Scene 16

It was 2 am in Vancouver when they arrived. Human traffic at the main terminal had finally died down, reduced to a trickle of late-returning partygoers, travelers from other parts of the globe, and the odd scattering of misfits, who, like the three gladiators, did not have an apparent purpose which fit into any of the typical categories.

In spite of their newly-acquired presumable status as wanted criminals, they had not encountered any problems with police at all in the New York terminal. In fact, it had appeared that there wasn't even anyone looking for them there, which surprised Ivana, who had thought New York's finest to be a little better-coordinated. However, from her new perspective this suddenly became a good thing. Her companions thought so too. But they were all inclined to err on the side of caution, and agreed to head to a more private location to discuss the night's events.

Gorn, who knew the city best, led them on foot several blocks out of downtown towards the Strait. They continued in silence away from the central business district and into Vancouver's huge city park that wrapped around the University, buffering the cold, quiet Pacific from the noise and heat of the city. The gladiators walked several minutes through the park, turning down soft dirt trails that led through cedar and fir trees, a tranquil grove lit softly by lights scattered throughout – on the ground, in trees, and once in awhile on a pole. The place was maintained to feel like a forest with park-like accommodations, and Ivana had to admit that the ambience was enchanting.

They emerged from a loamy, meandering path onto a straighter, better-lit one lined with perfect cedar boles that suggested Roman columns. Ahead, the white gravel walkway entered a clearing of manicured grass, through which flowed a small stream, its banks lined with dark, rounded beach stones. An arched wooden bridge led them over the stream and towards a wooden gazebo in the center of the clearing, perched on a raised platform base and styled like a Japanese pagoda.

¨I come here sometimes to visit with my military buddies,¨ explained Gorn. ¨They say this spot is fairly clean of surveillance. It's a nice break from the city, too.¨ He gestured towards the wooden picnic tables under the gazebo. ¨Sit down, you guys. I'm curious to hear what happened.¨

As they sat, Anna addressed Gorn. ¨You'll get the full story in a moment. But first I want to ask you something.¨

¨Shoot.¨

¨What made you decide to come after us?¨

Gorn sighed. He had expected the question, and he suspected that Anna already knew the answer, more or less. She probably just wanted to hear him say it. ¨I got worried.¨

¨Worried about your team, right?¨ He was taken aback by her sudden anger. ¨Worried about how to win that coveted Tournament with two of your friends in jail?¨

¨No!¨ he said suddenly, now surprised by the intensity of his own response. Then more calmly, ¨No, that really wasn't it. I just got to thinking about something you said last week in Warsaw… that poking our noses into FenTech was my stupid idea. Yes, I brought it up because of the Tournament, but I should have known better than to dig up demons from someone else's past. I should have known that you wouldn't be satisfied with just trying to learn how to beat the Thunder Crash. I was worried because I felt responsible for getting you both into this mess.¨

Anna's look softened, but only a little. ¨Gorn,¨ she said sternly, ¨don't blame yourself for this. I'm not a child, I know that I'm responsible for my own actions. It wasn't you that flew off the handle and broke into FenTech's building… and for what? We didn't find anything solid, and now all three of us are probably wanted criminals.¨

¨You know what?¨ he remarked, ¨I'm glad you didn't find anything. As far as I'm concerned, this is over. The Tournament means a lot to me, but I'd rather lose it than lose my life.¨

¨Besides,¨ Ivanna pointed out, ¨We don't know for sure that the police know who we are. Our faces were heavily covered the entire time in that building, and as far as I know, we didn't touch any biometric identity Matchers.¨

¨True,¨ agreed Gorn, ¨but if anyone talks to Doctor Marshall about your visit before the break-in, they might easily be able to put two and two together.¨

Anna shook her head. ¨He won't give us away. I'd bet the Tournament on it.¨

Ivana frowned. ¨Why not? It would certainly be an unnecessary risk for him, protecting us.¨

¨I think he believes that I saved the life of someone close to him on the mission when I…. you know.¨

¨Went rogue?¨ Gorn asked quietly.

