Bloodstained Rose

Chapter 11

Dmitri steered the vehicle through the stone paths in between the many buildings in Aiga. The old fishing town was already starting to fill with the sounds of gunfire as Liberation and Susumu’s men did battle. The power from Rei and Susumu’s clash in the reactor continued to send shockwaves through the town. It was slowly turning into a repeat of Nojiri and Dmitri knew they were starting to lose control of the situation. The new recruits from Susumu’s gang and the other townsfolk were nowhere as capable as the hardened troops.

He knew that there was a firefight commencing between his men and the Liberation troops, and that there were more enemy reinforcements moving through the town in UAZs. Ever since Vic and the Litvyak departed the town, everything started to fall apart. He could not risk another failure, not with the reactor near completion.

The vehicle continued to propel him away from the mountains and the Cosmo Cradle. He constantly found himself looking back into the side mirror towards the black mass of the Cradle. Its existence alone was even more chilling than anything he had seen in Kashmir. While he continued to steer the vehicle forward, he felt a quick burn grace his fingers as the embers of his cigar burnt down.

“Shit.” he muttered while flopping his hand through the air.

The embers of the cigar flickered through the inside of the vehicle before falling onto the seat. He started to unconsciously brush away at the burning seats, muttering profanities under his breath while keeping his eyes glued on the road ahead. After getting near the next turn, he had taken notice of two other UAZs speeding down the road.

The two vehicles were headed the same direction as him, but instead on a collision course with his vehicle. He slammed on the brakes and braced himself as the UAZ started to tear up the roads beneath him. Dirt started to fly up through the air while his body pressed into the steering wheel. The two vehicles zipped past him, causing him to light up as he caught a glimpse of Paxton in his utilities sitting in the front.

“Damn it,” he shouted before stepping on the accelerator and grabbing the radio on the dash. “Spotted enemy troops moving towards the port, need backup.”

Paxton could hear gunfire starting to come into earshot as they neared the port. He continued to look around the streets in preparation for an ambush. There was not much resistance as far as ground troops went while they sped through the town. He turned back to Rowan to see her still clenching the steering wheel, determined to try and reach Megumi before it was too late.

Before getting to the next turn, the vehicle quickly jerked forward, giving Paxton and Rowan a jolt as Dmitri’s UAZ slammed into them. Rowan felt the steering wheel jerk from her hands and struggled to try and keep on the road. Mere seconds after the first strike, the rear window of the vehicle lit up in a symphony of pops as bullets started to tear through. Paxton was quick to activate the mechanical arms on his back. The moment the bullets started flying, he used the device to keep him, and Rowan covered.

During the attack, Rowan lost control of the vehicle, forcing it towards a large stone fountain just a couple yards ahead. Once again, the two were thrown around the inside of the UAZ and left wide open. The walls of the fountain exploded into a storm of gravel before finally drenching the front of the vehicle with water. Kismet and her team continued on, leaving Rowan and Paxton to deal with Dmitri.

Rowan was battered in the crash. Blood started to stream down her face while she tried to pull herself back together. Once she lifted her head, she spotted Dmitri already exiting his vehicle with a pistol in hand. He pointed the weapon towards the two to release another volley of bullets. Just before the attack, Paxton guided the mechanical arms fixed to his back towards the window. The bullets smashed through the glass, letting out a small shower of sparks as they were deflected by the metallic chassis around Paxton.

“You need to go on foot to the port.” Paxton ordered.

“What about you?” Rowan asked.

“Just get to Megumi and the others, I’ll deal with him.”

Dmitri continued to send rounds down range while slowly walking forward to close the gap. His pistol let out a loud click, locking the slide on the back in place as the ammunition had been depleted. While Dmitri started to reach for the next magazine, the passenger door of Paxton’s UAZ let out a massive crash as it was ripped from the hinges. All at once, Paxton began to rush towards Dmitri, using the door as a shield to protect himself from the next wave of attacks.

Before Dmitri could reload, the metal from the UAZ’s door smashed into him, pushing him back a few feet while separating him from his pistol. He stumbled backwards and barely managed to regain his balance before Paxton could come in for a follow up. The door swung towards him, causing the enhancements in his body to take control.

Paxton could feel the momentum of the object come to a halt, causing his eyes to light up. After a quick struggle, Dmitri gained control and finally ripped the severed door from Paxton’s mechanical arms. Paxton went for another punch, only for Dmitri to deflect it with his bare hands. He was at a standstill. Dmitri’s strength was more than he could have prepared for. Even with the new equipment, he was dumbfounded by the power of the single troop.

“Captain Paxton,” Dmitri said as he looked down towards to his name tape. Paxton could not budge his grip a single inch and could feel the hydraulics starting to give out. “I’ve heard stories about you.”

“That’s Major Paxton.”

Paxton lifted his right leg and drove his knee into Dmitri’s ribs, stunning him long enough to swat him away. The metallic arms easily smacked Dmitri through the air, sending him into the fountain. Before the scuffle could continue, Paxton turned back to the UAZ to see Rowan starting to hobble her way towards them.

