Letha sniffed in disgust at his cavalier attitude and lack of respect “There’s a decent amount of them out there,” she said. “But still not enough to take Ulric down. He’s got half the goddamn planet aligned against me, which means they’ll be in your way. And you’ve still got a fucking bounty on your head.”
“Your point?” Pierce joked.
Letha wasn’t able to hold back her burst of laughter at that. “You’re a fucking asshat,” she said. “But if you pull this off, you might just get a second shot at getting into my pants.”
“There’s some cool inspirational thing I could say right now, but I’m having trouble thinking of it,” Pierce said. “It’s in the back of my head somewhere. Possibly cluttered and mixed in with an old country song. Maybe rock ‘n roll. Not sure. But it’s in there. And I can almost get to it. But it’s right out of reach. Blocked by images of your naked body.”
The woman sighed and put her hand up to her face, shaking her head. “Just do what you do.”
“Do you believe I can pull this off?” Pierce asked.
“No,” Letha said. “Not a fucking chance.”
“Okay, but you’re going to let me go and join the force that just threw a giant “Fuck you” up in the air?”
“Yes,” Letha said. “I’m letting you go, so I can fucking hunt you down and blow away all my enemies in the process,” she said, her voice rising, making sure to shoot a glance at the floating camera drones.
Then she whispered in his ear again. “Don’t fuck this up, idiot.”
“Roger, wilco,” Pierce said, as he shouldered his weapon and pocketed the collar, then turned to Letha’s followers.
The crowd was silent, but one person stood out a few feet in front of the line that most had subconsciously made. That person was Essie.
“Hey,” Pierce called out, from a distance.
She smiled and ran up and jumped into his arms. Unable to speak, she crouched down to write in the ground, but Pierce stopped her.
“No,” he said. “You’re safer with Letha.” He reached into his cargo pocket and pulled out the shield collar. “Wear this.”
She tried to shake her head and push it away, but Pierce responded by latching the collar around her neck for her. It looked more like a necklace around her neck.
“Now you’ll be safe, or at least safer,” he said, as he kissed her on the lips. They lingered for a second longer than there was time for.
Letha’s booming voice interrupted the sweet moment. “No one touches him for ten minutes,” she declared. “After that, he’s fair game. I’m not interested in an easy death. I want to be entertained for a change. I’m offering double the amount of the bounty to the fighter who can take Pierce alive.” She let her last words hang in the air for a moment. “We’re going to have ourselves a good old-fashioned hunt. A trophy hunt.”
Pierce knew she didn’t have that kind of credit, but he was starting to catch onto her plan. As he began to stride away from the camp, the shadowy figures grew in number. They stayed just beyond the cusp of an imaginary line, careful not to provoke Letha.
“He gets a ten-minute head start,” Letha repeated. “If anyone violates that, I’ll spend a week flaying them slowly and rubbing salt in their wounds.”
The lone wolves didn’t respond in the way anyone, including Letha, expected. They approached Pierce. One of them offered a drink of water. Another tended to his bruises and wounds. Poured medicine over the gash on his thigh.
“What the fuck is going on?” Letha asked.
“They’re joining him,” Rodrigo said.
“The loners?” Letha questioned. “They have the most to benefit from his death.”
“I think there’s more to us than you imagine,” Rodrigo said.
“They’re signing their own death warrants,” Letha declared.
Rodrigo laughed as he began marching down the hillside towards the others with Pierce. “And so am I,” he said, as he waved farewell to Letha.
Letha stood there, mouth agape. Rodrigo caught up to Pierce and reached out to carry his Bunker Blaster while the medicine kicked in.
“What in the hell?” Letha said. Then she saw one of the lone wolves off by herself, out of Pierce’s line of sight, keeping a safe distance between them. The one with a mask seared into her face so no one could ever know her identity. The Dark Mark. Something bigger was at play, and Letha didn’t want to miss out. She addressed her camp. “I want everyone ready to go on the hunt by the time I finish this sentence.”
