Extensis Vitae: Empire of Dust Read online

  Reznik staggered drunkenly toward her, face twisted in distress as he fought against the nanites. “Get… away… from me,” he managed. Slowly but inexorably, he pointed the .45 at her. “I can’t… control myself.” A vein stood out on his forehead.

  “Very good, old chap. Now put a bullet right between her breasts and one in the forehead.” Thorne watched the two of them with a carnivorous smile that chilled Rin. “The last is all yours.”

  If I can kill Thorne, hopefully the nanites attacking Reznik will die off. Her eyes darted to the katana a few meters away. Rin made her move, diving for the katana.

  Thorne had obviously anticipated her move. One moment he was standing watching the two of them, the next he intercepted Rin’s move for the sword. He kicked her in midair, sending her sailing into the wall again and dazing her. The second she hit the ground Thorne was there. He snapped her right ankle with a swift stomp of his foot. He grasped her ponytail in his hand and wound it around his fist, hauling her upright until she was standing on her tiptoes, facing Reznik.

  “Come now, Mr. Reznik, you disappoint… Here, I’ll make it easy for you. Let’s end this charade—I suppose I’ll have to take charge personally to mop up this pathetic resistance.”

  Reznik lurched toward them, face pained. The pistol was pointed at her face and no longer wavered in his grasp.

  Rin clawed at Thorne’s hand, trying to free herself, but the man’s grip was like steel. She was sickly fascinated, watching Reznik’s internal struggle and the yawning barrel of the pistol just a couple feet away.

  “I’m sorry, Rin,” Reznik said. His eyes darted down to the left and back.

  Nervous twitch? She watched as he stopped just outside of arm’s reach of her, pistol pointed directly at her face. “I don’t blame you,” she said. The pain in Reznik’s face made her heart lurch. “We came pretty damn close, didn’t we?”

  Reznik’s eyes darted down again and back up, and his face twitched, showing a look of desperation. What is he trying to communicate? Rin’s gaze fell on the lower pocket of Reznik’s tactical vest. Suddenly, she realized what he wanted.

  Reznik came a step closer, within arm’s reach, and his finger tightened slowly on the trigger.

  Rin’s hand shot out and reached into the pocket of Reznik’s vest. The smooth handle of the targeted EMP gun slid into her grasp. She angled it away from her and flicked the switch, triggering a localized EMP burst point-blank into Reznik’s midsection. He flailed away and dropped to the floor instantly. At the same time, Rin released her forearm blade and slashed through her thick ponytail, severing it. As she dropped free, she tumbled to the side and snatched up her sword.

  Blam blam blam. Reznik emptied the .45 from where he lay on the ground, propped on one elbow. Thorne reeled back in shock, blood pumping from the close shot grouping in the center of his chest, Rin’s severed ponytail still clutched in his hand.

  Then Rin was back on her feet. She sprang off her good leg, sword arcing out. The keen blade cleaved through Thorne’s neck, sending his head flopping to the side on a thin strip of gristle and bobbing against his shoulder. Blood erupted from his neck, and he performed a fairly convincing Texas two-step before hitting the floor with a meaty thud.

  Rin winced as she landed, trying to keep the weight off her bad leg but only partially succeeding. She limped over to Reznik, who was still lying there collecting his wits.

  “That was way too damn close,” he muttered.

  Rin slumped down on the floor next to him. “All in a day’s work, right? Are you okay?”

  “Eh, just shaken up a little bit. I’ll be fine, I think. It’s weird being EMPed… back to a normal human. Kinda sucks, feeling every ache and pain again.” Reznik shrugged and grinned at Rin sheepishly.

  “Oh, you’ll be fine in an hour or so once your own nanites recover. The EMP blast would’ve fried both yours and Thorne’s hostile ones.” She studied Thorne’s corpse.

  “Ah, good. Might as well take a quick nap then, huh?” he joked.

  “Hate to burst your bubble, my friend, but you heard what Bethany said—we need to get to Thorne’s floating data center.”

  “Shit. I don’t suppose we can catch a cab or something.” Rin gave him a sideways glance. “I mean for you—your leg being messed up and all.”

