Beta Earth: Between Worlds 2.0 Edition (9 page)

She then lets out a high-pitched squeal. She laughs so hard tears are flow out of her eyes. Clave and Roni, both shocked, stare at each other for a moment. “Uh—” Clave pauses.

The situation is awkward, even for him. Roni spins out of the way. She grabs Clave’s arm and tries to toss him to the ground. Clave adapts to Roni’s move and learns how to spin with her in order to avoid falling or having his arm twisted and broken.

Roni releases his arm and tries to trip Clave using push and spin combinations. Clave quickly adapts to her moves, and he manages to avoid all of her trip attempts. Roni backs away from Clave. “I guess you don’t suck as much as I thought.” Clave stands up.

“You wish you were at my level.” Clave says with a drunken smirk.

“After all this you still have the nerve to talk shit!” Clave grins. He knows he’s getting under her skin.

“Been going easy on you. What can I say?” Clave replies casually.

“Grab her boob again! I wanna see some action!” The bartender yells. lave and Roni look at the bartender and simultaneously shout, “Shut up!” The bartender touches her chin.

“Ohh, the lovers are in sync. How cute.” The bartender says with a laugh. Roni stamps her foot.

“That’s it, I’m done playing!” Roni dashes at Clave and he prepares to defend himself. But instead of attacking, Roni grabs hold of Clave’s arm and looks into his eyes. Clave is confused.
Who is this girl?
He thinks. Roni begins to slowly feel Clave’s arm.

“What the hell are you doing?” Clave asks. Roni smiles as she viciously rips the com system from the arm section of his suit. She backs away and holds it up. The bartender laughs.

“Oh shit, no way!” Roni smiles as she dangles the costly piece of circuitry.

“A little trophy,” she says.

“Damn, that’s expensive! You said you where done playing.” Clave shouts. Roni dances around.

“I lied. Besides how else am I going to meet you again? Your contact info has to be imbedded somewhere in here, right? You should give it to a girl you like,” she says seductively, as she runs out of the bar.

“Wait!” Clave shouts and runs after her. He follows Roni outside and around the back of the bar. Roni runs into a dark, trash-riddled field. Clave briefly surveys the area. The field looks like it was used as a dumping place for old scraps of metal—cars, pipes, beams. After a short search, Clave spots Roni. She is standing by a huge bonfire. She is surrounded by are about fifty sprawl punks. Clave lets out a sigh.

“Great.” He approaches Roni. The others remain silent and watch Clave. He holds out his hand to Roni.

“Make it easy on yourself.” Roni laughs.

“Nothing is easy. That’s why we are here. Look around.” Clave looks at all the sprawl kids.

“They came here to learn my dance moves.” Roni says.

“Good for them.” Clave says.

“You could stand to learn a thing or two from me. You have a little potential. How would you like to join us?” Roni asks.

“No thanks. I'm more of a solo guy.” Clave replies.

“I see ... Have you ever heard of
parkour
?” she asks.

“No.” Clave replies in a disinterested manner. Her games are growing tiresome to him. Roni points toward the top of a hill to where a guy stands holding a flag.

“If you beat me up there. I’ll give you back your com system and you can go.” Clave crosses his arms.

“And if I don’t?”

“You come train with me. You could benefit to learn a little dance and parkour.” Roni says.

“Dance?” Clave can’t believe she would think he would like to learn such a thing.

“Dance. I think you’ll like it—and in which case. I get to keep your info.” Roni holds up his ripped-out com system piece. Clave shakes his head.

“You really want my number, don’t you?” Roni sets her eyes on the flag at the top of the hill. She crouches low to the ground and enters a starting position.

“Get ready, go!” She dashes off and the sprawl punks cheer her on. Clave takes off after her. He tries his best to navigate through the junkyard while keeping his eyes on Roni. She moves much more naturally, much more efficiently than Clave.
That’s what she has! Rhythm.
Clave admires Roni as she nimbly and gracefully runs through the hazardous junkyard. Roni reaches the flag first and Clave arrives just behind her.

