Neon Haze: Snakes and Roses Page 13

  “You see, I’ve wanted to bring the world together ever since day one” the accent confirms Dixon’s surprise as Tom Sutcliffe steps into the light. Dressed head to toe in black; shoes, suit, tie, even his eyes seem to be soulless.

  Dixon struggles in his bindings, “You motherfucker!” - managing to push himself up enough to swing a foot at him.

  “Now Dixon. There’s no need to get angry. This is all for the greater good. You and your friend, unfortunately, stepped into the middle of everything and made a big old mess.” Tom bows slightly to Myra, she returns the gesture of gratitude.

  “So you were involved all along?” Dixon spits.

  “Of course” he spreads his arms smiling. “This is all my brainchild, the future of our planet. Just think, with this merger we’ll have no problem bending the rest of the council to our will”. He looks into Myra’s eyes almost flirtatiously. The thought of more power exciting both of them.

  “The only real question I had, when I thought of it, was who to partner with. There’s no way Leistung, Coracle or Praetorium would want to team up with me. None of them have the cunning I needed, Fenghuang on the other hand, well, we all know how brutally efficient they can be.” He kneels down and flashes an eager grin, eyes wide.

  “Imagine how thrilled I was when Lady Yang returned our interest. The two of us running the entire globe! Oh, and let’s not forget the reconfiguring of our GID system. All of that new potential workforce, we’d be able to throw up buildings and tear down others like that.” He clicks his fingers.

  “You want to force half the world into slavery, you really think everyone will sit down and take it?” Says Dixon.

  “You have this the wrong way, Mr Dixon” Lady Yang pipes up. “With the merging of Fenghuang and Halo the technological power and the disciplined numbers would mean that we can employ the most efficient means to bring us all to a better future. All of the problems the poor and low-level GIDs have, would quickly become a thing of the past. We could live in a world where nobody needs to worry about getting their next month’s rent, or paying for the power.”

  Dixon stretches his back. “Sounds like you’re already well prepped for the advertising campaign.”

  Tom rests his hand on Lady Yang’s shoulder. “There are only a few small details we need to take care of.”

  “So you kill Jimmy and me. Then what?” asks Dixon.

  “Oh, aren’t you forgetting someone?” Tom boasts. Chortling under his breath, Yanluo returns pushing someone wearing a hood, their hands bound behind their back. Yanluo kicks the back of their knees, the figure falls to the ground, and a faint yelp pushes through the gag underneath the hood.

  “How could you forget?” Tom asks sadistically, whipping the hood off. Sadie’s eyes squint, taking in the light before whimpering at the sight of Dixon.

  “Sadie?” Dixon gasps, tripping over his breath as he checks her up and down. Her hair a mess from an obvious struggle, her makeup trailing tear lines down her face. Dried blood clings to her nose and chin.

  Tom joyfully watches Dixon squirm. “You really think that we’d let her get away. Oh, by the way, we found her about two minutes after she sent you that little love letter.” He steps around and rests his hand on top of Sadie’s head. “We ensure that we have tracking devices on all of our employees.” He leans into Sadie’s face, “Didn’t tell you that, did we? Sorry” He smirks.

  “You monster, let her go” Dixon screams, his eyes fixed on Sadie’s.

  “Sorry, big guy, can’t be letting her run around stirring up trouble. She’d end up bringing back all her exes just to get the media ranting about our plans”. Yanluo pulls a curved blade from a sheath in his back, and hands it to Tom. “People might not like it to start with, but they’ll come round eventually. They’ll write our names in history, and forever more we’ll be remembered as the heroes of our era.” He lowers the inner edge of the blade around Sadie’s neck. Her face quivering with fear, further tears spill from her bloodshot eyes.

  “Don’t hurt her”. Dixon’s tone changes from his usual gritty sandpaper gruffness, to a lighter sympathetic appeal. “Don’t hurt her, Tom.” In reply, Tom smiles and lightly turns the blade a little. Sadie cries through her gag, in pain as a thin line of blood trails her neck.

  “It’s unfortunate, she really is a pretty one, Dixon. Alas, with any step forward for mankind, there have to be a few sacrifices.” Tom says, pulling the blade through Sadie’s neck in one swift motion.

