Specter Protocol

by Eddie R. Hicks

  “Anata wa kare o koroshita!” The voice of an angry Specter screamed.

  Forty

  Miyuki

  Miyuki pressed the Jaguar PT56’s barrel against the head of the man cowering behind one of the train’s seats. She went for the trigger. The man looked right up at the weapon. It was like he knew where it was. Impossible, she was ghostwalking. She even double-checked the status of her MEP gauge, 54 percent, and there were no flashing error messages.

  Miyuki had to have been invisible to him.

  Focus. She had to focus, and not let the surprise get to her, unlike the last time when it caused her ghostwalk to fail and she got shot by that sniper rifle. That wound was still healing, Yanmei’s nanites were still patching it up. It hurt like hell with every step she made, which was why she opted to walk to the target, rather than run—

  “Matsuoka, fall back to the prototype!” Yanmei screamed from behind. “We cannot lose it!”

  Miyuki wanted to obey her superior officer’s demand, she really did, but she couldn’t, not while knowing the cowering man she had in her sights held a nano katana. The optical scans she took of the katana covered the left half of her vision. It was her big brother Nobuo’s weapon.

  She uploaded its exact specs into her database before leaving the Federation. Locating the blade meant locating the man that killed him. Miyuki located the blade, and the man holding it as if it belonged to him. She was facing her big brother’s murderer, and according to Alliance reports, Ray Partington was last seen in the Yoshida towers, the afternoon Nobuo’s halved body was found.

  It all made sense now. Ray Partington killed Nobuo using his own blade, and then as a final insult, kept it as a battle trophy. And now he was going to use it on her.

  Miyuki could not, and would not, obey Yanmei’s order.

  “You killed him!” Miyuki screamed in Japanese.

  Ray looked confused, probably unable to understand her cry or see the vengeful spirit she’d become cry out those words.

  Enough talking. Miyuki went for the trigger, something she should have done when she had him in her sights. Ray retorted, leaping forward with the shimmering blade swinging. Animal reflexes carried her away. By the time she stood ready to try again, her weapon was in two halves, one half she held, and the other, the barrel, clattered on the floor. Searing hot red lines on the weapon released smoke from where it was cut.

  Miyuki wished she shot first. She dropped the halved rifle, not like she needed it to kill. Five blades sprang from her left hand, another five from her right, all ten blades still stained red from her first kill looking like the claws of the yūrei. She sized up Ray who stood in the aisle, holding the katana. She made the first swipe screaming out a battle cry.

  A savage exchange of slashes started. She was like a ninja with daggers for fingernails, and the gaijin murderer ahead was a like a samurai, wielding a katana that wasn’t his. He was good with the blade too, as much as he hated to admit it. It was proof that he killed her big brother Nobuo. Miyuki just needed one fierce thrust through his heart, just one. This was it. Nobuo’s death will be avenged tonight. She couldn’t afford to squander this moment.

  He swung a three folded slash. It made her leap in the air backward, somersaulting away, landing perfectly on her feet, ruby eyes glowing and never leaving the sight of his chest. Miyuki sprinted at him, her mouth still screaming with ferocity. She slashed and missed. He swung horizontally, she ducked and felt the heat the blade released. Her foot collided with his abs and the impact flung him back six inches. Ray’s aim wavered as his body recovered from the pain from her cyberware enhanced legs.

  Miyuki walked to him waving ten deadly fingers with ten deadly finger blades ready to end him. The door leading to the joining car opened. Her gaze snapped to it. Out stepped a pale-skinned warlock with his hands glowing purple stretched out to her like he was trying to reach for her. Those hands unleased electrokinetic lightning bolts zigzagging across the air. She tried to leap away but doubted she’d be successful. She was right. Her body tensed up and shook violently when the initial lightning bolt hit her. The HUD over her eyesight errored out and then vanished. She felt various cyberware components throughout her body shut down. The final electrokinetic blast forced her to the floor, her ghostwalk long faded. She wasn’t on cooldown, however.

