by Matt Gross
“No's!” he snapped. “No's. No's need to do that.” He looked at the poster again and shook his head. “Fine.” He snapped his fingers and the coin appeared between his thumb and forefinger. Tippy flipped it to Khayin.
Khayin snatched it out of the air, closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He opened his hand and looked down at the coin, flipping it over to the side with the man’s bust. A barrage of images flooded his mind that almost made him flinch. The images meant nothing. No clear story. No clear memory, but the face he remembered. Somehow that face was etched into his memory. He couldn't place it.
He felt a hand touch his arm. Khayin opened his eyes to see Kira. She looked concerned.
“You OK?” she whispered.
“Yeah sorry. I'm fine.” He gave her an appreciative look and nodded. “OK, Tippy. The girl. Where is she?” Khayin tossed the coin into the air and caught it. “And I'm keeping this.”
Tippy scowled. “But...” he grunted. “Fine.”
Is it me or Codex that he is afraid of?
“She came heres with her boyfriend, some guy with ties to Mexican cartel. I's kicked him out of my's city, but she was pretty for a human and I's made her an offer to stay here.” He grinned, then he frowned. “She didn't stay; she ran away.”
“Where, Tippy? I don't have time for your games.” Khayin's muscles tensed.
“And I's swear to you's that I'm not playing any.” He shook his head. “I's don't know where she's went, but I's can tell you's where they stayed before she's came to me's.”
“Where'd you send the boyfriend?”
“My's first mate led him's to the north end of town and watched him's walk away.” Tippy relaxed.
“OK, where'd they stay before you got a hold of them?” Khayin asked.
“Hotel Panama.”
“Seriously?” He shook his head.
“Yes. Why?” Tippy looked perplexed.
“Nothing.” Khayin looked at Kira. She shrugged. “OK. When I bring her back here you are going to port us.”
“Fine,” he said with a little whine.
Khayin and Kira left the same way they had come. Millennium was scouting the city, giving Khayin another pair of eyes. When they reached the hotel Khayin caught a glimpse of Rosa heading out of the city. He told Millennium to follow her.
“Got her.” Khayin said. Kira looked at him. “Millennium's tracking her. She's a few blocks north.” He firmly grasped Kira's arm. “We need to do this quickly. We can't let Tippy examine that poster too closely.” She just nodded and the two of them started after their target.
They weaved through the street, while dodging tourist and merchant alike. Khayin wasn't in the mood to be discreet, and he made no attempt to blend in. Millennium gave him a good description. She wore a blue sundress and had her long black hair tied back into a tail. Khayin could see her with his own eyes. He caught Kira's attention and motioned for her to cut Rosa off.
I just might be warming to the idea of a partner. I could get used to this.
Rosa looked behind her and must have spotted Khayin because her walk turned into a sprint. He cursed himself for not being more careful. She turned down the first alley she saw, and Kira ran after her. Khayin sent Millennium to follow. Khayin continued north, only stopping to look through his falcon's eyes. Kira was gaining on her. The alley was dirty, but less populated. Trash was piled mostly in the back alleys and unused streets.
The two women ran. Rosa jumped and knocked over trash. The new obstacles didn't slow Kira down. Rosa ran west a few more blocks before turning north. Khayin saw where she was headed and ran to try and cut her off. He got there just in time to see Kira reach for Rosa and miss. Rosa looked back at Kira and almost ran into Khayin. She managed to slip by him, but the detour allowed Kira to catch up and tackle her.
Rosa kicked and yelled. “Get off me!”
Khayin looked at Kira and he smiled. “Why didn't you use any magic?”
“The chase was too much fun.” She smiled back. “I would've if I thought she might have gotten away.”
Rosa squirmed, but Kira was the stronger of the two. She had her pinned to the ground. Khayin squatted and grinned. “I'm going to take a wild stab and say you're Rosa.” She spit at him and missed. “You gave us some exercise. I didn't really need any today, but you gave my friend here a taste of the old bounty hunter trade, so I thank you for that.”
“Who sent you?” Rosa asked through clenched teeth.
