Chrono Inquisitor (Gods Be Damned) (42 page)

‹“Travis, don’t!”›

Too late.

Standing where it was, a good three meters away, Goliath whipped its arm out, and hit me in the chest, sending me staggering backwards. At least I stopped when I hit the wall where the elevator was.

The damn thing had a wicked long arm span to be able to hit me from so far away.

“That’s my boy,” Lillian said.

Goliath smiled, barring seven centimeter long canines.

In a deep, unrefined voice it spoke. “Go, kill bad man?”

“Yes, you can kill him, but make it slow. I want him to suffer.”

I was having a coughing fit, trying to find how to properly breathe again as a result of the punch.

‹“Sam, run!”› I told her through the link.

But of course she didn’t listen. Instead, she dived, picked up her gun, and fired at Goliath, exhausting her clip.

It had little effect on the behemoth, but it turned
it’s head to look at Sam.

“Kill the man,” Lillian said. “I can handle the woman.”

Goliath smiled again and continued it’s advance toward me.

Sam’s distraction had given me enough time to regain control of my body. Unfortunately, my gun was on the other side of Goliath.

At least I had more weapons.

I pulled out my remaining Glock and fired at
it’s face, trying to hit some of it’s sensors. My bullets seemed to have no effect. They bounced off the thick metal skin of the beast as it continued it’s advance.

I grabbed a clip of shock-bullets, reloaded, and fired.

They hit and attached to the hull of the monstrosity. Each one that connected sent a shock pulse, which made the thing slow for a perceptible second, but not really enough to be of consequence.

All the drugged bullets would have no effect on it, so I didn’t even bother expending them.

‹“Kali, arsenal inventory?”›

‹You have: two Party Sticks, two
kamas, a FireAnt wand, four shock collars, and two grenades.›

I retrieved the four shock collars, two in each hand. I could have tried to duck and dodge the beast and waited for the right time to get them around one of
it’s extremities, but I figured I would tire long before it did. So, I charged it head on.

As I suspected, the thing expanded
it’s reach and caught me by my vault. I smiled and clasped the collars around it’s massive wrists.

“Kali, now!” I shouted.

She armed and electrified them.

Goliath instantly dropped me.

I landed nimbly and watched as it convulsed.

I reached into the vault and retrieved the Party Sticks, which were two electrified
tonfas, which I was quite adept at using, since they were somewhat similar to kamas, of which I was a master.

The baton like weapons had a special surprise though. Each of the three ends of the weapon could emit a painful electrical discharge on par with the high end of the shock collars, which was also controlled by Kali through my thoughts. Good thing they were fully charged.

I struck out and touched their ends to the shivering Goliath.

A
spiderweb of electricity shot out and hit the thing in it’s fake pectorals. It rattled, went rigid, and fell backwards.

That worked better than I thought it would.

Don’t ever think about how things could have gone worse, or better, because as soon as you do, things get worse.

I’d forgotten about War because I’d been overwhelmed with Goliath. I hadn’t noticed that he was on the sidelines like some wrestler waiting to be tagged in.

With his robotic accomplice down, which I never would have imagined, considering his history with the things, War ran and tackled me to the ground. I had the wind knocked out of me once again. Damn my body and its need for oxygen.

I wheezed and coughed, and clutched at my stomach, unable to bring my hands to my face to deflect the blows that I was about to receive from War’s big metal fists.

My eyes were focused on them as they approached me in slow motion, which I know wasn’t really the case.

Just when I’d accepted my fate, and closed my eyes, because I didn’t want to flinch, the strike didn’t occur. Actually, I felt like a weight had been lifted off me.

I hesitantly opened my eyes and found that War had disappeared.

But then I heard metal scraping against concrete off to my side. I careened my head and saw a giant ball of red and vomit green colored metal go tumbling and grinding away from me.

I sucked in a deep breath and rolled over onto my hands and knees.

‹Physical Death is still alive and just saved you,
›
Kali informed me.

I’d been saved by Death for the second time that night. Who would have guessed?

I focused my attention on Sam, just in time to see her dodge and roll away from a kick by Lillian. After all these years, Lillian still thought kicks were a good idea.

Sam got to her feet, ran, and picked up my fallen gun. But as she raised it and turned to shoot, Lillian had already closed the gap and kicked the weapon out of Sam’s hand.

Sam stumbled a little, but turned and executed a roundhouse kick of her own.

Lillian jumped back out of Sam’s range.

‹“We could use some help,”› I said, to Sam, Kali, Death, anyone who would listen, really. ‹“Maybe we should call Brandin, or even Nora.”›

‹“No,”› Sam said while deflecting a punch from Lillian. ‹“Nora isn’t a fighter, and at this point I don’t fully trust Brandin. I don’t trust any of my staff.”›

I found it disconcerting being linked to Sam while she was engaged in hand to hand combat with Lillian. I was afraid that I was a dangerous distraction.

