BLUE GENDER

"Children of the Blue"

12. Duel

"So," Junker summarized. "You boys found a way to keep the eggs from hatch'in until you want. 'Course you just hatch a couple and let them make new eggs anytime your supply runs low. That about the size of it?"

Raul nodded.

"Dang, I'm not one for irony but this is deep."

"What is that Mr. Captain Junker sir?"

"When the Blue first started com'in at us way back when some thought they were a bio weapon from some outlaw country. We were wrong then, but now that's exactly what Estes and you are using 'em for."

"Please, Mr. Captain Junker," Raul gasped. "I do not do this myself. It is not just me that Mr. Estes be killing if I do not do this thing. He would destroy my family's village and he does not need the Blue to do such a thing."

"Just that Sleeper fella', Farrow."

Raul nodded.

Junker had one more question: "Now exactly how does one go about convincing a Blue to attack a particular place?"

Raul walked Junker to a rack lined with small, silver thermos-like canisters. Raul held one aloft and showed it to the Captain.

"With this," he said.

---

"Damn it, Farrow get over her and give me some help!" Yuji barked into his tactical headset as he managed to spill the core of one of the four Blue.

Farrow was in the center of the nest, bobbing and weaving between pillars of shaggy skin and sticky goop—the stuff the Blue used to make their homes.

"Now, there, there, Yuji," Farrow's even tone replied. "Four little Blue should not be a problem for the most famous Sleeper of all."

Yuji knew that four Blue—hell, fifty blue—would be no problem to him in the Double Edge with his b-cells activated. But he was in a standard heavy-duty model and while it was well armed it was also bulky and not in tune with Yuji's reflexes. Certainly not in the way the Double Edge slaved its mechanical actions to the will of a Sleeper's nervous system.

Besides, it was uncanny how the Blue were swarming him. They were in a frenzy. He had never seen anything quite like it. Usually the Blue were methodical, but this group was nearly rabid. And focused on him.

"There is no nest, is there?" Yuji cried as he fell a leaping Chopper.

Two left now.

"Well just look at Mr. Smarty Pants figuring it all out," Farrow cracked. "And for a while there I thought you'd never get the punch line."

Yuji had seen one other Sleeper control the Blue. That had been Tony Frost and Tony's b-cells had been fully and irreversibly activated to the point that he had become Blue himself.

This was different. Farrow's b-cells were not activated, of that Yuji was sure. He was also sure that Farrow wasn't directly controlling the Blue. It was more as if the Blue were simply more interested in killing Yuji.

None of that changed the fact that Yuji was fighting for his very survival.

Yuji bolted around a support pillar only to find Blue on either side.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I wasn't just another Sleeper. I was the first Sleeper. Before you. Before Frost. Before the Sleeper brigades."

Yuji managed to score another kill but he took damage to the rear of his machine from the last chopper's mandible. Its strike ruptured a cooling line and the cockpit of the vehicle began to grow very hot.

"I never saw you in training with the brigades or in a Double Edge."

Farrow's voice remained even but a storm brewed behind his words.

"I never piloted a Double Edge. They didn't want me in a Sleeper brigade. Me! Me—the first Sleeper. Do you know how many Blue I killed on drop operations? Just me and a Bullseye or a heavy duty or a Mark IV. I didn't need a Double Edge to kill Blue.

"Mother always said, don't bother doing something unless you are trying to be the best. Well I was the best, and I didn't need a Double Edge to be it."

"What does that have to do with me?" Yuji shouted.

"So I finally come here. Somewhere where they all know I'm the best. Then along come the stories of the great Yuji Kaido. Now people start whispering that I'm the second best Sleeper."

Yuji's cockpit was hot and steam was clouding his tactical mask. His breath was running short, his arms fatigued.

The last creature moved in and Yuji found its core, dropping it.

"I don't care about any of that," Yuji said. "I'm just after a man who kidnapped my son. I don't want to fight you."

Yuji moved away from the carcass. Farrow's shrike appeared from behind a Blue-made wall. They faced each other at twenty yards.

"Mother always said you can't run from your problems. Well, you are my problem, Yuji Kaido. And now I'm your problem, too"

"Christ, Farrow, this is insane. Why do you want to do this? What would that Mother of yours say about you now?"

Farrow considered—no one had ever turned that around on him before.

He answered: "Mother always said I'd never amount to anything."

Yuji paused, then tried to reach out one more time: "I'm sorry—"

Farrow interrupted: "That's why I poisoned her tea when I was eight years old. Little doses for three months. She had always told me if you're going to do something take your time and do it right."

Farrow hit his accelerator and charged at Yuji Kaido with guns blazing.

---

Pitiful.