“That sobered me up a bit,” he says while catching his breath. Roni turns to him.

“These guys live in a rough world. Being nimble and able to escape from anything helps them survive. Some of my trainees have become so valued that they’ve been scouted by the Forsaken Clan on Beta Earth.”Clave takes a good look at Roni. She is young yet she still commands the respect of all these people.

“Your trainees? Don’t you have a home or do you hang out with them all day?” Clave looks around briefly. Everyone is watching Roni and Clave speak.

“I had a home once.” Roni replies with hint of sorrow in her voice. “But when my mom, dad and baby brother died last year. I vowed to get revenge.”

“Someone killed them?” Clave asks. Roni clenches her fists.

“Some bastard blew up a Civic building killing tons of people. My family was.” Roni bites her lip and her eyes glaze but no tears fall. Clave turns his head to hide his shock from Roni. They both wait in silence. Eventually, Clave turns to leave.

“Hey, don’t you want your com system?” Roni asks. Clave turns back to Roni.

“Use it to tell me when our first training session is.”

“You serious?” Roni asks with a smile. Clave looks over his shoulder as he walks away.

“And my name is ... Clave.”

“I didn’t expect you would let me keep it. This might just be the start of a new friendship.” Roni looks at the com system piece. “See you later, Clave.”

Warning

Time: Evening.

Location: Akari’s Base.

Akari enters Clave’s room and turns on the lights. Clave cringes, still hung over. “Ugh …  leave them off,” he says. Akari ignores him.

“I just got done reading your latest mission specs.” Clave sits up. He squints as he tries to focus on Akari. The room lights amplify his discomfort.

“Yeah?  What's up?”

“I think you should pass on this one.” Akari says. Clave struggles to look at Akari. He wasn’t to see if she is serious or not.

“Why?” Clave asks.

“Vin is dangerous. He’s not an ordinary mark.” Akari replies. Clave smiles weakly.

“That might be more of a reason to take him on.” Akari slams her fist on the desk near Clave’s bed. Clave holds his head in pain.

“This isn’t a game boy. There are no do-over's!” Akari says.

“Akari, I was under the impression that my job was to take impossible missions.” Clave pulls his covers over his head. Akari sighs leaves the room and shuts the door. She leans against Clave’s door and looks up.

“I did start this. I knew his life would be like this,” she says softly. Akari drifts into her memory. A twenty-two-year-old man sweats profusely while panting hard. His arms are bruised. He holds a beat-up broadsword.

Akari stands across from him. She throws a hand full of rocks at him. The man desperately tries to deflect the rocks using his sword. However, the task is too much for him.

He fails at the cost of sustaining further injury.“Come on you oaf! Remember what I taught you.” Akari shouts. A very young Clave sits and watches the training from a distance. Clave glances up at the purple sky and rubs his small hand in the red dirt. He leaves his imprint in the ground next to him. Akari hurls three more rocks at the man.

He deflects one but is hit by the other two. One strikes his arm hard. He cringes with pain and falls to his knees. Akari shakes her head and sighs. “What is your problem, Sol?” Sol looks dejected.

“This is impossible!” he yells.

“I can do it.” Akari calmly says.

“That’s because you’re a freak.” Sol replies. The remark angers Akari and she throws all the stones she is holding in her hand at Sol. Sol jumps to his feet and swipes the stones out of the way using his sword. The stones scatter in a wave away from Sol. Some are directed at Akari, who easily swipes them away barehanded.

Other stones fly toward Clave, who is gazing at the sky. Akari looks over to Clave. “Boy! Look out!” she shouts. Clave turns his gaze from the sky and looks down to see stones flying in his direction. He jumps to his feet and stares at the stones. They seem to be moving in slow motion toward him. Clave instinctively dodges the stones, evading each and every one no matter the size.

