E.N.D.A.Y.S. (3 page)

“Oh no you didn't...” he said, as an explosive belch emerged from his anal cavity.

'Get to work, or next time you shit yourself.'
Kali commanded.

“God, it's always
work, work, work
with you people, isn't it...” he said, as he smiled politely and awkwardly at the guests in the vicinity of his gaseous detonation, before making his way across the room.

Shay flashed her identification to the security staff on the door and entered. The chamber's walls were covered in paintings of the President and his ancestors. Every one of his forefathers for the past twenty generations had been President before him, with only the occasional interloper taking the position for a term. Even then, they tended to meet an untimely end before that term concluded. It wasn't that the government was corrupt, as such, it was more that the current President's family were
very good
at leading the country, and
very good
at not being killed whilst doing so. Shay checked the IDs of the security staff nestled away in the President's private chamber. They were all who they claimed to be, and all passed the bank account screening.

“This is really looking like a waste of time...” she said.

“I could'a told you that from the beginning.” Hayes said, as he walked up to the security staff at the door to the chamber.

“Job still needs t'be done.” McCall said, taking a glass of champagne from a waiter. “Can't have a protectoral world going to shit because we're too busy to take a look-see.”

Hayes looked over his shoulder at McCall, watching as he took a sip.

“Kali, how come
he's
allowed to drink?”

'Because he isn't an a functioning alcoholic and an over-functioning arsehole.'
she replied.

“See, it's the
functioning
part you people keep overlooking...” Hayes said, waiting impatiently at the door to the chamber. “What's the hold-up?” he asked the secret service agent, who had a finger to his earpiece.

“President's about to come out, sir.” he said. “Please stand back.”

Hayes did so, as a fanfare of trumpets burst from speakers behind the podium, half-deafening him as they signalled the President's imminent arrival to greet his esteemed guests. The secret service agent held the door open as his leader emerged. A beaming smile fixed on his face, contorted leathery skin crawling up his cheeks in undulating folds that nestled up to crows feet at the corners of his eyes. The lines of a man who had smiled hard every day a camera was on him, every day of his career as a politician. He walked up the stairs to the podium as the horns came to a crescendo. His eyes fixed at middle distance, reading from an autocue that hovered on either side of the podium, allowing him to look from left to right meaningfully, whilst reading a thoroughly crafted speech.

Hayes zoned out of the speech and hung back at the side of the stage, Shay joining him with a glass of champagne she swiped from the President's chamber.

“That the good stuff?” he asked.

“All tastes the same... grapes must be for shit here.” she said, with a huff.

“So what d'we do now, Kali?” McCall asked. “Stick around 'til this guy slinks back into his room?”

Kali didn't respond.

“Kali? Everything ok?” he asked.

'Something's not right...'
she said, eyes at the screens, alerts starting to pop up over Shay's vitals.
'Shay, are you ok?'

Shay couldn't form words to reply. Her brow was thick with sweat, face ruddy, her throat starting to seize up. Hayes turned to her as the champagne flute slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.

“What's up? You choking?” he asked.

She struggled for breath, only able to force stray inharmonious squawks through her throat. Hayes slipped behind her, trying to lodge the obstruction with abdominal thrusts, his hands cupping a breast in the process. She threw an elbow into his face that would have detached a retina if she were not otherwise indisposed.

“I was only trying to help...” he said, as she glared at him with a subtext of 'do it properly'.

He put his arms back around her, placing his hands at the correct position under the base of her diaphragm, and thrust upwards.

'Guys, this isn't right...'
said Kali, as he thrust again.
'Her nano's are fighting something,'
another thrust, the obstruction still wasn't clearing.
'It looks like... another set of nanos...'
Another thrust, still not helping, the colour starting to drain from Shay's face.
'They're not as advanced as ours... but they're there, and they're taking up residency in her head,'

“So, I should just give up with this or what?” asked Hayes, through another thrust at Shay's abdomen.

'Their nanos and ours are reaching an impasse at her throat, fighting it out there...'

“That's not an answer!” McCall said, fighting his way through the crowd towards the others, the guests barely paying attention to the theatrics adjacent to the President's address, rapt by his speech.

“I really don't think I'm making much difference here,” said Hayes. “Although it is nice to be this close to you...” he said to Shay, who rolled her eyes amidst trying to find her next breath.

“She's still alive, so keep going, y'ass!” McCall said, closing in on them. “I'll trach her if I have to, but y'got to keep her alive 'til I get through these fuckers.”

“Alright, I'll just keep thrusting and thrusting. That's how y'like it, right Shay?” he said, with another thrust. “Nice and deep.” another thrust. “Slow and steady, huh?”

Shay's eyes went wide. She could feel the nanos in her head, scuttling through her blood vessels, battling one another for supremacy.

“Harder and harder,” Hayes continued, with another thrust. “Deeper and deeper,” and another.

Shay's lips began to quiver uncontrollably, followed by her teeth chattering, a shiver running up and down her body. Her forehead was rippling, skull feeling like it was turning to jelly as a pounding in her head started getting louder and louder.

“I'll just keep going and going...” said Hayes, with another thrust. “Til I blow your back doors off.” another thrust.

Shay's head burst into a fountain of blood and grey matter, caking the walls, splattering across the floor, showering Hayes in her cranial effluence. He looked down at the hole on her shoulders where her neck and head used to be, eyes shining white under a mask of blood and brain.

“Well, I did
not
see that coming...” he said, as he dropped her decapitated body.

