The guardsman medic still squatted next to Robert but stood as a single beep heralded the next round. He dropped the first aid kit into Robert’s lap and turned to face Lim, some the blue paste was on his right fist now. Lim understood what had happened and shook his head. Robert hopped lightly to his feet on uninjured knees. He turned his back and stepped out of the circle, smiling as the two guardsmen now faced each other. Lim wore more than one blue fist-print on the dark skin of his chest and ribs at the end of the round. Markus ended the match and dismissed the guardsmen.
‘That wasn’t the worst ten minutes of my life,’ Robert said to Markus as the crowd dispersed.
‘You didn’t win,’ Markus said.
‘Of course I won. You told me to paint the guy. You didn’t say I had to do it personally. At least be gracious in defeat.’
‘You are sly,’ Markus said, ‘what did you say to him?’
‘He’s a mercenary, pay him enough and he’ll do anything. I told him I had an exquisite bottle of cognac in my possession. I offered it to him if he would take my place. I know Hameed put you up to that, but you owe me more than one drink for being such a bastard and trying to humiliate me.’ Robert left the gym, his pride intact.
Markus called after him. ‘That was meant to have been for your own good. We’re paid to keep you safe.’
*
Cassini’s dining hall lay outside of the main structure. Its dome boasted cutting-edge transparencies that offered a crystalline window to the sky and the encircling landscape.
‘You can’t argue with cognac,’ said Varda, smirking at the dinner table after Robert had told the story.
Sarah glared at Markus. ‘You got him into a fight?’
‘It wasn’t a real fight,’ Robert interrupted. ‘I wouldn’t have survived a real fight.’
‘A real brawl starts on its feet and finishes on the ground,’ said Markus. ‘This was a game.’
‘Some game,’ Sarah said. ‘But Robert’s right about mercenary loyalty.’
‘Redbourn is actually considered special forces,’ Robert said. ‘And Markus us is one of the top ranked in the world - both worlds.’
‘Glorified mercenaries,’ said Sarah.
‘Like the ones who pulled you out of the desert,’ said Markus.
‘Like the ones that chased me there.’
Markus held Sarah’s fuming gaze until Robert loudly cleared his throat.
‘So how is a guardsman rated?’ asked Varda. ‘Do you have a system?’
‘There are factors,’ Markus said, ‘the number of languages you speak, vehicles you can operate, years of experience.’
‘Number of kills,’ Sarah suggested.
‘Stop it,’ Robert snapped. Sarah stood and left the table with announcement. She disappeared down the nearest staircase into a tunnel. The dining room’s near-perfect view provided poor radiation shielding, so the hall also offered two staircases to Cassini’s underground.
‘I need another drink,’ Markus said as he stood.
‘You still owe me a cognac,’ Robert called after the captain.
‘Mix friends at your peril,’ Varda said. ‘And don’t ever try and please them all – you’ll only alienate every one of them. Stick to one and let the others to hate you – that way you leave them with something in common. Animated images swam across the table’s slick surface, casting bleached colours on faces and hands. ‘The deans aren’t friends but we have one thing in common,’ she said. ‘We want this war to go away. We don’t want mercenaries billeting in our campuses while they drain our funding.’
‘They’re here because there is a threat,’ Robert said, ‘this is a defence force.’ Robert watched the staircase, hoping for Sarah to reappear.
‘I’m an Israeli,’ said Varda, ‘I’ve heard that shit before.’
‘I don’t make policy,’ said Robert, ‘I only implement it.’ Markus returned to the table with new drinks freshly pulled from a vat in the dining hall. ‘A glorified mercenary and a glorified messenger,’ said Varda. ‘Here’s my message to your boss, I’ll make it simple. Withdraw Redbourn Security, reopen negotiations with iMicor, and I’ll deliver the collegiate vote.’ She left her unfinished meal and stood. ‘Excuse me, gentlemen.’
‘Talk about the worst ten minutes of my life,’ said Markus.
‘Now we’re even,’ said Robert.
