Solitude
The end of another day, like any other. How long had he been living here? It wasn't too long, was it? Maybe twenty years, maybe a bit more. No, not long at all.
He put away the new cyber dart-gun he was working on. He had gotten quite adept at building black market cybertech. Hell, he had to make a living somehow. He still had the money he had arrived with, minus what he had used to buy the house of course, but that was kept in reserve. Just in case he needed to leave in a hurry.
Locking up his work bench and unslotting his stress chip, it wouldn't do to stress out while working on such a delicate project, he mixed himself his customary Dew and SoCo cocktail and settled in front of the trideo. He always watched the news, sometimes it was interesting.
The talking head came on and rattled through the usually minor bullshit; bank jobs, murders, a cosmoliner crash, the usual. Nothing to get excited about... Wait... He activated the amplifiers in his ears, it took less energy than turning up the volume.
"...planetary officials are at a loss. The killer has been roaming the streets of Quagmire for several weeks, each night killing two young ladies. Always one with dark hair, the other with a reddish color. The killings are linked by the method, a single shot through the heart and an ace of hearts left on the bodies. So far local law enforcement agencies have no leads. The only official word is that the killer seems to have a fixation with 3WA trouble consultant team 261, the Lovely Angels. Better known as the Dirty Pair. In light of this the 3WA central computer has assigned the Angels to this case, against the vehement protests of the local government. Local officials, in an effort to minimize the teams stay planetside, have offered a one million credit reward for the capture of the 'Ace of Hearts'. The Pair are due to arrive..."
One million credits? Not bad. That would be more than enough to pay for a new micro-tool kit and some new cyberware for himself. Maybe it was time for another little hunting expedition. Yeah, why not. He could use the vacation.
It only took an hour to pack the essentials, this wasn't his first hunting trip after all, and lock up his house. On his way out he activated the securibots he had designed, those had brought in some money, and turned on his answering machine.
Entering his garage he walked past his Vector W-80 and set his bags down next to a large tarp covered vehicle. Stripping the tarp off quickly, he stood back to admire it. He only used it for these 'special' trips. The shiny red paint reflected the bright arclights in the ceiling.
He entered through the rear hatch and stowed the bags in the proper bins before examining his weapons locker. Everything seemed to be in order. Plenty of time to keep the maintenance up.
Satisfied that all was in order he slid down the rails into the drivers seat and fired her up. The fusion turbine whined to life willingly. He opened the garage door and rolled out into the last of the sunlight. The orange rays reflecting off the license plate. MEGAZONE.
Zoner performed one final check, closed the garage, and blasted off into the sunlight.
Up Too Late Productions, DisInc.
in association with
Techno-Babble Unlimited
presents
A CyberRun Production
Of ShadowPunk Films
Brian D. Bikowicz
Vaughn Gross
Solitude
Publishing by Virtual Publishing Co., Don'tEvenThinkAboutInc.
Copyright (c) 1992 Brian Bikowicz and Vaughn Gross
The Daytona from Hell blasted out of warp just outside Loughead's orbital space. With any luck he had beaten the Lovely Angel to the scene. Zoner activated the camo system and contacted planetary control.
"Loughead control this is Cruiser Mike Zulu Two Three Alpha Eight Eight. Inbound for Entex." If his system was working correctly that would be the same data now on the controller's screen.
"Roger Alpha Eight Eight. Purpose of visit and number on board please."
"Tourist and I'm alone." Bingo.
"Very well, cleared for approach. Good day."
"Thank you and good day to you too."
That was almost too easy. Luckily Loughead was fairly lax in their Customs inspections, especially if you were visiting a small town like Entex. Which of course was one of the reasons he had chosen it for his destination, that and the Angels were less likely to get in his way than if he operated out of Quagmire. He had no desire to cross paths with the Pair yet.
Planetfall was simple and in no time he had secured the use of an old barn to store the Daytona. The old farmer was all too eager to take his cash. Such a simple life, so trusting, he hoped that the old man would be able to keep on like that. His life was far to dark to ever be that way again.
First thing to do, obtain all data available on the Ace of Hearts killings. That should be easy enough. Zoner tapped into the networks' satellite communication system and set up a few search programs.
"There, that should take a few hours. What to do next... Hmmm... Of course! Check and see which of my esteemed colleagues have shown up for this little party. You know, living alone for so long really gives you bad habits. Like talking to yourself all the time..."
Zoner set another scan program to work, set up a perimeter alarm, and took a nap.
He was awakened a few hours later by the beeping of his terminal, signifying it was done with its task. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and began scanning the available information.
There wasn't much. The killer always struck in the dark, always killed two women - one dark haired the other with a reddish tint, always by a single shot through the heart, and he always left an Ace of Hearts on each victim. Correction, he or she. Assumptions were bad in this business. Hmmm, weapon? Miltron M12 caseless sabot pistol/carbine. Wow, nice weapon, but that raised a new question. Did the killer use the short barrel close in, or the long barrel kit from a distance? No good information to answer that one. But it did tell him one thing, this was no street punk. The M12 was a very powerful, high quality weapon normally used by security forces who preferred the reliability of a projectile over the power of an electromag. So, maybe a pro with a strange hobby, or a pro with something against the Pair.
"Gee, the Pair don't have any enemies," Zoner commented sarcastically.