28
The Approach
Planet Kill, Ulric’s Territory
Not far from Ulric’s hideout, the medicine started to kick in and Pierce began to feel more like himself. Sort of. This journey as a whole had changed him. His body was feeling better, but he was beginning to realize there were parts of his inner self that he hadn’t acknowledged. He knew before he ever left Earth that he was going to suffer on Planet Kill. He’d realized he was going to see things he’d never imagined he’d be part of. Until he’d actually experienced the pain of being hurt, the guilt of hurting someone he’d rather spare, and the pleasure of killing someone who deserved it rather than out of necessity, he hadn’t understood what it felt like. It was altogether different from conceptually forming an opinion on these types of moments. If he was being completely honest with himself, he had to admit that he was beginning to like it, as if he’d belonged here all along. That scared him. It also comforted him. Now he could begin to grasp why Mara would have chosen to stay. Whether it had been a choice for her to come here or not, she’d found herself on Planet Kill. He could only imagine what more he was capable of, and he was both eager and reluctant to find out.
As a ridge up ahead came into view, he reached down to check the gash on his thigh. It was almost sealed up and no longer bleeding. His head no longer throbbed. He could wiggle his jaw and breathe more easily, despite still missing half his teeth, limping from the gash in his thigh, and sore from bruises that covered his body. If he’d had another day to recover, he would have been as good as new. He wasn’t, nor would he be in time for the battle that he had to participate in tonight, but he had healed enough to put up a good fight. He’d make it entertain the viewers.
In the meantime, Pierce wanted to know why the lone wolves had come to his aid. How many of them had Ulric wronged? How many had he forced to come here, to serve as fodder for more capable fighters? How many were Ulric’s victims, sacrificed to maintain the system and order he held so dear? And how the fuck had word spread so fast?
Sure, there were the viewers. Surely there were also secret birds flittering between camps. The lone wolves, no doubt, had their own means of communicating with each other, too. But this felt more organized. They’d come together. It was as if the leaderless had found a leader. He just couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that it could be him. He certainly hadn’t recruited them or organized them. His actions and mission and revelations about Ulric served as a unifying force, and he served as a living symbol of their resistance, but someone had to have brought them together. Who?
“Rodrigo,” Pierce called out.
Rodrigo strode up next to Pierce. “You feeling better yet?”
“Yeah, actually,” Pierce said, rubbing his forehead. “Head’s a little foggy, but I’m feeling like I’m ready to fight again.”
“Good. You’re going to want to go out on top,” Rodrigo said, with a chuckle.
“Meaning what exactly?” Pierce asked. He was unsure if he wanted to know the answer.
Rodrigo laughed. “You don’t really think we’re going to make it out of this alive, do you?”
“Well, I was kind of hoping I would, honestly.”
“It would be nice. Especially if things change, and there are better chances to move up and move on. The amount of battles you have to win to escape this fucking hellhole is impossible.”
“Overpopulation throughout the galaxy,” Pierce said, as if his comment explained everything.
Rodrigo was confused. “What do you mean?”
“Never mind. Hey, listen. I’m curious about something. How did…” Pierce waved his hand around, gesturing at the lone wolves marching in unison, but separately. “How’d this come together?”
“You, idiot.”
“Right, yeah. I’m a symbol and all that. But who organized it? Even if my actions brought them together, it doesn’t explain the timing.”
“Oh.” Rodrigo rubbed his chin. “If I had to guess, they individually sent word to each other. We don’t communicate in groups. I was only tagging along with Letha so I didn’t have to join Fireshot. He’s a nasty fucker. Solo messages are part of our protective measures.”
“I get that,” Pierce said. “But who sent the first message?”
Rodrigo shrugged. “Does it matter?”
“Technically, no, but it’d be nice to know.”
“I don’t have the faintest idea, but I can guess what type of person.”
“That’s good enough for me.”
