Extensis Vitae: City of Sarx

by Gregory Mattix

  Rin kicked at the black woman, who grabbed her leg. She drove her claws against Rin’s thigh, trying to pierce the dermal plating. The blonde came at her again, claws raised to tear into her abdomen. Her HUD began flaring an angry red. Shit. They might have me this time.

  Blam! The black woman lurched and fell away as the report thundered in the apartment. Reznik stood inside the door. He racked another round into the chamber of his shotgun.

  “Didn’t think I’d miss the chance to see a cat fight, did you?” he joked. He looked a little worse for wear after his fight with Kolb but still seemed to have his sense of humor.

  The blonde screeched and launched herself at Reznik. He dodged and fired another round but just grazed the woman’s shoulder. Then he was forced to defend himself against the berserk woman.

  Taking advantage of Reznik’s distraction, Rin surged backward, driving the Latina into the wall. The polymer cracked and dented. Rin slammed her again and again until her grasp loosened. The black woman got to her feet and lunged at Rin, but she sidestepped, and her attacker’s claws caught empty air.

  Rin gave a quick chop to the Latina’s forearm, causing her claws to impale the black woman through the neck. The woman gurgled and grasped at the Latina’s arm desperately, shredding the flesh of her forearm to ribbons while the blood pumped out of her own neck. Rin took a step back, and a quick cut removed the black woman’s head from her shoulders. She reversed the swing and drove the katana up and into the stunned Latina’s chest. The woman coughed up blood and sagged back into the caved-in wall, her eyes turning glassy as the life poured out of her.

  “You got that one?” Rin watched as Reznik desperately parried the blonde’s slashing claws with the shotgun.

  Reznik grimaced. “Yeah, I got this. Don’t let the Overseer get away.”

  Rin advanced further into the apartment, cautious for any traps. She glanced at her reflection as she passed a floor-to-ceiling mirror behind a bar. Her face, arms, thigh, and torso were stitched with bloody scratches, but fortunately, the wounds were all minor. She noted with amusement that her bodysuit remained bloodless although it looked like a fetish outfit with the amount of shredding it had sustained. Good thing it’s self-repairing. My poor leathers would be ready for the incinerator at this point.

  A large bedroom lay off to the left side, floor-to-ceiling windows revealing the brilliant spectrum of the Skin City lights spread out below. Rin passed a bathroom and then at the end of the hall saw an open door to what looked like an office. She cautiously approached, katana held ready.

  “Come on in,” a voice called. “Now that you’ve trashed the fucking place, I might as well leave the door open.”

  Rin stepped up to the door and looked inside. The large windows revealed a breathtaking panoramic view of the brightly lit square out front of the tower. The Overseer sat behind a large mahogany desk. A gaudy gold-plated pistol lay within easy reach on the desk in front of him.

  “Don’t be shy. I just want to have a little conversation. As specced out as you are, you have nothing to fear from me.” He gave his smug, thin-lipped smile.

  Rin felt fury boil up as memories flooded back—memories of this bastard pulling the trigger and blowing Ryu’s brains out, of handing her over to his psychotic brother for two years of dishonor and abuse.

  As Rin stepped inside the room, she noted the Overseer kept his left hand below the desk out of view. A security gate suddenly slammed down from the ceiling behind her. “That’s better. Now we can have our little chat. You’re quite a scrappy fighter—I’m impressed. I can see why my brother was obsessed with you. Did you find my Moirai a challenge?”

  “Put both hands on the desk where I can see them,” she ordered. Her eyes scanned the room, but her HUD didn’t pick out any other threats.

  There was a deep humming sound, and Rin’s HUD flickered and pixelated before disappearing. Her limbs grew heavy, and she felt slowed, as if moving through molasses. The Overseer was now grinning like a fiend. He placed his left hand on the desk and slapped down a wide-mouthed object that looked like a flattened funnel with a handle on it. He held up his hands and mockingly waved them at her.

  “Surely you remember this handy little gadget. Directional EMP generator. It was incredibly expensive, but best money I’ve ever spent.” His shark-toothed grin spread.

