by Jas T. Ward
The thing about the truth?
It could turn really nasty on you when you least expected it.
That should have probably occurred to him when he heard the sounds of fighting coming from an alley near the museum district. But instinct kicked in as his shit kickers beat the pavement to follow the sound to the source of the mayhem.
Sliding to a stop at an alley entrance, it only took a few seconds to decipher that a whole slew of Eaters had a Breaker and his Relay pinned down. Shots were being fired, from silencer enhanced muzzles making the bullets sound like rocks on dirt, pings on metal and a thunk sound on bricks of the building.
All the action was taking place at the other end. Reno saw a van in the usual Grid matte black parked with its front corner crunched against a dumpster, as if it stopped in a hurry.
The Eaters were taking refuge behind garbage cans and dumpsters as the occupants of the van were trying to stay within its confines.
Not always a good plan when metal and glass were bowing to the supremacy of hot bullets and shrapnel. But as Reno’s eyes darted around, he saw there weren’t many other options as the alley was walled up at the other end with the windows of the buildings around them boarded up.
The Breaker should have blurred, which was standard protocol of escape in most heavy fire situations.
Blurring was a cool talent of Breakers. To borrow what Bounce said it was like one drew a line from point A to point B. Now imagine blurring the line that separated them as if it no longer existed. You instantly got to point B from point A with the simple thought of doing so.
However, blurring didn’t work if you were too injured or freaked out to do so. Or, Reno was guessing in this case, the Breaker didn’t want to leave his Relay behind. Not many Breakers could master blurring well enough to blur themselves as well as another living thing.
Reno never blurred. Oh he had the gift, but it all came back to that whole paranoia thing. He was so afraid that if he blurred, the very act of doing so would also dissolve the connection between his essence and borrowed body, and then it would be game over.
That, and well, he really sucked at blurring.
The few times he had been forced to blur he had landed in Club Bounce with one boot in the toilet of the bathroom. The ladies bathroom and it hadn’t been empty.
Another time he had blurred and popped up naked as a newborn in the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge.
But back to the bad situation...
The firefight continued as he was pulling out his own XD 9mm pistols and took a quick bead to aim at the back of the head of the closest Eater. The head exploded as the bullet found its target. The body dropped. That had the attention of the other half a dozen bad things as they turned to look at him as all the weapon fire paused.
He smiled and waved with a big smile. “Hi.” And all Hell turned his way.
Chapter Five
Damn You Hero Stuff
“So what’s your story?”
Reno was sitting on top of a dumpster focused on wrapping a Twizzler around his tongue and going cross-eyed to try to watch the process when Evan asked the question.
Lifting his eyes to the other Breaker’s after blinking to straighten out his vision, Reno shrugged as he answered. “I don’t really have one.”
Evan smirked as he squatted down to watch the Eater ooze liquefy and go into the city drains. “We all have a history, Reno, but I get it if you don’t want to do some bonding.”
Evan’s Relay was busy with clean up as they waited, and seemed happy to do so. Reno didn’t have a Relay yet and to be honest he really didn’t think Bounce would give him one.
Reno had too many oddities to explain which equaled into too many questions without any answers for Reno to give. That was fine with him because he didn’t want to be the reason a human from the Grid got hurt due to him losing it during a fight.
Or witnessing him going coocoo for Coco-puffs.
Unlike Evan. Reno bet he got a Relay right away. He watched his fellow Breaker and knew Evan was the perfect example of what a Breaker should be. Like Jess.
“Ppppfft. Do you really want to be a pretty boy hero like that? Look at him. Even his hair is still perfect after fighting. That’s just not realistic, dude.”
Sundown was right. Evan was tall, strong and broad, with perfect skills with a blade or firearm no matter the foe or scenario. Evan had blonde-ish brown hair with hazel eyes and even his clothes seem to respect the fact the man was A-grade hero for they fit his cut muscles as if grown there.
Reno was pretty sure Evan dismissed him as being less than the perfect Breaker with his shorter statue, less girth in the muscles and obvious glee during the slaughter.
