Blood Royal

by Will McDermott

  Lysanne cast her eyes down to the ground, which irritated Vicksen even more. ‘Look at me when you speak, girl!’ she roared. ‘You are a Wildcat. Act like one.’

  ‘Ma’am. Yes, ma’am.’ said Lysanne, now standing straight and tall and looking Vicksen in the eye. ‘The Fresh Air is closed, mistress.’

  ‘Closed?’ asked Vicksen. ‘How can that be?’

  ‘The door is locked and the lights are out,’ said Lysanne. A small pout played across her lips and she crossed her hands over her black-clad chest. ‘I’m sorry, ma’am.’

  ‘Don’t be sorry!’ screamed Vicksen. ‘Just go find me a crowd. Bang down doors if you have to. What the hell is wrong with this place?’ Vicksen stood in front of Yolanda and seethed. Her blue hair spikes vibrated above her bright red forehead.

  ‘Guess we’ll have to postpone our little group hug,’ said Yolanda with a smile.

  Themis stepped over the prone and bound bounty hunter and grabbed her leader by the shoulders. ‘Get hold of yourself,’ she whispered. ‘This is your day. Control it. Don’t let it control you. We are your audience. Once the Wildcats know you’ve defeated Yolanda, everything will change.’

  Vicksen took a deep breath to calm her temper. ‘Of course, you’re right, Themis,’ she said. She turned and looked at her gathered gang. ‘Today you will witness the turning of a new page in the Wildcat lore. Today we will close the door on the old rule and open the pathway to a better future. Today, Yolanda Catallus, former Wildcat leader shall fall in the field of battle to Vicksen Colteen, your present and future leader.’

  The assembled crowd roared like a hungry mob as Vicksen finished her speech. ‘Cut her loose, Themis,’ she said. She pulled the cord on her chainsword and began circling, looking for an opening as Themis backed away from Yolanda. The former leader waved her katana back and forth in front of her. ‘After today, no one will even remember the great Yolanda,’ yelled Vicksen above the metallic whine of her chainsword. ‘You’re going to die with only your ‘Cats as witnesses.’

  Unseen in an alcove high above, one other creature had been watching the events unfolding in the square below. The two buxom Escher women weaved and danced around each other, waving their weapons as the gathered Wildcats cheered from the sidelines, while Armand Helmawr, the Underhive Vampire, watched with the eye of a hungry predator. He grabbed hold of the ventilation shaft and started climbing down toward the fan to get a better look at the action.

  Scabbs watched in horror as the battle began. He knew Yolanda was good. He even knew she was crazy enough to believe she could take on a chainsword-wielding Escher with nothing but her katana, but this was the leader of the Wildcats she was fighting. He had to do something to help, and do it fast.

  Vicksen rushed forward as Yolanda’s sword dipped. The Wildcats leader swung her buzzing chainsword across at chest height, but Yolanda was no longer there, having dropped down and rolled forward, slicing at Colteen’s exposed legs. Vicksen sidestepped just in time, but Scabbs could see a rip in the leader’s pants and a tiny trickle of blood running down her inner thigh.

  That round went to Yolanda, but all she got for her nifty move was a nick. Once Vicksen connected, Yolanda would lose more than a little leather and blood. Scabbs looked at the two Escher women holding him. Their biceps were larger than his thighs. They each had him by a forearm and had wrapped their meaty arms around his skinny limbs, holding his elbows against their torsos. His wrists and ankles were bound tight. There didn’t seem to be any escape.

  Vicksen had backed off a little after her failed attack and was circling Yolanda again. ‘What, no sharp retort now?’ asked Yolanda. She reached out and ran her fingers along the tip of her katana and then licked the blood off her fingertips. ‘I’ve tasted first blood, and it’s sweet.’

  ‘You’ll be tasting your own blood when I rip out your intestines,’ said Vicksen, holding her chainsword up high.

  In that instant, Yolanda dashed in and jabbed the point of her blade into Vicksen’s ribs. Vicksen screamed and swept her arm down, but Yolanda raced on past the Wildcat leader after her attack and was well behind Colteen before the chainsword even came close.

  Kirsta and Suzeran groaned at Yolanda’s deft move and Scabbs could feel their grip loosen slightly. Now he had a chance. For what the Escher women didn’t know was that his skin flaked off easily. One good twist now and he’d be free. Of course, there was still the matter of the ropes on his ankles, but he spied Vicksen’s shotgun and bandolier on the ground nearby. Lying atop the bandolier was a wicked, curved blade. He had a plan.