  Not this again. Rin realized her nanites were fried from the EMP blast. Her core systems were EMP-hardened, but it would take some time for everything to come back online and for her body to produce new nanites. Rin gritted her teeth and darted forward, intending to kill the Overseer before he pulled any new tricks.

  She still moved quickly but nowhere near the inhuman speed she had with her augmentations working. The Overseer snatched up the big pistol and fired it point-blank just as she was leaping over the desk. The gun barked, and the bullet slammed into Rin’s ribcage, spinning her and causing her to fall hard against the edge of the desk.

  Rin gasped from the spear of pain that flared through her chest. She staggered and fought to keep her balance but failed, falling to the plush carpet as blood gushed from the wound.

  The Overseer was on his feet now, and his pleasant demeanor was gone. “Even if the rest of your friends break in here and kill me, I’ll die happy knowing that I killed you first, bitch.” Even with the gun pointed at her, she noticed he was still careful to keep his distance. “You and that Reznik have been such pains in my ass. Everything I’ve built here you’ve fucking ruined.” He shook his head and paced in front of the desk.

  Rin fought to keep her edge through the pain and blood loss. Consulting her HUD, she realized the bullet had ricocheted off a rib and just grazed her lung. It was bleeding like hell, however. She held her hand to the wound, hoping that she’d have enough time for her nanites to replicate and repair the wound. I’ve got to keep him talking before he finishes me. “Your brother died a coward just like you will.”

  “Is that so? My brother always was a stupid fuck. I told him that you’d turn on him first chance you got, but he believed he was safe with those damn tokens.”

  A shotgun blast followed by a screech of pain resounded from elsewhere in the apartment. Hope that was Reznik putting an end to that other banshee bitch.

  “And that would be the death of Clotho,” the Overseer said, his eyes unfocused as he must have been consulting a video feed on his HUD. “We don’t have much time here. As much as I’d like to savor this moment, I’m afraid it’s not to be.” The Overseer hit a wall switch, and a panel slid open, revealing a small chute with a ladder extending in both directions. He poked his head inside and made sure the shaft was clear.

  He can’t escape. I need to end this motherfucker. Rin gathered her legs beneath herself.

  “Now it’s time to redecorate the wall with your brains.” The Overseer leveled the gun at her just as Rin dove toward him. She felt the heat on her face from the muzzle flash. The bullet was a hot knife of pain where it grazed her cheek. But even through her dizziness, her aim was true. The katana arced up and cleaved the Overseer’s wrist, sending his hand tumbling free with the gun in it. His eyes went wide as blood pumped out of the stump of his arm. A couple seconds later, the pain registered, and he began screaming.

  Rin pulled herself upright against the desk as a renewed assault of pain pummeled her rib cage. She fought it off and slashed at the Overseer, opening his belly. His entrails spilled onto the pile carpet, and the stench of offal filled the room. The Overseer grasped at the bloody ropes of his intestines, trying in vain to pull them back into his abdominal cavity. He seemed baffled by the fact that his hand was no longer there to grasp his entrails. His mouth sagged open in an ear-piercing shriek, and his eyes stared into space.

  Rin delivered a solid punch to the Overseer’s face, crushing his nose. He stumbled against the desk. Clenching her teeth against the agony, Rin spun and delivered a circle kick to his chest. The Overseer flipped over the desk and pitched into the window. Numerous cracks spiderweb
bed across the glass, and for a moment she thought it might hold, but then the glass shattered, and the Overseer went out the window. A loop of intestine caught around the sharp edge of the desk, and the Overseer’s fall was halted, smacking him against the side of the building. She moved to the window and looked out. Gore dripped down the side of the building as the Overseer hung, suspended sixty stories over the bustling square.

  “Just hang out and enjoy the view, asshole.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Rin shook her head in amusement, realizing she was starting to sound like Reznik. I guess he’s starting to rub off on me.

