22

The RickerResources Building

“Please look for yourself, sir. Here’s the footage.” The Unnamed presented a computer in his palm, projecting an image into the air between them. “There, sir. An IR image of the girl, with the scar your son gave her, and positive I.D. through pattern recognition, sir, according to the broadcast.”

“But those don’t look like Fiends to me. They look like ordinary bums. And there are so many of them, right out in the open.”

“Yes, sir. Other cameras show them coming from different directions within the Zone. We’re not sure who they are—the facescans we’ve been able to do from the footage have produced no matches. The government system might have more useful information, though, with access to the public brain bank. One of those thousands of interconnected brains will recognize someone in the crowd, certainly. But we are relatively certain the girl is the one who killed young Matt, sir.”

Ricker nodded. “They’re right outside the goddamned fence. Make sure you’re adequately prepared this time.”

“Yes, sir.”

Underground

“Dok!” the Subject croaked, struggling for breath. “Dok! Knockout gas! Knockout gas in the warehouse … nobody came back out. I was sent to find you.”

“All right,” Dok said. “Locate the Prophet. I need some of the substance we used when a couple Subjects had food poisoning. Get that from him and have it brought to me up above. And some rope, too, or maybe a long stick with a loop of rope or fabric on the end. Anything we can use to try and pull them out of there.”

Inside Agent Daiss’s brain

“I’m sending you the footage, Agent Daiss,” Samuelson’s image said. “It’s her, all right. Get over there and take Agent Jakeel with you. I’ll send a few of your Zeta Brothers and Sisters over to help you, but you’ve got to wrap this up before she slips away again. We need it known that Zeta always accomplishes its missions.”

“Yes, sir.”

An outdoor area of the CBD, next to a maintenance shed

“Drink some of this,” Dok said, holding a small cup in front of Old Fart’s face.

Old Fart did not respond. He sat slumped against the wall, his eyes dull and unfocused.

A handful of Subjects knelt next to the others who had fallen. Dok nodded in their direction. “Some kind of gas was released in the warehouse, and it left you all unconscious. These folks pulled you out.” He took Old Fart’s chin gently with his free hand and poured the thick, gray extract into his mouth. “This may help flush the toxins out of your system.”

Old Fart sputtered, wasting about half of what Dok had poured. Dok released him. “Just let that stuff sit on your gums—it might work faster that way, anyway.” He moved to Lawrence, pouring a few drops into his mouth.

Lawrence’s face contorted in disgust at the unpleasant taste. “What is that?”

“Hmm. You seem pretty cognizant already. You’re recovering much faster than Old Fart or the Subjects who went in with you. You’re young and Golden so I guess that’s what I’d expect. There was gas—”

Gunshots sounded from over where Eadie was leading her protest. “Somebody’s shooting!” Dok said. Lawrence groggily turned his head toward the noise.

“Drink this!” Dok said. Lawrence obeyed.

Dok went down the line, pouring the Prophet’s mixture into the mouth of each Subject but none of them responded at all. “C’mon people!” Dok said. “This mission’s over. We gotta get back to the train tunnel before security finds us all just sitting here.”

“ATTENTION!” Unseen loudspeakers echoed around the CBD. “ATTENTION! THERE IS A VIOLENT DISTURBANCE AND SECURITY THREAT OUTSIDE THE EAST GATE. THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT IS BEING EVACUATED AT THIS TIME.

“REPEAT: THE CBD IS BEING EVACUATED. FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS OF SECURITY PERSONNEL AS YOU EXIT YOUR BUILDINGS IN AN ORDERLY MANNER.”

The Federal truck

“That’s her,” Daiss said. “Obvious. Even in an IR shot under that face cover. That’s the one we’re after.” He mentally reached for his EI and whispered quick instructions, making the image disappear. “You watch yours while I drive.”

“Looks like Ricker’s ahead of us on this one,” Jakeel said. “Live cameras show a big mess of Unnamed. CBD security was standing on the CBD side but they scattered when the blacksuits showed up and started shooting out through the fence. The girl’s in a crowd of people. Mostly vagrants, looks like, and some assorted riffraff from the Zone. The Unnamed are mowing them all down.”

Daiss sped up. “Those cameras are closed to the news stations by now, at least?”

“I think so. Incoming call,” Jakeel said.

Daiss felt the turbulence, too. He authorized his EI and the image of Instructor Samuelson appeared, floating in front of the truck. Not a particularly safe driving practice, but Instructor Samuelson was entitled to more of his attention than audio only would allow.

“Hello, sir,” Daiss said, splitting his attention between the image in his brain and the uneven pavement he was driving over.

“I wanted to give you a little news before the dispatch did,” Samuelson said. “I’m sending more Zetas to assist you—in fact, I’m sending the entire Task Force.”

“Sir, we’re already aware of the UE presence at the scene—”

“Yes, I knew you would be. I won’t send you the image of this because I don’t want to distract you any more than necessary and I certainly don’t want you to stop driving. But there are developments that warrant the attention of our Brethren.”