  Yolanda’s stab had caught Vicksen just below her leather half-vest. Blood streamed down her flat belly and spread across the top of her leather pants. She dabbed at the blood with her free hand and growled at Yolanda. ‘That little toad sticker won’t save you now.’ She pulled a grenade off her vest and lobbed it over Yolanda’s head, rushing in with her buzzing chainsaw to cut off the bounty hunter’s escape route.

  All of the Wildcats seemed to be holding their breaths, but Scabbs tensed for action. As soon as the grenade exploded, he yanked his arms up in the air, twisting them as Kirsta and Suzeran tried to hold on. Then he was free and running as best he could in his bonds. He half expected one of them to shoot him in the back, but when he glanced over his shoulder he knew he had much bigger troubles. They all did.

  The vampire stood between Scabbs’s former captors, holding the burly women up in the air by their hair. He slammed their heads together, and the resulting crack resounded through the square, getting everyone’s attention.

  Scabbs didn’t question his amazing good luck in choosing just that moment to run. Living with Kal Jerico, he had almost come to expect it. So, of all the people in the square, he was the only one not taken by surprise; the only one still moving as the vampire dropped his first two victims and moved toward the next ‘Cat in line.

  6: CHAOS THEORY

  ‘We are about to enter Hive City, sir,’ Jonas said through his rig’s portavox unit. The Spyrer commander held up a hand to halt his fellow Spyrers as he made his report.

  ‘Excellent,’ replied Kauderer’s voice in his ear. ‘I have new information for you from my agent in the field. The most recent sighting has Armand somewhere near a bar called The Breath of Fresh Air. It is not far from your current location.’

  ‘I know the place, sir,’ replied Jonas. ‘We will find the renegade.’

  ‘Belay that order,’ snapped Kauderer. ‘I must still make my report to Lord Helmawr, and I do not want to have to include a Hive City riot in that report.’

  ‘Sir?’

  ‘You are to proceed with all due caution,’ ordered Kauderer. ‘We cannot afford any enforcer involvement. Remove your rigs before entering the City. This is still a covert operation. You must not cause any incidents inside Hive City. Neither the Enforcers nor the City Houses must be alerted to your presence.’

  ‘Remove our rigs, sir?’ asked Jonas. ‘That would be most unusual, these aren’t really the kind of thing that one just removes.’ He sounded indignant.

  ‘What’s the matter with you, Jonas?’ said Kauderer. ‘What are you, some kind of Green Hunter? Your rigs have been configured for this mission, and this mission alone. You might lack some of your customary power boosts, but I’m sure you’ll find the preparations I ordered have made your devices rather more flexible, than usual.’

  Jonas snorted. He wasn’t convinced it was such a good idea and wasn’t going to let it rest quite so easily. ‘How are we to take down Armand without our rigs, sir?’

  ‘That has all been taken care of,’ replied Kauderer, curtly. ‘There’s a weapons stash in the city.’

  ‘Very well!’ said Jonas grudgingly. He turned to his squad and relayed the news. ‘Leoni, Grell,’ he called to the two Spyrers wearing Malcadon rigs. They had tubes running from their gauntlets to a large device on their backs that produced thick, viscous webbing. They saluted. ‘Climb into the rafters and use your webs to attach all of our gear awa
y from prying eyes. We’re going into the city, in street gear.’

  ‘I’ll fly up there with them,’ said Chimone. Jonas thought that the Spyrer wearing the Yeld rig, was a whiny, little hive brat, but he’d been forced to accept her as part of the team due to her political connections.

  ‘No,’ said Jonas. ‘You will keep your rig. I want you to fly on ahead of us and then use your rig’s camo to stay out of sight until we need you.’

  Chimone smiled. He hated giving her the plum assignment, but he had no choice. Without their rigs, they would be vulnerable. He needed eyes on the inside. Chimone flew off, but the rest of the squad just looked at him. ‘You heard your orders. Now move.’

  ‘You know where this Breath of Fresh Air is located?’ asked Valtin as they walked through the city. Even he could feel the change in the air now. The entire dome seemed deserted. It seemed everyone had heard about the vampire attack earlier.

  ‘Yeah,’ said Kal. ‘It’s not far.’

  ‘Not far by real reckoning or by Jerico reckoning?’ asked Valtin, remembering how long it had taken them to get to the armourer.

