Soul of the Reaper: A military Scifi Epic (The Last Reaper Book 11)

by J. N. Chaney

  I nodded. His way was much simpler and utilized gear we already had. I didn’t like the idea of getting caught at street level while the rest of them poured out of the building to overwhelm us but none of our options were perfect.

  “We could climb a few levels and see what it looks like, but the clock is ticking.” He shrugged and waved a hand like it didn’t matter.

  “Have you been to the roof?”

  He shook his head.

  “Maybe there is a corporate ship up there,” I said.

  “Sure. And maybe Elise is waiting with the Jellybird. I know this area, Cain, and I have dealt with the Razors before,” he said.

  “Bug has a point,” X-37 added.

  “Let’s do it your way.” I walked to the balcony looking for the least alert group of Razors. “Don’t make me regret this.”

  “I’ll go first. You cover me. Once I’m down, I’ll head for that building. Went in there a few weeks ago and it has a lot of intact doors we can shut behind us if they pursue—and they will,” he said. “One word of warning. We will need to cross back into Hagg territory to shake the Razors.”

  “Just like we used the Razors to shake the Hagg,” I said. “Feels like we’re moving in circles.”

  “More of a zig zag.” He unspooled his rappelling line.

  “Why are you going first?” I asked, suspecting he would run off while I was coming down, leaving me to deal with the angry mob of super monsters.

  “I’m wearing armor. If the other perimeter guards respond like they should, I may have to fight them much closer than I want to. Armor will help. But you’re welcome to go first and get slashed up. Add some scars to your baby face.”

  “Hey, I’m manly as hell,” I countered.

  “You’ve never even had a suntan. Every scratch is from the last few days,” he said.

  The man wasn’t wrong.

  “If you’re worried I’ll just leave you, maybe you should be. Either way, this is the best plan.”

  “If we both do our part,” I said.

  “Yeah. You could let them overrun me. Don’t think I haven’t thought of that. Remember what you said earlier about a truce? Let’s work together until we get to safety. Then we can figure what to do next—part ways, will be my suggestion. Call it even.”

  “Good enough,” I said, then looked up until he furrowed his brow with curiosity.

  “What are you looking for?”

  I winked. “Just longing for the good old days when the Jellybird swooped in to save the day.”

  He shook his head and cursed, but I caught him smiling.

  I waited while he double checked the rope, ran it through his belt carabiner, and approached the ledge. “I’ll be moving fast. Use your silencer if you can, and don’t be shy. We can find more ammunition later if we survive this. Hard to steal stuff when you’re dead.”

  “Got it,” I said, then took a position to cover him.

  He went down almost as fast as if he’d fallen face first. The Razor guard looked up right before Bug’s feet touched the ground ten feet from him. I shot the spiked-out alert Razor as he roused the others, then killed two more with headshots.

  The other three leapt high into the air and bounded away from each other.

  “Damn, X, I didn’t expect them to move like that,” I said, tracking my next shot.

  “I will note their agility in our tactical database,” X said.

  Bug blasted one in the face but still took a vicious slash across his helmet. I saw fresh grooves in the armor, which showed how strong and sharp these things’ claws were.

  Two remained. I shot one in the throat, noticing that he staggered several steps toward Bug before falling. The other I shot in the hips, wanting him to fall. A kill shot wasn’t always the best choice in a fight like this.

  Bug jumped back as the wounded animal crawled toward him, blades extended, mouth roaring fiercely. He shot it in the face, then ran to the building he’d picked out during our planning session.

  I attached the rope to my belt and went down backward. My way was slower than Bug’s, but I hadn’t done it for a while and didn’t want to break my back.

  Bug fired several times from a doorway, or that was what it sounded like in my preoccupied state.

  Two hops and I was on the street. I cast away the rope, turned, and shot three Razors in their throats seconds before they reached me. Ten others swarmed out of the building, screaming animal cries and roaring to answer Bug’s earlier victim.