  She snorted but smiled despite herself. “Let’s go, Mr. Chivalry.” She got up and pulled Reznik to his feet.

  Reznik held onto her arm and slung it over his shoulders. “Which way?”

  Rin was about to automatically protest but decided to let him be a gentleman. She realized she didn’t mind the proximity. “That way.” She pointed out the eight-foot-high French doors. “Let’s get outside and find some transportation.”

  “Maybe we’ll get to hijack a CorpSec drop ship or something. Sounds like fun, right?”

  They exited the doors of Thorne’s chambers and crossed an expansive patio. A beautiful, dark-haired woman wearing a nightgown was gazing outside through a bulletproof window. She glanced over at them with barely any interest.

  “What’s the deal with her?” Reznik asked, watching her in curiosity. “Doesn’t she know there’s a battle going on?”

  “That’s Thorne’s consort—rumor has it she’s an AI—little more than a programmed pleasure skin.” Rin scanned the grounds and saw Thorne’s sleek, private aircraft on a landing pad a hundred meters away. She pointed. “There’s our ride. That should beat a mere drop ship—think you can pilot it?”

  Reznik studied the aircraft. “I don’t know. Guess we’ll find out shortly.”

  They headed for the path leading across the grounds when footsteps rang out around the corner of the building. Rin raised her katana while Reznik fumbled to reload his pistol. They relaxed when they saw Keeva at the head of a squad of rebels.

  “Hey, you two!” Keeva approached at a trot. Dried blood spattered her face, but she looked unharmed. Her eyes were haunted, however, and Rin guessed the rebels had suffered heavy casualties. “We’ve got them on the run. Well, if you could call it that. Most of them just stopped fighting, like robots with dead batteries.”

  They exchanged greetings with the rebels. Reznik quickly explained that they had to get to Thorne’s off-coast data center before he automatically reskinned and escaped.

  “You’d best see to it then. We’ll take care of mopping up whatever’s left of non-robo soldier resistance. Marcus really came through in the nick of time. You want any backup on this?” Rin could see the wheels turning in Keeva’s head—the young woman was eager to see Thorne taken out if they wanted her help.

  Reznik clapped Keeva on the shoulder. “Thanks, but I think we’ve got it from here. Your troops are going to be looking to their commander for their next orders. The clean-up phase will be just as important as the combat. Get with Marcus. Round up the Thorne loyalists so they can’t wreak any more havoc. Treat the rest of the workforce with respect, and I think this will be a fairly smooth transition.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” The eager spark faded from her eyes a bit. “Take care, you guys.” Keeva hugged Reznik and Rin quickly. She took a pulse rifle from one of her men and passed it to Reznik. “You’ll probably need this.” She waved and took off down the path with her squad.

  Thorne’s ship seemed far away as they moved down the path as fast as their injuries allowed. Rin’s ankle was starting to feel better. Her HUD indicated that if she stayed off it, it would probably still be tender but should be okay to walk on by the time they reached the data center.

  I sure hope it’s good to go. This is a long way from being over.

  Chapter 30

  Alistair Thorne opened his eyes and found himself in the lab aboard his ship. He frowned—something had obviously gone wrong at the campus. Technical glitch or something worse? A quick glance at his HUD revealed the last update had occurred four hours prior, and his memory didn’t include what had transpired in the meantime.

  A harried lab tech bustled into the lab. “I ap
ologize for the delay, sir. We’ve lost communication with the mainland. I don’t know why you reskinned here.”

  “Either they’ve encountered some serious technical glitches, or the campus has fallen. Disconnect me, fool.”

  The tech quickly disconnected the cable attached to Thorne’s cranial port while apologizing effusively. He opened the door of the tube and handed Thorne a bathrobe and a pair of slippers.

  Thorne stepped out of the tube his skin had been stored in. He donned the robe and slippers while bringing up his Datalink. He quickly called the head of his executive protection detail aboard the ship. “Status report,” he barked.

  “All quiet, sir. Comms with the mainland went down about two hours ago. The link came back up for a while, but I wasn’t able to hail anyone at the central office before it went dead again. We’re all clear out here—no sign of approaching vessels. Shall I plot a course for the mainland?”

