"You can't beat me, you little man. You may be something big out there in the Army, but this is my world!"
Axel smiled, realising how arrogant Luca really was. He was so confident in his own abilities that he didn't think he could fail. He'd begun to believe his own hype. That was the one thing Axel was never guilty of, despite all of his faults. He was always aware of his mortality. He lowered his spear, the Greek Dory, and positioned himself in a strong and fluid fighting stance, taking aim at Luca with the tip.
"You can't beat me. Nobody can beat me!"
Luca rushed forward once again. He swung his sword in huge arcs. It was not a wild swing, but controlled and powerful, giving protection as he closed. It generated massive amounts of power to create strikes that could destroy a man in one blow. But Axel was learning fast, and he leapt aside as the huge man came forward. The tip of his sword glanced Axel's shield, but it did no damage. He had traversed and moved well out of the giant’s charge. Luca looked frustrated, as if he had fully expected to land his blow, and was furious to have failed. He rushed forward with less care and finesse because of the anger brewing inside him. Axel saw his opportunity. He spun off to one side and dropped his spear hand low. The tip dropped beneath Luca's weapon and struck home. The impact jolted Axel's weapon arm, and the spear snapped as he spun away. He was left holding just half his weapon as he recovered. Luca was frozen where he had been struck.
The giant of a man looked shocked to have even been hit. There was pain in his face, yet it was well concealed, as though his pain was numbed artificially. He drew out the spear from his body, and blood spewed out across the sand, but he tossed what was left of the spear at Axel. He held out his huge shield, and it was easily parried before Axel lowered it and began to circle once more. He rotated what was left of the spear in his hand so that the sauroter, the counterweight and spike, was his new spearhead, the base of the spear. What he had left was little over a metre long, but he was far more comfortable with it than the whole weapon.
* * *
"Why won't this work?" Zippo cried angrily.
She was furiously typing away, trying to break through the Terminal encryption.
"Come on. We haven't got long."
"I'm trying, Nui. I'm trying."
"What happens if we can't get through?" Carter asked.
Nui rolled her eyes, and they could all see how bad it was getting.
"This is our one chance. If we can't do this now, we might not get another shot."
"I get it. I'm trying," insisted Zippo.
"Luna, what are the chances that Axel can win?" Hud asked.
"He's not a Duel Reality fighter, and he is against one of the best, what do you think?"
"He still has a chance. Axel is a fighter. He can still do this. I know he can."
Luna didn't share Carter’s enthusiasm, and her doubt was spreading throughout the room.
"And if we can't make this happen, and Axel can't win, then what?"
"Then, Hud...we're finished," said Luna soulfully.
"Bullshit, I don't accept that." He drew out his pistol.
"This can't be solved with a gun."
"Really, Nui? Because it's about to be solved at the tip of a spear or the edge of a sword."
* * *
Luca shrieked as he came forward, and the crowd were near silent with anticipation and excitement. They all had a sense that this was coming to a close, even if it had not lasted as long as they would have hoped. Axel ducked and weaved as the huge swings came in. Luca was coming at him as if the wound in his abdomen had meant nothing. Finally, he had no choice but to use the shield to stop a full power blow, and the blade thundered down onto the shield. He split it and cleaved down until it stopped just above the arm that wielded it. The point was centimetres from Axel's face. He was horrified for a brief second before he realised his advantage.
Improve and overcome!
He twisted the shield with one violent jerk, and the sword was torn from Luca's grip. He backed away, his opponent standing in wonderment. Axel put one foot down on the hilt of the weapon at the ground and prised it from his shield. Luca drew out his mace and ran forward with an angry cry. Axel sighed in despair that his opponent never seemed to tire or lose the will to fight. Luca had taken the huge mace in two hands. It was little more than a huge iron ball with a steel shaft attached to it. No spikes or ornamentation of any kind. It was an unsubtle implement for unsubtle use. He crashed down blow after blow with such ferocity that Axel could do nothing but shelter beneath his shield and take the blows. One after the other they hammered down on him.
They struck with incredible force, but now he was really starting to appreciate the mass of his shield. His arm was tightening by the second as the muscle fatigue set in, but the protective wall of the door like shield was keeping him safe, even while the ring of the impacts echoed in his ears. Yet all the while he was defending, he knew he had to do something. He could never win the fight by continually taking the blows. He reached out and thrust with what was left of his spear, but Luca grabbed hold of the shaft and ripped it from his grasp. Axel retreated back as Luca tossed it aside with disgust.
"Every second you waste prolongs your suffering. You cannot win this fight."
How many times have I heard this bullshit?
He thought of no end of training simulations where callous drill instructors had pushed him in the same way. This was no different. It didn't matter what was at stake. Luca was not invincible. He thrived on his power and intimidation, and Axel knew deep down, that was no guarantee of success. He thought back to the mission to rescue Edra and her friends. He was facing unfathomable odds then as well. Strength and power that he could not hope to defeat in a straight up fight, and yet he’d managed it.
