Program Erin

by Alex Fall

  “Sapphire Eyes...I thought you died,” he choked out as I passed.

  I paused to glare at him from on high. “Haven't you learned by now? You can't kill me.” I finished with a smirk.

  He coughed and raised his hand to stand.

  “Stay down,” I warned. “And don't even think about trying your power.” I patted my main firearm for extra warning.

  We ended up capturing four Reds. The rest were of not useful at the moment. We cuffed them and gathered them but one was a Brute, so Nicolette kept him frozen to the ground. Lori stood by waiting for further instructions and Nicolette paced nearby. I examined the captives before me as did one of Nicolette's guys. They were woozy from the drugs we darted them with, hopefully making them more cooperative.

  The guy with me started up. “We've got a couple questions for you all. Answer them clearly and quickly, and life will be alright. But if you don't…”

  “Then it's my turn,” I finished.

  “I'm not afraid of some girl just cause she's a burn!” the Brute defiantly stated. I narrowed my eyes at him. He has quite an attitude for being drugged.

  “The first and hopefully only question, where is the Big Man? A man named Abel,” Nicolette's fighter asked loudly.

  None of the Reds said anything. Two traded glances, but after several seconds they still kept their mouths shut.

  “My turn,” I said, unfolding my arms. I passed by all of them from right to left. Honestly the first one looked the closest to cracking, but I stopped at the Brute who was the furthest left. “You. Where's Abel?”

  “Not gonna happen.”

  I nodded. “Alright.”

  Turning to the Red on his left, I snatched his upper arm and heated my hand. The guy shrieked in pain for a couple seconds, then I let go. He curled up trying to contain his pain as he growled indecipherable words. I returned to the Brute, flicking my hand side to side in an attempt to alleviate my own pain. “Where's Abel?” I repeated.

  The Brute clenched his teeth but stayed silent. I nodded in acknowledgment again, then moved to the third Red. Like the second one, I put a burn on the first part of him I could grab. He conjured up a shock to get me off, but the burning served it's purpose. I rubbed my tingling and scalded hand.

  Returning to the Brute, I repeated my question, but slower. “Where is Abel?” Although he didn't answer, my plan worked, because the next Greater in line to be burned spoke up.

  “The Carlito!”

  I immediately marched up to the one that just spoke and gripped him by his throat and lifted his head. “What did you just say?”

  “The Carlito…” he restated, closing his eyes out of nervousness.

  “It's an old hotel,” one of Nicolette's quieter guys explained. “Closer to the center of town.”

  I released my victim and called in Tetsuro. Nicolette gave the order to lock them in a vault until we had Abel in custody. Lori approached my side. “Captain.”

  “Sorry you had to see that…”

  She stayed quiet for a moment, swallowed and then continued. “Captain, what about your so called cure?”

  “Not yet. I haven't tested it yet.”

  “When do you plan on doing that?”

  “When we catch Abel…”

  Lori lagged behind a tad while processing then hustled to catch up. “You're not going to kill him are you?”

  I stopped to face her. “We've been over this. What did I tell you before we even came here?”

  “I know but...you haven't even tested it? What if it kills him?”

  “It won't. To explain how I got the cure wouldn't make much sense but...I understand that it's not lethal. You're just going to have to trust me on this.”

  Lori seemed like she was torn between doubt a trend loyalty but she offered no further comments. Soon the ship came in view and touched down and our troop was gathered. Wyatt and a new found friend of his were on board with Tetsuro to greet us, but I had a mission to pursue. I immediately ordered a course to be set for “The Carlito.” What would this place be like? Surely they wouldn't know we are coming, but at the same time every Benevolent hub I've been to has been a near death experience for me. Better to be safe. I ordered for Lori and Wyatt to use augments.

  Nicolette informed us that even she had not yet discovered the Big Man. She knew that he was in control, but never received a name. This further convinces me that she does not talk to the Dwellers. Even the Dwellers could offer a name. Nonetheless, she can still help capture and fight these guys until I can figure out what to do with her.

  The Carlito is an stylized like an older, ritzy hotel; lots of brass and colored carpet. The lights seemed nicer than average too. Too bad this place is about to take some damage. Tetsuro hovered around into place and dropped all but two men off (they were to stay on board and man the ship's guns in case the enemy were to storm outside.) The rest of us moved in as close as we could, Nicolette and a flyer of hers were entering the second story. I double checked everyone to make sure we had proper sedation darts this time, and gave the signal to commence.

  The first person in was Lori since she was equipped with her toughness suit augment. She moved openly, without much regard for cover and darted anything that moved. There were a fair amount of people in the main lobby, but Lori tagged three of them before they could do anything. I slipped in behind her and darted another. Wyatt and two others moved elsewhere into the room, hopefully towards the stairs or elevators.

  “What's going on?” shouted a receptionist girl after she got darted and fell to the ground. This place felt off. It didn't seem to be functioning as a hotel anymore, but more as living space. Why would there be a receptionist?

