To this point, the raid had gone precisely as planned. Even so, Sato now found himself distracted and furious. In his Japan, the parasitic merchant class was rightly considered the lowest of society, beneath such productive groups as farmers and fishermen, and obviously below the samurai who kept order. This world was the opposite. The parasites had taken control of the trades and the warrior class, and now they were perverting nature and claiming dominion over life itself.
Sato angrily jabbed his sword at the image. “Loook at this despicable merchant, treated like a daimyo simply because he manipulated the laaanguage of the Life Force. He is the eeenemy of life itself—and his Amelix company is also. Of cooourse the Life Force would be tampered with in a world such as this, where businesspeople rule …”
The program interrupted itself with coverage of a disturbance outside the business area. A protest, apparently …
His frustration vanished, swept away by the clarity of his purpose. The screen showed images of the General! There she was, surrounded by followers. The newsreader was saying that the Federal computers had identified her as a criminal.
“Where is thaat?” He pointed at the screen again. “Where is that haaappening, Rounder?”
“It’s wheere the CBD meets the Zone, Frooontman. See? Those are CBD security guards insiide the fence.”
“Do you know the waaay? We must go there riiight now.”
“Yes, sir, but it’s faar. Even at a dead run down the miiiddle of the street it would take a half hour, maybe an hour, sir.”
“Then we will run doown the middle of the street. Asseeemble the Front.”
The CBD warehouse
Old Fart held the gun up under the guard’s chin. “We don’t want to hurt anyone,” he said. “We’re here for the sterile nutrients. Just cooperate and everything will be all right.” He and Lawrence pushed him backwards through the open door. Ten Subjects who had been hiding around the shady corner slipped in after them.
“So far this is working,” Old Fart said. “I guess having Eadie come up did encourage some of the Subjects. It sounds like a real protest is going on. All the CBD security people seem to have run over there.”
“Yes, sir,” Lawrence said. “But it’s … weird. Not just Subjects, now. There are women there, and some men—at least twenty or thirty—dressed in all kinds of uniforms, like housekeepers and restaurant workers. And more keep coming.”
The inside of the warehouse was a single cavernous room, with wire-mesh walls separating the inventories of various companies. “Two per crate, Subjects,” Old Fart said. “Hand them off to the others outside.” He turned to Lawrence. “See if you can find a synthesizer.”
“I think this is one here, sir,” Lawrence called from a longer and wider crate over near the wall. “How can we tell whether it’s a food synth or a medical synth?”
“They’re the same,” Old Fart said. “Any food synth can diagnose and produce medicine when it’s added to a doctor’s roster and set up for billing.”
Two Subjects passed Old Fart carrying the first crate. One suddenly let go of his end and fell to the floor, unconscious. Within seconds, the guard Old Fart was holding prisoner collapsed, as did the Subject who was holding the other end of the crate. Before he could react, Old Fart, too, dropped to his knees and toppled over onto his side.
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.
23
Fade positions along the street where the Front was ambushed
“Federal weapons, Frontman Saaamurai,” Spiral whispered. “From the shoes it looks like they toook out seven or eight of us.”
“Mmm,” Sato said, crouching next to him behind a wall. The smear of rags and flesh in the street did appear to include seven or eight pairs of shoes. “The Agents must be fighting from deeep cover. Over one huuundred Elements remain to fight, yet no Element has taken a shot.”
Sato’s body remained frozen in position as his eyes scanned the scene before them, taking in every detail. There were no signs of motion in any doorways, no gun barrels protruding from any windows, no silhouettes or odd shadows across the rooftops.
“How many of theeem fired upon us?” Sato asked.
“One. Maaybe two. But no moore than that.”
“But their reserves are unlimited. Mooore will come.”
Spiral started to say something else but Sato stopped him with a hand on his chest. He had never heard this sound before, nor could he identify it from Brian’s memories. It had different components that all seemed to take place at once: an impact, like a load of bricks dropping to the ground; a loud crack, like a thick piece of wood being split; and a wet, exploding kind of sound as if a giant oar were slapping the ocean. Following it all was an almost inaudible hiss.
“Try to spot the soource of that hissing noise,” Sato said. “We are hearing the impact first, but the sound that comes after must be the weapon firing.” From his position he was unable t
o see other Elements in the strategic positions they had taken up. He turned, trying to determine where the shot had hit.
Part of the building across the street evaporated. The impact sound came next—not as wet as the first impact because there was no Element meeting Unity this time. Then, finally, the hiss. Sato’s eyes were already focused in the right direction. “Theere, Rounder! Slight motion in the open wiiindow, right corner of the red brick building, fourth flooor.”
Spiral raised his rifle and fired four shots into the window. They pulled back around the building and retreated from the corner, watching for the concrete to explode. Nothing happened. Sato eased forward just enough to regain his view of the red building. Nothing moved in the window. He swept his sword into the street and back again, gesturing to any Element in a position to see. “This way!” he shouted. The Juice had no effect on his speech pattern when he shouted. “My Front will move this way, following me. Cross the street fast and quietwalk once you are in position on this side. We continue as planned.”
Elements ran across the street, shifted to better hiding places, and began quietwalking toward the CBD. Sato and Spiral took up positions toward the head of the group, with Spiral navigating to where the General had been seen.
Federal automatic weapons sounded behind them.
Next to a shed in the open area of the CBD
One of the two remaining Subjects looked around the edge of the building at the security force advancing. The back of her head exploded into a stringy mess and she crumpled to the ground.
“We don’t have much time,” Old Fart said, blinking hard in an attempt to force away his lingering grogginess. “They’ll be coming any second now, probably around both sides of the building. We’ve got to get away from here!” He grabbed Lawrence by the shoulder and pointed at a nearby building. “Head that way, to the one that’s a regular building—not the beetle. I’ll stay here and shoot whatever’s coming. When you get there, you find cover and do the same. Go! Run!”
The Book of Eadie, Volume One of the Seventeen Trilogy Page 33
