Continued From E2:P5

Commander Siyel sat down and tried once more to reconcile the shitstorm that the day had turned into. It had started off so promisingly, she had finally secured Slake and had been one step closer to unveiling a fundamental truth about the criminal underground that ran rampant in Cheenha. And yet as always she had found the thread cut before she could successfully tug on it. Still, this was by far the closest she had gotten before. That's what made the failure sting so much, the pain of knowing just how close she was to figuring this whole mess out.

She sat at her desk, her horned head falling forwards into her hands as she growled to herself in frustration. She sat back in the soft, padded ranx-leather chair and eyed the small wooden cabinet next to her desk. She shook her head slowly before muttering, “Ah.. to a hel with it.” Siyel reached out a long fingered hand and keyed the activation code to the small, locked cabinet and licked her lips with her blue tongue.

The door swung open with a click and revealed the contents. A set of crystal glasses and several bottles of pale pink liquor seemed to smile at her, beckoning like long lost friends. She found herself moving on instinct, she grabbed a pair of cups and one of the bottles before pouring two shots of the liquid. She set the bottle down and stared at the second glass with a heavy heart.

She had given up drinking the day her husband had been killed, she had told herself that she would not imbibe again till she had solved the mystery. But seeing his favorite crecini ale in front of her, the bubbles forming on the glass and slowly rising to the top. It was almost too much. She swept her arm out angrily and scattered the glasses off her desk, the clatter of them hitting the floor as loud as gunshots to her ears in the enclosed office.

She stood suddenly, her tail stiff and her eyes following the path of her destruction. There was alcohol splattered across the floor in front of her desk. The smell of it conjuring memories she couldn't bear to think about. She made a desperate grab for the bottle and took a long and satisfying pull from the source. The lukewarm liquor burned a trail from her mouth to her belly, a deep satisfying fire that simultaneously warmed her body and dulled her mind.

As she placed the bottle back down on her desk she frowned at her own weakness. She took another drink, the liquor burning like coals as it traveled down her throat and seemed to light a fire in her middle. She smiled widely at the sensation, it had been three years this month since the accident. She had been planning to go and visit their grave but hadn’t yet made the time as busy as she had been.

She sat back into her chair with a heavy sigh, the bottle clutched in her hand like it was her only lifeline. She closed her eyes as she took another long drink and then coughed as the same old feelings tore into her weakened and tired mind. “Oh, Zad.. I miss you and Davi so much. What did I do to deserve this..” She sobbed to herself quietly as she looked out the shuttered window that sat across from her desk. The alcohol was slowly taking effect, but not nearly fast enough to block out the past.

The night was cold and dark outside, but the darkness held no answers as she fell into that buzzing blissful oblivion that only heavy drink can offer. The pain of the long day fading in her mind as she took another drink. The healthy buzzing sensation in her mind made her think of Balinski and she sat up straight in surprise at the sudden tangent.

She thought about the feeling of the large man’s protective arms sweeping her up off her feet, the look in the cyborg’s remaining eye as he had carried her as easily as a child. She cursed and threw the nearly empty bottle across the room, the thick glass didn't break though. Instead it simply bounced off the wall and left a neat semicircular dent. “No! You know what has to happen..” She started to say before she slumped back down into the chair.

She shook her head, she couldn't think those kinds of thoughts anymore. Not when they would only ever lead to more pain. She cringed inwards at the thoughts that chased her conscious mind, she was losing control.

With a jolt she realised that she didn’t seem to regret the notion. She was tired, tired of the corruption and death. Tired of the endless killing and the thought of all the good lives lost in the pursuit of her hopeless goals. She would never find out who was responsible, not alone anyways. She once more thought of Balinski, but this time she thought about how fast the man had gotten through to the bottom of cases that had held up the CPD for what seemed like months or years.

She sat up straight again as she smiled widely, her white molars flashing in the dimly lit office. She nodded. “Yes, there’s somebody who can cut through the red tape.” In her somewhat inebriated state it all seemed so clear now. The puzzle pieces that had been spinning in the rear of her mind were slowly connecting together as if guided by some powerful inner force.

He had the remarkable ability to get to the bottom of things that otherwise seemed obfuscated by the constant bureaucratic ranxshit of the department. She shook her head as her tail lashed behind her through the small hole in the seat. Yes, she would use him to cut through to the meaty core of the problem. She would keep him close, just because he was such an effective tool and not for.. She shuddered as the thought of the man’s face once more rose unbidden in her mind. Not for any other reasons.