Any enemy can be overcome. It’s only a matter of how. That’s the lesson I remember so well from many years ago. Improvise, adapt, and overcome!
But beyond all of that, he knew he didn't want to die. He had friends waiting for him, and that was worth fighting for, his team, and Dia, too. He had something to live for. He had gone to private contract work because he thought he had nothing left, and here he found himself with everything to live for.
I’m not going to die here today, not a chance. I have fought too hard, and I have too much too live for.
He drew out his short sword and readied himself to fight once more. His entire body language was different now. He didn't just give the impression he could fight and win. He knew it. He radiated with confidence like never before. This was not Axel's world, but he had made it his own.
Luca was thundering towards him, but there was no fear or concern in his face or his body language. He was calm and calculated, as playing out the scene in slow motion; responding to every action with perfect precision. He wasn't going to die here, nor was he going to lose. Luca smashed his mace back and forth. There was skill to his movements, but there were openings for someone with enough courage to look for them. He watched carefully as his opponent’s powerful blows hammered in against him. He chose his moment perfectly, slashing at Luca's hand as he pulled back for a strike. The blade cut with a short sharp strike, and Luca lost his grip.
The mace fell to the ground, and Axel kicked it away. But as he did so, Luca grabbed his shield, tossing him aside like he was a ragdoll. He hit the ground rolling and was back on his feet as Luca drew out his axe. Axel sighed. There seemed no end to his opponent. Luca ran at him with the same enthusiasm and confidence that he had from the start. Though wielding the axe in both hands, as his right was weakened. The axe crashed over Axel's shield one blow after another, but he was striking wildly. On his fourth strike he embedded the weapon in the shield, and it was stuck. Axel tried to riposte with a slash with his sword, but Luca dropped his weapon and moved out of distance.
Axel's shield was useless. It was a wreck, and the axe was pulling hard on it, so he tossed it aside as Luca drew his sword. A single blade was all each of them had left. The crowd were cheering lo
uder and louder.
"Time for you to die!" Luca shouted. He had a wicked smile on his face.
He didn't seem an especially evil a man. He just wanted to win and had every confidence that he could. But Axel wasn't ready to accept defeat. He parried the first cut of Luca's sword, and the second. But the third cut low into his thigh, and the hilt then crashed onto his head. His helmet was launched off, the pommel of Luca's sword smashing into his mouth and nose in the process. He stumbled back two metres, but kept on his feet. Blood flowed from his nose and mouth, but he spat it out in disgust.
Luca looked ready to finish the job. Axel was bleeding badly and looked like a wreck. Luca circled him like a predator eyeing up the perfect opportunity to end his prey. Axel did nothing to ruin that illusion. He gasped for air, looking weak and defeated. He knew opponents like Luca all too well. The giant of a man circled and then zigzagged back and forth, as if attacking in a clever and calculating fashion, but it was all an act. An act Axel could see right through. The final killing blow was coming for his throat, a blow powerful enough to decapitate him in a move that would be a huge crowd pleaser. Axel smiled at the last moment, having predicted every step his opponent made as he closed the distance.
The cut came in for his neck, but he ducked it with ease, coming back up the other side like he had done a hundred times before, with perfect timing. He slashed across Luca's face with a brutal cut. The blow caused him to stagger aside, but Axel wasn't going to give him a moment to breathe. He went forward and thrust his blade deep into his opponent's body. Luca crashed down onto his knees. The gathering water splashed up around them as the rain continued to pour down. Blood streamed down both their faces. It was a savage and brutal affair, and the crowd was frenzied.
Axel lifted his sword overhead and reached out to Luca's jaw, holding it up with his other hand. He turned to Zenner.
"This is over. Your man is done!"
But Zenner didn't look ready to accept defeat.
"I don't want to end this man, but if you make me, I will!" Axel shouted.
Zenner would not answer. A few moments passed, and Luca took his chance. He reached up for Axel's blade, but the Sergeant was not half as dead as the audience had thought. He beat the attack aside with his left hand, delivered a brutal knee to his opponent, and finished with a devastating slash across his head. Luca was cut deeply in the side of the head and crashed down into the soaking wet floor, blood flowing from his wounds. Axel stood over his body for a few moments to be sure, but his opponent was vanquished.
"This is over!" Axel thrust his bloody sword in to the air, "Terminal is over!"
He stepped back and forth triumphantly, yet felt weak from all the wounds he had received. The audience was quiet and stunned. It was not the result they had expected, but he didn't care. His view blurred and went to black. He suddenly awoke in the chair beside Dia. She looked as surprised to see him as he did her.
"We did it, didn't we?" he asked softly.
She was close to tears and nodded in agreement.
"Don't move!" a voice cried out.
They both looked across to the screens beside them. Luca was getting back onto his feet in the duel, and yet in person the doctors were working to save his life. The on screen version of Axel was still moving, as though he were still in the fight.
"What the fuck?" Axel asked.
They watched in disbelief as the Luca on screen laid on a blistering array of attacks on what looked like him. The duel had gone on, despite neither of the participants being active.