  ‘It’s right around the corner, okay?’ asked Kal. ‘Yeesh, everyone’s a critic. Okay, so I’m no pathfinder, but I have other skills and attributes.’ He squirmed and tried to scratch in between his shoulder blades. ‘Damn this spear,’ he cried. ‘The gems keep poking me in the back.’

  They turned the corner and were met by an explosion that almost sent both of them to the ground. ‘I thought you said gang violence was rare in Hive City,’ cried Valtin.

  ‘Rare enough to make me think that my brother is probably involved. Come on!’

  Kal sprinted into the square with Wotan padding along beside him. Valtin followed but stopped to stare at the scene, completely unprepared for the chaos of a gang battle.

  In the square, Yolanda was rolling on the ground as shrapnel rained around her. A large Escher woman with spiky blue hair and a long red ponytail stood over her with a chainsword. In the background, the rest of the Escher gang was running and screaming, and then the newcomers saw the reason. Their quarry, Armand.

  Just as Scabbs was about to dive onto the weapon pile, he thought he saw Kal running into the courtyard. He dismissed it as wishful thinking and worked at grabbing the hilt of the knife with his teeth so he could hold the blade steady while cutting through the bonds at his wrists.

  He glanced at Yolanda. She’d survived the explosion, but now Vicksen stood above her, slashing down with the buzzing chainsword. Yolanda rolled to the side but couldn’t get away from the crazed Wildcat leader. All hell was breaking loose around them, but Vicksen still seemed intent on winning the duel. Scabbs gave up on the ropes and grabbed the shotgun. He hoped Vicksen had left a cartridge chambered because he couldn’t cock it with his hands tied.

  Scabbs fumbled with the weapon, trying to get a firm grip, aim and pull the trigger while bound. Luckily, his scabby arms moved a little within the bonds. Yolanda rolled back and forth beneath Vicksen as the gang leader slammed her sword down over and over again. As she raised the buzzing blade above her head for the next blow, Scabbs fired.

  The shot hit the chainsword, knocking it out of her hands. It clattered on the ground and began spinning with the chain still buzzing. Yolanda rolled away, sweeping her legs through Vicksen’s ankles, knocking the Wildcat leader to the ground.

  As Yolanda rolled, Scabbs saw Kal again. The swarthy bounty hunter, a huge grin on his face, ran up to Yolanda, grabbed her unceremoniously around the waist and half-carried, half-dragged her over to Scabbs. Jerico fell next to Scabbs as he dropped her to the ground, flipped his wayward blond braids out of his eyes, and said, ‘Are we having fun yet, kids?’

  ‘What battle were you watching?’ asked Scabbs as he finally cut himself loose from the bonds on his wrists.

  Vicksen seethed as she watched Kal drag Yolanda away. ‘Bring her back here, you interfering son of a–’

  ‘Themis, Vicksen! Help!’ called Lysanne.

  Vicksen looked behind her and, for the first time, saw the carnage being wrought on her gang. Four girls were already on the ground, bleeding and broken behind a huge armoured beast of a man with burning red eyes, who was now advancing on Lysanne. She knew in an instant that it was the vampire. ‘What have I done?’ cried Vicksen. She looked down at her spinning chainsword lying on the floor and realised she had no weapon.

  Themis opened fire with her heavy stubber. The recoil made the chains hanging from the epaulets on her shoulders rattle, but the hail of bullets had little effect on the vampire. Lysanne was rooted to the spot in fear and unable to move out of the way of the advancing vampire.

  ‘Grenade,’ called Themis to Vicksen.

  The Escher leader didn’t think a single grenade would even faze the beast. She looked at Themis, about to argue, but saw that her second in command had unslung one of her chains and looped the end around her heavy stubber. Vicksen understood. She pulled a grenade off her vest and waited for Themis.

  Themis swung the cannon around her head at the end of the chain once and then let it fly. Vicksen took aim and tossed the grenade, and then ran toward little Lysanne. Both weapons hit the vampire’s chest at the same time. As the grenade exploded, Vicksen jumped toward Lysanne, hitting her and pushing her to the ground.

  A huge fireball erupted behind the two Escher women and bullets ricocheted around the courtyard as the heavy stubber’s ammo ignited. Vicksen held onto Lysanne as the two of them rolled away from the explosion.