Speaking of distractions, I hadn’t realized that Goliath wasn’t out of the game. He’d just been temporarily incapacitated, and now he was once again within striking distance of me.

I caught sight of the incoming fist at the last moment to bring my arm up to block. I was no match for a fast moving hunk of metal. I felt something crunch and a shot of pain went through my arm. I lost my footing and fell to the ground.

I stared like a deer in the headlights as Goliath raised both its arms, like it was going to hammer me through the roof.

Trying to push the pain of my arm aside, which seemed to be working, I rolled to my side and caught site of something half the size of Goliath slam into the beast.

A flicker of lightning revealed that Death had assisted me once again.

I looked around for War just in case. I didn’t want to be caught off guard like I’d been with Goliath. I didn’t see any flash of red in the darkness.

Then a whirling, buzzing sound ramped up, and I caught a glimpse of light reflecting off a saw blade. Death was using one of his built in weapons and was trying to cut Goliath down to size.

I heard the high pitched sound of metal grinding against metal, then get caught.

Then I heard something snap.

‹“My physical self is now truly dead,”› Death informed me.

‹“At least he bought me some time. Thanks.”›

The remnants of Death went sailing through the air as Goliath threw the corpse off itself.

Little sparks of blue light emitted from Goliath’s arm.

‹Death managed to cut through the external plating and expose some live wires in Goliath’s arm. If you can manage to hit that spot with something metal, you might be able to fry some of it’s circuits.›

‹“Sounds good, if only I didn’t have to get within his reach to do it.”›

I caught sight of Sam dodging and deflecting several of Lillian’s punches and kicks. I could tell from her posture that she was exhausted.

I’d thought Sam would have knocked Lillian into tomorrow already, but surprisingly, Lillian was holding her own and actually seemed to be winning. That wasn’t a good sign. I’d been holding out hope that Sam would come to my rescue.

Once again I’d gotten caught up inside my head.

My feet were pulled out from under me by Goliath.

I put my arms up around my head, bracing for the impact of the ground.

It didn’t happen.

Instead, I found myself dangling upside down, being held in the air by my feet, my head inches from the concrete.

‹Now is your chance. One of your
tonfas is within your grasp. Strike at the exposed part of Goliath’s arm.›

I focused all my attention on those little blue arcs of light. Using all my entire core, I pulled myself up. I struck out with everything I had at that little point of weakness.

Contact.

Unfortunately, neither Kali, nor myself, had taken into account that short circuiting the behemoth would cause it to suddenly drop me.

Luckily, I ended up falling on my back and not my head.

But once again, the wind was knocked out of me, this time worse than before.

I lay there. Unmoving. My body in shock and revolting.

Then I felt something severe.

Not in my body, but my mind.

My link with Sam was gone.

I tried to roll over in order to see what was happening, but my body wouldn’t move. I tried to call out Sam’s name, but I didn’t quite have the lungs for it yet.

I lay there for what felt like eternity. Finally my body fell back under my command. I pushed myself to my hands and knees. My back hurt like hell. As I stood, I stretched. A loud pop sounded, accompanied by a jolt of pain which shot through my system, but it was a good pain.

I pulled out my
kamas and cautiously approached the area where I’d last witnessed Sam and Lillian in battle.

My wet hair stuck to the sides of my face, impairing my vision. I brushed my hair back and did what I should have done in the beginning. I retrieved two high intensity LED wrist lights from compartment 10.

With a light and kama in each hand, I scanned the surrounding area looking for Sam.

‹“Kali, do you detect Sam’s Chrono?”›

‹I do not.›

‹“What about Lillian?”›

‹Yes, she is just over five meters to your left.›

‹“Then where the hell is Sam?”›

‹I will see what I can do.›

‹“Damn, right, you will.”›

I turned to where Kali had said Lillian was and in doing so caught sight of my gun on the ground. I put away one of my kamas so I could retrieve it.

When I stood back up a large dark form was standing over me.

Goliath hadn’t been stopped, just temporarily disabled.

The thing roared in my face.

An explosion erupted from behind the behemoth. A blast of light and sound came at me, wrapping around Goliath. Instinctively I turned my back and hunkered down, burying my head. Luckily, the big beast helped block the brunt of the force.

It was all so loud and bright. I thought a bolt of lightning had struck the roof.

With a bit of trepidation, I turned my gaze, still mostly keeping my head protected, I saw Goliath. The entire body of the beast was glowing like it was a giant piece of metal pulled out of a forge. Heat and smoke came off the thing in waves.

