Justin Kemppainen - The Legend of Ivan

My opponent gave a mock gasp. “My, my! Our favorite Archivist is shocked to discover he missed something in his grand search! Oh, the shame, the sorrow! Certainly, it comes as a welcome surprise to not have to figure out that whole Garden mess as well.” He gave a dismissive wave. “Assuming you’re telling the truth, but you wouldn’t lie to me, would you, Siddy-boy?”

He grinned again. I wondered if he kept the lower portion of his face as flesh in order to be able to smile, to unnerve his opponents. Again I thought about simply tearing loose the jaw, as it was likely the only real damage I could do to him. I also considered ramming my fist down his throat and yanking out anything organic, but such a tactic didn’t seem plausible without a serious incapacitation.

“Why? What can he give you?” Marqyni piped up from behind me. My muscles clenched in surprise; I had all but forgotten he was there.

“Shove a ham in it, tubby. I don’t want to hear another peep out of the food trap you call a gullet.” I didn’t take my eyes off Cain, but I heard the librarian gasp.

For some reason, the insult to my friend lit a fierce anger inside me. Yes, yes! the voice encouraged.

Without Cain, Marqyni, or even me expecting such an action, I launched myself into the metallic titan.

A heavy clang resounded as the metal of my shoulder impacted his chest. Not braced or prepared, Cain was knocked sprawling. In an instant, I bore down upon him, pinning his arms with my knees. I thrust out my hand, jamming four syringes of tranquilizer into his chin.

With a scream of pain and a black substance, synthetic blood, dribbling out of tiny punctures, Cain thrashed around. His strength far outweighed my own, and he freed one arm. With a near effortless motion, he seized my wrist and yanked me to the side. I rolled and quickly sprang to my feet, watching as he awkwardly clamored to his own.

As he recovered, my synthetic eye scanned over nooks and crannies in his mechanics, seeking out some vulnerability: an exposed gear or servo to be exploited. With weapons systems hastily removed, there had to be something left open and unsealed. I found one such weakness as he gave a roar and charged.

His movement held the slightest lilt to it, a tiny sluggish reaction from the tranquilizer. I whirled to the side and planted a chop with my mechanical hand to the back of his head. He went down again, crashing through one of the computer terminals. Patrons in the library screamed, some fleeing and some too frightened to move.

I swooped down on Cain and jammed a knee in his back, yanking one arm behind him. In spite of my strength, I couldn’t bend or break the material, so I switched tactics. I located his elbow joint, where a tiny gap lay from his removed weaponry, and dug into it.

Yelling curses, he jerked to the side, and I dodged under his heavy swipe. As he flexed the elbow, the hydraulics ground over and crushed the end of my metal finger. I tore myself free, leaving shards of the disrupting fingertip in his elbow joint. I backed off, waiting for his next attack and searching for more weaknesses. Kill him, kill him! the voice urged.

He stood. His teeth were bared and eyes, though synthetic, burned with hatred. Screeching issued as he flexed his arm, labored and difficult. A low growl issued from Cain’s throat. He started a slow approach.

Cain swung his good arm. I ducked, planting an ineffective strike to his midsection. A hollow clang resounded as I spun, kicking out one of his legs. Cain stumbled, and I pressed the attack, trying to bring my elbow down upon his neck.

Lightning fast, he seized my arm and wrenched downward. He brought his face close to mine, grinning.

I angled my head and smashed my skull plate into his face. As our heads collided, I fired my sonic emitter.

Only meant for mild incapacitation, the emitter had an unexpected result. The pulse resonated inside his metallic skull and all throughout his body. Cain bellowed, clapping a hand to his head as he fell to his knees

During his moment of disorientation, I kicked him to the ground and planted one foot on his damaged arm. With full torque, I wrenched as hard as I could. An audible groan resounded as the limb bent, mechanisms screeching and snapping inside.

Even still, I couldn’t quite tear it loose before Cain recovered and rolled over. Again I dodged, waiting for him to rise and planning my next attack.

“I don’t care what he wants.” Cain cut loose a low growl. His one arm was bent backwards at the elbow, useless and immovable. “You’re dead, Sid. I’m going to rip you into a thousand pieces. I’m going to drag your squishy carcass around this station while I blast holes in the walls and let the death of space seep in and kill everything you care about.”

I didn’t feel like correcting him on the particulars of why his statement was folly. He’s weakening; keep fighting! the voice whispered. Scans continuing, I saw something near the base of his neck. It had been part of a shoulder mounted weapon, also removed.

As his living tissue essentially functioned as a brain with heart and lungs to power it, all heavily mechanized, a few veins were still present. Since there weren’t many, even more pressure was placed on the vital arteries. A plate near his throat overlapped one at his shoulder. I saw it and realized, if I could dig in there and pry both plates loose, it was possible I could damage one of the veins in his neck.

There was one more protective metal skin underneath serving as his flesh, but I thought a hard enough strike could transfer the force through and rupture one of his major arteries. I doubted it would kill him, but the lack of his blood, oil, or whatever it was would certainly incapacitate him until repairs could be made.

Which I didn’t intend to allow.

I sprang forward, feinting a strike to his eyes. As he recoiled, I spun around and gripped his shoulder, wrenching with everything I had. The plate bent an inch, and I deflected a punch and backed off. Not much damage, but a start.

Charging again, I dodged another haymaker and rolled behind him. I planted a square kick to the back of his leg, and he stumbled and fell to one knee. Gripping the shoulder plate again, I yanked. A light creak resounded as it bent.

I jumped back as he threw an elbow, missing yet again. Before he could rise, I chopped at the side of his skull, clanging metal against metal. He recoiled, undamaged, but it gave me the opportunity. My fingertips gripped both sides of the overlapping plates, already bent slightly, and I pulled. The flesh hand did very little, but it anchored for my metallic one, which bent the neck plate back two inches.

He flung his hand out and caught my non-metal wrist. With a casual pull, I went sailing over his shoulder and crashing into another terminal. From his grip, the augmented bones of my human wrist strained. They held, but a bright flare of pain shot up my arm. Releasing me, he raised his fist.

I rolled out of the way as he punched, leaving a heavy dent in the floor. Gaining my feet, I weakly flexed my hand. It hurt but would function. Glancing back, I saw Cain’s neck and shoulder plates blossoming outward, exposing the inner protection and my foolish hope at ending the fight.

In the lull, I took stock of my surroundings. Marqyni crouched behind his desk, peering with wide eyes at the altercation. Other individuals had fled or scattered to the corners, trying to stay out of the way. Broken computers, chairs and desks were strewn about. Though less than a minute elapsed since the start, I wondered if security was on its way.

You’re almost done , the voice whispered. Finish it.

I sprang forward again.

As I charged, Cain did something unexpected. He turned the usual vicious left I slid by every time into a feint. As I moved to dodge, he hooked the bent portion of the useless arm around my neck and twisted downward. I staggered, thrown off balance, and did not block or dodge his next hit.