Razor's Edge

An old M939 flatbed roared through a long tunnel. The overhead lights dotted the monotonous ceiling at a steady speed. Alejandro and Salem hid amongst the crates during their ride. They were behind schedule as they loaded the last shipment for the rebels. The wanderer couldn’t wrap his mind around the blatant hypocrisy. Extendo nodded his head to a tune he hummed. Salem glared directly at Alejandro from the shaded area she sat in. He made sure to have a weapon close. He couldn’t ignore her prying eyes, tapping at the window to talk to Extendo.

“Yeah?” he said. Alejandro kneeled against the window, seeing the wanderer’s eyes through the rearview mirror.

“How much longer until we make it to the other end?” Alejandro asked.

“This thing ain’t gonna go any faster, y’know? Besides, we’re sitting on a few cases of plasma grenades retrofitted for the old FGM Javelins the rebels are using. All straight from the Ethoxian Republic. One big ‘ol bump could set them off.”

“Why are you using old transport vehicles for this sort of thing, anyway? Couldn’t your benefactors have hooked you up with something?”

“I get what I can take. And you can mod it to what you like.”

“I’ve gotta ask, but… Why are they playing both sides on this?”

“Political instability,” Salem uttered. Her words were straight to the point.

“A lot has happened since you left,” Extendo added. “The way things were done was beginning to change. This network didn’t exist until recently. Janus can’t interfere because he knows he’ll stir up a hornet’s nest.”

“But, he knows?” Alejandro asked.

“He has an idea… We’re in good hands.”

“Yeah. Until he’s got nothing to lose.”

“Always the cynic, Al. I’d think you’d come back a different man after so many years. I can see it, the pain in your eyes. Dwelling on the past gets you nowhere, man.”

“That’s for me to decide.”

“Such an edgelord,” Salem scoffed. Alejandro shrugged off her comment. “What?”

“I gotta ask, Al….” Extendo spoke. Salem and Alejandro looked toward the window’s open slot.

“We are not together like you’re thinking,” Alejandro sighed. “I am… Looking for someone.”

“He’s looking for his half-elf girlfriend,” Salem answered, despite the wanderer’s silence.

The vehicle slowed. Extendo stared into the mirror, glimpsing the side of Alejandro’s eyes. His old friend still didn’t answer for himself. Crescendo said: “So, that’s the woman I’ve been hearing about? She’s been causing a lot of problems for Janus.”

“I can imagine,” the wanderer replied.

“Do you know what she’s done so far?”

Extendo didn’t have to elaborate when he saw Alejandro’s amber eyes.

“Enne is doing what she thinks is right. We got into an argument before she went off.”

“Where did she go?”

“She’s trying to contact the rebellion.”

“As a half-elf? She must not have much self-awareness—”

“She’s more human than elf, Extendo,” Alejandro said. His tone rattled with discontent, but he tempered himself. “Enne… Has her heart in the right place. That’s all that matters.”

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

“Is it? I think that’s a very broad interpretation. The intent is there, but will people follow the other thing?”

“Volkan’s family has been fighting for generations with mixed results. His uncles would’ve never used these weapons. Too much collateral damage.”

Salem listened, observing Alejandro’s subtle reactions. The eyes of a tired man gazed blankly into the driver’s rearview mirror. She looked over the side, finding they were reaching the end of the tunnel. Extendo seemed to be surprised by what he saw. Not too far from the entrance was a barricade. The people on the other end were wearing sleek combat gear. It was the first time Alejandro had seen them so heavily equipped. The bright lights cast at the driver forced him to halt.

“Lie low,” he whispered. Alejandro and Salem lowered themselves when someone approached.

“Is this normal?”

“Hell naw.”

The lights shone into the cargo’s muted interior. Footsteps approached the rumbling flatbed. Salem watched Alejandro reach for his gun as the bandit stopped at the driver’s side. Extendo played it cool with his signature smile. After rolling down his window, he asked: “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Real fucking smooth,” Salem whispered.

Alejandro rolled his eyes.

“Extendo—” the bandit uttered beneath his mask. “We’ve got orders to do random inspections from anyone who exits these tunnels.”

“Since when?”

The man didn’t respond.

“Well, this isn’t in your jurisdiction, either,” Extendo reminded. “Everyone knows this is under the Capital’s observation.”

“So, you won’t comply?”

“Hell no! I have an order to deliver. Now, please let us through.”