Snickering and giggling while you dispatched the baddies was not listed in bad-ass characteristics.
Notch that up to Evan probably assuming, and being right, that Reno was insane. That made Evan just like every other Breaker he had met since coming back. Judged, and then found less than, followed by being dismissed from the A-lister club.
It didn’t really bother Reno much. He was used to being less and thought of as flawed. At least now Reno was the one thought of when ever anyone did have a thought about him on anything from anyone. Not just a secret to be hidden away and that suited him quite well, despite the curve he was graded on by others.
Don’t take anything for granted, even if it’s not as great as it could be. At least it’s something. And that’s always better than nothing.
Hopping off the dumpster so he could help, Reno and Evan walked over to open the back doors of Evan’s van.
Evan grabbed a hose that was hooked to a water tank stowed in the back as his Relay climbed in the back to turn the tank’s tap on.
The Relay was a young guy who looked to be barely eighteen with a friendly, warm smile. His face had loops and piercings which included some flesh tubes in his ears. Those piercing oddly conflicted with the boyish look of the Relay. “Hello, name’s Mark. You must be the new Breaker.”
Reno looked down at Mark’s hand then smiled as he shook it with his own. “Yep. That’s me. Name’s Reno.”
The Relay nodded then ended the hand shake and reached into the van to grab what looked like a squeegee. “Damn, how many got juiced do you think?”
Evan hosed down the pavement as Mark used a squeegee to push the liquefied sludge into the storm drain. “Reno here had taken on a half-dozen or so.” Evan raised a brow and shook his head in amusement as he spoke. “And he was laughing the whole time. Strangest thing I have ever seen.”
Reno reached into the truck and got another squeegee and helped, getting a sheepish grin at Evan’s comments.
“It was eight actually. But Evan got a few too.” To be more specific, three was all Evan killed because that was all that was left as Reno mowed through the rest.
Mark whistled in appreciation as they worked. “That has to set some kind of record my man. Damn.”
Reno laughed and shrugged again. “Nah. I just seem to draw them like flies or something.” It was true, and he had no explanation for it, but he didn’t complain because it came in really handy to keep both his numbers up and his levels down.
They had just finished up when suddenly shots rang out and Mark let out a cry of pain. Evan gave Reno a look as they both threw themselves on the other side of the van. Evan went into a crouch as Reno stayed standing pressed against the van as both of them pulled out their weapons to check the clips scanning the rooftops above the alley.
Mark was groaning in pain as another volley of shots were fired, pinging off the van like hail until the sound of steam could be heard when the radiator was hit, the coppery smell of antifreeze clashing with the stench of Eaters.
Evan cursed and hissed through his fangs. “Ambush! God damn it. Mark! Can you get to cover?” Mark’s answer was a groan which caused Evan to curse again. “Damn it.”
Ducking left to peer through the shattered window of the van, Reno saw Mark lying on his side as puddle of c
rimson spread out against the dark wet pavement.
“I’ll be back.”
Evan tried to grab him but he was already taking off fast as bullets fired just inches from his boots causing chips of pavement to hit his legs as he ran from the impact.
Not even slowing down his pace, he grabbed Mark’s shirt and hauled the Relay up to his shoulder, spinning as more shots were fired. One shot hit his opposite shoulder and he almost dropped Mark. But lucky for them both his legs decided to tell his shoulder to go to H-E- double-hockey sticks and he was running back to the van.
Getting there, he gently dumped Mark to the pavement as he looked at his shoulder and grimaced. It looked like it went clear through, which was good, but it hurt like a bitch.
They were pinned down from behind, overhead, in front, and soon the Eaters would realize the only way back in the van in this narrow alley was through its back, which was covered pretty well by their vantage point right now.
Not that it would do them any good soon. The van was giving up the vehicle ghost as its block had apparently been aimed for and hit in the firefight.
