Extensis Vitae: City of Sarx

by Gregory Mattix

  “This is amazing,” he breathed.

  He opened his mouth, smiled, frowned, turned around and moved his arms up and down, and the illusion mirrored him perfectly. He only noticed a slight distortion around the edges of the image, primarily when he moved, which was likely due to the rendering trying to erase his larger frame. He deactivated the holographic imager and tucked it into his breast pocket.

  “That image is fine—I definitely won’t be recognized like that.”

  “I’m glad you like it,” Rin said with a smile. “I brought you a new toy as well.” She reached into her waistband at the small of her back and withdrew a silver object that Reznik first thought was a hair dryer. “These things are pretty nasty… You definitely don’t want to have it accidentally discharge.”

  “What is it?” Reznik carefully took the dryer and decided it looked more like a ray gun out of an old movie. It was surprisingly light, crafted out of a metal alloy. Three concentric rings lined the barrel, and the body was slightly bulbous. Where the magazine would go in a normal gun was an energy cell like what pulse rifles used.

  “It’s a plasma pistol. Pretty rare weapon—I took it as a trophy from Tseng Bao, but firearms aren’t my thing, so thought you might like to play around with it. It fires a superheated globule of plasma which will disintegrate most materials. It has a slow rate of fire though since it needs a brief period to charge up each shot.”

  “Nice! Thank you.” He smiled and held her gaze for a moment before she looked away.

  At that moment the door burst open, and Keeva swept into the room, her bright blue hair gleaming in the light of the chandelier. “Long time, no see,” she exclaimed.

  Reznik couldn’t help but smile at the young woman’s enthusiasm. “It’s good to see you guys made it out all right.”

  Keeva gave him a hug. “Yeah, it was pretty tough, but my men are stoked about putting a whooping on this Overseer asshole.” She grinned mischievously at him before turning and shaking Rin’s hand. “I’ve got twenty men holed up in another part of the Sprawl—didn’t want to draw too much attention to this place. As far as making it out of Devils Tower in one piece, well I’d like to take credit for that fight, but that would be dishonest. Let me introduce my secret weapon and the reason we are still here today. Come on in, Mason, and introduce yourself.” She beamed.

  Time seemed to go into slow motion as Reznik watched Mason stride into the room. The memory of the bloody battle in the close confines of the Colony 13 storeroom surged back into his mind. Just as Reznik remembered, the man still wore his body armor and dusty gunslinger hat. His mechanical arm glinted in the light, and his chrome eyes were expressionless as he stood inside the doorway and surveyed them.

  “What the—” Reznik’s .45 was in his hand before the thought even crossed his mind. At the same time, he saw the flash of steel as Rin drew her katana. Mason stared at them impassively, thumbs hitched in his belt, but he made no move to draw the semi-automatic pistol that was holstered within easy reach. Reznik recovered enough to look over at Keeva, who had a dumbfounded look on her face. “What the fuck is he doing here?”

  “Whoa! Chill out!” Keeva looked between Reznik, Rin, and Mason. “You all know each other already?” Her question was met with silence as the others stared each other down. “Look, I don’t know what the hell is going on, but Mason here is the only reason I’m still alive. That goes for most of us, including my father.”

  Mason slowly raised his hands. “You’ve got me dead to rights. If you’re going to make a move, do it. Otherwise, it’s been a long fucking trip, and I could really use a drink. Put your weapons away, and we’ll talk.” He glared at Reznik and Rin. “All that business in the colonies was nothing personal. I had no idea you were going to ambush us as we returned from Skin City. That was Haze’s deal. I was just a foot soldier.”

  “Just a soldier who didn’t mind kidnapping hundreds of men, women, and children and selling them into slavery you mean,” Reznik snapped. “Don’t even call yourself a soldier—it degrades the profession.” He wasn’t about to put his gun down. The thought of Mason holding his auto-shotgun to Reznik’s head was as fresh in his mind as if it had just happened.

  Rin sheathed her katana. “Let’s hear him out,” she said quietly.