The bandit snickered. A cold sweat ran down the side of Salem’s face as Alejandro clutched his weapon. Then, the bandit sighed: “All right. Let them through!”

“Whatever. You have a good night.”

Alejandro barely glimpsed the poorly put-together checkpoint. The advanced vehicle had unmanned turrets locked onto them. Their metallic frame was far different and more versatile. He wondered how often they were deployed since what he saw in the city was far less advanced. Extendo diffused his tension with a deep breath. He turned on an old music system and popped in a CD mix. It played an old tune that had an explosive start. Alejandro recognized it immediately from Enne’s playlist. The lights behind them faded into the brush as they drove through the backroads.

“I didn’t realize the tunnels went that far out,” Alejandro noted. The tune playing caught his attention. “Say, where did you get that?”

“What?” Extendo asked.

“The disc, the music system?”

“The black market. Sometimes you find junk. Sometimes you find good shit.”

“Pete Bellotte? Push It to the Limit?”

“Yes… The extended version, apparently. Since when did you care about this sort of thing?”

“Ever since I met her.”

“A cultured half-elf? There seems to be a thing about these elves enjoying old trends.”

Salem grew bored with their conversation as she adjusted her seating position. The music intensified with the singer’s harsh tone.

“So, the bandits knew this whole time?” Salem questioned. Extendo glanced at her through the side of his eye. “Don’t you think that’s a little problematic?”

“Janus would be wise to leave us be. This is much bigger than him or his goons.”

“How so?” Alejandro raised the question.

“Going back to the changing political climate, I have a powerful backer,” he replied. “If she hears anything happening to me, she won’t take it lightly.”

“She?”

Their eyes met through the mirror before a bright flash behind them drew their attention. An aircraft flew past them before turning to face them. While the driver followed it, Alejandro spotted hover bikes speeding through the dense path. Alejandro mounted his assault rifle on the crate and fired a few shots.

Open up the limit~

“H—hey, don’t you start popping off in here!” Extendo yelled.

“We’re past the point of no return,” Alejandro shouted over the lyrics.

Extendo clutched the wheel when the aircraft’s turrets began charging. He’d double the stakes by swerving onto an uncertain route like a bat out of hell. While Alejandro saw the chunk of dirt flying from a burst of concentrated gunfire. The flatbed rattled violently until it crashed through the gates of an old logging site. The hover bikes maintained their speed and distance. Much to his comrade’s silent dismay, Alejandro tore through the canvas and fired at the gunship.

“W—where the hell are we going?”

Extendo floored the pedal, pressing it hard through the solid frame of a side gate. They spun onto another road. The broken concrete led up the hill next to their original route. Their pursuers followed, finally shooting at them in their straight path. Their bullets blew out the right rear tire.

“If a single bullet hits one of these—” Extendo panicked.

“Just focus on the driving,” Alejandro replied calmly. “We better win this one out.”

His bullets barely nicked the thick armor of the hover bikes. Alejandro cracked open the crates against the driver’s wishes. He primed a set of grenades and tossed it a fair distance. All the while, Salem loaded the rocket launcher she found. The third grenade Alejandro tossed struck one, sending it careening into the other after its part of it was vaporized from the minor blast. The flatbed swerved from the initial burst from the aircraft. Alejandro caught Salem when she passed the rocket launcher. Extendo’s eyes widened.

“Hey—hey, no!” he insisted. “Bad idea!”

“We’ve got no other choice,” Alejandro barked. “That gunship is going to tear us a new asshole?”

While you’re still livin’~

He steadied his aim at the cockpit. Its hot turrets spun once more. Alejandro held his breath before pulling the trigger. The grenade exploded by the stout wing, melting its weaponry. The gunship spun out of control into the forest as it tried to fire off another barrage. The bullets flew overhead before the audible crushing metal marked the end of the chase.

“Shit.” Salem took a deep breath. The flapping canvas tore little by little to reveal the sky. The weather was cool

“That was close,” Alejandro nodded. His attention turned to the night skies’ gradual transition to warm dawn. “Enne would always say that we should take time to enjoy the moment.”

“Maybe she rubbed off on you too much,” Extendo replied while focusing on the road. “But it sounds like she’d made a difference in your life.”

Alejandro smiled while the final lyrics played out.

Push it to the limit! Hey~

“God… Can we turn this shit off already?” Salem voiced her annoyance.

Well, things went south really quick! Leave a comment/ feedback! A like is always appreciated. Thanks for reading! :3