Hatchette Ch. 17-21

One of Anders' hands came away from her neck. She'd seen something and she started to reach for it. Right away, Roku eyes landed on the burner still in its holder on the small wooden table where Anders had put it down. Anders began to walk with Roku on her back, reaching out for the handgun; but ten centimeters short of the goal, the ropes holding Roku to the ceiling pulled tight. Roku was lifted off Abders' back, the loop still around Anders' throat.

But Anders kept reaching, narrowing the distance. Roku kept a tight grip on the rope around Anders' neck. They were both straining, Anders' fingers inching towards the gun. Roku pulled back harder, Anders reached out farther towards the table...

And suddenly Roku relaxed her grip. Anders fell forward, scrambling for the gun. She came up with it and pointed it blinding behind her. But Roku hadn't relaxed her grip for no reason. With the slack she'd gained she shifted her weight and brought her bound feet down and around under her. Roku crouched down pointing her toes at the hump of Anders' back and pulled back again hard on the cord around Anders' neck. This time, with the leverage of her feet planted firmly on Anders' back, Roku picked Anders up bodily off the floor. The burner was still pointing wildly, and a shot fired though the meat of Roku's thigh; but Roku pulled back with all the might her Hatchette conditioning gave her. The sound of snapping vertebra filled the stone dungeon. Anders feet thrashed frantically, trying to find the floor.

Then Anders let out the slightest hint of a grunt and went limp, her arms falling down to her sides, the burner clattering to the floor. She tumbled forward and Roku came down after her; the shot that had dealt Roku's thigh a glancing burn had cut through the last of the ropes holding Roku suspended.

Roku climbed to her feet, shaking of the cord still wrapped around her, and looked at the wound to her leg. The burn was blistering and blood was running down her leg, but it wasn't too bad. The bolt had obviously not de-encapsulated, exploding instead on the stone ceiling above her. Roku looked down at Anders' body, the rope still tight around her neck. Her tongue jutted oddly out the side of her mouth and one arm was twisted strangely underneath her, but those mirrored sunglasses still sat undisturbed on her face. Even in death, Roku couldn't see her eyes.

Roku leaned down and scooped up the burner, turning to cover the steel door. She waited an impatient second for someone to have heard the shot – a guard to come storming into the room, but there was nothing. Roku looked around. Crumpled in a corner she caught sight of her shirt and she limped over and scooped it up; but she didn't put it on; she tore off long strips and bandaged the burn on her leg. Satisfied with the field dressing, she hobbled back to the small table, and picked up Anders leather great coat. She pulled it over he shoulders and buttoned a single large button to hide her bare breasts.

She started limping toward the large steel door, but stopped as an idea came to her. She reached down and pulled the sunglasses off of Anders dead face. She put them on and walked up to the steel door, keeping her face close it it. The door had a hatch, at about eye level, so the guard outside could see into the cell. Roku rapped the butt of the burner against the door.

The hatch slid open. Roku's eyes, wearing the sunglasses were no more than an inch from it.

"Open the door," Roku said in a low voice.

The hatch slammed shut and their was a jiggling of keys. The locked turned and the door began to open with the same steel trap creek. Roku didn't wait for the door to completely open, she leaned on her bad leg and give the door a kick with a good one. There was thud as the door swung on its hinges and Roku jumped through, the burner ready in her hand.

An Ober Guard had been knocked across the corridor by the force of the door. She was stunned, but not down. Roku fired a single shot from her burner and caught the guard in the chest. She collapsed back with a smoking hole where the bolt had hit her. The guard's auto-burner was resting uselessly up against a chair beside the door. Roku scooped this up as she passed and tried to run. That was a mistake, her bad leg almost buckled under her. Instead, she trotted off at a jog.

19. The Axe

Roku met no more resistance as she climbed out of the dungeon. She emerged up a backstair into the kitchens of the Ober Manor. This was a surprise to Roku. She hadn't any idea where she was – where she'd thought she come out to, but the Ober Manor was one of the last places she would have expected.

She paused at the top of the backstair to tuck her handgun into the pocket of the great coat. She slung the auto-burner over her back by its strap, and buttoned up a few more button on the coat. She'd pass as a Guard, she though, and stepped out into the kitchen. No maids or cooks even gave her a second glance. She was quickly out of the servant's entrance and outside the Manor. It was dark – late, Roku could tell by the stars. She must have been unconscious half a day.

