Paragon

Marcus groaned as he rolled awake. Then, for the second time in as many weeks, tried to recall why he’d found himself laying facedown on the floor of an unfamiliar, darkened room.

His head throbbed with a splitting pain, that spread upwards from the base of his skull. Although, on this occasion, the lack of a burning throat and a clear absence of the smell of his own vomit, told him that maybe his current circumstances weren’t completely self induced.

After last week’s flirtation with a seized batch of illegal, homebrewed Firetongue whiskey, he’d written off getting that drunk EVER again. After all, there was nothing quite like suffering a two day long, mother of all hangovers, to make you question why you willingly poisoned yourself on a reoccurring basis.

So no, this wasn’t a night on the streets turned sour. In which case, it must be purely business.

Marcus blinked and tried to focus more clearly on his surroundings. He could outline some boxy shapes in the darkness just before him and a faint light seemed to be giving off some illumination directly behind. The ground below was also vibrating gently and as he pressed his cheek back down to the floor, he could hear a rhythmic humming noise emanating from below.

Good, still on the move he thought, his memory slowly coming back to him. He was on a job. A targeted hit on the Silver Viper’s supply lines.

He vaguely remember the plan. Which had involved allowing himself to get deliberately spotted, during a stakeout of the gang’s newly discovered cargo drop point. Marcus carried a pretty hefty bounty on his own head after all. So, the idea had been to intentionally get caught. Then hope that the Viper’s cached in on the opportunity of a quick profit and would transport him, along with their collected weapons, straight to their base of operations.

Well, they’d fell for the bait. But as far as Marcus could guess, they weren’t headed back home. He’d anticipated being hauled into the back of an armoured truck and taken on some obscure route through the city, as part of a large convoy. However, his current surroundings, the gently buzzing ground and a subtle nausea that came from travelling at unnaturally high speed, told him they were in fact aboard a HyperRail transporter train.

Marcus swore under his breath. The train looped the outer suburbs of Aesteria, but then left the city completely, breaking off to run up and down the length of the country. In the time he’d spent unconscious they could have travelled hundreds of miles.

Plus, this all begged a bigger question. Where was the gang heading with their new delivery of weapons? An arsenal, that Marcus’s team had been informed, had taken the better part of a year to acquire and cost more than the collective wealth of all of New Zenus. He needed answers. He needed-

“Marcus?”

The voice was broken slightly by static. But then repeated itself, the second time coming in loud and clear through his left ear.

“Nix?” Marcus asked uncertainly. “How..?”

His ear had been modded a few years back, to allow direct audio communication with anyone carrying the same implants. It, along with his right arm were fully cybernetic.

During the rise of early mechanical enhancements, Marcus had swore never to put himself under a surgeon’s laser. But, he lived in Aesteria, which was pretty much the droid capital these days. Plus, the development of new technologies had inevitably led to the fabrication of new weapons, which in turn had made the city a pretty dangerous place to live.

The loss of his arm, during the uncontrolled crossfire of a turf war a few years back, had finally prompted the start of Marcus’s transformation. He’d had a full titanium replacement on the arm. Complete with the latest neurorobotic sensory motor fusion technology. The limb now felt as much a part of him, as the rest of his own body.

Next had come the ear, fixed and fitted with a dual transmitter receiver, after suffering partial deafness from close proximity to an explosion on another high stakes job.

Soon after that, it’d almost become a habit to nip in and see Doc for an upgrade here or there. Then, before he knew it, Marcus was pretty much a shining example of everything he’d swore he’d never become a few years prior.

Of course, body mods came in handy in Marcus’ line of work and his enhancements had repaid their weight in Iridium many times over during the course of multiple, dangerous missions such as this.

However, the audio receiver in his ear was supposed to have limited range and if he was indeed correct, about being on a HyperRail out of the city, then no way should Nix be able to contact him right now, unless....

“I’m on the train,” came her response a moment later.

He cursed loudly. “What! Why? How?”

She responded as usual, with a fast paced barrage of information, her overly perky voice running at a pace that was hard to keep up with.

“Well... Things didn’t exactly go to plan back there. The minute we saw them hauling your unconscious lump away in THE literal opposite direction we were expecting them to go! Let’s just say, things kinda went off track. We panicked. Well... Zack and Misty panicked. I improvised.”

