by Gavin Magson
Ajax tracked back down the wide street he’d come up until he found a narrow alley. Walking its length brought him out behind the row of buildings he had just passed and, crucially, behind the building he targeted. He could probably have walked up to the front gate without being seen, the man was stood directly under a powerful light and would have his vision severely limited to all but the most illuminated threats.
The wind dropped, leaving the area whisper quiet. Ajax stepped around the corner, keeping his footfalls soft to not be heard with the drop in the wind. He walked along the back of a building and, where he expected the rear of the compound to be, found instead a wall that bridged across the street from one building to the opposite. He was in luck, it was not beyond scalable.
The nearest street light casted a pale light on the wall he now walked towards, not quite reaching the corners where wall and building joined. Upon closer inspection Ajax saw that the wall had some kind of bastard offspring of barbed wire and metal spikes lining its surface, simply scaling up the wall would result in his hands being torn to shreds. He was considering a frontal assault when a glint of metal from the shadows caught his eye.
Ajax walked further along the wall and was surprised to find several of the metal spikes discarded on the floor. The paint coating had flaked away, leaving a covering of surface rust. Ajax looked up and could not find any missing from the wall, suggesting they had been replaced and not disposed of.
Acting fast Ajax collected up all the spikes he could find, counting seven of any use as he walked over to the building left of the wall. Ajax positioned himself in the corner formed where the building and the rear wall met, safe from any revealing light. He used a spike to scrape away the mortar between two bricks at hip height and, once satisfied he’d made enough of an opening, unholstered his gun and used the reverse as a crude hammer to drive the spike into the opening. Progress was painstakingly slow; he couldn’t risk rushing and causing enough noise to alert any other guards. Once happy the spike was secure he drove a second into the wall, this time higher than the first.
Ajax pocketed the remaining spikes, and his gun, and raised his left foot to rest atop the first spike. His right hand gripped the flat side of the second spike and, carefully, he eased himself off the floor. When neither spike gave way under his weight Ajax scrabbled at the brickwork for a finger hold, his left leg pushing off so that he now stood entirely on the right spike.
Pressing his hips into the wall Ajax leaned his torso back. He reached into his pockets, retrieving the gun and two more spike. Once again he drove a spike into the wall, this time a little below the height his right hand could comfortably reach. The left spike he positioned so that it was roughly half way between those of the right before driving it home. He pocketed the firearm again.
Ajax used the new spikes to move up the wall until he was again balanced on the higher of the two. He repeated his process for one more set of spikes, until he was within reaching distance of the top. The final spike was driven into the wall on his left and he stepped up, gripping the wall just under the barbed wire with his right hand.
By pushing himself up and away from the wall Ajax could just see above it and was relieved to not find another guard training a gun on him. Ajax grabbed the buildings corner for support as he raised his right foot onto the wall, barely fitting more than his toes between a safe strip of brickwork.
With a surge Ajax kicked off the spike, leapt with his right foot, and twisted through the air, narrowly avoiding tripping on the barbed fence. He landed on his left shoulder and turned the fall into a roll, coming up onto both feet with his handgun and knife drawn, scanning for any previously unseen threats. Satisfied that he remained undetected Ajax sheathed the knife and moved closer to the building, sticking to the shadows.
The building was three storeys tall, constructed of grey bricks that were covered in moss and slick from overflowing gutters. Ajax disregarded any ideas of scaling the house, the threat of being caught in the act was too great. He walked around the buildings perimeter until he spotted a ground floor window. The guard wasn't in sight, yet Ajax could see the chain fence from his position; Ajax didn't wait around, he just had to hope that if the guard was doing a perimeter sweep he didn’t come up behind Ajax whilst he broke in.
From its sheath Ajax slid free the knife he had been equipped with and pushed its blade under the thin gap. Gently he wriggled the blade around until it caught a latch and he heard a click. Ajax twisted the knifes handle and raised the window so that his fingers fit into the gap, which allowed him to open the window enough so that he could step through.
Head to toe dressed in black, knife still held in one hand and towering above her Ajax could not blame the woman for dropping the glass she held in her hand. It took every ounce of his restraint to not react and end her existence. For all he knew the woman was an innocent party, she did not have the air of a cruel bastard. His left cross was swift, rendering her unconscious instantly. Ajax stepped forward to catch her before she fell, lowering her to the floor.
A male voice called out a name from the floor above. Her husband? Father? It didn't matter to him, Ajax left the body where she lay. He closed the window behind him and latched it before heading for the stairs. He stilled his breathing until all Ajax could hear was the quiet rattle of glass panes as the breeze picked up once more. When he reached the stairs Ajax climbed in silence, his body crouched and knife ready.
Ajax followed the stairs as they doubled back to join the next floor. When he stepped upon it the source of the voice was nowhere to be seen. Another set of stairs awaited him at the corridors end, with a door either side along the way. Ajax once more headed for the stairs, his impatience causing his footfalls to become marginally audible.
As he reached the first doorway a sudden creak of a hinge caused Ajax to halt in his tracks. A man’s face appeared just as Ajax’s fist thundered into it, snapping his head backwards to collide with the doorframe. Just like the woman Ajax caught the body before it hit the ground. Ajax pushed the door open with his foot, his gun once more drawn as he scanned the room; no one awake awaited inside. Two chambers looked back at him, two identical replicas of Henry Steel visible in a blue gel.
Ajax grabbed the man by his jacket and dragged him inside before closing the door behind him. The room was sparse on decoration, save for these two pods and a single chair. Thick transparent tubes noisily vented unknown substances both into and out of the pods, continuing to the bodies suspended by the blue gel.
Happy that there were no threats in the room he left the unconscious man where he lay and headed into the corridor once more, keeping his breaths even to better hear for the creaks of movement. Satisfied he could not hear another soul Ajax searched the adjacent room, which turned out to be nothing put a store cupboard.
Up the final flight of stairs, the floor opened up to a bedroom, twin skylights offering slivers of pale moonlight. The large bed was empty, as was the bathroom beyond. Once he confirmed that there weren’t more clones on this floor Ajax descended back to the room below.
Ajax walked around the pods, looking for some form of power source he could sever to kill the clones. His search was unsuccessful, whatever powered the chambers presumably was fed through the floor; he decided there was only one thing to do. He circled back around to face the clear screens of the vertical chambers and unholstered his gun. Ajax withdrew the attachment he had pocketed back at the base, which he slid over the end of the barrel until it audibly clicked into place. The attachment fitted over and around both the barrel and ejection port, adding extra weight that Ajax knew he’d have to correct his aim for in the future; close range wouldn’t affect it. He sighted on his target and pulled the trigger.
His aim was true, the almost silent putts as the bullet left his gun was all that he heard. Ajax pushed in a tab on the attachments right side that vented the gasses that had built up and aimed on the second body, his bullet taking Henry’s clone through its left eye. Cracks began to
spread across the front of both chambers and Ajax turned, yanking the door open just in time for the chambers to burst their contents and spread the foul-smelling liquid everywhere. His attempt at being silent had not gone entirely to plan.
He was already sprinting down the corridor, crashing glass and flowing gel left behind in his wake. He took the stairs two at a time, reaching the ground floor just at the front door opened. He didn't stop, crashing shoulder first into the opening door. There was a loud thud as the guard was thrown back by the force of Ajax's blow, crashing to the ground.
Ajax pulled the door open, closing the gap between him and the guard in a heartbeat. When the man tried to raise his head all he saw was a gun hovering millimetres from his eye. The guard struggled to focus on a finger as it pulled back on the trigger, and he could not stop his bladder from releasing its contents.
“You’ve two choices kid, and only one of them sees you live. Are you going to play nice whilst I restrain you?” asked Ajax.