“I said get to the port!” he barked.

Rowan finally let out a nod, appearing fearful of him as she began her retreat. As Paxton turned back towards the fountain, Dmitri was already on his feet and charging towards him. He then rammed his shoulder into Paxton’s chest, knocking the breath out of him. Paxton stumbled back but tried to use every instinct to keep himself from being overwhelmed. Before Dmitri could approach, Paxton swung once more, this time striking him directly across the face.

The force from the punch sent Dmitri flying back towards his own vehicle, wedging him into the door. Dmitri reached towards his belt, gripping onto a small metal cylinder hanging off the side by a clip. He then whipped it into the air, causing a metallic rod to extend from the inside. There was a loud ringing sound emanating from it, constantly humming as he swung it through the air. Paxton tried to go for another strike, only for it to be deflected by the new weapon.

Once the two metallic objects collided, a blue streak of lighting quickly ran from Dmitri’s weapon and into the right arm of Paxton’s. A shock surged through his body, leaving him stunned while the mechanical arm began to let out a loud buzz. It quickly separated its hold and retracted back towards the shoulder piece, leaving him wide open.

“Arm offline.” A voice buzzed in Paxton’s ear.

He was down with one enhanced appendage. Getting home was never an afterthought—he was going to find a way past Dmitri one way or another.

“My enhancements are better than yours,” Dmitri said while spinning his stun rod through the air. The constant ringing was hypnotic. “It looks like this time you bit off more than you can chew.”

“You’re not the first enhanced troop I’ve fought before,” Paxton replied, softly drawling. He started to square up again while trying to prepare for a possible sneak attack from Dmitri. The right mechanical arm was still buzzing and clicking from the previous clash, and he knew it would take some time before it would come back online. He peered to his right, taking notice of the battered UAZ door still lying on the ground. “I have a couple of your troops under our command. You ever think for once you’re on the wrong side?”

“I know what your types want,” Dmitri replied. He then turned his head and spit out a large trail of saliva and blood onto the dirt. He reached into his mouth to grab hold of one of his loose teeth and gave it a tug. The lone tooth ripped from his jaw with a simple pull, causing blood to stream from his gums. “All of that nonsense about freedom means nothing without structure. You know as well as me that your system will lead to anarchy.”

“Yeah, free will can do that,” he returned, this time getting ready to make a lunge for the door. “It’s a small price to pay for freedom.”

“This again,” Dmitri let out a long-winded sigh of disgust before rolling his eyes. “Just shut the fuck up, Liberal.”

Paxton dashed for the door before Dmitri could continue his assault. With one clean sweep, he grabbed hold of it and launched it over towards Dmitri. However, his target quickly lowered his stance, allowing the metal door to sail over his head and into the vehicle behind him. The two clashed once more, this time Paxton made a move towards the stun rod and managed to swipe it from Dmitri’s grip.

Dmitri quickly followed through, allowing the stun rod to fly while going towards Paxton’s neck. Paxton swiped the last mechanical arm in front of him, successfully pushing Dmitri’s attack aside. At last, he swung his left arm forward, but instead ended up striking the UAZ behind him. The force of the blow ripped into the vehicle, pinning the mechanical arm in place.

Dmitri immediately clenched onto Paxton’s exposed left forearm still pinned in place and began to squeeze with his insanely powerful grip. Paxton tried to hold back his urge to scream as he felt the bones in his arm starting to crunch. However, before he could belt, Dmitri used his free hand clench onto his face.

Paxton could feel the pressure around his arm and jaw continuing to mount. He reached towards his belt to grab his combat knife to deliver one final blow. Dmitri held on with all his might, trying to finally put an end to the battle. He gritted his teeth, smiling with arrogance as Paxton’s face filled with terror. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chin and through the roof of his mouth as Paxton stabbed his knife through. Dmitri’s mouth filled with blood, causing his grip on Paxton to loosen.

“Arm back online.” The voice in Paxton’s earpiece buzzed once more.

The right arm of Paxton’s weapon came back to life, finally ejecting from the shoulder piece and wrapping around his arm. The metal fingers then clenched onto the top of Dmitri’s head, causing his eyes to light up in horror. Paxton then clenched his fist, causing the mechanical arm to follow suit. Dmitri’s eyes quickly flushed red before erupting, dousing Paxton’s deathly grimace with blood.

The top of Dmitri’s head let out a crunch, causing the insides of his cranium to explode into pink mist as Paxton finished his attack. Finally, his corpse with its freshly pressed skull dropped to the ground, leaving Paxton drenched in fluids. He pulled the left arm of the mechanical attachment free from the UAZ, letting out a massive screech. The sound of gunfire from the port had ceased, leaving Paxton standing in silence over Dmitri’s corpse.

“Ah shit,” he muttered after looking at his blood-soaked utilities in the window of the UAZ. After running his hands across his blouse, he felt a level of disgust. Frustrated, he looked down to Dmitri’s still twitching body and turned to spit upon it, concluding, “Fucking commie.”