Extensis Vitae

Chapter 10



Rin listened to the prisoners talking with the stranger. She wondered who the man was. He obviously had a considerable amount of fighting experience to have bested her and, she assumed, taken out Haze and the rest of his band. He looked like he’d been through hell, his face covered with dried blood, along with numerous sword wounds and shredded, bloodstained clothes. Regardless of all that, he didn’t seem to have sustained any major damage.

He’s like me, she thought. Maybe an older combat model, but obviously still quite formidable, especially with his fighting skills.

She contemplated what her chances were going to be as a prisoner, and decided she didn’t like them. The people at the other Colony would want to exact some measure of revenge, she knew. And it appeared that she had the dubious distinction of being the only member of Haze’s band to be taken alive. No, things wouldn’t turn out well for her, she decided, even though she had been an unwilling participant.

Rin had no taste for the slaughter, beatings, and rapes the others had inflicted upon the colonists. If it hadn’t been for her directives, she might have even put a stop to it. But as it was, she could do nothing but watch in distaste and keep to herself, as she usually did.

I wonder if he took the token from Haze? I need to find it before he does, she thought. She didn’t know if the man would know what it was or how to use it. But she did know that she needed to try to make a break for it before she was imprisoned, because then her odds would be a whole lot worse.



***



Reznik searched the dead thug, but found nothing more useful than a couple of knives. He was debating whether or not he should explore the facility any more to see if he could find any more clues about where they had taken the prisoners, but decided against it. She will know, he thought, looking at Rin.

Dr. Kane approached Reznik when they were out of earshot of the others. “If you don’t mind, I think we should be heading back to Colony 12 as soon as possible. While I’m not much worse for wear, I can’t say the same about the women. These three have been treated very harshly. You saw what was happening when you arrived.” He glanced over at Sara, who was sitting on the sofa now, her eyes vacant and staring. “Besides that, everyone is malnourished and dehydrated. Our captors saw fit to only feed us infrequently.”

“Of course—I’m so sorry,” Reznik apologized. He had been so caught up in worrying about the danger that he had neglected to check on the well being of the captives other than giving them a cursory glance to make sure they weren’t wounded. No major physical wounds, but the emotional ones are bound to be the worst, he thought. He took out some energy bars from his pack and distributed them to the group. He also passed around some extra water bottles.

After they finished their snack, Reznik gathered up the scavenged weapons and his pack. “I saw a cart down there inside the vault bay. If it’s still running, we can use that to ride back in.”

Everyone got to their feet, eager to be anywhere else. Dr. Kane picked up his case of medical supplies. June offered to help carry something since Reznik would have his hands full with the prisoner. He nodded gratefully and passed his equipment to her.

Reznik approached Rin, wondering if she would cooperate. The woman surprised him and gracefully rose to her feet, despite the shackles. She coolly met his gaze. Reznik gestured toward the door with the shotgun and she started moving, shuffling slightly in the leg irons, but she held her head high and kept her back straight. If it weren’t for the unnaturally short steps she was forced to take, it wouldn’t have been obvious that she was shackled hand and foot.

They made their way down to the vault bay without incident. As they entered the portal room, the colonists gasped when they saw the corpse hanging from the ceiling.

“Oh my God, is that Emily?” Sara cried.

Reznik wasn’t sure what to say and was grateful when Dr. Kane spoke up. “There’s nothing we can do for her right now, ladies. When we get back to 12, we will send a detail over to round up the dead and give them a proper send-off.” Reznik thought about climbing up and cutting the woman down, but decided against it. There would be time for that later—right now, he had to get the colonists and prisoner back safely.

June led the way down the ramp toward the electric cart parked below the loading dock, followed by the two other women and Dr. Kane. Rin followed with Reznik close behind her.

As June turned her back to stow the equipment into the back of the cart, Rin suddenly exploded into motion. Reznik reflexively made a grab for her, but was rewarded with only empty air.

Rin leapt forward, placing her hands on the metal railing and vaulting down below the loading dock. She was on June before the woman could react, slipping the chain from the manacles around her neck and pulling it tight.

Reznik was again surprised by the woman’s speed. He yelled for the others to get down and leveled the shotgun, but by that time, Rin had turned back toward him, pulling June around in front of her. Rin was barely visible behind the taller woman. Reznik knew it was an impossible shot for an inaccurate weapon like the sawed-off shotgun, even with his targeting display. The revolver would be a better bet, but he couldn’t rely on it to not misfire again. If it did, he knew Rin could crush June’s windpipe before he’d get another shot.

“Stop right there, Rin!” he shouted. “There’s nowhere for you to go. Release the girl.” June’s eyes were wide as she clutched at the chain around her throat.

“Let me go free and I won’t harm this woman.” Rin spoke for the first time. She had a low, almost throaty voice. “I have no quarrel with you.”