  The sound chilled my blood for longer than I expected. My combat senses had always been fine tuned. These basic sensations had purpose, and right now, they were telling me to get the hell out of there.

  “Move your ass, Reaper!” Bug shouted.

  I sprinted toward him, only looking back long enough to see more of the Razors leapfrogging each other, sometimes literally. They picked up speed, and I realized they were faster than I was even with their short legs. The way they clawed the ground with their overlong arms and massive hands gave them a boost.

  Another troop came around the corner to the east, then a third from the west. Neither were as numerous as the first group but there were a lot of them, and they appeared angry. We had only one direction to flee, and that probably meant there was an ambush in our future.

  Bug waved me past him. “Go straight through and out the other side of the building. I’ll be right behind you.”

  I dashed through the main floor hallway, past elevators and stairs, then across another lobby littered with old camp sites. Bug’s gun fired several times, followed by a pause, followed by a grenade explosion at the doorway we’d used to enter.

  “Wait for him, Reaper Cain,” X-37 said.

  “Way ahead of you. Like I would leave such a staunch and trusting ally in the lurch.” I aimed my D3D through the exit well before I reached it, using the advanced optics to search for more of the Razors. Thermal imaging and radar really added to the variable magnification option and laser range finder. I knew something was wrong even before I could see the street.

  “It is less than ideal to use so many functions at once,” X said.

  “I do that all the time, X. You know that.”

  “That must be a lost memory,” he said.

  I grimaced, not sure what to do with that news and wondering if I should reassure my LAI who had no feelings to hurt in the first place. A battle kicking off on the next street brushed away everything but the here and now. Explosions and gunfire shook the windows.

  My feet ate up each exit angle until I could see it all without getting too close. Moving in a shooting stance was like second nature, especially when stepping into hell.

  Three armored vehicles advanced on a platoon of Hagg soldiers. Their heavy machine guns initiated the attack right before my eyes—cutting down Hagg grunts two and three at a time. Hagg shoulder fired missiles reached for the tanks and armored cars in retaliation, blowing the treads off one set of wheels.

  “Who the fuck are those yahoos, and where did they get armor?”

  X-37 responded seconds before Bug stopped beside me. “I suspect those markings indicate they are more of the Jump Force Troopers of Oroth and they are clearing the city of Hagg forces. So much for them being allies.”

  Bug was out of breath but didn’t take long to update the plan. “We have to go underground. The JFT will see us but won’t pursue until they put together a squad, and that will take several minutes.”

  “I hate going underground,” I said.

  “Better than fighting three packs of razor monkeys, a platoon or more of Haggs, and the forward element of an Oroth armor battalion.”

  “Agreed.” I edged the door open, trying not to draw attention until the last moment. The broad panes of safety glass reflected light no matter how much I cringed or how carefully I moved it.

  “That last part is bad news. The JFT haven’t shown much of a presence in Maglan City for months,” Bug said, then flung a grenade back at the Razors picking their way ove
r the debris from his earlier grenade.

  “Can you make a little more noise?” I asked.

  One of the tank gunners glanced our way, but didn’t have time to investigate. Hagg small arms fire ricocheted off his turret shield.

  “Those jerks out there are making plenty of their own,” he said. “Get ready to run. Follow me. Opening manhole covers can be tricky. Could be locked.”

  “Locked?” I asked his back.

  He bolted into the street slightly behind the column of JFT vehicles. Close on his heels, I spotted the infantry following them right when Bug ripped open the manhole cover.

  “Get in there!” I shouted, then opened fire, striking two of the soldiers on their body armor before they could kill my only ally. They staggered backward and sat down, heavy armor leaking blood as someone called for a medic and others started shooting.

  They shouted a version of the galactic common language, but I mostly understood their words from the situation and their tone. My D3D could hurt them, even with their field armor, which was good to know.

