“Screw this!” Vince grumbled as he paced back and forth over the Astroturf of the park. “What the hell is taking them so long. Fuck, you said those two were reliable too. I could kill you right now!”
“Calm down, Jesus, your going to have an aneurysm,” Blaze sat on a park bench typing on her laptop. She quietly read the news of the moment when something took her by surprise. “Oh my,” she said in a low voice.
“What, what, what oh my?” Vince ran to Blaze and read the passing headlines. What they saw was none too pleasant. A video feed of Blank running down the street being pursued by three lumbering Confederate hover tanks played as the news caster said, “Confederate troops battled with two cyber terrorist in down town N.A.C. a few hours ago. One man was killed and the other escaped into the Under Ruins via a sewer pipe. Officials believe he will resurface and that citizens should be on the look out. What the two men have stolen remains classified.”
“Well that’s just great. Ya, way to pick’em Blaze, real reliable.”
“Hey buddy, next time we’re shopping for elite mercenaries who are willing to raid a Confederate base, you can pick’em yourself,” Blaze slammed the laptop shut and stalked away from the bench.
“Hey, don’t turn your back on me. We’re in this together sis, and you can’t just give up because some lamebrain Mod-Boys didn’t cut it,” Vince started after Blaze.
“What did you call me?” a voice came from behind.
Vince turned and his mouth dropped open, “Holly shit. I can’t believe it. You’re actually here.”
Blaze ran up too the imposing figure of Judas and shook his hand vigorously, “Thank you, thank you so much. We’re terribly sorry about your friend. We saw it all on the news. Do you have the Blocks?”
“Huh, you don’t mess around much. Ya, I got your damn data cubes, but where’s my money first?”
“Listen pal, you’ll get the money when the blocks hit my hand,” Vince glared at Judas. His glare quickly turned to a look of dread as Blank grabbed his neck and lifted him into the air.
“I got news for you friend. I’m running low on drugs, my friend is dead, I’ve walked for twenty miles in the under ruin, and I ‘m already beginning to dislike you.” Judas released Vince from his vice like grip. He fell to the ground gasping for air.
“Sorry, I’m sorry.” Vince lay in a heap trying to crawl away from his cool eyed aggressor. Judas stood a surveyed the scene: Vince was a thin African-White mix. He had a long narrow face and neck, all set on a slim athletic body. Blaze was almost the opposite; she too was slim, but short. A young Asian girl, with glasses and short, straight black hair.
“We’ve got your money. 500,000 credits, pad in full on delivery.” Blaze stepped in, “I’m sorry about your friend, but well; you’re a hero. The information on these two blocks represents freedom from the Confederation for all of the Tibet Sector. Clean, abundant power for everyone.” Blaze was smiling from ear to ear, she could have hugged him.
“Save your speeches. I don’t give a damn about your revolution. I did my job and I’ll take my money now!” Judas was beginning to feel the affects of his with drawl as his med pump slowed to conserve fuel.
“We’re not a revolution. Revolutions come and go, we just want equality.” Vince rose, he held his chin up and spoke, “Once we get this new Magma Drive working and safe we’ll be able to decide for our selves what goes on in the Tibet sector.”
“Money, now!” Judas held out his hand, “I’m ready to go now. I’ve heard enough about equality and free Tibet for one day. I’ve done hundreds of jobs for punk kids like you. If the Confederate Watch doesn’t finish you that Magma Drive will do it.”
“Take it,” Vince handed Judas a credit disc. Blaze turned her back on Blank, horribly disillusioned.
“Thanks!” Vince shouted at Judas’s back as he walked away. “Jerk, what a jerk. I’m glad we don’t have to deal with the likes of him any more. No more stealing or killing. Now that we’ve got the blocks the elders can start their work. Hand them to me, I want to make sure the mechanized Neanderthal raided the right Confederate Base.”
Judas heard all of this from thirty feet away. He stopped turned and saw Vince take the cubes and reach for his head jack. “Damn it,” Judas began to jog back to the park bench, “Don’t link with them, there’s a Neurovirus on them.”
Vince stopped and looked at the cube. “Why so friendly all of the sudden?”
“Hey that block would have baked your spinal cord in seconds. Neuroviruses are nothing to mess around with. I’d hate for your little uprising to be shot down before it gets a chance to be flattened by the Confederation. And the next time I hear you calling me a Neanderthal I’ll think twice before I save your life.”
“Thanks, forgive my brother’s imprudence. My name’s Blaze, we never got yours.” Blaze eyed Judas for a moment. She couldn’t help but think that he would make a nice addition to the cause. “Vince, give me your D.A.” Vince handed her his small digital assistant. She took the small black cube and plugged it into the D.A.’s small input line.
Blaze hit the download button and almost instantly the screen on the pad began to flash random images, until the small neuro-circuitry pack began to boil as the unstoppable virus protecting the cube spread to the pad. “Man, that’s one nasty virus,” Vince shook his head “We’d better get this back to Ama, she’ll know what to do with it.”
“Ama better be one hell of a programmer if you think she can outwit a confederate Neurovirus.” Judas crossed his arms in an all knowing stance.
“Oh, Ama can handle it. Maybe you would like to meet her.” Blaze looked up a Judas, now was her chance to see if he would join their resistance. “Ama’s the one paying you too, her and Mr. Irons.” Dropping Corwin Irons’ name was a big gamble, but it definitely caught Judas’s attention.
“Irons? As in Corwin Irons, the Council member? I have a hard time believing that a well respected Confederate Council member would back your little band of revolutionists.” Judas liked these kids, they obviously believed in what they fought for, Blaze was cute too.
