Bystanders II: Trophy Hunters Read online

  Osiris looks at his armor and sees it’s melting. A reaction to the caustic gas. “Vishnu, the crazy bastards are using caus-balls!”

  Before Osiris gets a response, a large scythe slices through the cloud. It scraps away the loose metal of Osiris’ armor, along with most of his entrails. Osiris falls to the floor and vomits blood through his helmet. Two feet step over him. Osiris falls prone and rolls onto his back.

  A sole Malignant soldier tears through the Animal Pack. The armored enemy wears only black, except for a white skull mask. Death lives up to his namesake. The caus-balls have no effect on Death’s armor. It isn’t fair to even call it a fight as he quickly engages a dozen Gudz with a combination of brutal and fancy techniques.

  A man in a wolf mask swings two daggers at Death. The man has an inverted grip on his blades, and his arms are a flurry as he unsuccessfully engages Death. Death twirls his scythe, knocking the man’s arms to the side. Death then wraps his left arm around the man’s neck and violently snaps it. The armored wolf crumples to the ground.

  Death twirls his scythe again, always impressive, and brings the blade into the crotch of a beaver helmeted man. The scythe promptly separates the now liquid armor, along with the man underneath.

  Although the caus-balls’ smoke effect has finally dissipated, there are only two Gudz able to stand. One with armor that somewhat resembles an aardvark and the other man depicts a shark. The rest of the warriors writhe on the ground as their skin liquefy and mix with their armor. It’s a gruesome and agonizing death.

  The shark man swings a pole with jagged metal teeth lining the outside. The swing is weak and more symbolic than effective as the man grimaces to stay standing. Death simply slaps the attack away with his hand.

  The shark man falls to a knee. His helmet slides off his face, revealing muscle. His skin is no more. Death swings his scythe and separates the man’s head from his body. Death kicks the aardvark armored man in the chest, and he falls backwards. The man lies on the ground and breathes heavily. Death seems uninterested in delivering the coup de grace. He walks back over to Osiris, who is barely alive.

  Osiris heroically forces himself up, holding his stomach in place with his hands and determination. His armor was better crafted than his peers’ and has provided him with a few additional moments of life. His discarded helmet lays at his feet. It slowly dissolves into a puddle of molten metal.

  “Of course, you would survive the battle.” Osiris coughs. “Always Whiro’s lackey.”

  Death doesn’t attack Osiris. He leans his scythe against the wall and nonchalantly crosses his arms, waiting for Osiris to succumb to his wounds.

  “Coward!” Osiris screams.

  Unbeknownst to Death, the aardvark armored man also stands. Osiris sees this and attempts to keep Death’s attention as the warrior softly, slowly, and agonizingly sneaks up behind the Malignant champion.

  “Fight me like a man!” Osiris challenges.

  Death finally speaks. “Why? It will not be much longer.”

  The aardvark man moves closer. He’s only a few paces away with a spear in hand, ready to attack.

  “Have you no honor?” Osiris asks.

  “Sticks and stones,” Death responds.

  The man lunges with the spear. Death easily avoids the attack that he apparently knew was coming. Amazingly the spear had some power behind it. Unfortunately, this power is now used against Osiris. The spear pokes through his hand, covering his open stomach, and exits out his back.

  Death spins and connects with a backfist on the neck of the aardvark man. This crushes his vertebrae and forces him closer to Osiris which, in turn, forces the spear deeper into his body.

  Osiris gurgles more blood. It freely flows down his face, sans helmet. His body convulses as he stubbornly refuses to die.

  Death seems genuinely amazed. “Your resolve is impressive. You should have been Malignant.”

  Death springs back into action, quickly grasping his scythe from against the wall and eviscerates Osiris. The man is reduced to a dozen pieces as Death’s scythe cleaves them free.

  The smoke cleared and enemies defeated, Death takes a moment to ensure his enemies are dead. He twirls his scythe once more and rests it on his shoulders as he casually strolls down the hall.

  Elsewhere on the Olympus, Eve leads her squad through the hallways. Hades is no longer visible.

