Variant

by T. C. Edge

  And with a casual twist, he turned on his heels, and ran out into the rain.

  31

  I propelled myself right out of the building, rushing into the black night. Above, the storm had calmed a little, the rains easing, the moonlight creeping out from behind the clouds. I stopped and scanned with my night-vision goggles, searching, looking out towards the river.

  The bridges aren't far, I thought. If Mantis makes it back to the Bends, they might never get another chance...

  With the fighting still chattering in the abandoned arena behind me, I unshackled my Variant speed and rushed out into the open. Ahead, the streets closed in, only a few blocks separating the arena and the river. I had half a minute only, perhaps, to spot him.

  And if I caught up?

  I didn't want to consider that question too closely. All I had to do was try to slow him down.

  "Mantis!" I roared, calling into the night as I went. "You running from a girl! Big bad bug, scared of a little Variant!"

  I approached the streets at the edge of the plaza, still searching ahead. I knew this area of town only vaguely from the maps, and had a rough idea of what the quickest route to the river was. My eyes stuck there, down the widest street. I pressed quickly towards it, the rains further easing. Above, the clouds swept by, and a rare shower of moonlight fell.

  I slid to a stop as the road ahead came into view, a cascade of celestial light shining from the heavens. The cobbles and broken slabs of pavement sparkled beneath it. Puddles had formed in cracks, shining with reflective rainwater. It was a beautiful scene, almost, as the clouds gathered, the winds breezed by, the moonlight shone above.

  Yet there, at the heart of it, was a monster. A black cloaked figure, distorted and disturbed, staring right at me.

  I steadied myself as I stopped there, face to face with this grim Reaper. This devil built to kill. This terror of the Bends, who hunted my people for fun.

  His sharpened chin was low, black hair hanging loose. Those colourless, overlarge eyes didn't blink. He cocked his head a little, a strange, insectoid motion, and I noticed his hunched back ripple beneath his cloak. Though I couldn't exactly read his eyes, I could take something from his expression. It wasn't hate, so much as desire. A desire to end my life. A desire to quench that terrible thirst.

  It was, perhaps, the most unsettling look of all.

  "Sssso, a Variant," he whispered, his hissing, snake-like voice sending a shiver up my spine. His lips twisted upwards, making his metallic chin even more pronounced. "Why are the VLA trying to kill me?"

  I didn't answer him, wanting to delay. He cocked his head the other way, the too-fast movement so jarring and creepy. I wanted to turn away from those staring, empty eyes, but didn't. One chance is all he needed. One slip and he'd pounce.

  His eyes moved, analysing me. They seemed to do so separately, independent of one another. He lifted his pointed chin, his nose thin and out of proportion with the rest of his face. His nostrils flared a single time, then closed back up tight.

  "I like your sssssmell," he hissed. His cold eyes settled on me. "Maybe I'll take you with me."

  I recoiled at the words, the way he spoke them. "You won't be taking anyone," I bit back, holding my voice steady. "You'll get what's coming to you, I promise you that."

  "You do? You promisssse? What do you think is coming to me?"

  "Vengeance," I said, spitting the word right at him. The anger was boiling in me, the hatred stirring. "For what you are. For what you've done."

  For the first time, he smiled, a horrifying expression. "Such a young Variant," he whispered, almost amused by the idea. "You're new to this world, I can tell. Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't have time to get used to it..."

  He took a step forward.

  I took a step back.

  "Killing girls," I said hastily. "That's what you get off on?"

  "Oh, you're no girl," he hissed. "You'd...have to be human firsssst."

  He took another pace, a haunting shadow overcoming his face. Above, the clouds seemed to gather once more, partially blocking the moonlight.

  "Why don't you remove those goggles," he went on, tongue darting out, licking across his lips. "Let me see you face..."

  He began moving more quickly now, prowling like a hunting beast. My eyes didn't budge from him as I paced backwards. Above, the storm seemed to be gathering once again. The rains were coming down harder. I could sense the threat of lightning building in the skies.

