The Firing Line

Prologue-3

His bullet stung the closest man with a jolt that had him passing out in his plate of salad. The others were all surging into motion, hopping out of their seats. The blonde managed to raise her gun.

Jack threw himself sideways into an aerial cartwheel, bullets rushing through the space where he had been. He landed on the floor tiles, dropped to a crouch and swung his arm around for a second shot.

Madame Blonde trembled when he hit her right in the stomach, falling backward onto the table behind her and then rolling onto the floor.

Most of the others weren’t even bothering to fight; they just ran for the exit on the far side of the room. He was content to let them go. This entire mission was nothing but theatrics. No need to-

Two seconds after the last man went out the door, he heard a very unnerving sound. The heavy clank, clank of metal feet. What was it Sinosa had said about new drones? He was starting to think that leaving Corovin behind was a bad idea.

“They have new robots,” Cassi said through his ear-piece. “Big ones. And they’re using lethal ammo.”

“Get everyone back to the Gate,” Jack ordered.

He watched as the door burst open, but it wasn’t a towering metal giant who strode into the mess hall. No, it was a man and a woman, both dressed in light body armour and carrying pistols on their hips.

The man was tall and broad-shouldered with pale skin and short hair that he wore in spikes. He seemed to radiate a kind of nervous energy. Like a cornered wolf, ready to pounce at the slightest provocation.

The woman was only a few inches taller than Anna: pretty with mocha skin and dark hair that fell in ringlets to her shoulders. Jack recognized both of them. Operatives Vaden Carse and Sarese Shaylon.

Both Justice Keepers.

Holstering his pistol, Jack stepped forward with a sheepish grin. “Nice to see you guys again,” he said. “What brings you all the way out here?”

“This rebellion of yours is at an end,” Vaden declared. “Tell your people to stand down. You’re coming with us.”

Hissing air through his teeth, Jack winced and then shook his head. “Can’t do that,” he replied, waggling a finger at the other man. “Maybe you didn’t know, but they’ve got some serious human rights abuses going on in this place.”

Sarese came forward to stand beside her partner. Her face could have been chiseled on a statue. “We could have had that discussion,” she said. “Do you think that the rest of us were unaware of the situation?”

“Unaware…apathetic. Hard to tell which.”

“The arrogance,” she muttered.

Vaden looked like he was ready to grind rocks into a cloud of fine dust with his bare hands. “Many of us were pursuing legal solutions,” he spat. “This uprising of yours will only result in a greater security crackdown.”

Standing before them with his arms crossed, Jack tilted his head back and smiled up at the ceiling. “Brilliant!” he said with a shrug. “So…We should let the tyrant do tyranny because trying to stop him might result in him doing tyranny.”

“We’re at war!” Vaden growled. “Now more than ever, stability is vital. You have jeopardized the safety of this planet with your theatrics. If you think our government is oppressive, try living under Ragnosian rule. I don’t recommend it.”

“Look, I can’t convince you to work with me,” Jack said. “But will you at least step aside and let me do your job?”

They began a slow march forward, neither one trying to draw their sidearm. Using guns against a Justice Keeper was always dangerous and a bad idea as often as not. No, there was only one way this could end.

“I guess not,” Jack murmured.

He ran to meet them.

The space between the tables and the serving counter was wide enough for five grown men to walk side by side, but he still felt a bit claustrophobic. Two against one. Limited opportunities for escape. They would probably try to corner him, and he could think of several ways they might accomplish it.

Vaden began a high kick.

Jack ducked, allowing the man’s foot to pass over him. His enemy spun for a vicious back-kick that would leave any opponent winded.

Jack brought his hands up, intercepting the man’s foot, the impact making his palms smart. A light touch of Bent Gravity sent Vaden sliding across the floor, toward the door. And then Sarese was coming at him.

She threw a punch.

Leaning left, Jack brought his right hand up to strike her wrist. He stepped past her, kicked the back of her knee and drove an elbow into her spine. She went stumbling into the end of a table, gasping when the plastic corner drove itself into her abdomen.

Vaden was on him again.

The man attacked with a hard right-hook.

Crouching down, Jack let it pass over his head. He backed away and popped up just in time to see another fist coming at him. This one smashed his nose, darkened his vision and made his head ring like a bell. Vaden pressed his advantage, and Sarese was coming at him from behind.

Falling over backward, Jack slammed his hands down on the floor. He brought his feet up to strike Vaden’s chin, then flipped over. Pushing off the floor with a little more Bent Gravity, he flew backwards, feet-first into Sarese.

She staggered, arms flailing as she tried to keep her balance. She tripped over a chair and fell to the floor. Thank you, Melissa, for that little maneuver.

Jack landed with fists up, scowling at the other man. “Look, guys, I can do this all day,” he said. “But we have bigger concerns.”

