Koko Martstellar , the assassinator - turned - brothel - owner , has starred in two futuristic adventure novel thus far , Koko Takes a vacation and Koko the Mighty . But what was she like back when she was just a scramble youthful bravo ? Here ’s an exclusive look at a brusk story from the former days of Koko .
THE MEAT CLOCK
Koko Martstellar dreams of firing .
Laddering flame .
Chugging rash of ash and sear disgraceful smoke .
A thud jar Koko awake : mechanically skillful brass knuckles tap on the translucent , blast - proof canopy directly above . pass over the last of sleep ’s gummy tentacles from her eyes , the canopy gets rap sharply again .
“ Martstellar , oh - three - hundred ! ”
Oh , for the love of …
It ’s her mission chief , an incus - lead Parisian known as Balzac . Built like an armoire and a former field of view operative , Balzac is n’t really a full - on severe case for the most part , but he does like to keep his crowd on schedule . Of course with a name like Balzac it was n’t a shock that some of Koko ’s fellow mercenaries drive to calling the prominent man “ Ballsack ” out of earshot . A judicious move that . Deride the huge , salty Frenchman to his grill ? Balzac could easy beat anyone to end with a few quick whips of his prosthetic right arm .
DUNK ! DUNK ! DUNK !
Koko nods to demonstrate she ’s awake and unbuckles her cross - strap stableness harnesses . Her bunkum ’s canopy lift with a short pneumatic hiss .
“ Let ’s go , ” Balzac state . “ Wakey , wakey . ”
Koko draw out herself into a sitting position . swinge her legs , she slips her socked foot into her boots . “ So , what ? No kiss ? ”
“ Pardon ? ”
“ I pronounce , no kiss ? I thought kip Beauty is always supposed to be awake with a kiss , Chief . ”
Glaring , Balzac ’s seahorse - similar mustache twitches . “ Va te faire mettre . In Perrault ’s original account there really never was a kiss . ”
“ Really ? ”
Balzac nod .
“ Wow . Never would ’ve peg you for the fairy tale type . ”
“ Let ’s go , on your foot , ” Balzac says . “ Municipal commerce zona , Tower Two . Relieve Hesketh on the sweeper weapon and check in when you ’re in the expansion slot . ”
Yawning , Koko give the big man a thumb - up and then watch as he log off and out of the barracks . Hopping to her feet , Koko strums her mid - department beneath her storage tank top and slouch her way across the room to tuck her gear wheel . stacks of other mercs snore aside in their buncombe tubes forgetful to her motion , rowing after row stacked to the ceiling like so much cord Mrs. Henry Wood . Koko wonder whether any , like her , are troubled by dreams of fire .
After hauling on her tactical case and body armor , Koko checks her pulse rifle . It believably is n’t necessary , but she packs two redundant speed clip out of habit and when all her gear mechanism is squared out , she activates the ocular implant forked into her right tabernacle . conciliate her cover , Koko then gives her face a brief once over in a small mirror taped to a bulkhead by the door . The gabardine of her green eyes are still pink . Man , she thinks , the dehydration on this desert op is gross out vote down me .
Two months ago , a Peruvian - base pudding stone known as OpTel International experience a catastrophic explosion in its Atacama Desert factory installing . The charge brief outlined what OpTel really meet there before the incident , but once Koko learned there ’d be minimal bio - hazard credits attached to her paystub she pretty much stopped giving a shit . thingumabob , smelted electric circuit - board scoria retrieved from the planet ’s scourge hot zone — did it even matter ? To her , a paycheck was a paycheck , and the line was dewy-eyed : secure the peace until OpTel ’s subcontractor got the manufactory back online .
pop off the soundproof barrack , the roar pear-shaped - the - clock percussion section of subcontractor ’ rebuild machinery is deafening . Being several 60 minutes before daybreak there ’s still a pall in the arid air so Koko call for a moment to engage her tactical suit ’s thermals . Her flesh warms and a lungful of pulverized grit forces a cough . spue to her side , a silvery beam from a survey kytoon hovering above blinds her momently . Registering her presence , the survey kytoon then go off , combing the land site ’s reconstructive progress and clouds of ever - present dust .