  Nobuo’s murderer steadied his balance, his hands still gripping the hilt of the nanite infused katana. He was going to finish her, she figured. Using the last of her strength and what little cyberware still active, she rolled to the side. Leaping up, she checked the status of her MEP gauge, but her HUD was still down. She did, however, feel the MEP still rushing through her, making her hands maintain their white glow. She directed her right palm at the warlock, bladed fingers clinched to make a gripping gesture. The warlock became bound as if someone had tied him up by an invisible rope. She swatted her right hand from right to left. The warlock’s body became airborne, smashed through the window, shattering it with a loud crash, and vanished outside into the cold. She could hear his screams on the way down.

  The white glow on her hands dimmed after that. The heavy psychokinetic grip and pull forced her into cooldown. She stood ready, her finger blades were the only means of offense and defense now. Her left hand rose high for upper parry, the right lowered for lower parry. Ruby glowing eyes locked on the remaining hostile, the man wielding Nobuo’s blade. He didn’t attack. He ran to the window she threw the warlock through, his voice calling out his name, Theo.

  His rear was turned, he was a fool to do so. She went to plunge ten blades into his back. A second target emerged from the joining car’s entrance, an African man. He had massive muscular arms and hands, and they were quick to grab her skinny arm and fling her away. Miyuki grew tired of the interruptions. Now her finger blades turned to a new target, the muscular African. She clawed savagely, thrust fiercely, and smiled when the first strike connected. Five downward-moving slashes cut across the African’s parka coat. Red seeped through a moment later. She hit him again, plunging five finger blades from her right hand into the left side of his chest. He didn’t flinch or scream. He stood still while his hands glowed orange. Miyuki grimaced as she pulled her hand away and the dripping red blades out from his chest. A chest that was now covered in majestic fur.

  She gasped. The African turned to a hulking bipedal lion, a fusion of warlock and lion DNA, his newly grown form tore the arms of his jacket and pants to pieces. The loud roar that came next sent her heart racing and told her that if she wanted to live any longer, then she’d need to kill him. She tried to do so, once again swinging and slashing her blades, and when that didn’t work, she used fancy footwork to kick him from sides. Miyuki wasn’t making progress, the werelion was too large now, and his arms moved to block her nimble assault.

  Fresh MEP particles had manifested within her, the cooldown was ending. In seconds, she’d be able to ghostwalk again. She needed to survive the werelion’s brutal fists, claws, and jaws, all of which came dangerously close to ending her.

  Miyuki backed away, cleared her head of all distractions, and stood in the train’s aisle. She glanced at her hands. The white glow was returning. She looked to the werelion, he was running to her, his feet sending vibrations across the floor that she felt on her own. Miyuki ghostwalked.

  Nothing happened, not enough MEP and with her HUD not working, she had no idea how much more she needed.

  She didn’t panic and waited.

  The werelion was closer now, it’s intimidating form was a distraction. She shut her eyes, told herself he wasn’t there and focused. She used ghostwalk.

  It worked that time. Miyuki was invisible to all in range. Opening her eyes, keeping her thoughts calm, she watched as the werelion continued its charge. She leaped onto a pair of chairs to the right, stood ready and waiting. The werelion’s head followed her movement. Was she ghostwalking? She had to have been, she felt its power.

  The werelion watched as she climbed over other sets of seats.
Its eyes never leaving her as her ruby ones did the same. She had no idea what was going on.

  “Theo!” Ray called out again, reaching out to the window.

  Ray’s voice got the werelion’s attention, and he moved to his side. The two looked out the smashed window, wincing, murmuring something. A rescue plan for the warlock she pushed out perhaps. Miyuki backed away, moving to the next car Yanmei and the others retreated to. The werelion turned, making eye contact with her, and watched her leave. She couldn’t understand it. How did Ray see her at first? How did the lion too?

  She was still ghostwalking when she entered the next car. Serge and Yanmei stood shoulder to shoulder while Brown, Saito, and Arakawa conversed. Porter was missing. None of their faces looked at her, not even when she stood in front of Serge, waving her hand. Serge didn’t react, of course not, she was ghostwalking.

  So why did Ray and the lion see her?

  “Did we lose her too?” Serge asked.

  Yanmei shook her head. “I don’t know.”