  “Damn it.” Thorne made his way outside and headed toward the bridge. “Take us further out to sea while we try to establish comms. Contact the London operations center—I want to find out what the hell is going on.”

  “Copy, sir.”

  The fresh sea breeze stirred Thorne’s still-damp hair. Overhead, the stars glinted coldly in the night sky, which was beginning to lighten in the east as dawn approached.

  Thorne strode quickly along the deck, noting his men patrolling the ship. The railgun and missile batteries stood silent at the bow and stern. Everything seemed to be in order. The rebel scum must have made their move. Somehow they got lucky and killed my other skin.

  Thorne burst into the bridge. The captain, navigator, and security chief all snapped to attention. “What the hell did London have to say?”

  The security chief flinched like a dog about to get beaten. “I’m sorry, sir, but we can’t get through. There seems to be a comms blackout. I tried Sydney and Buenos Aires as well, but nothing. It seems to be some massive cyberattack.”

  “Plot a course for London immediately.” Thorne’s mind raced. Damn it. I knew I should have set up more backup redundancies. That will be the first order of business after I find out what the hell is happening.

  ***

  Thorne’s private ship looked fast just sitting on the tarmac landing pad. Reznik wasn’t expecting it to be as luxurious inside as it was. The sleek aircraft was a combination of a fighter jet and an executive Lear jet. He realized he shouldn’t have been surprised. Thorne wouldn’t have settled for anything but the finest.

  A couple Shiru troops stood guard outside. A frightened, trussed-up man whom Reznik assumed was the pilot sat on the ground beside one of the rear wheels.

  Rin exchanged greetings with the troops while Reznik climbed aboard. He was wondering if he’d have to borrow the pilot against his better judgment. Once he sat in the cockpit, however, he realized it shouldn’t be an issue.

  “Can you fly it?” Rin asked from the doorway.

  Reznik’s HUD software displayed scrolling text identifying the aircraft as a prototype version of a Thorne Industries Ion Storm model cruiser. His HUD quickly identified the relevant controls, highlighting the throttle, airspeed, elevation, and all the other indicators. He flipped a switch, and the cockpit illuminated, holodisplays springing up all around him. Another switch made the engines rumble to life.

  “Oh yeah,” he said with a smile. “Buckle up.”

  ***

  Marcus stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows and watched Thorne’s hypersonic cruiser streak off into the lightening sky. It should be able to reach the data center within a couple minutes, provided his friends didn’t have any difficulty locating it.

  “Godspeed, my friends,” he said quietly. Despite the competence of Reznik and Rin, he couldn’t ignore the bad feeling in his gut that Thorne had more tricks up his sleeve.

  Ayane hugged him. “They’ll be fine. I don’t know anyone tougher than Aunt Reiko. Her friend Reznik seems to be just as formidable, so I’m sure we’re in good hands.”

  Taciturn paced restlessly around the lobby of the Section 7 building, alert for any threat. He seemed a little out of sorts without his constant companion, Beefy.

  Once the skins had come under Marcus’s control, resistance had been surprisingly light, except for a few normal and augmented human grunts. The hired mercs had quickly surrendered, evidently realizing their paychecks were in jeopardy of ceasing once Thorne’s regime had gone down. They decided to throw in their lot with the next person in charge, as mercs were liable to do.

  Keeva had called Marcus right after speaking to Reznik and Rin, following their defeat of Thorne’s first skin. She had filled him in and relayed the news that the compound was more or less under their control. After hearing that, Marcus made his way to the Section 7 building and had Taciturn bring Ayane to him.

  “Freeze!” Taciturn barked, causing Marcus’s heart to leap into his throat. He spun around to find Keeva and a large group of men in the corridor in a stand-off with his bodyguard and the handful of skins surviving the battle he had brought with for protection.

  “Whoa, easy there, big guy! We’re friendlies!” Keeva glared at the towering bodyguard.

  “Stand down, guys. We’re on the same side.” Marcus walked over and shook hands with Keeva. He recognized Ciera, Mack, and Junior among her group of rebels but nobody else. A group of Shiru soldiers quietly filed in behind the rebels.