“Where are you now?” Marcus asked keeping his tone steady. He’d found it was the best way to work with Nix, keep a slow rhythm of speech and hope it encouraged her to do the same. It rarely worked. She had only recently joined the team and initially Marcus had been concerned about having someone barely out of their teens on the payroll, but she’d quickly shown her metal, literally and fast became an invaluable member of the group.

“I dunno exactly,” she said. “I made a super obvious rescue attempt hoping if I got caught too, they’d lock me up same place as you. Think I’m in a carriage near the middle? There’s guards either side in any case.

“They didn’t bother knocking me out or covering my head though, so I got a pretty good look on the way in. They’ve completely highjacked the train. Driver and carry staff are all dead, they’re manning it themselves now from the front. There’s loads of guards and goons stationed in carts all the way down. It looks like the whole gang’s on board, think I even saw snake eyes himself!”

What the hell was going on Marcus thought as he finally manoeuvred himself up from the floor, rolling onto his knees, then standing up onto his feet. His hands were shackled behind his back, making the whole process a lot more awkward.

“Stay there,” he said, “I’m going to break out and work my way up the train. I’ll come find you and we can try figure out what’s happening.”

“Like hell I’m just gunna sit here and wait for you to come get me!” She exclaimed. “I came to help you remember?”

“Seriously Nix, hold fire. The Vipers have got a whole lotta weapons on board this train. We don’t know what they’re planning or even where we’re headed for heavens sake!” he snapped, with maybe a little more aggression than intended.

There was a notable silence. Then she finally responded. “Fine. But you better hurry up.”

*

Nix leaned back against the wall then slid down to the floor with a huff. She sat, legs outstretched before her, then began to absently examine the remains of the handcuffs which until recently had been affixed to her wrists. They were made of a high density, carbon steel mix she guessed, with a magnetised locking mechanism. Absolute overkill for a normal person, just about enough for somebody with modded limbs.

She’d have been impressed with the utilitarian craftsmanship, had the cuffs not immediately disintegrated under the corrosive acid compound she and the team all carried as their secret ‘get out of jail free cards.’ The acid had no effect on her titanium arms. They remained unscathed and glistened up at her in all their silver glory.

Nix found it odd that Marcus and the others hid their upgrades under long clothing, gloves and various other concealments. She preferred to proudly display her body’s alterations. Of course, with her bright blue hair, considerable piercings and numerous tattoos, she was hardly trying to blend in before getting the mods. Besides, she only had the arms so far. Hence her current alignment with Marcus and his team of vigilantes.

She’d decided that the group had good morals, often targeting the worst corrupt, most violent, or downright dangerous gangs and organisations in the city. They saved a lot of people and took a lot of dangerous machinery off the streets.

They also weren’t against profiting themselves from such ventures, using money or tools raided from said conflicts to pay for upgrades and equipment for their own operations. Hence, Nix’s shiny new ear improvements, that allowed her to keep in touch with Marcus and the team remotely.

She looked back at her metal hands, turning them over, clenching and unclenching the fingers into fists. She thought they were beautiful. Although, maybe the real reason she displayed her upgrades so openly, was so that people might actually start to think twice about underestimating her. She was small in stature and lean of build, with wide green eyes that gave her face a childish look of innocence.

She had turned twenty now though and was finally starting to tire of people treating her like a child. Initially, after first meeting him, she had sensed Marcus judging her the same as everyone else, then she’d shown him what she could do. He’d been impressed enough to take her on there and then.

Her face furrowed with determination and she leapt up to her feet. Enough waiting around. The Viper’s had considered her enough of a threat to use maglock cuffs, she considered that a compliment. Of course, in all other areas, they too had underestimated her.

*

Marcus crouched, slowly moving forwards towards the next carriage, leaving two unconscious bodies slumped in the corridor behind him.

The guards at his door hadn’t been particularly observant. He’d gotten out of the cuffs, used the same acid on the door lock and jumped them both before they’d even had chance to react.

He’d looted a sidearm from one and tucked it away into the back of his trousers. For all the good it would do. Using a gun in such confined spaces as the narrow train passageways was a recipe for disaster. A stray bullet hitting the thick metal walls, floor or ceiling would likely ricochet off unpredictably. Besides he was trying to do this quietly.