  Sadie stares at Dixon in pure shock. She can hear nothing at all, only seeing her ex-husband kneeling restrained in front of her, his mouth wide as he screams with everything in his lungs. She doesn’t hear the ferocity of his pain. She sees his eyes fill with tears as he thrashes. Lowering her head slightly, she sees the river of red running down her front. She feels tired, and a calming warmth beginning to work its way up her legs, her fingertips resting, and her eyes getting heavy. Dixon continues to struggle, screaming loudly with every breath he sucks in. She looks up slowly as her ears begin to function again.

  “Sadie, Sadie, no.” Dixon’s screams turning to compassion as their eyes lock again. Sadie’s lips move, her jaw opens slightly but only a faint breeze of breath leaves her mouth. Dixon can still make out her mouthing of the words “I love you”. He stops struggling and looks back defeated.

  “Sadie, I always loved you, I’ve never stopped.” He watches as the colour disappears from her face, her eyes roll back a little and her head drops. She slumps forward a little before her body falls to the side, blood still pouring from the gash in her neck. Tom looks at the edge of the blade, stained with blood, watching droplets fall from the tip. He inhales sharply and hands the blade back to Yanluo, who wipes it clean on his leg then sheathes it.

  “I don’t take pride in doing these things,” Tom says, talking to Dixon’s slouched body. “Maybe we could have been friends if things were different. Lady Yang here is a fierce drinker, you two would probably have a great time over a bottle”. He watches as the sweat drips off Dixon, his silence piercing the room for several moments.

  “How could we be friends?” his voice reverberating from his stomach. “I’m a low-level GID, right?” He raises his head slowly. “Council fucks like you don’t socialise with the help, do you?” his eyes still watering, his face no longer cowering in terror and sadness, his cheeks, eyes and grin almost flex as he peers back at Tom.

  Lady Yang laughs, “He’s not wrong, Tom. I don’t associate with lesser beings”. Tom smirks and nods.

  “Lesser beings? Like an animal? The worst thing to do with an animal is trying to take everything from it.” Dixon says, growling as he manages to push his legs from the ground. His arms burning already, they throb, ready to burst as he pulls himself up. All three facing him step back a little as they see the giant rise.

  Tom gathers composure, “We haven’t taken everything yet. There’s still your buddy. Then you!” He steps closer, showing dominance in front of his peers. Dixon quickly pulls at his binding with his prosthetic arm, swinging himself, his trunk-like leg crosses paths with Tom’s head. A boot smothering his face and knocking him three feet back to the ground. Tom just manages to hold consciousness, wiping his mouth of blood, then gesturing to Lady Yang’s enforcer.

  Dixon plants his feet as Yanluo cautiously steps forward, reaches behind his back again and pulls out the curved blade, pulling a second similar blade in his other hand. He swings the blades around before jumping towards Dixon. In a display of practised technique, he nicks Dixon’s calf. Unfortunately, he hadn’t taken account of his targets sudden lack of interest in his own survival. Dixon, having witnessed the loss of his ex-wife threw his legs at Yanluo not caring if he lost one entirely. He only needed to plant one foot, the rest would sort itself out. In his feral rage, he manages to tussle both legs around Yanluo’s head. Clenching tight, he almost cuts off his enemy’s breath. Yanluo grabs at Dixon’s legs as he struggles to catch air, one arm stretched up trying to swipe the blade at Dixon
’s face.

  “Fuck!” Tom says, as Dixon locks eyes on him, watching the fear as he sharply twists his legs in opposing paths, a vicious snap rings through the room. Lady Yang jumps in disgust. Dixon quickly bites at the blade in Yanluo’s hand before it goes limp. Gripping it in his teeth, he drops the body. The thump of Yanluo’s body and the clang of the second blade send Tom and Lady Yang back a few steps.

  Dixon yanks himself up to his bindings, first managing to cut the strap around his new arm, grabbing the blade in his hand and then releasing the second. He falls to the ground, partially landing on Yanluo with one knee. His weight crushing the body as Dixon’s vision locks on the two people edging away from him. He rolls his shoulders, hearing the crack as they return to comfort, and leak away lactic acids. Leaning down, he grabs the blades and stands in the spotlight again. Steam rising from his hulking body, he begins to walk towards Lady Yang and Tom. A smile growing on his face.