  I scrambled part way down the ladder, then pulled the lid back into place.

  “Do the crossbar,” Bug yelled from directly below me.

  “There’s a crossbar? What kind of maintenance system does this city have?”

  “Most of them were added after the Razors showed up, and other things,” Bug said as I found the rusted bar and slid it through slots welded to the bottom of the plate.

  The moment I was done, I grabbed the sides of the ladder and slid down.

  “This way,” Bug said. “That was close, but we’re doing better than I hoped. Should have considered this option in the first place.”

  “Why didn’t you?” I asked as I walked backward long enough to be sure we weren’t being followed.

  “Sometimes there are things down here you don’t want to think about,” he said, marching steadily forward on the sidewalk.

  “What kind of things?”

  “No idea. No one ever sees them. You just hear the screams and never see the person who made them again,” he said.

  “Maglan City has become far more dangerous than before the crisis,” X-37 said.

  “I noticed.” Hurrying to catch up with Bug, I scanned the murky water between us, then the walls and ceilings. I’d been through too many sewer systems to expect a pleasant, safe passage.

  “I think we’re good,” Bug said. “The attacks normally come the moment you climb down. Don’t ask me why, that’s just what I heard. Stay sharp and we should be able to escape the Razors, Haggs, and the Oroth battalion.

  “Perfect,” I said. “And to think we could have been working together from the start.”

  “I’ll give you this, Cain, you are definitely more of a smartass than the other clones.”

  “That’s because I’m me.”

  Bug stayed on point. I watched the rear. Three hours later, we found our way to the surface without incident.

  Sunlight streamed through the downtown buildings five miles behind us. Birds flew into the sky, ignoring the plumes of smoke from the battlefield. Higher up, clouds drifted lazily. I didn’t see any more contrails to mark the passage of ships in the upper atmosphere.

  “We came farther than I thought,” Bug said. “We should be near one of the better commercial districts, which means vehicle lots. Most were stolen or looted the last time I came this way, but we could get lucky.”

  “Right. Looters probably felt guilty and put stuff back—after filling the tanks and running the vehicles through one of the many functional car washes in the area,” I said.

  “People bring damaged vehicles back to trade or fix with scavenged parts. We won’t find a lot of the latest and greatest pleasure crafts, but we might be able to assemble one from parts if your LAI is the real thing.” He walked a few steps. “Car washes? Really?”

  “Can you show us how to build a car or a ship, X?”

  “For a certainty, though you may need tools and computer diagnostics you don’t have,” X-37 said.

  I made a triumphant fist. “You’re all the computer we need. Good job.”

  “I’m a special operations LAI, Reaper Cain, not an automotive repairman.”

  “Close enough.” I gave Bug a thumbs-up. “X says no problem.”

  “Great. I will start celebrating immediately,” Bug said, then led the way to the ground and air vehicle supercenter.

  Again there was evidence of looting and camping, probably occurring at different points during the post invasion timeline. I searched for civilians but found none.

  “The people here are cautious,” I said.

  “Best way to stay alive,” Bug said. “I see something promising. That is a military shuttle, from Maglan, not the Oroth SOBs. Parts are way easier to find for those.”

  We scouted the wreckage of dozens of cars and ships before closing in on the shuttle. It was locked up tight with no obvious guards.

  “Could be rigged with explosives,” Bug said. “I’ll take a look and give you the all clear.”

  “I’ll do it. X can help me,” I said.

  “Suit yourself, but I am more familiar with the methods Maglan survivors use to protect what’s theirs,” Bug said.

  “I’ll be careful, won’t I, X?”

  “I am not dignifying that with a response. Perhaps you should rig up a voice box for me so I can talk to Bug directly.”

  “Maybe later. Not high on my priorities right now.” I approached the shuttle, then circled it at a distance. On the left side was a lot of damage, probably the reason it had landed. “Looks like they took fire but it should still fly.”

