34 Old Friends, New Enemies

We embraced.

“So you climbed the corporate ladder and took over the biggest cartel in the world,” I said.

“It’s amazing what you can do with a little electricity,” Torstyn said.

“Or controlled microwaves,” Ostin said.

Torstyn looked at Ostin. “I’ve missed you.”

Ostin turned to me. “Is he being sarcastic?”

Torstyn laughed.

“No, I think he means it,” I said.

“Of course I do,” Torstyn said. “You’ve been busy down here. I’m hearing all sorts of stories about the electric people causing havoc in Puerto. Speaking of, I want to thank you for taking out the Chasqui. They’ve been a thorn in my side since the day I took charge. After you took them out, we took control of the original Starxource plant. It’s good to have that facility and runway.”

“So glad we could help you profit off the death and destruction of others,” Nichelle said.

I shot her an angry glance. She was right, of course. But we’d known what Torstyn was doing before we’d come to him. We weren’t looking to make more enemies. We were at war, and, as they say, war makes for strange bedfellows. I would say that there was history between Torstyn and Nichelle, but, considering her role with Hatch, Nichelle had a history with everyone. Torstyn had just never gotten over it.

“There was a time when we almost called you for help,” Quentin said. “The Chasqui almost ended us.”

“I would have been there for you,” he said. “Not just for our business interests, which obviously we had, but you’re my friends.” He looked at Nichelle. “Well, maybe not you.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Nichelle said.

“What brings you to my neck of the woods?” he asked.

“Abigail was kidnapped,” I said.

“By whom?”

“A group of electrics that live in this area. They call themselves the colony.”

His face fell. “Oh.”

“I take it you know them.”

“No one knows them. But everyone in the VRAEM knows of them. And fears them.”

“That’s impressive,” Quentin said. “It’s like being the toughest guy in the prison yard.”

“That’s exactly what it’s like,” Torstyn said. “No one who goes near them ever comes back. No one. I’ve lost at least a dozen men.”

“What’s your dealings with them?” I asked.

“As little as possible. Fortunately, they mostly keep to themselves. Like you said, they’re electrics—spawns of Hatch. Like us. I’m the only one who really knows who they are and what they’re capable of, but my men are terrified of them. Half of the men think they’re demons from the underworld. The other half think they’re demigods. They’ve demonstrated enough of their power to create legends. People fear the unknown.”

“Look how far you made it with your power,” Zeus said.

“My point. And there’s just one of me. There are dozens of them. So our dealings? Not good. We pay them a fee to use our own runway. It’s ironic. We’re usually the ones doing the extorting, but here they extort us.”

“It’s tough being a drug dealer,” Nichelle said. “I’d better find a tissue so I can cry for you.”

Torstyn glared at her angrily. I’m sure if it had been one of his own people, he would have had her killed. “What did you say?”

“You heard me.”

He pointed at her. “Don’t try me.”

“Or what?”

“Nichelle, stop it,” I said. “I mean it.” I turned back to Torstyn. “What happens if you don’t pay?”

He slowly looked away from Nichelle. “Then the plane never leaves the ground. Either that or it doesn’t land in one piece.”

“You’re saying they have an electric like Tanner?” Tara asked.

“No. The plane’s not damaged. Just the pilots. They’re found dead with blood coming from their ears.”

“That sounds like you tried not paying them,” Ostin said.

“Once. It was a bad idea. In addition to killing our pilots, they destroyed six of our storage units holding hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of product. Then, to further punish us, they doubled their fee. I found it’s more cost effective to just pay them.”

“Why don’t you build another runway somewhere else?” Tara asked.

“They’d know about it before it was even finished. They know everything. Then, no doubt they’d raise their fee even more. We write it off as a cost of doing business, like bribing judges and cops.”

“How do they know what you’re doing?” Taylor asked.

“They have eyes and ears everywhere. And they have some very powerful Glows.”

“Maybe there are informants inside your camp,” Taylor said.

“That’s possible too.” He looked at us. “There are always traitors inside an organization this big. I could use someone like Ian or Taylor to watch over things.”

“And we could use your manpower,” I said. “Maybe we could make a deal. We could help you vet your associates, and you help us take on the colony.”