What else, what else? Well, most of the victims weren't pure redheads, many only had red highlights or auburn hair. Understandable, flaming redheads weren't all that common. ARGH! No hard facts, nothing solid.
"This whole thing reeks of a set up. Maybe even more than one killer. They HAD to know that the pair would be assigned to a case like this. Fine, so that's the motive. Draw the Pair to Quagmire. But why here, why Quagmire? Hmmm. Maybe they had a case here before..."
Zoner ran a quick scan on the history of prior 3WA involvement on Loughead. Nothing.
"So, no former cases. What then? WHAT THE HELL AM I MISSING?! Damndamndamn... Wait... Maybe someone they had busted, or, more likely, who got away, has their base of ops here. Of course! Bring the Pair here to get the home field advantage. Makes sense, but you'd have to be crazy to bring the Pair to your home field... Then again, you have to be crazy to talk to yourself all the time."
He next turned to the list of competitors he would face. Not many major people, mostly thrill seekers out for an easy buck. Newbies. There only big time people who showed were Ghost and Dodger, Kahm as his boys, Mr. Grimm, and, of course, the Lovely Angels. Not bad, but of course there could always be others like him, hiding in the shadows. This could be an interesting run.
"No time like the present."
He set his system up to relay position updates on the other groups to him, and of course, to forward any new data on the Ace as it came in. Then he mounted his Bahamode and streaked off towards Quagmire.
It wasn't hard to blend in with the street life. Big cities were big cities pretty much everywhere. Slot a customized city speak chip and you were one of the locals. Providing of course that you knew the body language, and Zoner had plenty of experience.
He started with the standard approach, visiting the scene of each crime. Over the years he had learned to think like a killer, to place himself in their position and reproduce their train of thought. After only a few of the sites he decided the killer must have used the long barrel and a high power scope. A clean shot from a roof and it would be over before anyone could make a move. It was what he would do, and had done in the past. This Ace was real pro, it would take a few days to catch him.
"And each day it takes means two more women dead," Zoner mumbled out loud before moving on. The thought almost stirred some emotion in him.
At the twelfth site he ran into Kahm, an old 'friend'. Kahm and Zoner had crossed paths before, mostly as competitors. It annoyed Kahm that he usually lost in such cases, but he was professional about it.
"'Oi chummer. What brings you to these parts?" Kahm called out as he spotted Zoner.
"Just seeing the sights. Catching up on local history," Zoner scanned Kahm's hulking form. Kahm appeared even bigger than last time, if that was possible.
"Recent 'istory per'aps?"
"Maybe... You?"
"The same."
"I thought as much... Listen, we both know that we're here to try and nail this 'Ace of Hearts.' So's every other razorguy with an ego and creds for the trip here. You and I're different, been in the biz for a while. So let's just make a professional agreement right here. I won't step on your toes and you don't step on mine. If I find something you really need to know I'll tell ya. But I'm here for the reward, so don't expect much help. Sound agreeable to you?"
"'Ai, null perspiration chummer. Your word's good. I'll stay out of your way, chip truth."
"Chip truth chombata. The hunt is on."
"That it is. I'll take you to this wiz club I know when I get the creds," Kahm joked, rabbit punching Zoner's arm as he moved off.
"Right... Stay frosty," Zoner called to his retreating form.
You meet a lot of people in this line of work, few of them were genuinely good people. Kahm was one of the few. Though never really friends, each had a professional respect for the other's work, and each had saved the other's ass on occasion. Kahm was a pro, and you needn't worry about the pros. You worried about the newbie with the fancy gun and an immortality complex. The ones who hadn't learned some hard lessons yet. They were the ones who caused problems, they were the random element.
After checking the rest of the sites, including the previous night's, Zoner decided there was nothing left to do but wait until dark and get a killer's eye view of the city.
Twilight found Zoner fitting the last few pieces of his CVR-7 riding armor. He had personalized the armor over the years, modifying it to allow him to rig into the VR-029 Predator Cyclone via the armor. These modifications, combined with modifications he had made to his own body, gave him reaction times far better than nearly all other armor units, better even than many unarmored fighters.
After a quick systems check he mounted the '029, gunned the turbine, and raced off toward Quagmire.
"Damn, I HATE waiting," Zoner muttered into the night air. He had been sitting atop one of Quagmires skyrakers waiting for something to happen. Unfortunately nothing had since night fell nearly six hours before.
The Quagmire police were out in force, hoping to catch the killer before he struck again.
Zoner harbored no such illusions.
A few times they had come close enough for him to activate his PC-2 Predator Cloak to avoid detection. That was the most action he had seen all evening.
For the millionth time that evening he turned his electronically boosted gaze towards the Quagmire spaceport, and the bright red ship resting there. Lovely Angel. He wondered for a moment if the Angels were on board, or out patrolling the night streets. He knew that the killer would want them out in public, and the ghost of worry flickered across his mind.
"DISPATCH! DISPATCH! This is patrol alpha one two. The Ace got two more, corner of Howe and Hampden..."
Before the statement was even complete Zone had leapt from his perch and was streaking toward the scene, the Cyclones boosters roaring.
It wasn't far, and he was the first to arrive. The police were keeping the curious away from the bodies. They were widely spread, apparently the Ace got lucky and found two targets in the same area. But he wasn't concerned with the bodies anyway, he already knew what he needed to know about them. He was looking for something else.