  And then Miyuki was visible after ending her ghostwalking abilities. Serge leaped back. His eyes were wide open like he saw a ghost. That’s because he did.

  “Jesus fucking Christ!” Serge yelled, his composure returning to normal. “Don’t fuckin’ do that!”

  A firm cyberware enhanced hand grabbed Miyuki’s shoulder, yanking her back, forcing her to watch the person who did it. “I gave you an order!” Yanmei yelled.

  Miyuki thumbed the door she passed through leading to the previous car. “That was Ray Partington back there.”

  Yanmei released her, turning to the door. “He’s here…”

  “So that was him,” Serge said laughing. “Ha! So, he came after all.”

  With twisted lips, Yanmei faced her again. “Where is he now?”

  “He should still be back there,” she said.

  Miyuki led the way back. The car was empty and silent except for the arctic winds howling in from the shattered window, and the murmurs and cries of the passengers beyond in the other cars. Miyuki stood before the window watching the snow-covered mountains and forest blur past.

  “I pushed his warlock friend through,” she said and peeked outside, freezing winds and snow rustling her bobbed hair. She pulled her head back inside. “They must have gone to save him.”

  Yanmei grimaced. “A warlock…”

  Miyuki nodded to her. “Yes, and there was another too, one with biokinesis.”

  Still grimacing. “So, they still live.” Yanmei glanced at the window’s frame and attempted to crawl through. “We must find them—”

  “Cancel that.” It was Serge interrupting, his face looked at his tablet’s screen running what looked like a radar app. Serge fingered the screen and the blips of red dots moving to the center fast. “Got fighters coming in and a big fuck-off dropship. Yoshida knows we’re here and with the prototype suit.”

  Yanmei pushed away from the window, her ruby eyes never leaving it. “Smith, can you do anything about them?”

  “Yeah, but it’s gonna burn out my tablet, won’t be able to use it for an hour while it cools. I already used a lot of processing power to hack Partington’s phone. I got one trick left, so whatever I do, it needs to get us out of this mess.”

  “Have them shoot the train,” Yanmei said.

  Miyuki made a face, looking ahead at the civilians aboard and many others in the previous cars. Civilians weren’t the enemy. The Alliance and the Yoshida Corporation were, as were Ray Partington and his friends. Miyuki didn’t like the plan. She also didn’t like how Yanmei didn’t give her decision much thought. Yanmei decided like it was the first and only idea in her head.

  Miyuki had to speak up. “Why?!”

  “The chaos and confusion will be the perfect cover,” Yanmei said, grinned, and walked away, moving to the front. Miyuki and Serge followed, his fingers tapping through his tablet’s screen. Miyuki reached for Yanmei’s arm. “Do you have a problem with that?”

  Miyuki replied “Yes—”

  “Naw,” Serge cut in again as if he spoke for her. “I can make ‘em blast the shit outta this with their guns and missiles. Could even take out the tracks and prevent another train from slowing down to offer help.”

  They were in the front car now, long cleared of passengers when they cut through the ceiling and stored the prototype TEK suit inside. Brown, Saito, and Arakawa stood watch beside it with their rifles loaded and ready for Ray and his friends.

  There was a pause on Yanmei’s part, reconsidering the plan Miyuki hoped.

  “Do it.”

  Miyuki’s hopes went unanswered.

  Serge gave her a nod. “Hacking in now.”

  He flipped through his apps, selecting the right one. His screen updated with a connection established message.

  There were hundreds of passengers aboard, men, women, children, the old, and people with families waiting for their arrival. And Yanmei and Serge set their lives to end in within the next few minutes. She didn’t sign up for this.

  “But…” Miyuki murmured.

  “What?” Yanmei said, her voice firm and cold. “You disapprove?”

  “I… I…” Miyuki wasn’t strong enough to say more. She clenched her fists and looked to the floor, hoping nobody noticed her extreme concern.

  “Maybe she ain’t gots what it takes to be a Specter,” Serge snickered, and then faced her down. “News flash kiddo, we have to do the dirty work.”

