Jak Koke: Clockwork asylum

Ryan paused, mentally arranging his chess pieces.

"Jane?"

"Copy."

"You got control of the house systems?"

"Stupid question, Ryan, but I guess you had to ask."

"Lay it out for me."

"Quicksilver, he's smart. He's keeping to cover under the third stone tree from the rear exit. That way, he has Daviar between him and that exit, and can cover the other two at his leisure."

Grind came on. "I almost got him when he dumped Daviar under the table, but even with this high-powered scope, the infrastructure of the building is playing havoc with me. I can't get a clear shot at him as long as all those stone branches are in the way."

Ryan nodded again. The arboretum was a huge structure with two gigantic sheets of macroglass for a roof to allow the sunlight in. In the name of artistic decor, the macroglass was supported by ornately carved marble trees. Eight of them, complete with stone roots and intertwining branches, stretched upward to create a canopy.

"Jane, talk to me about the arboretum. It's got auto sprinklers in case of fire, right?"

"Affirmative."

Ryan thought about it, and suddenly everything came into focus.

"Jane, what's the oxygen content in there?"

There was a pause, and Ryan could tell the question had taken her by surprise.

"Dunkelzahn converted the arboretum into a greenhouse of sorts, said he wanted to raise orchids, so the oxygen content is higher than normal. Why?"

"You control that as well?"

"Affirmative."

Ryan grinned. "I want you to slowly increase the oxygen content."

"How high?"

"Just keep it going, but try and make it subtle."

Dhin's voice sounded concerned. "Bossman, you mind filling us in on what you've got planned?"

Ryan forced his voice to remain calm. "Grind can't get a clear shot with that roof over our boy, so I'm going to blow these stone trees sky high."

"Ryan," said Jane, "I've never asked this before, and I hope I won't ever ask it again, but do you know what the frag you're doing?"

A picture of Nadja's face filled his mind. "I've never been so sure. I'll give you the signal. Just before I blow the place, I want you to selectively activate the sprinkler systems over Nadja and myself. Turn them on full blast."

Jane chuckled. "I think I'm getting the picture. What about the Heart?"

"I'm going to take it from him before the place blows."

"I'll track it and make sure the sprinklers protect as much as possible."

Ryan nodded. "All right, people, this is one for the record books. Let's keep it clean. Grind, you know what to do."

"Check."

"If things get ugly in there, I want Nadja out. She's first priority. After that comes the Dragon Heart, then me. That clear?"

There was no answer needed, and none came. Each member of the team knew just what was at stake.

"Jane, if things don't go as planned, there are coded instructions in my safe at Assets. Follow them to the letter."

Silence.

He stood and walked quickly up the steps to the front door. There was no need for stealth. Burnout knew he was coming and had the entrances covered. There was no chance for surprise.

"Now, Jane," he said.

"Increasing oxygen content. It should reach a flammable level in just under five minutes."

With that he entered the house.

Ryan walked through the quiet darkness, and even though he knew that he was never more than fifty meters from another member of his team, he felt utterly alone. As he stepped past priceless art, he found himself growing nervous. Roxborough's self-doubt creeping in.

Ryan took several deep and cleansing breaths, trying to bring calm. But by the time he reached the sealed double glass doors of the arboretum, an edge of agitation had gripped him again. And it refused to let go.

Taking a slow breath, he keyed the palmlock, and the doors slid backward.

Humid heat smothered him, and he immediately began to sweat. The rich smell of fertile soil and blooming plant life hit him, and for just a second, he was sad that Burnout had chosen this spot. In just a few minutes, nothing would be left of the beauty around him.

It had been a while since Ryan had come to the arboretum, and for just a second, he stopped and looked around, as if he were seeing it for the last time.

Sculpted marble trees strained for the ceiling, their intertwined branches making up the supports for the twin sheets of macroglass that made up the roof. Each of the stone trees were completely wreathed in ivy, giving the impression that they were alive.

"So, we're finally alone together." The chilly voice dropped out of the air, echoing in the damp stillness.

Ryan immediately put his back to the wall, pulling the Vindicator up to ready position. Something was wrong, something in the back of his mind told him he wasn't going about this in the right way.

"Not quite, Burnout," he said. "This is between you and me. Let Nadja go."

Burnout's laughter rang through the room, turning Ryan's blood cold. "Between you and me, Mercury? It hasn't been between you and me since you killed the Kodiak."

Ryan remembered the bear shaman, Miranda held high over his head. He shifted on the balls of his feet, slowly inching his way into the dark room. Burnout didn't give much of a heat signature, so Ryan was going to have to rely on other means.

"Jane," he subvocalized.

"Copy," came the woman's voice in his ear.

"Position."

"He hasn't moved."

Ryan took a quick, silent step, and put one of the marble trees between him-and Burnout's location. "Jane, what's the count?"

"Another four minutes, but Ryan, when you blow it, you're going to have to be near the corner of the room where I can cover you with the sprinklers. Otherwise, you're going to take as much damage as he does, and I don't think I have to remind you that you are flesh and blood."

Ryan smiled in the darkness. "Don't worry about me. Just keep that oxygen rising."

There was a pause. "Ryan, you do realize that if shots are fired after the oxygen level gets high enough, the room will go ahead of schedule."

"I've already got it figured, Jane. Just be ready."

Burnout's modulated voice dropped into the room. "Mercury? Where are your friends? Don't tell me you actually did what I wanted. I would be so disappointed if you came to the party by yourself."

Ryan stepped out into the open. "I guess I'm just going to have to disappoint you, Burnout. It's just me."

There was another long laugh.

"Quicksilver! He's on the move. He's got you targeted, and he's making his way toward you, just on your two o'clock."

"Yes, Burnout. I'm here all alone, just like that night in Aztlan. It's just you and me. You think you're chill enough to take me?"

"My, my. What's that I see? Looks like a Vindicator minigun. That's some pretty heavy rock and roll, Mercury. And what a pity, I'm totally unarmed."

Ryan turned to his two o'clock, and Burnout's metal form drifted out of the shadows and into a patch of sunlight.

Grind sounded frustrated. "Frag those branches! I can't get a clean shot. Just another two meters, and he's mine."

Ryan looked at Burnout's ravaged frame, and whistled low. "You look pretty bad, Burnout."

Burnout smiled, and in the filtered light, it was the metal smile of some chromed grim reaper. "Yeah, I ain't so pretty as I was, Mercury. I guess I owe my new look to you."

Something clicked in Ryan's mind, and he knew what had been nagging. He was alone in the arboretum, but he wasn't using the Silent Way. He had been ignoring Dunkelzahn's teachings since losing the Heart, and he knew he wouldn't survive this unless he focused on his training. On who he was.

Ryan slowly knelt down on the floor, and laid the Vindicator on the warm marble. "Burnout, it doesn't have to come to this. You know I have you outgunned, and you know from our past encounters that even in a straight fight, I can give you a run for your nuyen. But this is foolishness. We don't have to fight."