High Stakes - Part 3

Mango entered through the maintenance room and quickly shut the door behind her. John’s grapple belt had come in handy after all. She’d have to keep it, regardless of what John might protest. It had saved her a few times already.

The engine room was thick with fumes. Her eyes watered, and she fought the urge to cough. She needed to get out of there quickly. Then she spotted the exit door and made her way toward it. Just as her hand touched the handle, she heard voices on the other side.

She crouched and peeked beneath the door, spotting several pairs of feet walking by.

There were people there.

Mango frowned. How the heck was she going to get to the computer?

She knew there were guards in the gondola, but hadn’t expected so many. Taking them down quietly wouldn’t be easy. She looked up and spotted rafters near the ceiling.

Mango stepped onto the side of a pipe and hoisted herself upward. She pulled out a knife and carefully unscrewed the bolts holding a ceiling panel in place. Once it was loose, she grabbed the edges and pulled herself up inside.

She got briefly stuck halfway through, but managed to slide her hips and rear in with a bit of effort. Then she began to crawl.

Moving forward through the tight crawl space, Mango glanced down. Through the narrow slats, she could see the guards below. They were chatting casually about a baseball game one of them had watched.

Mango rolled her eyes. All guys are just the same, she thought. Nothing in their heads but sports and women.

She kept crawling until she reached the area above the main cockpit of the right gondola. Looking through the vent, she saw several guards inside, though their guns were laid off to the side.

Now or never.

But she didn’t want to go in blind. She needed an edge.

Mango slid her knife out and whispered, “Knife Shade.”

The Focus AI in her mind responded.

<<<>>>

[TALENT: KNIFE SHADE - ACTIVATED.]

[Target lock enabled. Neural augmentation: hand-eye coordination increased.]

[Highlighting threats and available weapons.]

<<<>>>

She felt a light buzz ripple through her nervous system, her coordination enhanced by the AI. Targets below lit up in red, and her knives on her belt glowed with faint outlines in her peripheral vision. Without any more thought, she tossed two knives.

Each found its mark with precision, taking out the two guards instantly.

Mango dropped down into the cockpit, landing softly next to the massive computer the guards had been protecting.

“Finally,” she said.

But then a voice called out from behind her.

“Hey!”

She spun around. Three more guards entered the room. Behind them, two more appeared in the hallway entrance.

“What are you doing here?” one of them barked.

One of the guards raised a gun, but another quickly stopped him. “What are you, crazy? If you shoot that in here, the air pressure will suck us all out!”

They quickly lowered their guns and instead raised their hands, and each one pulled out a baton.

Mango gulped. This was going to be a lot harder than she thought. Mango barely had time to breathe before the five men charged at her. She took out two daggers.

The FOCUS AI sparked to life in her mind:

<<<>>>

[Knife Shade still active. Highlighting enemy weak points.]

<<<>>>

She rolled under the first two attackers, drawing two knives into a reverse grip.

Two more men lunged at her simultaneously. She blocked both their batons. With quick precision, she kicked one in the groin and struck the other's knee, making them both stumble.

WHAM!

A hit from the side knocked her flat onto the ground. She'd forgotten just how much those batons actually hurt. One guard raised his baton to strike her while she was down, but she rolled just in time and slashed upward. He blocked it, and the two of them exchanged a flurry of blows back and forth, like a chaotic swashbuckling duel.

Before she could finish him, another guard tackled her from the side, slamming her down again. She stabbed him in the back with a grunt, making him wail in pain.

As the others rushed her, she kicked the stabbed guard into them and rolled away, quickly rising to her feet. One shoved her, and she slammed into the computer. She saw the lights flickering on the screen.

It’s running. If they damage it, all this will be for nothing.

Another raised his baton to strike. Instead of dodging, she took the blow on her knife, then slashed his fingers. The baton clattered to the ground as he screamed. She kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing back. Before he could recover, she flung a knife into his forehead.

Three left, she thought.