Rubbing his aching chin, Vaden snarled. The poor guy was flushed, and there was a little blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Jack had the distinct impression that this was turning into an issue of wounded pride.

Vaden strode forward with teeth bared, rage blazing in his dark eyes. He drew back his arm and lashed out with a palm strike.

Twisting out of the way, Jack put one hand on the man’s wrist and the other on his shoulder. Then he spun Vaden around and sent the big oaf barreling toward his partner. Sarese leaped over him, somersaulting through the air.

She landed in front of Jack and began a high roundhouse kick.

Leaning back, Jack brought one hand up to block it. The tiny woman stumbled, retreating a few steps. Half a heartbeat later, she was a blur that surged forward and jabbed Jack’s chest with one fist then the other.

A third punch to the face almost knocked him senseless.

Sarese came after him like a feral cat, spreading her arms wide as if she meant to box his ears. In the nick of time, Jack caught her wrists. He drove his knee into her chest, then fell over backward, flipping her over. She landed on the floor with a groan.

Then Vaden was standing over him. The man lifted his leg and tried to slam his shoe down on Jack’s head.

Jack rolled away.

Lightning-quick reflexes let him get back up on his feet and retreat toward the wall. “Look at what you’re defending!” he yelled. “Kids in internment camps? I’ve seen this on my world. Is this what the Justice Keepers stand for now?”

Vaden attacked him with a fierce snap-kick.

Jack caught the man’s ankle with one hand, holding it pinned against his hip. Stepping forward, he punched Vaden’s nose once. Twice. Three times, each blow landing with a crunch. “I am trying…to make you…think!”

“About what?” Vaden demanded.

“I used Bent Gravity,” Jack said.

The other man blinked.

Panting, Jack hunched over and rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand. “So, you know that my Nassai is on board with this.” He stood up straight and faced the other man with the sternest expression he could manage. “Have you even tried to use your powers? Have you talked to your Nassai?”

Vaden took a step back, his face pale, his eyes wide with horror. That was a no then. “That’s what I thought,” Jack said. “The Keepers aren’t what they used to be.”

“We’re at war,” Vaden countered. “I don’t like what’s going on here anymore than you do. But the Ragnosians are the bigger threat. We can’t afford disloyalty right now.”

“Yeah, and it’s thinking like that that lets tyrants get away with war crimes.”

“What do you want us to do?” Sarese asked.

Grunting, Jack sat on the edge of a table with a hand over his chest. His breathing was laboured. “Come with me,” he pleaded. “Help me free the prisoners. Stand up for what’s right!”

Vaden was gaping at him, blinking slowly. From the look on his face, you might have thought that Jack had just suggested that he bathe in lava. “And betray everything we stand for?”

“Turn our backs on our own people?” Sarese added.

“That’s what I’m telling you,” Jack said. “The Justice Keepers no longer stand for those things. If we were truly the heroes you think we are, we would have shown up en masse to arrest Dusep the day he announced that his government was rounding up immigrants. If you don’t trust me, ask your Nassai. What do they think?”

Vaden and Sarese exchanged glances.

Hanging his head, Jack shut his eyes and drew in a breath. “You don’t talk to your Nassai anymore, do you?” he muttered. “Summer told me that most Keepers have lost touch with their symbionts.”

They hesitated.

“Innocent people in cages,” Jack pressed. “Deep down inside, you know this is wrong. It’s a betrayal of everything you ever learned about human rights. Come with me, and we can stop it. Or you could go back to inventing reasons to ignore that queasy feeling in your stomach. The one that tells you you’re on the wrong path.”

He hopped off the table and started for the door. “The choice is yours,” he said without looking back. “But I’m about to walk out of here, and I will knock down anyone who gets in my way. Don’t be one of those people.”

He was pleasantly surprised when they chose to follow him, but not as surprised as the security teams in the corridor. A few of those soldiers panicked when they learned that their Justice Keepers had decided to switch sides. Hell, some of those folks defected as well.

And why shouldn’t they?

Most people knew right from wrong, but going against the crowd was never easy. Sometimes they just needed someone to show them that they weren’t alone, that they weren’t the only ones who disagreed with the orders they had been getting. They would have to be vetted, of course – Keli would be a busy girl over the next few days – but it was still a victory. In the end, he left the base with fifteen new soldiers pledging loyalty to his cause. The rebellion was growing.

Soon, it would be unstoppable.

“While Hunter and his comrades conducted a raid against Aerin Heights,” Jarid Ponorsi said, staring directly into the camera. “Dissidents at Fort Obram freed the detainees there. It now seems that the raid on Aerin Heights was merely a distraction to allow subversives within the military to carry out their nefarious plan!”

“Off!” Jeral shouted.

