Fragment of Destiny

Yami tapped the blank view screen, and it came back to life. He rubbed his tired eyes as he sorted through the various open project tabs. All things he would love to finish but they were constantly being bumped down his priority list. He always seemed to have more ideas than time, especially now that Larry was keeping him in Crescent. Not that he minded running the sensorium project. It was an interesting and challenging task if an all-consuming one.

Larry was constantly pressuring him for results but that was nothing new. Larry was often that way when it came to projects that piqued his personal interest. For the first time though, Yami felt a sense of helplessness. This was one project where he couldn’t just work harder to get results. He was at the mercy of the sensorium and in turn Tess. It would show him what it would and there was nothing he could do to change that.

Stretching Yami looked around the small lounge that had become his workspace. The previously clean room was now just as cluttered as his old apartment had been. At least he had a new couch that wouldn’t try to eat you when you sat on it.

He let his eyes linger on Tess for a moment. She sat eyes closed and head craned back on the couch. In her hands, she held the familiar black sphere with pulsing blue lines. It was not necessary for her to hold the sensorium, yet it seemed to comfort her when she did. As long as she didn’t drop it, he had no objections.

His attention was drawn back to the view screen where a flashing block of text shone red in his display. Yami sat up in his chair at once fully alert. The message was from Larry, and it was urgent. Yami skimmed its contents twice before dashing from his seat to find Admeta. Flying from the room Yami sprinted down the empty hall towards the workshop. As he approached, he could hear the hum of generators and the grinding of buffing plates.

His fingers flew over the keypad, and the door hissed open. Ahead Admeta was bathed in a shower of sparks as twin buffing plates came together smoothing the rough edges of her newest creation. Admeta paused her work long enough to yell at Yami for his intrusion.

“If you’re going to be in here at least wear a blast shield!” Admeta huffed, tossing the headgear to Yami.

“Hay! Turn that thing off for a second will you!” Yami yelled over the roaring buffer. Hitting the kill switch Admeta flipped up her shield and leveled a wicked scowl in his direction. At least he had her attention.

“We have an urgent assignment from Larry,” Yami said his face darkening with a serious expression. Admeta nodded and jogged over. Stripping her headgear, she placed it gently on a hook by the door, before following Yami from the workshop. Behind Yami, Admeta jingled with the clang of a full toolbelt as they ran back to his terminal.

Admeta read the message as Yami rummaged through piles of clothing for a civilian standard uniform. Yami quickly stripped and began to change. When Admeta finished reading, she cursed under her breath and did likewise.

“We will be meeting Max and Zeke at the docks in five minutes,” Yami said as he began lacing up his boots.

“What about Tess?” Admeta asked her eyes shifting to the couch.

“I will ask someone to come check on her in an hour. She will be fine.”

“Right. I will meet you at the docks. I have a few things I need to get first,” Admeta said and snatched a matt grey jacket before darting from the room.

“I have a few things I need to get as well,” Yami said to himself. He wondered what Larry wanted with an Imperium genetic scientist. Larry was far more adept at genetics than anyone Yami knew. Though by the look of things, Larry was not the only one to have taken an interest in Demetrius Cross and his work. Yami took one look back at Tess’s still form before darting from the room. However this operation went, it was going to be hard on Tess when things were all said and done.

Retreating down below the official Raiden’s Den levels Yami entered a small armory. It was a precaution Larry took with every one of his operations. In the event, his people needed to protect themselves from enforcers they would be ready. The armory was well stocked with the latest weaponry, enough to make a person think Larry had war on the mind instead of just personal defense. Yami retrieved a handgun and loaded it with standard rounds before sliding on a holster belt. The handgun was a contingency. His real weapon would be one of his own creations.

At the back of the small armory was a tall gun safe. Yami typed in his passcode and was rewarded with the sound of solid metal bars sliding into the open position. Inside he retrieved dead eye headgear and his shock rifle. It was the not as lethal alternative and his preferred weapon. Yami checked the power before removing the weapon from its charging station inside the safe. It would be good for eight shots. With luck that would be more than enough to get them through today.

