by Gavin Magson
Ajax did not listen for the men's names, he drowned out the background noise and focused on studying their build and positioning. The older man was average height, judging by the unnatural angle of his nose it had been broken more than once. His partner was certainly younger than Ajax, taller but with less muscle mass and no visible stubble. Was he just a boy, thought Ajax?
When the bell rang it almost took Ajax by surprise, he had been so focused on the younger man's balance as he hopped from foot to foot that he forgot to listen out for it. The boy went for a high kick aimed at Ajax's chest, who grabbed the extended leg and pulled, dropping him to the sands. Ajax went to follow up with a swift knee but a shoulder charge knocked him to the sands. He quickly rolled to avoid the following blow, his eyes struggling to track both men’s movements.
Aiko had been wrong, the old man still had plenty of agility. Attacks were coming at Ajax from both men, it took all his concentration and speed to try and block each one. He felt his ribs begin to crack from the lightning strikes of the boy, stressed further by the older man's hammer blows. Ajax knew to win this he had to win it fast, which meant running the risk of serious injury.
He let both opponents land their next blows, repositioning to dodge another kick and an uppercut. He kicked down hard on the older man's knee, hearing a snap; the man fell with a satisfying howl. The boy was inexperienced, his attention was diverted by the fallen man and it allowed Ajax to grab the boy’s skull and drive his own into it in a viscous head-butt.
The older man struggled to get back to his feet, but did not fall again as he put weight on the injured knee. Ajax released his grip on the boy, letting him collapse. He sent a kick to the struggling man's chest that lifted him from the sands. Ajax spun around to land knee first on the boy, driving into his gut. He started to pummel the boy’s face with both fists, watching skin split and his nose break before the older man could tackled him.
Ajax landed hard on the fine sand, it did little to cushion the impact. He shielded his face with both forearms as a kick struck him, its force tearing his skin. Ajax rolled away from the older man, back onto his feet just in time to dodge the right cross. Stepping in Ajax sent a thundering upper cut into the man's jaw that broke three teeth and sent a chunk of bleeding tongue to the sands below.
Anger flared behind the man's grey eyes and he attacked with a new found ferocity, a powerful and unexpected blow connected and opened a wound above Ajax's right eye. Blood blurred his vision and as Ajax tried to block another punch the man grabbed his arm and leant backwards, one foot on Ajax's chest. They fell towards the sands but as the man landed he kicked upwards, sending Ajax cartwheeling. He landed outside of the circle on the hard concrete floor with a shuddering thud that rocked his body.
Ajax knew something had to be broken, he could feel it as his coccyx smashed into the hard floor, jarring his body violently. He spat on the floor, seeing only the blood that had filled his mouth. Ajax ran his tongue around his mouth, thankfully it found no loose or missing teeth.
When he managed to pick himself back up Ajax was surprised to see the older man had not advanced on him, but was checking on the unconscious boy. Ajax watched as two men baring a stretcher entered the circle and remove the motionless opponent. He ignored the voice inside his head that told him to take the opening and finish the fight now, his honour would not allow it.
A hushed silence spread quickly across the crowd, all were stunned by the actions of both remaining fighters. Aiko could not remember a fight like this where it had paused for someone to be removed from the sands, normally the fighters showed little empathy towards each other. She was not sure if the men had stopped the fight permanently, only when Ajax's opponent took a running jump at him did she know there was still a bout in progress.
Ajax sidestepped the kick with ease, bringing the edge of his hand down on the man's neck as he sailed past. The older man crumpled to the sands, stunned by the blow. Ajax had decided the fight had gone on long enough, he knelt over the dazed man and pounded blow after blow into his face. Ajax only stopped when hands wrapped around him, trying to drag him off the bleeding mess. The sands were awash with his opponent’s blood and Ajax was a free man.
Ajax was too focused on his knuckles as he saw them begin to heal, the skin drawing tight whilst the bleeding subsided, to comprehend the words being spoken around him. He rolled over to lay on the floor belly down, the cold had ebbed into his wounded lower back and made him ache. He knew the nano machines worked better at warmer temperatures, but they could do little for the tired muscles that commanded Ajax to sleep.
“You do realise that you almost killed that guy tonight, Ajax?” asked Aiko, oblivious that he was not listening. “It's a good thing your friends dragged you away, the crowd doesn't take too kindly to an unfair kill. And after all you said about unnecessary deaths.”
The curtain was drawn back, revealing three eager crew members, drinks in hand. Ilya still had the same shocked look on her face as five minutes ago, when she first witness the true savagery unleashed by Ajax. The man had howled and roared as he pounded his opponent with body shaking blows, lost to the world in his blood-lust. She could not remember ever seeing something so barbaric, even during numerous bar room brawls and on the slums murderous streets. Ilya was about to speak when Rine appeared, a small entourage in tow.
“I thought I would find you here, Ajax. Congratulations on the victory, it was a great show tonight; although I'm sure you would rather I congratulate you with the knowledge you have paid off the remainder of the debt,” at this Duke's face went ashen, he turned to avoid Rine's gaze.