Dia drew her pistol from her waist, but as she did so, she was struck by a stun gun. She spasmed as an electric shock surged through her body, but she fought it for a moment and squeezed the trigger. A single gunshot rang out as her attacker was hit, but she went down seconds later. She shuddered as the charge of electricity ran through her body, and she dropped lifelessly beside Axel. The same man that had shot Dia raced towards him and drew out a real firearm. He could see where this was going and watched the screen where the fight continued. He was being taken apart bit by bit by his opponent. It looked real. Even he couldn't tell it were fake, except for the fact that he was living with the aftermath.
The Terminal employee placed a gun to his head, ready to pull the trigger, but he started to feel some strength return. He reached for the gun and twisted it sharply. It was enough to stop a bullet going into his brain, but it struck his left shoulder. It hurt like hell, but he reached for the weapon and the man wielding it, pulling him in close. He locked him to his chest and stopped him doing any more damage. He didn't have enough energy to do anything else and squirmed in pain, as another blow struck him in Terminal, and the feed transmitted the energy to his body.
"Stop him!" yelled one of the other staff.
Another was reaching for a syringe and drawing something that he could only imagine was a sedative. He didn't have much time now. He realised in this moment that he should have expected such underhand tactics, and he was kicking himself for not seeing it, but it was too late now. He didn't know what to do, for he had no energy left in his body to fight with. He reached for one of the cables connected to his body and yanked it out as Luca delivered the killing blow. It was in time to save him, but he lost his grasp of the man he had been holding. The guard drew back out of distance, lifting his pistol to take a shot. There was nothing Axel could do to stop him.
A crashing sound rang out before the shot could be fired, and both Axel and his attacker’s attention turned to the door. One of the GIS operators had fallen through the glass doorway. A gunshot rang out, and Axel's attacker went down. Hud and Nui rushed in. Two of the staff in the room reached for weapons, but Hud shot one own. Luna appeared seemingly out of nowhere and took the other down, snapping his neck.
"Can you move?"
Axel was looking at Carter, but he had no idea who he was.
"We're here to help. Trust me," said Zippo.
Axel nodded along. He had no idea what was going on, but anything was better than the situation he had found himself in.
"Look!"
Luna was pointing at the screens, as the digital version of Axel was beaten to a pulp by a version of Luca. It was all fake and obvious to them all. The only two Terminal staff members had their hands thrown up and looked as guilty as sin. They knew precisely what was going on. Luna grabbed one of them by the throat.
"This, this isn't real. Axel won his fight, but that doesn't matter, does it? You were never gonna let him win, not in the eyes of the world?"
"He can't win. Terminal is every..."
She struck him in the face with a strong punch, knocking him out before he could say another word.
"What do we do?" Carter asked.
"Get the fuck out of here, before they come down on us with everything they have," said Hud.
They all looked to Nui for leadership, yet she had nothing to add.
"He's right. It’s time to get the hell out of here."
"Wait. We leave now, and we lose this fight," said Luna.
"We don't leave, and we all die. You think Zenner cares about any of us. He has told the story he wants told." Nui pointed at the screen.
Axel was dropping dead, with Luca holding a bloodied sword, despite the fact he was unconscious on a chair in the room with them.
"It was all for nothing," said Zippo.
"Not for nothing, not so long as we keep on living," said Nui.
They heard a hive of activity outside and knew they didn't have long before trouble came their way.
"So what do we do?" Carter asked again.
Axel just about managed to get himself upright as he groaned with pain.
"We get the fuck out of here, now," he growled.
"Right now, let's move," insisted Nui.
Luna helped him from the chair, but he pointed down at Dia.
"Not without her."
"We don't have time for this," insisted Hud.
"I don't give a shit. She's coming, or I'm not."
Zippo and Hud looked eager to leave, and so they lifted her onto their shoulders and helped. Carter took Axel onto his shoulder, and they headed for the door, the only door to the room. It was still collapsed in from where they had smashed their way through, and the GIS operators lay on the floor. As they got into the corridor, Carter spotted a familiar face of a boy.
"Rex, what the hell are you doing here?"
Luna heard the name and recognized it instantly.
"Freeze!" a voice rang out.
A civilian clothed gunman was rushing down the corridor, weapon targeted on Carter.
"Don't you fucking move!" yelled the man.
He stormed forward, but Rex had seen and heard everything, without really being noticed. He saw the gun pointing at Carter, a man who had been kind to him, and who clearly knew his teacher, Luna, who was standing beside him. He reached out and responded through instinct. He'd done the drills so many times. He took the gun and yanked the man over his shoulder, tossing him onto his back. Gunshots rang out as Hud fired at a second attacker who was beside him. Rex reached down and struck the first one with a precise punch to the face that disorientated him, before grabbing his weapon and taking aim at him.
"Don't move!"
"Hey, Rex, Rex," said Luna softly.
He looked up at her with confusion, as if he didn't recognize her for a moment.
"What are you doing here, Rex?"
"I...I heard Carter's friend was here. I just wanted to...to..."
Battle Beyond Reality Page 22