“Take on the colony?” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but there’s risky and then there’s insane. I’m not going to kick that hornet’s nest. The colony would wipe us all out. All of us.” His brow furrowed. “Listen, Michael. We’re friends. I’d hate to have something happen to you. I don’t think you really know what you’re up against. I mean, you guys are powerful, especially you, but they have electric powers I’ve never seen the likes of. One of them moves at the speed of light.”

“The speed of electricity,” Ostin corrected.

“Faster than you can see,” he said. “Their leader, Chispa, calls himself El Diablo, the devil, and he lives up to his name. He basically blows people’s brains up.”

“You can do that too,” Tara said. “I saw you do it to a monkey once.”

“Not nearly as fast or as far as Chispa can,” Torstyn answered. “He can do it from a hundred yards off. You die before you even know you’re being attacked.” He breathed out. “They wiped out an entire company of Shining Path soldiers in minutes. Literally minutes. The soldiers never even got a shot off. And the colony did it without a single casualty.” His forehead furrowed and he turned to me with an intense look. “Could I talk to you alone? And Taylor.”

“Of course.”

We walked down a short hallway into an office. After the door shut, he said, “Are you sure you have to do this? Because I don’t think you can.”

“You made that clear,” I said.

“I’m serious. It’s a lost cause.”

I took a deep breath. “That’s not helpful.”

“I’m being very helpful. I’m being honest. These dudes are more dangerous than you can imagine.”

“And they have Abigail.”

“So, you’ll go anyway. You were never much of a moral accountant.”

“What’s that?” Taylor asked.

“It’s what I call someone who weighs the odds of doing what’s right against doing what’s safe. You guys do what you think is right and let the chips fall where they will. You’ve always been brave that way.”

“Brave or stupid?” I asked.

“It makes you loyal,” Torstyn said. “And I admire you for it. But it raises the question, is it worth sacrificing all your lives for Abigail’s?”

“All for one, one for all, or something like that.”

He shook his head. “I always loved that about you, Vey. Always the idealist.” He exhaled slowly. “Good luck, my friend. I’ll have my men escort you up to Tanquín, but that’s as far as they’ll go. Past that, we risk conflict. You’ll cross the river at Tanquín, then drive north with the Ene. Your best chance to not be seen is to abandon your car eight kilometers south of Cutivireni and hike through the mountains. Then follow the river north. Cutivireni is only eight hundred fifty meters from Misión.

“You’re probably low on gas. I’ll have my men fill up your cars. You don’t want to stop anywhere along the way for gas. The colony has a lot of informants in these parts. Still, you can expect that they’ll know you’re coming before you get there.”

“I’m counting on it,” I said.

“Un momento,” he said, then shouted toward the door, “Jorge!”

A squat, angry-faced man walked into the room. “Sí, jefe. Qué me quieres hacer?”

Torstyn said something to him in rapid-fire Spanish.

Then the man said, “Sí, jefe. Considérelo hecho.”

Torstyn turned back to us. “All right, just follow Jorge. His men will take you up to Tanquín.”

We shook hands. “Thanks, Torstyn.”

“No worries.”

As we started to walk out, Torstyn shouted, “Hey, Michael.”

I turned back.

“Take this.” He took a gold medallion from around his neck and put the chain over my head. It was a religious medallion.

“Thank you.”

“Con Dios.”

Taylor said, “Just a moment.” She went back to Torstyn and whispered something into his ear.

His expression turned grave. He nodded for a moment, then said, “Gracias.”

“You’re welcome,” Taylor said.

Taylor and I followed Jorge out of the room. As we were leaving his office, Torstyn shouted, “Alejandro. Aquí.”

One of the men outside said, “Sí, jefe” as he walked past us into Torstyn’s office. I heard Torstyn say, “Shut the door.”

We walked out with his men, though this time they were treating us as old friends. I asked Taylor, “What did you whisper to Torstyn?”

“I told him that two of his men were plotting against him.”

“Which ones?”

“The tall one he just called into his office and the really short one outside wearing the white T-shirt and cross.” She looked at me. “Do you think we should help him?”

“No,” I said. “If those are the dudes you warned him about, I’m sure they’re already dead.”