Despite knowing many an enforcer who deserved nothing more than a bullet to the head, if there was a reasonable way to avoid taking a life then to Yami it was preferable. He could not say the same for the two others Larry had assigned to this operation. Zeke Coranello and Max Arovani, were among the best at achieving a designated objective, but they also had no regard for the lives of others or the amount of collateral damage left in their wake.

When Yami reached the skimmer docks, he found Zeke and Max loading up two skimmers. To the undiscerning eye, the skimmers looked perfectly ordinary. Only they had been constructed with the same military-grade armor plating as any enforcer combat skimmer. The armor would keep them safe from standard small arms fire. Just as long as they did not run across any enforcers using heavy puncher rounds things would be fine.

A moment later Admeta arrived with a mobile terminal and a juggernaut arm. The arm she handed to max who grinned like a child whose parent has given them an ice cream cone. Yami frowned remembering the last time that pair had been given a juggernaut arm. They had considered it license to rip through security doors instead of waiting on him to hack them open. Today though he couldn’t begrudge them their toy. If the intel from Larry was correct, then they would be needing it.

With everyone ready, Yami climbed in the first skimmer and placed his rifle on a rack beside the rear door. Admeta was quick on his heels and planted the mobile terminal squarely in his chest before she clamored into the driver’s chair. The aft compartment was lined with two rows of seats along the left and right of the skimmer with storage for more weapons and ammunition above and below. Yami barely had time to strap himself in when the skimmer rose from its landing struts and began to move. An alert ping flickered in his deadeye heads up display as Admeta opened a group link.

“So, what is the deal with this Lab Corps guy anyway?” Zeke asked as soon as the connection went live.

“They are claiming that he was leaking biological weapon research to rebel factions outside the Imperium. So he is being charged with treason,” Yami said.

“I guess that’s why Larry is in such a rush about this op then,” Max said.

“It’s not just that, the timing is critical. Larry believes they will be moving him to the executioner’s table today,” Yami said.

“So is your man Reggie in customs?” Max asked.

“He’s at the south gate. I am sending him the briefing packet now. He will have our entrance records all sorted out by the time we arrive.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Zeke asked.

“They have no reason to suspect any resistance. So, it should be easy to catch them in route to the executioner’s table. Admeta and I will provide cover for the two of you. I will disable the skimmer carrying Mr. Cross. From there neutralize any resistance and extract our scientist. After that make for the south gate. Reggie will have a stranglehold bomb ready at the exit to stop anyone from following us. Once we are out, we will be heading north to Old Sam’s Labyrinth till nightfall, then back to Crescent.”

“Any luck on pinpointing our guy?” Admeta asked.

“It looks like they are still holding him in the detention center in sector eight for now,” Yami said. A moment later he gained access to the detention center surveillance feed.

A soft curse escaped his lips when he toggled to the interrogation room. The fools had removed Demetrius’s crystal and were still attempting to interrogate him. Yami had seen this treatment more than once. A person who had their crystal removed after grafting, Admeta referred to it as puddling. It was an apt description, as the sudden loss of their crystal quickly drove the person insane.

Yami grit his teeth in frustration. Hopefully, the damage was not too severe. Likely Larry wanted this scientist for what he knew. Damn, but he hated putting his neck on the line for damaged goods. In his opinion, they should scrub the mission here and now, but it was not his call to make. He sent a quick message to Larry advising him of the situation and requested an abort.

Admeta began to slow the skimmer as they reached the rows of groweries on the outskirts of Central. The large buildings stretched for miles in either direction scorch marks covering the visible wall where the most recent firestorm had taken its toll. Inside those walls was the whole of Central's food supply save what had already been brought into the city.

Two skimmers and miles of cameras monitored every inch of the groweries. Both skimmers were resting on their struts and looked to be unmanned at the moment. With any luck, they would still be unmanned when it was time to leave.

