CQB Close-Quarters Battle
Titan
We make our way down alleys and between buildings, stealthily zigzagging, although the drones must be filming our progress. Monteen probably knows exactly where we are. Who knows if he’s set up traps and trip wires around and inside of his building? One of us must take him out. I’m proud I’ve convinced Blaze to stay far away from the fight.
Perhaps it would be best for Monteen and me to kill each other. Blaze would be the immediate winner.
“You need to stay here, Blaze,” I say when we stop a few blocks from his ten-story building. Altair sent us intel through a backchannel on the pad the Halckon gave us in the crowded street. He confirms what Zedd said. The male is on the seventh floor.
“I’m coming with you, Titan. We’re a team.”
She looks up at me, her jaw jutted in defiance.
I set my sword on the ground and pull her into my embrace. For the swiftest moment, I breathe in her scent. It’s full of fear, but her words were full of determination.
“If there are gods, they have a poor sense of humor,” I say. “To give you to me at such a terrible moment. You’re everything a male could wish for, Blaze, although I never allowed myself to wish. Wishing is a fool’s errand for a slave. We don’t get what we want. We get what we’re given.
“And I was given you.” I pull her away so I can see her beautiful face. “You’re lovely, but that’s the least of your charms. Your strength and bravery? Who wouldn’t love you? I imagine people from all over the world have donated millions of credits to you because of it.”
Her eyes are welling with tears.
“You can’t sweet talk me out of it, Xzavic. I’m coming with you.” She shakes her head and dashes the moisture from her eyes as if it could hide her emotions.
“No. You’re not. Don’t make everyone on the planet hate me when I punch you to knock you out in order to save your life. I’m going alone.”
When she starts to protest, I lift her in my arms and whisper in her ear, “I love you, Blaze. More than life itself. I’m going in alone. If you take one step after me, I’m going to knock you out. I won’t yield on this.”
She inspects my expression, the firm set of my jaw, the determination in my eyes.
“Come back to me, big guy.”
I nod. “Take care of Red while I’m gone.”
She reaches to allow him to scurry from my shoulder to her palm.
“And whatever you do, don’t read the propaganda the network is spreading about you,” I say.
“What?”
“Stay off the Intergalactic Database while I’m gone.”
“That’s a tease. You know that’s the first thing I’m going to do.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I toss over my shoulder as I jog to Monteen’s apartment building.
I baited her on purpose, hoping she’d look herself up. It’s what I did when I was waiting for her under the boot. She’ll be so consumed with her fury she won’t have much time to worry about me. It said her owner entered her in the game after he discovered she was planning on killing the King of Plesmore.
Despite my peril, my lips tip into a small smile. Treason. That’s ludicrous.
Monteen’s abandoned apartment building borders a large common area. In the middle of the weed-strewn square is a flagpole withThe Gamelogo. At one time, this must have been a classy part of town. Now it’s abandoned.
I skirt around his building, doing recon to find my way to an entrance without fully exposing myself. The network and the resistance said he has no weapons. I don’t believe that. He’s had days to acquire some.
I zigzag my way to the building using abandoned hovers to hide behind. I run the last hundred feet. Although I’m surprised Monteen didn’t shoot me when I was fully exposed, I will not let my guard down. He could still have a weapon. Perhaps he didn’t see me, or perhaps he’s a terrible shot and just wants to lie in wait and shoot me when I enter his apartment.
This place has been sitting abandoned for decades, maybe longer. The doorway is ajar. I slip in and wait for my eyes to adjust to the gloom.
Just as I thought, there’s a tripwire on the second step. Easy does it.