  Rin turned and looked for the release mechanism for the office’s security gate. She leaned heavily against the desk as she felt around beneath it. She found the release and hit it, causing the gate to retract back into the ceiling with a loud clank. Slumping heavily into the executive chair, she applied pressure to her wound to staunch the flow of blood. Her eyes settled on the bloody hand print she had left on the desktop. Finally—vengeance. My burden is lifted. She relaxed at that thought and closed her eyes for a moment. If I close my eyes, I might not waken again. I have to fight to stay awake. The voice nagging at her seemed far away and without much urgency; in that moment, the thought of not waking up again sounded awfully appealing.

  She spun the chair until she was looking out the open window. A light breeze caressed her face. As she hovered on the verge of losing consciousness, the bright splashes of a holoscreen billboard across the square drew her gaze. The advertisement’s message scrolled across the screen, alternating between scenes of happy families in idyllic settings. “Tormented by painful memories? Searching for relief from the noise and pressure of the world around you? Try Seren1ty today and begin your new happy, carefree life!”

  Mmm… that would be nice for a change. Just blissful peace and no responsibilities. These last two years of hell could be wiped away… Her eyelids slipped shut as darkness yawned.

  “Rin? Are you all right?”

  Her eyes popped open to find Reznik kneeling beside her, concern on his face. He gently lifted her bloody hand and examined the wound.

  “I just need a breather. I think I’ll be fine,” she said weakly.

  “Just hold on a little longer. I’m gonna get you out of here.” Reznik looked around and gave a low whistle. “What a mess. Do you mind?” He gestured at the taut length of intestine stretched from the desk out the window.

  Rin shook her head. “Be my guest.” She handed him her katana.

  With a quick stroke, Reznik severed the guts, and the mess disappeared out the window. Rin imagined the messy splatter that resulted in the square below.

  “Take that EMP device.” Rin pointed to where it lay on the desk. “Those things are hard to find—it might come in handy. Is everything taken care of outside?”

  Reznik found a robe hanging in a closet and tore it into a large strip. “Lars and one of your men didn’t make it, but other than that, it’s over.” He knelt beside her. “Just need you to lean forward a bit.” Reznik deftly wrapped the cloth around her chest and cinched it tight across her rib cage. “That should hold. Are you ready to get out of here?” He used a scrap of cloth to wipe off her katana before resheathing it.

  Rin nodded. “Let’s go. I just need some time for my nanites to recover. That EMP knocked them out.” She winced as Reznik helped her stand. “I can walk.” She stumbled and nearly fell, but Reznik’s steady arm stabilized her. The dizziness hit her hard again.

  “I’ve got you.” Before she could protest again, he easily hoisted her in his arms. “This is Reznik—I’m bringing Rin out now,” he spoke quietly into the Datalink. “She’s wounded, so we need our path cleared.”

  Rin considered protesting about being carried, but a moment later, she slumped against Reznik’s strong chest and passed out.

  Chapter 27

  Mason hit the release, and the safe room door clanked open. Keeva sprang to her feet from where she had been sitting next to the door. Mack and Junior sat on the floor watching them, the former with a bandage wrapped around his shoulder.

  “What the hell was that shit?” Keeva’s violet eyes blazed with anger as she got up in Mason’s face. “Why didn’t you open the door? We’re a team, or did you forget that?”

  “I had matters to discuss with the ambassador.” Mason shrugged, allowing her anger to wash over him like a breaker against a stone cliff. “The objective was to eliminate the garrison; it didn’t say anything about what to do once we had Berenger.”

  “Oh Christ,” Keeva muttered as she looked inside the safe room. Berenger was crumpled in the chair, his head twisted around backward as a result of Mason snapping his neck. “Was that necessary?” She poked around the safe room briefly but evidently didn’t find anything of interest.

  “Berenger managed to put out a distress call. You might want to advise the other groups. We don’t want to be here when the cavalry arrives. I’d give it about ten, maybe fifteen more minutes.” Mason checked the power level on his energy cell. He walked to the nearest window and looked out. The air was hazy with smoke. “How did the other squad fare?”