  When the smoke cleared, the vampire was still standing, but Vicksen could swear the fire in its eyes had dimmed a little, and it wasn’t moving – for the moment. She pulled Lysanne to her feet and pushed her away from the beast, but before she could follow, the vampire’s eyes regained their brilliance and it looked right at Vicksen.

  ‘I see you two found the vampire,’ said Kal as Valtin finally joined the bounty hunters. They were all huddling behind a stone bench near the edge of the courtyard.

  ‘More like he found us,’ said Yolanda. ‘So, what do we do now?’

  ‘I vote for the Sump Hole,’ said Scabbs. He’d draped Vicksen’s bandolier over his shoulder and hugged the shotgun to his chest.

  ‘Tempting,’ said Jerico. ‘But we can’t let the vampire get away.’

  ‘And we should help these poor women,’ added Valtin. The other three just stared at him.

  ‘I would agree,’ said Yolanda, ‘if they hadn’t just been trying to kill me.’

  ‘Look, we stay low and we stay alive,’ said Kal. ‘If we can help the Wildcats, great, but our lives come first and capturing the vampire comes second.’

  ‘How in the Hive are we supposed to do th–’

  A huge explosion rocked the courtyard behind them. They all peeked over the bench to see a black cloud of smoke where the vampire had just been standing.

  ‘Now may be our chance,’ said Kal, but then the smoke cleared and the vampire moved in on Vicksen. ‘Maybe not,’ he added.

  Lysanne hit the wall and rolled around. She’d never been so frightened in her life. That monster was huge, and those eyes. She wanted to close her eyes, but kept her resolve. She pulled out the new laspistol Themis had given her earlier that day. As the vampire advanced on Vicksen, she stepped out and shot at one of its glowing, red eyes.

  The shot hit, but it didn’t penetrate and didn’t bounce off the mirrored surface either. It just seemed to get absorbed. She’d seen the same thing happen with the Spyrers at Dust Falls. She knew what was going to happen next.

  ‘Duck!’ yelled Lysanne.

  Chimone sat on the ventilation shaft next to the fan and watched the battle, cloaked by the chameleon-like properties of her rig’s wings. She had seen no reason to interfere so far. Let the little gangers soften him up for us, she thought. Then we can follow him back to his lair and attack when his defences are down.

  She’d pulled strings to join Jonas’s team to show everyone that a female could be as tough and as strong as
any Helmawr male. In that respect, she had a lot in common with the Wildcats, but she felt no pity for them. They were gangers. They were outside the law and lived or died by their weapons and wits. Today they would likely all die. It was just that simple. Just like it had been back at Dust Falls. They were Hivers. They were hardly human after all.

  A voice crackled in her ear. ‘Chimone, we’re coming in now. What’s the situation?’

  ‘There’s a contingent of Escher gangers between you and Armand,’ she reported. ‘Jerico and his cronies are huddled on the other side of the square. The rest of the Escher are rushing to help their leader.’

  ‘Lay down some cover fire for us in thirty seconds.’

  ‘Got it.’

  Vicksen dove to the side just as the vampire’s red eyes emitted a laser blast at the Wildcat leader. The blast burned a ten-centimetre hole through the thick metal plates that made up the ground in the courtyard. That could have been Vicksen’s head, thought Lysanne. Or mine!

  The Wildcat leader came back up and sprinted away from the beast. Lysanne was about to run as well, when she saw the flying Spyrer that had dropped Ashya down the Falls appear above the square and soar down toward the battle. As she glided over the heads of the Eschers, blasts from the Spyrer’s twin lasers shot out in a rapid fire into the gang’s ranks. Several Wildcats dropped. The rest scattered as the new threat entered the battle.

  Hatred and vengeance surged inside Lysanne as she saw Ashya’s killer, but she knew her little laspistol was no match for Spyrer armour. She needed something more powerful. She got an idea – a crazy, Yolanda type of idea – but someone had to do something, and Yolanda was still huddling with her new friends across the square.

  Lysanne calculated the angle she needed and ran out into the square. ‘Hey, beastie!’ she yelled. ‘Over here.’ As she ran, Lysanne shot several laser blasts at the vampire’s head. The black, mirrored surface drank in the power. The eyes flashed and Lysanne jumped high into the air.

  The first blast hit the ground behind her. The second sizzled through the air just behind her as she reached the top of her arc. The laser beam burned a hole in the Wildcat’s fluttering black top, before continuing on through the air, right into the body of the flying Spyrer.