  “That was my conclusion as well,” X-37 said. “Please stand motionless and do a careful visual scan. I want to process every detail before we move closer.”

  The procedure took several minutes and came back clear of triggers. “Let’s get inside, X, and plug you in.”

  “Excellent plan, Reaper Cain. I wasn’t going to say anything, but the backup module is down to three percent charge. In one hour, I would have lost a large portion of my memory and functionality. Fortunately, this vehicle shows no affiliation with Dr. Scheid or soldiers.”

  “Don’t cut it that close next time. Tell me when you’re low. I might have to adjust my plans. Keeping you running is a priority,” I said.

  “Thank you, Reaper Cain.” He went to work hacking the entry code and was done in thirty seconds. His voice grew quiet and began to slow. “Proceed with caution, but definitely proceed. The computer is now in power conservation mode.”

  “I’m going in, Bug. Need to plug in something and power up.”

  My reluctant ally watched me but said nothing. “I’ll stand guard. The sooner we are out of view, the better. Keep that in mind.”

  I ducked into the ship, then used my D3D optics to search it without lights or noise. The second I was done, the computer went on a charger. “Come in if you want, Bug.”

  He entered as I tossed someone’s old flight jacket over X-37’s backup computer.

  “What’s that?”

  I only hesitated a second. “When I awoke in the pod, I was missing more than cybernetics.” I hesitated at the cockpit, then connected X to the control panel including the speaker system. “You tell him, X.”

  “With pleasure, Reaper Cain.”

  Bug flinched and took a step back, then alternated his gaze between me and the cockpit speaker.

  “Reaper Cain was removed from the clone pod with Foundational Nerve-ware, or FNW, already in place as well as Trace Artificial Intelligence Links, or TAIL,” X-37 said. “He was primed for full integration with the Reaper program. An alternate theory—”

  “Never mind that, X. Let’s keep it simple.”

  X-37 stopped immediately. I fiddled with controls, keeping my back to Bug before he pressed the issues—which of course he did.

  “Hey, you better tell me all of it now. No way in hell I will trust you, or this voice box, with that statement half finished,” Bug
said.

  I gritted my teeth. “Fine, but don’t go blabbing this half-brained theory to everyone we meet.”

  “I will check with you in the future, Reaper Cain. My analysis suggested this would be useful information for Bug to understand if we are going to work together.” He displayed several images as he talked, each illustrating his point.

  “Halek Cain, the version you are more familiar with, the man with cybernetic augmentations and a hopeless addiction to cigars, put forth a theory and went to the Maglan Experimental Prosthetic Station to investigate. Once the place was explored, he intended to either eliminate all evidence of the clone program, or protect the prime copy with his life.”

  “Why would he do that?” Bug asked. “What do you mean, prime copy?”

  “He believed the Reaper now standing before you, is in fact the source donor for the entire program,” X-37 said.

  “I don’t get it,” Bug said.

  “The Reaper you knew believed that scientists from the Reaper Corps created copies to experiment with, fearing they would damage and destroy several Halek Cains before they got one right. They placed the actual man into long term storage, very similar to the way they would grow a clone. The chief scientist broke from the Union and fled with most of the clones and the original Halek Cain, eventually to find Maglan and renew his research.”

  “Or wipe out my predecessor before he figured it out and killed the psychopath,” I said.

  Bug mulled over the information, then shook his head. “Pretty far-fetched. I’m not much for conspiracy theories.”

  “I told you, X.” Thoughts cascaded in places not even X-37 could detect them. If this theory was true, when did it happen? The bridge where I lost my arm, had that been a clone? Before that? Had they been testing a clone’s reaction to news of my father’s murder? This was almost worse than being a clone. Was my past or my current life fake?

  This shit was going to drive me crazy if I didn’t put it in a bottle and seal the lid.

  “The facts are merely the facts. What Bug does with the information is his own business,” X-37 said.