I felt a tickle and immediately answered.

‹“Sam! Thank the gods!”›

‹“It’s Quentin, sir. I’m so glad you’re all right. I got to the roof and saw something move. It startled me and I accidentally fired the weapon you wanted. I was so afraid I’d fired it at you.”›

Goliath was beginning to waver, so I moved far enough out of its fall radius and circled around the thing.

‹“I’m coming towards you, Quentin, so if you’d be so kind and put the weapon down so you don’t accidently blow my head off, it’d be greatly appreciated.”›

‹“Yes, sir.”›

As I walked towards him, I realized that my ears were ringing and that I couldn’t hear anything.

I couldn’t hear the gunshot, but I saw the muzzle flash of the weapons discharge. It came from where Kali had indicated Lillian was.

Reflexively, I pivoted and knelt down. Without hesitation I fired a couple rounds at the source.

‹“Kali, give me a Chrono status update on any you detect.”›

‹I detect the
Chronos of Mr. Quentin and Ms. Park. Both have suffered minor gunshot wounds.›

‹“Where the hell is Sam?”›

“Sam!” I yelled.

“She’s dead!” Lillian yelled back. “And soon you will be too.”

My ears were still ringing, but I'd heard what she’d said. Enraged, I discharged my entire clip in her direction.

‹Ms. Park is retreating. She is in the elevator. I’ve analyzed footage from when the Maelstrom was fired and your searching for Sam, I believe I know where you’ll find her,
›
Kali said.

“Where is she?”

I heard Quentin groaning, but I didn’t care about him, even if he had saved my life. All I wanted was to find her. My Samsara.

Kali directed me to the place.

The light on my wrist illuminated Sam’s body, I ran to her as fast as I could.

I dove at her side and took her lifeless body in my arms.

“What do I do? She can’t be dead.”

Tears flowed from my eyes faster than the rain fell.

‹Her Chrono is blank.›

I pulled her closer and kissed her lips.

“Wake up Sam. It’s time to wake up. Please wake up.”

I kissed her again and again, hoping that she’d awake like a princess in a fairy tale.

‹She’s gone, Travis. But Quentin could use your assistance, and Lillian is escaping. You need to catch her before she gets away or kills anyone else. She will probably go after Mrs. Beit next.›

“I don’t care. I just want Sam back.”

‹She would want you to stop Lillian
.
›

“It doesn’t matter what she’d want. She’s dead.”

Saying it aloud nearly broke what little hold I had left on reality. I hugged her body closer and cried.

In a more authoritative voice than I’d ever heard her use before, Kali said
,
‹You need to get up and finish what she started.›

“I just want to be with Sam.”

‹If that’s what you really want, I can make the mytes kill you right now.›

I almost told her to do it, but then a thought occurred to me. ‹“You’d die as well.”›

‹Yes, I am willing to choose death over living with you in this state for the rest of our life.›

‹“You’re bluffing. Wait, what if this is a trick? What if Sam is only making herself look dead? Maybe it was just a ruse to make Lillian think she’d won.”›

‹We do not have the capability to find that out here. You need to get Sam back to the bunker. Hopefully Lillian hasn’t gone there herself.›

“Kali, can you block what I’m feeling right now, just like you did with the pain earlier?”

‹Yes.›

“Then do it. But just until I stop Lillian.”

‹As you wish.›

I got to my feet with a lifeless Sam in my arms. All my emotion was gone. All that was left was a calculating mind.

I saw a discarded glove not too far away. I was certain it was Lillian’s and had been loaded with one of her experimental thugs.

Why hadn’t the thugs I’d designed, saved Sam?

She isn’t dead, I told myself. She’s only sleeping. Ten minutes. That’s how long I was dead. She’ll wake up then.

Sam was going to wake, then we’d kill Lillian, together.

I carried Sam to the elevator. Quentin had gotten to his feet and was hobbling his way to the elevator as well. He’d been shot in the leg.

With some repositioning of Sam’s body, I managed to reach into compartment 25 of the vault. I pulled out a small canister of antiseptic/pain relieving/blood-clotting spray.

“Here,” I said. I tried to hand him the canister but it fell. He bent down to pick it up. I kept walking. He would live until he got to the Lifeguard station.

I thought about taking Sam there, but decided against it. It would create too many questions when they’d pronounce her dead and she’d awaken like a zombie. No, I was going to take her back to the bunker like Kali had suggested.

I could get some more weapons while I was there as well.

Awkwardly, I pushed the call button for the elevator. It arrived shortly. The doors opened and I entered. I turned and saw Quentin was trying to run to get in as well. I didn’t want to be around anyone. He’d ask me about Sam.

