Extinction: The Will of the Protectors

by Jay Korza

  As the gun came from the waistband, the hitman knew he needed to shoot the furbag first. He was surprised to see his intended target just standing there with his muzzle open and tongue hanging out, like a dog he remembered from his childhood, who looked the same way before they went for a car ride. Why was he happy? He was about to get shot and he wasn’t even moving.

  As the gun cleared the jacket and started to press forward, the hitman felt another hand over his own, guiding the barrel of the gun back around and towards his own body. That wasn’t right, not at all. He realized that the lieutenant was now moving back in front of him and was the one controlling the hitman’s hand and the gun it held.

  The gun was now fully and painfully pointed at the hitman’s own chest, with his hand still clasped to it, and the marine was looking square into the hitman’s eyes. The lieutenant slowly moved the barrel upward from the hitman’s chest and said, “I told you, in the face.”

  The hitman’s eyes went wide as he realized the lieutenant was following through with every word of his threat. The gun spat lead and fire into the hitman’s face and in turn, he spit bone and brain matter out the back of his head.

  The body slumped and the lieutenant looked to his companion. “I think that boy is in some trouble.”

  “So?”

  “So…I’ll let you kill the next guy if you help me find him.”

  No response.

  “The next three guys?”

  “Okay, let’s go. I can still smell him—should be easy to track him to wherever he went.”

  ~

  Mouse hadn’t seen the last exchange between the two marines; he was already heading away and barely saw the hitman’s death. The sound of the gun made Mouse run faster than he ever had before, hunger and fatigue be damned. He still had to think of a way to get into the hub and get his brother out before Zinner found him.

  When Mouse reached the hub, he decided that a direct approach was the best way. He would hand Jenny a receipt and that would leave him free to roam the hub without anyone caring. It would take between five and ten minutes for the receipt to get to Zinner and then a few minutes for him to formulate a response and a few minutes to get it moving. Just to be on the safe side, Mouse would give himself ten minutes to grab his brother and get the hell out of the hub.

  Between the money for the hitman and the money he found in the marine’s wallet, he should be able to get to another city and set up there with his brother. He was fairly certain he would make it out of the hub. He was more worried about getting to transportation. Zinner would send people to all of the public transport areas first. He would have to deal with that later.

  Mouse entered the hub and tried to act calm, even bored if he could pull that off. “Hey, Jenny.”

  She looked at him and just put her hand out. “Receipt.”

  Someone missed naptime today, he thought. “Here you go. I’m gonna go find my brother. If you have anything else for me, let me know.”

  Mouse started to walk away when Jenny said, “He’s not over there.”

  “Huh?”

  “He’s not at the skateboard ramp.”

  “Okay, do you know where he is?”

  “Yup.” Jenny rang the bell so one of Zinner’s private runners would come get the receipt from her. “He’s with Z-man. He was asked to run some sandwiches to him a while ago and he hasn’t come back yet.”

  Mouse could feel his blood drain. Sweat popped out on his forehead. “Oh. Okay. Um, how about I take the receipt to Z-man? That way I can get my brother for dinner.” He stammered, “And, I, uh, haven’t seen the guy in a while. I wanted to talk to him about my retirement party.”

  Jenny rolled her eyes and then clinched them shut before she opened her mouth as wide as it could go. “Nooooooooooo!” This was a girl destined to work in public service somewhere. “You know the rules! No one sees the Z-man unless he comes to you OR you’re one of his private runners. You. Are. Not. One. Of. His. Private. Runners. Go away, turd face.”

  Oh crap. Mouse knew that this wasn’t by accident. Zinner had his brother, had planned to have his brother, just in case Mouse came back.

  The apartment was at the back of the hub and had tons of security in place. All of the security was lo-tech but its strength lied in its simplicity and the overkill of redundancies that were in place. Everything was based on the idea that cops were coming for evidence or a rival bad guy was coming for Zinner and his money.

