one deal he hoped he didn’t live to regret and one that he hoped Kali would one day forgive him for making.
“You promise to protect her?” Destin demanded in a hard voice. “You will keep your promise to let me rebuild the city.”
“You have my word. I agreed to assist you in defeating Colbert in exchange for Kali. I will instruct the Alliance council to give you the governorship of this city. Trivator troops will help you maintain order while the city is being reconstructed.”
“What?” Kali mumbled, looking back and forth between Razor and her brother. “Destin, I… I’m coming with you. I have to protect you.”
Destin’s face softened as Kali’s head fell back against Razor’s shoulder. He stepped closer. Lifting his hand, he gently stroked her short hair. She reminded him so much of their mother. She was a free spirit. She deserved to live a long and happy life; not one filled with uncertainty and constant danger.
Tears burned the back of his eyes as he realized he might never see her again. His eyes turned down to the blood soaking her shirt. Memories of their mother lying in a pool of blood flooded him for a second. He couldn’t risk losing Kali. It was better to know that she was alive somewhere out in the universe than to watch her die here on Earth.
Razor had pointed that out in the alleyway. Razor swore that if Destin agreed to his taking Kali with him, he would protect her. Now, he realized that the Trivator was right. If Kali remained on Earth, she would more than likely end up like their mom, a victim of the violence that held the world in its greedy grasp.
He stepped back away with a firm nod to his face. “Take her. She’s yours,” Destin said, turning away. “Let’s move out. We have a lot to do.”
“Destin?” Kali whispered, confused. “Destin!”
“Take her, damn you,” Destin bit out without turning around. “Take her before I change my mind.”
“I will protect her with my life,” Razor replied, turning away.
“No! Destin! Please, no,” Kali cried out, weakly fighting to break out of the strong arms carrying her. “Destin! Damn you! You can’t do this! You need me. You promised you’d never leave me. You promised.”
Destin kept his back to her. He didn’t want her to see the tears streaming down his face as he walked away. He hoped if there was a God out there that he forgave him because he wasn’t sure that Kali ever would.
Destin paused as he saw William’s sightless eyes. The crazy old man had refused to remain behind. William was determined to help him find Kali. Kneeling beside the old hot dog vender and former bookie’s body, he carefully lifted the snarled hands and laid them across William’s chest.
“Thank you, old friend,” Destin murmured. “I hope you find that heaven you were talking about. If you do, tell my mom I said hello and to please forgive me. Please, tell her I’m sorry I didn’t do a better job of taking care of Kali.”
Destin knelt on one knee with his head bowed and let the pain and grief wash through him. The fading sound of Kali’s hoarse pleads echoed around him as members of the Trivator and his forces started cleaning up the dead and wounded. His shoulders shook for a moment as the pain of losing so much ripped through him. Throwing his head back, he breathed in deep, gulping breaths as he begged for the pain to ease. After several long minutes, he felt Tim’s hand on his shoulder. Turning tortured eyes to his friend, he nodded.
“Make sure he gets a decent burial,” Destin said gruffly, standing up.
“I will,” Tim replied, motioning to two men. “Kali?”
“She’s gone… she’s gone. Hopefully to a place where she will be safe.” Destin replied thickly, looking over his shoulder toward the dark tunnel they had come through a short while before.
Chapter 22
Razor held Kali’s silent form tightly against his chest. She had finally quit fighting against him. He knew every move she made must have hurt her. He knew she was still conscious from the occasional movement of her head.
He nodded to Cutter who stood to one side as he approached one of the attack transports that had arrived with the troops he had ordered. He ducked his head as he stepped inside the back of the transport and continued down the long open back where the troops normally stood ready for departure to the front. He carefully laid Kali down on one of the medic cots that folded down from the side of the transport.
“Lift off,” he ordered to the pilot. “Notify Patch that I need his presence at the landing site.”
“Yes, sir,” the pilot said, immediately opening communications with the main base.
“What about Councilman Badrick?” Cutter asked. “The council will have questions about why he was not transported out.”
Razor’s eyes glittered with barely suppressed rage. “Let them,” he snapped. “Badrick is dead. Usoleum custom is to immediately incinerate the body. Have it done.”
His head turned when he felt slender fingers wrap around his wrist. He threaded his fingers through Kali’s short dark hair as he leaned forward. Her soft, warm breath caressed his cheek as he bent to hear her faint words.
“You promised… to find the… women he took,” she reminded him.
Razor pulled back and shook his head in wonder. She was bleeding, bruised and exhausted and she was more concerned about the women Badrick had taken than her own wounds. His fingers tightened in her hair when she tried to pull away.
“Send Thunder and Vice to Badrick’s apartments to search it and confiscate his Starship,” Razor ordered, never breaking the contact between him and Kali. “I want them to find the women that
were taken.”
“I’ll notify them immediately,” Cutter replied quietly, turning toward the front of the transport.
Razor relaxed his fingers when Kali released his wrist. He watched as she licked her dry licks several times. Leaning forward again, he bent so he could hear her again.
“You are totally on… my shit… list,” she whispered, closing her eyes as she gave into the medication of the patch and her exhaustion.
Razor sat back on his haunches and smiled down at her relaxed face. Dried blood coated one side of her face and dirty tracks from her tears stained the creamy skin, but he had never seen anything more beautiful in his life. He raised a trembling hand to stroke her cheek.
Lowering his head, he rested it next to hers and listened as she breathed in and out. Closing his eyes, he wondered how she was going to react when she realized what his plans were for keeping her safe. After what just happened… a shudder went through his body as he remembered seeing the knife piercing her body.
He pulled back so he could cup her warm cheek in his hand. The feel of her warm skin, her soft breath, the slight rise and fall of her chest reassured him that she lived. When he had seen Colbert strike her, his blood had run cold. From the angle he was standing it looked like it had gone into her heart. Destin’s roar of rage had only re-enforced his fear. He had fought his way over to her in a desperate bid to get to her as she slid down the stone pillar.
“You have caused me to feel more fear in the few weeks that I have known you than I have felt my entire life,” he murmured as he gently stroked her hair. “Your brother thinks you will not forgive either of us for wanting to protect you. I would rather have your rage than to lose you and so would he. You do not understand how precious you are, my fi’ta. For a Trivator warrior to find his Amate, only to lose her is a pain no warrior wants to endure. You are far too brave, far too proud, far too precious for your own good. I hope you forgive us for… for loving you enough to want to keep you safe from harm,” he whispered.
