by E. R. Torre
“We have, at most, forty eight hours to figure out the Demon’s computer system. If we don’t make our breakthrough by then, we can expect Tower Co. interference. Do I make myself clear?”
The crowd around Robert Octi Jr. murmured agreement and returned to their stations. Robert looked down at Rebecca. She remained on the floor, holding her red cheek.
“I...I didn't mean to hit you, Rebecca. I...”
Rebecca rose to her feet. She was in no mood to listen to her boss’ apologies.
“Can I take a few minutes break?” she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she walked away. Robert’s shoulders slumped. He did not follow her.
“Come on, get back to work,” Robert told the rest of the staff.
Rebecca came to a stop in one of the empty passageways leading away from the computer room. She leaned against the wall and fished a cigarette from her lab coat pocket. After lighting it up, she took a very deep pull. She felt the side of her face with her free hand and winced when she touched the red welt on her cheek.
“Cigarettes aren’t good for your health.”
Rebecca turned. From farther down the corridor came Nox.
“Who are you?”
“A fellow employee.”
Rebecca examined Nox for several long seconds. Finally, she shrugged.
“Nice suntan. You just arrive?”
“Just today.”
“Bullshit,” Rebecca growled. “We had a load of supplies brought in, but no new workers. They don’t come until the end of the week, although it looks like we’ll be long gone by then. Who the fuck are you?”
Nox gently grabbed Rebecca’s cigarette and took a deep drag of her own. She then pulled out her handgun and held it loose at her side, in full view of Rebecca.
“Cigarettes may be bad,” Nox said. She waved the gun. “But they’ve got nothing on this.”
Rebecca smirked.
“Spare me the tough guy act. I’ve seen enough cowboys in this desert to last several lifetimes.”
“At least I don’t make it a habit of hitting defenseless women.”
“Yeah. It’s so much more gallant to threaten them with guns.”
Nox gave Rebecca her cigarette back.
“What can I do for you Ms…?”
“Nox.”
“You from Tower Co.?”
“Nope.”
“So why are you here? Is this a stick up? Because if it is, I left my purse at home.”
Nox smiled.
“I’m impressed,” she said and put her gun away. “You’re like me. A city girl.”
“I may be from the city, but I’m nothing like you,” Rebecca said.
“You’re right,” Nox said. “I’d have broken that fucker’s hand the second he touched me.”
Rebecca frowned, annoyed, but the frown faded.
“I suppose you would.”
“Why do you think I’m here?”
“You’re looking for information on what Octi Corp. is doing in this place and you’re hoping this poor, terribly abused little lady is angry enough to spill her guts. Well, my friend, you’re out of luck. I don’t talk. Especially not on a first date.”
“I’m sure there are exceptions.”
“You want me to tell you everything, then you tell me who you’re working for. And tell me it’s a really big company, lady, because up in these leagues, betrayal doesn’t come cheap.”
“I'm self-employed.”
Rebecca let out a laugh.
“You’re freelancing? How much are you worth?”
“Not a whole lot.”
“Mom always said I knew how to pick ‘em. Sorry Nox, honesty doesn’t pay the bills.” Rebecca finished her cigarette and tossed it aside. “So you’re one lone Independent—”
“Mechanic.”
“Mechanic?” she smiled. “How quaint. A knight in shining armor. You’re one lone Mechanic up against the entire Octi Corporation. What do you have against them?”
“Their service. It’s lousy.”
“Then why don’t you write a letter and stick it into one of their suggestion boxes? I hear they take constructive criticism very seriously.”
“What is Octi looking for?”
Rebecca thrust her hands into her lab coat’s pockets.
“I couldn't tell you. As disrespectful as Mr. Octi Junior is, he is my boss, and I have sworn allegiance to the all-mighty Octi enterprise. I’m five years away from tenure. I’d be a shame to screw that up by turning into a whistle blower. Especially to one who doesn’t have much cash to offer.”
