Extensis Vitae: City of Sarx Read online

  “Welcome back, madam. It is an honor to welcome you at my gate.”

  “Thank you, Captain. I’m pleased to be back. These last years have been long ones. Any word from Sea-Tac?”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary. Would you like me to send a message? Can I provide you with any refreshments or a place to rest for the night?”

  “A bit of food and drink would be welcome. After that, I will press on to the estate and stay for the evening.”

  “Very well, madam. Please come with me.” Rin stretched her back and followed Kimura inside the outpost common room. It felt good to be back on friendly territory for a change. The thought of a hot bath and soft bed at the estate sounded even better.

  ***

  Reznik’s head rocked back from the huge fist that smashed into his face. Blood flew from his broken nose, and his HUD blazed with damage warnings. Kolb reared back and delivered a brutal kick to the ribs, which made a distinctive crack, and a sharp stab of pain from Reznik’s side joined the litany of other injuries.

  Christ, this guy’s strong. Must be a skin or heavily augmented. The beatings had been going on for some time. Kolb’s fists and feet felt as if they were lined with steel. Reznik feared that his only option would be to try to make a break for it since it didn’t seem like the Overseer and his goons would tire of the beatings. How the hell can I get away? We’re on the top of a skyscraper.

  “This grows tiresome. I’m going to ask you one last time, and then Kolb puts a bullet through your thick skull,” the Overseer growled. “Where’s that Takahashi bitch? What is she planning?”

  Reznik spat some blood on the tiles near the man’s bare feet. “Like I told you, I have no idea who you’re talking about.” There’s no way I’m giving up Rin. He knew the Overseer would just order him killed as soon as he got the information out of him. His mind raced for a way out of this situation as the window of opportunity was swiftly closing. Maybe if I feign losing consciousness, they’ll lock me up for a while and continue this later.

  “There seems to be something wrong with his mouth, Kolb. Why don’t you see if your knife will fix the problem?”

  Kolb pulled a switchblade and stabbed it through Reznik’s cheek and, with a quick slash, cut his cheek open to the mouth. Reznik bared his lips in pain and felt his cheek flap open like an extension of his mouth on the right side. That’s not gonna be pretty when it heals. If it heals, which is assuming I make it out of here alive.

  The Overseer cupped his ear and leaned forward expectantly, waiting for Reznik to speak.

  “Nope, don’t think that helped my memory any,” Reznik slurred, his speech hindered by the injury. The coppery taste of blood was filling his mouth, and his cheek was on fire as it parted when he opened his lips.

  The Overseer sneered and snapped his fingers. A blond woman with the toned, silicone-enhanced body of a porn star sauntered over and handed the Overseer his fishbowl of margarita. “Can we play with him, Daddy?” The woman leaned over, her bare breasts nearly in Reznik’s face, and stared him in the eyes. There was a predatory glint in her eyes that he didn’t like.

  The other two women had come to stand behind the Overseer to watch, the same hungry looks on their faces. One of them was black, the other Latina, and all three were statuesque and beautiful. Something about their lifeless eyes gave Reznik the creeps.

  “Maybe after I’m through talking to him, darling.” The Overseer took a long swallow and regarded Reznik. “Admiring my girls? I call them the Moirai: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. These beautiful psycho killers are my own personal Sisters of Fate.” His laugh was a harsh, ugly sound. When Reznik made no reply, he drained the rest of his liquor and walked over to the bar. He smashed the glass on the edge, sending fragments of glass and ice cubes raining to the tiles. A jagged shard that had been the stem of the glass remained in his hand.

  “I’m about out of patience,” the Overseer growled, “but a bullet in the head would be too easy. I’m gonna mark you up first.” He suddenly lunged at Reznik, who instinctively tried to pull away, but a strong hand gripped his head. The shard of glass plunged into Reznik’s left eye, and he cried out in shock more than pain. His vision in that eye suddenly dimmed, fading to a bright spot of light like an old television set, before going all dark. The Overseer probed roughly at his eye socket like some back-alley surgeon, causing pain to sear through Reznik’s head. With a savage twist, the Overseer pulled the shiv free. Reznik felt the soft skin of his eyelid tear open, and blood leaked down his cheek. The small metal orb of his artificial eye came out, impaled neatly on the shiv like a speared olive, an inch of black wires trailing behind it.

