Extensis Vitae: City of Sarx

by Gregory Mattix

  Haruto muttered something to himself and stared at the pond, his eyes glassy. The servant arrived with a tray of tea and served them both cups before discreetly withdrawing.

  The hot beverage warmed Rin’s belly against the chill. Haruto continued to sit and stare at the water. Rin adjusted the collar of his kimono tighter around his neck.

  “Drink your tea; it will warm you up.” She nudged his arm, and the old man suddenly seemed to realize he was holding a cup.

  He took a deep draught and sighed in pleasure. They sat in silence for several minutes, Rin unsure of what to say to a father that no longer recognized his only daughter.

  “It’s going to be a harsh winter—I can feel it in the ache in my bones,” Haruto said suddenly. He looked over at her and suddenly was lucid, recognition dawning in his dark eyes. “My dearest daughter! How I’ve missed you.” He hugged her and she held him tightly.

  “I’ve missed you too.” She barely managed to hold back her tears. “I just wanted to see you again in case… well, just in case anything were to happen. The clan is about to have a lot going on soon…”

  “What you mean to say is you wanted to see me in case I went to meet my ancestors, but you are too polite.” He smiled and kissed her on the forehead.

  “No, I didn’t mean…”

  “Nonsense. I may be old, but I’m not foolish. I’ve lived a good life—one of honor. I welcome the chance to sit with my ancestors at the high table. Don’t mourn for me, beloved daughter.”

  They sat like that for some time, Haruto with his arm around Rin’s shoulders, and she drew comfort from her father. Rin wished that moment could last forever, but of course it didn’t.

  By the time they finished their cups of tea, the cold, fat raindrops had begun to fall, and Haruto Takahashi’s eyes had taken on that glazed, confused look again. When he mistook her for Suki the second time, Rin stayed silent and helped him inside, out of the rain. At least we had this one moment together before the fog clouded his mind again. When they entered the warmth of the estate again, Rin was glad that the rain hid the tears on her cheeks.

  Chapter 19

  “I must say you intrigue me, Mr. Reznik.” Lady Angelis regarded him over the rim of her wine glass. She took a sip and set the glass down, all the while holding his gaze with her leaf-green eyes.

  Lady Angelis had somehow removed her wings since their meeting in the afternoon, and although she was a beautiful woman, she no longer had such a commanding presence. She seems almost like a normal woman now and not some otherworldly creature.

  Feeling slightly uncomfortable due to the intensity of her gaze, Reznik took his own sip of the rich red wine. Lady Angelis’s home was a virtual palace—a ridiculous amount of luxury on display when compared to the extreme squalor and poverty of the Sprawl just a short mile or so away. The meal they dined on was delicious: scallops marinated in lemon gravy with mashed potatoes and salad.

  “How is that? I’m just a pretty simple guy.” He was still trying to get a feel for whether the woman was interested in aligning herself with him or merely trying to satisfy her own curiosity. Perhaps she is looking for a dark horse to bet on—one that has the potential to upset the delicate grip on power the Overseer holds with little personal risk to herself.

  “You’re much too modest.” She laughed lightly. “So what is your goal here in Skin City? You are more than a simple wasteland warrior, I’d wager. Someone that nobody has ever heard of before, yet you are already making quite a name for yourself. And you seem to have thrown your lot in with another interesting character—the Yakuza woman.”

  “I’m just trying to set things right,” Reznik said honestly. Yakuza? So that’s what Rin’s connection to Shiru is. “I made a vow to the people of the Extensis Vitae colonies. I told them I’d try my best to bring their fellow colonists back from slavery, which the Overseer’s brother, Haze, brought them here for. He was a vicious thug that needed to be put down. I doubt many are sad to see him go.”

  Lady Angelis took a delicate bite of her salad. “That’s a tall order, trying to recover a bunch of slaves that have already been purchased fairly on the slave market—a slave market that is legal in these parts. How do you intend to get them back? Are you well financed? Do you plan to repurchase them?” She took another sip of wine and regarded him. “Or perhaps you intend to free them by violent means? A rough man like yourself might not know any other way.”