  Movement. I turned and countered a knife right out of a man's hand, then perfectly struck him in the chest. He went stumbling back into a small glass table. Lori turned and darted yet another target, then moved towards a staircase. One of Nicolette's guys fell into a wrestling match with a Red, and based on the amount of damage they were causing to their surroundings, I guessed the two to be Brutes. The knife target stood and charged again. Tank? Flyer? What is this guy?

  “We're under attack!” someone yelled.

  “I don't have time for you,” I admitted as I countered him again, tripping him to the ground. I sent out a small burn to sear his foot. He'd live, but hopefully it's just enough pain to keep him down. I left the growling man and moved towards the two brutes, but one of them planted his feet into the ground and jumped through the ceiling into the second story. The crashing sounds faded into thumping upstairs, but my level grew quiet, aside from the groaning of injured Reds. Who is left down here with me? Did they find Abel yet?

  This fighter stood once more to pounce on me. I slipped neatly out of his grasp and pushed him to put space between us. “Fine, you want to be dealt with?”

  He hobbled to turn around and grab me again. I squared myself to be ready for anything. Instead, he just lunged for a bear hug grab. Dodge, counter. I tripped him into my arm and pulled him around into a firm chokehold. He struggled valiantly, but there's nothing he could have done at that point. I held on until he blacked out.

  “Captain.” I glanced up to see Lori examining the two of us. She barely turned her head. Maybe it was confusion? It's hard to tell when she has that helmet on. “Are you alright?”

  “Yes I'm fine.” I moved eerily towards the elevator. There's a lot of commotion upstairs.

  “So...we're just going to push the button and go on upstairs?” Lori asked.

  “I know. It's a little weird,” I admitted as we waited for the compartment to come to us. Not sure what to expect upstairs. The ding of the elevator caused me and Lori to look at each other again. I got on and pushed a button but scuffling above us had me look up. That sure is a lot of shuffling. What…

  Uh oh.

  I grabbed Lori and shoved her off the elevator. God she's heavy with that augment suit on her. “Hey, captain! Hey!” We stared at each other for a moment. But nothing happene
d. I could have sworn…

  I glanced up then back at her. “Sorry, I thought something was about to-”

  There it is. That noise. I cut myself off by diving out of the elevator and sliding across the floor as something above snapped the cable line and the elevator dropped. Sure, it only fell one story to the basement, but that would have been a pain to get out of.

  “Oh.” Lori seemed surprised, at least in her voice.

  “Upstairs, now!” We hustled to the staircase and stepped over an unconscious man at one of the landings. This place is four stories tall plus a basement? Surely the others who came with me have scoured the second floor. I led Lori to the third, and opened the door with caution.

  “Qui est là?” a voice sounded just near the door.

  I slipped in like a whisper and pounded the target in the gut, then head, then redirected his feeble attack by knocking him out using the edge of the door that was held open by Lori. My companion backed up in surprise at the speed. Even she didn't expect it. However, someone heard me and further down the hall, two others saw me.

  “Lori, inside the room on the left. Stop whoever is in there.” While my girl worked quickly to get inside, I took up a stance. Both men pulled pistols and fired. I knelt and charged, being careful not to expose my face much. As predicted, my new armor halted the bullets, but it didn't hurt as bad as I anticipated. Nonetheless, it still hurt, which in turn made me angry.

  “She's getting close!” one said.

  “Then get her!” said the other.

  “Too late!” I shouted. “I'll break you both!”

  As the fifth and final bullet struck, I sunk down and mashed my arms into the nearer man's. A short scuffle later, and I headbutted him hard enough to knock him onto his rear. The other man took aim, so I haphazardly fired the firearm I plucked from the first man's hand. Though I intentionally missed my target, I believe I accidentally struck someone inside a room. I took 0.5 seconds to listen to the inner room for reactive actions. Nothing so far.

  The first target lunged and caught me in a bear hug. “Now!” he shouted. The first man took a solid punch into my head, but because of my helmet, I barely felt a thing.

  “Really?” I mocked. He raised his pistol for a shot. I kicked high enough to knock the gun away, then as my leg came down, I pulled him into a choke with my legs. The first was still grappling me, so I hung between the two. The second guy seemed to be panicking. He was punching and pulling anyway he could to get free.

  “As soon as he goes down, it's your turn.” I turned my head to try and get a glimpse of the one holding me. “I missed this city. Did you miss me?”

  The one tried to choke some words out before he passed out, but they were indiscernible. The guy holding me seemed to be losing his grip. He can't hold me forever. “I don't know what to do!” he told the other guy.

  “Good,” I breathed like a wicked dragon. The second guy fell to his knees the limp, so I finally released him and swung my head back and headbutt my assailant twice. He struggled and turned around with me, but didn't let go.

  “Are you prepared to be a burn victim?” I asked with irritation. What is this guy?

  “Now, Sean!” he shouted. Oh, that can't be good…

  Something tore through the wall I was facing and struck me in the head. It cracked my left eye plate and hurt pretty bad. I let out an involuntary yelp, and my anger boiled. Inside I could make out a guy holding a golf club. He's definitely a brute.