  “Ooh, that’s nice, Daddy. Cut him up some more,” one of the women crooned.

  The Overseer examined the eye for a moment before flicking it to the ground.

  Reznik tried to clamp down on the rising panic. Time’s just about up… If they get my other eye, the chances for survival will be practically nonexistent if I’m blind. Gotta do something—now. He felt the muzzle of the gun against the back of his head once again. He quickly leaned sideways and his hands shot up, seizing the gun and pulling. The man grunted and stumbled forward. Reznik heaved down on the gun and brought his shoulder up into the man’s midsection. He lifted and threw the man over his shoulder, sending him sailing through the air several yards and crashing into the nearest bodyguard. The two men went down in a tangle. Reznik was left with the man’s gun, which he fired, catching Kolb in the thigh. The round glanced off Kolb’s leg, and the big man reached for his own weapon. He shot at the Overseer, but the man was already being tackled to the ground and smothered beneath the mass of one of his bodyguards. The Moirai crouched down around their daddy like cornered cats and bared their teeth at him.

  Reznik was already moving as Kolb and his goons, along with the Overseer’s bodyguards, all drew their weapons in the split-second he had. Reznik snapped off a few more shots, hitting a couple of the Overseer’s goons center mass, but he didn’t have time to see if they went down. He sprinted for the edge of the roof, knowing he would never make it all the way to the elevator alive.

  “Kill that motherfucker! I want him dead!” the Overseer screamed.

  Tiles shattered around him from SMG fire, and a round slammed him in the back, propelling him forward. The roar of gunfire became a deafening thunder as the Overseer’s men all opened up. Bullets whizzed through the air around him, and new pain flared in his calf and triceps. His HUD was an angry red banner across his vision. Then he was at the edge of the roof.

  He leaped up onto the short wall, using his uninjured leg to kick off strongly as he launched himself into the air, aiming for the pale shape of the neon-lined airship floating nearby. Reznik was already committed when he realized he had misjudged the distance and wouldn’t make it; he was about five yards shy of the zeppelin. The cool evening air buffeted him as the neon lights advertising Skin City’s finest skins streaked past and the pavement sixty stories below raced up to meet him.

  Chapter 11

  Reznik desperately looked around for anything to grab onto as he plummeted toward the ground. He knew his dermal plating wouldn’t be able to save him from a sixty-story drop, even if he hadn’t been beaten and shot to hell already.

  His HUD illuminated a line crossing his path, and he was able to put his arms out to avoid being nearly decapitated by the cable that stretched through the air. The cable snapped into his forearms with the force of a guillotine, and he started to flip in the air like an out-of-control gymnast on a high bar. The gun flew out of his hand. The cable skinned his forearms and nearly slipped through his hands. It was a close thing, but he barely managed to latch on. Looking up, he saw the Angelis dirigible lurch from his sudden weight on the mooring cable.

  As Reznik hung there trying to catch his breath for a moment, the distinctive whiz-snap sound of a bullet passed by his ear. The Overseer and his goons lined the roof he had just been on, twenty stories up. Unintelligible curses were shouted fro
m the rooftop, followed by the Overseer’s henchmen opening fire again. Bullets began whizzing by all around Reznik, and he loosened his grip and began sliding down the angled cable. The palms of his hands began to burn, and the burning soon turned to agony as his hands tore open on the bare cable as he accelerated downward. Air whooshed out of the dirigible as stray bullets penetrated its skin.

  Reznik was distantly aware of screams and shouts of alarm as people scattered down on the street below from the rain of bullets. Bystanders pointed up at him as he zip-lined down the cable on his raw palms, teeth clenched in agony.

  Realizing the cable was anchored to the smooth face of the building, Reznik looked around desperately for a window or something he could get through but saw nothing. The street below was brightly lit with its neon signs indicating bars and cafes and several colorful awnings. The crowds were scattering in panic as people fled the area. More bullets passed near him, and he saw several bystanders go down on the street that he guessed to be about six stories below.

