Kane groaned before whirling around and punching Marisol in the face. She hit the ground just as Will cut that very same spot. Will assumed he’d hit some vitals, but it didn’t seem to slow down Kane any. The general used that very leg to kick Will in the jaw.
When Will hit the carpet, he was greeted by a desk Kane had thrown at him. Will managed to avoid it, only to be struck by Kane’s massive arm. As Kane raised his arm to beat Will some more, he felt a sharp pain right in his elbow. It was the direct hit of a hira-shuriken.
Kane laughed and turned his sights on Mari. She stood there, sword at the ready. Behind him, Will was getting to his feet. Below his eye was cut and his lip bled also.
“Mari, go,” he said.
“What?!” she protested.
“They need you! Go!”
It was only now that Marisol noticed Aliss had slipped out of the room. Still, this couldn’t be what he wanted.
“And you’re sure?”
“Absolutely. Me and the general can finally have that sparring match we could never have back in the day.”
“You’re a crazy bastard, Unit 21.”
Mari turned and ran for the exit. Kane didn’t try to stop her. He faced Will now. Somehow, it being just the two of them brought him calm. Seeing that former soldier of his cemented it in his head. This ends now.
Chapter 14 - Freedom
The Bison Mari had brought sat abandoned in the UN Assembly lobby. She’d driven it right through the enormous tear in the plating provided by Kane earlier. The three soldiers drew close.
“Okay, now—” Jacob began. The soldiers froze as they heard an elevator ding. All three pointed their weapons at the sound. It was roughly twenty feet to their right, and as soon as those doors opened they were ready to blow whoever was inside to pieces. When it was revealed who was inside, all were glad they’d hesitated.
“Bri!” Jacob said.
The woman was seated on the floor of the elevator, looking dazed. Her right ear was bleeding, and she didn’t seem to hear Jacob at all.
“Help me get her up!” Jacob said to Adar. As the two helped her up, she finally seemed to register their presence. Her eyes, though, seemed locked on Nusaybah.
“Saskia?” she looked at Jacob, tears in her weary eyes. “Noah, you’re here, too.”
“Gabby, Bri’s in bad shape. We gotta pull out now,” Jacob said.
“Roger that, I’m coming in.”
The soldiers got ready to move out as the sound of footsteps neared. It was coming from the corridor they’d left behind. Jacob and the others shuddered as the figure stepped into the lobby. It was Aliss, sword in hand. Spotting Bri, he chuckled.
“She’s a tough one,” he said. His words were mere pandering to let him analyze what he was up against. The only threat was Nusaybah. The fact that she didn’t instantly fire on him told him something he didn’t realize before: the weapon needed a charge time.
Aliss took a step forward, but both Jacob and Adar fired at him with pistols. The cyborg evaded and leaped atop the Bison itself. Nusaybah whirled around and released the trigger but then Aliss had leaped away again. The EMP wave hit the vehicle and sparks exploded from it.
Aliss landed right back at the corridor where he’d come from and now rushed Nusaybah. He snatched the pulse rifle from her and pushed her against the Bison. She hit the metal hard and slumped to the floor. In the fury of the moment, the cyborg brought his knee down on her weapon and snapped it like a twig. The others could do nothing to stop him now.
Aliss raised the lower half of the pulse rifle like it was a melee weapon. Wires dangled from it, the veins spurting sparks. He noted it was a hefty machine, perfect for bashing the woman’s brains onto the floor.
“I guess you’re first.”
Suddenly, there was a bang and next thing everybody knew Aliss was going into convulsions. Jacob recognized the effects: an EMP grenade. The cyborg fell to his knees with the devices all over his back. He was miraculously fighting it, but he could move no farther.
Mari stepped into the lobby now. She seemed to pay no mind to the weakening UNR soldier. She helped up Nusaybah.
“Sorry for the beating you had to take, but I needed an opening.”
Nusaybah was annoyed, but she didn’t express that in her words.
“I’m grateful.”