Evan had his phone out to call the Grid for back-up but judging by the Breaker’s face it wasn’t going to be soon enough to help his bleeding to death Relay. That would suck.
“Come on. This is my thing. I’ll be good not to expose. Bad side honor and everything. Let me out. I got a plan.”
It was taking a real chance since Sundown wasn’t known for control or giving a damn about their rep, but it was about the only option they had. Fine, but don’t get too flashy.
Reno’s vision flipped to red as his strength soared up, with the pain from the shot only fueling his dark side into action faster.
“Evan.”
The Breaker looked over at him. “Yeah?”
Reno grinned and pointed upward with a big smile and wiggled his brows. “Watch this.”
Evan gawked as Reno grabbed the top of the van and pulled himself up to swing up to the roof. The shots stopped, as the Eaters firing were just as shocked as his fellow Breaker down below was at his actions.
Whipping out his other XD he threw both arms out and started firing as dark laughter started to simmer out of his lips with each drop of a baddie.
The sound of Eater pain as they got hit filled the alley, along with the metal chime of his shells hitting the van roof. He got hit a few times, but that pain didn’t ever register as he turned, aimed and fired. Soon his two pistols were clicking as the clips emptied but Evan tossed his Glocks up, which Reno caught without a glimpse down and continued to fire.
Pointing downward, Reno stepped back and fired through the roof even as shots fired around him, helping to perforate the steel. Laughing hard now as he jumped once, then twice and the roof gave with him dropping inside with a bone jarring landing.
Scrambling to the front of the van, which was still running, sputtering, and spitting in protest, Reno slammed it in reverse causing the mirror to get sheared off by a dumpster. With the passenger side door now parallel to Evan, Reno rolled a busted window down causing it to fall apart. Oops.
“So? You coming or what?”
Evan just stared at him for a few seconds in disbelief before he scooped up Mark and climbed in. “Hit it, Reno. Go!”
Reno laughed as he slammed his foot to the gas pedal as billowing steam and smoke poured out of the van’s hood. The glass of the windshield shattered as more bullets hit it, but that just made it easier to see through the fumes the engine was putting out.
Clearing the alley, they bounced to and down the street leaving a trail of dripping and spewing van guts as they went.
“Where to?”
He looked over at Evan who was once again on the phone. Evan nodded and pointed forward. “Mr. Hahn’s. You know where that is?”
Reno laughed and turned the van around a corner so hard the back door went flying off, trailing the water hose behind them setting off a dance of sparks of metal to asphalt. “I do actually. To Hahn’s we go!”
Chapter Six
It’s You
The van gave out on the block right near Mr. Hahn’s shop. Jumping out, they each grabbed the bleeding Relay to hold between them with the man’s arms draped on their shoulders, his feet dragging on the sidewalk as they carried him between them. The shop said closed, but there were no hours when it came to patching up Breakers. Using his elbow to hit the after-hours buzzer, he backed up and looked at the windows on the second floor.
“Hahn? Mr. Hahn? Come on! Open up!”
The door buzzed and they rushed forward to pull open the door and to haul their groaning cargo inside as blood splattered on the floor from the Relay Mark, and both of them. Reno had no idea how many times he or Evan had been hit, but being Breakers they healed really fast. Mark, on the other hand, was all human and fading even faster.
Mr. Hahn came rushing down the stairs, clucking like a mother hen as he took in the scene. “In there. In there,” pointing to a room to the side of the main entry.
Nodding, Reno and Evan carried Mark in to lay him on a flat padded table that was used during business hours for acupuncture.
Stepping away to let the little Asian man work as Evan stayed to reassure Mark, it was then that Reno realized he felt kind of dizzy and light-headed.
Looking down to see his own blood had soaked his shirt down to the waist band of his jeans to join another crimson bloom of blood on his thigh, he went to speak right before the room started spinning.
And then went black.
Reno didn’t know how long he was out but the sound of ripping cloth caused him to try to sit up only for a firm hand to then press him back down.
“You stay.”