As he descended he activated the PC-2 and his thermographic vision, scanning the surrounding rooftops. Bingo. One of the rooftops had a point a few degrees above the surroundings. Zoner set down next to the point and activated his sensor pack.
Definite powder residue on the ledge... He must have rested a bipod there... No footprints about... Ah, residue from some form of thruster... So, the Ace flies too, interesting... Tread marks... Standard military issue... Probably from a surplus store in the city...
"Kei, I'm picking up energy readings from one of the rooftops next to the scene," Yuri called from the science station on the Angel.
"Like what?" Kei asked in her curt way. She was busy flying the ship.
"Sensors of some sort. Spectrographic scanners and the like. But I don't know where they're coming from. I can't see anything on visual and none of our scanners can find anything."
"Long distance scan?"
"No... To weak for that. Last time I saw something like this..." Yuri trailed off.
"What?"
"Oh nothing, my mistake." Last time I saw something like this was the Predator Cloak. I sure hope Ben isn't down there, Yuri thought to herself.
Zoner was startled as the rooftop was bathed in light. In an instant he has identified the source. "Damn!" was all he said as he kicked in the thrusters.
"Did you see that?" Kei asked.
"See what?"
"Right after I kicked on the spots I though I saw a streak of flame leave the roof."
"Flame? From what?"
"I don't know... I wasn't really watching. Oh well, it was probably a reflection off of something."
Flame? It has to be a Predator Cyclone. But who? Ben? Or... Or is it him? Yuri asked herself.
Zoner watched the Lovely Angel set down next to the scene and he waited for the occupants to exit. Yes, she was there. Oh Yuri, did you ever forgive me for leaving you behind? Zoner thought to himself, then aloud, "Right, and all of the crewmembers that I doomed. Get real man." He turned his back on the Angel and leapt into the night.
Zoner didn't awake until mid-afternoon, there was nothing much to do during the day. He figured on waiting until dusk before roaming the city. You never knew what you could learn from the night life.
To better blend in he left his heavy gear behind, opting for a simple kevlar weave ensemble topped by a synth-leather duster with integral armor. He armed himself lightly too, carrying only a collapsing Militech Smartarms SMG and a Predator II heavy auto-pistol. He still had a preference for a good solid projectile weapon. Of course these weren't exactly off the shelf items, he had made a few modifications. He slid through the sprawl like a regular, going mostly unnoticed. Of course there are always a few people who made it a point to notice everything. He had just turned down a side street when they made themselves known.
"Hey chummer, can we help you wit' sumthin'?" one of the three punks before him asked.
"Don't think so. I'm just looking around," Zoner answered. He could sense at least two more gangers behind, likely more in the wings. He kicked in his adrenal boosters and steeled himself. Better safe than sorry.
"We don't take kindly to offworlders pokin' around on our territory."
He's doing all the talking, but he doesn't have much bearing. Must be a lieutenant. "Stay frosty chombata. I've got no deuce with you."
"Yeah, well maybe we've got a deuce with you." The apparent leader stepped closer. "Maybe I just don't like your looks."
"I'm being nice and you keep pushing. I'm here to nail the Ace, not dance in an alley with you."
"The 'Ace' is our problem, we take out our own garbage. The only problem you oughta be thinkin' on now is us."
So they're going to nail the Ace... Yahright! "Ok. You want me off your dos I'm gone."
"No chummer, you've been usin' our air all night. Time to pay the bill." As he finished the ganger swung the blade he had palmed, aiming for Zoner's kidney. The duster stopped it with ease.
"Real bad move chombata. Too bad it's your last," Zoner calmly stated. In a flash the twin blades of his cyberspurs had extended from his right arm and an instant later the gangers head occupied a separate space than his body. Before the head had hit the ground the other gangers were moving.
Zoner spun, driving his spurs out the back of the ganger closest to his rear. Continuing his motion he retracted his blades to fling the body at the other ganger there. In one fluid motion he drew the Predator and spun into a crouch as he kicked on his smartlinks. Almost without thought he fired two three round bursts, turning the heads of each of the two punks left into mist.
Hearing a slide rack to his rear he dove over the two bodies as they fell and rolled out facing the way he had come. The remaining punk must have had a little chrome. He kept his SMG on target while Zoner tried to dodge. The duster stopped most of the rounds, but the flechettes punched through his pants in a few places, sending hot waves of pain up his leg. That pissed him off, he liked those pants.
Zoner stood to face the hail of bullets and turned the Predator on the punk. The punk's subdermal armor stopped the first few bursts, but it really wasn't designed to stop fourteen millimeter high power sabot rounds. A few of the SMG's rounds tore bloody furrows along Zoner's face and neck, but not for long. In short order there was little connecting the gangers waist to his shoulders.
Before the echoes of gunfire had died Zoner had slammed a new clip in to the pistol and leapt to the second floor fire escape. He paused to control his breathing, and kicking in his sound filters he could hear the sound of several people approaching at a run. Either more gangers or the cops, either way he didn't want to meet them in the alley. He began to climb.
He reached the roof just before the first of the runners reached the alley. Gangers. From the looks of them they were all higher level than the ones he had dropped, more chrome.
He ducked back onto the roof to evaluate the situation. He still had the SMG with several clips and he was only down one clip on the Predator. He ran a quick diagnostic, all of his cyber systems were online and Omega-2 was healing his biowear fairly fast. The pain was annoying, but the itching as he healed even more so.