Ajax, realising that now was the time to engage his ears and start paying attention, pushed himself up from the floor. He was still wearing the shorts he fought in and had yet to wipe any blood from his body; he looked a mess, bruises were developing all over his body and his hair had matted with blood.
“Thank you, sir, it means a lot to me that you were impressed by my fight. I hope you did not wager against me.” said Ajax, apprehension on his face.
“After what Aiko has told me I don't think I could ever bet against you. Now that the fight is over I believe you have a decision to inform me about, I've been eagerly awaiting it all night.”
Oh shit. He had completely forgotten about the contract offered to him, which surprised him since a million credits was not something he should easily forget about. Ajax reached for his trousers, bundled underneath one of the folding chairs. When he finally fired the tablet into life there was a message awaiting him.
It took some damn persuasion but I have got the system working, of sorts. You will need a big power source for it, I have a few ideas where we could find one. I think this might just work – Greg.
Ajax turned back to face Rine, a dangerous grin on his face. “Looks like I have my exit strategy, sign me up.”
“Excellent. When you know what equipment you will need tell Aiko, she will handle the acquisitions. I look forward to hearing your progress with this assignment.” Rine flashed the cubicle a brief, brilliant smile and turned to leave.
Ajax quickly dashed forward to talk with him when out of earshot from the crew members. “There was one thing I wanted to quickly discuss with you before it's too late.” Ajax whispered, lightly gripping Rine's elbow.
“And what would that be?” Rine asked, pulling his arm free of Ajax's grasp.
“If I succeed with the task, but don't manage to make it out of the prison, I would like my wage paid to Duke. Would that be possible, sir?”
“It is a little bit unorthodox, but I don't see why it could not be paid to him. Let's just hope you are able to get out of the prison, I'm sure there will always be future assignments should you prove successful. Now if you will excuse me, I have a meeting to attend.” said Rine, turning to walk away one last time.
Ajax called his thanks after the disappearing troupe, Arnold a step ahead of his boss was forging a path through the remaining crowd. Perhaps it was a little premature
to think of himself as free, after all he had just signed up to attempt the impossible.
Chapter 18
It was two days later and much had changed in such a short time. Ajax lay under shadowed shelter, studying the house through the sleeting rain that soaked any unfortunate enough to be out in this weather. The last house light finally extinguished, which meant his long wait would finally soon be over. It did nothing to calm his racing heart, the adrenaline made sure of that.
Aiko had surprised Ajax by coming through for him in lightning time, reinforcing his suspicions that Rine was far more desperate to be rid of these men than he let on. It was not worth his life to question exactly what was going on, but he suspected these men were dangerously close to undoing Rine's operation, or even from making an attempt on his life.
Once he and the crew had been dropped off at the Haven they found Greg waiting for them, eager to talk at length about the, “Incredible piece of hardware.” he had salvaged from Ajax's ship. It was a surprisingly small piece of technology, a silver sphere with a single curved screen built in that looked unremarkable to everyone except Greg. He had done his best to explain how he thought it worked, but barely a word had made sense to anyone but Greg.
The equipment list Ajax had requested was delivered the next day, Aiko had even found a decommissioned transporter that Greg informed him would only need a quick repair to get up and running again. The power source would have to be figured out in Ajax's absence, since one had not been located yet on such short notice. Rine had been adamant that once Ajax was equipped to kill Hiro he was to start the job.
Ajax had spent hours studying blueprints of Hiro's house, a modest sized building in a wealthier district of Sector Three, at the top of a gentle slope and secluded from the densely populated residential areas. There were other houses either side of the wide road, each a different size and style than the next. It was an envious sight to see so much variety; Ajax had grown accustomed to the monotonous, uniformed buildings he passed daily.
What no one had mentioned to him was the security fence that formed a perimeter around the houses was not just for show, he had very nearly become a eunuch trying to navigate over the razor wire. The two security guards had proved easy enough to avoid, they were certainly not worth whatever the residents were charged for the added security. Once the rain had started they took it in turns to sleep in a small guard house next to the main gate. None of the residents were likely to come out to check up on them whilst the clouds continued to empty and thunder boomed in the distance.
Enough time had passed since the house's light went out, Ajax decided that no amount of waiting was going to see this weather let up. He detached himself from the hedge he lay under, crawling out onto the well maintained garden that offered little cover. Ajax sprinted across wet grass, careful not to tumble before flattening himself against the side of Hiro's house. His front was covered in mud, not even the rain seemed to wash it away. He did not have to worry about it, the more botched this looked the better his chance of survival.
Ajax willed his body to hug the dashed wall, he tried to make his profile as streamlined as was possible. He looked around to make sure that there were no onlookers, once satisfied that he had not been spotted Ajax skirted along the wall until he was at the house's rear.
There was certainly someone looking down on him tonight, his original plan was to try and pick the back door's lock, hoping he could bypass the security system in time before its alarms revealed him. The clever device Aiko had located for him would go unused as Ajax shimmied up the houses drain pipe, heading for an open window above.
Ajax stopped his climb just as he got in line with the ledge, up close he realised just how large the gap was. He sucked in a few deep breaths and readied himself for the jump. Ajax swung his body towards the ledge with all his strength. His fingers scrabbled at course stone, tearing the skin from his palms as he struggled for grip.
Veins bulged in his forehead as Ajax hung by his fingertips from the shallow window ledge, pulling himself up took all the strength he could muster. It was a relief when he dropped onto a hard wood floor, crouching low to silence any sound his landing would make and praising the special shoes he wore. He was surprised his whole body did not squelch, water was practically poring off him onto the floor underfoot.
On the landing were three doors, two to his right and one to the left of him. A staircase at the furthest end was the only normal way to navigate Hiro's house, the polished wood shone even in the dim light. Ajax tried the nearest door, which turned out to be a bathroom; he cursed his luck and stepped back outside. He tried the door to his left, it was a small study, notes pinned to one wall that he could not make out in the gloom.
The large desk yielded an ornate letter opener, the blade likely silver, along with a purse filled with credit chips. He was about to leave the room when he noticed the cabinets door was slightly ajar, through which he could see the hinges of a safe.
The safe was small, a handle, combination dial and keyhole cramped on the grey box's front. Ajax knew his new tool would make short work of cutting through the metal, but the police would never believe this was a simple robbery gone wrong if they suspected he had used it.
Any thoughts about cracking the safe were out of the question, whatever was precious enough to be stored inside would have to remain a secret. He left the room and made his way for the last door, pausing as he heard floorboards creak overhead. A footstep on the stairs meant now was the moment his staged robbery would go wrong.
Hiro looked much like his photograph, squat and ugly, a fresh scar on his cheek left him with a lopsided and inane grin. He reacted well when Ajax kicked both legs from under him, tumbling forward into a reactive roll that saved his life, momentarily.
Hiro sprung from the roll and launched himself at Ajax, sending both crashing down the stairs and through the handrail; the pair landed heavily on the wooden ground floor to a cacophony of noise. Ajax felt his weaker shoulder dislocate once again, he stifled his cry of pain as he pulled the ornate letter opener out of his thigh. Hiro picked up a shard of wood, flipping it point down in his hand. Ajax knew this man had handled a weapon before, but that would do little to save his life here.
Ajax advanced right side first, distancing Hiro from his injured shoulder. Hiro swiped at the intruder, he was cornered and the only choice he had was to try and fight his way out. He unfortunately lunged too far, giving Ajax the opening he needed; the blade flashed out and pierced Hiro's neck three times. The man dropped to his knees, lashing out with the shard of wood and sinking it deep into Ajax's calf.
Pain and anger welled up inside of him, Ajax started hacking at the already bleeding man until both men were crimson, blood pooled where Hiro lay chocking to death. Ajax finally calmed enough to see the scene he had caused; it certainly now looked more like a brutal and unprofessional murder.
He sat down on the stairs bottom step, the knife forgotten in his hand and dripping blood onto a rectangular carpet underneath his feet. Ajax looked around the room, ignoring the intermittent coughs and splutters as Hiro's life came to a close. The man clutched at his neck, his attempts to stem the bleeding far too late. Hiro was already dead, he just did not know it yet.
On one wall hung several framed photographs that showed Hiro next to a monstrosity; it could only be Joel. To Ajax they looked closer than business partners, their body language certainly appeared far too friendly for anything else. He suspected that this information would not have been a surprise to Rine, which meant the man failed to mention it on purpose. If Joel found out who killed Hiro it could make this contract far more life threatening.
Without warning the front door imploded, sending shards of wood in every direction. He could barely see through the strong lights as police swarmed into the house wearing full body armour and training automatic weapons on him. Ajax dropped the small blade and raised his one good arm above his head. Through the pain of his shoulder he barely felt the rifle butt that rendered
him unconscious.
The water could not have been a degree above freezing, it shocked Ajax to his core and snapped him into consciousness with a scream. He was handcuffed to a chair in a grey walled room, a single intense light burnt into his eyes as they watered in protest. He had expected worse, but that hardly improved matters for him.
The officer who threw the water waited until Ajax recovered from the shock before landing a sharp punch that loosened teeth and, not for the first time, filled his mouth with blood. The next punch barely registered, his shoulder was rattled so much that he couldn't focus on anything else, and the pain was all encompassing, leaving his body ablaze in agony.
“Do you remember what I said to you the last time we met, Mr Frost?”
Ajax scanned the room, he could not see the man but he recognised the cool voice stood behind the light. The chief of police studied the mess in front of him and turned off the lamp, visible contempt in his eyes.
“I remember something about prison, now that you mention it.” he said, only one eye could open enough to look at him.
Another punch connected with his left shoulder, his pain filled cry was so loud it echoed around the interrogation room for several seconds.
“You should address the chief as sir if you want to remain in one piece.” said the violent officer, spitting in Ajax's face to ensure his point was made.
“That will be enough, sergeant, you can leave us now.” said the chief, who opened a door and ushered the thug outside.
“Now that we are alone there is something I would like to discuss with you, Ajax.” he said, pulling up a chair from the corner. “I am going to ask you a few questions and I expect the truth, if I think you are trying to lie then I'll make sure the remainder of your existence is spent in incredible regret. Do you understand?”