Rebecca’s right hand slid out of the lab coat pocket. In it was a small black cylinder. A green light on its surface flashed.
“I’m really sorry about this,” Rebecca continued. There was genuine regret in her voice. “You seem nice enough, but I called security anyway. They’ll be here any second.”
The corporation means everything to the individual worker.
Nox gritted her teeth and turned.
She took two steps before stopping. A group of security guards approached from the center of the desert base. Nox hastily turned back and ran down the hallway and past Rebecca.
The researcher watched Nox disappear down the corridor. The guards ran to her side.
“What happened?”
“Infiltrator,” she said. “She went down that way.”
“Dead end,” the guard said. “Bad choice on her part. You did a good job. You’re sure to get a commendation.”
“Stick it with all the others.”
The guards ran past the researcher. Immediately afterwards another group of four guards appeared and followed the first group into the darkness.
Rebecca watched them disappear. Her face betrayed neither joy nor sympathy.
Nox moved deeper down the dark corridor. She avoided fallen panels and burnt out cabinets but noted the walls surrounding her were heavily damaged and had partially collapsed with age and wear. Nox held her handgun close, but knew at this point it wouldn’t save her.
She was trapped.
There were no lights down here and the high value equipment was long gone. After stumbling in the dark for several seconds, Nox reached the end of the corridor. Before her was a mass of solid rock that collapsed and completely chocked off the passage.
Nox shook her head. There was no escape. Should the guards choose to do so, they could fire blindly at her until she was dead. If they wanted to save bullets and time, they could lob a single grenade in her direction. Then again, they could hang back and starve her out.
Nox didn’t think the last option would merit serious consideration.
The guards moved about in the darkness, positioning themselves some thirty or forty feet away. They held back, gathering strength, until there were at least a dozen strong.
Nox rubbed sweat from her forehead. She could go out in a blaze of glory, firing at them, but what good would that do? She had come to take down the Octi Corporation, not a few low paid guards.
“I’m coming out,” Nox yelled. She received no answer. “I’m unarmed.”
Nox laid her gun on the floor and raised her hands until they were over her head. She took a step forward. In the darkness she could barely make out what lay before her. She took another step, then another. She knew this was the end, and a feeling of calm enveloped her.
The Mechanic moved half a dozen feet and still had no clear idea of where the guards were. She felt their eyes on her, though. Hateful, vengeful. To them, Nox was their sworn enemy, a lowly spy come to steal food from their plates. In the business world, spies were dealt with very harshly.
A metallic sound came from her right side and Nox froze. She closed her eyes and let out a breath.
A black metal pipe came out of nowhere and viciously slammed against the Mechanic’s jaw. Nox fell to her knees. She could barely see and her body felt like it was on fire.
The metal pipe returned. It hovered in front of her face. A heavily insulated glove held its grip. Nox dre
w back, but the blow she just received had staggered her and she couldn’t move quickly enough. The metal pipe touched her shoulder and sent a searing electrical jot throughout her body.
Nox’s teeth slammed shut and all the muscles in her body locked up. Nox collapsed onto the ground. She could no longer move, she could no longer think. And then her body convulsed and bile rose up into her throat.
She saw her gun lying on the ground beside her. It was no more than three or four feet away. It might as well have been on the other side of the world.
Nox saw someone picked it up.
Then she saw nothing at all.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
The room was bare and steaming hot. Nox sat in a metal chair bolted to the floor. Her hands and ankles were tied down with razor wire. The wire dug into her skin, ripping and tearing it and sending droplets of blood down her fingers and feet and onto the dirty concrete floor. Fresh blood mixed with a larger puddle of old, dry blood.
Nox’s cheeks were slashed. Her lower lip was inflamed and raw. Her eyes were swollen. The Mechanic convulsed. A wheezy gasp caught in her throat and she heaved and wretched before spitting out a glob of coagulated blood. It splattered on the floor, providing more company for the other crimson stains.
