‘Frankie. Thank you. I didn’t know if you’d come,’ she said.
‘But of course I’d come for you. Never doubt that. I wouldn’t rest until I’d found you,’ Frankie said. ‘Now, come on, can you walk?’
‘I think so,’ she said, gingerly getting to her feet.
‘Jude, Dion, are you nearby?’ she asked via their link.
‘We’re not far, yes. What can we do?’ Dion said.
‘Can you see where I am on your GPS? We’re on a building, come to where I’m heading,’ she said.
‘Way ahead of you,’ Jude said.
Smiling, Frankie led her mother to the fire escape on the side of the building and saw her two teammates below. ‘It’s my mum, take her to safety, please,’ she said.
‘Of course,’ Jude answered and ran up the stairs with Dion right behind him. Frankie smiled at them as they took her mother off her and started to lead her down the stairs. ‘What are you going to do?’ Jude asked.
‘Settle a score,’ she said before turning away with a wink.
It only took her a moment to spot Hellion, off towards the back of the fight now, walking into the scrum backed up by several operatives, a couple of agents and a mech, hulking along at the back bristling with guns.
Frankie smiled, it was a hell of a jump, but she was sure she could make it. Without any more preamble, Frankie set off at a sprint, taking two, three, four steps before launching herself through the air. She judged it just right and landed in a crouch a little over two meters in front of Hellion.
Hellion froze, her sword coming up ready to defend herself as Frankie looked on. The closest few operatives took a few steps forward, their guns coming up to shoot, but they stopped short as Hellion raised a hand to signal them to stop.
Frankie watched the surrounding operatives as she slowly rose up into a standing position, her chin down, looking out at Hellion from beneath her brows.
‘Hah, there you are. I was wondering when I’d catch up with you,’ Hellion said, sounding curiously cheery.
‘You were never going to leave here without facing me,’ Frankie stated.
Hellion nodded. ‘True, I am looking forward to kicking your arse again and finishing the job this time, but I need to have some fun,’ she said.
Frankie glanced just past Hellion to see three or four of Zealotte’s team lying dead on the floor. ‘I’d expect nothing less from you,’ Frankie said, looking back to Hellion and into those striking blue eyes.
‘Am I that predictable?’
‘Not to put too finer point on it, but yes,’ Frankie smirked.
‘Sir?’ one of the operatives said from close by, clearly wanting to shoot at Frankie.
‘Don’t you dare. You shoot at her, I kill you… She’s mine,’ Hellion growled without taking her eyes off Frankie.
Frankie whipped her sword out to the side. ‘We’ll see,’ she said.
Hellion flashed a quick smile, and then rushed in, swinging her sword in a short, sharp motion so as not to broadcast the hit, but Frankie was more than ready and parried it with her own blade with a ringing clang of metal. Hellion kept the pressure up and unleashed a volley of strikes, twisting left and right, bringing her sword in high, then low, then high again. But it was different this time. Hellion didn’t seem to be moving quite so fast. She hadn’t slowed down at all. No, the difference was in Frankie and her new body. She was just so much faster than she had been before. Xenox had said to her that it wasn’t just a physical thing, either, although that was part of it. The refinements he had made had sped up the connections to her brain, making the information moving to and from her brain move that much faster. He’d also added a neural lace to her brain, which Xenox described as a bio mechanical web that spread itself over and buried itself into her brain, linking up parts of her mind to speed them up. It was like giving her a nitro injection. But it would also learn and adjust itself over time to keep improving itself.
There were the physical adjustments, too, of course, making her body faster and stronger; all of which added up to make her an incredibly formidable foe.
Hellion was no slouch, though, and she moved like greased lightning as usual. Frankie guessed that Hellion had a similar enhancement to her, meaning they were fairly evenly matched right now.
Hellion flicked her sword and knocked Frankie’s blade sideways as Hellion pirouetted away before turning to face her again, ready once more.