Siyel leaned back into the chair and closed her eyes. She was still wearing her messy uniform and the damaged body armour a-top it. But despite everything that had happened she felt safer in this office than in her own house, and so she stayed. The night getting darker despite the muted neon glow of the city without that glinted off the shattered glass and spilled alcohol that lay upon the floor.

She closed her eyes and found sleep soon after. Her dreams muted and grey, the thought of something large and powerful stalking her making the nerivith woman mew pitifully within her nightmares. But at every turn the monsters were blocked by a towering saviour that banished these imagined demons back to hell with a thunderous pistol. The green glint of a cybernetic eye showing from the dark, shadowed clothing they wore over their cybernetics.

**********

Balinski was awoken by something prodding him in the ribs. He grunted painfully as his bruised body reacted poorly to the intrusion.

Sitting up, he looked around the room. Caesar seemed to already be up and about, it must have been her that had awoken him. He took a deep breath and risked a stretch, his back muscles protesting as the scent of food reached his sluggish mind. At the same time he heard a whine from Caesar as she looked up longingly at the two plates of slightly steaming food that sat atop the rolling table by the bed.

With a jolt he realised that his previously discarded clothes were missing and he jumped to his feet. He looked around the room frantically until his eyes alighted on a bundle by the door on a clothing rack. He walked over to it stiffly and realised with a small chuckle that it was his clothing.

His coat and shoes looked to have been washed, the trench coat was still full of holes though. The singed and frayed edges flashing conspicuously now that the garment wasn't covered in blood and dirt. He pulled the coat on with some difficulty, his shoulders were stiff beyond belief and his back was killing him. At least his arms and legs were fine, he hadn't really taken the time to give them a once over to make sure the various bullet and laser impacts had not damaged them. He did so now and was relieved to find that, while a little scuffed up, his cybernetics were in remarkably good condition.

He was going to have to schedule an inspection of them to make sure, but they would be fine for the moment. He needed to get ready to go and find out what was going on.

As Balinski pulled on his boots he saw Caesar perk up and then climb slowly to her feet and let out a yawn. He smiled and walked back to the edge of the bed before sitting on the light blue mattress. He patted the bed next to him and Caesar put her paws up on it and then whined pitifully while giving him the most annoyingly adorable puppy dog eyes.

“Oh you lazy grub. Fine, I’ll help you.” He chuckled at her antics as she grumbled in mock annoyance, he wrapped an arm under her front and hauled her onto the bed where she proceeded to flop back down into the covers. “You want breakfast or not? I’m not going to feed you like you are some sort of roman potentate.”

Caesar understood part of the reference, likely not getting the full meaning. She huffed anyways, understanding that he wasn’t going to feed her morsels from a silver dog dish. She scuffled a little closer to the edge of the bed where he placed the plate of bland hospital food in front of her. He chuckled as she took a sniff and then recoiled visibly.

“It’s not going to hurt you. Eat it, I promise I will get you something better later.” She looked at him flatly, one of her little brows raising slightly as she gave him a very undog-like look. He chuckled again. “Okay, you don't have to eat the scrambled eggs. Here, I’ll trade you my sausage patties for them. Ok? Happier now you little picky princess?”

She seemed indeed happier with this arrangement as she scarfed them down. He ate his double helping of unseasoned eggs slowly, making sure to chew and savour every bite in an effort to annoy his furry companion. She pointedly ignored him, turning her back to face him as she looked at the small bedside monitor.

Balinskli shook his head slightly. She was such a drama queen at times.

As he finished the last few bites of fluffy egg he heard the door open and looked up, surprise crossing his features as a pair of officers stepped inside and nodded to him. After a second another person strode through the door and caused him to jerk upright. It was Siyel, the tall alien woman looked scruffy and tired but seemingly in good spirits as she stopped a meter from his bed and looked around the room briefly.

She gestured to him and then spoke quickly, her long tufted tail wagging slowly behind her at ankle level. “Oh good, I was looking all over for you before I realised that you would most likely be here.” She walked around the bed to where Caesar was still pouting and crouched down to look at her. “I am glad to see you are doing so much better Caesar.” She smiled as the pup gave her an encouraging woof and tail wag.

Balinski wiped his mouth and placed his wide brimmed hat on his head, standing up and taking a single step towards the wall. “What’s the message?”

