Death.
Even before I got to the top of the barren, weed-spiked ridge to see it - I could smell it. Just as I knew it would be the group I'd been sent to intercept, I also knew I was gonna be too late.
Way too late.
Fuck it all - my target is probably toast. Guess I can kiss that big pile of dough good by...
I knew it wasn't just any old death smell either. Like, say… a dead moose or somethin' because there's a real unique characteristic about the way dead humans smell.
I'm not talkin' about all the chemistry jazz behind the elements I was currently processing from the scents either. Sure, my onboard cybernetic suite could isolate the esters… and it was that specific molecule mixture which includes the unmistakable whiff of good ol' propyl hexanoate that told the story.
It's that nasty compound that creates the distinctively sour and sharp smell along with a special kind of - subtle, fruity undertone… like pineapples left in the sun. It's a unique sweetness that says… human.
I made it to the crest of the ridge. On the other side, I could see the rocky ground slope gently away towards a river that looked like a steel ribbon cutting through the green valley below. I could see the rocks and dust of the high plains slowly give way to clumps of grass that got thicker and more lush as the terrain approached the lower elevations. It would have been a pretty nice view if it hadn't been for all the dead bodies littering the slope.
They had been heading for the woods, but never made it. Strewn in a ragged arc roughly 50 to 75 yards in front of me, a whole strike team lay dead.
From the looks of them, they'd been dead for only a few hours and whoever killed them had to be good. They were Detla Force and Delta Force teams are not easily surprised and are known for getting shit done.
Too late - I screwed the pooch on this big time. If only I had pushed it a little harder.
I had been told they were escorting someone… someone special I needed to bring in to my employers. And now... that someone was most likely adding to the special sweet and sour death smell that hung in the air around me.
The sun had just dropped behind the trees and the blue of the sky was beginning to deepen, when I switched over to thermal and did a scan of the area… there was a blob of heat further down the slope behind a clump of bushes.
A survivor?
I rushed over and as I tore the bushes back - I couldn't believe my luck - my target was still alive.
She was pretty young - early 20s... her face was pale from shock and her wide eyes were lookin' real jittery an' crazy as she lay there curled in a little ball - still as a baby rabbit.
My mystery girl, was hot as hell and a total knockout. She had a kick ass black leather suit - with touches of purple and lavender in it that - in spite of the high neckline - didn't leave too damn much to the imagination. It was easy to see that she was in peak physical condition too. This chick was easily world class athlete material. I scanned her for weapons - just a cool looking sword - a katana. There was also a faint lotus pattern that was pressed into her leather get up - a custom job. She was definitely some kind of specialist. But the most distinctive identifying feature was the color of her short hair that stopped several inches above her shoulders. It was real easy to spot.
Man, that purple hair is cool... and it's the real deal too - how does someone get hair that color?
I smiled down at the strange person and did a quick vitals scan - she had sustained some serious electrical damage. Like some kind of mega-taser on steroids had hit her. Probably the same pulse of energy that killed her escort.
Looks like she got lucky - missed the brunt of the blast... Still fucked her up pretty bad though.
While she lay there shuddering, I placed the toe of my boot firmly under her armpit.
"Okay sweetie - let's roll you over."
I shoved her onto her back and watched as she tried to focus on me. Her hot, little body was squirming slightly, and every now and then I could see her muscles spasm under the black skin of her leather suit. She was working hard to get it under control though - trying to form words. Pretty impressive for the levels of electrical damage I had detected.
"N-noh! Huh-hk! Mhf...uhf!"
I looked down at her and sniffed, a real faint scent of lilacs... nice touch.
"Tough little fucker ain't you?"
I sat right down on her rigid abs and straddled her, making sure I was pinning those arms down at her sides with my knees. I had decided to play it safe so I reached over and pulled that lethal looking killing sword from the sheath strapped to her back. The blade was pretty amazing and had a whole bunch of bull-shit etched into it - some kind of nature scene. The handle was bound in a faded purple silk. It felt kinda warm and tingly when I held it. She was getting really agitated so I tried joking with her a little.
"Ooh - hey - nice blade! An' it's all sparkly and magical and shit too!"
I watched as the purple haired babe wiggled and bucked under me. Her nose crinkled as she scowled then tried to say something. It was clear she didn't like me taking her weapon, or for that matter, sitting on her. And it didn't help that I had slid a little too close to her moderately sized, perfectly formed chest... slid back a few inches and returned my gaze to those wide, ruby colored eyes.
"Ahhn! Nnh! Nnuh... Nnn!"
I had to admit that I wasn't... you know - exactly not enjoying the ride as her amazing body squirmed and jerked under me... but as always, I tried to keep it classy and about business.
"Yeah - heh... I know yer not happy, I know... but I'm gonna want to hang onto this for a while, so - thanks."
The good news was that from where I was sittin' I couldn't detect anything broken on her... and no internal damage either... cool. I noticed she had this nifty little indigo colored ribbon, headband thingy. It caught the waning light of the day and shimmered a little. I plucked at one of the ends and rubbed it between my thumb and finger as I tried to think about my next move.
Looks like we're the only ones here... weird. I wonder what happened to whoever killed all these peop - ?
I became distracted when her body started vibrating and twisting hard under me. It felt great, but I could also tell she was gettin' scared... so I tried to say what I thought were a few reassuring words.
"Hey there - uh - take it easy kid… If I was gonna hurt you - I would have already smashed that pretty face in by now. So don't - uh, there's no need to go gettin' all in an uproar. Maybe I'll even give you your lil' mystical, sparkle sword back, once we get to know each other better."
I did a quick gesture with my hand at the killing field beyond our secluded position.
"Look, ah... your crew just got smoked. But I'm pretty sure you're gonna be okay. At least when your nervous system gets its shit back together. So - I'm thinkin' we oughto get outta here, in case whoever did this to you and your buddies comes back."
I knew she wasn't going to like what I was about to do as I grabbed her by the shoulders, but I needed to keep this tiger in her cage. I rolled her under me so that she was face down in the grass. Then sitting squarely on her lower back, I firmly pulled her arms behind her.
"Guh! N-Nnnh!"
"Sorry honey pie, but I'm gonna restrain you now - y'know - for your protection and shit... got it?"
Her hands clenched into tiny, but powerful looking fists and her breathing got real rapid as I cuffed her.
Shit - she is really gettin' mad! Wow - ha!
Then I rotated, keeping her firmly secured beneath me to snap a second set around her ankles. I'll admit it - I took one good long look at her amazing ass before I stood and scooped her up off the ground.
"Grrah - ffhhhk!"
She shook and protested as I threw her over my shoulder, I could feel the rage as her incredible bod tensed and shuddered. As I gripped her, all I could feel was solid muscle. This one was clearly a serious bad-ass.
"Nnn-NNUH! GUH!"
Oh yeah, and she was definitely NOT happy about the situation she was in and was makin' all kinds of pissed off noises... I couldn't help laughing as I began to head back up the hill with her.
"Tough shit hot stuff - like it or not, you're comin' with me. We got a long trip back and I got some important people who are gonna be payin' me plenty to meet you!"