He risked another peek over the edge. The were thirteen of them already, maybe more on the way.
"Damn. Why didn't I bring my M-10? That's got a grenade launcher... Or just some grenades? Because you were trying not to be obvious, remember? The M-10 doesn't collapse and you didn't want to start anything. Well, now that I'm in something what the hell am I supposed to do? How the hell should I know? And for goddess sake, stop talking to yourself!" Zoner scurried across the roof and checked the other sides.
One side butted against a taller building, at least five stories of blank brick. Dead end. Another adjoined a cut for the city subway. That added a few extra stories and some high voltage lines. Doable, but not preferred. The remaining side overlooked the main road, which was full of people and, unfortunately, a few gangers. The people offered good cover, but the gangers were likely to open fire anyway.
"Well, that leaves door number four," Zoner mumbled as he returned to his original position. "Let's see. Fifteen or so punks now. Three story drop. They're letting their guard down since there's no immediate threat. That's a mistake. Maybe they'll just go away... Nope, looks like they're going to search the place. Oh well, null perspiration. As the good doctor says, sined, sealed, delivered." With that he leapt off the roof and opened fire with both guns as he descended. With dual smartlinks his fire had deadly accuracy. Seven punks were down before he landed. Four would never get up.
Zoner's reinforced body easily absorbed the impact as he rolled on landing. A bit more stable now he ran like a man possessed at the largest group of gangers, firing as he came. He coordinated his fire, using the SMG to disorient them as he dropped them with controlled fire from the Predator. The long hours at his combat range had him well prepared. Unlike most, his targets fired back. He liked the realism.
Three more punks fell. A good shot ripped his cheek open, spraying gore across his shoulder. One of the razorguys extended his arm and Zoner spun as a sledgehammer slammed into his left shoulder. He was quick to understand. "Cyberarm with integral twelve gauge. I have got to be more careful," he chided himself. Ducking between two dumpsters he checked his shoulder. The joint was shattered by the impact, but the armor stopped most of the round. Still the arm was useless for the moment.
Hearing the approach of a few of the remaining gangers he sprayed the area blindly with the SMG to keep them down. A bit of quick math left five standing, maybe more. He couldn't know who was down but not out. So, time to push it to the limit.
He slammed a new clip into each of his guns and holstered the SMG. He stuffed his left arm into his pocket to keep it out of the way, kicked his adrenal boosters into overdrive, and dove into the alley.
The gangers opened fire as soon as he was visible. There were six of them up, all in various states of hurt, and two more struggling to stand.
He quickly decided who was the biggest threat and turned the Predator on her. The razorgirl's neck exploded, fountaining blood as she dropped. Zoner kept moving, but in a crossfire there isn't much you can do. He was pummeled by rounds from all sides, more and more of them making it through his armor and impacting his subdermal plating. Another punk fell as his arm departed his body. Another as her knee vanished in a bloody haze.
Zoner was bleeding profusely from scores of wounds. The pain was no problem, but even Detians need blood to operate. He drilled the last punk in front of him and began to turn when the sledgehammer hit him in the back, slamming him into the ground and flinging the pistol from his grip.
The punk with the cyberarm, actually the gang boss, had been in the front when Zoner fire his wild burst. A lucky shot had grazed his temple, stunning him. He came to just in time to see Zoner plug the forth ganger. He was, to say the least, pissed. He lined up and fired his shotgun.
Zoner was in a world of hurt. The slug had caught him in the small of the back. If it weren't for his modifications it would probably be broken. The shots stopped as he fell, the gangers must have presumed him dead. They'd be right about any normal man. Zoner wasn't normal. He knew Mr. Shotgun had been down, so that meant there were now at least three gangers left behind him.
He waited for footsteps before springing into action. In one smooth move he rolled over, drew the SMG, and sprayed the approaching punks. One of the juniors was in front of the leader, shielding him. But she, and the other standing ganger didn't stay up for long. As they dropped one of the prone punks tried to get up, Zoner relieved him of the desire to do so. And then he was out of ammo.
Zoner was left kneeling in a pool of gore, both his and the gangs, facing the approaching gang boss. He had a good victims eye view of the shotgun barrel and he knew he could never get a new clip in the SMG in time. He had lost a lot of blood, and he didn't have the strength to leap with his spurs. Things didn't look good.
The gang boss glared at Zoner, hate and rage competing for top billing in his emotions. he wanted to be close when he killed this offworlder. He wanted to watch the slug remove his organs and spray them out his back. He stopped only a few feet short of Zoner and leveled the arm on his chest.
As the arm jerked from the recoil Zoner flicked open the fingernail on his right forefinger and snapped his arm across an arc between himself and the ganger. The fingernail sailed out past the ganger as it continued through its arc. The slug slammed into his sternum, tearing through his Kevlar shirt and forcing his subdermal plating back to crush his internal organs. As he fell the mono-filament line connecting the weighted nail to his finger neatly severed the gangers head. The ganger never knew what happened.
Zoner reeled in the mono-line as he tried to catch his breath. He definitely wasn't feeling very good. As he contemplated the headless body in front of him a large shadow eclipsed the sun. "I'm dead," he rasped sardonically as he raised his eyes to confront the new arrival.
"Morning."
Zoner moaned and passed out.
Zoner awoke in a room that was far to bright. Squinting he scanned his surroundings, stopping as the person sitting next the his cot came into focus.
"Vaughn?!"
"Morning."
"Ok, somehow this all seems normal. So, what brings you to Quagmire?"
"A bad sense of direction?? I was headed for the larger city a bit off to the west..... It didn't look like too bad a planet... and i kinda felt like a milkshake...."
Zoner poked Vaughn in the kidney. "No, actually you don't feel a thing like a milkshake."
BAP!
"I knew that was coming.. the humans here seem to behave about the same as any others..", Vaughn shrugged. "hrm.. i don't think the police like me either... they are far to nosy anyway.."
"Speaking of police... What happened in the alley back there anyway? Last thing I recall I tried to redecorate with my blood."
"um.. lessee... there were a lot of people, just kinda hanging around being dead... you were bleeding profusely.. i think i'll have to replace my spare set of clothes.. the stains may never come out.. mundanes standing about with the typical `oo... death and destruction.. let's mill about like sheep and watch', police showed up and i wandered off carrying you... i think about 5 of the dead people aren't and won't be.. i patched them up.. and you too.. tho the shoulder was kinda nasty.. you heal rather quickly... i hadn't really known what the omega two could do.. i think i broke a few windows when i left.. but the cops were kinda rude.."
"Say... Did you see a woman in the alley... Kinda all in black, attractive but sorta pale?"
"Only about four... mostly dead.. but they seemed to be gang members.."
"Oh well.. Probably just my mind screwing up again. Uh... Did you say something about windows?"
"um.. ya.. due to extreme speed of exit.. the good thing is they cleared almost all of the mundanes, so probably no one went deaf..."
"Extreme speeds? What do you drive?"
(pokes Zoner in the forehead) "Think about that statement for a second.. what have i been doing for the last 5 years??"
"5? NOT! I haven't seen you for over 300 years."
"300? oop.. heh... guess i need a better watch... but my point is still the same..."
"So the point is you've learned to walk wicked damn fast. How long have I been out?"
"um.. just over a day.. hrm.. you realize how REALLY BIG space is? and how tough it is to find one person in particular..? oh well.. that was another reason for planetfall... heh.. i probably gave the flight controller fits.. *grin* got some place to be?"
"Well, I am here on business of sorts. I'm trying to find the 'Ace of Hearts'."
"Who? hmmm.. probably no one i'd enjoy meeting... ah well... i'll let you do that.. i may tag.. oh.. anyone else here that we know?"
"First the Ace is a psycho who seems to like killing young women. Two at a time. One redhead on with dark hair. Second, a certain pair of your ladies we both know, one redhead, one dark, are here looking for him too."
"oh hey cool... hmm.. where can i get chocolate chip cookies?? and a decent milkshake, real milk.. stuff that came from something that goes moo.. none of this synth stuff.. blegh."
"Yahright..."
"oh.. hmm.. so the pair shouldn't be here if there is someone killing people who look like em, right? or at least we should stop this guy..."
"Well, that's my idea. There may not be any thing between us any more, but I have something against someone trying to make holes in them. Besides, he's worth a million creds."
"Return for deposit? heh... yah.. i have something against people making holes in any of my friends... i consider it to be very not nice.."
"Yeah... It's just a general principle thing. If you want to help me out I'll give you half the reward. Do with it what you want. The Angels are at the spaceport if you wanted to say hello. Only, if you go, please don't mention me at all. I'd rather they didn't know I was here."
"um.. okay.. all i need to do is cover costs... money is still a concept... tho i may take a little.. how long do you figure this particular system will be in effect.. i assume things have changed a bit.. all i got is this for money.." As Vaughn pulls out 4 outdated cred slips, 3 gold coins, 4 pennies, a quarter, two pieces of string, a key, some lint, 3 various colored rocks, 2 small emeralds, 1 ruby the size of his thumbnail, a small stick, a few bits of metal, and a chuck of glowing crystal (dilithium) from various pockets a pouch and his backpack. "Any of this worth anything? well maybe i may take a little and invest it... know any good companies?"
"Ummm.... Well.... Utopia Planitia is still in business, and the 3WA is normally a safe bet. I would avoid any business centered on a single planet, they've been known to get very unstable. Galactic Electric might be ok. You should wander by a broker some time. I'm sure you'll have plenty of time after this is over."
"heh.. i'd imagine so..."
"Well, we'd better hit the streets before it gets to late. I left my Bahamode in a lot in the neighborhood you found me in. I'll need to touch base to re-equip before I go up against the 'Ace'. Want to go for a ride?"
"Sure.. why not? tho it'll take a while to get back at normal speeds... we are a few hundred or so miles from there..."
"Ah... I see. Care to give me a lift back then?"
"um.. so as to avoid more property damage.. let's take a train...
And with that they were off.
It didn't take long for Zoner to change into a new set of armor, settling for the same basic outfit with the addition of an armored cycle helmet. Although he did decide to grab some heavier weapons.
"Ok, I've got my Militech M-10 with integral under- barrel mini-grenade launcher. Five clips for the SMG, two for the launcher; one HE and one 'shotgun'. Predator II with four clips of AP. And ten airfoil grenades, half and half HE and tranq gas. Oh, and of course," Zoner pulled on a pair of black gloves, "BattleGloves. You sure you don't want anything?"
"A thermos?? um.. i don't really need any weapons of mass destruction..all we gotta do is catch the guy right?"