She cocked her horned head. “The message? I’m not sure what you mean.” He raised a hand to explain but she continued over the top of him. “Well, it’s not important right now. I came down here to tell you that the prisoner you captured did in fact have knowledge of the attack. He cracked about thirty minutes ago, I just came from his cell.”

This caused Balinski to straighten. That was in fact news of the best kind. Especially after the horrendous actions of last night. “What did that frillhead say?”

She smiled, her fungivore teeth flashing at him as she answered slowly. “He told us where the attack was staged from. I already have a task force gearing up and ready to move out. I was just waiting for my number one warden.” She paused and gave him a pointed look.

Balinski felt a little odd, that look seemed to convey more meaning than he was picking up from her speech alone. He wondered what had changed between them after yesterday, thoughts of how overly protective he had been of her arose unbidden to his mind. Maybe she was trying to tell him to lay off a little?

He decided that he would just take her words at face value, much less danger of misinterpretation that way. “Gotcha. Caesar, are you feeling good enough to move out? I know the doctor stimmed you up with some quickheal last night after the surgery. Oh don't give me that, let's go.” He prodded her as she pretended to be asleep.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Siyel shook her head and glanced his way, the light glinted off her violet eyes and gave him pause. For the briefest of moments he thought she had the same look on her face as last night, when he had carried her through the halls away from danger. But in a flash it was gone, replaced by the same stern look she seemed to have permanently plastered on her face. Had he imagined it or was he simply going crazy. ‘Well, Crazier.’ he thought silently with a chuckle under his breath.

“Okay, I’m ready.” He checked his shoulder holster and belt ammunition. Everything seemed to be in order and Caesar hopped to the floor with an annoyed sound that he chose to ignore.

Siyel smiled slightly and mentioned as they walked to the doorway, “Oh, I had somebody pick up that gauss cannon you were using. Consider it yours if you want it. A little thank you for services rendered in the attack last night.” A was a little taken aback by that show of generosity. A new or even used GR74F would have set him back a few tens of thousands of osmir if he had purchased one on his own and likely would have been heavily scrutinised by local authorities.

He gave her a gracious nod, it truly was an incredible gift. “Then I gladly accept. I will put it to good use I can assure you.”

She nodded sternly as they exited the room flanked by the two officers, “I know you will.”

He followed her quickly down the stairs and through the hospital wing. The precinct was attached to the local medical structure in such a way as to be indistinguishable from the outside. It helped to have the two in such close proximity when some of the officers and those they might have to bring in sustained injuries.

She led him and Caesar along corridors that still had bloodstains and bullet holes in the dark carbcrete. He glanced at them, anger filling his heart at the sight of such desecration. This place was a monument of order and stability in the chaos of the huge city, and all these lowlife scum had done by kicking the hornet’s nest was piss off every single officer in the entire district. If not the whole city.

He still had that sour taste in his mouth from when he had learned there were traitors in their midst, how many more of them drew their salaries from both the city and its slimy underbelly. How many more of these so-called officers of the law were breaking every oath they had sworn to? He broke from the dark line of reasoning,

They skirted around a conspicuous stain on the floor and then turned another corner, entering into a much larger room. It looked similar in structure to the building’s main entrance except that it seemed to lead to some sort of internal garage. Siyel led them across the space with only a few head nods to others that walked past. He wanted to stop and ask what the plan was, but he could tell from her determined walk that now was not the time.

They walked through a series of doorways, each one now accompanied by a CPD officer in heavy riot gear and holding a number of powerful weapons from shotguns to beam rifles. He glanced to her and she smiled. “Enhanced security measures. It was decided that after the disaster of the attack that we could benefit from a little extra combat readiness. Also, Brigadier Dreenth has agreed to beef up our arsenal after the incident.”

She tossed her head at the remark, her short black hair bouncing around her long curving horns. “Beef huh? Like what?”

She made a nonchalant gesture and remarked calmly, “Oh nothing much. More power armour for additional Havoc units, a shipment of small arms and some surplus tanks.”

That caught him off guard. His remaining eye widened under the shadow of his wide brimmed hat. “Tanks? Like what, Quintens?”

She shook her head as he followed her into a large open space filled with scurrying officers and police vehicles. He could see a few longsword class APCs as well, their dark blue armour plates giving them a distinctly sinister vibe. “No, I only wish we could get so lucky. No, the governor shuffled half a dozen Tumbler Type-Ys from mothball. Sure they are thirty year old models, but I will take what I can get.”

