Blade of Vengeance (Max Mars Book 2)

by Tripp Ellis

  Kaal set a briefcase on the counter. “Count it. It’s all there.”

  "No need," Mario said. He forced an awkward smile.

  Kaal grabbed the box from the countertop and marched out of the store. He put it in the trunk of a car that was waiting at the curb, then he slipped into the driver’s seat and sped away.

  Max and Zero emerged from the back room.

  "The minute he digs in that box and discovers there is no hervoxin, I’m screwed.”

  “Then you better hope he doesn't look in that box until he leads me to Vaax." Max pulled out her mobile device and launched a tracking app. She had put a tracker in the box. She watched as the icon navigated its way through the city. She unholstered her plasma pistol and aimed it at Mario's forehead. "Now, do I need to vaporize your head, or are you going to keep your mouth shut?”

  Mario's eyes were wide with fear. A thin mist of sweat coated his skin. "I'm going to keep my mouth shut. In fact, I think I'm taking the next transport off this overgrown island."

  “You’re smarter than you look,” Max said.

  Mario took the backhanded compliment. It was the best he was going to get.

  “You have any weapons around here?”

  “I smuggle drugs, not guns,” Mario said.

  Max frowned.

  “I do have a crate of CNX-60,” Mario offered, trying to appease the dangerous woman.

  Max’s blue eyes perked up. “Perfect.”

  Mario disappeared into the storeroom and returned with a carton of the gas canisters.

  Max loaded up, and she and Zero marched out of the store. Max flagged down an automated car and the two slipped inside. After several minutes of hassling with the automated driver, she convinced the vehicle to follow her verbal commands navigating through the maze of city streets. The tracking device led them to a warehouse not far from the commercial shipping terminal. Max arrived in time to see Kaal carrying a box inside the warehouse. She had the car drop them off in an alleyway a block over. The car pulled out of the narrow passageway and disappeared into the city.

  “Do you recognize this facility at all?

  Zero shook his head. “Like I said. I've never met the boss. He could walk past me on the street and I’d never know it.”

  Max eyed the warehouse with fierce determination.

  "Don't tell me you're going to do what I think you're going to do?" Zero asked.

  “I'm going to go in there and get Riley."

  “Well, the last time you followed a guy into a building, you damn near turned us into barbecue."

  “I don't see anything flammable at this location," Max said casually.

  Zero shook his head. "I'll just be waiting right here.”

  “That’s probably for the best.”

  Max surveyed the warehouse. With her tactical contact lenses, she got a thermal image of the structure. The warehouse was cavernous. There were dozens of people inside, almost all were armed.

  Max checked the magazine of her plasma pistol. The magazine was half-empty, or half-full—depending on how you looked at it. Max was neither an optimist, nor a pessimist. She was a realist. She had more than enough projectiles to take out everyone in the facility. That was good enough odds for her.

  Max dashed across the street and slipped into an alley beside the warehouse. There was an open window on the third story, but there was no way to get to it. Even with Max's advanced strength and ability, she couldn't jump that high. The building next door had a thick pipe that ran up to the roof, presumably part of the sprinkler system. Max grabbed onto that thick black pipe and pulled herself up. There were couplers every several feet that allowed her to get a better grip. Her palms were blackened from the grimy pipe. She scaled the pipe until she reached the rooftop and pulled herself over the ledge. It was lined with HVAC units, vents, fans and an access door. From this vantage point, she could see the ocean. The edge of the metropolis was several blocks away. The air was hazy, and gulls hovered over the seawall. The whitecaps of the waves dotted the horizon. But far out at sea, a storm was brewing. Heavy gray clouds were heading towards the city. Flashes of lightning sparked in the distance.

  Max looked across the alley to the rooftop of the warehouse. It was lined with skylights—some of which were open. She leaned over the edge and glanced down to the alley below. It was a long way down. A fall from this height would break even Max's bones.