‘No one likes us,’ Markus said, pushing a glass to Robert.
‘No one likes you,’ said Robert. He followed after Sarah leaving Markus alone. The glorified mercenary captain sat and drained his glass in a single swallow. He waited a few seconds and then slugged down Robert’s drink. Something fell from Robert’s chair as Markus kicked it over. Two nearby diners looked up but decided not to stare. Markus rooted under table and found Robert’s PX device glowing softly in the shadows.
Sarah marched along the narrow corridors that led to the buried living quarters. ‘At least the dean found us our own room,’ Robert said when he had caught up.
‘Why did you go to Naktong?’ asked Sarah, keeping her pace.
‘Why did you?’
‘Because I needed the job. And that was before we knew iMicor were mobilising,’ said Sarah. ‘You had no business.’
‘Neither did you. You could have had a job anywhere. Ten teams in the city would have taken you on. But you had to get as far away as possible. I came all the way out here for you.’
‘You came here for yourself,’ said Sarah.
‘How could you even say that?’ Robert said. ‘Tell me, were you putting distance between you and your aunt or between you and me? I went to Naktong to find you. And now that I’ve found you, you’re still running away.’
Sarah stopped. The corridor’s white light had changed to amber. A piercing alarm screamed through the corridors. ‘Fire,’ said Robert.
‘Where?’ Sarah didn’t use a PX device.
Robert reached into his back pocket for his but couldn’t find it. ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘We need to get to the nearest airlock.’ He pushed on ahead. ‘Sarah, come on.’
‘Wait,’ Sarah hissed. She pointed down the corridor to a lone figure that moved towards them.
‘What?’ Robert said. He made to step forward but Sarah caught his arm. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Why isn’t he running?’
Robert tried to find a face in the dim light, but could only make out the round, sleek shape of a head. A hand extended holding something. ‘Hey,’ said Robert. ‘We need to get to the nearest airlock.’
Sarah’s fingers dug into Robert’s arm. ‘Blade,’ she breathed. The figure closed the gap between them with quick, fluid steps. Robert kept himself between Sarah and the figure as they backed away. Terror softened his legs, his feet dragged. He wanted to tell Sarah to run the other way, but his dry throat could only croak.
Rob,’ called a voice behind them, ‘Robert, you forgot your PX. And there’s a fire in one of the greenhouses.’ The voice stopped suddenly. Robert turned. Markus stood in the corridor behind him holding out the PX device. Markus cocked his head, looking passed the couple at the figure beyond.
‘He’s got a knife,’ shouted Sarah.
Markus dropped the PX and lunged, shoving passed Sarah and then Robert, shouting something into his own communicator. The attacker raised the blade and pounced to meet him. The knife disappeared as two collided in the narrow space. A slick, black Polyskin oozed over the attacker’s limbs, head and face. Markus wore a soft, indoor gear designed for training and leisure but he was by far the larger of the two.
Markus emerged with his opponent in a headlock but the inky figure twisted from his grip. Robert needed to help. He inched forward but Sarah still held his arm and pulled in the other direction.
‘Run,’ he heard Markus say.
Markus and the attacker were grounded now. A real brawl starts on its feet and finishes on the ground. Markus somehow pinned the attacker again but again the figure twisted loose. Blood, thick and black in the amber light, soaked Markus’ white sleeve. The attacker tried to back away but Markus moved in to close the gap. The attacker’s knife-hand flicked out again and again like the tongue of a cornered viper.
Robert’s perception of time slowed as the attacked skipped backwards and flicked out the knife in a single motion. The short blade would have cut through the air to thump Robert’s unguarded chest had Markus’ hand not, by reflex, grasped it mid-air. The blade bit into Markus’ palm making him pause and giving the attacker time to draw further back.
‘Don’t kill him,’ Robert cried, but Markus had already returned the knife with a throw of his own.
The attacker stopped. He took a moment to realise that he was dead. The blade had punched through the Polyskin and found his neck. He raised a hand with his final strength and wrenched it from the wound. Black blood spouted and he fell to knees. Markus heard a scream. Two running evacuees rounded the corner, one of them collided with the dying man and slipped in the spreading blood pool.