"Well... If we can catch him fine. But I don't think this guy is going to be taken alive. He plays for keeps. He'd rather die taking us down than let us take him in. Only I don't intend to be taken down."
"um.. ya.. well.. hmmm...as i said.. i am not really into mass violence.. or even violence on a limited scale... but i doubt giving him a good talking to will suffice.. this has been bothering me.. what exactly is succotash?"
Zoner blinked. "Succotash? Hmmm... er... ah... Corn and... Well... I know it's got corn... George Carlin did a joke with this... Corn and what... Lima beans or kidney beans or some kind of bean... I don't really know.... And what the heck brought this on anyway?"
"Normal thought process."
"Vaughn..."
"Yeah?"
"Dark cave."
"Grilled herring."
"Just checking... Let's go."
The two fearless hunters mounted the Bahamode and raced off toward Quagmire.
Zoner stashed the Bahamode in an alley and returned to Vaughn. "Here," he handed Vaughn a radio, "we can keep in touch with this. I'd like you to try to tail the Angels around, but don't let them know you're there. I have a bad feeling that the Ace isn't going to wait much longer before making his move. I'm going to take a thrust pack and head for the rooftops. You hear anything, anything at all, let me know. I don't intend to let him get the Angels."
"Um.. okay.. stealth mode on.. heh... just like sneaking up on Tricia.. oh.. Zoner.."
"What?"
"i think i heard a cat a ways up the alley.. and a car in the street.. and people talking.. and...."
"I really don't want to have to kill you. You know what I meant."
"Yah.. but you should know not to give me options like that.." Vaughn grinned.
"Ok... Good luck. I'll meet you back here either at dawn... Or, more likely, after the 'Ace' strikes and things settle down."
Zoner leapt into the air, leaving Vaughn to locate the Angels.
Zoner had been scanning the roof tops for several hours, using all of his cybernetically enhanced systems. They didn't help one bit.
"Vaughn, no action on your end either?"
"well... lessee.. Kei and Yuri grabbed a burger and a holo.. a real lousy one by the way.. never see it.. i was propositioned by three different women, at least i think i was.. i was very confused by one of the requests.. i didn't think such a thing was possible.. oh well.. so i guess plenty of action.."
"But no bullets whizzed by while you were otherwise distracted right?"
"no.. pretty sure i'd notice em.. after all.. they make more noise than meteors.. Come to think of it, not much makes noise in space."
"Yeah, right... Talk to you later then."
By the time midnight rolled around Zoner was down right bored. "This is the part of any job that I hate the most. The goddamn wait."
He should have known better than to say anything. The instant he finished two shots rang out from a nearby rooftop. Zoner called Vaughn as he vaulted into action, "Vaughn, gunfire. Roughly two blocks south of my present position. You can home with your radio. Out."
Zoner scanned the area with full image enhancement, but it was his motion detector which locked on first.
Damn, he thought, he's got a cloak!
Apparently his approach didn't go unnoticed as the distinctive muzzle flash of an SMG lashed out towards him. Several rounds impacted his armor. He let out a bellowing roar and drew his own SMG.
"Fuck you!" he roared as he opened fire. His motion detector fed the targeting data to his smartgun link. As the ten millimeter rounds didn't seem to be accomplishing much he loosed a couple high explosive grenades. That seemed to accomplish a bit more.
The Ace staggered back, sparks leaping from his body armor as the cloak failed. His M12 exploding as the caseless ammo cooked off in the fireball. But he remained standing.
"So Ace ready to dance?"
The only reply was a sinister laugh, and a burst from his exo-skeleton's particle cannon.
"Omph! Bastard!" Zoner loosed all of his explosive grenades, standing ready as the blast cleared. Too late his motion detector picked up the 'Ace' to his rear. A focused blast from both particle cannons layed Zoner out.
Damn! I can't get emotional. I've got to stay calm. Zoner rolled to avoid the pouncing Ace and raked him with his M-10. His armor's too good. Go for the head. He raked his fire across the Ace's head, removing a few chunks of his helmet and drawing a bit of blood. While the ace was staggered he drew his Predator and drew a bead.
"Goodbye." Zoner squeezed the trigger and a sub-caliber sabot raced towards the Ace's head.
And was dodged by a hair.
"Fuckin' chipped assholes!" Zoner began rapid fire, trying to bracket the Ace into a fire trap, but not having much success. "Stand still and fucking die!" The ace was obviously chipped and boosted far above normal levels. Far above healthy levels. "Cyberpsycho. I should have guessed." He managed to drill a few armor piercing rounds through the Ace's armor, but they seemed to have little affect. The Ace undoubtedly had a pain editor and nanites to take care of that problem.
The Ace detached a piece of his exo-skeleton and fired it. Hundreds of metal slivers ripped though Zoner's armor and shredded his flesh. He leapt into the air to escape the fire, and found himself plummeting a second later as the Ace blew off his thrust pack. His last thought before hitting the pavement was; Oh boy, this is going to hurt. And it did.
This time he awoke within the Daytona's beta unit, but Vaughn was still there.
"Morning."
"Do you always have to be so cheerful?" Zoner asked as he sat up, "Ow! Record pain! So, you dragged me out of there again I suppose. Thanks, this way I don't have to deal with the local cops. That's always a blast."
"It seemed to be yes... or at least there was a lot of it going on.. the cops were slow.. but the pair got there just as i left.. i think i need to sew my shirt..."