  Glancing up, he saw his attackers leaning over the distant roof above. The Overseer was gesturing at his men, which Reznik took to mean that he wanted them to hold their fire. That was good, at least, but he had nowhere to go from here.

  The zeppelin was beginning to deflate and slowly sinking toward the street. Wonder if I can hang on until it gets to the ground—then I can slide back down the cable the other way. I just don’t know if my hands can take any more of this.

  Reznik clenched his burning hands to slow his descent. The rest of his body was one huge aching wound from the bullet wounds, cracked rib, slashed-open cheek, broken nose, and general bruises and strain on his body. He wondered if he would survive if he fell to the street.

  A quick glance above revealed that the Overseer had disappeared from the edge of the roof along with his bodyguards, but one man remained. Kolb sighted carefully down the length of his pistol. The muzzle flashed, and a bolt of energy streaked through the darkness and sizzled into the muscle of Reznik’s lat. He cried out in pain, and his body finally gave out. The cable slipped through his bloody fingers, and he fell through the darkness.

  An awning slapped into his back, the red cloth billowing up around him before he ripped through it and dropped onto a table at the cafe below. The table smacked hard against his back, knocking the wind out of him and collapsing beneath his weight.

  Reznik lay there dazed, fighting against blacking out. His remaining eye focused on the torn red awning that flapped overhead. Okay, good, focus on that. I need to get out of here—the Overseer’s goons will be down here in a couple minutes. He could imagine dozens of guards boiling out of the building like angry fire ants from an anthill.

  He was aware of faces looking down at him. Curious onlookers murmured in astonishment.

  “Are you okay, man?” someone asked.

  “Oh my god… Call emergency services,” another voice added.

  Reznik tried to sit up. He got halfway but slumped back down, his vision swimming. Come on—you can do this! They will be here any minute. He acknowledged the incessant angry alerts on his HUD, and they went away. With a grunt, he rolled over and managed to get his knees under him. His vision lurched alarmingly but then settled down. The crushed white table was coated with an alarming amount of his blood.

  He got his feet under him and thought for a moment he was going to make it, but then he staggered and pitched forward into the onlookers. Strong arms caught him and held him up. From somewhere, he heard shouting, and he waited for bullets to rip into him, but none came.

  “Stay with us just a little bit longer,” a voice said reassuringly in his ear. “We’re getting you out of here.” Reznik glimpsed a set of dazzling golden eyes and realized two people, a man and woman, were carrying him away, his arms draped across their shoulders. His rescuers were strong and moved quickly, for his feet barely dragged on the ground as the crowd parted. They pushed past the bulk of the deflating airship, which was settling across the street, and he was whisked away into the night.

  ***

  Rin sank into the scalding, churning water of the hot tub. It was situated on the edge of the promontory, providing a priceless view of the lake below. Rin watched the reflection of the moon and stars sparkling on the surface of the crystal-clear lake. Her clean kimono lay on the edge of the tub next to a bottle of vintage cognac and a crystal snifter. This was the most luxury she had experienced in years.

  The staff at the estate had expected her arrival, and a room was prepared along with a clean kimono laid out for her. Her travel clothes had been taken away for laundering. Rin had decided to clean up and relax for a bit before contacting her brother.

  The crisp, refreshing mountain air drew goosebumps on her shoulders. She sank even lower into the water and drained the snifter of brandy, savoring the rich flavor of the liquor. She thought briefly about Reznik, wondering if he was all right. She had sent him the warning message shortly after her encounter with Tseng Bao, and he had yet to reply. She hoped he had made contact with Declan. She would feel better if Reznik had made contact with the old smuggler who ran the little cantina in the Sprawl.

  By the time the second glass of brandy was finished, her eyes grew heavy, and she dozed off.

  ***

  The night air was cold on Rin’s exposed wet skin, but that feeling was barely noticeable, combined with the blend of scalding hot water and the warm pleasure in her loins. A bright barrage of colorful neon lights reflecting off the dome from the city below made the experience otherworldly.