I felt a tightness in my chest, as well as my throat. My jaw trembled and my eyes moistened.

‹“Kali, stop this feeling!”›

‹I’m trying, but you still need to be able to physically feel.›

A few seconds later the physical and emotional sensations were gone.

I looked at the button panel of the elevator and realized there wasn’t one for the bunker. Would Quentin know about it? I thought about pressing any button just to prevent him from getting on, but I didn’t. The doors started to close. At the last second, I stuck a foot in the door and it reopened.

Quentin got on.

“She’s unconscious,” I said, before he could ask. “There’s a secret bunker under the golf course. Do you know about it?”

He shook his head.

“Damn.”

Nora would know. So would Brandin, and other security staff. I didn’t have either of their C-links though.

Quentin pushed the button for the floor with the Lifeguard station.

We descended.

‹“Kali, any suggestions?”›

‹There is a security call button on the panel which will probably link you to the security office. I would suggest you wait for Quentin to exit though.›

‹“No, shit.”›

She ignored my remark and said
,
‹I am scanning for Lillian’s Chrono. I recommend that we get off the elevator as soon as possible, since I believe she was the one responsible for them malfunctioning earlier.›

We reached the floor of the Lifeguard center and Quentin exited. When I didn’t follow he asked, “Aren’t you coming?”

I shook my head while pressing a random button. The doors closed.

I was about to push the security call button, but then hesitated. Whose side was Brandin on? Sam’s, or Lillian’s? Who could I trust?

Nora.

Except I didn’t know how to get ahold of her.

But Brandin did.

I pushed the security button.

“Hotel security,” Brandin said.

“I need Nora
Beti’s C-link, right now,” I said. I knew there was a camera somewhere in the elevator and that he could see me.

“Inquisitor Yan, is that Sam?”

“Now!”

“I’m sorry, I-”

“If you don’t give me her link in the next second, I am going to kill you. I know you’re E3.”

That probably hadn’t been the best decision. If he was working for Lillian, threatening him would be catastrophic. He could cause an elevator malfunction.

But then I realized I wasn’t afraid. Kali had my fear blocked.

“Touch the ‘service’ button and it’ll transmit it to you,” he said. Then he added, “I discovered Lillian is the one who’s been messing with the security. I tried to reach Sam, but she didn’t respond. I’m attempting to block Lillian’s access as we speak.”

That sounded like he was on Sam’s side, but I couldn’t trust it. It was possible Lillian was having him say that to gain my trust.

I had to reposition Sam’s body so I could press the ‘service’ button.

‹“Tickle, Nora.”›

Kali did.

She answered immediately, but I didn’t give her the chance to speak. I just started questioning her.

‹“Where are you?”›

‹“In my apartment.”›

‹“How do I get to the bunker?”›

‹“In any elevator push the floor buttons in this sequence; 4,6,5,3, and then press security. Why, what’s going on?”›

Should I tell her it was Lillian who’d been having the affair with her husband, and what had happened? Yes, Lillian had said she wanted to kill her. She needed to know.

‹“Does your apartment have a panic room?”›

‹“Yeah.”›

‹“Then go to it now.”›

‹“Why, what’s going-”›

‹“Just go, and don’t come out until either Sam or I contact you. Lillian is behind everything.”›

‹“What-”›

‹“Who is Brandin more loyal to, Sam or Lillian?”›

‹“What-”›

‹“I need to know now. Sam or Lillian?”›

‹“Sam, but why?”›

‹“What’s his C-link?”›

Nora gave it to me and before she could say another word, I severed the link, having achieved what I’d wanted.

I laid Sam on the floor. I hadn’t wanted to have her out of my arms, but I couldn’t push the buttons while holding her.

I wished I had the schematics for the bunker. Because I didn’t, I only knew the layout of what I’d seen while there earlier. It was
possible Lillian had fled to it. I still had my grenades. I grabbed one. If I did spot Lillian inside when the doors opened, I was going to throw the grenade in, close the doors, and hope the elevator could wiz me away fast enough. I also hoped there wasn’t a secret exit Lillian could escape through.

I quickly moved Sam’s body out of the way. It was possible Lillian would know I was coming. I grabbed my gun. I only had two more standard bullets. They were loaded. The other clips I had were sedatives. Where they wouldn’t have worked on Goliath, they’d work on his bitch of a mother.

The doors opened. I had a grenade and my Glock at the ready.

Lillian wasn’t to be seen.

‹“Kali, if you detect any movement, inform me immediately of its direction.”›

‹Of course.›

I cautiously entered.

Seeing nothing in the initial office, I made my way to the lab. Entering it stirred memories of Sam and I dancing and having fun together. Of us reconciling. I felt a wave of sadness coming on.