  “Hades, what do you see ahead?” Eve asks over her communicator.

  Hades quickly answers. “You have a pack heading your way. I avoided them to see how many in total. They seem to be separating into smaller groups. It doesn’t seem possible that they have this many from one ship. I’m heading to auxiliary power. I think that’s their target, but they aren’t exactly sure where it is.”

  “Good idea,” Eve says. “Defend Planicus. We’ll take those you evaded.”

  “I figured you would. Good hunting.”

  “Same to you.” Eve ends her communication.

  “So, what’s the plan, Wife?” Adam asks.

  Eve thinks for a moment. “I say we charge down the hall and attack them. They may have more numbers than expected, but they’re still only Malignant.”

  “Exactly,” Poseidon boasts.

  The quintet charges down the hall. They turn a corner and see six Malignant soldiers, all armed with short-swords.

  “I claim the extra one,” Amun says.

  Before any of the other Gudz can act, Poseidon steps forward and aims his trident. Water erupts from the three tips and forces all the Malignant to the floor.

  “What was that, Amun?” he asks. “I couldn’t hear you over the sound of me winning.”

  “I’d prefer it if you fought honorably and didn’t use your augmentations unless absolutely necessary,” Eve says. “You’re always too selective with how closely you observe the rules of Our Contest.”

  The Gudz charge down the hall to close the distance as their prey slowly stand. One of the Malignant throws a handful of marble-shaped objects toward the ground. Before the beads strike the floor, they enlarge into robotic drones that resemble metal starfish. Each is approximately three feet in height, sporting drill bits for limbs. The Malignant force now numbers thirteen.

  “What the hell was that?” Adam asks.

  Eve finally understands. “No wonder they’ve gotten so far into the ship. It seems the Malignant have invented a new weapon.”

  “They’re still just robots,” Odin states.

  “Exactly!” Poseidon agrees.

  Poseidon lets loose a second water blast. The drones slam their drills into the floor and brace for the impact. Poseidon is unable to wash them away. The human Malignant boarders take the opportunity to jump over their allies and attack. One of the Malignant never even makes it to the zenith of his jump. Odin’s spear intercepts and throws him down the hall, dead.

  “First!” Odin shouts.

  Adam laughs. “So? What will you use to fight now?”

  “I got mine. Amun claimed the extra one.” Odin crosses his arms and leans against the wall. He appears to challenge all Malignant to approach him.

  A Malignant comes down from his jump with a vicious stab to Eve’s shoulder. She spins away to avoid the blade and turns the motion into an attack. Her flail sails through the air, and the apple connects with the man’s head. The worms dig into the helmet of Eve’s attacker and shear it away.

  “Not what you expected?” she mocks her opponent.

  The man’s cheek is shredded and profusely bleeds. He doesn’t seem to care about the pain. He feints to the left, and Eve falls for it. Her swing is wide, and the man stabs at her left leg. The blade strikes true, but her armor easily protects her.

  Eve scoffs. “Inferior Malignant blades.”

  Eve kicks the man in the knee and bends it in the wrong direction. This pain does produce a scream and forces the man to the ground. She kills him by caving his face in with her weapon.

  Despite Amun’s claim of “dibs,” Adam also battles two Mali
gnant. He’s between the two and dodges various thrusts. He rolls under a wild swing and moves to the outside. He quickly stands and thrusts with his spear, which conveniently goes through the necks of both of his attackers. He pulls his spear out, and their blood spills onto the floor as they choke their last breaths.

  Amun swings his scepters and mercilessly beats two men with them. His arms are a blur as he bounces between the two with blows to their heads and joints. Neither could hold onto his sword. Amun swings more and squats to keep up the attack, as the two men fall to their knees and eventually lie prone. A stomp to each spine finally satisfies Amun’s bloodlust.

  “Are you done playing with your toys yet?” Amun asks.

  Poseidon faces off against the remaining two drones. The other five were scattered into countless pieces, many arcing electricity.

  “This feels wrong,” Poseidon complains. “It’s not the same when it isn’t flesh.”

