He Battled the Gunman
Sybrus Brayne lay on the ground, thoughts racing through his head. He had recognized treachery the second of the gunshot, but had no time to react. At the very back of his jaw, he was bleeding profusely. The bullet had struck a point where metal still extended up to his face, shattering and twisting it agonizingly into his flesh.
At the instant of impact, he had thrown himself to the ground, his mechanical half bursting into a mad chorus of ‘I told you so’. Two more gunshots struck the earth just inches awa, sending tiny sprays of dirt onto Sybrus. He froze, his only movement a slow, creeping shift of his left hand towards his collapsed staff. It closed on the object. Sybrus’ whole body tensed.
A faint laugh came from the direction of the bar door, the assailant grinning widely.
“Sybrus, Sybrus, Sybrus, you should’ve learned to never take a man’s word at stakes like these. Good night.”
Sybrus’ mechanical fingers held the tiny baton as tightly as they could, deadly still in anticipation.
Gunshot.
With inhuman reflexes, his mechanical arm telescoped the staff, extending it to full length faster than the eye could follow. With a click, the flattened blades in the tips extended, spinning perfectly into position to meet the bullet. With a sharp metallic ring, the bullet deflected back at its origin.
Kyle gave a shout and leapt to the side. The bullet passed wide of him, embedding itself in the wooden door. Sybrus scrambled to his feet, assuming a defensive stance.
“Gentleman?” asked the cyborg, blood still dripping from his jaw.
“I’ve heard worse said of me.”
Kyle began to slowly back towards the door. Sybrus leapt at him in an astonishing burst of speed, twirling his staff and striking Kyle’s gun away as it fired, burying the bullet into the packed earth. The cyborg resumed his bent stance, reaching back with his mechanical leg to pull the door shut.
“This is between us. Don’t try to get anyone else in the way.”
The two figures stood frozen, daring each other to make the next move.
“Well, have it your way then.” said Kyle flatly. With a deft motion, he pulled another pistol out of his deep pockets and fired both. Sybrus hurled himself to the side, bouncing off a wall then hurling himself back towards Kyle. A window shattered somewhere as another two shots were fired. Sybrus swung his staff down at Kyle’s hands, causing him to dodge, swinging back to harshly whip Sybrus’ face. The cyborg followed through on his previous swing, spinning around stabbing the end of his staff into Kyle’s gut. Being a cutting and not a stabbing weapon, the blow did little more than wind him and break the skin.
Grunting, Kyle swung his right arm again at Sybrus, who ducked the blow only to be hit by a bullet from Kyle’s second pistol. It ricocheted off Sybrus’ left leg and out of sight.
Struggling in the darkness, illuminated only by the yellow light of the bar windows, the two exchanged a harsh, tactical series of blows. Kyle, conserving his ammunition, repeatedly used his guns to block Sybrus’ attacks, with significant effect. The staff, while deadly swift and sharp, had very little mass of its own, and could be quickly decelerated by the dense, metal in Kyle’s improvised weapons.
Sybrus sought to create an opening to land a solid blow on his opponent, or to force him to use his remaining bullets. Kyle sought to take Sybrus off balance, lifting the seemingly bulletproof shield provided by machined reflexes and that damned weapon of his.
Blow met block and strike, as the two opponents attempted to outwit and outmaneuver each other, to take positions of decisive advantage. Both were fighting in uncomfortable turf- Kyle knew that his stamina was quickly running out, and Sybrus’ penchant for improvisation had deserted him, both of his minds focused firmly on survival.
Sybrus, having fallen into a pattern, suddenly switched up, feigning an overhead blow at Kyle’s head before suddenly withdrawing. Kyle swung in reaction, only to have a sudden redirection knock the pistol out of his left hand. Diving forward and somersaulting past Kyle, Sybrus spun around as he rose on the other side of his rival. His bladed staff spun around just as Kyle was beginning to turn around, both guns ready to fire. With deadly accuracy, the blade cut the backs of his tensed knees. Kyle cried out in pain, falling back to the ground. Sybrus rose, pulling his staff back for a finishing blow just as Kyle’s tumbling roll came to an end. Rolling over onto his back, Kyle extended his right arm and fired.
The aim was true- the bullet flew straight through Sybrus’ living arm.
“Agh!” Sybrus shouted and stumbled, and his mechanical half could not correct for the sudden motion- the blade struck the ground just beside Kyle’s head. Scrambling, Kyle’s right arm wrapped around the staff, holding it between his arm and body as he aimed for one final shot.
Sybrus had no time to think. He twisted the staff, and wrenched it out. It held for a moment, then slid free with a slick, visceral noise.
Kyle screamed in pain. Blood splashed along the blade, and Sybrus saw the man’s right hand hanging only by a few pieces of raw skin and sinew. Kyle writhed, twisting his body around and struggling to hold back further outbursts, while Sybrus stood motionless, planting his staff in the ground and breathing heavily.
“It’s over, Kyle.”
The man lying on the ground looked pitiable, as if all of his injuries over the past weeks were suddenly taking this moment to reveal themselves. A pool of blood spread around his legs, and another one was rapidly growing from his right hand.
Sybrus spoke again.
“It’s over. I can get you to the tower, they can heal you there.”
Kyle, wincing and holding back tears of pain, nodded weakly.
“But that’s not why it’s over, Kyle, and I’m going to tell you why. You know, I have believed for most of my life that there’s something more about humanity. Something that ties us all together, no matter who or what we are. Whether we’re weak or strong, brave or cowardly, wise or foolish... or even not physically human,” he murmured, looking introspectively at his clicking mechanical arm, “...we are all tied together by our connections to each other. Our eternal spirit of cooperation, of camaraderie, whatever you want to call it. That’s why I don’t tend to kill people, Kyle. Because no matter who you are, you still have that human element, that capacity to befriend, to care, to love... and I won’t destroy that.
But there’s one kind of person that I can’t stand. Someone who’s duplicitous. Someone who’s a liar. Someone who, when push comes to shove, cares nothing about anyone else. The people who would divide up all of humanity, with thoughts only of personal gain. Someone who would take someone’s best intentions and use them against them. That kind of person has surrendered their spark of humanity, and I hate and pity them.
I know that you’re expecting me to spare you, to lower my defenses and bring you to safety.... but...” several dull-coloured sensors on his mechanical body flashed red, “I see that gun that you’re hiding behind your back, Kyle, and I’m not going to let you fire it.”
Kyle’s eyes widened. His cover blown, he desperately tried to pull out the concealed weapon- but he was not fast enough. Sybrus’ staff slid swiftly across the ground, cutting clean through Kyle’s neck. The body went limp, and Sybrus stood still for a long time, staring down at Kyle’s unblinking eyes. The mysteries of the man who had once possessed them slowly sank away into their unseen depths.
A dry wind blew through the street, and Sybrus turned, quietly following it into the darkness. The body rested where it lay.
A wise move, considering how late it is now and how it would affect overall judging.