Seven proceedings afterward and after a long ravel climb , Koko finds Hesketh up in the box seat on Tower Two . Koko has been palliate Hesketh on the predawn teddy for the past five day straight and despite Hesketh ’s constant tongue - wagging , she ’s sort of taken a liking to him . Regal - bone with plum dark skin , the word around the campfire was Hesketh used to be a long gun with a phonograph record confirm kill shot of three thousand positive meters . For a sniper , having that variety of five - whizz stat on your curriculum vitae was telling , but Hesketh being on a non - disputative assignment and draw a particular with tripod - mounted sweeper had Koko scratching her head . On full - auto , a sweeper weapon system was designed to dissolve a crowd into library paste with a single gun trigger wring . Pretty strange work all in all for a long gun . Maybe Hesketh , like her , just needed the credits that came with an loose , mindless job .
“ Hey , Hesketh … ”
stay on the carpet sweeper , Hesketh clucks his tongue and does n’t become around .
“ You ’re late again , Martstellar . ”
“ good-for-nothing , ” Koko replies . “ I get here as presently as I could . ”
Hesketh snorts . “ As soon as you could , right . calculate anything Ballsack had to light your pilot to get you out of bed . ”
Koko stow her pulse rifle in the back of the box next to Hesketh ’s . “ So , has everything been on the up and up out there tonight ? ”
Hesketh rolls a shoulder . “ Other than Hg - madden so-and-so zip along the gutters , the Municipal Commerce Zone has been tight all dark . ”
“ fresh . ”
“ sugared nothing , ” Hesketh scorns . “ tiresome as all get out is what it is . Nox after nighttime , day after day , keeping spotter on this place is like watching paint dry . Although on the mend earlier I get wind there was some variety of ruction in the re - civ burrows . northeast quad , up along the glide . Seems some hump madden on the amylum drip mould felt cheat in a dice game and got all stabby . ”
“ Charming . ”
“ Hey , man , at least it ’s some action at law . ”
Koko steps onward , pink Hesketh on the shoulder , and like waltzing partners the two swap place . As Hesketh shuffles back , Koko runs her check on the sweeper . Beneath her armpit she can still feel Hesketh ’s residual heat on the weapon ’s oversize stock , and when she hears the chitter , telltale rasp of a lighter behind her , Koko lets out a lowly moan .
“ Hesketh … ”
“ What ? ”
“ Mind not broadcasting my silhouette ? ”
Hesketh express joy . “ Your silhouette ? Please . There ’s more than thirty - six hundred re - civs out there in those shale burrows . What , you think one of those cave - dwellers is suddenly go to get all brave and take a soda at us ? What ’re they going to utilise ? A sling - shot ? ”
“ Hey , man , hooey like that can happen . ”
“ Not in this hell it wo n’t , ” Hesketh counters . “ Those re - civs out there are cow through and through . Sure , I ’ve hear the rumors about labor dissidents and whatnot down here , but OpTel ’s techs support the land site ’s forensics . What happened here was an accident . Those animals ? Saboteurs ? Do n’t make me regurgitate . Those the great unwashed are not even overbold enough to stop drink the damn well water that get you retarded just looking at it . Hell , all those re - civs want is for the manufactory to get back online so they can cultivate , get paid , and drink themselves to death . ”
Koko sighs and put the sweeper in the cycle . Six o’clock , eight o’clock , up to twelve , all the direction around and then back again . She address the MCZ ’s tumble-down pre - fab building , the fence in rooftop , and checks the vantage points on the end of the commerce zone ’s bowling alley . Like the rebuild site , the MCZ is pumpkin vine - hued with overhead sodiums , and in under a minute Koko grant Hesketh ’s early assessment is spot on . Dullsville corporate . A building directly across from the towboat has a yellow layer sheet hanging from the upper windows with large , cherry-red letters spray - painted on it :
Koko continues her hertz . “ You believe everything you ’re tell , Hesketh ? ”
“ Hell , no . I ’m no cretin . ”
“ Well , have you ever considered that maybe OpTel is preserve what really happened here quiet on purpose ? ”
“ Oh , mercifulness , here we go again . What ’s with you , little girl ? Why is it always the paranoia with you , Martstellar ? ”
“ Paranoia keeps me incisive . ”
“ It keeps you fathead is what it does . ”
“ Anyway , ” Koko says , “ Paranoia or not , regulating say there ’s no smoke in the loge and you know it . If the heavy man finds out you ’re firing that crinkle peel up here , I ’m tell apart you , he will blow a valve . ”
Hesketh rebelliously puffs and puffs and fills the box seat with electrically scented daze . “ That former anuran , I ’m not afraid of him . If Balzac does n’t like my smoking flake up here he can buss my buns . Goddamn , girl , how many rebuilds have you been on anyway ? ”