  “Listen to Rin, Reznik. Let’s all keep our cool and sit down and talk.” Keeva looked worried but determined to defuse the situation. “Whatever happened between you guys before is water under the bridge. We didn’t trust Mason either, at first. But we would have been finished had he not aided us. He could have escaped and saved his own ass, but he was right there beside me breaking through the lines of the Thorne forces and freeing my father and his men. Please, you have to believe me.”

  Reznik’s eyes shifted between Mason and Keeva. The young woman’s eyes were pleading. “I believe you. I just don’t trust this son of a bitch. He’s probably doing just what he needs to in order to gain your trust.” He glared at Mason. “If you’re interested in the resistance now, why the hell were you with a gang of thugs that murdered and kidnapped innocent people?”

  Mason stared at him impassively for a long moment before he sighed. “Look, I’ve done a lot of shit in the past that I’m not proud of. A lot of shit. But I’ll be the first to admit that was a mistake. I was in a rough spot with the booze, and a job was a job, I thought.” He pulled out a chair and sat down. “I suppose I was still bitter all these years later that my family had been denied access to a survival shelter before the Cataclysm. Not that it really mattered since they ended up getting murdered. At the time, it didn’t seem wrong, but I know now that the people in those colonies, no matter how privileged and ignorant they were, didn’t deserve that.” Mason stared back at them with his blank eyes.

  Reznik was about to make a retort when he felt Rin’s hand on his forearm. “Let it go for now. We’ve all made mistakes, me first among them.” She pushed firmly, and he allowed the gun to lower. I did spring the ambush… who knows if we could have settled things without bloodshed?

  “Mason’s here, isn’t he? Why don’t you give him a chance to make amends?” Keeva sat down next to Mason. “Can we get some drinks in here?” she called through the open door.

  Reznik exhaled loudly and, decision made, holstered the .45 before yanking out the chair and sitting down warily across from Mason. He was aware of everyone watching him. Mason could’ve entered the room guns blazing if he was looking for trouble, he knew. Might as well give him the benefit of the doubt. He didn’t like it, but the situation being what it was, they couldn’t afford to fight amongst themselves. He forced himself to let it go and relax. “Very well. Let’s discuss plans for the assault then.”

  ***

  “Do you feel a certain nervous energy?” Lady Angelis regarded Reznik with her color-shifting eyes. They were currently a warm earthen brown. “I’ve had trouble sleeping this past week. I feel wired, as if on stims. Maybe I’m just not used to being involved in such conspiracies.” She whispered the word and winked at Reznik.

  “I’m ready to get on with this operation if that’s what you’re asking. I don’t like all this waiting around.” Reznik walked beside Lady Angelis in her garden the morning after they had hammered out their plans with all the players. He had made it to the tunnel and slipped through without any issues, thanks to the holographic imager.

  Lady Angelis seemed not to hear his response as she stopped and frowned at a cluster of dead blossoms amongst the variety of colorful rose bushes.

  Reznik’s curiosity finally got the better of him. “What’s the story with Lars and Lynessa? They mentioned they are reproductions of some sort.”

  Lady Angelis looked askance at Reznik as they resumed walking. “That is my tragic story.” Her wings rustled behind her as she unfurled them momentarily before tucking them behind her back again. “I had a family once. This was many years ago—before the Cataclysm, even. My dearest children were taken way before their time, due to an awful influenza pandemi
c. My husband and I tried to have children again, but we were not blessed in this manner. He soon died as well, during the anarchy before the Cataclysm struck. Fortunately, my company survived, and I put all my energy into it. I figured if I could go from a sad, haggard old widow to this”—she gestured at her young, voluptuous figure—“why not use my company’s cutting-edge science to bring back my beloved twins?”

  “Are they clones?” Reznik’s eyes widened.

  She smiled sadly. Her eyes had turned golden, like her children. “Not exactly. I didn’t have any original genetic material, but they were genetically engineered to be as close as I could make them to my original children. I made some tweaks obviously, as you can tell by the eyes. I enhanced some of the traits I desired and bred out others. You’ve probably heard of nature versus nurturing, yes? The environment children grow up in does much to determine who they are, so even though they are genetically very similar, they are different from my true children as a result of nurture. I’m not as good of a mother as I once was, I must admit. So once they grew up, they became their own individuals, but I still love them as my children. That’s a secret by the way—I don’t want it to get out so anyone can use them as leverage against me.”