  If the cops were coming, he just needed enough time to make sure there wasn’t any small bit of evidence he hadn’t accounted for and then just sit and wait to surrender.

  If other bad guys were coming, he needed enough time to get his barricades in place to hold off the attack for eight minutes. Eight minutes was the average response time for the patrol officers in this area. He didn’t keep evidence in his apartment so why wouldn’t he call the police to come save him?

  Mouse had to figure out how to get to the apartment undetected, get inside, get his brother out, and not get caught. Or, do all that and instead of getting out, kill Zinner himself to make sure he and his brother were safe. They didn’t call him Mouse for nothing; time to put the name to the test.

  Mouse had already walked away from Jenny as he mulled all of this over in his head. He walked by a refrigerator and grabbed a sandwich without bothering to see what kind it was. He knew he needed fuel so he ate it as he walked towards the back of the hub. He had also grabbed a bottle of water for himself and threw two in his bag for later. If there was a later.

  He would have to use Zinner’s own system against him. Take that healthy and well-spent paranoia and use it to Mouse’s advantage and not Zinner’s. But how?

  If he called the cops, then Zinner would just open his apartment up and let them walk right in. Mouse didn’t think the cops would let him ride their coattails but his brother would be able to walk right out and then Mouse could snatch him up and tell him what was happening. But if that backfired, Zach would be trapped in the apartment with a very angry Zinner who might just do something to Zach out of spite. Mouse couldn’t risk that, even if it wasn’t a big risk.

  If Mouse called in a rival gang, then Zinner would call the cops himself and wouldn’t hurt Zach. But a lot of people would get hurt in all the fighting and how in the hell would Mouse just “call in” a rival gang anyway? If only those two marines had followed him here, that might be enough of a distraction.

  How did those guys find him in the first place? Mouse’s mind began to wander a bit. He knew he hadn’t left any tracks in the alley; it was cobblestone. He hadn’t been followed, not directly anyway—he would’ve spotted them. The Shirka, that had to be it. The Shirka scent tracked him. The way they walked out of the alley it was obvious they weren’t following ground clues; it had to be air scent. And that gave him an idea.

  Mouse hadn’t seen Zinner’s personal runner with the receipt pass him yet so he just stopped and waited. Mouse saw the runner talk with Jenny, take the receipt, and then head in his direction.

  Mouse called out, “Hey, Billy.”

  “What’s up, Mouse?”

  “Not much. Are you runnin’ to Z-man?”

  “Yup. With your receipt, dude.”

  “Cool, yeah, hey, would you mind taking my satchel to Zach? He’s with the Z-man right now. I guess he’s been there a while. I want to head out for the night but I don’t want to carry this thing around with me. Can you ask him to hold on to it for me until tomorrow?” Mouse was already draping the satchel over Billy’s head.

  “Sure. Anything good in it?” Billy patted it jokingly. It was beyond taboo for a runner to go through another runner’s satchel.

  “Only about twenty thousand credits.” Mouse wasn’t lying.

  “Hah! You wish! See ya, buddy.” Billy was unknowingly off to do two things: one, to alert Zinner that Mouse hadn’t been killed yet, and two, to drag Mouse’s scent through the hub and lead the Shirka right to Zinner’s apartment.

  Mouse tried not to
run, tried not to catch anyone’s attention as he slid through the smattering of kids relaxing throughout the hub. He nodded a few times when he had to, waved to a few friends, said hi only when he couldn’t avoid it. Mouse was fairly popular and he tended to draw a crowd when he hung out, so he had to be careful not to let anyone glom on to him as he tried to get to his target.

  Mouse finally made it to the bathrooms and walked in, hoping it would be empty. To his dismay, there were a few kids just hanging out and talking. They probably bumped into each other while they were washing their hands and just started talking and didn’t think to leave.