  Her smile made him think of a hawk that was about to snatch up an unsuspecting field mouse. She’s got me there. I haven’t planned that far ahead yet. “I’ve got a few ideas,” he said vaguely and took a bite of his potatoes.

  She laughed again. “Not much of a politician yet, but you’ll get there. If I may be so bold?” She looked questioningly at Reznik. When he nodded, she continued, “I think we might be able to help each other.”

  That’s just what I was thinking. He remained quiet and listened, not wanting to play his cards too early.

  “I can help you with your slave problem if you help me with mine. I’m a wealthy woman with some influence in this city. I’ll give you your colonist slaves to do with as you will. But in return, I want the Overseer cast down. That son of a bitch has overstayed his welcome.”

  Reznik nodded as he considered her offer. “Who’s to rule in his stead?”

  “I will propose the formation of a council of the great houses. I will act as mayor, and they will advise and enact legislation.”

  Here goes nothing. Time to put all the cards on the table. “I’ll help you overthrow the Overseer and put you in power on two conditions: first, I want the colonists returned as you already said; and second, I want slavery outlawed.”

  “Outlawed?” Her eyes went wide, and Reznik noticed they had become a pale blue. “I myself don’t believe in slaves—I’d rather pay people a fair wage for their honest work, but I’m in the distinct minority on that matter. The great houses have invested heavily in slaves for years. They won’t budge on that, I’m afraid.”

  “I have confidence that an influential woman like yourself will find a way to convince them.” Now it was Reznik’s turn to smile. “The operation will go down my way with my people. I’ll have to discuss it with them to work out the details, but that’s my offer. Take it or leave it.”

  “My, my… it seems I’ve underestimated your political skills after all.” There was a newfound respect in her voice. She gestured, and a servant refilled their wine goblets. “Let us toast to the beginning of a fruitful relationship.”

  Reznik toasted her, all the while wondering if he’d actually be able to pull this off.

  ***

  The inner city was surprisingly quiet after dark, and a warm drizzle fell from the dome’s irrigation system. Reznik adjusted the hood of his jacket, not to keep the rain out, but to keep his face concealed.

  The Overseer’s guards had beefed up their presence at the checkpoints since they were still searching for him. He didn’t doubt that there were plenty of surveillance cameras that would pick him out as soon as he set foot outside Lady Angelis’s estate had he been foolish enough to not disguise his features. Lady Angelis had assured him there was a secret way out of the inner city that he could use, but he still wondered how he was going to evade detection by the Overseer’s men since he had to move about the city to get everything in order. He needed to come up with a more permanent disguise to allow him to move about freely.

  Reznik had tried contacting Hank for probably the tenth time, but to no avail, once again. Combined with Rin’s inability to get through either, Reznik was almost certain that Marcus’s warning had come too late. He hadn’t heard from Marcus since that initial message, and Reznik was loathe to contact him since he understood the compromising position Marcus had put himself in by tipping off the op.

  “Will you be joining forces with the Lady?” A curious voice broke through Reznik’s dark thoughts. He had almost forgotten Lynessa was accompanying him, escorting him to the secret way off the
premises. She smiled up at him as she walked beside him across the quiet grounds of Lady Angelis’s compound. Lars hadn’t reappeared after Reznik’s dinner.

  “It looks that way. I need to make some arrangements with my people before we figure out the details. Where are you taking me, anyway?”

  “Since the checkpoints are under heavy surveillance and the Overseer likely has his microdrones deployed with facial recognition scanning, there’s really no safe way to get you back to the Sprawl once you leave the compound, so I’ve been instructed to take you to a tunnel that leads out of the inner city.”

  Reznik involuntarily looked up at the mention of drones. His HUD didn’t detect anything in the immediate area, but that didn’t necessarily mean they weren’t there.

  Lynessa laughed and touched his arm lightly. “You don’t have to worry here. The Lady’s compound has an electromagnetic field that disrupts the electronics of the Overseer’s drones and prevents them from doing flyovers. It’s still a good idea to keep your hood down though, just in case they are performing any long-range scans.”