“Your mother,” Khayin said. He stood and Kira pulled Rosa up off the ground.
“How much to say you never found me?” Rosa asked.
“Sorry, you're not going to buy me. Your folks were good to us.” Khayin pulled a cigarette from his tin. He started to make his way back to Tippy's, while Kira followed with Rosa. “What's so bad about mom and dad?”
“They didn't like my boyfriend, Roberto,” She snarled.
“And where's he now?”
“I'm not tellin' you.”
“I honestly don't care; I'm just tryin' to prove a point. If he loves you, where is he?” Khayin lit and took a drag off his cigarette. It felt good.
“Tippy kicked him out of the city. He couldn't come back.” She said defensively.
“What stopped him? The guards that are posted every few feet or the invisible fence that surrounds the city?”
“That's not fair,” she spat.
“No? I'm sorry, but if someone tried to separate me from the one I love...death couldn't stop me.” He took another drag from his cigarette. “You know what? I really don't care. Pretend we never had this conversation.”
“Fuck you, pendejo.” She tried to kick him and failed badly enough to lose her balance. Kira caught her.
“Come on, Rosa. We're not the ones you are mad at. Khayin is only doing his job.” Kira tried assuring her.
They walked the rest of the way in silence. The ogre let them in without a fuss. Rosa became a little fidgety the closer they got to Tippy's, but Kira kept her in check. The day was getting late. The sun was about to set. Khayin was getting more and more restless. Tippy was sitting on a couch with a girl on either side.
“Khayin!” Tippy nearly shouted with wide eyes.
Khayin shook his head. “Tuxtla Gutierrez,” he said.
Tippy frowned. “Yeah, yeah. You's no fun, Khayin.” Tippy got up and motioned for them to step into the water.
“How about next time I see you, I'll come dressed as an ogre.” Khayin, Kira and Rosa stepped into the water.
Tippy's face lit up. “Would you?”
“Yeah, sure, why not?” Khayin looked down, making sure the three of them were in the little channel. “There's no water by their farm. Where exactly are you sending us?” Khayin was a bit worried that Tippy was going to screw him somehow.
“To the circle you's mentioned. There is a Nexus point there, so I's don't need water on the other end to do it, just as long as there is water here's.” He winked and they were gone.
Khayin didn't vomit this time. He was thankful, as he didn't want to appear weak in front of a bounty. Before they could even take a few steps, Khayin saw Luis and a couple of his sons approaching. They carried weapons, but they didn't have them aimed at them this time.
“Rosa!” Luis yelled.
Her head hung low and her bottom lip shot out in a pout. Kira tried leading Rosa, but the girl was proving difficult, refusing to move and when she did only with very short steps. Luis took his daughter roughly by her arm. She yelped from the pain. Khayin could see Kira's hands ball up into fists, so he put a calming hand on her shoulder. She nodded.
After a moment Luis turned his attention to Khayin and Kira. “You have some unfinished business with my wife. She's expecting you.”
Khayin nodded and they proceeded to the Barragan home. Mrs. Barragan was sitting in a rocker in the main living space of the house. She motioned for the two to take a seat and they sat on the couch.
“Did she give you any trouble?” She asked.
&
nbsp; “Nothing we couldn't handle,” Khayin replied.
“Good. The rest of your payment is on the end table there.” She pointed at the little table next to where Kira was sitting.
Khayin motioned for Kira to take the bag. She was about to open the bag when Khayin shook his head. Kira stopped.
“It's alright. She can count it,” Mrs. Barragan said with a warm smile.
“No. I trust you. She's a little new.” Khayin smiled at Kira, assuring her that it was alright.
“Then that concludes our business. Will you be staying for dinner?” She inquired.
“I'm afraid not. We're needed elsewhere.” Khayin stood. “I thank you. It was a pleasure doing business with you.” He bowed. Kira stood as well and tried to bow but it came off a little awkward. Khayin pretended not to notice.
“Well, be sure to tell Mistress Tao I said hello.” Mrs. Barragan smiled and nodded.
“I'll do that. Farewell.” Khayin turned and left.
