by Gavin Magson
“So, back from the dead, I see. I was surprised to see Rex yesterday, but I can’t say I wasn’t glad; there hasn’t been much excitement in Six since last year. He caught me up with why the three of you were MIA when I came searching for you, and also asked me not to mention it to Katherine when I moved in.”
“Was it just Katherine you saw when you came here in the winter?”
“Yes. She seemed a little aggressive when I mentioned your name, so when she said that none of you had been there in several days I left a note; I don’t do waiting around when there’s work to be done.”
“Katherine has a sister. Had, rather. I don’t know the timeline, but sometime over the winter a group moved in, imprisoned Katherine and Angelica, and left them to starve. When my men and I finally got out of hospital we came straight here, but it was too late to save Angelica; she’d taken her life from desperation. Rex probably warned you against reminding Rose why you were looking for us because, if it weren’t for our injuries, we would have been here when that group showed up and her sister could still be alive.”
“I’ll make sure to keep quiet on it. Now, not to sound cold, but I didn’t come here for a catch up; what are we going to do about the exo’s back in Seven?”
“I’m glad that you haven’t forgotten about our deal. Once Rex is back we will plan how to enter Seven without drawing any unwanted attention to ourselves. I’ve been monitoring the situation in Seven, whilst it’s still volatile the fighting is all but over; it’s considerably safer than the winter. I just came by to make sure you hadn’t reconsidered and were no longer keen on the idea.”
“You’ve nothing to worry about there, I-,” Rose paused as Ward passed over the half sphere to her. Miles noticed that Ward had secured a metal plate with a treaded single wheel in its centre to the underside, which meant he could no longer see the rat’s nest that was the devices internals. “Wow, that’s your fastest time yet, Ward. Miles, have a look at this.”
Miles accepted the thing and turned it around in his hands, unsure of what it was. He had barely noticed what Ward was doing whilst he and Rose talked, yet the boy had turned what Miles assumed was completely irreparable into something.
“What exactly is this?” asked Miles.
Rose took the item out of his hands and set it, wheel down, on the floor. Ward tapped the curved surface twice and a dim light appeared from the underside. With a lurch it moved off, navigating through the randomly placed piles. Miles watched as scraps of waste disappeared once it rolled over them but was still none the wiser.
“Think of it as a miniaturised Recycler, only it’s configured to reprocess one type of waste. That one Ward has setup for metal, but it’s programming won’t allow it to scavenge just any form of metal, only ones myself or Ward have identified with a chemiluminescent marker. That’s why you can hear a hiss as it applies a reacting agent to any metal to determine if it has been marked or not.”
“Rose, I barely followed any of that. Next time just say it reprocesses metal and leave it at that. The boy does good work, I can tell that he has a great teacher.”
“He’ll be better than I ever could be if he doesn’t stop being interested in how things work. Ward finds so many things interesting, he can’t help but dismantle anything he can to better understand how it works. What impresses me most is that he manages to reassemble them without any left-over parts. I could only have dreamt of that level of skill at his age.”
“You’ll both have plenty opportunity to get to understand these exo’s, if that’s any more of an incentive. I’ll go find out where Rex is, and we can discuss what to do about Seven. I trust I will see you two when food is ready. Just, try not to comment on the quality of Katherine’s cooking; she does her best.”
“Oh, I won’t, don’t worry about that. Maybe you or one of your men could cook for us tomorrow, since you don’t think Katherine is up to the task.”
Miles let out a chuckle at the thought of Rex or Jerry being let loose in a kitchen to cook a proper meal. The men had become far too reliant on others for quality meals, since the only food they could prepare on their portable stoves was ranked by its quantity, and rarely quality.
“You’ve put things into a different perspective for me. I think I’ll take the chance to thank Katherine for once.”
Miles had wanted to go in search of the exoskeletons the same night as he returned to Six, but Rex had made him see the error in rushing back into Seven. Instead they took an extra day to plan and purchase supplies and awoke late the next day to tackle the journey refreshed.
No trains were running between Six and Seven, leaving the group of five to hire a hover to take them to the entrance of Seven. It was only thanks to Aiko’s extensive contacts that Miles was able to find someone willing to take them this far.
Unlike the original sectors there was no streetlighting in Six or Seven, which made covert operations that little bit easier. Over the years the inhabitants of the slums had come up with a variety of systems to help illuminate their streets, but few could operate without maintenance and, thanks to a prolonged battle between the gangs and mercenaries, citizens were few and far between. Yet there was the occasional light on in the distant buildings, and Miles’ enhanced eyesight allowed him to spot the families trying to rebuild their lives, even from the speeding hover.
Rose and Ward were his biggest concerns. Whilst Rose could take care of herself and the boy, the amount of equipment they carried made them slow and easier to spot. Thankfully it had not been difficult to source more suitable clothing for the duo, and they were now kitted out in dark clothes to match the men.
The hover descended the Six-West access ramp that lead into Seven. No one spoke inside the hover, not wanting to distract the driver now that she had switched off all external lights. Only the full moon and the occasional spotlight illuminating the path either side of the road supplied light for the driver, who was deep in concentration.