  They reentered the factory through the rear door again. The cavernous building was eerily silent; all the workers had gone home, and the machinery idled for the night. The banks of LED lighting had been dimmed, and the factory echoed with their footsteps.

  Lynessa led him to a stairwell, and they descended to sublevel three. The corridor was dark, with a lone light flickering halfway down. At the end of the hall lay a sturdy steel door with a large wheel in the middle, like a submarine door. Lynessa stepped up to an iris scanner, and a moment later a loud clank came from within the door. The slim woman twirled the wheel, causing it to squeal loudly in the silence. The hinges groaned, and the door opened. A warm, musty blast of air with the faint stink of distant sewage entered the hallway.

  “Follow this tunnel for about a mile until you reach the end. There will be a set of steel rungs you can climb up to a trapdoor overhead. You will exit to the Sprawl. The main street should be about a half mile to the east of that point. Your new optical implant will allow you to pass the iris scanner if you need to return by this route.”

  “Thank you, Lynessa.” He smiled, and she met his eyes for a moment before looking shyly away. “Can I contact you if I have questions or need help getting back to the inner city?”

  “Oh… of course.” She looked surprised by his request. She blinked, and her virtual contact card popped up on his HUD. “Angelis Class 3 Multi-functional Unit: Lynessa” her virtual card read. Reznik accepted the card, and it flashed and went to his contact list. She looked pleased when he sent his contact information in response. Lynessa had an almost childlike naïveté about her. Lars did also to some degree, but much less than his sister. Either that or he concealed it better. Lynessa’s a servant, not a slave. Reznik remembered Lady Angelis stating she didn’t use slaves. Must be a big deal for a servant to be granted a “citizen’s” contact info. Or maybe she just doesn’t get out much. He found himself liking the young servant girl.

  “Good evening, Mr. Reznik. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call anytime.” She smiled again, and Reznik stepped through the portal.

  He thanked her again and with a wave started off down the tunnel. The heavy door boomed shut behind him.

  ***

  Reznik eased the trapdoor open and quickly scanned his surroundings. The coast was clear, but he didn’t want to draw any attention to the hidden tunnel entrance. He climbed out and shut the hatch behind him.

  He found himself in a ruined building. Piles of rubble lay around him, and the steel girders forming the skeleton of the building were rusting, exposed to the elements. As he made his way out of the ruined structure, his ears picked up the sounds of the Sprawl: bass notes boomed from some distant music, a dog barked continuously, a woman screamed in pleasure, drunks shouted at each other, and a motor clattered noisily in the distance. Sounds just like the sounds of any big city after dark. Could be L.A. or New York or just about anywhere.

  A colorful mural of graffiti covered a relatively intact wall. Some of the paints glowed faintly in the gloom. “THE OVERSEER IS SUCKING THE CITY DRY. DOWN WITH HIM AND HIS DEVIL WHORES!” block letters screamed above a cartoonish drawing of a vampire Overseer with his teeth in the neck of a person and his Moirai behind him, drawn like voluptuous ghouls with clawed hands dripping blood.

  Distant gunfire erupted just as Reznik was about to step into the street. Braaap… braaap. The sounds of SMG fire was followed by the pops of pistols. The gunfire went on for a minute or two, and then his boosted hearing picked up the sound of a motor revving and tires squealing. Yep, I could’ve come out of that tunnel and stepped right into the hood back in my day.

  Reznik made his way down side streets as he decided on the most direct route back to the Looking Glass Cantina. The pub was just over a mile away according to his HUD. Nothing like taking the scenic route, he thought as he walked past a snoring drunk lying in a reeking puddle of vomit.

  A few minutes later, he approached a street that was illuminated brightly by headlights. He cautiously peered around the corner. The scene in the street was the aftermath of the gunfight. Half a dozen thugs lay dead on the ground amongst numerous shell casings. Two heavily armed men patrolled the scene with assault rifles while another man and woman crouched over a couple of the corpses. A vehicle resembling an unmarked ambulance sat idling, its headlights illuminating the scene.