The FOCUS AI lit up again:

<<<>>>

[Threat count down to 3]

<<<>>>

The three remaining guards exchanged a look and then dropped their batons.

Mango raised an eyebrow. "You boys done playing already?" she asked.

But instead, they pulled out short swords. Mango’s eyes widened. "Oh shit," she muttered.

They rushed her. She backed up quickly, hurling knives as she retreated. One knife hit its mark, pinning one of them through the foot and into the floor. He howled in pain, unable to move.

The other two kept coming.

She countered one, then dodged a slash from the other. But as she turned, one of them slashed her across the back.

"Agh!" she cried out.

Before she could recover, the other slashed her across the face. Blood sprayed. She threw knives at them both in response. They deflected the attacks effortlessly.

The third attacker was still on the ground, trying to pry the blade from his foot. Mango’s breath was heavy. Her cuts and bruises were adding up fast. This fight was not going how she expected.

Seeing the third one nearly freeing himself, she sprinted toward him and jammed a knife into his ear. He dropped instantly. She had one left in her hand. She reached for another knife, and her eyes grew wide. She was out!

I had one more! She thought. Where did my last–John! He never gave that one back!

The remaining guards smiled and moved toward her. Her sweat started to sting her cuts. Then she noticed the sword the one guard had. She dove for it.

She grabbed his sword and turned, now dual-wielding a knife and a short sword.

The FOCUS AI buzzed again:

<<<>>>

[Talent modified: Knife Shade.]

[Combat efficiency doubled.]

[New trajectories highlighted.]

<<<>>>

Her interface changed. Weak points that had glowed red now glowed blue with enhanced attack lines that went across their bodies. She could now slash instead of just going for pinpoints! A wide grin spread across Mango’s bloodied face.

"Oh, hell yeah!"

She charged them. One slashed from the left, and she blocked and kicked him back.

The other came in from the right. With her enhanced reflexes, she responded instantly. She spun her blades and confused him. He tried to stab forward, but her long blade blocked, and she thrust forward with her knife. She stabbed him in the gut with her knife and used the sword to slice clean through his hands.

The final guard hesitated, backing away slowly. Mango hurled the sword. It slammed into his chest, pinning him against the wall. He clawed at it briefly, then passed out from the pain.

Mango stood in silence, chest heaving. Her body was covered in cuts and bruises. The adrenaline began to fade, and the pain returned.

But she couldn’t stop now. She stumbled to the computer, plugged in the hacking device, and accessed the CIA mainframe.

She typed in herself. Her name appeared immediately: “Mango,” with a photo. It was taken in Japan.

He’s been building this profile the whole time, she thought.

The file was offensively light. Only a few pages, and most of the things in there he wasn’t even around to witness. When she thought back, Mango and Laz hadn't actually spent a lot of time together. She didn’t meet him till he blew up the helicopter. They took a flight to Japan, ran away from some people and then did one mission on a boat.

Still, a little info was still worse than none, and she was tired of making new friends. They seemed to be dictating her “free” lifestyle.

"Not anymore," she said as she deleted her file.

Then she got an itch and looked up John’s again. His profile was extensive, just like last time.

If we’re going to be together, she thought, he can’t be an agent. Not anymore.

She hovered over the delete button. Doubt crept into her mind.

What if this is a mistake? What if he’s just another liar? He’s lied before...

But he’d always trusted her. Always had faith in her. She didn’t want him to belong to the CIA. She wanted him to belong to her. She pressed the button.

Delete.

John Nero's CIA profile vanished from the system. She took a deep breath.

I’ll tell him later.

Click. A cold barrel pressed against the back of her head.

What the fuck? I could’ve sworn I killed everyone…

“You did a great job,” said a voice behind her. “But I’m afraid the fun is over.”

Mango froze. She slowly raised her hands.

“Keep those hands where I can see them,” the voice commanded. “I have no problem shooting this computer. Or a window. And I guarantee I don’t give a damn about anyone else on this ship.”

Mango turned around fully, and what she saw made her face twist in pure shock.