Difference between revisions of "The Chronicles of Horatio Cain (Conclusion)"

Latest revision as of 18:33, 27 June 2010

Preface

This page presents the final parts of The Chronicles of Horatio Cain which is a piece of Player Created Fiction written by Horatio Cain. The Chronicles were originally published as a partwork on the EVE-Online forums [1].

The start of the story may be found at The Chronicles of Horatio Cain.

The Chronicles of Horatio Cain - The Final Chapters

Part 20

InDope and Adlain followed the attractive Doctor as she led them to the Cryogenic holding facility where the clones were secured. As they proceeded deeper into the complex Houser and Dr. Nikos bantered back and forth in rehearsed fashion regarding the advantages of doing business with the Zainou corporation.

Adlain felt his pulse quicken as they got to the security check point. They stood before a hydraulic door, that was overlooked by a security booth manned by two officers armed with Rail rifles. Lining the ceiling was an array of sensors. Dr. Nikos hit a button next to the door that triggered the intercom to the security booth.

"Two guests to tour the facility," she said cheerfully flashing a pretty smile to the Security Gaurds.

"Gotcha Doc, stand by for sensor check," the mechanical sound of the security gaurds voice responded through the intercom.

InDope felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Adlain held his breath. A low hum sounded as the sensors above quickly made a thourough multispectral scan of the two Convergent ops in addition to Houser and Dr. Nikos.

Adlain felt his heart drop when suddenly an alarm klaxon sounded. InDope was now sweating profusley and he looked for an escape route. The only thing he saw was the way they came. He was prepared to bolt, when suddenly from either side of the passageway two powered doors whisped open and the entire passage was filled with rail toting security gaurds.

Adlain sighed and consigned himself to the fact that they had been caught, when to his surprise, the gaurds went directly to Houser, who until this moment, Adlain hadn't noticed was sweating more than either he, or InDope.

"GET ON THE FLOOR!" one of the Security Gaurds yelled as he pointed his weapon at Houser. The Detei's teeth were gritted in a look of abject horror, he dropped to his knees and fell prone as the guard instructed.

While the first gaurd covered him another moved in and began pilfering through his lab coat, and then reached inside the inner pocket, "here it is!" he exclaimed and pulled out a hypodermic injector, and a small bottle containing some liquid.

"okay, take him away," sounded the mechanical voice from the booth above, "Sorry Doctor Nikos. You and your guests are cleared. We will allow you entry once we have taken Mr. Kalin."

Adlain, and InDope looked at each other in wide eyed relief. They both stifled laughter at this strange twist of events.

Dr. Nikos gave a nervous laugh and her pretty face became flushed with embarrasment, "I am sooo, sorry gentleman. We engineer and distribute thousands of pharmeceuticals and sometimes, some of our employees have been known to take liberties...this is so embarassing."

"Don't worry, Doctor, it's clear your security stays on top of things," Adlain said nodding at the security team as they hauled away the now blubbering and crying Houser Kalin.

"We dodged a bullet back there eh?" InDope said under his breath with a grin to Adlain, who nodded and continued after Nikos. A blast of cold air hit the two men and they followed the Doctor inside.

The vault huge and cylindrical in shape. The ceiling was barely visibile. There were catwalks along the circular walls every 25 feet or so and a crane like mechanism that could rotate from the floor all the way to the ceiling and elevate fromt the ground to each level. The walls were lined with small square doors lined with various video readouts. It was obvious that each of these doors held someone's clone. The visual displays showed vital statics of each clone and their physical status.

The Doctor began her spiel regarding Zainou's rigourous storage standards, and never noticed Adlain carefully drop the seeming inocuous pen on the floor of the vault chamber as he followed along nodding and smiling as the Doctor continued her presentation.

Part 21

Kitten’s shields were barely holding as she attempted to get a firing solution on her pursuer. She bit her bottom lip as her desperation began to grow, she couldn’t let him pick her apart. Another Salvo fired from the Crow had finally punched through her shields to impact the Kestrels light armor. That cut it, Kitten thought, enough goofing around. Suddenly she banked the agile frigate in the opposite direction, the other pilot was completely unprepared for the desperate maneuver and suddenly the hunter became the hunted. Kitten’s pulse calmed down as she coolly focused on the kill. She locked on to the crow and fired a full spread of bloodclaw kinetic missiles. At this close range, there was no way the interceptor could out run them. The Crow was thunderstruck as the missiles pounded through the shields and penetrated the aft armor. The vessel was reeling from the blow and the pilot tried to open the distance, but was too late as another spread quickly rippled from the Kestrel’s launchers and once again collided with the hapless vessel. He was trying to run now, but his afterburners had been damaged. Kitten fired a final salvo and watched with satisfaction as the interceptor finally disappeared in a fireball.

