«What are you up to?»
«Just stay where you are and hold onto your pal.»
Tavik fiddled with the stun rifle as he waited impatiently for the lift. With a soft ping the door slid open. He nearly peed himself when he saw all the muzzles of the hideous war bot pointed right at him. His breath came out in a panting wheeze as he slid to the side, allowing the bot to scuttle off the lift, its metallic feet clicking on the tiles.
“Fuck me!” he murmured. He couldn’t believe he’d thought of buying one of these monstrosities for his apartment. He breathed a sigh as the bot moved by him and he practically leapt onto the lift. “One floor down and be quick about it,” he said to the lift. The door slid shut and Tavik worked to get his racing heart under control.
He got off on the next floor and headed down the long corridor toward the crossing passage. When he got there he took a right. All the way at the far end he saw the huddle of figures. Good, they’re still there.
He shouldered the rifle and sauntered down the hall as if he owned the place. She’ll probably try to kill me the moment she sees me. He wondered how he could approach her without looking threatening. He considered using the stun rifle on her from a distance but rejected it. She’d had chances to kill him earlier and didn’t do it.
As he approached he saw the two med bots working the body of the fat American. Zoya was slumped in the lift with the boy’s head in her lap. She hadn’t looked up yet. Tavik slid the rifle from his shoulder and hid it behind his right leg beneath the flap of his solar coat. He drifted to a halt about a dozen meters away.
He didn’t see a gun in Zoya’s hands, but he steeled himself for instant action should the need arise. “I’m sorry they did all this.”
Slowly she lifted her bruised face and gazed blankly at him. Her shoulders slumped further.
He edged two steps closer. “I know…I know I work with these people, but this isn’t the kind of thing I signed up for.”
Something rasped in her throat and Tavik wondered if it was a chuckle. “I’m not kidding. Hey, I know I act big around you all the time with…with Georgy, but…it’s all an act, I swear.”
This time she managed to croak something legible out. “So you never hurt anyone, eh?”
Tavik shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy to do my job when it comes to people who deserve what they get, but those who don’t deserve it? That’s not me.”
“What do you want? I don’t have the cards any more. If you want to kill me, get it over with.”
“Kill you? I want to save you.”
Zoya began to laugh but winced in pain instead. “Save me? There’s nothing to save.”
Tavik let the rifle slide to the carpet as he surged forward and dropped to his knees next to the American’s body. Ignoring his protesting ribs, he held his arms out to Zoya. “You’re still alive. Whatever they’ve done, you are still alive. They’ll be coming for you any minute now. Come with me. I’ll get you someplace safe.”
Her answer was whispered so softly he barely heard it. “Go away, Tavik.”
Tavik let his hands drop. He considered his options. She’s on the lift. I could step in and order it to take us down to my car. But Viktor wouldn’t forgive that. He’d kill me. Fuck!
He looked at the med bots. “Hey, shouldn’t you be moving this guy, getting him to a hospital or something?” If they could get this corpse moving, perhaps Zoya would go with them. The bots ignored him and continued with their work. Why are they bothering? He’s not coming back.
He turned to look down the corridor, expecting to see Viktor and his gang at any moment. Desperation kicked in as he turned back to Zoya. “I’ve got a nice dacha I’ve been building out near Zagorsk. Beautiful woods, a stream, couple of dogs. You’d love it there. Let me get you out of here and you can rest as long as you like. Come on, Zoya!”
Zoya gave no sign that she had heard anything he said. She continually caressed the pale cheek of the American.
Tavik stood up and marched back to pick up his rifle. Fuck her. This is why they say the virtual mates are better. I’m going to be the best lieutenant Viktor’s ever had. I am going to run this place one day!
“Time’s up,” Viktor said and waved an arm at his men. “Let’s go.”
Bunny Tyoma breathed a sigh of relief that the mob boss failed to notice that he hadn’t joined in with the mass of armed men. He looked down at his original self, who squeezed his arm harder and mouthed the words, Stay still.
The massive doors at the end of the room slid open and all hell broke loose. Tyoma barely had time to register the spidery hulk of the war bot before all of its guns opened up. The ten mobsters had no chance. Within moments their bodies were shredded by a hurricane of steel. The noise of the guns firing and the screams of the men hurt Tyoma’s ears. The stench of blood and excrement filled the air.
Silence filled the room.
Tyoma examined himself but found no holes. The only blood he saw was the fine mist that seemed to cover everything, and that didn’t belong to him. I can’t believe I lived through that. He looked at Original Tyoma and saw that he was likewise unharmed and gazing in wonder at the horrific scene.
Bunny Tyoma took it all in. The unmoving war bot. The mangled corpses of the gangsters. The furniture of the room shredded everywhere except where the two Tyoma’s grasped at each other.
“Well,” said Original Tyoma. “That’s it then.”
It occurred to Bunny Tyoma that there was no reason he had to remain mute now. His voice came out as a rasp. “I hope so.”
Original Tyoma looked at him, a wondrous expression on his face. “One last thing to do and then we can go home. Well, I suppose the military might show up and keep us for questioning, but if we get this done quickly enough perhaps we can slip out of here.” He snapped a zip cable into his slot and slid the other end into one arm of the chair. “Be back soon,” he said, and closed his eyes.
Moscow
Sunday, June 8, 2138
11:59 p.m. MSK
The wizard Xax peeked out from behind the boulder at the cave entrance. The dark hole was at the back of a small rock-strewn ravine in a wall of crumbling limestone. He glanced over at his three hirelings.
“You’re sure that’s it?” he whispered.
The slender red-haired woman with all the knives nodded and leaned close to him. “It’s as they said it would be. It must be it.”
Xax stared back at the cave mouth. “Doesn’t look so bad.”
There was an odd stench here, something Xax couldn’t place. Little grew other than some patches of brown grass.
“What the hell is this?” said a man in a burgundy robe who looked suspiciously like a movie star from long ago.
Xax chuckled. “You look really out of place in this scene.”
“Who the hell are you?” Lev shouted. “You can’t do this. I control my environment.”
“It’s just a game, Lev,” Xax said. “Relax and have some fun with it.”
“How did you get past my firewall? Viktor, are you doing this?” There was a note of panic in Lev’s voice now.
“We don’t have time for this,” Xax said and caught the eye of the huge baldheaded fellow with the crisscrossing scars on his face and the rusty mace. “What do you say, Surly? Lead the way?”
Surly scowled and grunted, which was about as articulate as the man got. He slid around the edge of the boulder and stalked toward the lair entrance.
The red-haired woman, Telia, readied a pair of throwing knives and followed.