Chapter 23 The Mistake
Vegas was in chaos. People ran through the streets haphazardly. Buildings were on fire. Women and men were weeping over loved ones dying or dead in their arms. Armed guards patrolled and coordinated emergency response teams. Among the dead were Nueden Security, battlemages, mercenaries and of course citizens of Vegas.
Khayin and Kira appeared in the middle of The Strip. There had been a battle and they stood in its aftermath. After a moment’s pause to choke down what he last ate, Khayin sprinted toward Codex's place, with Kira close behind. They bobbed and weaved their way through the street and stopped at the alley. Khayin noticed that The Port Authority was ablaze.
“Kira, go check on Mistress Tao,” Khayin said in a huff.
Kira nodded and ran. Khayin took off down the alley, noting that he didn't see the usual guards outside the door. Something didn't seem right. He inspected the alley more closely than usual and found nothing. The door to Codex's place was unmarred. He found no signs of struggle, but that didn't make him feel any better. Just as he was about to open the door his phone rang.
“Codex!” Khayin practically yelled into the phone. “What happened? I'm at your door now.”
“Aww...isn't this touching,” said a male voice Khayin didn’t recognize. “I have your girlfriend and if you want to see her again you'll come to Nellis Air Force Base.” The line went dead.
Khayin didn't wait and he didn't go after Kira, but immediately ran to the north end of town. He saw a stable of horses and buggies. The stable master was tending to an injured horse and didn't see Khayin. Khayin jumped onto a mare, bareback, and rode to the northeast toward Nellis. He was fueled by pure adrenaline.
It didn't take him long and he knew he was walking into a trap, but his love for Codex pushed him forward. Nellis hadn't been used as a military base for over two hundred years and had been picked over for anything useful by scavengers since. Most everything was covered in rust. Planes and other vehicles became windows into the past and the majority of hangers and buildings were missing roofs, doors, and even walls.
The front gate was guarded by a couple of the Black Tempest Mercenaries. Khayin glared at them as he rode by. He dismounted and walked the horse without incident to the main hanger where he saw a gathering of other horses and more mercenaries. He left his horse and walked into the hanger.
The hanger, for the most part, was still intact. A well preserved jet sat at its center. There was a group of people standing next to the plane. Khayin counted eight and half as much behind him. He saw no sign of Codex. His heartbeat started to quicken.
He walked toward the group of eight and stopped about twenty paces from them. Two battlemages, five mercs armed with automatic rifles and one tall, lanky man in a white suit stood in a line before him. Mr. White must be the voice on the phone.
“Thanks for coming on such short notice,” the man in white said. “I'm Dorne. And you are the infamous Bounty Hunter Khayin.” He extended his hand for a shake, but Khayin just looked at it, then him. “Ah, well. As you can see we don't have your girlfriend here. What's her name? Codex. Yes. She is quite the handful. Very pretty too. You have a soft spot for the cute ones, don't you? Maria couldn't stop talking about you.”
Khayin could feel his face turn red and he tried to fight it back. He better not have hurt her. His hands curled into fists.
“Good. I was hoping I'd find something to rattle you. You'd be pleased to know she held out a lot longer than Jesus, but in the end...” He shook his head as if he were sorry. “But enough of the depressing stuff. I bet you are running through scenarios as to how you are going to get yourself out of this obvious trap. Quite frankly I'm surprised you fell for it.”
This fucker will die for messing with Maria. “I didn't. I just wanted to see your face.” Khayin pretended to examine Dorne's face more closely. “You know you should get those ears looked at. The Dumbo thing doesn't suit you.” I shouldn't have come alone. Damn, that Kira, she has gotten into my head. I never make rash, emotional decisions.
Dorne scowled. “Name calling? Is that the best you can do?”
“No, I just don't think you're worthy of my best.”
“Khayin, I expected better.” He frowned. “Do you know who I work for? Do you know what I can do?”
“I don't care, but I can guess. There are, at the very least, two individuals above you. You act extra smug and more brutal out in the field, because no one is watching over your shoulder. The constant supervision really gets under your skin, so you take it out on other people. I bet you're even the interrogator, because it makes you feel more powerful, when really, you are just impotent.”