The response from Larry came back quickly. Yami sighed when he read it. They were to finish the mission regardless of the state of the scientist.

Within a few moments, they were approaching the entrance tunnel. Most traffic from the outside came in through the south and east gates. All vehicles were required to forward a manifest prior to arrival, then each vehicle was scanned prior to being granted entrance. Despite this, the enforcers at the customs checkpoint did a good job of keeping the flow moving.

After the scan, Zeke and Max were waved through while Yami and Admeta were intentionally pulled out of line by Reggie. He played the part of gruff enforcer well enough as he did his mock inspection. It was a common practice among the enforcers who ran customs to take what they wanted as payment for not strapping hapless merchants with unwarranted fines.

“And what do we have here? A bit of contraband? Drugs, booze perhaps? I am going to have to confiscate this,” Reggie said hefting the chrome plated case that housed the bomb. He would place it in the customs lockup with the rest of the stolen items. From there it would be perfectly positioned so that the detonation would not harm anyone but would still knock out the south gate controls along with evidence of Reggie’s involvement.

Once past the checkpoint, Yami sent his team a grid highlighting the most likely route, the enforcers would take from the detention center to the executioner’s table in Sector one.

“Admeta and I will take an overwatch position in sector seven.” From there it would be easier to find higher ground outside of the restricted areas. A green acknowledgment light flashed in his heads-up display, and the two skimmers diverged.

Admeta guided the skimmer to a marker Yami placed on the grid near the rim. Then she set the skimmer down in waiting mode. That would signal to anyone who had sent a hail for a skimmer that this one was not for them.

Retrieving his shock rifle Yami turned over tracking duty to Admeta. She had picked a good vantage point, nearly all of sector eight was visible.

“Alright, they are on the move,” Admeta said her eyes fixed on the viewscreen. “Target is painted. You guys see them?”

“I see them,” Max replied.

Yami gripped his shock rifle as he watched the red dot approach the second skimmer. A moment more and they would be in range. Yami threw open the top hatch and leveled his weapon towards the prisoner transport. Looking down the length of his rifle the scope synced with his heads-up display. In that moment everything around him melted away. He could hear people shrieking as they suddenly saw a man holding a rifle atop a skimmer, but the noise was distant and fading. The black enforcer’s skimmer glided gracefully into his sights. It was as though he could stretch out his hand and brush his fingertips along its side.

The dampeners on his headgear maxed out reducing the sound of the first shot to that of a tram car slamming into a concrete wall. In the blink of an eye light arced from the barrel and danced along the surface of the target in brilliant blue and purple swatches. The enforcer skimmer, now without power, crunched and bounced its way down the road at last grinding to a halt in a shower of asphalt.

Immediately Zeke and Max rushed to the crippled craft. The squeal of metal filled the air as the juggernaut arm went to work ripping through the armor plating. Two shots from a scattergun rang out over the distance. Yami continued watching just long enough to see them move Demetrius into their skimmer.

Sliding back inside Yami snapped the hatch closed, and they lurched forward. He traded his rifle for the terminal once again. Within seconds he had fake reports scattered throughout both the public and enforcer networks. The multitude of bad leads would give them some breathing room as they made their escape. As he suspected, Central was immediately put on lockdown. It would be up to Reggie to leave the door open for them.

Stowing the terminal Yami took up his rifle once more. The two skimmers that stood watch over the south growerie had entered the city in an attempt to block their escape. A roaring wind whipped at him as he opened the top hatch and took aim. This time, however, he did not have a clear shot as a smattering of low buildings zipped past beside him. Only a little bit further and the roads would merge as they reached the final incline before the exit tunnel.

A moment later his dampeners flared and a shower of heat shielding insulation rained down around the skimmer. A puncher round had gone wide blowing out a nearby building. Lightning arced from the barrel of Yami’s rifle knocking the first skimmer out of commission. The charge cycled but before he had a chance to take the next shot the second skimmer erupted in flames as a rocket struck it head-on.