  "And what about your face?" I asked him, delaying, distracting. "I wonder...what did it look like before you were..." I raised my eyes, my brows lifting above my goggles. "Before you were mutilated."

  He stopped in his tracks. "Mutilated," he repeated. He seemed to say the word for himself, considering it as he turned to look off to one side. "Oh, you haven't seen anything yet." Once more, I noticed his back begin to ripple.

  I shook my head. "And we're the freaks?" I whispered quietly. "This city is so screwed up..."

  "Oh no, little Variant, this city is the only one that isn't screwed." His bug-eyes swivelled off, looking vaguely towards the south. "It's out there that the cities are screwed," he said with a sneer. "Where your kind call the shots." His eyes came back to me. "But, not for long," he rasped. "One day soon, you'll all be nothing but a bad memory."

  My heart was thudding hard, as I took another step away. "The weapon," I whispered to myself. I looked up into his eyes, reflecting the faint moonlight. "You're building a weapon..."

  I spoke quietly, but he heard. His eyes weren't the only things he'd had cybernetically enhanced.

  "Oh, I'm building nothing," he said, his lips stretching once more into a grotesque grin. "I'm disappointed, really. I take such joy from hunting your kind. What will I do, when you're all gone?"

  My hands were shivering now, as I saw those eyes change. His head cocked to the side again, and he reached out from his cloak with a metal-fingered hand. "I suppose I'll just have to enjoy it while it lasts."

  His hand reached to his cloak, and pulled it right off his frame, tossing it to the side as it landed in a puddle. I stood fixed to the spot at the end of the street, as two terrifying appendages unfolded from his back. I knew about them, of course, just as everyone else did. I knew what had really given him his name.

  I looked at them as they reached up into the black skies, ridged down the front with razor sharp hooks, glinting in the rain. Their ends were fitted with scissor-like hands, snapping as he took a step forward, eager for a taste. They could extend, I knew, rush out and ensnare his prey. I'd heard stories, but never seen them for real. I'd never seen anything quite like it.

  "So, what do you think?" he asked, admiring his praying mantis-like arms. "Am I enough of a freak for you, little Variant?"

  I had no answer, no real capacity to speak. I gently reached for my pistol, as if he wouldn't see. But oh, he would. Those eyes didn't miss anything.

  "Go ahead," he hissed quietly. "Go ahead and try."

  Everything he said, everything he did, unsettled me to my core. Yet despite the gnawing terror in my gut, the powerful urge to flee, I held my composure, and analysed my options. Ford's training had helped me stay calm in difficult situations.

  It's just another test, I told myself. Treat it as a test, Paige...

  I continued to creep backwards, keeping just enough distance between us so I'd have time to react when he made his strike. Behind, I got the sense that the fight in the arena was calming. Mantis clearly sensed it too. His bug-eyes rotated towards the open square behind me, and he stopped in his advance. He wasn't going to get too near. He was keeping himself close to the river, close to the bridge, close to the Bends.

  I had no choice. If I was going to help them catch him, I had to make a move.

  Keeping my eyes on him, I gently removed my raincoat, just as he had, and let it drop to the floor. One of his bug eyes lifted, his head cocking to the side once more.

  "Camouflage won't work against me," he whispered
.

  I reached across with my left hand, and pressed my thumb to the pad on the lining of the inner right wrist. Immediately, the black catsuit shifted into stealth mode, my form fading more fully into the darkness.

  I watched carefully for Mantis's reaction. One side of his mouth lifted into a crooked grin.

  "I still seeeeee you, little Variant," he said. "I see everything..."

  I took a step forward as he spoke, trying to control the heavy pounding of my heart. With one hand, I reached to my pistol. The other hovered near my stun-knife.

  "Foolish child," he said, holding his ground. He seemed mildly confused by my forward movement. "The little Variant wants to die."

  I took another pace, using myself as bait. I'd upgraded my gear, and had a few tricks up my sleeve. Now was the time to try them. I had to keep him here just a little bit longer...