Akari keeps her locked eyes on the boy. She watches in amazement as he clears the last stone without a scratch. He then looks at Akari blankly. This indicates to her that he was never worried about the outcome. Akari turns to Sol. “Training is over for today. You better practice on your own time. Next week, I’ll be using guns.”

Sol is covered in red dirt and blood. He walks down a dusty road, head hung in defeat. Akari turns to Clave. “Let’s go, boy.” Clave runs up to Akari and follows her. She looks at the top of Clave’s head as they walk. She thinks of the vow she made to his mother Rena.
I promised Rena that I would protect and raise this boy to live a peaceful life. But with his ability ... is peace really in his future?

Clave looks up at Akari and smiles.

Close Encounters

Time: One week later.

Location: Monorail headed toward downtown District 11.

A cloaked figure rides, along the top of a monorail. The monorail cruises at top speed and eventually enters the impressive cityscape of District 11.

At the same time, not far away. Vin walks down a hallway on the top floor of Aton Art Gallery. On half of the hallway Syndicate members are posted along the wall. The other half of the wall has Faux Forsaken members.

Vette follows closely behind Vin.“I dunno, I might be having second thoughts.” She whispers to Vin.

“You arranged this meeting.” Vin says.

“I know … I-I just now remembered how powerful the Syndicate is.” Vin surreptitiously squeezes Vette’s hand which comforts her.

“We will be okay.” Vin replies as they continue down the hallway. Their destination is the main gallery to meet with Gaidon.

Meanwhile, a cloaked figure runs along the top of the monorail carts. He stops on the middle one. The figure leaps off of the monorail cart and plummets toward the ground. Mid-fall the cloak flies off. The figure is revealed to be Clave.

He equipped in full combat attire. As he barrels downward another monorail appears below him. Clave targets it, latches on to the monorail cart and continues to ride along at incredible speed. At the same time, Vin and Vette enter a large circular room.

Syndicate and Faux Forsaken guards are posted along the walls. Vin admires the scenery. The room contains giant pillars and impressive artwork. Two elaborate tapestries cover the very large windows in the back of the room. A large glass ceiling covers the top of the room. In the middle of the room, Gaidon and Eva, sit at a desk and wait for Vin. Gaidon observes his guards.

This is the first time he has used them for his protection. One stands apart from the others. He wears a suit like all the rest but he also wears a mask. The mask covers his mouth and nose. He wears thick gloves with the fingertips cut off.

And something about his posture is odd. He leans back with his arms dangling down and swaying slightly from side to side. His head bobs left and right, almost like he doesn’t have any bones in his body. Gaidon turns to Eva. “Who is the odd job over there?” he asks in a soft voice as he points at the guard. Eva knows who Gaidon is referring to and replies without looking.

“That is Faldo. He’s a very valuable guard.” Gaidon takes a good look at him.

“Interesting. This is all very interesting,” he says with a smile. Eva adjusts her glasses. “

Vin is dangerous. We need to be prepared in case he decides to be … aggressive.” Gaidon looks at all the Syndicate guards in the room. “So really, all these guards are to protect against him.” Eva adjusts her glasses and covers her mouth as she quietly announces.

“He’s here.” Gaidon stands up smoothly as Vin draws near. “Welcome! It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Vin approaches Gaidon without speaking. Vette stands at his side and the Faux Forsaken members fill the room. Gaidon holds out his hand to Vin and smiles. Vin pauses as he looks at the extended hand. Reluctantly, he shakes it.

“Good. There is no reason to be cold. We are both in this together.” Vin retrieves his hand.

“Except I have more to lose.” Gaidon shakes his head.

“To be fair ... and honest, any losses by cause of deception would be both great and equal for all of us.” Eva unwraps a leather binder that is on the desk and sets out two pens. Gaidon points to a seat and then takes a seat himself. “Shall we?”