  Tom squeals in panic, pushing Lady Yang as he turns and bolts for the door. Lady yang stumbles forwards towards Dixon screaming. Her scream cuts short as Dixon catches his chin with the miniature scythes, piercing through the bottom of her chin and pointing out of her mouth. Through mumbled panic, she begs for mercy. Dixon’s bear-like growling shout nearly bursts her eardrums as he yanks the blade from her mouth. Her jaw splits, firing blood and saliva up as her tongue flops. Dixon spins round bringing the other blade up and jamming it at her head. Yanluo clearly kept on top of sharpening the blade, as Lady Yang’s head jumps three inches from her shoulders and rolls off the back, her body following her head to the ground. Dixon exhales great gasps of angry grunts. He looks at Sadie’s body, a pool of red surrounds her like a velvet cushion.

  Dropping the blades he runs over and picks up her head, resting it on his knee. Her eyes and mouth are open, no semblance of life can be seen on her face though. Dixon weeps as he holds his forehead to hers, eyes closed. The woman who he’d loved had been taken from him. His children had been taken from him. He kisses her lightly on the forehead and closes her eyes. Laying her back down softly, Dixon’s mind clears a little.

  “Jimmy!” He realises.

  Chapter 24

  Bursting through the door to Jimmy’s room Dixon sees a man standing at the side, dressed similarly to Yanluo, and also looking at a collection of blades and weapons on a secret cabinet on the wall.

  “Dixon,” Jimmy asks, looking across from his restraints and spotlight, the silhouette of his friend rising and falling with his growling breaths. The guard turns, his eyes panicking as he sees the brute in the doorway now approaching him. He grabs two hook swords from the wall and stretches his arms out, awaiting Dixon.

  Dixon halts gripping the blades tight, locking eyes with the guard he throws one in Jimmy’s direction, it slices through the binding, freeing his right arm. The blade clatters to the ground and Jimmy swiftly grabs it to free his other arm. Joining Dixon’s side, the two eye up the guard.

  “What took you so long?” Jimmy says. Dixon says nothing but charges. Jimmy does his best to follow close behind, but reaches the fight a few seconds late. Dixon makes a vicious swing at his target. Flipping out of the way, the guard kicks him in the jaw. Cartwheeling back he slices a four-inch wound in Dixon’s back. He shouts in furious pain but quickly turns to face him. As he lunges back to the fight Jimmy slides in on the ground. In defence, the guard swings both hooked blades in an artistic circle. He catches Dixon’s blade and yanks it from his hand. He misses a swing at Jimmy and receives a sliced ankle for it. His balance stumbling and one foe disarmed, he turns to face Jimmy.

  Hearing the scream of the goliath behind him, the guard manages to curls around with grace and catch Dixon’s prosthetic arm mid punch. Gripped by the hook blades at the wrist, Dixon grips the blades with his fake hand. Closing its robotic vice-like grip, the metal begins to bend. In a panic, the guard kicks Dixon’s gut and pulls with all of his strength, severing the hand from the arm.

  A corkscrew flip backwards and the guard is primed for a lunge at Dixon, who grips the wires flopping out of his stump. Before he reaches Dixon, a blade enters the guard’s back. Jimmy whispers in his ear.

  “Picked the wrong line of work, asshole”. He kicks below where the blade entered his back as he yanks on the blade. Splitting the flesh open to reveal his spine the guard stumbles to Dixon. Grabbing him by the throat Dixon flails spit as he pants. Rage growing in him as his grip tightens, he screams at the guard, arching him into the air and slamming him into the ground so hard Jimmy feels like he lifts off the ground for a moment. A huge Calloway boot follows and stamps onto the guard's face. Jimmy recoils a little at the audible squish sound.

  “Holy shit, Dix. I think you got him” Jimmy says, pulling back up beside his friend.

  “They got Sadie,” Dixon says as he looks down at his visceral work.

  “What? I thought she was at her mother’s?” asks Jimmy.

  “They picked her up before she got away. Bastards slit her throat right in front of me” Dixon’s rolling chest begins to calm.

  “Damnit! Where are they now?”

  “I got Yang. Fenghuang needs a new leader. Sutcliffe got away. We’ve got to get him before he ruins it all for everyone” Dixon turns to Jimmy.

  “With no Yang, Sutcliffe will have an easier job of pushing through the merger. We’ve got to go” Jimmy says as they make their way to the door.