  Max backed away from the ledge, giving herself plenty of running room. She took a deep breath and focused her attention. Like a track star, she launched from the starting blocks, sprinting towards the ledge. She leapt up, then sprang from the ledge leaping over the chasm. It was 15.9 feet across the alleyway. The Galactic world record for the long jump was more than twice that. But still, it was long enough, and high enough, to be a disconcerting leap.

  Max glided through the air and touched down on the other side. She tucked and rolled across the roof, then sprang back to her feet. She hoped her landing didn't draw attention from the occupants below. She scurried to one of the open skylights and peered into the warehouse. Dozens of armed goons marched around the compound, while workers broke down and cut large bricks of hervoxin into small packets for resale. The workers wore latex gloves and face masks, and were completely nude. It was harder to steal the product that way. But it wasn't impossible. Sometimes people would swallow packets, hoping they wouldn't burst, or stick them in places where the sun didn't shine. If they got caught, they’d meet a fate worse than death. And Vaax’s reputation kept most of them from stealing.

  Max caught sight of a man that matched Vaax’s description entering an office area toward the back of the warehouse. She zoomed in with her tactical contact lenses. Facial recognition provided a match. This was, indeed, the infamous gangster.

  Max squeezed through the skylight. She hung from the rafters, dangling precariously above the warehouse floor below. She swung herself to a nearby catwalk and scurried down the walk to a ladder on the east wall. She tossed several canisters of CNX-60 to various locations throughout the warehouse, then descended the ladder.

  The canisters exploded in rapid succession.

  Thunk.

  Thunk.

  Thunk.

  They popped off, spouting noxious clouds that quickly filled the warehouse. The air was thick with a milky haze. CNX-60 was an eye and lung irritant. It was nonlethal, but once inhaled, you'd feel like you were dying. Your eyes would burn like fire, and your lungs would tighten, making you gasp for breath. The gas would make mucus pour from your body, and your skin would itch like crazy.

  Coughs and wheezes filled the cavernous warehouse as the occupants hacked for breath. They sounded like smokers with a bad case of bronchitis.

  Max descended into the mist, seemingly impervious to the effects of the gas. She plowed through the cloudy haze, heading toward the back office.

  A goon emerged from the fog, aiming his plasma rifle at Max's head.

  Max took aim and squeezed the trigger, blasting off two rounds. The plasma bolts drilled into his chest, exploding out the back of his thoracic cavity. Blood and chunks of gooey organs sprayed a nearby storage container. The thug’s body crashed to the deck.

  Max scooped up his plasma rifle and moved through the fog, two-fisted.

  More goons were drawn to the weapons fire. They emerged from all directions, surrounding Max. Plasma bolts sizzled through the fog, streaming in her direction.

  Max sprayed a flurry of return fire, taking out the first wave. Bodies crashed to the floor, and weapons clattered against the concrete.

  Max kept moving, but more thugs materialized from the haze. More plasma bolts streaked toward her. But the shots were wildly off target. Her attackers’ eyes were narrow slits, red and weeping from the irritating gas. Max mowed them down with ease.

  Bodies hit the ground, still twitching. Max could hear the shriek of the workers scurrying toward the exit. She continued to slice through the haze to the back office. She kicked in the door and aimed the
barrel of her plasma pistol at Vaax. The slimy little weasel was going to tell her where Riley was. If he didn't, he was going to die a slow and painful death.

  23

  Vaax Voltran’s eyes went wide as Max burst into his office. He was a large man, and his triangular head disappeared into his shoulders. His nose resembled that of a goblin’s, and his skin had the complexion of week old moldy pizza.

  Max's whole body tensed. It took every ounce of restraint not to squeezed the trigger and paint the walls with this cretin's blood. “Where’s Riley?”

  “Who?”

  Max squeeze the trigger, sending a blistering round blazing inches away from the goblin’s head.

  He recoiled, clutching his cheek. It was burning from the heat of the plasma bolt. “Ease up, lady. I don't know what you're talking about.”

  “Bullshit. Tell me what I want to know, or the next one doesn't miss.”

  “I'm telling you. I don't know anybody named Riley.”