  “Yes... keep going just like that,” Ryu moaned in pleasure as Rin rode him. The scalding water of the hot tub sloshed around them as she ground her hips on Ryu. He fondled her breasts with one hand while his other hand squeezed her buttock. She smiled and leaned down to kiss him, biting playfully at his tongue.

  “Do you think my brother knows about us?” She kissed him on the lips and looked deeply into Ryu’s dark eyes.

  “I think he suspects, but don’t know if he knows anything for sure.” His eyes widened, and he sat up straighter. “You don’t think we should tell him, do you?” He swept her hair back behind her ear so he could nibble on it.

  Rin shivered with goosebumps. “I’ve thought about it, but I’m not sure how he’d react.”

  “You’re his sister—he should respect your decisions in matters like these.”

  “But he’s also the head of the clan. If he thinks our relationship jeopardizes our ability to work together professionally and carry out our duties, he’d probably order us to stay apart. You’re his closest friend; what do you think?”

  “Yeah, but he treats me less like a friend and more like a subordinate all the time.” Ryu frowned. “Does it really matter? I like things the way they are, don’t you?” He gripped her hips and pulled her tighter against him.

  “I suppose so. Although it would be nice if you did some of the work for a change.” She rocked herself hard against his hips and then began pulling off him to prove her point.

  “Damn it, woman!” Ryu cursed in mock outrage. “Very well.” He slid his hands down her thighs and calves and straightened her legs up on either side of his head. He then gently spun her around, making sure to keep them coupled. That’s an interesting sensation.

  Then he was pushing her forward until she was kneeling on the bench of the hot tub and resting her forearms against the side. Water streamed off of her, and the chill bit at her back. Ryu massaged her back with his hands as he began taking her from behind. Rin gasped in pleasure as he hit the right spot. Ryu took a fistful of her long hair and tugged firmly on it, pulling her head back.

  Rin opened her eyes a crack and froze in shock. Several men stood near the swimming pool, shamelessly watching them from just below the platform the hot tub was on. The pleasure in her loins receded with a surge of adrenaline as she realized something was wrong—very wrong. Where the hell are my men that were watching the door? Why did they let anyone come through unannounced?

&
nbsp; Ryu realized something was amiss, and he stopped and gaped in shock also.

  “Oh, no need to stop on our account,” rasped a hard-looking man with a mohawk and sleeve tattoos. He was dressed like a wasteland marauder. “We were just enjoying the show.” His smile displayed crooked brown teeth. He was surrounded by five other men: one a well-dressed man and the other four obvious muscle.

  “What the fuck is this?” Ryu demanded. “We reserved the penthouse and rooftop for the week. Where are my men?”

  Rin was already trying to contact her men by Datalink, but she couldn’t get a signal.

  “Well, there’s been a slight change of plans,” the well-dressed man said, stepping forward. Rin recognized the Overseer of Skin City, as he called himself. He wore an expensive plaid suit and had a long comb over with some retro eyeglasses. “I’m afraid we’re all alone up here,” he continued, holding up a device that Rin assumed was some type of signal jammer. His thin-lipped smile was filled with neat white teeth.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Rin shouted. “Don’t you own this place? Is this what we get for paying top dollar for some peace and quiet? Instead we get a bunch of assholes ogling us and jerking off?”

  “Oh, I like this one,” the man with the mohawk said quietly to the Overseer. “I’m gonna have fun with her.”

  The Overseer chuckled. “Yes, Lady Takahashi is quite the feisty one, aren’t you?” When Rin just glared at him, he continued. “I’m afraid your men came down with an acute case of food poisoning. Polonium 210, to be exact, ingested in lethal amounts. Although I’m impressed they haven’t all died yet. You Yakuza produce some high-quality skins indeed.”

  “What did you do with Ayane?” Rin demanded.

  “Ah, the little lady is just fine. We’ll honor our pact with the Thorne people, and she will be transferred to their custody as an incentive for your hothead brother to behave himself.” The Overseer smiled a wide, toothy grin.