  “So it’s true about Father?” He knew by Keeva’s face what the answer was as soon as he asked.

  “I’m sorry. He sacrificed himself to bring the railgun tower down.” Keeva clapped him on the shoulder in sympathy. “We would have been crushed between the railgun and the arriving reinforcements if he hadn’t. He was a good man.”

  Marcus exhaled slowly and nodded. He blinked back tears. “He was… a complicated man, for sure. But yes, he was a good man forced into a bad situation. He did a lot of things he never wanted to do.”

  “As we all have,” Keeva replied quietly. She noticed the vapor trail from Thorne’s cruiser. “Let’s hope they kick ass and end this.”

  Marcus proceeded to make introductions all the way around. The Shiru troops deferred to Yamashita, who was apparently the senior officer since their commander had fallen during the DefenseNet reactivation.

  Everyone’s eyes were on Marcus, waiting for someone to decide what to do. I guess it’s up to me now. There’s still work to be done in order to set things right around here. He wished his father could have been there to see the dawn of a new day, but at the end, James Mason had made the hard call and saved all of them from certain destruction. Marcus knew he would have made his father proud, and that would have to be enough.

  “Okay, let’s get this campaign wrapped up. Here’s what we need to do…”

  ***

  The cruiser’s scanners quickly picked up the signature of the Triton, Thorne’s ship. It was making full steam eastward across the Atlantic, but the hypersonic cruiser reached it in just a few minutes.

  Reznik eased off the throttle and circled the ship warily from a distance. The anti-aircraft railgun and missile batteries remained silent at their approach. Reznik guessed that was because they recognized the transponder signal from Thorne’s cruiser. The Triton was fairly massive—it resembled a yacht the size of a small cargo freighter. Reznik wondered what was in there that required such a huge ship.

  A rain of energy bolts flashed around the cockpit as he came within range of small-arms fire. A platoon of skins ringed the deck, opening fire with pulse rifles. The energy bolts were absorbed harmlessly by the thick ablative armor of the cruiser.

  “Does this thing have weapons?” Beside him, Rin studied the ship out the window.

  Reznik armed the weapons systems. “What would you prefer: laser, railgun, or missiles?”

  “I’d stick with the lasers for now to minimize collateral damage. There might be civilians aboard, for all we know.”

  “Gotcha. Lasers it is.” Reznik hit a button, and a target
ing overlay came up over the window. The gatling laser under the nose spun up, and Reznik cut loose on the soldiers on deck. An almost constant stream of energy blasted from the cannon, burning the skins to cinders. Many tried to duck and dodge, but it was futile. A small explosion followed by a second bloomed below as grunts with rocket launchers were incinerated.

  The deck was clear moments later, and Reznik eased the cruiser down on the landing pad atop the stern of the vessel. The engines wound down, and Rin opened the hatch. A cool sea breeze washed over them as they hopped down onto the ship’s deck. Reznik felt vibrations through his feet from the freighter’s propulsion system.

  They made their way past the charred corpses and pockmarked sections of deck where the cruiser’s energy bolts had melted through. A critically wounded skin struggled to crawl away, but his legs had been blasted off, instantly cauterized by the gatling laser.

  Rin approached the wounded man with katana drawn. He seemed unaware of the two of them, focused on dragging himself to whatever his destination was. A ragged hole burned through the man’s forearm revealed tendons stretching and contracting as his fingers fought for purchase on the smooth deck. Rin stepped on the man’s back, driving a boot heel into the base of his neck and pinning him to the deck. The blade of the katana caressed the side of his cheek.

  “Where’s Alistair Thorne?” she asked quietly.

  The man struggled to turn his head. His face wasn’t in any better shape than the rest of him. His left eye and cheek had been burned away, revealing the white of his jawbone and teeth, a stark contrast to the blackened flesh around them. His right eye was dull with shock. His mouth opened and closed soundlessly.

  Rin flipped the man onto his back. Reznik assumed from the rank insignia on the man’s uniform that he must be the one in charge of the ship’s security detail.