“ This is my third non - combative . ”
“ And you ’re ride me for a smoke when I ’m knock off my shift ? It ’s what I always thought . You ’re nothing but a mission puppy . ”
“ Excuse me ? ”
“ You . You ’re a delegation whelp . Still wet behind the ear and all that tight sphincter hoo - ha . You still have n’t figured out that regulations on these affairs are for all-day sucker . ”
“ Look , the rules are the rules , Hesketh . ”
“ Rules . They could have fix scrap bots doing this watch employment for looters , and it would be a hell of a flock cheaper too . ”
“ OpTel wanted a strong-arm front . And anyway , for the phonograph recording I ’m not some mission whelp . ”
“ You get to be my age everybody under twenty - five is a missionary station puppy . ”
“ Oh , really ? Well , maybe later you and me can take a spin to sort it all out . ”
“ Whoa . Is that an invitation ? ”
“ Might be . ”
Amused , Hesketh chortle . “ You know , I ’ve seen you cage sparring in the fitness center . No doubt you ’ve got some serious moves , but if you ’ve yield aid you might ’ve find that I do too . What class you tiger fight anyway ? Bantam ? ”
“ Fly . ”
“ Not exactly fair if you really are serious about a tussle . But hey , maybe it ’s more of a societal grapple you ’re pining for . ”
Koko peek back at Hesketh and agitate her head . “ Seriously ? You ’re coming onto me ? Sheesh , you ’re not my type , Hesketh . ”
“ Oh , so you do n’t shift and escape from burnt umber hetero ? ”
“ I do n’t transfer and shake with tug , period . ”
As if he ’s been slay by an arrow , Hesketh clutches his chest and embellishes a low moan . “ Aww , cutie pie , why you got to go and dash my hopes like that ? And here I thought you were warming to my charisma . ”
Koko intercept the side of her head . With a yaw of her eyeball , she activates her optic implant and transport back to Balzac at operations . “ Martstellar in the box , Tower Two , MCZ . ”
Balzac substantiate with a blip of pulsating overlay code across Koko ’s line of products of vision as Hesketh sits down and shoot a line heater rings at the boxwood ’s roof .
“ So , when ’re you rotating out ? ” he asks .
Koko licks her lips and extend to move the sweeper ’s sight in a pattern on the MCZ . “ Not for another month , ” she says .
“ A whole calendar month ? Hell , this office will be up and run for in two calendar week the way this rebuild is going . ”
“ That may be , but I signed on for the full estimate , ” Koko explain . “ I ’m in for the breakdown and the gear wad - up too . What can I say ? I want the credit . ”
“ Do n’t we all , ” Hesketh says , “ but I curse , another month in this wasteland and I think I might just screw up my brains out . These automobile , its like watching emmet rebuild a Alfred Hawthorne . ”
“ Beats take on live fire . ”
“ dead on target , but first channel out day after tomorrow I ’m , like , touch . That ’s correct . I ’m headed for some real red-hot legal action up Brazil - way for a proper credit payday . Unlike you , I kept my touch options undefended . ”
“ Surprised someone like you is here anyway . ”
“ How so ? ”
“ see you were a long gun . ”
Hesketh idly fish - lip another grass ring . “ Yeah , ” he sound out , “ I was , but that was a long metre ago back before I got shot . Got me some major yips now that I just ca n’t seem to shake . ” He holds out the crinkle - chip joint and blows on the cherry . “ Hence , my choice of medical specialty . ”
“ Where ? ”
“ Where what ? ”
“ Where did you get shot ? ”
“ Are we talking torso - fresh or locale ? ”
“ The latter . ”
“ J - burg . A skyscraper siege . take a round in the shoulder joint . ”
“ What fall out ? ”
Hesketh exploit his spliff . “ Raktell International ’s skill of Valcum Fluid Controls is what come about . Pretty good graduated table as Johannesburg has been a evidence warzone since , like , forever . Kind of a long story , but I ended up in a African tea and mouse with some Croat - based sharpie working for Valcum . ”
“ unsound scene ? ”
“ Not too unsound , but that Croat fucker was present . I do n’t cognise . I reckon I was n’t patient enough . See , in a sniper standoff it ’s always the little thing that bankrupt your daylight . Flinch a twosome of millimeters out of position and it ’s lights out . Guess I was lucky . lowly round of drinks vaporize my spouse ’s mind like a piñata . I still experience kind of sorry about that . ”
“ And now you have the yips . ”
“ Yeah , so no more bolt from the blue work for ol’ Hesketh . I still get called in for the occasional training academic session , though . ”
Koko laughs . “ You ? A instructor ? Far out . ”
“ With the Newton apostle exponent - coefficient I ’m downright eye-popping . ”
Hesketh gets up and take a few more indolent draws on his smoke before he tamp down it out on the sole of his boot . plunk up his pulsing rifle from the back of the box seat , he heads for the tug run just as Balzac crashes in on Koko ’s ocular .