She pointed her nose towards the school campus, not bothering with the roads, cutting a path straight across the open ground – across the open ground she run over many times for calisthenics. She wished she could run now, Pelli would still be at the school and Pelli was in danger. Roku's own stupidity had gotten Pelli into all of this, and Roku planned to get her quickly out of it. Roku's own stupidity... There was no other way to say it.

Lady Aru's speech, down there in the dungeon, rattled around in Roku's head. It was all impossible to believe, but Roku was beginning to comprehend it – as it began to sort itself out in her head, things began to fall into place: Roku's odd orders to spy on the Obers; the conversation with Tro; Lady Le-En's almost banal dismissal of the presence of Dicks; Lt Zee's odd behavior. But none of it mattered to Roku – if all of her life turned out to be a lie, she didn't care. All that matter right then was rescuing Pelli from the lascivious hands of the Order of Matrons. After that, Roku would have time to think. Let it percolate for awhile. Maybe then she could make some sense out of it all...

Roku passed the oak tree that marked the border between the Ober Estates and the school campus. She doubled her pace, but still couldn't manage a real sprint. The auto-burner slapped carelessly against her back; she was still wearing the mirrored shades, despite the darkness. Now Roku understood why the Ober Guards never took the things off, they allowed the wearer to see into the infrared range. From behind the glasses, the dark sports fields of St. Juliet's seemed lit by the noonday sun. Roku could see the school itself in the distance. She was less than ten minutes away.

Roku was going to burn the school to the ground...

Roku was shocked by the contradictions inside herself. She hated the Matrons so hotly, yet she couldn't even muster a passing apathy for Lady Aru and the Obers. Lady Aru, who and had left Roku in the hands of that sadist, Anders... Lady Aru, who would have had Roku tortured and killed to protect little more than her own personal reputation... And what crimes could Roku accuse the Matrons of? Following orders from the Commissariat? Being the sick, twisted hypocritical perverts that everyone understood them for? It didn't matter, Roku had more than enough rage inside to spread around for everyone. Pelli was what was important right then – Roku need to climb one mountain at a time. There'd be time later for the Obers... Time later for Lady Aru.

Roku came upon St. Juliet's by the gym door. The corridors of the school were dark and quiet as Roku stepped inside. Her heels clicked on the stone floors as she made her way by a back corridor to a small room that was always kept locked. Roku had never been inside, but she knew from the school plans that it was the fire suppression control room. She kicked the wood paneled door hard with her good leg and sent it splintering open.

The room was little more than a closet, with a panel of flashing lights up against the far wall. Fire suits, portable fire extinguishers and axes were stored off to the right. Roku quickly studied the panel. Trigger the fire alarm would be easy enough, but the alarm had a habit of going off twice a month and no one ever bothered to evacuate when they heard the siren, especially in the middle of the night. No, Roku would need something a little more persuasive if she was going to rouse the whole school. She found the controls for the halon fire suppressors... That'd get everyone's attention... Roku activated all zones and triggered the system. Instantly the fire klaxon started sounding and the streams of fire suppressant gas started pumping into the halls.

Roku turned and left the fire control room, reaching over and pulling a fire axe off its hook as she did. She was making her way to the Grand Hall. Already, girls were pilling down the main stairs, dressed in pajamas, coughing from the Bromotrifluoromethane gas. Roku took the corridor that lead towards the school's cloister, off of which was the Head Matron's office.

The fire alarms buzzed loudly in Roku's ears as she walked, axe in hand. A group of girls ran past Roku, shooting her panicked glances. She must have made quite a sight: Still dressed in her short plaid skirt, heels and knee-high socks – the right now soaked in blood; Anders long, leather great coat buttoned across her breasts; the mirrored shades; the rest of her face beaten to a pulp; the assault rifle slung across her back and heavy, red axe in her hand. She felt like an avenging angel – she hoped she looked like one. She looked like hell, at least... Hell would be enough.

Roku turned off the cloister down the hall to the administrative offices. The halon was thick here and Roku switched over to her internal oxygen. Roku could see a light form under the door to the Head Matron's office. She turned the handle of the door and swung it open.