Hal’s shields were at critical and a few of the shots had penetrated the engine housing of his Rifter. He juked and jagged as he attempted to shake the interceptor that was tailing him. All the while he was targeting the one in front of him and attempting to land a telling blow. Hal grimaced, and knew he was losing. Eventually he was going to be taken down. He had to try; he had to see if he could get to Kitten in time. His heart began to sink. Then without warning, Hal picked up an incoming missile signature, then two, then four. He braced for the impact, but he quickly relaxed when he saw them heading for the Crow on his six. The Crow tried to evade, but only managed to dodge two of the missiles. The others impacted on the shields causing enough damage to get his attention. Kitten broke to the opposite direction Hal had been traveling and managed to lure the Crow after her, freeing up Hal.

“Way to go Kitty!” Hal, said with a grin. He gunned his Rifter and tried to close to optimal range with his target. The Crow now directly in front of Hal was alone, and matched for speed by the furiously approaching Rifter. Hal pounded him with his light auto cannons, and was rewarded to see several of the shells penetrate the shields making direct hits on the Crow’s armor. The vessel attempted to make a sudden turn, but Hal launched a missile from the Rifters' lone launcher and watched with satisfaction as it connected and sent the vessel out of control. Hal turned and lined up a final shot with his guns and let fly with a salvo that caused the vessel to burst apart as plasma from the reactor reached critical.

“….err Hal, when you get a chance….having a bit of trouble here!” Kitten Hearder said over the com.

Hal got his game face back on and slewed his vessel around to aid his wing mate. He saw that Kitten was now being chased once again by the much faster Interceptor. He was too far away. Hal engaged his afterburners to close the distance. He saw the stream of hypervelocity rail charges spew from the vessel towards Kitty’s ship. He saw that her ship was barely hanging together. The shields were obviously shot, and there was some plasma venting from the main drive.

“C’mon, Kit, hang in there,” Hal said through gritted teeth as he tried to get closer.

Hal was in range when suddenly he saw a salvo slam into the rear of the Kestrel and watched in horror as it tumbled then broke apart and finally disappeared in a bright blue explosion. Hal desperately tried to find evidence of the pod, but before he could he saw the Interceptor turning to meet him. Hal’s blood went cold. She had saved his life, but it may have cost her, her own. Hal wouldn’t let the interceptor jock get away with it. He charged towards the vessel head on and locked the vessel in his gun sights. He let fly and kept the weapons belching a stream of carbonized lead. The Crow returned fire, but Hal’s shields had recharged and his approach velocity was just too great. The Crow pilot wasn’t about to win in a game of chicken with the furious Minmatar either, and at the last moment veered away exposing his tail. Hal quickly turned and opened up again and fired a missile for good measure. As the vessel exploded and broke apart Hal simply flew the Rifter through the floating wreckage.

Hal shook all over but knew he had to calm himself down. He scanned the area for a pod…or even a corpse. There was no sign of Kitten Hearder. He did notice that the freighters were getting farther away. He had a job to do. It was Kitten who had gotten the rest of Convergent to go find out who was after Horatio, and Hal was going to see this through to the end. Alive or dead, it was what Kitten wanted. Hal took off after the fleeing transports.

Part 22

Everything froze as Wan, Stah and Cain stood meters away from Thallus Andronicus and the two Amarr mercs. Then in a sudden explosion of action the two huge men brought their weapons up and began firing. Stah leveled his weapon as well and began to retreat looking for cover behind a desk. Cain in defiance stood his ground and pulled his weapon to finish the Amarr bounty hunter Andronicus himself. At the last moment Wan turned and tackled Cain throwing him behind another desk before he could get cut down from the withering fire of the two Amarr heavies.

The big minmatar landed on top of Cain heavily as he landed, the wind knocked out of him. He looked up to see the Wanoah's face wracked with agony yet still wearing a smile through his gritted teeth.

"You all right Wan?" Cain asked realizing something was wrong.