‘Now, don’t you lie to me, but I would be right in guessing you’ve had an upgrade, haven’t you. You’re faster than you were before,’ Hellion stated.
‘You’re very perceptive,’ Frankie said.
‘My, my. Xenox, that little shit. He’s done a good job on you. Tell me, did he use my sister's body? Is that where it ended up?’ Hellion asked.
Frankie smiled. ‘You could say, we’re as good as related now,’ Frankie answered.
‘Fuck you,’ Hellion spat and adjusted her position. ‘Well, it will only make this all the sweeter,’ Hellion said, lifting her chin and looking down at Frankie.
‘Bring it,’ Frankie challenged her with a wicked grin.
Hellion smiled back with the look of a predator about to bite a chunk out of its prey and dashed in towards Frankie. Frankie went on the defensive again, deflecting Hellions strikes and slashes and keeping her from cutting something else off this time. As she fought, she found she was starting to find her groove and was feeling ever more comfortable as she spun and twisted around, her sword flashing in the evening air. Their clashing blades rang out like a bell tolling in this desolate factory landscape.
Frankie’s confidence grew as the seconds passed and she found she could fend Hellion off so much easier. Almost by accident, she found herself going on the offensive, lunging in with her own attacks and defending against Hellion’s less and less.
Was she actually faster than Hellion?
Watching Hellion’s movements and catching the look on her face every other second, she felt sure she could see her opponent's confidence lessening. Her movements were becoming defensive, hesitant, and lacking in the decisive action that she had seen in Hellion up until this point.
Seeing this change in Hellion only served to boost Frankie’s own confidence and pushed her to take the advantage she saw, exploiting the weakness she could see growing in Hellion.
Gaps in Hellion’s defences opened up, and Frankie quickly exploited the next one she saw with a swift kick to Hellion’s side before lunging in again with a swing of her sword.
Hellion grunted with the hit and staggered, quickly bringing her own blade up to fend off Frankie’s next attack. It was bizarre but thrilling to find that she was actually getting the better of Hellion and pushed herself onwards, going fully on the offensive, forcing her attacks to make the most of the weakness she now sensed in her opponent.
Hellion seemed to have lost all confidence, and when she misplaced her foot, causing her to stumble, Frankie rushed in and with a flick of her blade, and sent Hellion’s sword flying into the air. Frankie didn’t let up, though, following it up with a gut punch and a knee to her face before plunging her sword into Hellion’s chest and ripping it out. Hellion reached for her, but Frankie slashed at her arm, severing it below the elbow before slamming the butt of her sword into her face.
Hellion tipped off balance and fell into the dirt on her back. Frankie stepped up to her, skewered Hellion’s good hand with the point of her sword, burying the end of it in the concrete and brought her foot down hard on Hellion’s neck, putting her weight on it. With her off hand, she pulled her pistol, aimed it at Hellion’s forehead, and stopped.
Hellion hissed through gritted teeth, and then looked up in the direction of the Corporate forces that were backing her up.
Frankie flicked her eyes up to look at the men and women who surrounded her. There were several operators, agents, and even a mech. Frankie felt sure she could hold her own against them for a little while, but, ultimately, they would probably beat her if they attack
ed. But they didn’t, they just watched.
Frankie glanced behind her to the fighting still happening there, seeing her friends and new allies in a bitter struggle against the Corporate forces, before looking back at Hellion and those closest to her.
‘Well, what are you waiting for?’ Hellion strained, her voice rough from being crushed by Frankie’s boot.
Frankie looked up again, but no one moved.
‘Hey, what are you doing? Attack her! Kill her!’ she yelled, but they didn’t move.
Frankie looked back down at Hellion and smiled. ‘Having trouble?’
‘Fuck you,’ Hellion raged. ‘Damn you, Marissa, what have you done? I order you to attack! Aaaagh!’