  “She's still awake, still awake!” the man holding me communicated quickly.

  I lit up and scalded the man's arms, forcing him to finally release me. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I turned around and tripped the man, but as he fell, I pulled him back to standing. Yes, put all your weight on that front foot. I raised my own foot and planted my heel into the top of his foot. I felt something crack under my boot.

  The man feel to the ground screeching from a broken foot. I turned to face the brute, who by now was stepping out his doorway. The golf club came swirling at me and again struck my face. I ducked away and shook my head in time to see the Brute reaching for me. I redirected and flipped him over myself, and reached for my personal firearm. I landed a shot in his arm and holstered the gun before he even reacted. As he reached up to acknowledge the pain, I planted his head into the wall with a kick, but as he slid down to the floor, I noted another greater exiting a room nearby. But before she did anything, something broke the the floor and wall into my hallway.

  Lori skidded down the hallway with a scuffed up toughness augment suit still functioning. Right behind her, a brute clawed his way through the hole to follow her.

  “Are you alright?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I'm fine,” she replied quickly. Her response was automatic, I'll have to check on her later.

  I moved to intercept her attacker but the buildup of static had me turn around and face the other Greater in the hall. It was a standoff, and I was caught in the middle. It certainly didn't help that I couldn't see out of my left eye covering. I need that Brute off of me while I deal with this Bolt. Bluff time.

  I tossed a smokescreen grenade at the brute, but did not pull the pin. “Catch.”

  It psyched him out enough to keep him busy. I doubt he knew it wasn't even explosive. Even Lori took a gasp. Instantly I turned around and engaged the Bolt. Within three hits, he was knocked out, but he got a strong shock off on right arm. Interestingly, the armor absorbed a lot of it, but I still had to take time for my arm to relax and stop hurting. Meanwhile the Brute collected himself and came towards us.

  “Lori!” I prompted her.

  “I don't have anymore darts!”

  One of Nicolette's flyers crashed through a door and struggled with the Brute. Behind him, another Greater stumbled out the door and collapsed, too drugged to do much else. As the flyer got the upper hand, I shouted to him, “Did you find our target?”

  “Third floor somewhere!”

  “This IS the third floor!”

  “Kind of busy!” he snapped back while avoiding a blow.

  I growled and rushed towards the scene. With a well placed kick, the Brute was off balance and the flyer took him down. But just as suddenly as the fight ended, another electrical bolt flashed in the hallway, striking the flyer, then the floor, then me. The flyer collapsed and I fell to my elbows.

  A man and woman with Red bracelets turned to flee. The man told the woman, “You didn't say the burn was HER! Get me out of here!”

  That's him! That has to be Abel! But my legs don't work at the moment. Come on, come on.

  “Lori, resuscitate that guy!” I ordered as I forced myself to sitting on my knees.

  They were running further down the hall but where to I don't know. I raised my hand to make a burn but halted, then took my helmet off to talk on my comm.

  “Tetsuro, you have two targets headed outside, a male and a female together. Make sure they don't get away.”

  “Oh, ok. Uh....Tetsuro out?” he fumbled.

  I sighed and popped out the broken eye piece before donning my helmet again. With the aid of the wall, I stood and began to follow the man in question. “Lori, will you be okay by yourself?”

  “I don't know! This is crazy!”

  I shrugged, then limped back to the staircase. The one Red that was unconscious in here was now sitting up holding his head, so I landed a knee to put him back into unconsciousness as I passed. Sorry, can't have you interfering. I stumbled out the staircase to find our guy, but interestingly he, his companion, and I stopped to watch the Brute beating on Wyatt's forcefield. His shield was holding, but I could see why you wouldn't want to let it down. Both Wyatt and the Brute turned and simultaneously asked, “A little help?”

  The might-be Abel raised his hands to charge up a blast but paused. The girl with him also paused and they turned around to face me. The girl whispered in a startled voice, “Sapphire Eyes…”

  I replied by raising a hand and blasting the ceiling. The explosion was t
erribly loud, and debris quickly broke away and collapsed onto both of the escapees (which was my plan in the first place.) The woman leapt onto the man at the last second as a sort of cushion against the falling debris. There was so much commotion and smoke that I caught a glimpse of the Brute stumbling away as well, but smoke and dust swiftly filled the room. I stepped back against the wall and sunk to my knees to avoid the polluted air, but I was still thrown into a coughing fit. My left eye stung from the exposure of ash and my arm tightened in response to the pain, to the point that I was growling between coughs. Fire alarms activated, and the sprinklers kicked in, but behind that I heard a second coughing person approaching. My arm did not want to be used again, so I raised the other one as a precaution. Wyatt came into view, trying to waft the smoke away with his hand.

  “Captain, I don't see any targets outside matching your description,” Tetsuro called in. “And...should I be worried about the smoke in there?”

  I took off my helmet and ordered Wyatt to watch over us while I adjusted my comm. “To all, I think we apprehended Abel. Fall back to ground floor.”