He moved carefully, passing piles of heavy duty crates and trunks, stacked high and pushed to the sides, leaving a thin walkway in the middle. He guessed they held some of the collected weaponry, but didn’t have time to check. He needed to find Nix and figure out where the hell they were going.

The carriage he was in ended with an automated sliding door. He stayed back far enough not to trigger it and peered through the small circular window in it’s top centre. In the brief glance he risked before ducking back down, he spotted four armed men. Well... three men, one humanoid droid.

They were stood gathered in the middle of the walkway. Metal benches ran along either side of this room. A passenger carriage he realised. That was standard layout for a HyperRail, one cargo bay then one passenger bay, alternating respectively all the way to the front of the train. Although, if he remembered correctly, there were a few carriages near the front end reserved for VIP guests. Those were more comfortably furnished and would likely be where he would find the Silver Viper’s leader, Nix had so aptly nicknamed ‘Snake Eyes.’

He scratched the back of his head while deciding how best to approach the situation, feeling dried blood there from the blunt force impact of the gun butt he’d been hit with earlier. A metal skull plate would be a useful upgrade he thought, considering the number of times he’d been nearly knocked unconscious by an unexpected blow from behind. Of course, on this occasion he had willingly taken the hit, as incarceration had actually been part of the plan. Although, that didn’t mean the head trauma hurt any less.

Marcus sidled along the wall towards the door, making it to the corner of the carriage without triggering the sensor. He carefully squatted down, then quickly waved his hand out to the side. The door slid open with an audible whoosh, remaining ajar for several seconds, then slowly began to reclose. He remained in place, sunk into his low squat, coiled like a spring, holding his breath and counting the seconds.

A few moments later the door opened again and Marcus pounced. He was thankful the figure that came to investigate resolved to be the droid. As the force of his titanium fisted punch would have caved the skull of a human guard.

The droid’s head crumpled on impact and spun on it’s neck, the body starting to immediately fall away to the side as the lights in it’s eye’s sparked out. Marcus grabbed the collapsing droid and spun it in front of himself, then reaching behind his back for the firearm he’d picked up earlier, he levelled it over the robot’s shoulder at the three humans.

“Drop your weapons!” he shouted. “Then get down on the ground and put your hands in the air!”

Marcus’s voice carried a certain level of authority. It was deep, strong and when combined with his intimidating stature, was generally enough to get people to follow his instruction.

These men however, ignored him. All three instead choosing to immediately open fire in his direction. Like the other guards Marcus had incapacitated earlier, they all carried either machine guns or rifles on slings across their backs. But thankfully only raised their handguns to shoot down the narrow passageway of the train carriage. He imagined orders had been given to limit any damage to the train or cargo it carried.

Most of the bullets hit the droid Marcus was using as a shield. Though it’s narrow frame didn’t quite cover his own broad build. Indeed, as a stray bullet grazed his left side, he cursed loudly.

With his own gun still pointed over the droid’s shoulder, he loosed two shots at the man on the right. The first hit him square in the chest, the second took him straight in the head. His body dropped backwards to floor with a thud.

The remaining two men immediately took cover, skidding behind the metal benches that protruded from the walls on either side of the carriage. They swore at him, then one started laying cover fire and shouted out to the other, “go get backup!”

Marcus acted fast. He’d noted that the porthole shaped windows, that evenly dotted both sides of the train, were all dark. It was late into the night and they seemed to be currently crossing the barren wildernesses between cities, as no neon skyline was visible outside. The windows instead merely reflecting the interior of the carriage.

So, Marcus took a chance. He raised his gun to the ceiling and shot at the long centre strip of fluorescent light that ran the length of the carriage. As it shattered, they were all plunged into darkness.

*

Nix leapt up into the air, throwing her arms out to the sides at the apex of her jump, like some sort of upright swan dive. Her hands connected with the necks of two guards, as her fall arced back down to the ground. The well placed karate chops, backed by her momentum and metal limbs sent the men crumpling before her.

She’d found that, although having titanium arms granted her great strength, sometimes that on it’s own wasn’t enough. So, she had gotten really good at using her smaller frame to move quickly and then strike with a backing of great speed.

She also wasn’t bulletproof, and so as shots fired behind her and she felt a whoosh of air narrowly miss her right ear, she moved with still greater haste.

