by J. N. Chaney
"Piss off, X," I muttered, then carefully left the area. "He thinks he has the upper hand."
"I see,” X-37 said. "He probably assumes that because he is un-injured, possesses better armor and weapons, and knows everything about you while you know nothing about him, it gives him the advantage."
"Sometimes I hate you, X," I said.
"You've said this many times, but I don't believe you," X-37 said.
24
I attempted to follow the Thane imposter, knowing my chances for success were slim. He had the advantage of elevation and technology.
"Can you help me out?" I asked X-37.
"I've already provided a three-dimensional map of this area including building schematics in wire frame form," X-37 said. "The images will have to bleed into your regular vision to acquire enough screen space, as it were."
Nearly transparent images of streets and buildings filled my vision. It wasn't my favorite technique that X-37 used, but it would do for now. I could see through the display.
"That'll work, X. Now mark it with streetlights, neon billboards, or other light sources," I said.
Several dots appeared on the image of the scene. I moved through a narrow street, predicting where I thought a Reaper traveling the rooftops would need to move. If I was lucky, I’d be able to see the blur of his stealth armor against the bright lights. It wouldn’t be a true silhouette, but it would be visible for someone who knew what to look for—and I did.
"There we go," I said, edging forward to watch my prey climbing down from a balcony. Once he dropped below the light, I lost track of him but was able to estimate his progress from the speed I had observed. When he reached the bottom of the fire escape, he hopped to the ground and was revealed by a light on a service door.
But only for a second. Tracking a Reaper this way was dangerous and required all of my attention.
"I'm actually impressed," X-37 said. "This is a novel and interesting tactic. Should I make a note of it for future reference?"
"I'll remember," I promised, creeping closer to the Thane imposter.
He moved cautiously, but without fear. We entered a dark area that was like a maze. Occasionally, random illumination disoriented me. In one alley, I was moving toward a street when a car turned on the main thoroughfare, briefly flooding the street with light and then plunging it back into total darkness. On another occasion, someone opened a window, creating a light beam above.
Thane had chosen a devious route, and it seemed he had predicted my own strategy of using lights to foil the use of stealth armor. That wasn't something the real Thane would have imagined. Whoever I was following was a worthy adversary with a better imagination than the raw killing machine I had trained with.
Thoughts of illegal cloning and enhanced cognitive and physical features ran through my mind like a daydream. Clones weren't a thing. I didn't know much about the Lex-tech project, but I was reasonably certain even that couldn't produce clones.
"X, can you recalibrate my optical enhancements to defeat the stealth armor?" I asked.
"This is possible," X-37 answered. "But I advise against it. The process would take too long and could aggravate some of the problems you have been experiencing with your Reaper gear."
"That's what I thought you'd say." I abandoned the search for my nemesis, knowing that he had turned a weakness into a dangerous advantage. Discretion really was the best part of valor. The only real surprise was that he hadn't struck while I was vulnerable.
Maybe he was losing his edge.
"Shall I advise Jelly we are returning?" X-37 asked.
"I really thought I was the last Reaper," I said, moving farther away from the dark maze my nemesis had chosen to hide within. A tingle went up my spine that wasn't a malfunction. It was hard to explain. Sometimes I just knew I was at a turning point, that something important was happening.
"Would you like my analysis?" X-37 asked.
I nodded, moving behind a parked vehicle and then checking my back trail to make sure I wasn't being pursued.
"This person cannot possibly be Byron Thane. I took the time to decompress several files in my archive. I'm able to watch video in a condensed format that is unavailable to you. In essence, that is my memory. Data points among data points. There is no possible way that Byron Thane survived the sniper duel. And if he had, no one was sent back to him for extraction. In a hostile environment such as that particular mission, it would be a death sentence."
"I'm with you so far," I said.
"Our top-secret clearance before being dishonorably discharged from the Union was at a very high level. The information I am working with is old, but by extrapolating those data points, I must conclude there is no clone program. And if there was, it would not be able to produce a warrior of Reaper quality," X-37 said.
"So we're dealing with a bastard, a child that was missed during the background checks?" I asked.
"Possible, but very unlikely." X-37 made a clicking sound. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I generally associated it with him processing a large amount of any information. "The real problem, however, is that if he had a son posing as him, he would not have access to the equipment or the training to be the person we are dealing with now."
"That's basically what I was thinking, but thanks for the detailed lecture," I said, moving into a more crowded area of the city, blending with the night crowd.
"Let's shift gears," I said. "Instead of worrying about who or what he is, let's just find him and Elise. Most importantly, let's just find Elise and get the hell off this planet," I said.
"Where would you like to begin?" X-37 said.
"I've been thinking," I said, wondering if I was about to make a huge mistake. "There's only one place he could be hiding. With the Union and all of the other bounties on him, he must've made a deal with the assassins’ guild on Greendale."
"Infiltrating their headquarters will be extremely difficult," X-37 said.