“Someone who always keeps their promises. Someone trustworthy. Someone who evokes fear in others. He or she wouldn’t be afraid of the consequences. Someone with enough credits that the bounty on your head didn’t matter to them. Whoever it was obviously knew you were at Letha’s camp. They must have been tracking you, or even shadowing you. Someone who knows you personally, or they wouldn’t have known whether you were for real. Ring any bells?”
Pierce nodded. “Oddly, yes. I’m beginning to understand what’s been in front of me this whole time. How could I be so blind?”
“As smart as you are,” Rodrigo said, “and you are clever, you can be kinda dense.”
With a chuckle, Pierce hobbled away from Rodrigo on the hunt to find someone. Not just anyone, but the one. She had to be within the group of loners. She was one of them, right there for all to see, hiding in plain sight.
He tried not to be too obvious about it, sneaking glances at their faces, but these were the keenest of people, always noticing every little detail. Some smiled at him. Others just stared. A few nodded in support. None of them were the person he was looking for. What was he missing? She had to be here somewhere. There was no way she wasn’t behind this.
That was when he felt it. Her eyes were on him. It was unmistakable. How had he missed the signs? He felt like he was being seen for the first time in his life, the same feeling he’d had when they’d met.
On that occasion, when their paths first crossed, they’d been at a book reading group. A group that was specifically formed by, and for, individuals who didn’t enjoy watching Planet Kill feeds. They were people who wanted to live in their imaginations and escape. It’s not that they weren’t fans, or even against it. They just needed more, or maybe something different.
What they really wanted was the chance to tell a story: a story about how they’d experienced a story. That was hard to do with the battles to the death live on feeds, available everywhere. Everyone saw the same thing. There wasn’t much to discuss or even debate. With the book club, they could tell a story about the experience of reading the story.
The thing that had made her stand out to him was one comment she’d made when he asked her to spend time with him outside the book club. “I like to be with someone and not at the same time,” she’d said. He’d garbled something out about being independent, but together.
They agreed. He didn’t think it would last. He was shocked when she’d said “yes” to his proposal a year later. Somehow, they’d found a way to be together, but free. That was why he’d been so determined and certain that she hadn’t left without telling him. They’d agreed that if either needed to be alone, the other would accept it. They would be there for each other if needed, but not get in one another’s way. Now, he felt her eyes upon him again.
Pierce peered all around in the moonlight. Left and right, up ahead, and behind, but he couldn’t find her. He didn’t even spot a person staring directly at him. Yet, he could still feel her eyes on him. He knew she was there. And she was. Just not where he was looking. Still alone, but together.
Pierce stopped searching the group of loners. Instead, he scanned out farther. There they were, up on a dune that ran parallel to their path. The eyes continued boring into him. She was up there by herself, marching along with the group, but separate even from a group that was already full of loners. She was still even more independent than any of them.
Pierce wanted to run to her, to embrace her. He held back, though. This wasn’t the time or place. The Dark Mark had a reputation to preserve after all. It would be better if he waited. Besides, she wasn’t moving toward him. She didn’t want to talk to him yet, if ever. The thought hurt, but Pierce wanted to respect her wishes. He turned forward again and rejoined the march to Ulric’s hideout, only to realize they’d already arrived.
Ulric was keenly aware that his secret location had been compromised.
The landscape was filled with clans. Pierce even recognized Fireshot in the middle of the pack. Grinder was there, despite being a lone wolf. She wasn’t one to join a cause. However, the one person, if he could be called a person, Pierce wanted to see most wasn’t there.
Blast doors that had been built into a rock outcropping were visible just past the gathering of clans. In all likelihood, Ulric was hiding inside like a coward. With the bounty still on Pierce’s head, why should he have to fight anyway? He was in no need of moving up in rank or credits. He could let the others die on his behalf and still accomplish his ends.