  “Thank you, Lady, for trusting me with this knowledge.” Reznik wondered how old she really was.

  Lady Angelis took his hand. Her fingers were slender, with intricately painted nails. “Come, my fellow conspirator, let us get some refreshment, and you can tell me all about your plans. I want Lars and Lynessa to accompany you as my representatives. You and your companions are strangers here and shouldn’t bear the brunt of the risk on your own. Don’t worry, my children will stay out of your way. While they aren’t combat models, they can handle themselves in a fight if need be. All I ask is that you try to keep them out of the thick of the fighting.”

  “I’ll do that,” he promised. “How is everything shaping up on the political plans for the succession? The last thing everyone wants is to have an uprising as a result of a power vacuum during the transition.”

  “Surprisingly well. The fickle nobles, who can never agree on anything, seem to be of one mind on this matter. The Overseer must go, and the transition must be smooth and peaceful. The slave matter is still up for debate, but don’t worry—I’ll convince them. I’m not without my charms.” Lady Angelis gave him a wicked smile. “As long as you and your allies hold up your end of the bargain, everything should work itself out.”

  “Let’s hope it does.” If our little rebellion fails, it’s gonna be ugly for everyone involved.

  Chapter 24

  Rin looked sideways and met Ryu’s eyes. They both knew they would have to fight their way out of this one. They had foolishly left their gear on the nearest table, about ten yards away, down below the raised hot tub platform and on the other side of the thugs.

  The men were obviously expecting resistance, for the Overseer made a shooting motion with his thumb and forefinger at Rin and Ryu. The Overseer’s bodyguards reacted instantly, two of them firing projectiles into the hot tub as Rin and Ryu were just about to spring into motion.

  Rin realized something was different—she suddenly felt slow and weak. Her HUD pixellated and disappeared just as the electroshock rounds released their charges. Half a million volts were released from each round before Rin and Ryu could get clear of the water. Lightning sparked in the water, Rin felt her body go numb, and her head became woozy.

  Rin toppled over the side of the hot tub, and her chin smacked hard on the tile floor. Five hundred pounds of enforcer muscle landed on her back as two grunts subdued her. They rolled her over, and she saw the other two grunts dragging Ryu out of the hot tub. The men grasped her arms and dragged her away across the slick tiles. Her head lolled, and her heels drummed on the steps as they brought her down to the brothers. She watched as Ryu was pummeled by the other grunts. What the hell is wrong? Those electroshock rounds shouldn’t knock us out that badly.

  “That’s no way to treat a lady—pick her up, you dumb fucks,” snapped the Overseer. “Drag the other one by the cock for all I care. He’s a dead man anyway. Ms. Takahashi is to be turned over to Haze.” He turned to his brother. “I hope you know what you are doing. This spitfire will carve you a new asshole first chance she gets.”

  Haze held up an oblong black token. “It pays to have friends in the right place,” he said with a chortling laugh. He approached Rin. “I think we are going to get along just fine, aren’t we, darling?” His breath stank of cigarette smoke as he caressed Rin’s cheek. She realized with horror that her token, which was supposedly secured somewhere inside her brother’s headquarters, was in the hands of this maniac.

  “Milton, get your ass up here,” the Overseer shouted as he turned.

  Rin heard the door to the rooftop sanctuary slam shut, followed by hurried footsteps. A scrawny young man with gauged earlobes and a partially shaved head trotted up to the Overseer, looking around nervously. He gawked when he saw Rin’s nakedness as she sat on the cold tiles, her legs curled beneath her.

  Her chin was sore, and she could feel a nasty bruise forming. Sensation was slowly returning to her numb limbs, but she knew it would be a few minutes before she would be able to move with any kind of coordination. Her HUD still refused to pull up, and she realized the Overseer must have some type of targeted EMP device that he had used to neutralize their nanites. Her core systems were shielded from serious damage, but it would take some time to regenerate new nanites.