  “Looks like two of them have some decent augs,” one of the men announced. He finished running a scan tool along a corpse; a blue laser light emitted from a small device that projected a holographic image of the body with illuminated areas displayed in blue and gold. The man stood up and looked around. “The others aren’t worth much. We might get a little for the organs.” Interesting. Definitely not the authorities. I doubt the Overseer’s security forces running the city even give a shit about some gangbangers gunning each other down in a back alley of the Sprawl.

  “Hey! You there, step out where we can see you!” The skinny woman that had been studying the corpses had spotted Reznik. She had a pinched face, with half of her head shaved and flame tattoos running up her arms and shoulders. Her tattoos glowed a faint red in the darkness, and she had a bull ring through her nose and multiple piercings through her eyebrow and lip.

  One of the armed grunts aimed his rifle at Reznik. “Out here, now!” He moved cautiously toward Reznik while the other grunt covered him.

  “I’m unarmed,” Reznik called as he stepped into the bright glare of the headlights. He wished he hadn’t lost his .45 when he got captured. “I’ve got no beef with you, man.”

  The grunt shoved him against the wall and pressed the cold barrel of the rifle against the back of his skull. The man was burly, with metal plates bulging from where they had been implanted under his skin. The old-fashioned type of dermal plating.

  “What were you doing hiding there?” The woman walked up and looked him up and down.

  “I took a wrong turn somewhere. I didn’t know this scene was off limits.”

  “Are you one of the Lady’s?” The skinny woman looked at him curiously, obviously noting his golden eye.

  “Yes. I was running an errand.” Reznik decided it would be better to play along.

  “All right. Get out of here. You didn’t see anything, right?” Reznik nodded, and the woman gestured for him to leave. The grunt shoved him into the wall again and then fell back, still keeping his gun trained on Reznik. “What are you all doing standing around?” the woman snapped. “Toss this meat in the back of the wagon so we can get the hell outta here.”

  Reznik quickly walked away, and he glanced back over his shoulder just in time to see the crew toss the last corpse haphazardly in the back of the vehicle. He stepped up against the wall as the non-ambulance roared off down the alleyway, running over a bag of garbage and causing an explosion of reeking debris. The congealed puddles of blood and shell casings were the only sign that six thugs had died back there.<
br />
  Capitalism for the win, Reznik thought sarcastically. Government services might be lacking, but the free market steps up. Corpses dismantled and augs and organs sold for profit. I wonder what happens with the spare meat? I’ll have to remember not to eat any hot dogs while I’m here.

  Chapter 20

  “Director, we have a slight problem down here in the server farm,” Ram said over the Datalink.

  Marcus sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. “What is it, Ram?” He was surprised that his HUD showed the time was 21:45 although with the long hours he’d been putting in, he shouldn’t have been.

  “I think you better come down here and take a look, sir.” Ram sounded concerned.

  “All right, I’ll be down there in a minute. And knock off that ‘sir’ shit.”

  “Will do, Director.”

  Marcus logged off his workstation and took the stairs down to the basement level instead of the elevator. He relished the chance to stretch his legs. It seemed like any chance to get away from his desk and the constant meetings was a blessing, even if he was about to receive bad news.

  The blast of chill air he received walking in the vast server farm helped wake him up. He made a mental note to stop and get a cup of coffee on the way back up. Hopefully there’s coffee made at this hour—that’s what I have interns for, isn’t it? He tried not to think about Naya, whom he had been avoiding since the night they had spent together. The girl was physically attractive, but Marcus didn’t trust her. Naya’s sycophantic attitude around him made him ill at ease, and he had become almost certain that she was Bethany’s spy placed in his department to get close and keep tabs on him. Instead, he often found his thoughts turning toward the pretty young hostage he’d met a couple days ago.

  “I’m down here,” Ram called.

  Marcus walked down a couple aisles before he found Ram. His friend was standing in front of a maintenance terminal halfway down an aisle of server racks. The carbon-black towers hummed and whirred quietly all around him, making Marcus a little claustrophobic.