Chapter 9 · Toxic Payday

"Move, Voss!" Jesse shoved Valerie sideways as the mutant's hooked arm smashed through the spot where her head had been.

The impact cracked the arena wall. Concrete dust burst across the pit, mixing with green poison vapor that burned Jesse's throat every time he breathed.

Valerie hit the floor, rolled, and came up with her pistol already aimed. "You shoved me."

"You're welcome."

"Do it again and I'll shoot you myself."

"Get in line."

The mutant tore its arm free. Metal cables snapped across its shoulders. A dozen stolen cards glowed beneath its skin, their blue-white symbols sliding over its body like bad code.

It had once been a man. Jesse could still see the remains of a black Board uniform stretched under the armor plates. The face was worse. Too many lenses. Too many twitching wires. A brass identification tag hung from its collar.

AUDIT RECOVERY UNIT 7.

Valerie saw it too. Her mouth tightened.

"That's not a pit fighter," she said.

"No kidding."

"It's a retrieval shell. Board property."

"Then tell your property to stop trying to fold me in half."

The shell opened its mouth. Three voices came out at once.

"Unauthorized deck resonance detected.