When consciousness returned to her now and again, Nox found there wasn’t any part of her body that didn’t feel pain. They worked her over. Slowly, painstakingly. Completely.
Nox’s head rose and she got a better look of the room. A single fluorescent light was her only company, at least for the moment.
I wore them out, Nox thought. They must have bruised their knuckles something fierce.
She let out a laugh, but it sounded strange in this bare, tiny room. Nox closed and opened her eyes. Her breathing remained heavy and she had a hard time maintaining consciousness beyond a few seconds.
In time, the dull aches receded and Nox felt some strength return. Soon enough, she was able to stay awake for a longer time. By then, the air in the room had grown terribly stagnant. The smell of perspiration and urine, most likely Nox’s own, were overwhelming.
How long had it been since they captured her?
How long had it been since they last beat her?
It can’t be all that long, Nox thought. Robert Octi Jr. said their group had forty eight hours before Tower Co. had a fix on this base. That was Octi Corp’s deadline. How much more time could be left?
For the next hour or so, Nox tested the wire’s strength. Each time she did, the rusty cord ate into her wrists and ankles and sent a fresh wave of pain throughout her body. Eventually, Nox gave up. She couldn’t free herself. She simply couldn’t.
Close to an hour after that the door to her cell opened and Robert Octi Jr. and his bodyguard entered the room. Robert came to a stop before Nox and stared at his prisoner, as if examining a new found treasure. A satisfied grin filled his face.
“I had a feeling we’d meet again,” the young executive said. He gave his bodyguard a slight nod and Nagel delivered a crushing blow to Nox’s right cheek.
Nox’s head and body snapped back. If the chair hadn’t been bolted to the ground, Nox would have fallen over. Doing so might have proven far less painful.
“Oh, how rude of me,” Robert continued. “I forgot to introduce my bodyguard. Nox, this is Nagel. Nagel, this is Nox.”
Nagel delivered another vicious blow to Nox’s face. Fresh blood poured down the Mechanic’s nose and chin.
“Nagel’s a man of few words. You know how it is. Actions speak so much louder.”
Nagel swung again. Stars filled Nox’s eyes.
“You should have vanished, Nox. Disappeared. In time we would have forgotten all about you.”
“I wouldn't...have.”
Nagel punched the Mechanic in her stomach. More blood spilled from Nox’s mouth and onto the floor. She tried to shake it off, but her breathing was even more labored and her vision was blurry. Robert let out a chuckle.
“You know, something just occurred to me,” Robert said. “If things were just a little different, you might have made a really good employee of the company. You're motivated, you're persistent. Hell, you found this place, so you're obviously resourceful. I could see you collecting your annual seven percent salary increase and gaining tenure in five –no, make that three– years. Yes sir, we could have accommodated you very nicely.”
“I’ll send you my…my resume.”
Robert let out a cruel laugh.
“It’s far too late for that, Nox.”
“Doesn’t ma…matter. You…you run a shitty organization anyway.”
Robert’s laughter abruptly died. The same darkness Nox saw right before Robert hit Rebecca appeared once more on the young executive’s face. Robert reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small pocket knife. He leaned down close to Nox’s face and held the shiny blade before her eyes.
“You keep rubbing it in, Nox. You don’t know when to stop.”
Robert pressed the blade against Nox’s right cheek and slid it up. As he moved it along, Robert applied more and more pressure, until the cheek ripped and blood flowed from the fresh wound. The blade got closer and closer to Nox’s right eye.
“This is where it gets interesting,” Robert whispered. “If I were you, I’d keep very still.”
The young executive ran the blade up some more, stopping just below Nox’s eye.
“No more quips? Nothing smart to add?”
Nox held still.
“I could make your last seconds on this planet so messy.”
Nox kept her eyes open. They stared deep into Robert’s eyes. The Mechanic said nothing. She hardly breathed.
“You’re a brave woman,” Robert said.