"You're absolutely right, X. And it won't really be an infiltration, but a raid. I'm going to need help." The idea of contacting Briggs and Crank did not excite me. It was nearly as risky as confronting the Reaper.
But desperate measures called for desperate times and all that.
"What are you planning?" X-37 asked.
"I think the Union owes me a favor," I said.
“Even without the details, I feel I should recommend against this course of action," X-37 said.
I laughed, not sure why, but it felt good. "Where do you think they landed? If they are following spec ops standard procedure, they won't rely on the public spaceports unless they have to. Especially after that debacle on Layton 5."
"I assume they would be using one of the industrial spaceports that is technically only for material deployment, the FISC most likely," X-37 said. “My check of available flight logs suggests it's a well-known fact that travelers from various organizations also move passengers this way."
"You're talking about smugglers. Is there a slave trade on this planet?" I asked.
X-37 made several clicks, fully processing his information, knowing I didn’t want a fast answer on this one. "I do not believe so, or if this is happening it is no greater than other planets. Human trafficking continues to be a problem throughout the galaxy. In this case, however, it just seems to be people who don't want to be associated with the Union."
“Ironic," I said. The most elite members of the Union military used the services of people who hated the Union the most with the greatest intensity. I was never able to decide if this was brilliant or suicidal. "Give me some maps and try to narrow it down. In an ideal scenario, you would show me the exact room in the exact building in the exact facility they are basing their operations out of. But I’d also like to know if there are going to be surprises. How many Union spec ops soldiers are on the planet?"
"I'll do my best, Reaper Cain," X-37 promised.
I edged around the loading ramp, keeping to the shadows. The security lights for the industr
ial quarter were powerful, extremely bright with harsh edges. If I was caught in the open, this would reveal me completely. But where there were shadows, they were deep and dark.
What I needed to worry about, however, was their infrared scanners or other advanced optics. X-37 had been unable to provide me an up-to-date list of their technology. Most of what I understood about their current level of operation was speculation from what I knew from my days working with them.
So I went slow. I paused a lot. I tried to see them before they saw me. The optics in my Reaper eye were good, even if what they had now was more advanced. I didn't like to rely on the technology too much, fearing it would spark another blinding headache.
The thing about infiltration and counter-infiltration tactics was that the human element could cause success or failure. Even with all of my training and experience, I would sometimes see an image on my infrared band that wasn't moving. Then I had to decide if it was what it looked like or just some unexplained heat or cold source.
Having great technology didn't solve every problem. And it was never easy. At times, having advanced optics was almost a nuisance.
What I had to do was use this understanding against my opponent.
So I moved slower than a normal human would, especially if I thought there was any chance someone could be watching my progress. I paused at tactical locations to see and hear and smell everything I could.
And then I found Sergeant Crank standing guard. He was near the front of a warehouse that I assumed concealed their shuttle. It took me twenty minutes to sneak up behind him, at which time I gently pressed the barrel of my .45 to the temple of his helmet.
Spec ops helmets were good, but a contact shot from a .45 caliber handgun would transfer a lot of force in a very short period of time. Especially since spec ops wore less robust armor than a regular soldier.
The idea was to be too fast and good to stand there and slug it out with the enemy.
"Good morning, Crank," I whispered
"You motherfucker,” he grumbled under his breath without flinching.
We waited in non-companionable silence for a few minutes until Briggs came to check on him.
"He got the drop on me, boss," Crank said.
Briggs flinched, drawing his sidearm. A second later, he relaxed, realizing this wasn't a hostage scenario he could win without sacrificing the hostage.
"I see that," he said, holstering his pistol with a sigh.
“I have a proposition for you,” I said. "If your primary mission is what I think it is, you really don't have any choice but to accept my offer.”
He worked his jaw, but he said nothing.
"I had an interesting conversation with Callus," I began.
"Before you murdered him," Briggs interrupted.
I shrugged slightly, pressing the barrel of my .45 harder against the side of Crank’s helmet. "I'm a glass is half-full kind of guy. It was a win-win."
"What the hell are you talking about, win-win?" Briggs growled.
"I needed to live and he needed to die. It really was inevitable," I said with a dispassionate shrug. He thought he knew what everything was, so I played along, knowing it would set him off balance.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"You’re after Elise. I can't let you have her, but I can't let Byron Thane have her either," I said.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Crank asked, shifting his weight.
I squeezed his neck tighter with my enhanced left arm and reminded him I had a gun to his head. "You thought I was the only Reaper on Greendale? Who the hell did you think that was who took Elise?"
"Our analysis says that's your confederate, an apprentice or some sort of collaborator," Briggs said.
"And you believed that shit?" I asked. "Help me stop Thane. Then we can fight it out for Elise."
Crank laughed, but Briggs went pale. I thought the spec ops commander had a better gauge of my abilities and a more thorough understanding of what I was prepared to do to win.