"I'll be fine, better then you would have been if you stood there like you were some kind of holo movie action star!" Wan said laughing through his gritted teeth. Cain noticed he had been shot through the shoulder. The high focus lasers made clean wounds and it looked as though he would be alright, but it was no doubt painful.

"Surrender now Cain, and we'll just kill your friends quickly and they can clone jump back home!" Andronicus called out.

"Kiss my Caldari a$$!" Was Cain's reply as he poked his head over the desk and fired off a burst. Several rounds impacted a big Amarr ruining his shoulder. The mans arm hung limply but he still held his weapon in the other arm. The huge Amarrian didn't seem to notice and began firing with his other hand. Cain grimaced they appeared to be on some kind of combat drugs, they were feeling no pain.

Cain looked over and across from him he saw Stahmul crouching behind another desk. He looked at Cain as he reached into his long coat and pulled out a long cylindrical item. Stah smiled evilly as he gave the top a twist. No doubt a Grenade, the fact that he had gotten through the checkpoint with it meant it was another toy from Stah's days in the Curse region.

He threw the item over the desk and they heard as it clattered across the floor while a steady stream of laser fire continued to flash around them.

"...by the grace of God," Cain heard Thallus Andronicus exclaim before an explosion rippled through the hallway. The concussion from the blast was enough to shake Stah, Wan and Cain even behind cover. The air was filled with dust. and suddenly the emergency sprinkler system went off. When the dull ringing in his ears subsided Cain could hear the frightened screams of the employees who were just trying to stay out of the crossfire. Cain carefully peaked over the desk.

The two hulking brutes were no longer there. Instead was a charnel scene of grotesque carnage. The grenade had done its work.

"Wow....that was nastier than I thought!" Cain heard Stah. He turned to face the Sebiestor and he had a big grin on his face. Now that the immediate danger had passed, Cain had to laugh, and Stah joined him. Cain saw a carefully manicured hand lying nearby, the hand of Thallus Andronicus. It would appear he would be the one clone jumping home this time. Cain suddenly remembered Wan and turned around to tend to his friend. Cain helped him up and the large Brutor leaned against the shorter Caldari almost comically as they headed to the elevators.

"We gotta be ready, they know were coming now." Stah said. Wan and Cain both looked at their companion with astonishment.

"YOU THINK!?" Cain said with mock surprise.. Stah smiled back sheepishly and shrugged.

The three got onto the elevator and prepared to head to the executive floor to finish a vendetta that had started so long ago. As the elevator rose towards the executive offices, Cain's stomach began to knot up. He had to finish this, one way or the other, he couldn't be looking over his shoulder any more. He looked at his two friends and thought about the others who had put their necks on the line to help him, and he began to feel something he had never known. He believed he finally found what many called a 'family'. Having been a tube child, Cain had only ever relied on himself, and now he was in an elevator with two people who were ready to die if need be, and there were others, Hal, Kitty, Adlain, iNDope and Gamma Garone, and all the others who had given him a place, and given him a chance to make something for himself.

The elevator opened and the three braced themselves to meet a full assault from the remaining security guards...but there was.....nothing. Cain and Stah came out of the elevator followed by Wan shambling as he gripped his injured shoulder.

"I don't like this," Wan hissed.

"Me neither," replied Cain, "Lets stick together."

The made their way across the executive floor searching each office. They waited for Renfro to spring his trap, but not so much as one security gaurd. Finally they approached the large doors of an executive office. Cain could feel the sweat pouring down his forehead as he reached for the door. Just before he grabbed the handle Stahmul stopped him and shook his head. He motioned to open the door from the side rather than standing right in front. They all drew their weapons and checked their clips as they readied themselves. Cain stood to the side and grabbed the handle. As he twisted it and pulled it towards him a huge blast rang out sending the three men sprawling in all directions. The air was filled with the booming reports of a military grade rail repeater. A machine gun like rail gun firing lead charges at hyper velocity. Everything in its path exploded. Cain Wan and Stah were on the ground and stayed low pressing themselves against a wall to avoid the hail of rounds. Several charges exploded into the wall above them, then suddenly the shots stopped. Then a metallic clank as cylindrical object came rolling towards them.

Cain stood up and darted for the cover of another office, dragging Wan with him. Everything went black and he felt himself flying through the air. His ears were ringing when his vision returned he was on his back. Wan lay in a heap next to him. There was no sign of Stahmul. His body ached, and he felt a burning along his right arm. He looked down and saw that it had been peppered with shrapnel. Wan was breathing but he was unconscious. Cain tried to stand when two SuVee security guards entered in full body armor with Gauss rifles.