Vin takes a seat and Vette stands next to him. Eva hands Vin the leather binder. Vin takes out his glasses, puts them on and reads the contract. As soon as he is done with a page. He hands it to Vette, who reads the same material. Gaidon watches the transaction between Vin and Vette. “Oh, you double-read contracts?” Vin doesn’t stop reading.

“Is that a problem?”

“Oh no, it actually makes me even more happy to partner with you.” Gaidon replies.

Meanwhile, Clave checks his mission data on his wrist panel. He is approaching his target destination fast. Clave jumps off the monorail and enters a free fall right next to a very large building. He looks up as he is falling and sees another
monorail approaching vertically, heading from up to down
.

Clave latches on and is carried downward with the monorail. He holds on tightly as the monorail barrels downward. Eventually he breaks through the clouds and can see the top of a building.

A reinforced glass dome protects the building’s rooftop. Clave’s hair stands on end. He can feel his blood boil with excitement as he nears his destination. When he reaches the correct position, Clave releases from the monorail and drifts toward the glass ceiling. “Here I come,” he says as he free-falls toward the building.

Vette hands the last of the contract papers back to Vin. “Looks good.” Vin takes off his glasses and puts them on the table.

“Well then.” Gaidon as he looks over to Eva. She hands Vin a pen and he begins to sign. Suddenly gunshots are heard from the roof. Vin stops. Everyone is now sharply on guard. Eva looks up and holds her wrist com. “Report activity on the roof!” She orders.

There is no reply. With a loud crash the glass roof is shattered. Clave’s boots leave an impression on the glass but it still holds. The Syndicate guards move in front of Gaidon. Eva holds her hand out. “Hold fire. That glass is reinforced. It will take more than that to break it.”

Clave takes out his broadsword and cuts through the glass around him. He begins to fall. With a flick of his wrist, two glowing objects leave his hand. A Syndicate guard jump in front of Gaidon.

He dies as he receives two small glowing knives to the chest. Clave hits the ground hard. His battle suit lights up as it absorbs the shock from the fall and crushes the ground beneath him. Clave immediately jumps for cover as anyone with a gun starts firing at him.

Faldo stands back and keeps an eye on Clave. He breathes heavily through his mask. It makes a loud hissing sound. Gaidon pushes the dead guard’s body off of him and Eva grabs his arm. “We must leave.” Gaidon looks around. “Not yet. Vin!” he calls out.

Vin and Gaidon make eye contact amid the chaos. “Either the Syndicate found out about this or the government wants us dead. This should only strengthen our resolve to join each other.”

“Nothing has changed.” Vin says with a nod. Gaidon follows Eva, who is tugging at his arm. “We will continue this another time.” Eva leads Gaidon toward a large pillar. She opens a hidden panel and types in a code. Clave is on a rampage. He is deflecting bullets and slaying anyone in his path with his sword.

Clave flies around the room. This time, he uses his newly acquired
parkour skills
to navigate the room evasively. He also uses the dance moves he learned from Roni to disorientate and dispatch anyone in his way.

A bit flashy but effective. Vin watches as Clave slaughters the Syndicate and Faux Forsaken members. He whirls around the room, skillfully dispatching guards without stopping. Vette grabs him by the sleeve. “We have to get out of here,” she says. Vin nods but keeps his eyes on Clave.

“Head for the entrance and tell all of our members to retreat under my order.” Vin says. Eva steps inside the pillar and pulls Gaidon inside.

“A hidden elevator … clever.” Gaidon says. A clear door closes. It encases them in the pillar and allows Gaidon to observe the continuing fight between Clave and the guards. Gaidon watches in amazement.

“He’s good—amazingly good. Eva, find out who he is.”

“Of course but as of now we need to—” Clave throws two glowing knives at Eva and Gaidon. The knives crack the clear door but don’t penetrate. “We have to go! We won’t stand another hit.” Eva says. Gaidon stops Eva from pushing the button.

“Hang on.” Clave throws two more knives at the already-cracked clear door. Faldo jumps in front of the daggers and knocks them away. His arms flail about while he makes a hissing noise. Clave takes notice of Faldo’s strange posture.