Everybody began to head for the exit, but they stopped when they noticed Mari had not joined them. She stood next to the kneeling Aliss. Slowly, with what may have been caution, Marisol picked up his saber: an 1840 Calvary Saber.
“A little something from Ohio,” she said now, smiling.
Aliss looked at her with swelling anger. He couldn’t even raise an arm to defend himself.
“Someday you’ll suffer for what you’ve done. For all you’ve done,” he said.
“You don’t say,” she said as she inspected the blade. A cold wind came in from outside. Marisol’s remaining eye rested on Aliss now.
“Until that time, I’m going to tear the UNR apart. I promise you that.”
Aliss didn’t waver. “This country won’t fall to the likes of you.”
Mari snapped. She swung Aliss’ sword downward and cleaved it into his face. The blade had been brought down diagonally and lodged into his forehead, the root of his nose, and even some of his cheek. For him, all sound in the world disappeared. The last thing he saw before he fell into the void was Nate and Andy.
The others watched in disgust as Mari ripped the sword from Aliss’ face. It had been deep and did not wrench free without effort. The body fell backward after a spurt of blood.
After, Mari picked up his sheath as well and took it with her. Jacob had seen much in his short time on Earth, but that stuck with him forever.
The five soldiers finally ventured out into the night.
***
Will put up both arms to block a kick from Kane. Though the blow sent Will skidding on his back, his arms throbbing, at the very least he wasn’t dazed. Kane walked over to him, only for Will to avoid his foot. With that small window, Will jammed his blade into the giant’s knee.
The Commander grunted and knocked Will away with an uppercut. The blade came loose, but this time there was evident pain in Kane’s eyes and voice.
“Will, we’re almost there! You need to get the hell out of there!” Alex told him.
Will ignored his friend and stood to fight.
“Will!”
The Wolf removed the earpiece and smashed it. Kane took notice of that.
Will darted to the left, striking the wound Mari had inflicted on his hide. Kane swung at him, but his foe rolled underneath him and slashed into the same joint she had before.
Kane yelled, this time more from anger than pain. He attempted to hit Will with his fist, but his much smaller opponent ducked. Kane’s wide reach allowed him room to jump, and so he did, landing on his back. Will jutted the sword into Kane’s shoulder with a battle cry. The armor there stopped the blade little under halfway.
Kane reached behind him to grab Will, but only got a hold of his coat. He felt a spike of agony as Will removed the sword and leaped backward. Commander Kane turned to face him, tossing Will’s old coat into the fire that now surrounded them.
“Don’t feel embarrassed. Val fell for that trick, too. I find that funny considering I recall you saying you weren’t as ‘easy’ as them.”
Kane no longer paid attention to his surroundings or his wounds; nothing but Will’s face. He charged him like a bull, leading with an axe kick. All that raw strength only came down on the floor. Unbeknownst to Will, Kane had given the command: increase energy output. That included his reflexes.
While Will was still in midair, Kane grabbed hold of Will’s leg and slammed him into the ground. The blow was devastating enough to break apart the floor itself. Kane lifted him and did it again, again, and even a fourth time.
As the general prepared to go for another, dust all around them, Will’s sword flew into his chest plate. Kane released
his hold on Will, stumbling backward. He grabbed the hilt and yanked the sword out and then brought it down on his armored knee. Shards of Valerie’s sword were sent all over the room, but nonetheless Kane fell to one knee.
“And I picked up that one from Luis,” said Will as he staggered to his feet.
Kane put aside all the pain and tackled Will with tremendous force. The Wolf was sent fifty feet backward, and when he tried to get up Kane kicked him in his side viciously. The hit launched Will all the way back up to the front of the room. He hit the UN logo before dropping to the mainstage. This time he lay still.
Kane could feel the power surplus taking its toll. For the first time since becoming a cyborg, he was feeling the burn of exhaustion. Disengage.
The Commander walked past the bodies and flames. Will began to move, but he didn’t panic. His body was obviously in a lot of pain. Will could only get up on all fours. He felt where Kane had kicked him. Will flinched and nearly collapsed. Yup, there go my ribs.