Captain Junker was thinking about security at Estes' "roach motel." He—an outsider—had ridden in Raul's Jeep across the compound, past the sentries and the sandbags, and off toward the horizon.

Raul explained that he was, in fact, allowed to stay nights at his village if he wasn't needed. Estes had simply promised that all of those villagers would die if he didn't come back.

Yet that still didn't explain why the so-called guards had let him drive away with Captain Junker in the passenger seat. The only apparent reason was that the guards were busy drinking, playing cards, or sleeping (or all three at once).

Had there really been a Blue nest nearby this crew would've been rolled into dumplings long ago. That was especially true because, according to Raul, the entire facility had only two armor shrikes and Farrow was the only one who knew how to pilot them.

The two traveled across the industrial area until they met Pistol Jones and the carrier truck at the rendezvous point Junker had preset with his comrade. Raul parked his car in the back of the carrier and they raced toward Kingsville.

---

"Like this one?" Denise Karr held the silver cylinder aloft.

"Yes. Yes that is exactly one, yes, where did you get it?" Raul asked. He had just finished explaining Estes' conspiracy. He had agreed to explain only after Marlene had convinced him that they were there to put an end to all of this.

Marlene looked around at the gathering of people who where in the makeshift town hall. That gathering included all of her crew minus Yuji.

They were speaking with Celine and several prominent citizens of Kingsville; citizens who had been summoned to hear this shocking revelation.
Marlene sheepishly answered: "I borrowed it from a couple of gentlemen."

"Well, I reckon they're going to be wanting it back, don't you think?" Junker winked as he spoke.

At first Marlene did not understand: "What?"

Then she had a grin—an absolutely evil grin—and told him: "Yes. You're probably right."

Pistol Jones said, under his breath in a mocking tone: "My mother always said to return stuff you borrow."

Only Captain Junker laughed.

Raul had explained that the item they were going to "return" (the small cylinder) was responsible for attracting the Blue to locations Estes wanted hit.

The device (which Raul had nicknamed a 'Blue call') utilized the Blue's own biomagnetic energy output against them.

Every one knew that Blue had been animals that lived in herds and nests. Their biomagnetic energy—that same energy used by Second Earth technology to track Blue—was what held their herds or swarms together.

Blue received messages and signals through that energy sometimes over great distances. That is why a Second Earth unit might wipe out all the Blue in an area only to be faced with a counterattack from Blue that traveled a great distance to engage.

In many ways it acted as the Blue's communication network.

Solitary Blue—or smaller groups—were naturally attracted to other herds. Part of their purpose in nature had been, of course, to overwhelm mankind. That was only accomplished as part of larger groups.

From what Raul could tell, whatever it was Yuji did five years ago it resulted in a natural change in the Blue's biomagnetic message. Now instead of telling Blue to merge into bigger groups it told them to disperse or even commit mass suicide. He had even seen larger groups of Blue divide and kill each other off.

However, Raul had duplicated the old biomagnetic message and, at Estes' bidding, used it to attract the small groups of Blue kept in their "zoo" first into transport trucks then to head toward certain areas.

One negative side effect (or positive from Estes' point of view) was that this old message conflicted with the new natural message. This meant the Blue who were attracted to the cylinders also became agitated, very unpredictable (as if they ever were predictable), and even more violent than usual.

Had Raul developed the technology back during the Blue wars perhaps it could've made a difference, although Raul did not think so.

He had told them that what he had learned about the Blue was that, had this device been used on a large scale, the Blue simply would've adapted. Like spy agencies changing codes once one has been broken.

In any case, Marlene suggested to the Captain: "Sounds like you have an idea."

"Yep," Junker answered. He then looked about at the group of Kingsville leaders. "But we'd need some help to make it happen."

Celine conferred with her townspeople. There were nods of agreement coming from faces that burned with anger. How many of their people had they lost to Estes' game? How much had they had to put up with from his thugs?

Celine told Captain Junker: "We're tired of living like peasants under the thumb of that overlord. We're tired of having our food taken and our town attacked. We're done being afraid. Tell me what you need us to do."

Junker politely looked at Marlene. She was in charge and he wasn't going to do anything without her blessing. He would not usurp the chain of command.

She gave him a slow, deliberate nod of approval.

"Okay then," the Captain said. "Listen up."

---

Yuji skated his armor shrike behind one of the many pillars that supported the massive central chamber. The rounds from another of Farrow's volleys missed by a close margin.

Yuji kept moving, trying to stay out of the line of fire. It was more than just not wanting to fight Farrow. The fact was that Farrow was a sharp pilot and Yuji, as good as he was in the Double Edge, did not have the experience with Heavy-Duty models his opponent had. The odds, in other words, were against Yuji.