Yami cursed silently to himself even as Zeke and Max cheered over the coms. Yami wanted to scream at them but held his tongue. There would be time to address their conduct later. Yami couldn’t help but feel sick as they zipped past the flaming wreckage. A fraction of a second more and he could have taken his shot.

Slipping back inside the skimmer he cleared his mind and focused on getting their exit door open. A few quick commands and he was able to activate the override Reggie had bootlegged into the system. Admeta gunned the accelerator and a knot formed in Yami’s gut as he watched the door roll open with a profound lack of urgency.

“Admeta!” Yami yelled and a sudden jolt of deceleration slammed him against his restraints and sent the terminal clattering to the floor. A sickening screech like nails on a chalkboard filled the cabin but the skimmer slipped through the opening.

“Cutting that a little close don’t you think!” Yami bellowed.

In response, Admeta punched the craft back up to full power rocketing them forward across the unpaved planes towards Sam’s labyrinth. Right behind them, the second skimmer shot from the opening. Yami slipped out of his harness and scooped up the terminal to detonate the stranglehold bomb. The skimmer trembled and puffs of black smoke began to rise from the mouth of the exit tunnel.

Yami was thrown to the cabin floor as the skimmer fishtailed after catching air on the uneven terrain. Admeta was pushing too fast. At this speed, the skimmer could easily become unstable and crash or straight burn up the engines.

“Admeta you need to slow down. You won’t be doing us any favors if we crash,” Yami said. Reluctantly Admeta complied, and the jostling lessened to an acceptable level.

Turning his attention back to the terminal Yami checked in on their pursuers. The enforcers had figured out which reports were real and which were fake by now, but it hardly mattered. None of the skimmers would be remotely close enough to catch them. His relief was cut short when he saw a communication from sector eight. Dusk blades were in the air already. That was three minutes faster than they should have been. Quickly Yami did the calculations, factoring the distance between Old Sam’s and the gap close time of the dusk blades.

“Hey Admeta, you know how I told you to slow down. Well I take it back,” Yami said.

Immediately the skimmer began to jolt as Admeta cranked it back to full power. Yami didn’t like it, but it was a gamble they had to take. This was one of the worst feelings in the world. knowing he was trapped between two horrible choices and no amount of hacking or strategizing could change it. Yami closed his eyes and took a deep breath resigning himself to their fate. Either they would make it or they wouldn’t.

An explosion rocked the skimmer and a shower of debris clattered across the armor plating. Yami’s eyes shot open, no way they were that close already. Checking his heads-up display showed the dusk blades were still outside effective weapons range. It seemed that the gunner was just trying for a lucky shot.

Another explosion, this time the blast was even further away. Yami exhaled with relief. Even though he knew it would be better for the dusk blade to continue firing at this range and expend all of its ammunition there was just something about not getting shot at that felt safer.

Normally cool and collected Yami couldn’t help but fidget his leg while willing the skimmer to go faster. Seconds rolled by in agony as they neared the tunnel entrance.

A moment later the jostling stopped as Admeta found a groove in the land leading into Sam’s allowing them to travel just that much faster.

A cacophony of explosions went off around them now as the dusk blades realized they would not close on their targets before the skimmers made it underground. Another set of explosions pummeled them and the tunnel entrance collapsed nearly burying them under scorched rocks. More explosions thundered overhead, but the tunnel held as it burrowed ever deeper underground.

Yami held tight as Admeta slammed the skimmer into full reverse. Tapping his display Yami pinged Zeke and Max, but there was no response. Admeta set the skimmer down and opened the rear hatch before rushing past him. Tears streaked her face as she disappeared into the cloud of thick dusk that stood illuminated just outside the hatch. There was nothing he could do for them. If they were still alive under all that Admeta would find them. Until then Yami knew, he would only get in her way. His eyes lingered on the dust, he could hear Admeta dematerializing the fallen rocks. Yami felt himself cringe as he realized he was more worried about her finding the second skimmer so they could complete the mission than he was for the safety of either Zeke or Max.