Kane saw the fight was at its end, but what he didn’t expect was to hear Will laugh. It was a long laugh, too.
“Before you asked me if this was really a solution,” Will said aloud. “For a long time, I didn’t know what the solution was. I think tonight I finally figured it out.”
Will got to his feet with the help of the wall behind him, clutching his side. Out of his pocket he pulled a detonator. What? It was then that Kane saw his oversight: the belt of semtex Will had wrapped around his waist was gone. But where is it?!
It hit Kane. Indeed, the explosives were strapped to the artillery cannon on his back.
***
Gabby flew over the Empire State Building, strangely enough noticing plumes of smoke coming from not too far away. That’s right around Eleven Madison Park.
“Gabby, they’re at Ralph Bunche Park. We gotta go—oh my god,” Alex said.
“What is it?”
She saw it for herself as she got close to UN Headquarters. A good portion of the building had collapsed, spreading a cloud of dust over the area. The black smoke rising from the ruins told her enough.
“Can you see anything, Alex?”
All Alex could stare at now was a black screen. “The feed is gone.”
“That’s enough to take him down. I know it.”
Alex bit his tongue and decided to remain objective.
“We need to land while we can.”
“Copy that.”
The Peregrine began to fly between buildings as it prepared to reach their destination. Get your ass in gear, Will.
***
Pennsylvania Airspace
The Cabinet members sat next to each other in the chopper. They were headed for UNR Headquarters, escorted by a squadron of drones and jets. One key member was missing, but none spoke of it.
“The Peregrine has been spotted again. Looks like it’s getting ready to land. I’m sending in F-16s from Stewart Air National Guard Base. We can’t wait anymore,” Lawson stated.
“Platoons are approaching from all sides,” said Montalbán.
“Any more bomb reportings?” Redford asked.
“Still only on Eleven Madison Avenue and Bowery Street. We haven’t had any more since…” Montalbán paused, “since things got ugly in the UN Hall.”
Kearney wiped his eyes. He felt completely drained, yet he couldn’t ignore what was about to happen.
“So, we’re staging a full-scale military operation in a civilian area,” he said dryly.
“We have no choice at this rate,” Lawson said firmly.
The men sat there in silence now. This had to be done. Let this end quickly, Kearney thought. Carl…Carl. The assistant balled his fists.
***
At Ralph Bunche Park, intersection of East 42nd Street and First Avenue, the fatigued soldiers climbed aboard the Peregrine. There was no one around, soldier or civilian. They took advantage of this to gain a moment to relax. Adar and Nusaybah tended to Bri as Jacob hugged Alex tightly. Mari stayed away from it all.
“Good to see you, man,” Lt. Neeson said.
“Same here. Any sign of Will?” Alex said.
Jacob shook his head. “Nothing since the building came down.”
“We should wait,” Nusaybah said.
Alex finally looked at Mari. Neither knew what to say, but the cyborg nodded as well.
“Gabby, how’s it lookin’?” Alex inquired.
The pilot hated it, but she was honest. It’s what he would want, she reasoned to herself.
“Not good. I can see twenty aircraft heading our way. Not to mention my guns are dry.”
The silence looming over them ensured they saw the reality of the situation, but none wanted to accept it.
Adar was the only one looking out at the city, the rear of the plane facing Robert Moses Playground. At first, the only light was coming from the smoldering remains of the Assembly Hall and streetlights, but he spotted something far down First Avenue. He saw headlights. Even though the sight would probably make things worse, he looked through the scope of his gun. The magnification gave him a close-up look at a long line of Humvees approaching. Behind them were Bison.
“Looks like we have a whole damn army coming at us,” Adar reported to them.
Alex ran a hand through his hair. Mari had a hand on the hilt of her sword. Nusaybah and Jacob were primed to go as well.
“We have to go. If we stay we all die,” said Adar.
Gabby fought back her tears. She refused to let them fall.
“Okay, strap yourselves in,” she replied.
The boosters on the bottom of the Peregrine activated, and the plane began to ascend. As the aircraft got about twenty feet, Gabby saw something in the churning dust move. It was something big.