  Without overthinking it, Mouse walked in holding his stomach with one hand while cupping the other over his mouth, all the while making horrible retching sounds. Heading to the garbage can, he began to dry heave into it, hoping he would be able to bring up some of his sandwich for added realism. He didn’t have to; the actions were enough to move the three kids along and they left the bathroom.

  Mouse pulled his head out of the garbage can and thought about locking the door but decided not to. That might draw attention if someone found it locked. Instead, he focused on making his next move quickly so no one would walk in on him.

  He crossed to the rear of the bathroom and pulled up a service grate that was in the floor. He slid himself down the shaft and pulled the grate back over his head after he was in. The smell was absolutely horrendous and he wasn’t sure how healthy the kids could be eating if they were the cause of what he smelled now.

  The hub was actually an old school that had been abandoned many years before after a natural disaster made it unsafe for the students to continue going there. The irony was not lost on Mouse. He knew that this faculty bathroom actually connected to the boys’ locker room showers through this service tunnel. The locker room was Zinner’s private entertaining area because it had a hot tub and steam room. It wasn’t directly attached to Zinner’s apartment, but it got him much closer than he currently was.

  The lieutenant approached the dilapidated security fence around the abandoned school and looked to his companion. He knew better than to ask his friend if he was sure this was where the boy had gone.

  “Thoughts?”

  The Shirka grunted, “A criminal syndicate hideout. No perimeter defenses, automated or living. A couple of cubs have walked by here recently, probably on watch. But it’s cold.”

  “But it’s cold”, the lieutenant repeated. Even grown men who were guarding secret military installations tended to get tired and lazy when it was cold out. Why not go back into the base to the comfort of a heater? What’s the worst that could happen?

  Feeling comfortable that the child-sentries had retreated to the warmth of the building, the two men simply pushed the gate aside and walked to the front door. Jenny was falling asleep and barely noticed the two as they approached her station; she really should have napped today. When she realized the men were there, she reached for her alarm bell but the Shirka gently picked her up with one of his massive hands and then licked the whole side of her head.

  “Grape”, the Shirka said as he held her up to his nose and began to sniff. “A boy put something in your hand not too long ago. Where is he?”

  “Du-nnnn-nnno,” Jenny barely squeaked.

  He put her down and began to sniff the air. “That way.”

  The lieutenant followed as he was led towards the back of the school. He had seen several of the kids running in haphazard directions but a few had run with purpose. He was sure at least one of the fleeing kids was sounding whatever alarm they had for intruders.

  Both men were armed but neither felt the need to pull their weapons. Before their assignment on this planet began, they had been briefed on the local criminal element, including these mini-gangs that mostly used kids and non-violent means to run their games. The kids probably weren’t armed but they were prepared to deal with the adult they would eventually find who most certainly would be.

  A few kids did try to block their progression, probably an immediate action drill put in place by their leader. A passive move to slow down the cops, or cannon fodder if the invaders happened to be a rival gang. The kids were easily moved by the men as they continued to follow the scent through the hallways.

  As they were reaching a stairwell that led up, a loud noise could be heard from a few floors above them. The sound was unmistakable.

  “Security door.” The lieutenant just shook his head. This was going to take a little more time.

  ~

  Zinner sat at his desk and looked over at his two personal runners. “Don’t worry kids, we’ll be fine.”

  In front of the desk, he had a platoon of kids waiting to fight for him if needed or greet the cops with smiles. It just depended on who was coming up the stairwell right now. The runner who brought the alarm wasn’t sure whether the two men were cops or other bad guys. And with a lack of cameras or other technology in the school, Zinner wouldn’t be able to tell what the two men were until they reached the door and made their intentions clear.

  A loud knock announced their arrival at the security door.

  Using a hardwired intercom, Zinner asked, “May I help you?”

  “Yes, you may. I’m looking for a child. He stole my wallet.” The lieutenant waited for a response.