Pierce was going to have to navigate through the clans, mostly Letha’s enemies, to get to Ulric. Despite the help he was getting from the lone wolves, the enemies were still more numerous and better armed. Even worse, Pierce couldn’t use his stealth ship’s weapons, since someone had hacked into them. It was a problem he was going to have to rectify if he made it out of this battle alive. Otherwise, he’d be stuck here and unable to rescue Mara or Essie; although he wasn’t entirely sure either one wanted to be saved.
He had to defy the odds and take his shot. “Maybe if I pull this off I’ll get a warrior’s name,” he joked. “Even though I’ve only been here less than a week.”
“You’ve already got one,” Rodrigo chuckled, as he appeared out of nowhere. “The Foolish One.”
“Is that, is that an attempt at humor?” Pierce asked.
“You think so?” Rodrigo replied.
“I doubt I’ll survive anyway.”
“You won’t. But if you do, you still won’t get a warrior’s name.”
“Why’s that?” Pierce said.
“Because you do already have one, Pierce,” Rodrigo said. “Idiot.” He unsheathed a sword that pulsed with electrical energy along the sides of the blade.
“I’ll pass on the name, asshole, but where can I get one of those blades?” Pierce said.
“You don’t. I made it myself, by crafting two weapons together.”
“Nice. I guess we should get started. What do you think I should do? Yell ‘charge’?”
Rodrigo looked out over the crowd and shrugged. “I think you should just keep doing what you’ve been doing.”
“Which is what? I’m being serious. I really don’t know what I’ve done that’s rallied everyone to the cause.”
“You put your weapon and your life in harm’s way. That makes your cause mean something. Just do that one more time.”
“Yeah,” Pierce said with a half-smile. “I’ll just go out there and try not to get killed. That’ll work.”
“It’s a good start,” Rodrigo said, as he marched forward.
“Fucking hell,” Pierce muttered. “I guess this is what I came for.” With that, he rocked his Bunker Blaster into his shoulder and sprinted into the fray.
Pierce’s foolish headlong rush into battle, right into the kill zone caught Fireshot and the others by surprise. It took away some of their advantage of having better positioning, higher ground, and a buildup of barriers. First blood belonged to Pie
rce. A volley of shots rang out from his Bunker Blaster, plowed through the barriers, and flung several pieces of enemy soldiers into the air.
Pierce’s advantage was short-lived. The opposing warlords had a counterattack ready to go and launched a multitude of blasts into the swarm of lone wolves. Several died on impact. Countless others were injured. Not even thirty seconds into the battle and Pierce was already losing.
What he needed most wasn’t to fight the warlords or anyone who was out for the bounty on his head. He needed to get to the blast doors and inside the bunker. All that really mattered was taking out Ulric.
He concentrated his fire on the warriors nearest the doors in hopes of clearing a path. If he could get inside, the low numbers of fighters he had wouldn’t be as much of a problem. His first shot landed true and blew three warriors to pieces. He was about to take another shot when Rodrigo drew his attention, shouting his name.
“Pierce! Cover us!” Rodrigo shouted.
Pierce saw that the Dark Mark and Rodrigo had paired up and were on a direct path toward the blast doors with their electrically charged blades. They’d caught on to Pierce’s plan and were going to make it happen for him. They’d clear the area around the doors. Pierce aimed in and targeted anyone trying to take out his wife and his new friend as they dodged blasts and rushed forward.
To Pierce’s amazement, it was working. The Dark Mark and Rodrigo sliced through the enemy, making it look easy, as Pierce continued launching blasts at anyone who targeted them. The three of them cleared a path in unison.
Suddenly, the plan was thrown for a loop. The blast doors opened, and out poured a squad of robotic soldiers. Unlike Ulric, they weren’t sentient or even A.I. They were weapons, controlled remotely, and had the appearance of robots that were made up of innards only. They were creepy as hell and just as deadly. Ulric had called on the automatons in his corrupt endeavor to cover his tracks.
“Fuck you, you fucking fuck!” was all Pierce could think to say.
Planet Kill Page 26