"You really think it's Thane, a confirmed KIA Reaper?" Briggs asked.
"I saw him up close," I said. "He's got her locked up in the assassins’ guild hideout. I can't get her out of there on my own."
"Are you sure that’s where he has her?" Briggs asked.
“It's one of my better hunches,” I promised.
25
"You're a disgrace, Cain," Briggs said. "No matter what happens here, you're going to pay for all the lives lost on Dreadmax."
"Lives? Are you talking about Union troops or the tens of thousands of prisoners that were in Union custody who you didn't bother to evacuate despite having plenty of ships standing by?" I asked.
"You expected us to take ten thousand convicted murderers and insane cannibals and put them on our ships?" Briggs looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. “That's asinine, even for you."
"Your failure to plan isn’t my problem. You could have brought some of your famous prison ships and dealt with that situation. How long did you know it was going to happen?" I asked pointedly.
Briggs didn't answer.
"I know more about the dark side of the Union than you do," I said.
His features looked pinched, as though this disturbed him.
I could see he wanted to respond but didn't have the words. "They're not after Elise for her well-being," I said.
He interrupted me. "Everyone has to make sacrifices for the common good."
"You think what they did to me was bad?" I said, holding up my cybernetic left arm as exhibit A. "They're going to take her apart and put her back together, and that's if they're being nice. You return her to the Union, and you might as well torture her yourself."
Crank yanked away from me. Instead of resisting, I pushed him toward Briggs and stepped back, aiming my weapon at them. “Watch yourself, Crank. We can't have a rematch if you’re dead,”
Crank spat on the ground. I pretended to ignore him. His boss was more dangerous.
I saw something in Briggs I hadn't expected. He was actually thinking about what I’d said.
"Let's put a stop to Byron Thane II and find Elise. After that, we'll figure something out," I said.
"Unlike you, Cain, I have to follow rules. I have to bring you in dead or alive,” Briggs said, but his words lacked conviction and I could tell he was coming around to my idea.
"You could take me in, or you could successfully complete your mission," I said.
"You're such an asshole," Crank grumbled.
“I have information you need. It might even prove that your handlers are playing you false,” I said.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Briggs demanded.
“I think they sent you to scare her out of her routine so their Reaper could capture or kill her,” I said, testing them. If the Union had a new Reaper program and Briggs knew it, I would see the truth in his eyes.
“Fuck you, Cain,” Briggs said. “The Union is done with Reapers. They proved too dangerous and unreliable. Dying breed. Just another discontinued model they shut down as obsolete.”
“What do you think, X?” I asked.
“He does not believe there is a new Reaper program,” X-37 said. “I am inclined to believe he is correct. Evidence suggests the Union regretted the Reaper program.”
“So where did the Thane imposter come from?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Briggs said. “But I can tell you we will put him down the first chance we get.”
“I would take that as a warning of how they will treat you once they have what they came for,” X-37 said.
Crank was watching me, probably guessing what X had just said.
“What are you looking at, Crank?” I asked, using a tone meant to provoke him.
“Don’t push your luck, asshole,” Crank said, stepping forward.
Briggs signaled him to be silent, advancing so that we were almost conversing as equals.
I lowered my gun slightly and pulled it into a tight low-read
y position. I could fire it without raising the barrel and still hit him, then aim at Crank to take him out. They knew my skills and weren't stupid.
"Fine, let's work together. Best-case scenario, we recover the girl and take you into custody without anyone else getting killed," Briggs decided.
“I have one condition,” I said, knowing this scheme was risky. Maybe it would be better to just walk away. If Elise was handed off to the Union or Oxanos, why make things worse? Why not move on to a fight I could win?
“I can’t promise much,” Briggs said.
“Talk to her before you take her,” I said, just to cover my bases. I had no intention of losing to these jerkoffs. “See if you still want to work for the Union after that.”
Crank snorted.
Briggs nodded slowly. “I’ll listen to her story. It won’t change anything.”
I slipped the .45 into my belt.
"What do you know about the assassins' guild?" Briggs asked.
"I've been inside their headquarters,” I explained. “Met with Gold, the man who controls the guild on Greendale. But he's more than his title implies. I think he's got a finger in a lot of criminal enterprises, and most likely in government as well. His headquarters is heavily guarded and fortified. There's one room that, if Elise is inside of it, we won't be able to breach. It has a blast door that’d make a battleship proud.”
"I can handle that," Crank said, sounding less petulant and more competent this time.
"Sergeant Crank is the best breacher in the Union," Briggs said. “Show us their hideout. We'll start surveillance and work up a plan.”
26
"One last thing," I said. "Where is the rest of your team?"
He didn't answer.
We both knew he wouldn't be here without at least a squad to back him up. There wasn't a mission secret enough to violate that standard operating procedure. If I confirmed that it was only Briggs and Crank, then this was something completely different, a personal vendetta done off the books. They might even be AWOL.