“I can’t let you do that. You’re going to have to answer for your crimes,” he replied, shotgun steady as his mind raced for a solution to the standoff.

“I was held against my will as much as these others were,” she said. “I never harmed any of them. Allow me get my belongings and I will return to the surface. You won’t see me ever again.”

“Held against your will? You tried to take my head off in there!”

“I was defending myself after you tried to shoot me,” she snapped.

Reznik realized she had a point. She had the jump on me, and as quick as she is, she probably could have taken me down before I could have gotten off a shot. “You are obviously a woman of some skill—why did you take orders from scum like Haze?”

“I didn’t take orders from him by choice. He has something of mine.”

Reznik looked at Dr. Kane and the other women. “Is what she says true? Did she harm any of the colonists?”

Dr. Kane shook his head. “I never saw her harm anyone. In fact, she was usually the one that gave us food and water when the others neglected to. But she certainly never did anything to resist them or put a halt to what they were doing, either.”

“That bitch was with them the whole time,” Carmen said with some heat. She glared at Rin. “You disgust me! Just sitting there and doing nothing while those animals raped and beat us. It’s as bad as if you were joining in. It’s especially disgusting that another woman would tolerate such behavior!”

Rin had pulled June to the side a bit so she could face them. Her eyes were cold as she glanced at the others, but kept her focus on Reznik.

He thought he could probably hit her in the throat or eye with one of the throwing knives he had tucked into his belt, but with her speed, it would be risky. He found himself reluctant to attack her, and not just because of the possibility of June getting hurt or killed. What if what she said was true? What if she was a hostage to Haze and his gang? In a way, he kind of respected this fierce woman. She didn’t seem the type to lie to save her own skin.



***



Rin realized this wasn’t going as planned. She feared it would turn violent, and she didn’t want to have to hurt any of the civilians. Talking her way out of the situation didn’t appear to be working, either. When she chose to speak, she was blunt and to the point. She had never been gifted with a persuasive tongue.

She knew if she couldn’t bargain with them for her freedom that it would be pointless to try to flee. She had to find the token first, and it would be a loss to have to leave her katana behind, as well.

The stranger spoke up again. “Haze is dead now; you don’t have to fear him any longer. If you surrender, I will see to it that you are treated fairly when we get back.” He turned to the doctor. “Will she be put on trial? I don’t know how the justice system works in these colonies.”

The doctor scratched at his beard. “I’m not sure what will happen, honestly, Mr. Reznik. Administrator Swanson always decides what happens if any rules are broken and what type of punishment will be handed out. We don’t have a legal system like what you are thinking of.”

The man they called Reznik was silent for a moment. “What is it that Haze took from you?” he asked Rin.

“It’s a token. A small device with three intertwined triangles marked on it.”

“Is this what you want?” He stuck a hand in his cargo pocket and pulled out her token.



***



Reznik could see some of the tension drain out of Rin’s face even before she nodded. He knew he had her outmaneuvered now that he had a bargaining chip. “All right, Rin, here’s the deal I’m going to make you: surrender peacefully and come back with us without making any more trouble. In return, I will give you back your token, provided I am satisfied that it won’t prove a threat to anyone. I also give you my word that I will do whatever is in my power to see that you are treated fairly and judged according to your crimes. Maybe I can help you, maybe not; however, you will still have to face the justice of the administrator no matter what. That’s the best deal you are going to get, so I suggest you take it.”

Rin held his gaze for a long moment, and then gave a curt nod. She released June and stood calmly aside.

June rubbed at the red marks on her neck and glared at the outlaw woman. Realizing the standoff was over, she returned to stowing the packs in the cargo area of the cart.

Fortunately, the electric cart still had enough battery power to make it back to Colony 12. June got behind the wheel with Dr. Kane riding shotgun. Sara and Carmen took the middle seats, and Reznik climbed into the back with Rin so he could keep an eye on her. She was true to her word, though, and made no other attempts to escape.

As they passed the carnage in the tunnel from the earlier battle, Reznik watched Rin’s face as she surveyed the remains. He thought there might have been a trace of satisfaction as she looked at the corpses of Haze and the others.

Once they got in range of Colony 12 and Reznik could pick up a signal on his Datalink, he activated it and called Myrna.

“Michael, is everything all right?” she answered immediately.

“Yes, it’s all over. We’re heading back now. You might want to get the welcome wagon ready for us.”

“My father—is he okay?”

“He’s fine.”

“That’s great news.” He could hear the relief in her voice. “And you? What about you?”

“Not too bad, all things considered. They definitely gave me a little bit of a workout. I’m a little worn out, but that’s not a big deal. I really don’t think we’d be having this conversation, though, if it hadn’t been for you working your magic with the augmentations and everything.”

“I’m so glad to hear it. I’ll go inform the administrator and let everybody else know.” She sounded like she wanted to say more, but didn’t.

“Okay, you do that. I’ll see you in a bit.”