The Head Matron was standing at her desk, in a night gown, talking into a phone – yelling. She didn't look up when the door opened, intent on tell whoever was on the other end of the line that there was no fire, that the fire suppression system was malfunctioning, and that she had a school full of young girls standing out in the cold. Roku let the door swing closed behind her. She stood in the center of the room – stood there and waited, on the spot where she had waited so many times; waiting for the Head Matron to acknowledge her presence; waiting for the Matron to hand down some punishment. Roku could wait there as long as she had, there was no rush. Punishment would come.

"I said I don't need fire engines I need an engineer to turn off the fucking-" the Head Matron's eyes met Roku's shoes. Her gaze traced up, over Roku's bloodied sock, past her skirt and the axe, over the coat to Roku's calm, beaten face.

"Where's Pelli?" Roku asked, not making a move.

The phone receiver came slowly away from the Head Matron's ear. She was looking at Roku in shock. The high pitched chatter of a voice on the other end of the phone could still be heard talking.

"Roku, I-" the Head Matron started.

"Where's Pelli?" Roku interrupted forcefully.

The Head Matron stood there staring at Roku, her mouth slightly open, the phone receiver still in her had. Then, almost imperceptibly, her eyes glanced towards the bookcase to the right of Roku. Roku turned to look. Through her sunglasses she could just see the slight heat differential between the center bookcase and the ones on either side. There was a hidden door.

The Head Matron took that moment to make her move. She dropped the phone and came sprinting around the desk. She'd have to get by Roku to get out of the door; but for her age, she was still light on her feet. Roku didn't hesitate, she brought up the axe; and as the Matron came sprinting around the desk, Roku brought the axe down. Putting all her weight into the swing, Roku caught the Head Matron between her left shoulder and her neck.

The axe didn't stop until it'd cut the heart in two.

Roku didn't have the time or inclination to search for whatever control open the secret panel. She brought her bloodied axe up and hacked a quick hole in the back of the bookcase. Through this she reached and found a level that swung the bookcase into the room. Beyond was a dark spiral staircase, heading down.

My, the Great Society have a lot of need for dungeons, Roku thought to herself as she descended the stairs. Like the Ober Manor, Roku had found St. Juliet's secret dungeon. At the bottom of the steps corridors branched off back into the foundations of the school. A short corridor was directly in front of Roku, with two doors on either side and a single door at the far end. There was a faint light through a small barred window in that single door.

It was eerily quiet down there – the ceiling above too thick to hear the fire klaxon. Roku could make out the sound of soft muffles and groans from the end of the hall. She moved as quietly as she could up to the far door and looked in through the bars.

The room was a pleasure palace similar to the one Roku had woken up in. No ropes from the ceiling here, though. A large wooden vertical X of a rack dominated the room. Pelli was strapped to this, naked except for a dog collar and a gag. The Matron – Roku's Social Science instructor – stood inches behind her. She was thrusting up into Pelli rhythmically with her hips, whispering into Pelli's ear as she did so. Pelli's head was hanging forward out of sight, but her back showed fresh marks from a lash.

Roku pulled the door open and was in the room in one smooth motion. The Matron turned her head idly, then did a double take at Roku. She just had time to step back away from Pelli, pulling out the twelve inch dildo she had strapped to her groin, before Roku was on her. The axe came around, there was a muffled cry, and the Matron's head came off her shoulders.

Pelli fought against her bonds, trying to pull herself free. She craned her head around trying to see what was happening. Roku came up behind her and unbuckled the gag from behind her head.

"Roku!" Pelli screamed the second the gag was out of her mouth. "The Matron..."

"She's dead," Roku replied, dropping the axe and starting on the shackles on Pelli's wrists. Pelli twisted to look at the Matron's beheaded corpse. "Don't look," Roku commanded, pushing her head around.

"You killed her?" Pelli asked with a wrist free, working on her other arm.

"I'm going to kill them all," Roku said without emotion. She bent down and started on the shackles on Pelli's ankles.

"I-I-I don't understand..." Pelli said as she stepped down off the rack. Roku looked around but couldn't find anything like clothing for Pelli. She bent over the body of the Matron and took a handful of her long, black gown. Tearing it free, she wrapped the length of fabric around Pelli.

"There's nothing to understand," Roku said, putting her arms around Pelli. "None of this had anything to do with you. They wanted me, you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"They wouldn't stop..." Pelli began, the tears welling up now. "They kept... They took turns – shifts..."