“What the fuck?!”
A bus, a goddamn bus, flew at the Peregrine. Gabby narrowly dodged the vehicle, but the dodge was too sharp. The nose of the plane crashed into the UN International Education Center across the street from the park. Gabby was losing control of the ship. Though she was able to steer away from crashing into the building itself, the Peregrine still crashed back into the intersection. One of its long wings knocked over a stoplight as it came to a rest.
“Gabby, what the hell happened?” Alex said.
“Gabby? Are you okay?!” Jacob screamed.
Sgt. Neeson rubbed her temple. “Yes, yes, I’m fine.”
Gabby felt a chill resonate through her body. What she saw through her cockpit couldn’t be real. It was General Kane trudging toward them. The monstrosity looked worn down and mangled. No way he just threw that at us. Not in his condition.
Kane stopped next to the bus, which was now on its side. The cyborg got into the proper stance and lifted the thirteen-meter bus, all twenty thousand pounds of it, over his head. The enormous vehicle-turned-weapon blocked out the light from the street lamp behind Kane. He was staring Gabriella right in the face. That skull-like mask that was his face would be the last thing she would ever see.
A large chunk of concrete suddenly slammed into the back of Kane’s head. The juggernaut lost his balance and next his grip on the bus.
Gabby and Kane both searched the dust for the thrower. The street looked deserted at first, but the tall cyborg heard the footsteps approaching. Out of the darkness came Will. He too looked beat to hell, but he wasn’t ready to submit. In his right hand was a dagger-sized shard from Valerie’s sword. The Wolf glanced at Gabby and their interlocked gaze lasted only a moment. He focused on Kane.
The gunners atop the speeding Humvees began to open fire. They weren’t close enough to be dead-on accurate yet, but they were also taking bullets. Adar had abandoned his seat to get on the M134 Minigun. Mari stood alongside him with his sniper rifle, as opposed to his erratic aiming, she made sure her shots counted.
Will remained several feet away. He needed the immediate threat away from his friends. His enhanced hearing told him the UNR convoy would be at the intersection in mere moments. Through the cockpit win
dow he saw Gabby’s face in the corner of his eye. Come on, Kane, come on.
Through Gabby’s helmet cam, everyone else on the plane saw Will. She was tearing up, but the fact that the cyborg did not come at Kane head-on told her what he wanted.
Despite all this, they were in luck. Kane ran at Will, forgetting all else. The moment he did, Gabby began to take off once more.
“Gabby! What the hell are you doing?! Gabby!” Jacob hollered. Even though he was only a voice in her ear, she could feel his wild anger and confusion.
The super soldier held his position even as he felt the asphalt beneath his boots tremble. The sound of the Peregrine taking off was gone for him. He saw nothing but his former commanding officer coming at him. Will had had the edge on speed before, and his advantage now was only furthered. Kane struck with the hand he always led with first, and Will reacted by bobbing and weaving. You’re mine.
Will leaped up onto Kane’s chest, grabbing hold of his shoulder with his left hand. Will raised his weapon. This was it. The general, however, reacted first. He wrapped both his arms around Will’s chest and put every last bit of his reserves into squeezing down as hard as he could. Increase energy output! Use it all! His HUD warned him putting everything into this move would burn out his power core for sure, but Kane did it anyway.
Will howled in misery as he felt the extreme pressure begin to cave in his ribcage. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. The sheer pressure on his body would’ve crumpled even the most durable of alloys.
His sternum began to bend and his spine was barely holding. DAMAGE CRITICAL his HUD flashed in deep dark red. It took all of Will’s concentration to not drop his weapon, but the pain had him on the brink of passing out. I… can’t… As his eyes weakened, he could hear bullets whizzing by. In that swelling black that was all around him, there was a light.
It was the Peregrine beginning to ascend. The wind it gave off as it did snapped him out of it. Will could no longer inhale as Kane crushed him, so he mustered the very last of what strength he had left. He shoved the shard right between Kane’s eyes. The last flicker of life in that chartreuse finally ceased.
Ballad of Demise Page 13
