023. They Hit Him

The new body was slightly tight, like an ill-fitting glove. It was messing a little, not only with his reaction times, but also with his perceptual apparatus. The compensators, which tried to act like mental stabilisers, made everything seem hollow and distanced, an echo entering into everything. He moved like someone injected with a soporific; he had to shake that loose if he was going to act effectively.

He had been trailing Roce for three days now, and he was approaching the perfect time to strike. That he had managed to achieve this feat in his current state was a testament to the awful condition of Roce’s security.

The first guard had been sat there with his head at that strange angle for at least half an hour when someone noticed and reported in the fatality. Single isolated shotsrang out and he began to pick the first response team apart, and he noticed that either due to arrogance or bad preparation they did not get Roce immediately under cover.

He didn’t waste any time and went immediately for a head shot. He saw the strange angular stumble that followed a de-cap shot, and the body timbered toward the ground like the second counter on a clock going into freefall. Good, once the accuracy was unnecessary he could open up with the automatic fire and just pump them all full of lead.

That was when they hit him – a tracer bullet out of nowhere; an EMP round, and then a slug and he was collapsed to his knees.

‘Stupid fucker was totally suckered by the meat puppets. Where did Roce say he wanted us to take him?’

‘101.’

‘K.’

Grunewald awoke upside down, feet tethered together, tether threaded over a meathook.

‘OK, Grunewald, so we don’t really have any questions for you. Smith here wanted to torture you for a little bit, and don’t worry we know how to fuck with even these high-tech gene-hacked bodies to the point we can push the pain barriers, and then we are going to extract you and bury you in our drive-hive.’

Grunewald laughed, what else could he do? No way out of this one.

‘What are your plans for all those weapon eyes?’

‘Same as yours, covertly run the country from the shadows, while monetising the whole situation so that I can retire a very wealthy and invisible man.’

Grunewald laughed again. Might just work.