Virion: The Black Cell (Volume One of the Virion Series) by R.L.M. Sanchez

Author:R.L.M. Sanchez
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2018-01-29T07:00:00+00:00

***

Emissary Brooks’ legs were burning. Only pure adrenaline kept him going. The alleys in Orange Sector were a maze. Even with a current map, you could easily get turned around. Especially if you were running for your life.

Brooks had only caught glimpses of his pursuers, who appeared as mere shadows. He knew they had to be assassins, hit-men of some type, and in Freedom City, if someone wanted you dead, you were already. As he rounded a corner he stopped to take in gallons of air to center himself while his Aether bio-lung tried to accommodate his needs. Meanwhile, he came to terms with a demoralizing truth: Brooks was pushing fifty. He was in good health, but he couldn’t outrun trained assassins. They were toying with him.

His legs continued trembling and his muscles were in shock. Brooks stumbled off a wall, onto his knees into a rain puddle after thinking he could still support his own body weight. He looked ahead to see a high wall at the end of the alley. Maybe he could climb over somehow. Brooks picked himself off the damp asphalt and walked on until he saw a smudged presence in front of himself, like staring into a warped mirror. The figure transitioned into one of the assassins, with the other two right behind him. They transitioned to visibility as well.

All three assassins were wearing adaptive camouflage. The Ethereal MK series was expensive military tech but it sometimes found its way to those with deep pockets in the dark market, or even to those with enough credits to buy it legally. They wore black combat suits with sectioned titanium ceramic composite armor. Each carried a suppressed pistol and one assassin also had a suppressed long rifle.

Someone with power wanted Brooks dead, but in this world, it was hard to know which one person might want a politician dead.

A buzz-cut wearing assassin stepped forward. Brooks saw a blue armband painted around his right arm. “Emissary Brooks… how happy we are to make your acquaintance,” the assassin said.

Brooks looked around, but he was cornered. “Who are you? Why are you after me?” he said.

“After you?” he gasped. The assassin looked to his other comrades with a stupefied look on his face. “We’re just friendly undercity folk in need of a friendly conversation.”

“Bullshit,” Brooks fired back. “You’re assassins. They don’t send assassins to talk with Council staff. You’ve been stalking me for a day already, so what do you want?”

“Well, Brooks, that is a thing to say! I am proud to say that I am not a liar. My other compatriots, however, I cannot speak for.”

Brooks could tell that even if they weren’t wearing their combat breathers they’d all show an eerie smile.

“We obviously got off on the wrong foot here. The name is Lindsey, and well, we already know yours. So that’s awkward,” Lindsey said with a playful tone, obviously enjoying his job. “We simply need to ask about a certain one of your relationships. Pretty simple, right?”

“Three armed gangers in an alley in Orange Sector asking about one of my clients.

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