  Entering the hallways of the compound they make their way down darkly red lit stretches. Matte black walls with little detail lead them to a set of lifts. They all open as they approach, ready to take a passenger on a journey. Dixon and Jimmy slide into the first one they get to, and look at the display.

  “You think they’ll have many people on the first floor, we’re on basement level four right now,” Jimmy asks.

  “We’re going to the top,” Dixon says, plugging his thumb against the display. The doors close and a diagram of the building is displayed, with the lift cabin and the very top level highlighted.

  “The top?” Jimmy falls back into the corner of the lift, catching his breath still.

  “If Sutcliffe is still here, he’ll be at the top. He’ll have arrived at the top by shuttle as well. Either way our best chance of catching him is at the top.” Dixon says. Jimmy is hit with a wave of realisation, he’s right. There is no way Tom Sutcliffe would run out of the front door of any building even if the devil himself was chasing him.

  Chapter 25

  Stepping out at the top floor, the two flex ready for action. A gigantic black tiled floor greets them, not a soul is in sight. Large scarlet columns stretch down the length of the room on either side. The windows wide and tall, pillars of wall break them up with various pieces of historic war regalia in glass cabinets sitting in front of them. A mixture of Chinese and Japanese armour is posed in each one, with a couple of different weapons sitting below them. Polearms strap to the columns with vibrant coloured fabric dangling below the bladed ends. At the end of the room several red curtains hang, each with extensively detailed art depicting great armies in battle, huge cities under fire and mythical creatures descending from the skies.

  “Hello?” Jimmy’s voice echoes down the room and creeps back upon them. Dixon gives a disapproving look.

  “What? At least there isn’t any greeny this time” He smiles, Dixon smirks and shrugs. They walk the length of the grand hall-sized room, looking at the suits of armour. Posed in fighting stances, any one of them looking like it was ready to be possessed by a spirit and attack.

  Dixon stretches his arm out, what was left of his second replacement arm at least. The flayed innards dangling out, he tries to gather up the loose pieces and clump them together, cramming them back into the prosthetic casing. Jimmy watches, raising his eyebrows in a silent bid to offer help.

  “I got this” Dixon says, fumbling and repeatedly missing one artificial tendon as he tries to grab them all. Grunting in frustration he flings his arm, the pieces flailing wildly. Looking around he s
pots one of the samurai armour outfits, he pauses, raises an eyebrow and approaches.

  “Uh, I think those might be quite expensive, maybe even historical antiques,” Jimmy says as he watches Dixon smash one of the glass cases and rip the arm off a dummy. Rotating the arm as he investigates it, Dixon then rips the upper arm out of the armour sleeve. Gritting his teeth, he pulls violently at the Halo prosthetic. Jimmy squints as it looks almost like a man ripping flesh from his own body. The prosthetic removed with an audible tear, Dixon jams his stump into the armoured sleeve, tightening the bindings around his bicep and remaining elbow. He rolls his shoulder a few times, acclimatising to his now third arm.

  “See, I told you I got this,” Dixon says, pulling the arm up and adjusting the fingers with his real hand, leaving the mannequin’s middle finger sticking up as Jimmy smirks.

  Reaching the huge curtains, Jimmy sees that light shines through the narrow gaps between each one. Nudging past the curtains he finds Lady Yang’s office. Nearly half the size of the hall, a desk hides in a shade similar to the black of the wall behind it. On the left, a large painting hangs of three horses almost leaping from the canvas. The rider on each horse looking dead ahead with an intent focus, one screams in the midst of throwing a spear, another aims a bow and arrow, and the final one swings a mace above his head. The plaque at the bottom reads “Caishen, King Yan and Guandi descend”.

  “You wouldn’t think such a cold bitch would be so into her art, huh?” Jimmy says as Dixon follows through the curtains, looking out the windows and noticing the floor of clouds holding the spire up again.

  “Makes me think of the four horsemen, doesn’t seem as strange for her to be looking at the guys who’ll bring about the end of days. Guess Sutcliffe got away in time” Dixon says approaching the desk. A computer display spins the Fenghuang logo in its centre. A large F interlaced with an H, nothing too flashy but instantly identifiable. Jimmy quickly moves around the desk to the chair, the red cushion hugging him into comfort. For a second he pauses in appreciation before Dixon slaps his shoulder. He begins tapping away at the keyboard. The logo disappears and several stacks with corporate designations fly up.