26


I reached my destination during the darkest part of the night. A dome of silence encapsulated the area. None of the local wildlife made a sound. If there were insects moving about, then they were tiptoeing like thieves.
The last several hours had required more patience and stealth than I had exercised for a long time. Even my instructors from Reaper school would've been proud. Well, not extremely proud, but not totally frustrated with my impatience either.
In my defense, I'd changed since meeting Elise and Tom. Something about surviving death row had altered the way I viewed the galaxy. Life was short and I had things to do, mysteries to solve, and scores to settle.
I didn't have time for this shit. Only the fact that I was facing Union spec ops units kept me in check. Elise and the others were counting on me. I’d dragged them halfway across the galaxy and attracted the wrath of the worst killers in the Union.
These new soldiers were different. I studied their equipment as I crept closer to the perimeter they had established around the tech shrine—a tower-like structure that gleamed against the dark terrain. Of course that was what the third squad had been doing while the other two had been hunting me. I should've known they had unraveled their own clues and guessed where I would be going.
Their gear, what little I had seen of it, reminded me of Marley Callus on Dreadmax. The man had been a force of nature and claimed his kind of soldier replaced me and the other Reapers. I’d thought that was at least partially true—and now I knew he hadn’t been bragging. The Union was treating me like last week’s garbage because they had replacements for what I was.
"I hate to break bad news," X-37 whispered in my ear. "But the other two squads have arrived and have set up an outer perimeter. You're essentially caught between two rings of highly trained mystery soldiers. Further database searches have revealed no origin for this unit and no oversight provision."
I didn't answer. What would be the point? My enemies had all the best tools and no rules to hold them back. Of course. Because that was just my luck. Why should I catch a break?
Thoughts of my sword fight with Uriah came to me as I waited out the danger. In a way, it was no different from what I was facing now. The slightest mistake would be fatal. There was only staying alive and looking for an opportunity to win that mattered.
"Since you are unable to talk without giving away your position, I will make certain standard assumptions," X-37 said, setting up the tactical briefing for what had to come next. "There are three squads that I will designate Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie. Charlie squad is the one that disappeared and moved ahead to secure the area around the tech shrine while Alpha and Bravo were hunting you."
I tapped my thumb and forefinger together twice to indicate yes.
"Further analysis: Charlie squad is lightly armed. They seem to be made for speed. Probably why they were sent ahead. From what I can determine, the heavier weapons have been shifted to Alpha and Bravo squads, granting them extra firepower at the cost of speed. Escaping this ring you've gotten yourself trapped inside will be difficult. On the bright side, perhaps you can work your way past them to enter the final section of this labyrinth."
X-37 had a way of ruining my day without even trying.
"I do have one further observation, which doesn't really help you now but might be useful in the future," X-37 said.
Now he was trying to piss me off.
"You shouldn't have come alone. With Elise and the others, you would have had more options,” X-37 said. “It’s always better to have someone watching your back.”
“You know better than that, X. They would have been a liability. These new Union jerkoffs are too good for amateur hour,” I grumbled.
“My analysis suggests you’re just being a stubborn asshole,” X-37 responded.
I could feel my heart pounding, and it had nothing to do with my annoying LAI. Using my Reaper training combined with the lessons I'd learned from Path, I steadied my nerves and waited.
“You may now communicate with me verbally. They have set up their perimeters and are conducting sensor sweeps in other areas. You don't have long before you'll have to stick a sock in it again," X-37 said, tongue in proverbial cheek.
"We're not leaving until I get what I came for," I said. "It's actually easier to go forward than back. You said so yourself."
“I agree… grudgingly,” X-37 said. "I recommend that you power down your stealth cloak while you can. It's not getting recharged from your movements or solar absorption, and as long as you remain motionless, you should be invisible."
I tapped the cuff of my sleeve, turning off the device.
I didn't feel any different, which wasn't reassuring. That was my main problem with the stealth cloak. I couldn't tell if it was on or off most times. The design allowed me to see my limbs, for example, to keep me from feeling disoriented or losing my balance. Not knowing if it was actually working, however, made me feel naked.
Events connected in my mind. My journey, I now realized, had started long before I was a Reaper. Life had taken me down a hard road and separated me from everyone I loved.
Now I was close to a resolution. I could know the answers if I refused to look away from the truth. If my parents had been more deeply involved in the Union conspiracies than I had realized, I was about to find out things I might not want to admit.