A silent nod of agreement came from the guard, his eyes never once drifting away from the barrel’s end. Ajax flipped the man over with his free hand then grabbed both the man’s hands, pushing them up towards his shoulder blades. He holstered his gun and removed a plastic cord from his pocket, lashing it around the man's wrists and checking its tightness. Satisfied with his work Ajax stood up and jogged towards the fence. Ajax released a catch that kept the gate from swinging open and was about to close it behind him when he heard the sirens closing in; the guard wasn't as dumb as Ajax had presumed.
The muscles of his legs bunched, powering him forwards as he eased into a manageable sprint that barely taxed his body. Ajax could still recall the route back to his ship, the tablet going unused. He didn't look back as the sirens grew louder, their change in pitch and direction suggesting that they were closing in on the building, rather than him.
The sirens had stopped moving by the time Ajax turned onto a third street; a loud gunshot punctured the night. Ajax slowed a little before a second gunshot followed, and soon a third. Someone had killed all those he had left alive, and for what? Ajax felt the rage start to build in him, but he quelled it; he knew that he had to finish the job, yet he wanted nothing more than to return to the building and bring justice for their murders. He had spared them for good reason and there was no doubt in his mind that Henry had a part to play in ensuring his staff did not survive.
When Ajax turned the corner into a familiar small clearing the ship seemingly materialised out of thin air, now the exterior was midnight black as opposed to a confusing non-colour that drew the eyes away. The ramp lowered, and he walked inside, taking in deep breaths from his brief exertion.
“What happened back there? You look like the police gave you a good chase.” commented the pilot, a toothy grin quickly flashed at him.
“They were more interested in those I left alive. Take me here,” he said, holding up the tablet once more. “I'll tell you all about it on the way.”
She didn't answer, the ramp retracted, and the pilot flipped a second switch that turned the camouflage system back on, though Ajax was oblivious to this. They gently rose from the ground and moved away, soon skipping over buildings once more.
“Are you going to tell me what happened?” she asked after several minutes of silence.
“When I managed to get inside the building I had to subdue a woman, she saw me breaking in and was about to raise an alarm. A man upstairs heard her drop a glass she held, so I silenced him too. I left both alive, they weren’t armed, and I didn't see much point in killing either.
“I found the targets and disposed of them but could not prevent a guard outside being alerted. I rushed downstairs before he could enter the building, managing to overpower the man and tie him up. All three were still alive when I heard the police sirens, so I made a break for your location. I was barely three streets away when I heard the gunshots; someone killed all of them.”
The silence returned, only a gentle hum of unseen engines now audible to Ajax. He could see a faint speck in the distance growing closer; he recognised Henry's mansion.
“Mr Steel is known for his ruthless actions, no doubt he has already bought the authorities and ordered any liabilities to be executed on sight. Whoever you left alive back there would no longer have been assets to Henry Steel, hence their executions. He has no concept of morality, he is a pure snake; I know I’m not alone in hoping you make him suffer for his crimes.” said the pilot.
Ajax was taken aback by the pilot’s insight into Henry Steel. He had assumed she would not be aware of the true man that he was, but he felt as if this woman knew him far better than Ajax did. Once more the craft descended, touching down in a clearing set back from the mansions rear. When the ramp opened Ajax climbed out of his seat and hesitated as realisation hit him.
“I forgot to ask your name.” he said.
“Call me Pene, it's short for Penelope.”
“Pene, what did Henry Steel do to you?”
Something behind the woman's eyes changed, her expression hardened as a memory returned to her. “He had my parents murdered and my siblings slaughtered, he did not even wait for them to be tried for the false crimes he claimed they had committed. Promise me he won't die quickly.”
Ajax gave the woman a soft smile that did not extend to his eyes. “Before I met you I had already decided I’d make that scum suffer.”