“ Martstellar , you there ? ”
Koko tap in . “ Go ahead , Chief . ”
“ There ’s motion on the thermals . ” A crackle of unchanging sizzles in Koko ’s skull . “ Three hundred measure , right side magnetic north , land level . Curry yielding with the rolled - back awning , over . ”
Koko situate the curry store in the carpet sweeper ’s sights . “ Copy that . Count ? ”
“ Two , ” Balzac say . “ But the thermal scans went glum before analytics complain in . gibe rollback and subcontractor data stream , standby . Data overlay in two . ”
“ Go for overlay . ”
Hesketh steps behind Koko as she lines up the sweeper . “ What ’s break down on ? ”
Koko raises her chin . “ Balzac says there ’s possibles three hundred time on the right field . Four door up from the second bowling alley , the curry joint . ” Koko taps the side of her head once more and reviews the overlays sent from Balzac . The bleary yellow physical body are almost sphere - like before they inexplicably disappear .
Hesketh retrieve a band of binoculars from a ledge and lifts them to his eyes . Koko peek at him .
“ I ’ve get this , Hesketh . ”
Hesketh does n’t lower the opera glasses . “ And what , escape all this ? Uh - uh , no way . Possibles in the MCZ is beget me hard . How the thermals look ? ”
“ Couple of blobs so there ’s estrus , ” Koko says , “ but the shapes are off . ” Koko taps the side of her top dog . “ Here , I ’ll prey them to you . ”
“ Man , ” Hesketh allege after a quick study , “ that ’s freaky . One 2nd they ’re there and the next , nothing . ” He replays the thermal visuals again . “ Huh . Too big to be brush wolf . Maybe codification cryptographic hindrance ? ”
“ Balzac would ’ve said so by now . ”
“ So , did the gaffer give you a immature light ? ”
“ OpTel wants to keep infrastructure damage in the MCZ on the lower limit , so no . ”
“ There you go with those blamed formula again . ”
Hesketh and Koko wait in silence for a solid minute until the chief updates .
“ have your position , ” Balzac advises .
“ Hesketh is still with me in the box seat , ” Koko says . “ Request license to check out possibles out on foot , over . ”
Hesketh and Koko exchange looks . When Balzac responds there ’s amplify temper in both their ears .
“ Hesketh ? ! ” Balzac squawks . “ What ’s he still doing up there ? Negative . I repeat , negative . Both of you remain put and keep your eyes undetermined . ”
“ Copy that , ” Koko tell .
Hesketh break a fist on Koko ’s shoulder .
“ pretend I ’m keeping you company , ” he enunciate .
*
At zero - six - hundred , Hesketh and Koko stand at attention in the briefing elbow room . Balzac sits at a desk and for what looks like the umpteenth time retrospect their legal action report on a projection screen in front of him . Koko ’s ears are live . Pulling this dramatic play , making her and Hesketh lather . Her opinion of Balzac may be vacillating , but Koko has definitely alter her respect for Hesketh who is literally vacillate with rage just to her right hand . As before long as they ’re absolved of the briefing room , she plans on kicking Hesketh ’s fucking seven fashion from Sunday .
“ I am deleting you from this action mechanism reputation , Hesketh , ” Balzac says . “ As far as OpTel ’s on - website record are occupy , Martstellar was solo on Tower Two so it ’s her kill . ”
Hesketh ’s eyes bulge in full skepticism .
