New Elysium: Weapons of War (Book 2)

A Time To Hate Part 2

It takes more than eyes to see
It's out in the energy but
I can hear it calling
Starset - Into The Unknown

Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.
Sun Tzu "The Art of War"

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Matthew 10:34-42

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Red snatched Darius up and hauled him to his feet. Darius grinned a wolfish grin, certain of his victory, before leaning forward and whispering a name into Red's ear.

"He created that virus you know. My boy, the ultimate control, he wanted so badly to impress me. He wanted our house to come out on top. Not something a fatherless dog like you would understand."

Red almost dropped him in his astonishment. It couldn't be.

In his shock, he didn't notice the blade springing up going straight into his side, right where his left kidney was.

He staggered back a step, staring down at the blade sticking out of him. His augments, working to keep him moving, deadened the pain immediately. Even so, he sucked in his breath as it seared through his abdomen. Darius kept his hand on the weapon and tried pushing it in further.

This would be a slow death for him. A blade to the gut, that was all the rage for the Neo-Tokyan types. They wanted their enemies to suffer and to know why they were suffering. Fuck that. Red grabbed his wrist to prevent Darius from doing any more immediate damage.

The door opened behind them and he heard Ember cry out, "Red!"

Red stiffened at the sound, realization hitting him as he drew the dagger back out of his own body. He flipped the grip around, and drove it through Darius's head.

"Hey Red," Ember's voice called to him again, full of worry.

Did she know?

Red's brain was fuzzy as he opened his eyes. His adrenaline was off the charts and it took him a second to realize that he was laying in a hospital bed. He could sense the blackness slipping away as he returned to the light. It would have been a cosmic joke, if that was not what it actually looked like to him. His eyes drifted open and he shut them again, stretching his arms out to the side.

He tried remembering what it was that Ember was supposed to know. He heard the question echo in the back of his mind, but the dream had already faded and his head was spinning. He couldn't bring it back. All he remembered was the sound of her shrill scream as she yelled for him.

"Red," Ember's voice whispered to him again. His eyes flew open as he stared at her for a moment. He wasn't on the Perihelion, he was on New Elysium.

"Hey." He inhaled, reveling for a moment that it didn't hurt. Nothing did, he felt fine. His augments were working.

The familiar blue tinged his vision as his augments scanned the room. It was just Ember with him.

He tried sitting up. That was a mistake, I'm still dizzy.

"They put your augments back online and Leah disconnected you." Ember's eyebrows were furrowed.

"You don't look happy about it."

"You were supposed to be in recovery for another week, Red." She stared at him. "Something is wrong. Leah, from what I've seen, is pretty strict. Cyril keeps muttering about missing tools... He thinks I can't hear him. They wouldn't have just changed their plans on a whim."