“I think what my sister is trying to say is: Why don’t you come and see our operation before you write us off as another Confederate Watch target for elimination.” Vincent smiled “Besides, we’ve told you enough that if you don’t come, we’ll have to kill you.”
“THIS IS THE POLICE” the all too familiar voice of a Confederate Officer on a megaphone rang through out the park.
“Damn it, one of the cubes must have a tracking device.” Judas began to look around for the fastest way out.
“You mean they followed you here?” Blaze turned and glared at him.
“They didn’t follow me. They traced a signal from on of the cubes. One must be the Magma Drive planes and the other a fake, a tracking beacon.”
“Which one is which?”
“Sorry to brake this up kids but there coming this way.” Vince watched the approaching Special Forces Unit of the Confederate Watch as it advanced across the park. The crowded fields emptied, people running from the marching troops.
“PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD” the voice of the officer was deafening. Judas let out a long sigh. For the first time since he’d been enhanced he felt fatigued. Slowly he raised his hands, the advancing lines of men flinched for a moment. Their muscles relaxed as Judas clasped his fingers behind his head and rested them on his neck. Judas, now truly realizing his exhaustion, began to saunter towards the Confederate forces.
“What are you doing!” Blaze watched him in shock.
Judas slowly turned his eyes to the young girl, “Lady, I’ve had a really long day.” Judas then let out a long low sigh, “A very long day.”
“Do something, he knows to much, we can’t let him talk!” Blaze shouted at her brother. Vince stood there, shocked, he didn’t really like the idea of risking his neck to save someone who might end up killing him for his trouble. “Don’t just stand there and stare at me, stop him.” Blaze stamped her foot, this brought Vince out of his brain dead trance. Vince dashed after Judas.
Vince’s hand began to glow a light blue shade as he swiped Judas across his clasped hands. Judas stopped and turned, “What the hell are you doing squirt.” Vince gave no reply, he spread out his now radiating blue hand and slammed his palm square into Judas’s chest.
A blue beam discharged into the electronics of Judas’s body. Vince began to reprogram the servos and pumps that keep the massive bulk of a man functioning. The tiny machines implanted in Judas bent to Vince are every thought. The soldiers, now alarmed by the unknown cybernaut that had seemingly attacked their target, began to arm their weapons and turn them on the two men.
Vince, even in his deep state of concentration, saw the troops become agitated. He swung himself around to protect Judas form the hail of green energy pulses that ripped across the still air of the artificial park. The shots pounded into Vince’s back and burnt away his jacket and shirt in seconds. Vince remained practically unharmed, his highly conductive skin absorbed the force with relative stability. The energy arced across his limbs and grounded out through his feet, some of it was even converted into electrical impulses that helped him control his cybernetic captive.
The wetwear implanted in Judas began to take control of him as Vince gave commands to Judas’s CPU. Finally Judas hunched over and began awkwardly running away from the oncoming wave of urban assault troops. With Judas on his way Vince turned to the confederates making their way across the field. It took a few seconds for Vince to focus, then with the remaining energy stored in he’s body and he released a bolt of current that knocked him to the ground and smashed through the body armor of the first few assault troops.
The sound was defining. As always the sight of a cybernaut brought uneasiness to even the most battle hardened troop. Part physinonic, part machine, Vince’s small unassuming frame smoked from the dissipating heat from the energy blast. He pulled himself to his feet and turned to run after Judas.
“Switch to live ammo, no energy weapons,” a larger solder near the back of the line shouted at his men. The wave of troops halted for a moment to change the ammo setting on there firearms.
Judas was starting up her converted fast attack A.P.C. Most of the armor had been stripped off and all that was still enclosed was the driver’s cockpit. With the loss of thousands of pounds of heavy atomic grade armored plating, Blaze knew that she could easily out run the sluggish patrol tanks of the Confederates, if only Judas and Vince could make it to the craft in time.
As if answering her, Judas stumbled into the open crew compartment quickly passing out on the floor with a thud. Vince staggered in after him a few moments later. Blaze leaned on the throttle and the craft lifted off the ground. The Astroturf covering of the park peeled back from the ground, exposing the garbage heap it had been keeping hidden.
Vince placed his hands on Judas’s chest and began to undo the damage he had done to the now unconscious Judas. “Are you sure that is such a good idea? We might want to keep him sedated until we make it to base.” Blaze said over the intercom.
“No, I can’t,” Vince continued to reprogram Judas’s implants, “Besides if he kills us he kills us.” The reprogramming only took a few minuets and by the time Vince was done they were miles away from the park and the police. Judas slowly began to regain awareness and pawed at Vince’s face.
“You son of a bitch.” Judas said in a barely audible whisper as his eyelids fluttered and he faded in and out of consciousness.
“Hold on their big guy, your systems had quite a shock. The reprogramming is complete, but you’ll be out of it for a few more minutes,” and with that paternal phrase Vince slumped back against the side of the tail bed promptly passing out.
“I know you’re mad at us mister, but Vince did save your life you know,” Blaze’s voice crackled over the intercom, “We paid you your money and you could easily exterminate me and my brother with out giving it a second thought. The only reason Vince did what he did was because we didn’t want you telling the Confederate Watch about us. And we’re sorry we told you as much as we did, but that’s the facts.”
Judas was still too tired to give any sort of competent reply, which would have undoubtedly been filled with enough swear words to make a grid pirate cringe. He slowly faded out again, his muscles, real and cybernetic alike, quivered with exhaustion. Blaze spoke on unaware of her audience’s lack of alertness. Blank was taken with a drug induced coma, while Vince quietly slumbered. Blaze’s voice hissed on over the speakers, rambling about revolution and the evils of New Asia Power Company as they speed on their way to headquarters.