Suddenly, one of the agents stepped forward and holstered his guns, moving slowly and deliberately. It was obvious he wasn’t a threat, he even raised his hands slightly to show he was unarmed. He walked up towards Frankie, but stopped a few meters away once he was close enough to talk comfortably.
‘I have an AR link from Marissa if I might be allowed to share it with you?’ he said.
An Augmented Reality link? Hmm, this should be interesting, Frankie thought. She brought a few extra hacking countermeasures online and moved the link into an isolated channel to try and keep Marissa from being able to hack her. These measures would allow her to monitor the incoming transmission and to sever it should they try anything sneaky. She didn’t get that impression from the agent, though, but it always paid to be careful.
She then opened the link, and a perfect representation of Marissa appeared in her vision, standing just a couple of meters away. She wasn’t there in real life, and only those connected to the link could see her, but it looked very real to Frankie.
‘Hellion…’ she said.
‘What the fuck, Marissa. What’s going on?’ Hellion interrupted.
Marissa showed a flicker of annoyance at being interrupted before her face returned to the serene expression she’d worn when she first appeared.
‘As I was about to say, Hellion, thank you for your service, but we are terminating the contract with you effective immediately. You’re now on your own,’ she said.
‘You what? What the hell? What is this?’
Marissa smiled. ‘We don’t help incompetent fools like yourself. You have shown that you are not up to the task at hand, so it is with regret that I must say adieu.’ With that and a smile that seemed to only pity Hellion, she disappeared.
‘Thank you. Good day to you,’ the agent said, before turning around and walking away from Frankie and Hellion. He whistled and pointed his finger in the air, moving it in a circular motion as he did so. Suddenly, the Corporate forces that had been attacking Frankie’s allies withdrew, and Psytech’s operators and agents retreated to their flyers.
Frankie watched in shock as they walked away, boarded their aircraft and took off, leaving Frankie, and probably her entire team, feeling unsure what had just happened.
Frankie looked down at Hellion. She was lying still, staring off into space, a look of defeat on her face. Frankie jerked her foot that was resting on Hellion’s neck. Hellion’s eyes flicked back to look at Frankie.
‘What do you want? Just do it; get it over with,’ she said dejectedly.
Frankie just looked back at her without speaking. Psytech had just abandoned Hellion. They had terminated whatever working relationship they had with her and left her here to die. The effect this had on Hellion was clear to see. She obviously knew she was beaten and had clearly resigned herself to her fate.
Frankie looked back to see Gibson, Veronica, and the rest of her team, even her mother, standing nearby now with Jude and Dion; all of them watching her along with Tyler, Zealotte, and her team as well.
‘That was… unexpected,’ Gibson said.
‘No shit,’ Frankie answered him.
She looked at the force of people who were with her, and wondered if that had played a part in Psytech’s retreat? She felt pretty sure that she and her team could have won the day against the force that Psytech had sent in. Had they misread the situation? Had they not considered the fact that Zealotte might rebel and join forces with the A.C.T.?
‘What are you going to do with her?’ Gibson said, meaning Hellion. Frankie pressed her lips together in thought and glanced at her mum.
She also saw the dead body of her father lying motionless on the concrete before she looked back at Hellion.
Hellion deserved to die. She had killed her good friend Oliver and now her father, she had devastated Frankie’s life and the life of her mother. Her crimes were unforgivable.
Frankie withdrew her sword from where it had stabbed Hellion’s arm, and watched as Hellion closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, waiting for the inevitable.
She lifted her foot off Hellion’s neck and stepped back, sliding her sword into its scabbard and holstering her gun. There had been enough death today, and even though she believed that Hellion probably deserved to die for her crimes, she also knew that she simply couldn’t do it. Hellion was broken, that much was clear, and killing her would only free her from the pain and isolation she was now in.
‘Stand up,’ Frankie said.
Hellion opened her eyes, confusion evident all over her face. ‘What’s going on?’ she asked.
‘You’re not dying today,’ Frankie said.
‘What? But why?’
