Page 10 of The Omega's Unexpected Bounty
He turned, and I smiled at the cylindrical flashing Exo-Suit slapper on the side of his face.
Twisted rusted arms pulled the metal walls further apart and a towering machine made for drilling into the ground and with the strength to move boulders towered over the naked, warty man. My father’s eyes rolled up while the blood drips thickened from his nose.
Mister Leader said or rather chirped, and I presumed it was his native language. The Exo-Suit slowed, then stayed still over us while my father grimaced. He blinked several times as if trying to make the machine move but it stood there in mid-step.
“Security override,” said the hairy, dirty man that a few minutes earlier was ready to ‘split my ass open.’ Less than a heartbeat later, two silver orbs streaked in. The first hit my father and his muscles seized while sparks ground against his skin. Only the quick minute shakes allowed him any movement. My wrist flexed with a familiar move. It’s what I did when I wanted to surprise a bounty. Three long claws capable of slicing through Kluba stone tore through my upper fist, and I grimaced. In a few seconds, nanites will repair the damage. I punched at the orb and re-learned a valuable lesson about conductivity. They had to touch you to take you out or conduct the electricity through metal. Long claws were perfect for that. If anything, I helped them. Like Nate, I shook with two hands out. Mine were capable of tearing through a man, but not when I was still.
The leader ran to his clothes and pulled out a small crystal pistol that glowed purple.
Volardi…
With his gun aimed at us both, he went to the suit. Somewhere in the mess of wires he knew what to look for and found it. He pulled a thick green cord with a microphone and spoke. From outside and from the Exo-Suit in the now opened room, I heard his voice boom from the loudspeakers. “Everyone get in here now, we got a problem.”
The smugness on his face disappeared. Now with his pinched together eyebrows and thin lips, I’d say he was livid. “You think you’re thefirstwho tried using mining equipment against me?” He chuckled to himself as my father moaned with pain. “They’re mighty painful if they aren’t keyed to your brain patterns. Even then, I can shut them down with a command.” He pointed to the orbs that shot continuous paralyzing current deep within my convulsing body. “Even got them to follow me around. You don’t survive here, without taking care of every variable. Otherwise, I would have been dead a long time ago like when I killed my predecessor.”
I couldn’t move, but I stared wide-eyed as he sunk to the floor onto his knees, then rolled to his side. The glowing, purple gun skittered under the bed. If I could move, I would have smiled as Tiny had his balls in a twisted, literal vise. Little fingernail-sized hands pounded into his sack and penis. He wasn’t stronger than me, but if he were my size, he’d have enhanced strength. His power came from two hundred pounds of force concentrated into a small area. It wasn’t unlike the bullets back home. A hole no bigger than a finger is all you needed to end a man’s life, and he opened a fist-sized one. I blanched at the blood between Dear Leader’s legs.
It was deserved, but all men would turn white as Tiny twisted flesh that used to be my attacker’s dick. A red energy orb streaked from under the bed and hit my father’s security sphere but also him.I’m sure it hurt, but he wasn’t paralyzed anymore. Tinydragged the pistol with a low rumble over the floor. He was strong but well tiny. It’s not easy shooting a gun longer than you. My father’s forehead pinched, and I’m sure he had questions. His hand went around the pistol, and I could only imagine what he thought. He had power when he took over the Exo-Suit. Now he had it again. Men were coming who would take it away for the second time. No matter what was in his mind, he aimed and shot my silver orb. I kept my expression neutral from the spray of hot metal that dug into my arm. The electric current left, and I could move. I flexed my arm again, and claws slid back into my wrists. Having them out as a weapon would be arguably smarter, but I had a suspicion.
My father rubbed his chin. There were questions to ask, but most had to wait until later. I gave him the most pressing one. “I’m getting you out of here. Everything else waits?”
I can only imagine what the man thought before he nodded. Two decades is a long time for anybody to endure an Omega experience in a town full of men. I’m sure he didn’t enjoy his stay and was looking to do anything to leave; long conversations weren’t needed.
The Volardi pair was the first to arrive as expected. The tall redhead on the left, and the shorter blond on the right. Whatever mistakes sent them out here into the Badlands, didn’t erase their claim to fame. There’s a reason they have an empire, and it’s because Volardi are warriors.
The smartest thing would have been for them to restrain me or pull out a weapon. Typical Volardi arrogance made both rush to me. Not to prove anything because I was nothing but an Omega in their eyes. Beneath them but I’m sure they could sense the ‘lesson’ I needed to be taught. They knew I had something to do with this, and they were going to find out. Both rushed while I held my hands out as if pleading. With every step, they increased their speed, and that’s the last thing they should have done. I turned both hands to them, flexed my wrist and long, metal claws sliced through my skin and into their stomachs. Even if they had the foresight to avoid it, their momentum caused my claws to continue and pierce their spine. For a heartbeat, I looked up into dual purple eyes. Each furrowed into an expression I saw before. It’s most common when a man’s about to die. Wide eyes and a wrinkled forehead as they silently ask: ‘How?’
