Time Salvager (Time Salvager #1)(121)
As the fight escalated, James noticed that others had joined in. They weren’t from ChronoCom, nor could they be from the Elfreth. Some of the other wasteland tribes living in the Boston area must have engaged the monitors as well. These survivors in the wasteland were proud, even of the little they had. For the first time, James felt a camaraderie toward them as they all fought against overwhelming odds. Even with their help, though, it was a losing battle.
Those odds climbed even higher when James saw an auditor, Geneese, land in the thick of the battle. The auditor made his presence felt as his exo tore through an entire fifth level of a building that housed some of the tribesmen pot-shotting the monitors. Once Geneese engaged him out in the open with a dozen monitors at his back, he was doomed.
James reassessed the situation. He was far too exposed in the open to continue this fight. He took off into the air. Lashing out with half a dozen kinetic coils, he was able to take out four monitors before he felt the attack of an exo. Geneese slid toward him at a frightening clip. Auditor’s exos were so much faster and more powerful than chronmen’s. The impact knocked James off course and he lost control and fell tumbling through the air. He recovered just in time to dodge another attack as Geneese, with momentum on his side, slammed into him again.
His levels were down to seventy within a matter of minutes. James was at a distinct disadvantage against Geneese in the open field. That, and Geneese, like most auditors, was much better trained to fight with exos than he was. Still, James had experience on his side as well, and he had picked up a few tricks along the way. He shot a thick coil straight at Geneese. As expected, the auditor met his coil with an even stronger one. Right before the two sources impacted—a melee that James would definitely lose—he split that coil in two.
Geneese had only a second to react. He was able to slice down on one of James’s coils, but took the brunt of the other in the chest. His shielding crackled and held, but the force knocked him back several meters. James took advantage of this momentary opening and lashed out, striking at three more monitors within reach. Then, with more monitors closing in on him, he sped away from the clearing and bounded toward the roof of the nearest building.
His levels were now under 65 percent. He couldn’t sustain a long fight with an auditor. The Elfreth had gotten their distraction, though. There had to be thirty monitors on him at this moment. Hopefully, that would dilute the attack on the communal fields enough for the Elfreth either to mount a defense or escape to safety.
James reached the rooftop of the nearest building and was bounding away a second later. Geneese and a dozen monitors followed close behind, not bothering to land as they gave chase. They didn’t have to worry about conserving their levels. Whether he was going to get away remained to be seen, though the odds were not in his favor at the moment.
Midbound, James changed course and zoomed downward toward one of the taller buildings. He entered through a window and ran across the floor to the far side. He heard monitors land behind him a few seconds later. Chances were that they would send only a few in to flush him out while the rest surrounded the air space around him to cut off his retreat.
It was a large building and James had options. He turned a corner and ambushed the first monitor, who had pursued too aggressively. A quick strike to the neck with his fist, followed by an elbow to the face, finished him off. James continued on, running two levels down the stairwell and turning south. There was an adjacent building nearby, and if James could jump into it without attracting attention, he could throw them off his trail.
Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be a window along the entire southern wall of the building, so James had to make his own. He crashed through the wall of the building and broke through the wall of the next. Above him, he heard several barks of alarm as the nearby monitors gave chase. Well, it had almost worked.
James continued running through the building, zigzagging through hallways, randomly running down stairs, making his way toward the ground level. The monitors had air superiority, but if there was a way to get underground, he could lose them and hurry back to the communal fields. There were simply too many nooks and crevasses in this jungle for them to locate him. It would buy some time for the Elfreth, at least.
He encountered another monitor and finished her off with the same brutal efficiency as with the first. He wondered at their foolishness for spreading out their forces like this, and then he realized that Geneese was probably using them as feelers. Every time James engaged and killed one, the auditor could pinpoint his presence.
James continued south, jumping through windows when the opportunity was there, making his own when they weren’t. He flew across city blocks, juked through side buildings, and finally came to a stop to assess the situation. Sometimes, staying in one place was better than running, after all.
According to the AI band, he was nearing the southern edge of the city and was quickly running out of tall buildings to hide in. At this moment, it was quiet, with only the sounds of the ocean waves crashing into the otherwise dead city.
He saw a shadow creep into the room across the hall. Another monitor, maybe. He slipped to the doorway and leaned his head in. It was a large room with the remnants of a rectangular table in the center. Assorted smashed chairs littered the floor alongside parts of a caved-in ceiling. The monitor was on the far end, moving toward the door on the opposite side.
A thought occurred to James. He powered on his exo and threw himself at the monitor, slamming into him from behind and breaking his neck. He immediately launched himself through the caved-in ceiling, powered down, and became very still. Minutes later, Geneese came in, exo powered up to half. He walked toward the fallen monitor and turned him over.