Chapter 27
Ajax made his way through an orchard, keeping his movements slow and sure; not even moonlight penetrated the foliage to illuminate his path, which lead to more than one near miss with low hanging branches. He could hear the chittering of small animals, or perhaps insects, and occasionally the scurrying of an unseen creature escaping before Ajax got too close.
Eventually the darkness ended, replaced by staggered lamps set into the lawn surrounding the mansion. As Ajax neared the end of his cover he came to a stop, moving behind the trunk of a stout tree. He peered around the tree, taking in as much detail as possible.
The lights seemed a recent edition, since they had no logic to their haphazard placement, which Ajax assumed meant that Henry has become more concerned over security since he was last here. The lawn offered no cover from prying eyes, of which Ajax could already spot two guards on patrol.
Ajax waited, watching as the two figures approached each other from opposite ends of the mansion, meeting in the middle and stopping whilst they talked. It was only when one of the guards pointed and waved that Ajax spotted a third was positioned to his right, initially hidden from view. Once the two guards finished their brief exchange they continued lapping the perimeter, now heading in opposite directions. He counted nearly five full minutes before new guards appeared around the building’s corners, the previous pair probably passing them along their routes.
Ajax did not wait to see what the new pair did, instead he skirted the edge of the orchard swiftly until he came to its edge. A flower bed that started twenty feet from the orchard stopped a few feet shy of the path the guards walked. A drainage ditch ran parallel to the flower bed and was his best chance of getting close.
He waited until the guards were walking away from each other before crouching low and making his way over to the ditch, willing his body to be as low as possible. He surveyed the drainage ditch and, thankfully, found that it was dry from the lack of rainfall. Ajax slid down until flush with the slope, checking his weapons were still in place before moving forward slowly.
It was several minutes before he closed the gap to the mansion significantly, and with it could just make out the exchange between guards.
“Still all clear?” came a deep voice, full of boredom.
“What the fuck do you think? Boss has got us doing laps whilst he has his fun in there. Still, could be worse; at least we aren’t this dickhead.”
Ajax heard movement close by, above and to his left, as a body shifted position.
“You’re welcome to relieve me anytime you want, Gus, my arse has been nu
mb for hours.”
No reply came, all he heard was chuckling as, presumably, the two guards continued their rounds.
Ajax made his way another ten feet down the ditch before carefully climbing up the banking. He quickly looked towards the mansion, happy to see that the guards had no yet reached its corners. Looking to his left Ajax could see the rear of the guard as the man sat on a low wall facing across the lawn. He mentally chastised himself for not spotting the man earlier, he could only presume the overgrown flowers and angle he had stood at obscured his view.
As soon as the guard nearest to him rounded the corner Ajax drew the blade sheathed at his hip and rose to his feet, closing the gap to the seated guard. His gloved hand clamped tight around the man’s mouth as the blade slid up under the chin and into his brain; the guard did not have time to struggle.
Ajax stripped the man of his jacket, helmet, gun, and knife, before dragging the body over to the drainage ditch. Quickly he dressed himself in the guard’s clothes before resuming the man’s place on the wall. He made sure to straighten out his clothes and conceal his own gun and knife, doing his best to match the appearance of the dead guard.
Behind him Ajax could hear booted steps on loose gravel as another pair of guards made their rounds. He waited patiently, counting the steps from corner to centre. Some eighty paces apiece brought the guards together, coming to a noisy halt before exchanging words.
Ajax listened intently, their voices part muffled by the wind coming from his right, until a comment was made in his direction. Without turning he extended his right hand in an unenthusiastic wave, which warranted a chuckle from the men behind him. They began to set off on their routes once again.
Ajax swivelled on the stone wall, facing the moving guards. The smaller knife he’d salvaged was well balanced, a nice weight to complement its wickedly sharp edge. Holding the smaller knife in his right-hand Ajax rose, breaking into an explosive run that saw him close the distance to the mansion swiftly. When he was within twenty paces of the closest guard his arm came swinging around, throwing the knife with tremendous force.