  “You're trying my patience.”

  “I think you've got me confused with someone else.”

  “I don't think so. We can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way. Which do you prefer?”

  “With you, I'll take it anyway I can get it," he said lightheartedly, surveying her with his lecherous eyes.

  Max blasted another shot, this time it came even closer to the goblin.

  He cowered away from the bolt. “Jeez! Ease up, lady. Look, search the premises. You're more than welcome. There is no one named Riley here.”

  “Then where is she?”

  Two goons burst in through the door.

  Max dispatched them without even looking. Her plasma bolts seared through their chests, and they tumbled to the floor of the office.

  The CNX 60 was starting to filter into the office. The goblin coughed and wheezed. He clutched a handkerchief over his nose, trying to filter out the burning fumes. It wasn't helping much. His eyes were leaking, and drool ran from the corner of his mouth. “This isn't doing my asthma any good. Can we have this conversation somewhere else?"

  “Tell me where she is?”

  “What makes you think I have this girl?"

  “Skinner works for you. So does a guy named Zane.”

  Vaax’s bloodshot eyes narrowed at her. "Yeah, Skinner works for me.” He could barely choke out the words. "But he works for a lot of people. That's what contractors do. Besides, he’s late checking in. I don't know anybody named Zane.”

  Max’s face tensed. She got the distinct feeling he was telling the truth, which was something rare for Vaax. But CNX 60, and being on the wrong end of a plasma pistol, was a good truth serum.

  “Why do you want the president dead?"

  The goblin’s face twisted up, perplexed. “I don't know what you're talking about. I voted for the guy.” Vaax went into a coughing spasm. Blood speckled the desk as he nearly hacked up a lung. He was in bad shape, having some type of allergic reaction to the gas.

  Max was beginning to think that maybe this wasn’t the guy she was looking for.

  “It's not me you want,” Vaax wheezed. “But I think I know who you are you looking for.”

  “Who?”

  “Help me get out of here, and I'll tell you.”

  Max hesitated a moment. But she realized Vaax was dying. If he didn't get fresh air soon, he was going to suffocate. His airways were closing up, and his lungs were filling with fluid from the irritation.

  Max rushed to his desk and slung his arm over her shoulder. She heaved the big man from his seat and escorted him out of the office. “Hold your breath.”

  “If I hold my breath, I'll be dead." Vaax was turning blue. Air whistled through his trachea with each breath. Sweat poured from the goblin’s forehead as he hobbled through the warehouse with Max's assistance. She could almost hear his heart fluttering in his chest. Each breath was a monumental struggle.

  It was everything Max could do to keep him from hitting the floor and staying there. “Hang on. We're almost there.”

  They made their way through the cloudy haze and burning smoke and spilled onto the sidewalk. Vaax collapsed the moment they hit fresh air.

  Max lowered him to the ground as he heaved for breath. His airways were practically shut. He gulped for breath like a fish on dry land. Max wished she had an inhaler to counteract the effects of the CNX 60. She'd give the goblin mouth-to-mouth, but even that wouldn't save him. His airways were too swollen.

  “Who else did Skinner work for?”

  He muttered a name that was barely audible.

  24

  “Say the name again?” Max pleaded. She gazed with desperate eyes at the man drowning on dry land.

  Vaax attempted to suck in another breath, but it wasn't productive. He mustered his last bit of strength and said the name again. But even with Max's keen hearing, she couldn't quite decipher his weak, breathy voice.

  Vaax’s chest stopped heaving. His eyes fixed toward the sky. His face went pale and his lips lost all color.

  Max beat on his chest and started compressions, trying to resuscitate him. She placed her mouth over the man's slimy lips, trying to blow life into his lungs. But the gangster was nothing more than a cold sack of bones. He had committed his last crime.

  Max tried for several minutes to bring him back, finally giving up. She pounded on his chest in frustration. This was her fault. Riley was going to die because of her. She had failed.