"Ok... I'll bite. What happened to your shirt?"
Vaughn holds up a shirt and pokes a finger through four different, tho well placed, holes in the upper middle back. "I think she was screaming something about robots or flight packs..."
"Didn't recognize you eh? Shame, forgetting a back after only three hundred years... I'd ask how you are, only I get the feeling someone who walks about in space isn't bothered greatly by gunfire."
"Well.. i was wearing these too." Points to a trench coat and a hat. "I was disguised.. and kinda caromed off a building... which is why your arm is stiff.. sorry."
"Uh... yeah. I just kind of attributed that to my Millimeter Man impersonation. Actually I'm feeling pretty good already, takes a lot to keep a Detian down. I can wait for a rematch. Tonight the Ace gets shuffled. We'd better get going, lot's of preparation for tonight."
"uh okay.. maybe this time you should use an armored pack tho huh?"
"I should have used one last night. I didn't expect him to have his own armor and a cloak. But turnabout is fair play, so I'll use a Predator Cyclone. But more important, he's crazy-psychotic, while I'm just crazy," Zoner added with a smirk.
"THhhpppttt.. i think i'd rather spend an evening with the two ladies.. er.. Kei and Yuri i mean.. or possibly Mughi.. he at least is sane.. much like me.." Grin.
"Well, I've got a plan," Zoner finished with a big smile.
"`I've got an angle..' `STERN!!!' Yahright."
"Funny, give me a hand."
They spent the next several hours working in the beta's electronics shop before heading into Quagmire.
Dusk found Vaughn and Zoner conversing in a now familiar alley.
"I think the Ace will try for the Pair tonight. I hurt him a little last night and I think he's ready to stop playing around. So I want you to stick REAL tight with them. Any shit goes down you protect them, and if necessary give me a few minutes to take the Ace down. Of course if it all goes as planned I'll take him down log before he gets near them. I'm going to do this with style," Zoner held aloft what appeared to be an Ace of Hearts playing card, "I just hope I'm still as good with this as I used to be."
"A card no.1 clone?"
"Yes. He's good, but I doubt he'll be expecting this from me. Keep them safe."
"so long as i remain unventilated (by him or them) they should be okay"
Zoner activated his cloak and leapt to his rooftop perch to once again play the waiting game.
Just after two AM one of the dozens of motion detectors he and Vaughn had planted earlier in the day triggered it's alarm. Zoner slowly worked his way to the area, noting when other alarms triggered. He soon had a definite direction of travel, and he didn't like what it told him.
"Vaughn, the Ace in moving your way fast. Stick close to the Pair. This is no time to worry about being spotted."
"ok... sure.. i'll uh.. have em stop into this ice cream place..." Suddenly the Ace's speed dramatically increased. "Vampire. Vampire. He's on the move!" The Cyclone's thrusters flared deep blue as Zoner pushed the throttles to their stops.
Vaughn interposed himself just in time to stop the two bullets intended for the pair. They were intended to be head shots, the Ace apparently knew about Omega-2.
"Vaughn?!" the Angels cried in unison.
"Morning. How's life?"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Kei demanded.
"Breathing... Stopping bullets... Sightseeing... the usual. Speaking of bullets, that looks like near Ben and Jerry's quality.. anyone for a cone?"
"Wha... What's going on?" Yuri stammered.
"I'll explain over here," Vaughn answered as he dragged the pair to cover. "Chocolate, vanilla or mint oreo?? possibly chocolate chip cookie dough?"
Zoner arrived just as the Ace squeezed off his shots. The Predator cloak concealed his approach until the hum of his CADS-3 saber gave him away. By then it was too late.
The Saber swept through the area of not rightness where the cloaked Ace stood and connected with something solid. The cloak failed as blood fountained from Ace's severed left arm. The flow stopped quickly as nanites sealed the wound.
Ace tumble rolled away and raked the rooftop with particle beam fire. The '029's force shield held and Zoner returned fire with his EP-42. The beam bored straight through Ace's torso, but he still remained standing.
"That's the problem with gillettes, too chipped to know when they're dead. Pity that," Zoner commented to the night.
The Ace fired all he had down the return path of the beam. The twin particle cannons and M12 managed to reset the shield on the Cyclone. It would be several minutes before the circuits recovered.
"Ok, NOW I'm pissed."
Zoner opened full-auto with the EP-42, forcing the Ace to flee to roof. Then he keyed his mic. "Corn kernels, Lima beans, and tomatoes all cooked together."
"Blegh.. lousy flavor for ice cream anyway..."
"It's succotash... Ever since you asked that damn questions it's been distracting me... Succotash is corn, Lima beans and tomatoes."
"and i said it'd make lousy ice cream.. no kid in his right mind would buy it..."
"I'd like a double-dip Succotash Hash and Spinach Swirl please..."
"the guy... as well as the ladies are looking at me odd.. well.. mostly the guy.. and the pair are wondering why i am talking to my hat.."
"Hey watch it! Um... gotta go...."
"What the hell is going on over there?!" Kei asked as explosions blossomed on nearby rooftops.
"would you believe high energy plasma welding?" Vaughn answered.
"C'mon Yuri, let's go!"
"didn't think so.. i wouldn't either.. i am solemnly (or at least as much as i am able) sworn not to let you go out there." As Vaughn interposed himself in their path.
"What the hell do you mean you're not going to let us?!?!" Kei fumed.