Running doubled over, she lunged forward, grabbed the back rail of the row of metal benches in front of her and somersaulted over to the other side, just as more bullets clattered off the low bit of cover, that now separated her and her assailant. The noise was deafening as metal ricocheted off metal and small dents formed on her side of the bench as the gunman emptied his round in her direction.

Nix protectively covered her head with her arms as the barrage of bullets continued. Then finally, there was a distinctive click and the shooting paused. She immediately leapt back into action, launching herself upwards, vaulting back over the bench to continue running full pelt down the length of the train carriage.

The humanoid droid was in the process of reloading its machine gun and it’s head snapped back up, just in time to see her feet collide with it’s face. The robot fell heavily to the ground and in an instant Nix was on top of it. She reached behind it’s head, grabbed the corded wires that ran up the back of it’s neck and ripped them free in a quick motion. The yellow glow in the droid’s eyes flickered a few times, then faded to black.

She breathed out, stood slowly and was just in the process of patting off some dust from her jeans, when the automatic door before her opened.

Marcus’s hulking form completely filled the doorway and as he reached out his metal right arm to lean against the frame, the other holding his bleeding left side, he gave her a stern look.

“I thought I told you to wait?” He grumbled.

“I did!” she replied. “For a bit... What happened to you being quick?”

He rolled his eyes, then moved forward and began to stalk past her. A man of few words she thought, comparing the state of his scratched black leather jacket, ripped cargo pants, scuffed military style boots and blood stained gloves, to her own immaculate, studded black leather gilet, perfectly clean jeans and high-top trainers.

There was definitely no finesse to the way that Marcus handled a problem she mused, following a short way behind him.

They walked in silence until reaching the end of the corridor, then he turned towards her. “Ok, be quiet, stay low and follow me, got it?”

“This isn’t my first rodeo,” she replied sarcastically, but then nodded and crouched down ready to follow his lead.

They continued forward through several carriages, all of which had already been neutralised by Nix on her way down the train, toward the point where she had finally joined Marcus. They passed several, either dead or unconscious guards, on their way back up to the place she had been initially held captive.

They reached the cargo hold that had been her earlier cell and Nix felt a stab of alarm as Marcus continued forward. He’d glanced into the corridor ahead and upon seeing that the way was clear, kept moving.

Except... Nix hadn’t unlocked that door, as she had headed straight down the back of the train, towards Marcus. And she certainly hadn’t incapacitated the guards with such... brutality.

“Marcus!” she whispered.

Though he’d already come to a halt in the middle of the walkway, having seemingly now only just noticed for himself the state of the dead soldiers around them. Bloodied and broken. He turned towards her.

“I didn’t do this” she hissed. Looking about alarmed.

He spun back around raising a small handgun and clasping it before him with both hands.

Then as if on queue, shots sounded from somewhere further ahead. Followed by shouts and screams. Marcus and Nix both froze in place as the sounds continued for a few moments, then cut off suddenly into dead silence.

“I don’t like this...” Nix said under her breath.

“Me neither” Marcus agreed, slowly moving towards the next door. Trying to get a look through the little circular window without tripping the motion sensor that opened it.

He was craning his neck to get a better look when suddenly the door opened. A mist, like dry ice, poured through the open doorway and there before them, stood something both beautiful and truly terrifying.

The figure was humanoid in shape, feminine in features. Tall, with long limbs, a narrow waist and evident bust. It was lithe and athletic in physique, but more importantly, the being was also made entirely of a luminous metal. The polished, candescent material, had a sheen that both reflected and somehow softened the harsh light of the train’s stark white fluorescent strips.

Nix found herself transfixed by the sheer majesty of this metallic goddess, while Marcus seemed to lose himself, staring into the creatures piercing blue eyes. The only colour to break from its otherwise pure silver face.

“It’s... a Paragon” Nix whispered reverently.

‘And it’s going to kill us’ Marcus thought. Snapping back to alertness as he finally looked down at the machine’s arms. Red from the elbows down, the fingertips dripping thick liquid into a dark pool at it’s feet.

Well at least now he knew what the Silver Viper’s had spent millions to obtain and then rapidly transport out of Aesteria. This creature before him, was the absolute pinnacle of cybernetic advancements it was, in all applications, the world’s most perfect weapon.