A pill-shaped metallic explosive clattered a few feet away.
The detonation lifted Ronnie from her feet. Debris followed, striking with the velocity of bullets. Her eardrums vibrated; everything became distorted, overwhelmed by the intense ringing. She tried to breathe but could only manage choking gasps. Her muscles turned to water, refusing to respond.
She rolled on her back, vision blurred and body on fire. Blurred shapes ran past; distant screams echoed around her. She faintly saw Jisei approaching Isaac as he grappled with Big Top. The masked woman wielded a long, laser-edged blade that cut through Isaac's arm as if it were made of cheese. She dropped to one knee and slashed through one of his legs, dropping him to the shattered ground. Big Top's systems flashed back on, and he made the most of it by aiming his arm cannon and firing at point range, blowing Isaac to pieces.
Ronnie tried to scream, but could only manage a dry rasp. Her breath rattled in her lungs, and darkness closed in from the edges of her vision. Her last sight was of an armored figure in a silver helmet, leaping from the gloom at the lumbering mech like some ancient champion upon a primordial demon.
Chapter 21
Vigil arrived just in time to see Ronnie go down, followed by Isaac. He quickly surveyed the scene.
"Too many people in the line of fire. How do I shut down the mech, Proto?"
"Short-range EMP. You have one in your utility belt."
Vigil extracted it and hurled it down. "Shut down all systems for the length of the blast."
"Shutting down."
Vigil dropped from the building ledge as the EMP detonated. The lights in nearby buildings winked out along with any working electronics. The mech suffered no better. It froze in place, rendered useless until its backup systems kicked in. Vigil figured he had thirty seconds at most. The control system winked back on inside his visor as his systems came back online.
He landed on the mech's shoulder, planting a remote explosive inside the collarbone groove. Barely pausing, he leaped off and fired g-span pulse blasts at Jisei, who flipped and span around the bombardment like a dancer.
Vigil landed, rolled, and flung a handful of thin magnetic explosives. The pull yanked them to the mech, where they discharged like deadly fireworks, weakening the shell.
"Barely a scratch," Big Top's voice boomed out. "My backup systems are loading right now, and when they're done—"
"Blow it, Proto."
The remote explosive detonated, blowing the mech's armor apart. The skeletal remains staggered and tumbled to the ground in a drunken display of smoke and sparking wires. The armored control panel protected the man inside from most of the damage. Vigil couldn't help but to stare.
It was like looking in a mirror.
Proto's voice buzzed. "Behind you."
Vigil's energy shield opened as he turned, catching Jisei's sword before it cut his arm off. Even with the laser edge nullified, the blade was still razor sharp. He used the shield as a battering ram, shoving her back before dropping it to fire a pulse blast at point blank range. She bent over backward to avoid it, propped on her hands, and came back with a flashing spin kick.
"Damn it, Tatsu. I don't want to hurt you."
She paused at the mention of her name, tilting her head as if studying him. Her eyes were barely visible through the darkness of her mask. He wished he could drop his helmet, show her the truth. But it didn't matter. Tatsu was dead.
He attacked, she dodged. She attacked, he defended. They moved in a synchronized flow, so much like the sparring lessons they practiced repeatedly. He wondered if she felt it too. The familiarity. If she did, she'd ignore it. Focus past it. Try to find his weakness. Distract him long enough for Big Top to free himself from the mech, prime his weapon, and join the battle. He probably was circling around, waiting for Jisei to position Vigil for a clean shot.
That's what I'd do.
When the moment was right, he felt it. He just knew, and ducked a second before the shot fired. The blast grazed his shoulder and struck Jisei in the chest, punching through her armor. She went limp, body crashing to the ground.
"Tatsu!"
Vigil thought it was his scream, but Big Top was the one that rushed forward, eyes burning with pain and rage. It was Vigil's face. It was Vigil's pain. He knew Big Top wanted to rush over to Jisei, but also knew he wouldn't. He had to kill his enemy first.
They both leaped to the side at the same time, mirror images as they fired their handguns simultaneously. Both scored shots to the chest, flying backward in opposite directions. Vigil bounced across the ground before finally skidding to a halt.
He groaned as Proto's voice buzzed over. "Chest armor at eighteen percent efficiency. Your assailant used incendiary explosive rounds. It will take some time for the nanites to reconstruct. You won't be able to withstand another immediate direct hit."
Vigil glanced over at Big Top. "I won't have to."
He grimaced, trying to ignore the stabbing pain in his chest as he limped over. Big Top's chest was still on fire from the smoldering cavity that Vigil's shot left behind. Blood trickled from his mouth.
"Tatsu?"
Vigil shook his head. "Gone. A long time ago."
Grief etched Big Top's perspiring face. "Should have been me first. Not her."
"I know."
"Who… are you?"
Vigil stared down for a long time before finally answering. "I'm all that's left."
Big Top didn't respond. His eyes glazed over as the last shuddering breath left his body.
Vigil turned away from his doppelganger, walking over to where Jisei lay. He knelt down, unclamped the face shield and removed it. Tears blurred his vision.
It was the same face he remembered. The same look as when she passed away in his arms. He caught her wrist as she tried to ram a stiletto dagger into the vulnerable part of his neck. He knew her too well, knew she would give it one last try before she succumbed to the fatal injury.
"It's okay, Tatsu. You can let go. I'm sorry. Sorry I couldn't save you. Sorry for a lot of things."
She stared uncomprehendingly, all of her efforts put into trying to push the dagger into his neck. Finally, her wrist went limp, and her body sagged to the ground.
"Proto?"
"Scan shows the subject is terminated."
Only then did he let her go.
Incognito's profile flicked on his visor display. "I'm showing multiple RCE units heading your direction, Vigil. Time to go."
Vigil stood, looking over where Ronnie lay unconscious. "They'll be too late. Proto says Agent Banks is in critical condition."
"Nothing you can do about that."
"We can. Get an AHPP ready."
"What? You can't bring her here. It will compromise everything."
Vigil scooped Ronnie in his arms. She felt broken. "We'll keep her sedated. Just get it prepped, Incognito. I'm headed your way."
Activating his boot thrusters, he leaped for the rooftops.
Good evening. You're with Cam Danvers on another NYN news Fast Break. The rioters finally succumbed to the strategic pressure of RCE Peacekeepers and troopers, marking the end of hours of property damage and looting.
The following night, Tim LeBlanc watched the news in Kermit's bar. Thinking. It had been a helluva night, but he's spent it at home waiting it out. The rioting was just another incident in a long string of incidents. He'd watched a few hours on the picjector, made sure his pad wasn't in the line of fire, then turned out the lights and slept like a baby. Figured things would be back to normal by morning. It always was.