Dorne smiled.
“People like you. You're nothing special.” Khayin looked him up and down. “In fact, if your mother were still alive I bet you would be calling her every night before bed for that extra affirmation. You hoped that your wife would've been able to give that to you, but that didn't happen, so instead you torture and hurt people to prove to yourself that you are important or powerful.”
“Careful, Khayin” Dorne said softy.
“You're fascinated with magic, but could never wield it. Just another reminder that you are insignificant.” Khayin prodded.
Dorne's eyebrows furrowed and face tensed.
“The one thing I can't figure out is, what happen to your mom? Your mom, not your dad, because, well, come on, you're totally a momma's boy. She didn't die of old age, ‘cause you're young. Did she die of heartbreak, because of how pathetic her son turned out to be? Or, maybe she killed herself because she couldn't bear the thought of you loving her in a not-so-mother-and-son way.” He looked at Dorne through squinted eyes. “Did you have a thing for mommy?”
“Shut up,” he yelled.
“Or maybe, she did reciprocate that love and you couldn't get it up? Your mind says yes but your body says, 'What the fuck are you doing?'...”
“Shut up!” Dorne screamed. “Take him!”
Khayin immediately dropped into a squatting position, pulling out two pistols and shooting two mercenaries between the eyes as four soldiers tried to grab him and missed. Everything above the victims’ lower jaws blew apart. Skull shrapnel pelted the other two soldiers who were now covered in their companions’ blood and gore.
The soldiers with assault rifles laid suppression fire to keep him from running. Dorne definitely wanted him alive. So much for playing dead to get rid of them. The battlemages shot off bolts of magical energy and missed as Khayin rolled toward them, catching them off guard. He shot one mage in the head and kicked the other mage into the suppressing fire. The battlemage was reduced to a bloody husk in a matter of seconds.
He knew he was to be bait, so he decided to take out as many as he could. The two blood-soaked soldiers took aim and shot Khayin, one in the right arm and the other in the left leg. Khayin winced and was knocked momentarily off balance as pain shot through him. He dropped the pistol in his right hand, taking a desperate shot with his remaining gun. The bullet hit its mark a
nd ripped through the soldier’s throat.
Khayin was shot again. His left shoulder erupted in pain. He tried to stand, but his wounded leg protested and he fell to the floor. Khayin looked up to see that the remaining guards surrounded him. He started to laugh and, despite the pain, he laughed hard.
Dorne kicked him in the side. “What are you laughing at?”
“You.” He grinned. “You're pathetic and you've got no idea who you made into an enemy today.”
“I have you surrounded and lying in your own blood,” he sneered. “You are no threat.”
Khayin laughed louder, which brought on more kicks. He felt a couple of ribs break. He coughed, but still laughed, which caused more coughing. He was kicked again. This time a broken rib punctured a lung. He laughed again.
“What is so funny?”
“I am nothing compared to my friends.” He went into a hacking fit. There was a coppery taste in his mouth.
Joshua Dorne bent low and pulled a syringe from an inner pocket, sticking Khayin in the arm. “This will put you to sleep so I don't have to listen to your mouth anymore. I'm sure the Chief would love to meet you. And if I'm really lucky that witch of yours will come running to save you.” He pushed the plunger and within seconds Khayin was out cold.
Chapter 24 The Base
Kira raced to The Port Authority. Her heart kept pace with her feet as she dodged the dead and injured and hurtled those she couldn't dodge. Before she had even reached the entrance to the building, Codex exited with Tao in tow. Codex was coughing from the smoke. Kira ran up to help support Tao and the three of them got clear of the burning building.
They stopped and rested a few doors down and across the street from The Port Authority. Tao was unconscious and Codex was checking her vitals. Kira looked up and down the street, making sure they were safe. No one noticed them and most were tending to their own problems. She looked back at Tao and Codex.
“She's breathing,” said Codex.
“Khayin went looking for you at your office. He sent me here to check on the Mistress,” Kira explained.