Miles turned on his tablets screen, which even on the dimmest setting left him squinting in the hover’s darkness. His map showed that they were only a few miles from their destination. There wasn’t a single red mercenary marker within a forty-mile radius, which, for once, was comforting.
It had taken the men several hours to decide on a route back to the building housing the exo’s, and several arguments to try and get what they deemed critical points across. Jerry’s suggestion of skirting around the blast radius that marked Ajax’s demise had eventually won out, once Miles and Rex had conceded that a straight line to their destination through such a decimated, and undoubtedly obstacle laden, area under the cover of darkness was asking for unnecessary risk of injury.
The hover slowed as the end of the ramp approached, its driver easing off on the throttle so as to reduce the noise coming from the turbines beneath. Gradually they slowed until the hover entered Seven, turning in a wide arc to point back up the ramp to Six.
“Everyone out, lets seek shelter in the alleyway opposite whilst the hover leaves. Nothing above a whisper if you have to speak.” said Miles.
Rex grabbed the doors handle and eased it open. He stepped out into the darkness, moving aside to allow Jerry to follow, his rifle raised and scanning the nearby buildings for signs of life.
One by one the passengers stepped out, until Miles closed the door to the hover. He opened the driver’s doors and shared a brief exchange of words that no one could overhear. Miles closed the door gently and headed across the wide street to an alleyway, followed by four near silent silhouettes. The hovers turbines spooled up once more and it accelerated up the ramp, leaving the area eerily silent.
“Jerry, Rex, watch both entrances to the alleyway, but stay within earshot. Rose, keep Ward with you at all times and make sure you’re always in sight of Rex. Try your best to follow his footsteps, that way we’ll avoid kicking any trash. Ward, if you see Jerry break away from the group don’t pay him much attention, okay?”
“I’ll stay by mam, don’t worry about
me.” said Ward.
“He’s a good lad,” Miles said to Rose. “Rex, take point, slow and steady tonight. Rose, any trouble and you two need to find cover. It will be a long night.”
Rex checked the street beyond the alleyway. The only movement he could distinguish was from rodents sifting through the waste that had not yet been collected by Recyclers. The end to any large-scale fighting within Seven had allowed Recyclers to return, but months of dereliction of duty had left a mammoth clean-up task that they were struggling to meet.
Rex raised his free hand so that those behind him could see the all clear signal. He stepped out into the street, rifle now gripped in both hands, and turned left, keeping close to the front of the buildings.
Each step was planned, his movements sure and slow. Rose and Ward did not struggle to keep pace, which helped Miles’ blood pressure considerably. He followed Jerry out of the alley in order to cover the rear of the group.
Ward was begging to slow down, the effects of two hours trekking through the sector whilst carrying half his bodyweight in supplies and equipment was finally showing. Miles had planned for this but had hoped they might have made it further before needing to find somewhere to rest.
Miles closed the distance between himself and Rex, falling into step besides the man.
“We need to find a safe place to catch our breaths, before the boy ends up injuring himself. Try not to take us too far off course, but I trust your judgement in finding the best location under short notice.”
Rex nodded at Miles before loping off, his pace building as he swiftly put distance between himself and the rest of the group. Miles quickly dismissed thoughts of Rex’s task as he turned his attention to Rose and her son.
Rose had proven that she and Ward possessed a great talent for the repair of what many would consider unsalvageable, and he believed them more than capable of returning some of the exo’s to service. The thought that had been bothering Miles for a while was that he didn’t know how trustworthy they would turn out to be. Illegally selling military grade hardware was always a dangerous game, and his original plan of selling the exo’s to Rine had been put in doubt when he found out that Boden Shaw was due to arrive on Konar.
Would Rose still be supportive of supplying Rine, should he prove to be the highest bidder, if Miles told her that a savage like Boden might end up the user? The thought of whether to be honest with her or not weighed heavily on his mind, the amount of credits at stake were more than enough to make him questions his morals.
A figure rounded the corner one street up, stood in front of the nearest buildings doorway and ran at the wall, their feet scrabbling upwards until they could jump off and just manage to grip the railings of the first floors balcony. Miles could make out a rifle slung across the persons back, which he took to mean that it was Rex who was doing his best to get off the street.
Jerry had obviously seen the sight and didn’t waste time alerting the others. When Miles turned back both Rose and Ward were being ushered through an open doorway, and he sped up in order to join them. No one spoke as he and Jerry swept the narrow hallway and each of the three rooms that made up the ground floor apartment. They met back up at the foot of the staircase and only then did Miles speak.
“Jerry, two man sweep until we reach the top floor, hand signals only. Rose, keep Ward with you and make sure you’re both several paces behind us at all times. Make ready your gun, just in case.”
Miles took the lead, his pistol more manoeuvrable in the tight staircase than Jerry’s shotgun. He was reluctant to use his torch but was left without any other options; even on its dimmest settings Miles felt that it was a beacon to their position. Swiftly they ascended to the first floor, making fast work of confirming the floor was deserted. Twice more they climbed the stairs, and only on the final floor did they find signs of life.