¨Yeah, that one.¨ An awkward silence followed, each of the three momentarily lost in their own thoughts, and Ivana and Anna began to huddle closer together on their bench for warmth. It was still September, but in the wee hours of the morning a chill had crept in, like the first breath of winter that lay waiting just around the corner. Gorn appeared not to notice at all, sitting motionless and impassive as if he himself were carved out of ice. Ivana finally spoke, just to break the silence. ¨You guys think it was odd, how easily we got away from the police?¨

Anna nodded. ¨Like they weren't even really trying. That's been bothering me, too.¨

¨I noticed,¨ said Gorn, ¨but it certainly doesn't bother me. We were lucky enough to get away without being followed.¨

¨Yes,¨ Ivana began, ¨but doesn't it seem…¨ She cut off, staring past Gorn's shoulder down the path from which they had come. ¨Someone's coming.¨ The figure was still a hundred meters or so off, but even at that distance and in the dim light, she could see that it carried a weapon.

¨Think he's just out taking a stroll?¨ Anna asked tersely.

¨Yeah, at 4 am, with a shock rifle,¨ replied Ivana, an edge of worry creeping into her voice. ¨And we're unarmed.¨

The person continued to stride purposefully towards them, as if unaware that they had seen it. Now about 50 meters away, they could see that it was a man wearing some kind of elaborate armor. ¨Better find out now what his intentions are,¨ muttered Gorn. ¨Be ready to run.¨ He stood up and waved at the figure. Without pausing, it crouched, shouldering the shock rifle, and shot two secondary fire charged bubbles at them. In the same instant, all three reflexively dove off different sides of the gazebo through its windows.

Ivana met the ground shoulder first and rolled, feeling more than hearing the shock combo explosion that shattered the gazebo behind her, sending knife-sized splinters whizzing past her head. A sharp impact, like a fist in the back of her thigh, told her through the adrenaline haze that she had been struck, but she had no time to assess the damage. Somehow she found her feet and flung herself behind the wooden platform base of the gazebo as a shock primary beam scorched the grass behind her.

Rolling to her feet once again, Ivana saw that Anna, who had dived off the far side of the gazebo from their attacker, was already crouched behind it. ¨You're hit!¨ she yelled at Ivana.

¨I know! Is it bad?¨ She quickly knelt and stretched her leg out behind her for Anna to inspect as another shock combo detonated to the side of the structure, almost knocking her over.

¨Grit your teeth!¨ Anna said, and Ivana mentally braced for the jerk and flash of pain as Anna yanked the splinter out. She showed it to Ivana, a ten-inch stake that was wet with her blood up to a full three inches from the tip. Ivana suppressed a shudder andtried not to think about it. ¨We need to get out of here right now,¨ she said. ¨This structure is almost toast, and pretty soon he's going to figure out that we're not armed.¨

¨Agreed. Where's Gorn?¨

¨Didn't see him. Maybe he made it into the woods.¨

¨Yeah. That's where we're going, too.¨ She moved to a crouch, ready to run. ¨I'll go first, to draw his fire. Shut up, you're the injured one,¨ she said fiercely when Ivana opened her mouth to protest. ¨Split off from me, but not too far and I'll circle back to you in the woods.¨ Her words were punctuated by a combo blast almost directly overhead that deafened them both and left Ivana with spots swimming in front of her eyes. When she blinked, Anna had already started to move. ¨Goddammit,¨ she muttered, stumbling to her feet and preparing to sprint across the grass.

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Gorn stepped over the body of the assassin whose neck he had snapped, questions crowding on the edge of his brain that he had no time to ponder. Questions such as why heavily-armed professional killers wearing full plated carbonium armor had found them in the middle of a park in Vancouver at night, and why one of them, at least, was outfitted with a full complement of replacement body parts, similar to himself. He had practically run straight into the other assassin, who had been creeping through the woods around the gazebo, presumably trying to flank them. This meant there could be more.

He weaved quickly through the trees alongside the white gravel pathway, keeping an eye on the shock balls that flew by to his right. He needed to take out this first man, who was keeping Anna and Ivana pinned down, before anyone else got to them. Finally he spotted the man, crouched halfway behind a particularly large tree by the path about fifteen yards ahead. He circled a little wider, trying to move as quickly and silently as possible, praying that he was in time.