I sank to the floor, and sharp steel capable of slicing through Kluba stone had no trouble with muscled flesh. Volardi were the warriors of the galaxy, and in most cases, they made a compelling argument but not these two.
My neck tightened to several gun blasts. Red globes tore through their bodies and into the metal-wood floor underneath. I turned my head from the red wall spray that used to be Volardi muscle and organs. It was more shots than was necessary, but I figured my father wasn’t killing them but whatever memories they gave.
Going out into the open had no strategic advantage, so we stayed in the room although torn open metal square was more accurate. The squat green man with a bulbous head and long tapered ears was the first in and the thinker of the bunch. His raised eyebrows as he looked at the Exo-Suit suggested as much. His gaze was upward when it should have been lower. With a bear hug, Tiny crushed his right ankle. A claw to his back finished him. The orange guy with a spiked face came in with a glowing Vibro-Club. Those things are nasty and capable of distorting flesh even if one didn’t hit the guy. Two quick shots from my father tore a hole in his upper chest and stomach. The club fell on his other leg and the weapon’s claimed to fame did as advertised. Orange skin rippled, then melted into a warm, smoking goo. Nobody else came, but there were more out there. Tiny jumped up into the Exo-Suit’s mess of wires. With a dull whirr, it returned to life. It turned around, thumped against the metal room and ran over the dusty ground to do what he did best – protect me.
My father’s eyebrows rose, and I heard a man speak who I’m sure wasn’t allowed to do so before. “Whatare you?”
He knew I was Omega from the scent and lack of flecks. As with most things, I preferred our terms and not theirs. My sex didn’t fight – not like this. I heard about the ones from Earth, but without exception, they were all used for making babies. None of them ever got weapon implants nor would they revolt against their Volardi masters. After twenty years, someone shows up and kills everyone who hurt him or tried to. If he suspected my true relation, he gave no sign. Although, I suppose he deserved an answer. “Someone who’ll kill everything here.”
His jaw tightened, and I bet it’s something he imagined nightly. There was always the possibility there might be a few innocents here. I didn’t have time to make sure, so I left it up to him to pick targets since he knew them better. He nodded his head and then tore the blinking Exo-Suit connection off the leader’s head. “I-I can access another one.” He said to my unasked question.
His face twisted into a grimace and matched the faint lines on his skin as if he made that expression before. I know that he didn’t get a chance to use the Exo-Suits much, and that only left bedroom possibilities. In the distance, I heard shrieks and figured other miners met their end at the end of a large metallic hand. There were continuous shots, and I presumed they came from the towers. Screams and a long, tearing sound I hoped was collapsing metal came before the blasts went silent. I stepped out with claws ready either because I sensed nobody else was out there close or maybe it was overconfidence. If it was, I had a good reason. A bounty hunter with claws, a tiny version of me within a giant Exo-Suit, and an Omega who had enough was ready to kill.
We had finished everyone by the time we walked to the gate. Some came to us and died when they got a claw through the heart – or whatever passed for it with their species. Tiny tore open vehicles and structures. Others were shot by Nate or squeezed within the Exo-Suit’s metal hand. Then we set the suits to destroy everything except one hovercraft which we took to the landing site. A dull grey globe came down, ‘melted’ open, and we rose into the clear blue sky which gradually turned black with spots of stars.
We boarded my ‘real’ ship and left the smoking outpost, and planet behind. It wasn’t until I got into orbit that I realized my mistake. Giving myself time, was an excellent plan, but it let others come to me.
A deep male voice echoed from my ship’s speakers. “Vessel, this is the Volardi Security Patrol. Prepare to be boarded.”
***
Chapter Seven
CAAN
“Remain seated.” The deep voice belonged to a dark-skinned Volardi directly ahead. This one shaved his black hair nearly bald, so I only saw the faintest hint of the traditional purple stripe on the right. The same color flecked line ran down from his wide shoulders to his black kilt. I didn’t know the man, but he had the feel of a grappler – especially since he removed his hair. All men have their preferred fighting style. I use surprise, but his sinewy muscles were perfect for twisting and pinning down an opponent. I guess it helped in his vocation. Bounty hunters get paid if the perps deadoralive; slightly more if they still breathe. I grab the safer option; somebody that’s dead can’t hurt you.
My gaze went to the seat to my right. Tiny was slumped over and stared ahead with a blank expression. He didn’t look damaged, but they turned him off. It would have been easy to shock him and erase his data, but they didn’t.Guess that’s something.I could always upload a new brain copy into him, but it wouldn’t be the same Tiny. After all these years, I liked what he grew into.
My father was to the side, and his fingers trembled over the armrests.