They stormed in with their weapons raised. Cain tried to pull his gun, but he couldn’t find it. He prepared to meet his fate, when suddenly one guards chest exploded as a projectile ripped through his midsection. The other turned to see where the shots had come from only to have two shots blast through his face plate killing him instantly. Cain looked up and saw Stahmul, his face covered in blood from cuts along his bald scalp. He smiled and looked at Wan with concern. Horatio nodded as to indicate he was okay. Stah smiled and was about to walk towards him when a shot rang out and a look of surprise crossed his face. He opened his mouth to talk but only blood came out as he collapsed to the ground. Cain found his weapon and quickly picked it up, and looked around for the shooter. He remained low as he approached Stah's prone body. Stah was still concious but he had been shot in the abodomen. It was a bad wound.

Cain looked around the corner carefully and saw the shot had come from the executive office. He saw a figure poke out from behind the desk....Renfro! Cain saw the the face of his old nemesis. Cain ducked back behind the wall and pulled Stahmul into the room with him. His datapad was also starting to buzz indicating that he was receiving an incoming message. Cain slumped against the wall and pulled out the datapad. The call was from Adlain, he could see his image on the visual readout of the display.

“Cain, me and iNDope took care of the Zainou facility, your friend is effectively zeroed out now!” Adlain said smiling, “how is your part going?”

“Wish I could say smashingly but unfortunately it’s not going as well as I had hoped. Stah is down and so is Wan, but it’s down to just me and my old friend.”

“Good luck Cain!” Adlain said, his face now serious.

“Thanks Adlain, thanks for everything,”

Cain clicked the datapad,. “Come on Renfro, lets me and you have it out once and for all!” Cain yelled from cover.

“Sure thing Cain, just come on out, and I’ll be happy to finish it!” Renfro yelled his reply.

“For once in your miserable life try to be honorable Renfro and face me like a man!”

“Who are you to tell me about honor! Tube born!”

“You are afraid aren’t you Tam, you were afraid at the academy and you are still afraid. Afraid that this ‘tube born’ is better than you!”

Silence, followed.. Cain had a feeling that one would get him. Cain knew he could beat Renfro in a fair fight any day, but every moment he remained here in a standoff was one more moment before a SuVee security force would arrive and lock down the whole station.

“Okay Cain!” Renfro finally replied, and Cain smiled, “we will finish this....the Caldari way!” he shouted.

“Suits me fine Renfro!” Cain yelled back. He peaked around the corner and saw Renfro stand up from behind the desk. He held his gun up as Cain did the same. To Cain’s surprise Renfro tossed his aside first. Cain followed suit, half expecting the his old class mate to pull a hold out and shoot him dead. Cain was surprised again to see that he didn’t. The two approached one another in Renfro’s office. Tam went over to an ornate cabinet and opened the black lacquered wood doors to reveal a collection of beautifully crafted ceremonial katanas. Renfro took one and and allowed Cain to select one as well. They were each a work of art. The swords were made using a technique lost in ancient memories, and rumored to have come from fabled Terra.

They were going to end their feud the Caldari way, the duel. An art as ancient as the katana. The two men stood several meters from each other. Holding the sword sheath in one hand the other on the swords hilt. They would stand examining each other, waiting for the right moment to draw the sword and strike in one fluid motion. It was quick deadly and decisive, and when two Caldari had a vendetta, that could not be settled it was the only way to end it. Cain’s arm still burned from his wounds, it would give Tam a slight advantage, all things considered, Cain believed it would just make them equal.

“Tam, before we continue, I think it only fair to inform you, two of my friends destroyed the cloning facility where your clone was stored, you die, theres no coming back this time.”

Tam looked into Cain’s eyes.He nodded coldly,"Just as well that it ends here like this!" Cain had to admit he was surprised by the mans resolve. They continued to study one another sizing up their opponent, studying, and waiting for the other to flinch.