His eyes slid open to look up at Mr. Hahn as the man started to cut away his shirt and then to look beyond the man up at the ceiling. “I’m fine, dude. Go work on Mark.”
Mr. Hahn let out a clucking noise right before he smacked Reno on the forehead. Hard. “You not fine. You full of holes.”
“Oww. Damn.” Reno rubbed the place on his forehead and turned his head to look through the beaded curtain that covered the doorway. And that was when he saw her.
Emma was doing her best to staunch the blood flow that poured out of Mark. Most of it was bright red and slowing down, but the darker ooze of richer blood had her concerned. Evan was pacing, rubbing his stamp as if to send energy to Mark and that was possible if they were linked on the Grid. Hope so, because Mark was shot up pretty bad.
“Mr. Hahn? I think I need some help here.”
Reno looked up at Mr. Hahn to speak and the man leaned down to whisper in his ear. “She not know you here. Keep it that way.”
Their eyes met for a few seconds and Reno nodded. Mr. Hahn smacked his forehead again before smiling and leaving him there alone. Sitting up to watch the ancient man join Emma, Reno couldn’t help but be mesmerized by watching Witch work.
Her hands were so sure and steady as if all her focus was in her fingertips. That made a lot of sense since Healer Relays had the power of tele-electrotherapy in which they could tap into their own internal healing spark and pour it into a being who needed it via touch.
Reno’s eyes trailed down Emma’s slender arms to watch as her fingers started to glow as Mr. Hahn spoke in some language he didn’t recognize.
Not even realizing he had swung his legs off the table to walk towards the doorway, he watched amazed as Mark’s blood leaks stopped as the wounds seem to smooth out. Emma and Mr. Hahn started stitching them up, healing already from the inside from the healing gift of Witch.
Emma was so concentrated on mending Mark, it wasn’t until that task was done that she felt it. Someone was watching her and doing so intensely. Looking up, blowing a lock of her hair out of her face, she narrowed her eyes to look into the darkness of the other room.
Walking away from Mark and towards that room, she realized someone was standing there causing her to stop.
It was a tall man and her eyes went across his chiseled
chest to see the bullet hole that still bled in his lower shoulder. Her eyes trailed up but couldn’t make out the man’s face due to the shadow of the door.
“You’re hurt?”
She reached out to touch the man but suddenly Mr. Hahn grabbed her hand to say, “I get this one. You care for Mark.”
Her eyes went back from the healer to the man in the doorway. There it was again. That strange feeling of being drawn to someone which made her think she knew him.
Mr. Hahn’s reaction was strange as the ancient continued to try to pull her away but Emma had to know, the feeling was so strong.
Stepping forward to brush the beaded curtain out of the way she frowned as the man suddenly stepped back and almost stumbled.
Reno was scared and excited. Thrilled and freaked all at the same time. His breath was stolen the moment Emma walked over and when she reached out, he feared her touch would completely do him in. His ass hit the table, knocking off a pan filled with bloodied cloths, causing it to hit the floor with a loud clang.
Emma stepped into the room and he continued his hasty retreat around the table until he felt the wall at his back.
“Hold on. It’s okay. I’m a healer.” Her voice was so soft and sweet as if she was talking to a wounded animal. He shook his head.
“I’m okay. Really.” Reno’s voice was as unsteady as his knees and he didn’t sound convinced of his own words because he was far from okay. Emma smiled and in a few steps was right in front of him to make out his face, her eyes widening a bit.
“It’s you?”
His eyes widened in turn and his jaw dropped as his eyes skittered around the room for an escape. Worst nightmare and best dream fought for dominance in his head as he scrambled for what to tell her. His eyes came skidding back to her beautiful green gaze and she said softly. “You don’t remember? The other night. In the park?”
His mouth snapped shut as relief flooded through him and his knees really did give at that moment. Good thing he had the wall at his back. Reno nodded and she smiled again, taking his hand. It was just as warm as it had been four years ago and he let out a soft sigh of pleasure. Emma gave him an odd look as she led him back to the table.