  “You wanted to use augmentations, so you get the equipment,” Eve says.

  Poseidon sighs while he impales a drone as it dives for his head. The robot squirms on the end of Poseidon’s trident, and he slams the form into the wall a few times. He then launches the robot with a blast of water. The drone quickly tears apart and adds more pieces at Poseidon’s feet.

  The final drone briefly glows red.

  “Look out!” Amun warns.

  Amun rushes to protect Poseidon, but the drone explodes. Poseidon instinctively erects a small water shield to protect Odin, Adam, and Eve, but Amun isn’t fortunate to be on the correct side of it. His rush to be the hero, ironically being the reason. His armor protects him from death, but Amun is critically injured.

  Poseidon shakes his head disapprovingly. “Stupid! Why did you do that? We all understood the implications.”

  Poseidon removes Amun’s helmet.

  The man coughs. “Sorry. It played out better in my imagination.”

  Adam kneels at Amun’s side. “You don’t look good, Amun.”

  “I feel worse.”

  Eve evaluates their situation. “Poseidon, take him back to the bridge.”

  “I can get him to Asclepius,” Poseidon counters.

  “You sure?”

  “I’m positive.”

  “Alright, do it. Odin, Adam, and I will catch up with Hades at auxiliary power.”

  Adam and Eve charge down the hall while Odin helps Poseidon heft Amun onto his shoulders.

  “Thanks,” Poseidon says.

  “No problem.” Odin turns and follows Adam and Eve.

  Hades approaches the door for auxiliary power. He knocks on the outside. “Planicus, are you in there? It’s Hades.”

  Planicus’ timid voice is muffled by the solid door that separates them. “Hades? Blessings on you. Is anyone with you?”

  “Eve, Adam, Odin, Amun, and Poseidon are closely behind. Open up. I can defend you better from inside. The door will channel their attacks.”

  “Of course, give me a moment.”

  The door slides open, and Hades enters.

  Planicus quickly closes and locks the door, once Hades enters. Auxiliary power is a cramped room with a sole workstation. The entire room is bathed in red, but Planicus must have long ago turned off the annoying siren that typically accompanies the color. The woman seems terrified and hasn’t even put on her helmet. Her body trembles.

  “I’m so glad to see you,” Planicus admits. “I was going crazy in here. The slightest sound and I was certain it was the Malignant.”

  “I understand. You need to arm yourself with something better than a dagger in the future. Perhaps some more advanced combat training, too, hmm?”

  “Absolutely. What do we do now?”

  “We wait. Eve should be here soon. The Malignant can’t survive Vishnu’s security, much less the Animal Pack marines. Poseidon taught me a few tricks to push them back if they try to enter that door.”

  “Okay.”

  “Is the computer locked?”

  “Yes. I didn’t want to risk it.”

  “Good. However, you need to check on the prisoners. We don’t need Whiro getting out, and he must be their target.”

  Planicus moves to the sole computer station in the room. “I didn’t think of that. Let me see.”

  Planicus types commands into the computer and accesses the few cameras that auxiliary power still enables.

  “Let’s see,” she says as she scrolls through various screens. “It looks like the halls have lots of Malignant, but our guys seem to be winning in most.”

  “Check the prisoners. We don’t need to be here if they’re already out.”

  Planicus changes cameras. “Yes. They’re still there. Wan Loo is outside and guarding.”

  Hades nods. “Good. Good. Wan Loo knows his stuff. What about us?”

  “We know our stuff, too?” Planicus meekly offers.

  “No, can you access the hallways outside that door?”

  Hades points. Planicus changes the cameras again.

  “I have limited access to cameras. Only the critical areas, but I do have one outside this door. Damn!”

  The camera immediately outside shows Death waving at the lens.

  “Hades, it’s Death. We--aargh!”

  The twin prongs of Hades’ bident protrude from Planicus’ chest. Her face shows betrayal more than pain, and her hands cover her abdomen, beneath the piercing prongs. She quickly dies.