The body had been stripped of its flesh by everything and anything that could climb the stairs, judging by the variety of excrement covering the concrete floor. Miles was at a loss for a cause of death, but now was not the time to ponder it. He watched as Jerry disappeared, only to return with the sheet from a small bed in the next room. Jerry covered the corpse, which was mostly bone by now.
Miles moved over to the rooms front window, a single pane of discoloured glass set in the bare wall. He had hoped for a balcony like the one he could see Rex still laid on but would have to do the best he could with this.
The windows hinges did not budge as Miles pushed to open it, not even when he threw his full weight behind the shove.
“Jerry, a little help.” Miles called.
Jerry appeared by his side as Miles used the tip of his knife to unscrew the right side of the windows frame and did not need to prompt Jerry to follow suit. It took precious time, which he did not know whether Rex had, but after a couple of minutes the frame sagged, and the two men quickly acted to catch it.
A cool breeze came through the opening in the wall, and the group fell silent as they were exposed to the outside. Miles moved so that he could now peer down on the street’s corner and focus on where Rex lay. He had not moved in the ten minutes since Miles had first spotted him, no doubt due to the three figures milling about in the street. Each was armed, and they did little to keep their voices low.
Another two men appeared from the ruined doorway of a building three down from where Rex lay, their erratic body language suggesting they wouldn’t be quick to give up on the hunt.
“Jerry, look for something that’ll make a decent noise if you throw it across the street; we aren’t slotting these five without half the district hearing the gunfire.”
Miles pulled out his tablet whilst Jerry went searching through the other rooms. A single message greeted Miles, he was surprised Rex had been able to type without alerting anyone to his hiding place.
Stuck at top of your street. I’ve counted five pursuers, from the voices, don’t know if more are on their way. Don’t call, light is off if you message – Rex
Since there was no follow up message Miles assumed that Rex did not know that they had spotted him and already sought safety in the nearest building.
“Best I could find is this ceramic bowl, its heavy but I think I could launch it a fair distance with a run up.” spoke Jerry softly.
“Grand, that should do it. I’ll message Rex, once I get a signal that he is ready for us throw the bowl as far down the street you can, preferably so that it collides with a building on the opposite side.”
Miles stepped away from the window to prevent any light from his tablet being spotted from the outside.
Causing distraction further down the street to lure them away. Check our location on your map and give me a signal to confirm ready; I can see you from here – Miles
When Miles turned back to the window he was greeted with Jerry furiously waving his free arm to get Miles’ attention. Jerry stepped aside as Miles moved back into place. It was not difficult to spot what had got the man worried; there were three of the pursuers lining up to enter the corner building.
“No time for Rex’s approval, throw that bowl as far as you can, now!”
Miles drew his sniper rifle and moved to the right, training the long barrel on the head of the man last through the doorway. He did not look as Jerry rushed across the floor, boots clattering as he built up momentum.
Jerry put all his strength behind the throw and watched as the dark shape sailed through the air, tumbling as it did so. He held his breath when he realised the throw was off, and that it wouldn’t reach street level. The bowl broke through a second-floor window, easily shattering the glass and exploding as it hit the rooms rear wall.
There was no question as to whether Rex’s pursuers heard the noise, their shouts were evident enough. When the last man came back out of the corner building Miles relaxed his fingers grip on the trigger. He watched as they grouped together and jogged down the street, all five together as they made their way to the source of the noise.
Miles p
ulled up Rex’s contact on his tablet and hit the call button.
“Rex, your friends are heading down the street to a building opposite and down from ours. Should we come to you or vice versa?” asked Miles.
“I’ll come to you, I didn’t have chance to find anywhere to rest before I was almost ambushed. Which floor?”
“Top, we’ll keep an ear out for you.”
The call disconnected, and Miles watched from the window as Rex lowered himself to the ground. Rex made his way across the street and kept close to the buildings, always with the group of men within sight. They had already reached the building with the broken window, and none seemed to have noticed that there wasn’t any glass in the street.
The sound of soft footfalls on the stairs signalled Rex’s arrival, but that did not stop Jerry from dropping to one knee and levelling his shotguns muzzle at chest height. Only when Rex called out to announce himself did Jerry lower his guard.
“That was too close. I don’t know where they came from, but I think they knew someone was in the area before I was spotted. I only managed to get two streets away, I didn’t have chance to find somewhere safe.”
“We don’t have many options left, those men are soon going to figure out that the window was broken from the outside and we can’t bank on them not figuring out the bowl came from our building.” said Miles. “Jerry, take Rose and Ward into the rear room, try to make them comfortable. Rex, what exotic ammunition did you bring for your rifle?”
Rex unclipped the belt from around his waist and laid out the selection where the window used to sit. He had brought six explosive rounds, and two sound decoys.
“Are you thinking of another diversion?” asked Rex.
“No, I think that we would only be wasting ammunition then. Chamber one of the High Ex rounds; I don’t want any chance of survivors.”
Rex did as instructed. He removed the chambered round, replacing it with a single High Ex bullet, and released the magazine for good measure.