The young executive’s next movement was quick and deadly. He slid the blade into Nox’s right eye. The Mechanic’s head jerked back and she howled in pain.
Robert’s smile disappeared. He wiped the bloody blade on Nox’s stained shirt.
“Felt that, didn’t you?” Robert yelled. “Fuck you Nox. Fuck you and all your fucking arrogance. You think a little nobody like you has any chance against us? You’re a small time loser up against fucking royalty.”
Once again Robert leaned in close to Nox. The blade shot forward, this time toward Nox’s left eye.
“I’ll take the other one with me, too.”
Nagel stepped to his boss’ side and grabbed the young executive’s hand. Robert angrily tried to break free of the grip, but Nagel persisted.
“What the fuck?” Robert yelled.
“Let her see what’s coming,” Nagel whispered.
The words’ effect on Robert was instant. The fury within him dissipated. The young executive smiled before letting out another cruel laugh.
“Of course,” he said. Robert put the knife away. “Nox should see what’s coming. Even if it’s through one eye.”
Robert adjusted his tie and faced the Mechanic once again.
“My father always told me not to delegate my work,” Robert said. “But in this day and age, someone in my position can’t afford to dirty his hands too much. You wouldn’t believe all the liability issues. It was a pleasure seeing you again, Nox. Rot in hell.”
Robert walked to the door leading out of Nox’s cell. He signaled to someone outside the room. While he did, Nagel delivered a final kick to Nox’s stomach. Nox wheezed and gasped for air. Her right eye was shut tight. A steady stream of blood flowed out from within.
Nagel spat upon the helpless Independent and joined Robert at the door. A burly, red-haired Octi Security Guard appeared following Robert’s summons. The man wore a green jumpsuit and carried a large caliber handgun in a holster on his belt.
“This animal needs to be put out of its misery,” Robert told the Security Guard.
The Security Guard nodded. His face reflected the blank neutrality of a worker going about his job. The Security Guard drew his gun.
“End of the line, partner,” the man said. He pointed the gun at
the Mechanic’s head and cupped his left ear.
Nox’s remaining eye looked up at the gun. Nox knew the make, the model, and year this deadly instrument was made. She knew the ammunition it used and she knew the exact speed of the bullet when it exploded out of its barrel. She knew the force of impact and, given the distance between the barrel and her head, the likelihood of survival.
None.
She thought of this as the Security Guard moved the barrel even closer to her forehead. She thought of all these things once more as the barrel touched her skull. With one last burst of energy, she pulled at the razor wire around her wrists.
This time, she thought. The world grew darker around the edges as every last bit of energy she had pulled at those wires. As before, they dug into her skin, deeper and deeper. Blood cascaded from the fresh cuts and Nox kept pulling and pulling. And pulling. Her energy waned. Her energy was gone.
The wire held.
Defeated, finally defeated, Nox eased back. She knew the odds of taking out Octi were slim. It was a valiant attempt. She could rest now. She could finally rest.
Nox’s remaining eye closed and a deep, comfortable weariness overcame her.
Nox’s remaining eye closed and she slipped into darkness.
Robert and Nagel exited the room. The corridor beyond them was bare except for patches of desert sand. Like a petulant child, Robert kicked at one of them.
“We lost,” he said. “Our time is up.”
Robert rubbed his chin. There was two day old stubble there, and it made him feel so dirty. How could people live like this? Didn’t they miss showering?
“If a lone wolf like Nox could figure this operation out, then Tower Co. can't be far behind. It pains me to say this, but Dad was right. It’s time to cut our losses.”
Nagel nodded.
“You’ve got one hour to pack up as much hardware as possible,” Robert added. “I want it all transported to warehouse 23, back in the Big City.”
The two reached the end of the corridor and stood before the balcony rails. They were on the top floor of the desert base, staring down at the workers below. The workers looked like tiny insects moving about on their own, ants in a long forgotten electronic hive.