  I watched closely for any slight movements he might make. I was primed to dart off at any time, trusting that my speed could at least match his, and my agility might keep me from his claws. I kept my muscles tense, my legs ready to explode. His own posture shrunk down just a little, like a cat preparing to pounce.

  Any second now.

  Just one...more...step.

  Suddenly, his nightmarish figure launched right towards me, splashing through the falling rain as his mantis limbs extended out. I saw it just in time, and sprung right off to the left, as he continued straight towards the spot where I'd been standing.

  His bizarre appendages snapped and sliced, thinking I was still there. It was an upgrade I'd made to my stealth suit - the ability to leave behind an after-image, a decoy for enemies to strike at, once I'd already slipped away.

  He attacked with a frightening violence, those strange limbs trying to snare me. Yet all he got was the decoy, a light effect that dissipated back into the air as soon as he got near. He spun, confused, those independent eyes flying about to find me. Off by the wall, he saw me, and flew right at me once more.

  He attacked nothing but air and light. Another decoy. Another trick.

  "Where are you!" he roared, his hissing voice tearing from his throat. "Show yourself!"

  His frustration was terrifying, his voice ripping with anger, but at the same time it was just what I wanted to see. It would cloud his mind, deviate his judgement. In such a state he'd be easier to manipulate.

  He spun again, twisting on the spot. I'd kept moving, darting from place to place, leaving several versions of myself behind as I tried to lure him down the street. He thrashed at one and then another, those arms working independently, stabbing and clawing. Any moment he'd realise how to spot what was real and what wasn't. Those decoys didn't move, speak, or act in any way. As soon as he saw that they could only stay still, he'd realise not to strike at them.

  And that's just what I hoped for.

  He rushed through a couple more before slowing, taking a rasping breath, and narrowing his eyes. Several more images of my form shimmered in the rain, left behind as I'd retreated. He stepped towards them now, less frantic. His eyes seemed to learn quickly what was false.

  "Nice trick, little Variant," he hissed. "You are so sssssmart."

  He approached another image, more intrigued now than anything else. He drew close, admiring it. Those bug eyes shifted as they performed their analysis. What was left of his eyebrows dropped into a frown.

  It wasn't an image this time.

  It was me.

  I thrust upwards in a bursting movement, drawing my stun-knife from its sheath and plunging it into his flank. I propelled my arm with all the velocity my Variant speed afforded me, knowing how thick Mantis's armour was. I aimed for a general area, not a specific mark, but found a good one by some fortuitous stroke of luck. Right beneath his armpit, where his bionic arm connected with his praying-mantis appendage, I struck. And struck hard.

  My knife, razor sharp at the tip, cut into his armour and beyond. I pulled the trigger on the handle immediately, unleashing the electrical charge that I'd been hard at work upgrading. Beneath the rain falling, it entangled his left flank, silver lightning spreading across his side, as his mantis-arm begin to fizz and spark, acting erratically as he lost control.

  The other arm slashed at me, but I was quick enough to avoid it's deadly embrace. In a flash, I pulled hard with my gloved hand, drawing my knife out and scurrying away. I ducked and kept low, backtracking across the cobbles.

  And for the first time, Mantis didn't take chase.

  He stood there, as though trying to get his paralysed left limb to work. The charge had done enough to render it unusable, the heavy metal arm now hanging to the floor. He seemed to be trying to concentrate, get it to lift and fold back into position on his back. It wasn't working. It was nothing but dead weight now.

  A dead weight holding him back.

  Behind, I could hear voices now, rising above the rains and rumbling storm. I dared to flash my eyes backwards and noticed several figures emerging from the arena. I wanted to call out to them, wave my arms to get their attention, but didn't. I had to trust they'd see me. I had to trust they'd know.

  I turned immediately back to Mantis, to find that he had noticed too. His big black eyes rotated opposite ways, one staring towards the arena, the other checking behind. If such a thing was possible, I saw concern on his distorted face. He seemed to realise this wasn't a fight he was going to win.