He was bent over with an elbow on his desk, massaging his forehead with the tips of his fingers. He looked up, blinking several times. “Three times!” he growled. “Three times! How can a primitive like Jack Hunter outwit the greatest military in the galaxy not once, not twice but three times?”

Matao stood before him with a tablet tucked into the crook of his arm. Dressed formally in a gray jacket and black high-collared shirt, he was a handsome man with a dark goatee, short, brown hair and glasses that reflected the light coming in through an arch-shaped window. “Hunter seems to have a head for guerilla tactics.”

Reclining in his chair, Jeral touched fingers to the sides of his head. He winced as a grunt escaped him. “Then have our people learn guerilla tactics!” he snapped “I will not tolerate another humiliation! Why hasn’t security been increased?”

“Security has been increased, sir,” Matao protested. “We’ve released the new battle drones without approval from the Council. Automated defense systems in all of our bases are now using lethal ammunition. We’ve begun screening personnel and reviewing their social media accounts for any indication of hostility to your administra-”

“It’s not enough!” Jeral bellowed. “I will not be embarrassed!”

He grabbed a bronze figurine from his desk and whipped it at the other man. Matao flinched when it bounced off his shoulder. “I will not be bested by a piece of PRIMITIVE EARTH SCUM!” Jeral screamed. “I WIN! THEY LOSE! THAT’S HOW THIS WORKS!”

“We thought that placing Justice Keepers on the bases would dissuade Hunter from attacking his former colleagues. And present him with formidable opponents should he decide to go through with it anyway.”

Wheeling his chair back, Jeral stood up and fumed at the other man. He could feel his lip twitching. “Oh, yes!” he sneered. “Create more opportunities for Hunter to infect our people with his insidious rhetoric! No more! I don’t want Justice Keepers anywhere near this. Arrest them all if you have to.”

Adjusting his glasses, Matao sighed softly. “Sir, we don’t have the legal authority to conduct such-”

“The law is what I say it is!”

“Sir…”

“Set up a meeting with the generals,” Jeral hissed. “And make it clear to them that I want that primitive dead. Or better yet, captured. He doesn’t get to die until he recants all of his treasonous lies.”

The stone walls of this small keep in the Iyrian highlands did a poor job of shutting out the cold. In centuries past, there would have been a fire burning in the hearth, but Craxis was determined to maintain a low profile. The town of Saresdon was only a few miles away. Too far off for anyone to notice smoke rising from the chimney of what should have been an abandoned building, but there was always the chance that some buffoon might take a walk and see what he should not. Even the chill of a damp, spring night didn’t guarantee him any privacy.

Space heaters powered by hydrogen fuel cells provided enough warmth to make the place habitable. If only barely. It would have to do for now. Hiding on Leyria was never easy, and given that Craxis now had an easily recognizable face…Well, discretion was always wise, and now more so than ever.

His multi-tool projected a hologram on the wall.

Craxis watched the news report with an unquenchable curiosity. It seemed his doppelganger had done something he would not have expected. It wasn’t hard to imagine Jack Hunter turning against the Justice Keepers; the man despised authority figures and looked for any excuse to disobey an order. Under other circumstances, Craxis might have respected such stubbornness. Liu Bang might have ascended to the throne, but in his youth, he had been a man with a proclivity for getting into trouble.

One might say that a decision to disobey orders had been the thing that set him on the path to the throne and drew the interest of the Inzari. If he had shown up at Mount Li with reports of prisoners escaping his custody, his life would have been forfeit. Better to free the rest and take his chances.

In another life, he and Jack Hunter might have been brothers, but as matters stood, he had no time for the other man’s insolence. Craxis should have expected this betrayal; defiance was practically coded into his doppelganger’s DNA. Which meant that it was now coded into Craxis’s DNA as well. An odd possibility to consider.

Lenai, however, had always been a moderating influence on Hunter. Craxis would have expected her to rein in the other man’s more rebellious tendencies. Then again, if the reports his agents fed him were accurate, she was currently off-world. Craxis disliked surprises. They were seldom pleasant.

Still, even unanticipated events could be turned to your advantage. Half this planet detested Jack Hunter; the other half saw him as some kind of hero. It would be easy enough to turn the latter into the former. The only thing he would need was a rumour of Jack Hunter doing something monstrous. A rumour he could easily create.

He would have to be careful though.

If he simply marched into the town square and started shooting people at random, videos of his killing spree would show up on every news network. Jack Hunter would be shocked at the sight of a man with his face butchering children, but it wouldn’t take him long to put the pieces together. Craxis wasn’t ready to reveal himself.

The best way to undermine Jack’s credibility would be a rumour that was believed by many and yet completely unprovable. He laughed softly as he considered his options. This would require some finesse.

PART I