Daiss glanced sideways at Jakeel. The emphasis made it clear: Fiend activity.

“You’re redirecting us, sir? Where should I head?”

“You are right on course, Brother Daiss. The development is headed straight down Thirty-fifth Street—running in the open, in the middle of the street. Get there and set up an ambush—then hold your positions until the reinforcments arrive.”

Leaving the Central Business District

Ricker struck the much larger man across the cheek with the back of his hand before he climbed through the truck door his top Unnamed was holding open. The man jumped into his own seat and started driving without a word.

“First you fail to kill this fucking waitress,” Ricker said. “And now she’s outside the CBD with an angry mob and I’m being evacuated! The whole CBD is being cleared out because you couldn’t complete this simple task! Maybe I should have a team of waitresses take care of business for this company from now on!”

“Sir, the evacuation is precautionary. It was initiated in part because our Unnamed have begun using their weapons, but also because a large group of Fiends appears to be running this way. Since she has been aided by Fiends in the past, we recommend that you comply with the evacuation, sir.”

“A waitress and a Fiend army,” he said. “Running toward the CBD.” He looked out the window as the man drove out the north gate, clenching a fist to keep his hand from shaking.

And maybe coming for me.

Outside the Central Business District

Bodies of Subjects and Zone dwellers fell as bloody heaps on the gravel just outside the CBD’s electric fence. A hand grabbed Eadie’s shirt: Rosa.

“They come behind!” she shouted, gesturing frantically. “Behind!”

Eadie nodded. The cloth that had covered her head now bunched around her neck and she whipped it off. Some of the Unnamed had come through the gate and were sweeping around to attack from the rear. She reached behind her back and pulled from under her clothing the Federal handgun Ernesto had reworked for her. She pushed Rosa out of the way and leveled her weapon. The gun erupted in her hand, its terrible metal-ripping reverberation nearly shocking her into dropping it. The two Unnamed who had attempted to flank the mob collapsed. The weapon’s shriek echoed back from buildings.

She ran across the street, stepping over shreds of placards and spots oily with blood and ruined flesh. The sky was increasingly gray and cloudy, and now little specks of rain stung her eyes, making it harder to avoid the slippery debris. “This way!” she said, “Back to the Zone side!” The group made it a few running steps before more Unnamed popped out from cover and resumed shooting. Protesters dropped on every side as she led them further down the street.

“You give me other gun,” Rosa said. “I kill them!”

“Can’t!” Eadie shouted. “I only have one!” She’d told all Subject protesters to leave weapons behind, for fear of infrared cameras picking them up, but made an exception for this one to quiet her own fears. Was it possible that she had drawn this violent response by bringing it?

She aimed and fired, sweeping the roaring gun from right to left. More Unnamed fell but others immediately replaced them. She turned down a side street and what remained of the crowd followed her.

Doesn’t matter now. We’d all be dead without it.

Ambush above Thirty-fifth Street

“You can see what’s happening, Instructor,” Daiss said. “They’re coming right toward the ambush. About a hundred, running down the street like you said. Easily in range of the Tridents, sir, but we’re waiting until they’re within Gloria range so we can send more to the Lord with a full-auto first shot …”

“And here they come …” Daiss whispered.

He released a thunderous blast from his new Gloria-6 and the Fiends vanished.

(?)

Green. Bright green, even with the day so gray. A Corporate Green pellet of ground cover, with others all around it. So beautiful. Old Fart stared at it—at them. The sound of nearby gunfire barely registered in his consciousness.

“Sir?” Lawrence said, shaking Old Fart’s shoulder.

“What’s happening?” Old Fart asked.

“The plan failed, Old Fart, sir,” Lawrence said. “We’re hiding from the security guards.”

Old Fart put his palms over his face, rubbing his eyes. “What?”

Lawrence took a breath. “We were knocked out. Dok came up with a few new Subjects—the ones standing and trying to help him now—and got us out. He can’t awaken the Subjects from our team because they’re so little and so weak—”

Shots rang out from near the security building—single shots this time. A few of the standing Subjects fell to the ground, twitching and bleeding. Lawrence grabbed Old Fart’s hand, pulled him up and dragged him around the corner of the building. They crowded close to the wall with Dok and two Subjects. More shots came, some slamming into the building. No more Subjects came around the corner.

“I saw them,” Old Fart said weakly. “CBD security. Maybe ten of them, coming toward us from the direction of the train station.”

Outside the CBD

“Forget the manholes!” Eadie said. “Just hide!”

She ran toward the nearest doorway, leaving the dead Subjects where they had been shot while trying to climb back underground. Rosa followed Eadie. The Subjects tried desperately to conceal themselves as the UE worked their way closer. Eadie shot back, and two more black-suited figures were reduced to pulp.

Still more UE came running. Eadie’s gun clicked, empty.