"Kei, stay calm," Yuri consoled.
"CALM! We're here to bust the Ace, remember?"
"And he's trying to kill you. which would really put a damper on the ice cream we were enjoying... so.. how's Mughi?" Vaughn remained in the way.
Zoner used the superior agility of the Cyclone to circle around the Ace and herd him back toward the Pair, all the while concentrating his fire on the particle cannons. By the time they were close to the original rooftop he had disabled both. Everything was going according to plan, or at least as well as he had hoped.
Realizing he was out gunned the Ace turned to run into the night. He was driven by pure survival instinct, most of his higher functions had been fried long ago.
Zoner watched as the Ace began to run. He drew the Bloody Card and loosed it into the night. Minute psionic commands guided it's course. At just the right moment he fired another EP-42 burst.
As the beam arced past his head the Ace turned to fire another M12 burst at his pursuer. He completed his turn, but never fired the burst.
Kei finally managed to worm her way past Vaughn and run into the street. No sooner had she reached the curb than a body slammed into the pavement a scant few feet ahead, an Ace of Hearts protruding from it's forehead.
Soaring above this scene the Cyclone's cloak activated once again. He lingered long enough to see Yuri come out and find the Bloody Card. She looked about herself, knowing there we only a handful of others skilled in it's use. However, he knew that she would never see him, and he was not yet ready to confront her. Or rather confront the past she symbolized. Satisfied with his work, he flew to the police office to file a claim for the reward. He of course used a false identity.
Yuri removed the Ace's helmet and gasped with recognition. "Kei! Do you recognize this guy?"
"Hmm... Holy shit! That's Brion James! I thought we vaped him last year. He was in the Fuichina 'plex when it blew. I thought there were no survivors."
"Well, apparently they managed to build this one a new body, or at least patch up his old one. I guess the trauma was just too much."
"Cyberpsycho?"
"That's my guess. I guess he developed a revenge psychosis centered on us."
"Why do we always get picked by the winners?"
"Sparkling personalities? drop dead good looks?" Vaughn offered, eliciting cold stares from both women. "Sorry... It was just a thought... You asked, after all."
The next afternoon found MegaZone and Vaughn once again inside the beta.
"So Vaughn, what're you going to do with half a million credits?"
"I think i need just enough to buy a book store.. and invest in the insurance company that the 3WA uses.. actually.. it'd probably bankrupt.. and definitely not the ice cream chain.. they have weird flavors.. a book store.. and i think i'll let a broker look after things.. after all.. the concept means more to him.. hmm.. and expenses.. lessee.. one rock.. one clear rock.. two shirts.. and the coat and hat.. anything left is yours to do with what you will..."
"oh.. here.." And hands Zoner a plastic baggy with a very sick looking liquid in it. "Your ice cream....."
"This isn't..."
"like i said.. i am not investing in that particular chain... i assumed chocolate dip... and added sprinkles..."
"Don't ever spook me like that again.... Well, I suppose you're going to wander about the cosmos again... Say, did you ever mention that I was here to the Angels?"
"never came up.. tho they couldn't decide if Mughi would prefer chocolate or strawberry.. so we got him both.."
"Why don't you buy LOTS of ice cream and take it with you... It should stay nice and frozen in space. You seem to have this fixation you know."
"sorry.. every year.. well.. decade or so.. i get hungry for some kind of food.. this time it happened to be frozen type food.. and the water would actually boil off.. yuk.. i'll just find a planet or something.. oh.. hey.. i need a new watch... keep better track of time.."
"If you don't open the containers the water won't boil off... but that's not important... A watch eh? I think I have something...." Rummage rummage "Yep, here you go. Surface wear bio-monitor. It'll survive space just fine and it should keep the time to the nanosecond if you sync it to the galactic clock. Oh, and it does neat stuff like keep track of your pulse and lets you know when you walk into a poison cloud or the like... None of which you'll probably ever need... But it is a damn good watch."
"Does it play pac man?"
"Ah... No."
"oh well.. okay.. how long does the battery last.. and what is the time difference between here and say.. earth? four five hours?"
"It uses a thermal generator to charge the cells, so you're own body heat keeps it charged. And to tell the truth I really don't know the time difference.... This thing runs on galactic standard time, which can be corrected for local time. Most settled planets are in memory, just call up the entry."
"hrm.. okay.. and i won't even bother mentioning Andromeda.. ah well.. i figure i'll go look about for a while longer yet.. tho i am almost ready to give up.. finding a person is hard to do..."
"You know what the problem is? You're looking for her. You should know that whenever you look for a person you never find them, and when you don't want to see someone they show up."
"i'll keep that in mind and steadfastly not look for her for a while before i give up.. ah well.. laters."
"Later... I'm sure we'll run into each other again sometime."
"Well, time to head home for a little solitude."
The Daytona from Hell screeched through Loughead's atmosphere, warping as soon as it was clear.
In a small room onboard the Lovely Angel Yuri turned the Ace of Hearts over in her hands, freezing when she spotted the tiny monogram in the corner. MZ. "Thank you Zoner," she whispered and slipped the card into a drawer. Plot and scripting by MegaZone. Vaughn's dialogue by Vaughn. This story occurs roughly twenty years after the end of Undocumented Features 3: Out In The Cold This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person living, dead, not yet born, or undead, is most likely, in most cases, a coincidence. Sorry.