She didn't seem to miffed about it and he could very well guess why, the Type-Ys were still classified as medium tanks. They were bonafide combat vehicles with thick armour and designed to pack a hell of a punch. Any one of them could single handedly have turned the enemy assault back on its own before it had even begun.

He noticed one of the APCs ahead had several familiar looking figures surrounding it. As they drew near he recognised the officers of Delta squad, the same ones that had helped when he had taken down Slake the day before. ‘Had it really only been a day?’ he thought to himself.

The cracked duracrete scuffed under his boots as they came to a stop. A tall slaaveth man with a damaged head fin stepped forwards, it was Jerg. He snapped a crisp salute to Siyel who returned it as he said, “We are locked and loaded, ready to roll on your command. We will take the fight back to these Drekking sludge slurpers.” He spoke with a gurgle of hatred in his voice.

He glanced at Balinski and gave him a respectful nod that he returned. Siyel gestured to the vehicle, “Well, load up. We will meet you on site.” She glanced at Balinski, “Follow me, we are riding in the Beast.”

He smiled and just motioned for Caesar to follow. “What’s the Beast?”

She pointed to a nearby vehicle and he found himself impressed in spite of his misgivings. Calling the monstrosity that sat before him the Beast made much more sense. The vehicle was large, larger even than the APC that Delta force had climbed into. It was also tall, at least four meters from the base of its tri-wheels to the top of its armoured cupolas. From the rear arose a complex looking mast of antenna and communications equipment that looked more fit for a radio station than a vehicle.

He stepped closer, the next thing that impressed him was the design of the vehicle itself. It had tri-star wheel arrangement with the fully articulated triple wheels capable of handling almost any type of terrain. All twelve were driven at once but only eight seemed to be in contact with the ground at any one time. He wondered to himself what kind of torque that must require, but given that he could see the tell-tale radiator vanes of a nuclear reactor on the rear he surmised that the monstrosity didn’t lack for power.

She stepped up to the front of the aptly named Beast and walked up the ramp that was hanging down from the side of its cabin. He ascended into the cabin behind her and was immediately surprised by the fact he could stand inside. Not comfortably, his head was pretty much touching the roof and it caused him to stoop to avoid knocking off his hat.

She turned and then took a seat at a small console station next to a large atraxses officer wearing a CPD emblazoned sash. They looked to be female, but it was remarkably hard to tell from the angle he was at. Both male and female atraxses were rather large and bulky.

Siyel gestured for him to sit as well as the ramp closed and the vehicle began to shudder slightly. “Welcome to my mobile command vehicle. I was able to beg this off of Major Davy in precinct four as it had been sitting in storage for months. It's a fully articulated and combat capable mobile outpost with all the bells and whistles.” She gestured excitedly to something besides him and he had to do a double take as he realised he was sitting next to a fully operational autokitchen.

“What in the, you can cook in here?” He asked dumbly.

Siyel nodded with a grin and turned back to her monitoring station before slipping a pair of multi–species headphones over her horned head. Clearly the vehicle was made for extended deployments, though he wasn’t really expecting this jaunt to turn into one. He sat back in the seat, it was nice not to be worried for a change. The armour plating on the Beast would resist anything but high calibre anti-vehicle weapons.

He felt the large armoured vehicle buck slightly. They were underway to the location it seemed and he still didn’t know what had happened. He swallowed and then waved a hand towards Siyel. The large atraxses woman grunted in mild annoyance as she was temporarily distracted by his antics and he gave her an apologetic gesture.

Siyel pulled the headset off the ear facing him and muttered distractedly, “Hmm? What do you need Balinski?”

He shrugged his shoulders as he asked her the plan. “So, what are we on route to exactly? I know you said you got the location from that near braindead filthwallower, but what did they tell you actually?” He rubbed his hands together. Not exactly worried, but apprehensive about the true nature of the situation nonetheless. Caesar laid down at his feet as he worried, her body pressed against his legs as she closed her eyes. He smiled, she always found the time to get some rest. Given the night they had, he wasn’t that surprised she was still tired. He certainly was.

Siyel sighed and then took off the headset, placing it around her neck. “The man you arrested broke under some pretty heavy questioning last night. He wasn’t very bright it seemed, but he was smart enough to be let in on some of the more sensitive details of the mission. Such as the fact that the entire operation was organised in order to kill Slake before he could reveal any information. They had hoped to catch us out at Slake’s compound in which case we would likely have all been slaughtered.” She grimaced at that, less total officers would have lost their lives in that case, but it wasn't something she could have controlled.

He raised a hand. “Hey, we did the right thing at every step of the way. You did the right thing.”

She nodded her head, her raven hair shifting from behind her horns a little at the motion. She brushed it back into place as she answered, “Yea, I know that objectively, Balinski. But no amount of telling myself that is going to bring back the good men and women that died in the line of duty last night. By the powers that be..” She trailed off for a few seconds. When she looked back at him the determination had once more masked her emotions.

She waved a hand at the computer readouts in front of her. One in particular caught his attention. “This is a small laundromat located about sixteen blocks from the precinct. Practically within spitting distance, well.. it isn't quite as mundane as the faded lettering of its exterior might otherwise have you believe. It turns out that Sleeves and Crease is a front for the Pit Vipers organisation.” She explained.

Her matter-of-fact statement took him a second to register. “Wait, the Pit Vipers gang operates out of there? This close to the precinct?” She nodded solemnly. “Then we are almost there, that's only a few minutes drive!” he exclaimed.

“Yes, and it pains me to admit that I had suspected there were close operating gang facilities. What with so many places for them to hide in the city or its underground. I am surprised it took us this long to figure it out.” She seemed a bit upset by the news. And he could very well understand why.

He looked at the screen again, the small building was the first floor of a larger complex. It looked as innocuous as it was drab. Not at all something that would act as a face for one of the most notorious blood hungry murder gangs in the city. The pit vipers were known for their extreme violence, last night’s attack had all the hallmarks of their cruelty.

Balinski checked his cybernetic diagnostics briefly and then cracked his neck. “Okay, so when we go in there, what exactly am I looking for?”

Siyel turned towards him and made an almost apologetic gesture, he saw her tail coil into the small of her back in a gesture of compunction. Her hesitation gave him pause. “What. What is it?” He was wary now.

She pushed herself away from the computer for a moment as she gestured to the screen. “You aren't going to be participating in this raid Balinski.”

As far as bombshells went, it wasn't a nuke. But he still opened his eye wide in surprise. “Not going on the raid? What the shit do you mean?”

Siyel tapped on the keypad and brought up a list of officers. Amongst them the members of Delta squad were first and foremost. “I have the best that is available going in there. You are injured and tired and far from your best right now.” He tried to protest but she locked down, her tufted tail lashing behind her now. “No, you listen to me. You are one of the best assets I have at my disposal, and I will admit that freely. Don't let it go to your head. Anyways, I am keeping you here to watch and observe. I need your expertise to make sure that we don’t miss anything.” She gestured for him to move his chair closer to the computers.

He looked down and noticed that the chair was mounted in a rail, he undid the lock and moved smoothly to her side where she showed him how to open the control panel. He could see everything, the helmet feeds of the officers, the live feeds from the vehicles and even a picture of himself seated next to Siyel. He looked over his shoulder and located the camera, it was sitting in the open and not at all hidden.

From the telemetry data that was tracking on one of the lower screens he could see that the first units were already on the street that approached the laundromat. The back doors of the APCs slamming open and heavily geared delta squad forces spilling out. He watched as several of them that he recognised as being in Jerg’s squad ran to the front door of the laundromat and took up positions on either side.

The store was dark and the flickering neon sign out front displayed that it was closed. That wasn’t an issue, in fact it was much better that way. Much less chance of civilians being caught in any potential crossfire.

Siyel had replaced her headset and was now speaking over the comms. He couldn't hear what she was hearing and looked around for a spare headset while she directed the scene, “Yes, forwards more and to the right. Watch out for the glass, there could be armed assailants within. Yes they would.. no.” She continued speaking as he found one and slipped it on, he had to remove his hat in order to wear the headset properly.

He heard one of the officers on the ground speak up. “We are in position. Mark?”

Siyel nodded, “You are good to go, mark one.”

Balinski looked back at the screen. A large figure in heavy riot gear scuttled to the door, it looked like a vinarfel male. Not Daryon then. The figure raised a siege ram and swung it at the door with inhuman insectoid strength and the door evaporated into a cloud of splinters and debris as the delta force operatives rushed inside the building in a wave of armoured fury.

Continued In E2:P7