In a sudden flurry of steel it was over as the two each drew their weapons in one fluid motion and charged their opponent to make the killing blow. Cain approached as Renfro brought his blade across in a great slashing motion. Horatio kneeled and rolled at the last moment under Renfros strike, bringing his blade down and and across Renfros midsection. The blade bit. Renfro’s momentum carried him past, Cain dropped the scabbard and gripped his sword with two hands and turned. Renfro still stood with his sword out in front of him. His back was to Cain. Slowly he turned bringing the weapon down, and sheathing it, gracefully. Once he faced Cain he opened his mouth and blood began to pour out. He tried to bow, but fell over dead a red gash from his gut to his chest. Cain turned his sword with a flick of his wrist instantly clearing the blood from the blade. He picked up the scabbard and sheathed his own sword. He carefully picked up the sword from Renfro’s limp hand and placed it back in the cabinet carefully. The one he held he would keep to remember.

Part 23

Damien Renfro waited patiently for the SuVee board of directors to summon him to the board room. The report still lay open on his desk. The news that the SuVee convoy had been hit by apparent pirates had forced an invetigation that revealed his dead son had been siphoning corporate funds to finance his own personal war against a personal enemy. What’s more they had found out that Damien had full knowledge of his sons activities. It was a disaster. A call came through on his holo comm.

“Mr. Renfro, a call for you.” his secretary said.

“Is it the board?”

“No sir it’s from a Director in the Kaalakiota, a Mr. Tristan Oliver.”

Damien hadn’t heard that name in some time, an old classmate of his. Oliver had ever been his rival paticularly when it came to the affections of a girl named Maridas. Ultimately Renfro had proven the better man and had made her his wife. He had won her by leading her to believe that Tristan was seeing another woman behind her back. It had been underhanded, but Renfro’s alway got what they wanted. She had eventually found out about his deception and become more and more obstinate and distant and Renfro had her murdered to collect the insurance he had on her. He had then met and married Tams mother, a much more docile and sensible woman.

“I’ll take the call,” Renfro replied, the holo comm immediately switched to the likeness of Tristan Oliver, “Tristan old friend, to what do I owe this pleasent surprise?”

“Damien, I am sorry to hear about your recent misfortune.”

“Yes, I am sure you are, so this is a sympathetic call?”

“Not at all, just thought you would like to know, it was I who tipped off Cain about you and your son, indirectly of course.”

Silence followed as Damien felt his stomach sink.

“I thought you’d like to know. Horatio Cain is quite a man is he not? Very resourceful and quite determined when he sets his mind to something.”

“...Yes,” Renfro said.

“I sponsored him to join the Academy. I had a feeling he and your son would hit it off if they were in the same class so I pulled a few strings.”

“I’m sure you did,” Damien replied, his features taking on a stoney countenance.

“Well, I’ll let you go old friend, I’m sure you much to do in the wake of your current difficulties, good bye,” Oliver said smiling coldly as the holo comm went out.

Damien sat his face growing warm with anger. How had this happened, how could this be happening to him! Damien Renfro who had risen from obscurity in the shipping division to Director at Sukuuvestaa! A buzzing stirred him from his thoughts.

“Sir, the board wishes to see you now.”

From flushed anger, Renfro suddenly felt himself grow cold, “Yes I am on my way.” The thought of bolting, fleeing into the dark depths of space crossed his mind, then he thought about pulling the small gauss pistol from his desk putting it in his mouth and ending it. These thoughts seemed like the easier way, but he decided to face the music. He had been a respected employee of Sukuuvestaa, for years. They wouldn’t throw away all of his hard work and contributions over this. This was salvagable. Perhaps a term of service as administrator over a remote mining complex, but nothing else. He relaxed gathered himself and headed to the board room.

As he entered the supreme executive officers of the mighty SuVee turned to aknowledge him.

“Gentlemen, ladies, I am sure I can explain....” Damien said as he entered attempting to disarm them with a charismatic speech before the CEO Kuikiainen Onita, an attractive red haired Civire woman raised her hand to silence him.

“No explanation is needed, Renfro san,” she said using a respectful greeting, “we know you understand the gravity of your actions, and we are positive it will never happen again, we only ask that you prove it.”

A glimmer of hope began to flicker in Renfro's heart. Just then a door on the opposite side of the conference room opened and a Deteis woman entered carrying a wooden tray that carried a pot of steaming water, a small bowl filled with tea leaves and a long scoop and small cup. The flickering light was immediately extinguished. She set the service at an empty chair at the boardroom table.

Kuikiainen stood up and motioned for Renfro to sit down, “Please sit down, perform for us the tea ceremony Renfro-san, and we can put this matter behind us.”