  “I’m very sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, I don’t know whom you are speaking of. If I did, I would most definitely send them and your wallet out to you. I suggest you file a report with the police; they are an extremely helpful bunch.” Zinner was glaring at the kids, letting them know he would beat whichever of them had brought this problem back to the hub.

  “I appreciate your very helpful attitude. However, I have a Shirka with me, and he’s telling me that the boy and my wallet are in fact in that room with you. Would you like to come out here and tell him he’s wrong?” The lieutenant was watching as his partner looked for weak points in the security door.

  Zinner clenched his teeth. “A fucking Shirka?! Are you kidding me?!” Turning to the kids in his room, he exploded. “Which one of you little fucks is he talking about?! I swear, I will start breaking fingers and hands until one of you speaks up.”

  Zinner was trying to decide which kid he was going to start with. He looked through the small group to see whether there was one in particular he didn’t like or whether he was just going to have to grab one of them at random. “Last chance, shit heads. Someone needs to start talking. Now.”

  “It’s me. They’re looking for me.” Mouse stepped out from the shadows in the back of the room. “I think you are, too.”

  Zinner turned away from the rest of the group to face the boy addressing him. “First off, if those men are looking for you, we can fix this. Give them the wallet back and whatever else you took. If we have to pay them off, it will just come out of your wages until you pay me back.” Taking a measured step towards Mouse, he added, “And second, why would I be looking for you? I didn’t even know you had gotten yourself in trouble.”

  Mouse reflexively stepped away from Zinner’s slight advance towards him. As he listened to Zinner’s words, he wondered whether he was wrong about what happened earlier. He sounded so sincere when he spoke. No, he wasn’t wrong: he could see it in Zinner’s eyes, could see what couldn’t be heard in the words. And there was no mistaking the wad of money with his picture on it along with what took place in the tool district earlier. Zinner was just putting on this show for the other kids, to make them feel safe, to keep their faith in him as their protector.

  “Bullshit.” What else could he say?

  “I don’t follow.” Zinner was now slowly moving towards a pedestal against the wall.

  Mouse waved his hand towards his brother. “Zach, get over here, by me, now.”

  Zach wasn’t sure what was going on but he always trusted his brother so he did as he was told. Without even thinking about it, Zach gently grabbed the other runner who had brought in Mouse’s satchel with him earlier. The two private runners stood next
to Mouse.

  “Look, we really need to fix the issue with the two guys outside before it gets any worse.” Zinner was trying to be subtle, and maybe he would have succeeded if Mouse didn’t already know what he was doing.

  Zinner was inwardly smiling to himself. This was going to play right into his hands. He could kill Mouse himself and the kids would see that he didn’t have any other choice. After all, Mouse brought trouble into the hub and the kids knew how severe a transgression that was. Then with Mouse dead, he could give the two men whatever they wanted to make them leave.

  Zinner reached the pedestal and slid the top back to reveal the secret compartment. The empty secret compartment that wasn’t supposed to be empty.

  “Looking for this?” Mouse was holding the gun in his hand that Zinner was hoping to find in the compartment. Mouse was glad his brother hadn’t kept quiet with the secrets he had learned as one of Zinner’s private runners. Mouse actually smiled. “I tried so hard to think of something else to say. I mean, that line is from like every movie ever. Right?”

  “Now what? Are you going to shoot your way out of here?” Zinner wasn’t scared; he didn’t think Mouse would do anything drastic.

  “No. You’re going to open the security door and my brother and I are walking out of here and you’re going to let us.” Mouse was walking backwards towards the door.

  “You want to take your chances with those guys out there?” Zinner still hadn’t seen anything from inside his sequestered apartment; he had only heard the demands from the other side of the door. “You pissed off some guy who has a Shirka with him. Be my guest, leave.”

  Mouse knew what was waiting for him on the other side of the door and he was ready to be taken into custody if that’s what the two marines wanted after the lieutenant got his wallet back. Zinner put his hands up in submission and moved to the button on his desk that would release the door.