“ With all due respect , Chief , ” Hesketh says , “ I think I merit a little acknowledgement on this military action . ”
Balzac arches an eyebrow . “ Oh , is that a fact ? ”
“ Yeah , Chief , it is . Plus , it should ’ve been two kill out there not one . But this one here , she flaked . ”
“ And break open your backtalk on the face of it , ” Balzac adds .
Hesketh shoots a cold , venomous look at Koko and licks his egotistic upper lip . “ I contrive on register a grievance . ”
Balzac ’s eye do n’t move from the project screen . He flexes his metallic helping hand , which looks to Koko like the mean Cancer the Crab in the Earth .
“ Feel free , ” Balzac says . “ But before you do you might want to re - read your contract . All grievances on this assigning go through me . ”
“ Meaning what ? ” Hesketh asks .
“ Meaning get out of my sight , ” Balzac replies .
Hesketh stares at both of them before he pivots clean and stomp out of the briefing elbow room . A reverberating bang wallops just after he slams the threshold close and from the phone of it , it ’s either a fist or a stage hitting something hard just out of doors .
Balzac snap out a prosthetic finger .
“ Sit down , Martstellar . ”
Koko drags a potty from the back of the briefing way and plants herself across from the boss . Balzac leans away from the projection screen and settles in his hot seat .
“ I have no idea where those two re - civs secured jumper cable blanket , ” he says , “ but you screw what you ’ve done here . ”
“ Yes , Chief . ”
“ You made a bad call . You should have liquidated both targets , because that ’s your job . You let sentiment fog your judgment , and looters are raider , no exceptions . The parameter of our contract here and yours specifically are absolved . You pull up a stunt like this again , and I rely I will put it in your record and recommend forfeit . Is that understood ? ”
“ I have find out worse , ” Balzac says shifting a bit . “ Done worse , in fact . No doubtfulness in your career you will see and be required to do worse . That old man out there , he pushed that female child into the line of fire to save his own misfortunate skin , but you just let her run off . ”
“ Rancid soya bean shortening , Chief . ”
Balzac purse his lips . “ Calories are calories when you are starving . I repeat , they were looters . There are no exclusion . ”
Koko swallows and nods . “ Was there a name ? ”
“ The dead re - civ . The old man I killed . Has he been identified ? ”
“ Does it even matter ? ”
“ I ’d care to know . ”
Balzac slides his eyes to a petty file on the projection screen . “ stock scrape say the target was Yordy Malinas , age sixty - seven . Living here for close to a decade and before that whereabouts unnamed . turgid family ties to the area obviously , but who knows what that even means any longer . You desire to know the real kicker ? Blood scratch indicates Malinas had bladder cancer and would n’t have lasted another month . You did him a favor . ”
“ Gee , I feel so much better . ”
“ You being smart ? ”
“ No , Chief . ”
Balzac sighs , come together the files , and can the projection cover . “ reckon , with any lot this incident wo n’t nettle up the node and if it does , I will cut through for you . ”
“ Thank you , Chief . So , am I dismissed ? ”
“ That look . ”
“ Depends on what ? ”
Balzac ’s eyes naughtily flick toward the door . “ On what you are planning to do to Hesketh after you allow for . ”
Koko looks over her shoulder at the door and then back at the foreman . Balzac ’s mustache tic and all at once she catch the man ’s drift . Koko mulls it over .
“ You ’ll need clock time to get a buzz going , ” she says .
“ Oh , the buzz is already going . A good fight with the likes of you and Hesketh ? I ’m thinking that sort of affair will be a bonfire for esprit de corps . ”
“ Permission to stand ? ”
Balzac nod and Koko rear .
“ I think I can draw it out if you want . Let him take a few shot . Make it look undecomposed . ”
“ Of course , but nothing too obvious . ”
“ Naturally . ” Koko crack her metacarpophalangeal joint . “ So , um , what ’s the seam ? ”
Balzac bear on to his feet . “ As of justly now , the line is in your favour , but me ? I ’m more interested in the side natural action . First rip , contact points , put-down , the whole software system . ”
“ Any hazard you could lay a few side bets for me ? ”
“ I can , ” Balzac says , “ but be warned . You ’re a in effect champion , one of the good I have ever seen , but do not underestimate Hesketh . That man has touch and is well seasoned . ”
Koko grins slenderly . “ I like my essence well season , Chief . ”
Balzac New York minute . “ Oh , I bet you do , ma chère . I just wager you do . ”
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