  “I’m sorry,” Hades softly whispers, “but sacrifices must be made. I hope the afterlife is good to you. Forever enemies, until our celebration.”

  Planicus’ body slides off his bident. Hades then opens the door, allowing Death admittance. Death looks at Planicus’ bleeding form.

  “They seem to get younger the farther into your ship I get,” Death notes.

  Hades ignores his comment and focuses on his rescue mission. “Whiro and his lieutenants are still in their cells.”

  “The computer is right there,” Death smugly states. “How about you let them out?”

  Hades sits in front of Planicus’ station. His fingers dance across the keys. He comments as he interacts with the Olympus.

  “Let’s see. This locks down all the hallways. This ejects ninety-five percent of the escape pods. The closest ones to the cells are still there, of course.”

  “Of course,” Death repeats.

  “And this unlocks the cells. I’m sure Whiro will be able to take it from there.”

  “I know he will.”

  “Your ship will be able to pick us up?”

  “Doubtful. We will escape to the planet below. I relayed our location at each hop. Our forces will eventually show up to get us.”

  “That isn’t what we agreed to,” Hades accuses.

  “You were supposed to disable the weapons,” Death counters. “We would not have to resort to this if your brother had not destroyed two of my ships.”

  “Complications.”

  “Of course. Add this to the list of them. You go link up with Whiro. It seems nobody is wise to our ruse yet, and you should be able to aggravate any plans of theirs. I will stay here.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you will not get anywhere if I am standing by you. Plus, more of your people may show up here. I cannot let them undo your handy work. When you get there, give Whiro this.”

  Death hands over a leather satchel that contains a dozen small spheres in it.

  “You’ll be able to get out?” Hades asks with only partial sincerity.

  “My armor is significantly more resilient than most. I can survive space, and I have a smaller ship on the outside. I simply need to make an exit once Whiro is off the ship. It will be spectacular.”

  “Death, you are the epitome of the Malignant.”

  “Naturally. Now get going.”

  Hades heads out the door as Death sits on the desk. He twirls his scythe, playing with it while he waits.

  The Malignant commanders sit in their individual cells aboard the Olympus. Each consists o
f an uncomfortable green cot and a metal toilet. A small slot at the bottom of each transparent cell door serves as an opening for food. Several trays lay around the cells with their untouched contents spilled.

  Whiro, the leader, scowls. His tribal tattoos circle his face. The surrounding cells contain his trusted lieutenants: Anubis, Hel, Meng Po, Morrighan, Yama, and Satan. There are additional Malignant, the disgraced honor guard who failed in their duty of protecting the Malignant leader. They remain silent while their commanders glare at them. All the Malignant sit in forest-green prison uniforms.

  The sound of conflict is heard from far down the halls. A slow smile spreads across Whiro’s face. “It took him long enough.”

  A soft click, barely audible, alerts Whiro.

  “It sounds like the doors are unlocked,” Satan says.

  Hel’s sultry voice concurs. “Agreed. Any moment some Gudz spittle will come in. I suggest we prepare ourselves.”

  Hel crosses her arms underneath her impressive bust. Even under these conditions, she makes sure that her sexuality is not held captive.

  “With what?” Meng Po challenges. “They took our armor, and who knows if the atmosphere out there has been compromised.”

  “I have not heard any shots near us,” Whiro states. “They are trying to protect their ship. They do not have the resolve to die for their cause. I cannot respect an enemy that fears death. I long to feed on their flesh.”

  A tall man grunts.

  “So, what do we do?” Anubis asks. “Wait for death?”

  “Exactly,” Yama says. He must be amused by his “clever” play on words. “He should be here shortly. I hope he brought his toys. I love watching his victims suffer.”

  “We all do,” Morrighan adds.

  Whiro opens the now unlocked door to his cell. His soldiers do the same. They congregate in the center of the room and stare at the door leading away from the detention center.

  “Position yourselves on either side of the door,” Whiro orders. “Fight them as they come in, and take as many Gudz with you as you can. We only need to stall until Death arrives. They cannot stop him.”