Robert rushed forwards to help the woman to her feet and then crouched over the body. ‘I think you killed him. Fuck. You killed him.’
Markus held his slashed right hand in his left. ‘Leave him, get up,’ he said. More people were in the hall now, some of them half-dressed and holding their Polyskins. They stopped to instinctively stare at the bloody spectacle. ‘Everyone get to your assembly points. Everyone,’ Markus barked, ‘get to the assembly point. Move.’
Sarah pulled at Robert’s arm, ‘Come on.’
‘You two stay with me,’ said Markus. He saw Lieutenant Ajido pushing through the crowd towards them with two of her guardsmen aides in tow. ‘Your base’s security has been breached, major,’ said Markus.
‘All of you go,’ said Ajido. She looked down at the body and then shifted her gaze to Robert who still crouched next to the body.
‘Guardsmen,’ she said one of her aides, ‘call the marshal.’
Cassini Crater, Arabia Quadrangle
A medic, the same guardsman Robert had bribed in the Suicide Circle, found the vein on Markus’ unflinching arm and pushed in the needle. The hypodermic point pierced through skin and found the blood. Millions of infinitesimal robots broke out into the contaminated stream. The nanobots would bully their way through the red and white cells and hunt down and tear apart the venomous molecules.
‘I’ve given you a double-dose to be safe, sir,’ said the medic. ‘It’s better to be safe.’ The sick bay was empty apart from the medic and the captain. ‘You should rest, now, sir. I think I got to you in time, but some of the venom will have reached your brain. You may have symptoms.’
‘Did you hear that, captain?’ said Lieutenant Alessandro as he entered the sick bay. ‘You will have symptoms.’
Lieutenant Barnsley followed him. ‘You might want to stay out of Polykins for a few days. Accidents can be unpleasant.’ The medic began to clean the wound on Markus’ shoulder. It’s not going to be same without you, captain,’ said Barnsley.
‘Right. It will be better,’ said Alessandro. ‘What happens to the nanobots?’ He asked the medic.
‘They disintegrate after a few hours,’ said the medic. ‘The body absorbs them.’
‘They’re like us,’ Markus said, ‘injected into a strange world to kill an enemy as foreign and unwelcome as they are. I wonder; will our host absorb us after we’ve finished our work?’
The lieutenants exchanged puzzled glances. ‘I think he’s showing symptoms now,’ said Barnsley.
‘Huh,’ said Alessandro, ‘I know you got stabbed but cheer up.’
Markus rested his head on the observation table’s high backrest. ‘In the last two days, I’ve been stabbed, shot at, poisoned,’ he stopped to glare at the medic, ‘and cheated. But not being able to order you two to shut up is worse. Are we done here?’
The medic had cleaned Markus’ shoulder and now placed a medical wand over it. Spindly arms sutured the wound closed. ‘You need to stay here tonight, under observation. The less you move, the less of the toxin will reach your brain.’
Markus stared at the rotating molecular diagrams on the wall display. ‘What kind of toxin is it?’ he asked.
‘Snails,’ the medic said. ‘some kind of new strain, but the same pattern - it gets in and takes some time kill you – so the killer has time to get away before you collapse.’
‘Contract killer’s choice,’ said Barnsley. ‘I wonder if we’d have broken him if he survived.’
‘The UN?’ said Alessandro, ‘never. They don’t have the balls. You don’t need to interrogate him. I can tell you that iMicor sent him.’
‘Why?’ asked Barnsley. ‘Why would iMicor assassinate Robert Pauly?’
Alessandro threw up his hands as if answering a stupid question. ‘To destabilise us.’
‘Dino,’ said Barnsley, ‘that would do the opposite. Nothing unites like outrage.’
‘He’s dead,’ Markus said, ‘so it doesn’t matter. Fuck him. We’ll find out who sent him eventually. Only so many places you can hide on this planet.’
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