Joe fared far worse. He clamped his oversized hands over his ears, wincing in pain. His beady eyes flickered back and forth, searching for the source of the sound. His teeth clamped in a snarl. Blood oozed from his nostrils.
A small, lithe, feminine figure leaped from the shadows. She waved a hand, hurling a small orb at Joe Blow's face. It exploded, fanning a fine layer of powder directly in his eyes. He roared, flailing and stumbling as he scrubbed his face.
"Gonna… kill you. Whoever you are, you're dead. You hear me? Dead meat. Gonna tear your arms off and beat you to death with 'em. Gonna rip your spine out your back and use it to pick my teeth. You hear me? You're dead. DEAD."
The woman ran to Jett, helping him up. "Come quickly. His blindness is only temporary."
He groaned, leaning on her for support. Her voice seemed so familiar. "Tatsu…"
But it wasn't Tatsu. The new woman was decked in red and black, with a loose-fitting vest tunic with tactical pouches over form-fitting leggings reinforced with armor. A hood was pulled over her head, her identity further concealed by a red, metallic helmet that looked remarkably like his own.
"My name is Viper. You can trust me."
Jett didn't see he had a choice. He stumbled along, allowing her to lead him deeper into the darkness of the tunnels. Joe Blow's howling threats faded in the distance behind them.
Pain was all that existed. The world span in dizzy circles, his mind flickered back and forth between present and past. One second he was in the Waste, leading his team in a firefight against scores of Deviants. The next he was back in the dripping, dank subway tunnels, leaning on a stranger who somehow bore his weight despite being half his size.
Light blinded him. He realized it was the subway exit. They managed to stumble up the stairs and into the biting wind and cold, whirling flakes of snash. Crowds in heavy coats, scarves, and hoods streamed by, paying no attention to the two masked people staggering along. Anyone who looked their direction quickly glanced away, choosing the safe option of indifference rather than get involved. Jett saw a child staring at them, pulling on her mother's arm and pointing. The woman quickly snatched her daughter up and quickened her pace.
Viper guided Jett over to an inconspicuous vehicle parked alongside the street. He was dumped in the passenger seat, where he immediately slumped over. Just breathing was an effort, as though an anvil lay on top of his chest, driving spikes into his lungs with every inhalation. Viper entered on the driver's side and opened the holographic control panel.
"I have him. He's seriously injured. Prep an AHPP."
Jett recognized Incognito's voice when he answered over the speaker. "I'll have it ready when you get here. Use the warehouse entrance."
"I told you to take care of this."
"Let's not talk about this right now, okay?"
"That's your problem. You never want to talk, especially when it's time to talk."
They continued to argue, but their voices muted as Jett teetered on the edge of insentience. Dead faces swam across his vision; his Hellrazors crumbled to ash in a bloom of flame.
Buoyant movement rocked him. As the buildings whipped downward, he realized he was in a floater. The flying vehicle shot forward, turning the world in blurs and streaks of light. Jett faded in the same instant, sailing into the embrace of unfeeling darkness.
Chapter 11
Mira was in big trouble.
Should've listened to what's-his-face…
Only Jett had been gone for two days without contact. She wasn't sure what he had planned, but whatever it was, it didn't seem like things had worked out. Rumors drifted from the Underbelly. Something about Joe Blow ripping someone from limb to limb. Normally that was a slow news day, but putting two and two together meant that someone was probably Jett. It was a shame. He had actually seemed to be a nice guy. She didn't meet too many of those.
So she was on her own again. No big deal. Been on her own. Liked it better that way.
She wove between the thick crowd, slumped over to make herself even smaller. Throngs milled about as usual, ignoring the slushy streets and bitter cold in their thick coats, hats, neon-lined umbrellas, and Holovisors. Curses and shouts followed her when she inadvertently bumped into someone while weaving and dodging the shuffling bodies.
She quickened her pace but heard the ring of metal-shod footsteps still tailed her. Only a stupid tough would plate his boots with chrome. Still, this particular tough was named Sixx, notorious for a mean streak and penchant for slice-and-dice that she wanted to avoid.
Should've stopped asking questions when I was ahead…
She was so focused on avoiding Sixx that she ran directly into a wall. The collision knocked her backward so hard she bounced off the muddy concrete.
No wall. Impossible on the sidewalk…
Looking up, two incredibly large men loomed over her. It took a moment of fading dizziness for the two to coalesce into a single person. A leather-clad brute, face obscured by a dog-faced mask. Vapor expelled from the pinhole vents, giving him a rabid appearance.
He seized her by the scruff of the neck, dragged her into the adjacent alley. She shrieked, kicking and clawing, but she may as well have been imaginary for all the regard he gave her. She took a desperate look at the crowds as they passed. They continued on, engrossed in their Holovisors or keeping their heads downcast, eyes on anything but the little girl being dragged away into the darkness.
No one cares. I'm dead to these people. A ghost…
She was carelessly slung to the ground, wincing when the back of her head rebounded off a concrete wall. The alley was narrow, littered by trash, shadowed by the busted siding of crumbling, graffiti-laced tenement buildings.
Dog Face stood directly over her, blocking any chance of a quick dash to escape. She resorted to the instant man-dropper with a fierce punch to the man's crotch. Her knuckles crunched, pain lanced across her entire arm.
Dog Face's laughter was muffled. He thrust his groin her direction in disgusting fashion, and spikes ripped out from the metal cup beneath his pants.
"Nice try, jade." His backhand was lazy, but the impact of his calloused knuckles struck her like a thunderclap. The alleyway faded in and out while she lay on the cold ground, struggling to get up. Her legs didn't listen to her head. Bloody drool dripped from her mouth, trailing across her arm.
A soft voice drifted over. "Don't hit the rabbit too hard, Tiny. You'll ruin her."
Sixx sidled over, draped in a long, faux-fur coat. Tiny metal spikes jutted from his pale, shaved head like a crown, and crimson light glimmered from a cybernetic eye.
He hitched up his coat and stooped down, cupping Mira's face with a hand tipped with metal claws. "Nice chase, little rabbit. But you can't run forever."
She threw a punch that he easily dodged. "You dwads took my sister. All I want is to get her back!"
"Aw, the rabbit misses her sister. Not to worry, hon. I see a family reunion in your future." His cybernetic eye whirred, clicking like a camera shutter. "This is the one, Tiny. Hanging around our red sites, asking all the wrong questions." He pursed his lips and gave her a sad smile.
"Good news, rabbit. You're about to find out the answers to all your questions. Might even see your sister again. Bad news is you won't be able to tell anyone. Not ever."
A claw jabbed into her neck, and the world instantly grew hazy. The two men became indistinct shadow monsters, voices thick and garbled.
"Take her to the kennel."
Chapter 12