The security staff started flocking from all corners of the room, McCall fighting through them and the guests to get to Hayes. The President glanced over briefly, checking the monitor at the podium to confirm that none of the spectacle was seen by the cameras. It appeared clear, and he was moments from finishing his speech, taking a glass of champagne from beneath the podium, raising it for a toast.

'What the fuck just happened?'
Kali asked.

Hayes looked at the remnants of the champagne flute that lay on the floor surrounded by  Shay's body.

“Kali, you said nanos, right?”

'What?'

“Nanos fucked with Shay's shit, right? They could be edible, time-released, yeah?”

'Maybe? I'd need time to analyse them.'

“No time.” said Hayes, as four security staff pounced on him. He redirected strength, and threw them aside as he made his way up to the podium. Another agent grabbed Hayes from behind, McCall dove in and tackled him out the way.

The crowd watched in silence as the President toasted them and drank the champagne, aghast at the spectacle they finally noticed was occurring just off-stage. Further security tried to interject with the supposed ISSC agents, Hayes and McCall dealing with them accordingly.

Hayes took to the stage and grabbed the President by the tie.

“Did you just fucking drink that?” he asked.

“Do you mind?” said the President. “This is an address to the nation!”

“Do you want to address the nation as a headless corpse?” Hayes asked, tightening his grip and tugging again on the President's tie. “Did you
fucking
drink it?”

“Yes, of course...” said the President. “This is a celebration.!”

“Yeah? Well they're gonna be celebrating your head exploding any minute now...”

“Wha--?” asked the President, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, his throat beginning to close.

Hayes looked back at McCall, who was fighting to keep the secret service agents back.

“Well you're no fucking help...” he said to him. “Kali, what can I do to stop this guy exploding?”

“ess-plodi--?!” the President said, his throat not allowing the words through.

'Fuck, Hayes, I don't know enough about what they dosed him with... can you make him throw up?'

Hayes looked at the President, pulling his head lower by his tie and shoved two fingers down the esteemed leader's throat. He hit a solid mass, and couldn't get a gag reflex to respond.

“Ain't working.” he said.

'You need something longer. Look around, there's got to be something...'

Hayes looked, but the only other instruments nearby were the jagged remains of a champagne flute, which was a little too stabby. And flagpoles,  which were wider than the President's mouth, let alone his throat. He looked down to his hip.

“I've got a really bad idea...” he said.

'Hurry up,'
said Kali.
'Shay had five minutes because she had nanos fighting back. This guy won't have anywhere near as much time!'

Hayes reached to his left hip, and pulled a gun from the pocket dimension holster. The weapon was matte black, textured with micropores that made for a snug and comfortable fit in the hand. It was all curves, no hard edges or corners, even the body curved when looked at head-on. Ergonomic, for the executive shooter, who had a penchant for wearing oversized black brass knuckles that could punch holes in people from afar. The barrel was eight inches long and five tall, but most of that height was the clip, which looped around under the muzzle, nestling up to the trigger guard. It left just enough space for a hand to fit, then went all the way back under the grip. Each clip held eighty rounds, a mag of twenty hollow point, fifteen explosive tips, and six ten-round mags of tasershot. None of those were helpful right now. Hayes wrenched the clip from the gun and dropped in back in the pocket, pointing the barrel at the President.

“Ooooo!” the leader shrieked, sealing his lips shut.

“This is for your own good, idiot...” Hayes said, once again tugging on the man's tie and forcing the barrel down his throat, chipping a tooth with the undercarriage of the weapon whilst shoving it down his gullet.

“Stop!” said a secret service agent who had made his way past McCall on to the stage, holding his weapon in shaking hands.

In a swift movement, Hayes had taken the gun from him, a shot firing in the process, embedding itself impotently in the wall. The crowd screamed in horror, and Hayes jammed the gun back and forth into the Presidential opening, forcing him to fully deepthroat it. Spittle and snot, tears and phlegm dripping onto his hand, down the weapon's matte black finish, absorbing into the micropores in the handle. Finally, Hayes broke through the barrier. The President gasped and proceeded to vomit, copiously and violently.

Hayes pulled the weapon from the President's throat and dropped it back into the pocket dimension.

“Someone else can clean that shit up...” Hayes said. “I'm done for the day.”

The doors to the room burst open as a military unit assembled in formation, weapons aimed at Hayes and McCall.

“Kali...! An exit would be nice!” he shouted.

'Yeah...'
said Kali.
'On it.'

She reached to the gesture unit and grabbed hold of the agents' signals, her other hand wildly activating a quick trans-dimensional scan of a potential arrival point. Reaching down, she spun the quantum sphere and as soon as its surface became translucent, slammed her palm down.

Hayes waved goodbye with a wry smile as he, McCall and the remains of Shay were enveloped in light.

When the light dissipated, the three of them were back at their point of arrival, Shay's body continuing to leak formerly-vital fluids, which soaked into the cracks between the paving stones.

“Well that was a clusterfuck...” said McCall.

“All things considered, it could have been worse....” said Hayes, McCall's fist helping knock the last syllable out of his mouth.

“Shay is
fucking
dead, you stupid fuck!”

'We've got more problems than that...'
said Kali, scanning feeds from in-world television networks.
'That entire fuck up was broadcast live to the nation...'

“Did they get my good side?” asked Hayes, to a jolt of feedback pulsating through his brain.

'A real nice shot of you.'
Kali said.
'And a great big detailed shot of in-world metaleportation... You remember how this was meant to be a
covert
operation?'