  Miyuki had to say something more in her defense, something, anything so she wouldn’t be kicked from the team as everyone’s attention switched to her. And as it stood, kicking Miyuki out meant forcing her to stay behind when the hacked airstrikes landed.

  She couldn’t scrub the faces of the passengers, now minutes away from their end. And it was all her fault. Miyuki was the one who suggested they leap aboard the train.

  “Partington,” Miyuki finally spoke, lifting her gaze from the floor. “Are we just going to leave him?”

  That got Yanmei lost in thought. “I’d hate to lose him to this. His interrogation would shed more light on what your brother was doing.”

  “Eh,” Serge grunted to Yanmei. “So, we ain’t doing this?”

  “Do it, it’s a calculated risk,” Yanmei said. “We cannot fail now, not after getting this close.”

  Serge nodded, both hands on his tablet while his fingers interacted with the app and uploaded malicious computer code to the incoming fighters. And there was nothing Miyuki could do. Attacking Serge, meant Yanmei and the others gunning her down.

  Miyuki chose her life over others and opted to do nothing. It was strange considering she took her own without hesitation a month ago.

  Serge looked away from his phone’s screen, an evil smirk spread on his face. “I’m in.”

  Yanmei gave him a pat. “Blow the train.”

  And they hunkered down for cover.

  The roaring of sounds of the fighter’s thrusters was overhead. Its primary weapons fired, and then an explosion shook the train. It wasn’t as bad as Miyuki thought it’d be, just the dropship getting blown up, and its remains crashing on the train’s rear section. Then the real terror hit.

  Violent explosions, lots of them. The blasts tossed her small body about, and the pain from her still-healing gunshot wound flared up. Miyuki was on the floor now, and then secondary blasts pushed her backward. Brown, Saito, and Arakawa held into the edges of the chairs. She wished she did the same, and then didn’t when the screams of people behind stopped. This was her fault. She deserved this.

  The car rocked once more, and her back slammed against the ceiling then the wall, as broken glass sprayed in all directions. She hit the floor again, then the ceiling. The last remaining part of the train derailed. They were airborne. She felt gravity pulling her away from the floor.

  Someone’s rifle came loose. It went sprawling to her face. When it hit, everything went dark.

  A white blinking cursor pulsed on the backdrop of a black screen. It remained
like that for thirty minutes, maybe forty. There was no way to tell right away. Computer commands populated the screen, a reboot sequence had begun. The computer code rained down. Miyuki’s HUD flashed on with her view pointed to the skies. Tiny snowflakes turned to water when they hit.

  “Ah, she lives!” An Australian voice cheered.

  Miyuki sat up feeling a lot less pain than she’d expected. She lay at the side of a road near the foot of the mountains. In the empty streets sat Brown, Saito, and Arakawa chatting and feasting on MREs. Still no sign of Porter, he must have been killed when he tried to capture Ray Partington. Yanmei sat beside Miyuki, her nanite injector had stabbed into Miyuki’s lower left thigh. Yanmei pulled her arm away, taking with it the attached injector that sprang from her wrist. Healing nanites rummaged through Miyuki’s body. Yanmei had pumped Miyuki full of them to bring her back.

  They were far from the crash of the train from what she could tell after she stood and looked up at the mountains. She saw a red-orange glow of light, and no ships in the skies. If there were any survivors from the blast, they were stuck in the cold until word got out.

  Many people died tonight. Fingers would be pointed at the Federation once again, and the Alliance would resume beating its war drum. Miyuki wondered if the Specters were part of the Federation’s black ops teams. Last she checked, the Specters were a third party hired to investigate Nobuo’s actions and the IWs he brought from the Federation into the Alliance. The Specters weren’t supposed to be part of that team. Their job was to prevent a war by identifying who was responsible.

  The opposite happened tonight. Maybe this was why her big brother did the things he did. He got in a group that promised him they had noble intentions, and then got pressured into committing his acts of terror, throwing blame to the Federation. All in the name of trying to make it a better place for Miyuki.

  She looked at the Specters. They weren’t cyberware enhanced IWs working for the Federation. They were IWs working for someone else. But who? Zhang? The IWs Nobuo was involved in? She didn’t know but intended to find out.