‘There’s been enough death recently, and honestly, it would be a mercy to you to kill you now. Although you have clearly suffered at my hands and the hands of others, I believe that leaving you alive is punishment enough. I doubt Psytech will hire you again, and it’s likely they will blacklist you with the other Corporations as well. The life you had is over, and I won't be the one to release you from that pain,’ she said flatly, watching Hellion as she sat up, listening to Frankie talk.
She could hear the sound of two flyers on approach, both of which were registering as A.C.T. aircraft in the display in her vision, probably summoned by Jude or Dion.
‘You’re free to go,’ Frankie said. ‘I killed your sister. You killed a good friend of mine and my dad. I call it even and would recommend that you do, too. I trust I will never see you again.’
Hellion looked up at her. ‘You can count on that,’ she said with determination.
Frankie nodded to Hellion, who returned the gesture before Frankie turned away and walked back to her team.
‘Are you sure that was a wise choice?’ Gibson asked.
‘Who knows? But it felt right to me,’ she said.
Cole walked over carrying the body of her father, her mum walking next to him was dwarfed by Cole’s huge size. Frankie embraced her mum once they were close as the pair of night black flyers landed gracefully a short distance away, their rear doors opening to allow everyone on board.
Frankie urged her mum to go with Cole and stay with her dad. She watched them walk into the cargo bay of the aircraft, not feeling too upset at her father’s passing. He guessed she loved him, in some way or another, but she had never been that close to him. He’s always been a tough one to get close to, and in recent years, they had grown distant. She guessed she would grieve later, in her own time.
Tyler walked over to her and coughed to get her attention. ‘Frankie, hi. Um, what do you want us to do, me and Zealotte and our guys?,’ he said.
The team of operators behind him looked on, with Zealotte and the other agents at the front. She smiled at Tyler. She was impressed with him. He and his men had really proven themselves today.
‘It’s up to you,’ Frankie answered. ‘Come back with us if you like. I’ll talk with the director. We might have a place for you within our organisation. But if you would prefer to go your own way, I won’t stop you. You’ve been a huge help today, and I suspect you would be useful to have around in the future, too. Your choice, though,’ she said with a smile.
‘Okay, thanks,’ he said.
‘That flyer will take you anywhere within the city limits, including back to
our base if that’s what you choose. I hope I’ll see you there,’ she said, and took a few more steps towards her flyer before she stopped and looked back. She could see where Hellion had been, but she was gone now. Disappeared into the night.
Frankie turned away and walked into the flyer, wondering what tomorrow might bring.
Author Note
That is the end of the New Prometheus Series… For now.
I do have an idea for three more books, but, for the time being, I want to end it there, write something else, and come back to it later.
The New Prometheus has been a wild ride for me. I wrote the first one on a whim, having just finished book 4 of the Magi Saga, my Urban Fantasy Series, and seeing the first trailer for Ghost in the Shell, the live action film.
That film ultimately ended up being slightly disappointing, but, something about that first Prometheus book seemed to resonate with people. It was a success, and it spurred me onto writing book 2 and onwards.
I am very grateful for all the readers who had made it this far into this series, and I cannot wait to show you that I have planned next. My next series will be something totally new again, and the best description I can give you is “Mad Max with Magic and monsters!”
If you loved Fury Road, and I know I do, then you should hopefully enjoy what I write next.
The New Prometheus will return. I have an idea for the next 3 books in this series, and I am looking forward to writing those in the not too distant future, but I hope you will like the new stuff, too!
I am also planning to return to the Magi Saga as well, as that series really is my ultimate passion project. I’m not sure when I will do that, but hopefully, it won’t be too long.
Once again, thank you for your time in reading these books, it has been a blast!!!
I’ll see you after the apocalypse!
Andrew.
Website: www.andrewdobellauthor.co.uk
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/andrewdobellauthor/
Prometheus Vengeance (The New Prometheus Book 4) Page 18