  No one in the galaxy could say that Vaax was an innocent man, but this was one kill Max didn't feel good about. Sure, the galaxy was better off without him. Max liked clean, justifiable kills. That's what she was born for. But somehow this seemed a little dirty. A shade of gray. She felt like karma was going to come back and bite her for this one.

  Max pulled herself off the sidewalk and left the bloated goblin for the local cops to find. She hustled across the street to meet Zero in the alleyway where she left him. But he was gone.

  Her jaw tightened and she clenched her fists. If Zero got word back to Zane, Riley would surely be killed. Max deflated in absolute despair.

  A moment later, Zero stepped out from behind the dumpster, tugging on his zipper.

  Max's eyes narrowed at him.

  “Sorry, I had to take a leak. So, how did it go?”

  “Not as well as planned.”

  “Is everyone dead?”

  Max nodded.

  “I'd expect nothing less from you.”

  “Riley's not here. We've been following the wrong lead."

  “You've been following the wrong lead. I'm just along for the ride.”

  Max scowled at him. They caught a car and headed back to the spaceport. Max's solemn face gazed out the window, watching the towering skyscrapers blur by.

  “Don't look so down. There's still plenty of time. What have you got, 6 hours until you're supposed to reach the Summit?”

  “Something like that," Max mumbled.

  "You'll find her. I know you will. I've never met anybody as determined or capable as you. And I've met a lot of bad asses."

  An almost imperceptible smile curled up on Max's plush lips. “Thanks."

  They made their way back to the spaceport. The robot, Elijah, greeted them as they entered the bay. “Will you be departing today?”

  “Yes,” Max said.

  “Excellent. I just need you to approve final charges.” The robot handed her a smart tablet that displayed the final bill. Max could scan her thumbprint directly on the screen and authorize payment.

  She unholstered her pistol and put it to the robot's head instead.

  The robot’s expression turned to one of fear. “I'm sorry, is there a problem with the bill?"

  “No problem," Max said. "Up the ramp. Now!” She motioned with her pistol, and the robot complied.

  Zero didn't know what the hell was going on. He glanced around to see if anyone had seen the episode, then followed the two up the ramp of the SpaceHawk.

  “This is highly unusual," Elijah
said. "If you are dissatisfied with the bill, or the service you have received here, I can put you in touch with my supervisor. I'm sure we can come to an amicable solution to the problem."

  "Get on your knees,” Max barked.

  The robot complied. "I might also add that your behavior is in violation of both Nepulto and Sekar law.”

  Max held the pistol to the back of the robot's head. The robot had seen enough movies to be concerned that he was about to be executed. But that's not what Max had in mind. She opened an access panel on the back of Elijah's head, exposing his neural processor. She pulled out the chip and stuck it in her pocket.

  Elijah's body went limp, and his system went off-line.

  “What exactly are you doing?" Zero asked.

  Max dug in her pocket for the chip Winston gave her. She inserted it into the robot’s processor slot. Within a few seconds, the robot rebooted. For all intents and purposes, the robot was now Winston. It had all of his memories and personality.

  The Winston clone surveyed his surroundings, and examined his new body as he came to life. “Oh, no!”

  “Winston, relax,” Max said. “Everything’s okay.”

  “Everything is most certainly not okay. This is not my body. That means I’m… I’m…” He couldn't bring himself to say it. He looked crestfallen.

  "You're not dead," Max assured him. "At least, I don't think you’re dead. I just need to access your backup data and utilize your expertise.”

  The Winston clone seemed relieved. “In that case, how may I be of assistance?"

  Max pulled Skinner's phone from her pocket. She handed it to Winston. “Can you break the encrypted passcode?”

  “I can try.”

  25

  Before the Winston clone even bothered to connect Skinner's mobile to one of his I/O ports, he tapped in a few of the most common PIN codes: 1234, 1111, 0000, 1212, 7777, 1004, 2000… he hit pay dirt at 6969.

  He handed the phone back to Max. She was both pleased, and a little perturbed, that he had accessed the device so easily. "Now you're just trying to make me look stupid."