  Suddenly, his right mantis limb, still in operation, swung across his body and lifted the other paralysed limb off the ground. It did what it could to fold it up, before clamping down and holding it there as he began to backtrack quickly down the street.

  I raised my pistol immediately, flicking it onto its 'stun' setting, and began to fire. Darts of immobilising electricity hunted him down, a few hitting him on his back where his appendages were now folded. They appeared to have no impact, the projectile charges not as powerful as those emitted by my stun-knife. His operable mantis arm attempted to soak up most of the attack, its tip swatting at the incoming darts while holding the paralysed limb in place.

  He moved at speed, his bionic legs crunching hard on the pavement as he fled. I took chase immediately, calling out again as I did, trying to goad him.

  "Running from a little Variant!" I called. "I never took the terrifying Mantis for a coward..."

  I could sense him slowing just a little, the barb more painful to his ego that anything else I'd tried.

  "What will the Bends think of you after this!" I went on, pushing hard. "Who will fear you now!" I let out a cackling laugh that I knew would cut deep. "Pathetic! You're nothing but a coward..."

  He slowed, as the end of the street loomed, and the bridge to the Eastbends came into view. I could almost see him shivering with rage, his every atom burning with a terrible fury. To be spoken to like this by a Variant? Not even a man, a proper soldier, like Carson, who might just demand a shred of his respect, But me, girl of just seventeen. A nobody, so far as he knew, who'd just outwitted and outmanoeuvred him, this most fearsome of Reapers, menace of the Bends.

  I glanced back again, praying that I'd see the VLA soldiers appear on the street. I could still hear voices, the faint sound of splashing feet, but nothing more. They weren't close enough yet. If Mantis brought his full force...

  I turned back and found that he'd stopped. He swivelled, fuming, his metallic limbs rattling with rage. "One day," he growled, staring at me with those twin voids above his nose. "One day soon, I will tear you limb from limb."

  His words sent a shudder up my spine. They sounded like a promise he wasn't going to break.

  He turned again, too smart to be lured by any further tricks.

  "What about today!" I called after him, desperate, taking a tentative step forward. "You don't want to finish me now...coward."

  I spat the word with as much venom as I could muster, just enough to get him to hesitate once more. He wanted to turn and savage me, I knew that. He wanted it so much I could feel it humming in the air.

  "Co
me on, fight me!" I shouted, doing so as loud as possible now. The storm bellowed and the lightning flashed. "Fight me, Mantis! Fight me!"

  I began firing at him again with my stun-gun, trying to get him to react, but he knew my game by now. He took off again, running towards the bridge. I had no choice but to take flight, to get close, to physically try to stop him.

  I flicked the setting on my gun, turning it to live fire. I took aim at the back of his legs, firing round after round as he ran. They pinged and fizzed, too weak for his armour. There were weak points, surely, but I didn't know them. He was more metal now than man, inhuman and ill-formed, and my gun was having no effect at all.

  I thrust it back into its holster and drew my knife back out. The bridge grew near, the Bends glowing off beyond it.

  I couldn't let him cross. I couldn't...

  I pressed on, rushing as quickly as I could, and tried to pull off a move Ford had taught me, a move that had worked so well with one of the false custodians before. Sliding onto the rain-slick stone, I dropped low and tried to stab hard at the back of his leg. My knife met only metal, scratching at the surface and not cutting in.

  He felt the connection and stopped, spinning around and kicking out at me with his other leg in fury. My proximity forced him to act now, as he saw an opportunity to strike. He struck hard with his foot, stamping down on me, but I saw it in time and dodged. His foot shattered the stone, the earth trembling with the impact. I tumbled back and returned to my feet.

  That was far too close for comfort...

  His face was contorted now, conflicted. He wanted to flee, and yet needed to fight. He needed to see me dead.

  He slashed out once again, his usable mantis limb unfurling, striking hard. It cut through the rain like lightning, set to sever me in two. I was quick enough, but only just, springing above it with a burst of speed. It was all I could do to avoid the attack, though I had no time to think ahead.