Faldo leans back with his long arms hanging down. They swing back and forth in unison. Faldo cocks his head to the side and addresses Clave. “I know thossse movesss.” Faldo awkwardly leans forward to get a good look at Clave. “You trained with Roni,” he says in a wispy voice.

“You wish. I was born with these skills.” Clave bluffs. Faldo hisses loudly.

“You lie! Those are her movesss.” Faldo charges Clave in a peculiar way. He runs at him headfirst with his arms dangling behind. Clave waits until Faldo is in range and attacks him with his sword. Faldo dodges Clave’s swings by contorting his body in weird and unusual positions.

They enable him to physically bend around Clave’s sword strikes. Faldo eventually gets close enough to Clave to attack. He bobs around sporadically and performs a combat maneuver called snake hands. Faldo’s hands and body move around like angry snakes ready to strike.

Clave, not amused by this performance, thrusts his sword at Faldo. The strike turns out to be ineffective. Faldo twists his body around the sword and moves in closer to Clave. He then purposely dislocates his shoulder. This gives him a longer reach and sends his knife hand directly toward Clave’s neck.

Clave, at the last second, manages to shift to the left enough to avoid being seriously wounded. However, Faldo still manages to pierce Clave’s suit and draw blood from the side of his neck. Clave is paralyzed with fear. This is the closest he has ever been to death.“I sssee … you have good eyessss.” Faldo hisses as Clave’s blood drips off of his fingers.

Clave snaps back to himself. He grabs Faldo’s arm tightly and prepares to cut it off. Faldo hisses loudly and presses this thumb tightly against his hand. This releases curved grip claws located on the palms of his gloves.

Faldo then thrusts his hand downward, digging his claws into Clave’s shoulder. Clave cringes with pain. Faldo hisses loudly again as he pulls hard and tears his claws out of Clave’s shoulder. Clave grabs his shoulder as blood splashes to the floor.

Faldo runs away from Clave and reaches a safe distance. Clave watches him with fury in his eyes. “You wanna try that again?”

Faldo bobs back and forth. He stays at a distance.“You know my movesss now. I won’t chance getting closssse to you again. Besidesss, the one I had to protect issss gone.”Clave looks at the pillar and the hidden elevator containing Gaidon is gone. He then returns his attention to Faldo.
Damn, I need to put a tether on my sword or something so I’ll have greater range but won’t lose my blade.
Clave thinks.

Faldo jumps on a nearby wall. He scurries up the wall in a lizard-like motion and leaves out the hole that Clave made in his entrance.“That was weird. Seem there are many interesting opponents to face.” Clave says after watching Faldo scurry away.

The remaining guards resume their attack on Clave. He jumps out of the way and finds cover. At the entrance, Faux Forsaken members are trying to enter the gallery room but Vette stops them. “No, get out now! Vin’s orders.” Vette turns to see that Vin is still in the gallery room.

“Vin, what the hell are you doing?” she asks. Vin slams a nearby control panel and the gallery door begins to close.

“Vin!” Vette shouts.

“Get out, Vette. I’ll save everyone I can in here.” Vin says as the door slams shut. Vette touches the door lightly.

“Be safe, Vin.” Vette turns to run and standing in her path is Keith, panting heavily.

“Keith? What are you doing here?” she asks.

“Vin … I need to talk to him.” Vette looks down.

“You can’t.” Keith walks toward the door. “Vette, it’s important. I need to see him now.” Vette stops him.

“If you enter that room, you will die.”

“I don’t care!” Keith says. She can hear the desperation in his voice. Vette grabs Keith and stands between him and the door.

“You’ll probably get Vin killed in the process and I won’t let that happen!” Keith calms down and Vette lets him go.

“Tell me, what is it?” she asks.

“I can only tell Vin.” Keith replies.

“Then let’s go. You can tell him back at base. Right now, he has more important business to attend to.” Vette replies.