  “Milton! Do you have the malware ready?” The Overseer glared at the gawking Milton.

  “Oh... uh yeah, sure boss.” Milton pulled a pair of matching chips from his pocket. He plugged one into the port in the back of his head, and his eyes unfocused as he accessed the user interface.

  Haze had walked to the other side of the roof, where he smoked a cigarette and carried on a Datalink conversation, just outside the range of the jammer. Two of the thugs still secured Rin’s arms, and two held Ryu near her. From what she had seen, the grunts were heavily augmented but didn’t appear to be warrior-spec skins.

  Ryu was sprawled limply on the ground with his arms stretched overhead and held by the bodyguards, his head slumped forward. His wet hair was plastered to his forehead. He had taken quite a beating as his bloody nose and bruised face could attest to.

  Oh, Ryu, Rin thought. What have we gotten ourselves into? She tried to access the network again, but her HUD was still dead. God damn it! Come on, keep screwing around, she thought as she watched Milton. She could feel the tingling receding from her extremities. She straightened out her legs, hoping her strength would be restored more quickly with increased blood flow. I’ll have to try to take them out without my augmentations. I’m not liking my chances, but that’s the only chance I’m going to get.

  “Let’s go. I don’t have all night,” the Overseer snapped.

  Milton flinched, and his eyes focused on his boss again. “Sorry, just about ready.” He took the second chip and walked around and snapped it into the port in the back of Ryu’s head. Ryu’s eyelids cracked open, displaying the whites of his eyes. “Just got to get through the firewall... wow, this skin has some gnarly encryption.” Milton’s eyes were already unfocused again as he concentrated on his hacking attack.

  Just about out of time. Rin arched her knees and put her feet flat on the floor. Suddenly, she shoved herself backward, sliding behind the bodyguards and allowing her arms to extend out in front of her. Before the bodyguards could react, she kicked the two of them hard in the backs of the knees, causing them to stumble forward. Rin wrenched her arms free of their grasp. With a quick kip-up, she regained her feet. She could tell her balance and coordination were still off, but she could function.

  One of the grunts reached for her, but she released her forearm blade and slashed his throat before launching herself at the Overseer. His eyes widened in alarm, and she was on him in an instant. She punched him in the stomach, and as he doubled over, she grabbed the bulge o
f the jammer in his pocket. She slashed through the pocket with the blade and shoved him backward, sending him sprawling. Rin hurled the jammer off the building and was relieved to see her HUD had rebooted. She opened a quick channel on her team’s Datalink frequency. “All personnel to the roof immediately! We are under attack!” she shouted in Japanese, not knowing that help would never arrive.

  Rin then threw herself at the grunts holding Ryu. The two of them were reaching for their sidearms. Rin kicked the gun out of the first man’s grasp and stabbed him in the chest. The man stumbled backward and fell. She turned to the other, but he already had his weapon out. Braaap... braaap. Bullets spat from the 10mm SMG. She felt the rounds slam against her outstretched arm and rip into her side. The rounds spun her around and sent her staggering back. Shit, my dermal plating isn’t active yet—the nanites haven’t regenerated. Blood began welling out of the bullet holes in her side. As agony overwhelmed her, the strength suddenly went out of her legs, and she stumbled and collapsed onto a lounge chair.

  Braaap... braaap. She expected the grunt’s shots to finish her off, but no bullets even came near her. Ryu had grabbed the man’s forearm from where he knelt on the ground and was wrestling with him for the gun. The grunt kicked at him, but Ryu trapped the man’s leg against his body and lunged, lifting the man and then driving him off his feet until he landed hard on the ground. They wrestled for control of the SMG.

  The remaining man that had previously held Rin was now back on his feet. He fired one of the electroshock weapons. The round attached to Ryu’s bare chest and released its charge, causing him to cry out as electricity crackled. He twitched and lay still. The grunt with the SMG got back to his feet and kicked Ryu in the head.