Page 19 of True As Steel

It didn’t make sense for my opponent to continue fighting like this. Even if he managed to defeat me—which he wouldn’t—the guards would take him down right after. So, why had he not surrendered?

Despite the couple of openings I could have used to inflict a fatal blow, I timed my attack, waiting for the next time he swiped his blade at me to catch his wrist. I twisted it, anticipating the movement with which he would flow with the attack to keep me from gaining a painful lock on him, and kicked in his knee, busting his kneecap. Stunned, he collapsed with a grunt instead of the screech I’d expected. Nonetheless, he tried to continue fighting. Still holding his wrist, I spun behind him and brought my elbow down hard on his nape, knocking him to the floor. I twisted his arm into his back, pinning him down with my foot between his shoulder blades.

“Enough. You have been defeated, Dokolm,” Haelin said in a casual voice as she walked up to us, Tamryn shadowing her.

The crowd parted, going quiet as they witnessed the scene. The fight bled out of the assassin under my foot. He ceased to struggle, a stricken expression descending on his face.

“It was a valiant effort, but you were bested. Rest in peace,” Haelin said.

With an eerily calm face, the Narengi leader raised her blaster and shot the man’s face. Under the maximum setting, his head was all but vaporized. Dokolm’s body shuddered then went still. I carefully removed my foot from his back while eyeing the female, baffled by her action.

“You seem confused,” she said to me in a friendly tone.

“Shouldn’t you have interrogated him first?” I asked.

She smiled. “He had nothing to reveal that I didn’t already know,” she said with a shrug. “You tried to save me. Why?”

“You are Tamryn’s contact, and your families are friends,” I said matter-of-factly. “You may also be our only ticket off this rock. I would rather see you unharmed.”

The Narengi leader snorted and gave me a slow once over. The intensity of her stare would have unnerved most people. She was assessing me.

“Tell me, Cyborg, are you here to spy on us or otherwise cause us harm?” Haelin asked, taking a step towards me, her gaze boring into mine.

“No,” I replied without hesitation. “I’m here to help Tamryn safely get back to her family and to find my own way out of a hostile territory.”

She observed me for a few more seconds before abruptly turning her back on me. Tamryn stared at her, wide-eyed, awaiting our host’s verdict. My heart leapt when Tamryn’s shoulders dropped, shedding tension as she cast a victorious sideways glance at me. Without turning to look back at us, Haelin raised her hand and gestured with two fingers for us to follow.

I complied.

Chapter 8

Tamryn

Ifollowed Haelin, feeling both almost faint with relief and utterly confused. The Narengi female had expected this attempt on her life. As Haelin didn’t issue any command once the attack began, her guards had also been aware they were not to intervene in Jarog fighting the assassin. As they couldn’t have known what he would do, they had likely preemptively discussed every possible scenario. When Jarog started fighting that man, I believed this whole thing had been staged. But then she killed him, and the guards executed the couple. What the fuck was going on?

Extremely efficient, the staff quickly disposed of the bodies, while the DJ resumed playing his loud music. In the time it took us to cross the dance floor all the way to the back of the club, to a highly guarded elevator in a discreet corner left of the DJ’s booth, the patrons were back writhing on the dance floor as if no tragedy had just happened. That alone sufficed to confirm what a tough place this was. These guys had seen worse.

To my surprise, Haelin entered the elevator alone with Jarog and me. Although the Narengi female had completed advanced combat training and could mess up any fool who tried to cross her without breaking a sweat, I didn’t believe her capable of defeating Jarog one on one. Granted, she had a blaster. But I’d seen the speed at which Jarog could move. She would never stand a chance. Therefore, the fact that she would come downstairs alone with the two of us spoke highly of the fact that she didn’t deem us—mainly Jarog—a threat to her welfare. Then again, with the elevator stopping us in the bowels of the club, there would be no escaping. Trying to blackmail our way out of this would be beyond suicidal.

Is this another test?

Haelin looked at my companion and me with an unreadable smile that had something annoyingly provoking and taunting. She undoubtedly knew how all this mystery fucked with our minds and was enjoying the heck out of it. While the control panel of the elevator indicated three floors above the ground floor, we went down instead, into the basement. At the end of the short ride, the doors parted, opening onto a small antechamber. Up a couple of meters ahead, a large metal door greeted us. I almost expected to walk into a vault. A laser scan of Haelin’s face triggered the minute we approached the door. The door unlocked with a clicking sound before sliding open with a soft hiss.

I couldn’t say what I had expected when this door opened, but not that we would step inside this fancy suite. A comfortable living area with a set of couches surrounding a coffee table facing a giant screen hanging on the wall, and a dining table laden with food to its left greeted us. A set of double doors undoubtedly led to what I believed to be a bedroom. Haelin ushered us to the circular table, taking a seat before us. We quietly emulated her, still wondering what the heck was going on. However, I welcomed the prospect of a meal, our last one dating back quite a few hours.

“Please, make yourselves at home and enjoy this meal,” Haelin said, already serving herself from the various appetizing dishes laid out on the table. “After all, it will be your dwelling for the duration of your stay with us—at least for now. And it will not be said that I have been a poor hostess to those who sought my assistance.”

Jarog and I exchanged a look but obeyed.

“I realize you have questions about what happened above,” our hostess continued while pouring herself a glass of a greenish liquid that I recalled as being Narengi wine. “But first, I guess I should thank you for protecting me, Jarog Kaijo.”

“Of course. Like I said, you are our host and our possible ticket out of here,” he replied with a shrug while filling his plate as well.

Haelin raised an eyebrow. “What? No pretty statements about doing the right thing?”

He held her gaze unwaveringly. “I do not know you beyond what information is contained in the Mainframe’s general database. Doing the right thing would imply defending the good guys. I do not know if it applies to you. What I do know is that the only person I trust on this planet has a link with you and believes there’s a chance you might assist us. Therefore, and considering our precarious situation, ensuring your safety is a logical priority.”

“Ah! Logic. Often a wise thing to rely on, but not always,” she replied before taking a sip of her drink.

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