The Compromised Mission - Chapter 1, The Giant Rat
05 Sep 2021Nathan Crest
The Compromised MissionChapter 1, The Giant Rat
Once you've seen enough, they all seem to blend together; Veblen Station was yet another among the myriads of corporate mining outposts. The night street was bustling with throngs of people. Seedy bars and brothels, with their gaudy gas-ion signs and scantily clad men and women, did their best to numb the hard lives of these extraction and refinery workers - for the right price.
I turned away from the window to the interior of a dingy room. The furnishing was tacky and worn. The mirror on the ceiling above the bed however was surprisingly spotless. Perhaps that pleased the clientele. But I wasn't here to review this pay-by-the-hour motel; my contact should arrive soon.
Uncharacteristically, Eddie was late. The hulking man with broad shoulders and closely cropped hair was always on time when payment was expected. I never felt good about Eddie. He seemed too capable of violence. However he was part of Commander Jericho Rolkein's extended network, and proved to be reliable up to this point.
The comm-link on my wrist vibrated. I glanced down and saw a message from Tara.
"Eddie is compromised. Get out."
A split second later, there was a knock. I quickly drew my P-15 and silently flattened myself against the wall next to the door. Reaching out, I turned the door knob.
As if on cue, globules of super-heated plasma blasted through, leaving expanding and burning holes in the synthetic-composite door. Eddie's large and booted foot violently kicked through, what was left of the door was smashed off its hinges. As soon as the hulking man stepped into the room, I reacted with as much force I could muster and kicked his right hand. With a satisfying impact, his Tormentor skittered across the tiled floor into the bathroom. I pointed the P-15 at his head, and pulled the trigger.
But Eddie was fast. Unnaturally fast. He batted away my outstretched arm. It felt as if I was struck with some sort of heavy machinery. The kinetic round shot harmlessly into the hallway, and my P-15 sailed across the room.
I stumbled backward, arm throbbing. The giant man formed his enormous hand into a fist the size of a Rapa Bao Snake head, and swung it at me like a sledgehammer. At the last moment, I was able to regain my balance. I stepped low and ducked under his punch for an expertly timed double-leg take down.
Or so I thought.
Futilely I grappled against his unmoving legs as the hulking figure picked me up by my belt and tossed me across the room. Eddie stalked toward me, with a grin on his face.
"Wait, wait, Eddie! I'll make this worth your while."
Eddie grinned even wider.
Out of options, I pointed behind him and yelled, "Look! Jericho is here."
It didn't work. But it did cause Eddie to pause for a second in his advance, perhaps surprised that I would try such an amateurish trick. While he contemplated my professionalism, I jumped out the window.
Maybe weapon fire was common. No one seemed fazed by the commotion from a second story motel room. With a shower of broken composite-glass, I landed on a sex worker advertising her services. I was eternally grateful to her for breaking my fall, but she was not amused. The woman stood up angrily, easily towering over me. Her outfit left little to the imagination, and her bio-engineered Amazonian body was clearly evident. She and Eddie would make a cute couple. By cute I meant terrifying.
Once again I sailed through the air, this time thrown by the Amazon. She was perhaps, more gentle in comparison. It gave me the opportunity to roll as I landed in the middle of the street. Without losing a beat, I continued running away, with my tail between my legs, into the night.
"Tara, are you there?" I spoke into the comm-link while zigzagging through the back streets, in an attempt to evade my pursuer.
"Oh good, you are alright."
"I owe you one. Eddie is a monster. Did you notify Commander Rolkein?"
"Yes. He's taking appropriate actions."
"I need an extraction."
"On it. Behind the kitchen of Three Kings Seafood off of Rondo and Third Street, ten minutes."
"What!? They have seafood here?"
"Synth-seafood."
"Figures. You're a life saver Tara."
"Stay alive Nathan."
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This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental.