Blood Animus by Kyle McKeon

Author:Kyle McKeon [McKeon, Kyle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Branching Realities Independent Publishing
Published: 2021-05-26T22:00:00+00:00

Scene 12: The Baying of the Hounds

Alex gazed at the distant skyscrapers that looked more like shadowy fingers clawing the sky through the shattered window, reveling in the chaos. Scattered rubble, destroyed storefronts, and toppled cars. Gunfire exploded, echoing from every direction. Helicopters circled like bloodhounds searching for a wounded fox. Spotlights pierced the roving smoke swallowing the streets. This ain’t a war. It’s an all-out manhunt. Doesn’t matter what I call it. They’re all gonna die.

“It’s been a while since Toppanga had a good old-fashioned war,” she said, staring at the mangled sign of a restaurant. Scorched letters spelled out Diego’s. “After a while, ya get used to the sound of bullets.”

Roivas’s jaw dropped. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I’m still breathin’.”

“I think Death’s fucking with us,” Rift said, peering out the window.

“Dodging bullets is nothing but a pale comparison to my rigorous childhood routines. Each morning my lady would make us spar, separating individuals with keen physicality and mental prowess from the feeble. The weak and unwanted are excluded from our society. After the intense training, we underwent meditation to rest our weary bodies and to cleanse our minds. Injuries were sustained—nothing substantial. With rested bodies, we would test our mental fortitude and acuity; how to dismantle and clean our weapons from memory, increase our pain thresholds, and lastly—use our teachings in practice simulations,” Tobias admitted, warmly glowing at his fond memories.

“I get it.” Roivas took a calm, collective breath. “Let’s just drop this conversation and focus on the present threat.” Thundering rotors cut through the clouds. “Cerberus troops are combing through the city looking for all of us. Ferris has to be in close proximity to coordinate this citywide assault. Which means he’s probably using a decrypted radio frequency to contact the squads on the ground. To begin, let’s crack the encryption so we can find Ferris’ frequency.” His crimson sleeve unrolled, hand flexing. He looked at Tobias with an open palm. “Can I borrow your com for a second?”

Tobias reached into his ear and pulled it out, lightly tossing it over.

Roivas fidgeted around, success eluding his attempts. “Damn thing worked last time. They spend thousands of dollars on the latest technology, and somehow they still feel like they’re made cheap by Taiwanese kids.” He laid it out on the desk and disassembled it.

Tobias gave Alex a passing glance. “I will assist. Perhaps I can override the frequency.”

With Roivas and Tobias occupied with the decryption, Alex decided to check on Rift. Rift tore himself away from the front window and searched the stars, glass shards cutting their pale trickling beams. Melancholic eyes followed the helicopter’s search. Glass snapped under her boots, and he turned, but it didn’t stop his ramblings. “Funny thing, history always repeats itself. A vicious cycle no one likes to acknowledge until after the fact—when mistakes have already been made. The continuation of the Aegis project, Cerberus infiltrating the city, everything.” A silent, reflective storm brewed in his amber eyes. “And now here we are following

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