What hurt those odds even more was the state of Yuji's ride. The cooling system had been damaged so the whole vehicle was becoming hot--not only the cockpit environment, but also the engine, the servos, and the electrical insulation.

Soon things would start to malfunction.

Yuji figured he did have one advantage: Farrow's over confidence.

"Yuji, Yuji, Yuji," Farrow spoke as he searched the shadows for his prey. "This is a very big disappointment. I thought you would fight better than this."

"So why didn't you make it into the Sleeper brigades, Farrow?" Yuji's voice came over the radio but his shrike was no where to be seen.

"I see. That's how it is, then? We'll have a nice heart to heart chat?"

"Sleeper to sleeper," Yuji struck back.

The afternoon was growing late. The sunbeams that were breaking through from the gaps in the ceiling grew less brilliant, becoming dim spotlights highlighting precious few areas between vast stretches of dark.

Farrow turned on his infrared. He was not wearing a battle uniform, let alone a helmet, but there was a secondary infrared display on the console.

Yuji's shrike stood out brilliantly on that display.

Yuji also tried to utilize his infrared. It was not operational. Whether that was due to the cooling system damage, neglect or sabotage Kaido did not know.

"I spy something that begins with 'Y'," Farrow played.

Yuji understood that Farrow was tracking his hot shrike when the shrapnel splattered across the front of his cockpit. Yuji scooted behind a wall that provided cover from shots but the infrared could see right through it.

"I piloted a Double Edge. Why not you, Farrow? Why didn't they want you in the Sleeper brigades? Are you afraid to tell me?"

Farrow did not respond. He moved his shrike slowly through the debris as he arrowed in on Yuji's craft.

"I'll tell you why," Yuji decided to bait Farrow.

"You didn't have what it took, did you? Oh you could kill all right. But you didn't do it to win the battle; you did it to outdo everyone else."

"Another 25 cent psychologist. I have met my share of those."

Yuji opened a side panel on the console marked "Countermeasures". There were series of switches with lights inside. All the lights were green.

"Even when my b-cells were taking me over I was doing it all to beat the Blue. I was violent and out of control. But all to beat the blue. You were violent and out of control but all to prove something to everyone else because you've never been able to prove it to yourself."

WHAM!

An explosive tipped shell burst to the side of Yuji's cockpit. He powered away as fast as he could. An alarm code on the console warned Yuji that an 'overheat failure" was imminent in the primary drive motor.

"And what scared them in the High Council is that you were like that before your b-cell were even activated, weren't you? You never got in a Double Edge because YOU COULDN'T HANDLE IT."

Farrow growled: "You need to be shutting up now."

More shots rang at Yuji as Farrow moved in tracking his enemy on the infrared console display.

Yuji made his move. He allowed Farrow to get within a few meters; he allowed the shots to ricochet off the cockpit.

Yuji Kaido then hit the countermeasure switch labeled "heat defeat."

A shower of flares and chaff bounced out from the chassis of the shrike. In most cases the display was meant to defeat missiles or weapons that used heat-seeking technology.

In this case the sudden display not only blinded Farrow's eyes but also overwhelmed his infrared scanner.

Farrow had quick reflexes, though. He reversed his shrike to avoid any shots headed his way. But none came.

He let his eyes adjust and he saw the large profile of Yuji's shrike on the infrared again. It was speeding away toward the exit tunnel.

Yuji's voice came over the radio headset.

"I'm not going to fight you, Farrow. You're not worth my time."

Farrow's rage burst like a thunderclap. He accelerated full speed in pursuit of his enemy. His main weapon fired, and fired, and fired.

The rounds raked the back of Yuji's shrike until one hit a critical system. A series of small explosions flickered in the chassis as the shrike halted. Then a larger explosion sent burning plasma through the entire vehicle. The arms and other debris disintegrated away from the main body. That body fell over forwards, a smoking ruin.

"So much for the legend."

Farrow kneeled his heavy-duty shrike and left the cockpit. He was showing more emotion than he had in years. A smile stretched from ear to ear.

He spoke to the melting hulk of metal.

"Well, now we know who the best Sleeper is."

"That would be me," the voice came from behind.

Farrow turned. Yuji Kaido was standing there holding his side arm. Yuji had a good size cut on his cheek from when he had hit the ground after bailing from his failing armor unit. That exit had been masked by the burst of flares.

"How. How can you possibly be better than me?"

Yuji answered him: "You fight just to fight. I'm fighting to save my son. That's why I am better. That's why you lose."

"Damn. Mother always told me to be a gracious loser."

Farrow tipped his head with a smile.

Yuji shot him dead.

NEXT FACTOR:

13. Revolution

Junker: "Being in here brings back some bad memories. But they could've been worse. They could've been nightmares. What say you and I start making some nightmares for Mr. Estes and his boys?"