  Keeva and Junior helped Mack to his feet. The older man waved them off, but his son helped prop him up.

  “Everyone be advised: a distress signal was sent out from the ambassador’s mansion over here. There’s a good chance we’ll have incoming Thorne reinforcements.” Keeva looked back at Mason after completing the call over the Datalink. “We lost four of our fighters, three are wounded, and Yamashita lost a few of his enforcers as well. Overall, the plan worked pretty well, considering what we were up against. I haven’t heard back from Reznik’s team yet.” They started down the hallway toward the stairs. “So how was your chat with Berenger?”

  Mason couldn’t help but smile. “Oh, it was very enlightening. I’ve got some intel on the current power structure and the whereabouts of key personnel.” Just the kind of information I need to settle some old scores and find my son.

  The group made it out of the mansion to find bodies littering the estate grounds and the barracks building a smoldering husk. Mason was surprised to see how many Thorne skins had made it out of the blast. Yamashita’s men efficiently collected their dead and prepared to leave the premises. The dead rebels lay where they had fallen, a state that evidently distressed Keeva.

  “There’s no time to recover the dead,” Mason said gently. “We have to get back to the Sprawl before the reinforcements get here.”

  “We have to escape through the Sprawl,” Keeva informed Yamashita when he approached.

  Yamashita nodded. “Yes, that would be best. I must first seek out Lady Takahashi and ensure she makes it out alive. It was good fighting beside you.” He bowed politely.

  “You as well, Mr. Yamashita. Everyone ready?” When Keeva received a chorus of agreement, the team made a break for the checkpoint. They made it to the park quickly and without incident.

  With a glance over his shoulder, Mason noticed the pillar of smoke had dissipated as a result of the dome’s filtration system. He took a long look at the bright neon of the city reflecting off the dome overhead. There’s a good chance this will be the last time I see this place. The road ahead only gets more difficult from here on out.

  Keeva drew his attention with a hissed warning. Mason ducked behind a hedge with the rest of the team. A squad of the Overseer’s security forces rushed past them in the darkness of the park but didn’t see them.

  When they approached the checkpoint, the guards drew weapons on them. A sustained burst from Mason’s gatling laser quickly convinced the guards to think better of trying to stop them. The rebel team slipped into the Sprawl just as the sky was beginning to lighten in the east.

  ***

  Reznik carried Rin out through the carnage in the apartment. The situation out on the rooftop was just as bad, if not worse. Reznik relaxed a bit after a quick scan revealed only friendlies outside. He briefly studied Rin, noting her face was pale and she weighed
almost nothing in his arms. Come on, you’re gonna pull through this.

  Hamada appeared in front of them. “The way is clear. The Overseer’s men seem to have lost their fight.” His face was impassive as he glanced at Rin. “How is she?”

  “She took a gunshot wound in the chest—her nanites were deactivated by an EMP burst. It looks like the bullet missed her lung, but I can’t tell if it hit any of her internal organs. I don’t think she will bleed out in the next half hour or so at least. She said something about her nanites needing time to recharge. Do you think it’s best we wait here a while so she can heal herself?”

  “Hai. Once her nanites are renewed, it should be quick work to regenerate a single wound like you describe.”

  “Okay. I need to find a good place to let her rest.” He looked around and saw Lynessa crouched over her fallen brother. Rin’s dead enforcer was laid out next to Lars. The other four enforcers still held their positions on the first floor.

  Hamada set a cushioned lounge down behind the bar, out of sight from the stairwell and elevator. Reznik gently set Rin down on the cushion. It seemed that her color had improved already. He hoped they wouldn’t have to wait much longer.

  Lynessa came over and applied some of the remaining nano-styptic to Rin’s gunshot wound. The nanobots quickly clotted the wound and prevented any more bleeding. “That should speed up her recovery,” Lynessa said.

  Reznik thanked her. He leaned against the bar and watched the pillar of smoke and glow from the flames a mile away where the Thorne garrison had been blown up. Even as he watched for a minute, the dome’s filtration system kicked in, and the smoke began to be sucked out.