"Come on," Roku began to lead Pelli out of the cell.

Back up in Head Matron's office, the sight of the Head Matron's cleavered body made Pelli scream. Out in the hall, the fire sirens were still sounding, but the halon was beginning to disperse. Roku and Pelli were starting towards the cloister when a Matron came around the curve. She noticed Rolu and Pelli, reacted to the sight the two made, then turned on her heels. Roku was quickly, pulling the burner out of the pocket of the great coat, and she hit the Matron in the back with a plasma bolt. Pelli screamed and the Matron fell forward, sliding on her face a meter across the stone of the cloister. She didn't move again.

Roku took Pelli by the hand and started walking again.

"No!" Pelli said, pulling her hand out of Roku's grip.

"It's okay, she's dead," Roku said, holding her hand out.

"No!" Pelli said again, looking at Roku in terror. "Who are you?" she asked, terrified.

"Pelli," Roku said impatiently, "it's me, Roku..."

"No..." Pelli shook her head, she couldn't believe it.

Roku took of the mirrored shades and threw them aside, "Pelli, come on, we don't have a lot of time." She grabbed at Pelli's wrist. Pelli struggled.

"Ow, you're hurting me!" Pelli cried, trying to pull her wrist free.

Roku let go of her wrist, letting out heavy sigh.

"Okay, you want to know who I am? You what to know what's going on? I'll tell you," Roku started impatiently, "I'm Roku, but I'm a Hachette. A professional assassin, tasked with the murder of Lady Aru. But I failed in that mission and now, Lady Aru is First Commissar of the Planet Earth and she wants me dead; all the Hatchettes dead, anyone who had any connection to any Hatchette – dead. That's you. There's not much time before they realize what's happened, that I've escaped from their torture chamber and that you have too. But when the do, they'll come after us with all they've got. We need to be a thousand – a million miles away from anywhere like here in the next few hours or we're dead. Do you understand? People will be coming to kill us. You have to come with me. On our own you won't last a day, but together..."

Roku paused. Pelli had stopped crying. The speech was working, but Roku began to hear the sound of something flying above them. Thruster jets. Roku stepped out into the open air of the cloister and looked up. Sure enough, VTOL's were approaching, circling and descending.

"Who are they?" Pelli asked, looking up into the air beside Roku.

"It's already to late..." Roku said soberly.

20. Hatchette

Seven VTOLs. Roku could count seven. How many Hatchettes did Lady Aru say were left alive? Seven? Eight, counting Roku. Yeah, the symmetry of it all made sense. It was just like Lady Aru...

Roku lead Pelli by the hand though the dark corridors of the school to the Grand Hall. There were still schoolgirls in pajamas milling around out in front of the hall, and firefighters and their trucks. Roku kissed Pelli quickly and told her to leave with the others. Pelli didn't argue, she trotted out of the Grand Hall and was met by paramedics. They'd be evacuating all the girls now, with the school full of halon gas. The buses must be being organized. Pelli would be safe in the crowd, wherever they took them for the rest of the night. Roku wouldn't have to worry about her.

Roku could start worrying about her self.

Through the door, Roku could see the VTOL's setting down in the sports fields. They landed momentarily, a small black figure disembarking and the VTOL's were in the air again. Standard operating procedure. Roku had done the touchdown drill a thousand times. Seven Hatchettes against Roku... Not Ober guards, not Dick Terrorists, but Hatchettes – just like Roku... And Roku was tired and wounded and the other girls would be fresh. Yeah, the whole situation had Lady Aru written all over it. She was not the sort for half measures. Roku took the auto-burner off her back and checked its plasma bottle. It was full.

Roku only advantage was that she knew who she was fighting – knew them better than they knew themselves. It was possible – probable – that the other Hatchettes were unaware that Roku was their intended target. Would their handlers have been able to convince them to come here if they knew? Roku doubted it. The Hatchettes, during training, had been close. To attack one of their own? But who knows what lies they'd been told... If the other Hatchettes still believed in the existence of the Dick threat... Roku could be a collaborator... Yeah, they'd come here and kill Roku if they believed that. Roku would have. It wasn't going to be any use discussing the situation, Roku was going to have to fight for her life. Maybe her one advantage wasn't really an advantage after all...