Closer To Home: Chapter Four

"No reason to get excited,"
The thief, he kindly spoke
"There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
But you and I, we've been through that
And this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour's getting late"
Bob Dylan - All Along The Watchtower

Start Here.

It was shaped a bit like an egg. It flew end over end towards the dimly lit second floor plasteel window. It smacked into the window with an oddly wet noise. It exploded softly and clung there. On the inside the man sleeping next to the window stood up and looked outside.

"Hey guys, something sh..." He managed to get out before the grenade released a neutron radiation pulse into the room. The noise was considerable but the lights in the rest of the house didn't come on. Korvan and Hallan waited outside the house beside the front door on either side.

The house was, fortunately, all on it's own in the rural district, and the commotion they were about to cause was unlikely to disturb anyone else. Hallan was glad of that, he didn't have permits for public disturbance.

Hallan nodded to Korvan as the door opened.

"James?" The man said as he stuck his head just outside the door.

Korvan's thermal pulse laser caught the man in the temple and Hallan was already moving to take a position inside the doorway. Korvan rushed inside as well and took up a position opposite Hallan in the hall, who then moved down the hall to the living room. Hallan's silenced pistol fired twice and Korvan moved up the hall to provide cover. He noticed a body draped across a center table and on the couch.

Someone moved from the kitchen into the living room, firing a gauss pistol along the way. The impact of the round to his chest barely fazed Hallan as he fired a single shot at the man, who dropped immediately.

"Helmets on," Korvan said quickly, as the armor sprang up and formed a protective shield around their heads. Korvan moved ahead of Hallan and crouched in the entryway of the kitchen. Hallan then moved ahead of him and trained his gun up the stairway in the kitchen.

Hallan barely had time to notice the movement when a huge flash of light came flying down the stairs, bathing Hallan in brightly glowing fire. Hallan muttered to himself and looked at Korvan, who just smiled.

"Plasma rifles in close quarters, fucking brilliant," Hallan said, making his way up the smoking stairway. As he reached the top the smoking body of their assailant lay next to his rifle.

As Korvan walked by the body, he released a pulse from his laser pistol into the it for good measure. Hallan pointed at the door to the already cleared room, and then pointed at the only other upstairs room. Korvan kicked open the door of the room they'd thrown the grenade at and they both stood against the wall on either side of the door. Both men looked at their guns and then at each other. Hallan put his pistol into it's holster and pulled a Katana from his back. Korvan pulled a handle from his belt and flicked it outwards. A dark black blade formed immediately, while the handle hummed. Korvan turned the sword sideways and looked down the blade.

"You always gotta one up me, don't you," Hallan said quietly, a bit of a smirk on his face.

"I don't spend any time on stations man, I can use a mono blade," Korvan effortlessly stabbed his sword through the wall and looked at Hallan, "But yeah, yeah I do,"

The Korvan went through the door and sliced the other bedroom door off it's hinges in a moment as Hallan quickly followed him into the bedroom. A man lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, not moving.

Hallan walked up to him and poked his shoulder with his sword. The man sat up immediately and screamed.

"What the fuck man?" The man still looked rather out of it as Korvan poked him again, "You want some fucking boosters man? You're dead. My boys'll come through that door any minute now and kill your sorry ass," The man chuckled and blinked a few times.

"Horane Besaka right?" As Hallan asked, the man nodded. Hallan nodded himself and said "I've been looking for you,"

"You... you need information?" The man asked quietly.

"Kinda," Hallan switched his sword to his right hand and grabbed the man by the hair.

"Oh fuck, don't!" The man screamed and began to cry.

"Jeez, a Brutor without a backbone. I'm not going to kill you, ya big pansy," Hallan looked up at Korvan, "Cut his head off,"

"On it," Korvan replied raising his humming sword.