Zillion

by Alexander Blackwood

  Agent Wong sighed, then whispered, "They're just carjackers. We lucked out."

  "Lucked out? You call this lucking out?"

  "They're not kidnappers or organ pirates, and they're not connected to Banks. Yes, we lucked out. The way they lured us here tells me they're pros. If we do what they ask, they'll do what they say."

  "Bonjour," the leader called out. "We are waiting... but not too long. Get out now. Please."

  "Let's get this over with," Agent Wong said to me. "Leave the fob on the seat and we just walk out of here."

  But as she slipped the gun back into her handbag and reached for the door, I took another look at the waiting carjackers and had a crazy notion.

  "Wait," I whispered. "I think you and I can take these guys."

  Agent Wong stared at me. "What are you talking about? You don't even have a weapon."

  "Hold on." I pulled out my smartphone and said in a clear voice, "Open Halo."

  A glowing blue ring instantly filled the screen, and a pleasing female voice said, "Halo activated."

  Agent Wong's eyes widened. "Halo? That's real?"

  No time to fill her in, I said to my phone, "Halo, upload combat."

  The blue ring blinked three times then Halo replied, "Combat uploaded."

  All I felt was an electrical tingle ripple across the top of my skull, but when I glanced back out at the armed men, I instantly envisioned seven strategies of engagement. I also experienced, what could only be described as an adrenaline shot of confidence.

  "Last chance," the lead carjacker shouted. "Get out that fucking car now!"

  I grabbed the fob and said to Agent Wong. "Change of plans, you wait here."

  "No. Mathew, wait."

  Before she could stop me I was out of the car with my hands raised overhead. "Okay," I said to the lead carjacker. "I'm out."

  He waved his gun at the car. "Her too. Quickly. We waste too much time."

  Ignoring him, I slowly put the fob down on the roof of the Bugatti. "If you want the car," I said to him, "come take it."

  His brow tightened. "You play games?"

  "No game. Just walk over and take it."

  Glaring, he dragged on his cigarette, then flicked it to the gutter and pointed his gun at my heart. In the same instant, his two cohorts raised their weapons and stepped closer.

  Good. The closer the better.

  "Stupid American," the leader growled. "I think maybe we just shoot you."

  Calling his bluff, I made a face. "And risk damaging a six million dollar car? Come on, who's being stupid now?"

  The leader chuckled and lowered his gun. "This is true. I apologize. You are very smart." Then he said to his men, "Cut the smart American to pieces. And be careful of the car."

  The two ski-masked men swapped their guns for big knives and converged fast.

  The first man to reach me lunged his blade at my gut. I dodged, snared his wrist, and applied a pressure point to his forearm. He wailed as his hand sprung open involuntarily and the knife clattered to the ground. He tried to throw a punch with his free hand, but my elbow reached the bridge of his nose first. There was a nasty crunch, a spout of blood, and he crumbled to the cobblestones, screaming.

  The second man had to step over his writhing buddy to reach me. That gave me just enough time to duck his swinging blade. I countered by pistoning the heel of my hand into the bottom of his chin. His head snapped back like a Pez dispenser. His neck now fully exposed, presented me with several options, many lethal. Choosing to be merciful, I Judo chopped his windpipe, which sent him crashing to his knees clutching his throat and gasping for air.

  When I looked up the leader was pointing his gun again, but now he looked confused, and his weapon was trembling. I said to him, "You have two choices. You can either scoop up your friends and get the hell out of here... or I can beat you senseless with your own gun. What's it going to be?"

  MINUTES LATER AGENT WONG and I were back on a bustling main strip, cruising towards the hotel in the unscathed supercar. We decided against notifying the local authorities to avoid becoming entangled in an investigation.

  Turns out Agent Wong had heard rumors about the Halo implant but assumed that's all it was, rumors. Now, having seen the proto-technology in action, she was still trying to wrap her head around it.

  So was I.

  Agent Wong shook her head. "If I didn't see that with my own eyes, I would never have believed it."

  "That was my first time really using it," I said. I stared at my hands. "It was strange. Like I was possessed. Suddenly I just knew what to do."

  "How many skills are in the database?"

  "A lot. And Farris has a team creating more. Voice control was added right before we left. They've thought of everything."

  "Oh really?" Agent Wong said. "What about sex?"

  "Sex?"

  "Yes, sex. Can you upload skills of a sexual nature? You know like how to lick--"

  "Got it. I know what you mean." I shook my head and laughed.

  "What? That's a perfectly reasonable question. I'm curious."

  "Yeah, I bet you are."

  I was enjoying the titillating turn or conversation had taken when we were interrupted by a text alert on my phone. After reading the message I said to Agent Wong, "It's Reba. She and Wendell arrived early and are waiting in our suite." I patted her leg. "Sorry, but it looks like your 'curiosity' will have to wait."

  "Shut up."

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  When Agent Wong and I entered the penthouse, Wendell was playing a video game on the seventy-five-inch flatscreen, and Reba was nursing a glass of white wine while poking her laptop. Reba explained they both had rooms in the same hotel, but Wendell had insisted on waiting in the luxurious suite for obvious reasons.

  I immediately made the introductions. As Reba and Agent Wong shook hands, I noticed a lingering glance between them that prompted me to ask if they knew each other. They both denied the notion and even found it amusing. When Wendell shook Agent Wong's hand, his eyes lingered also, but in his case I had no doubt it was due to Agent Wong's exceptional good looks.

  After wowing Reba and Wendell with details of my street fight with the carjackers, we all spent the better part of the next hour discussing our plan for the party the following night.

  Reba provided an updated guest list which now included a name that made me sit up straight.

  "Rex Sinclair?" I said. "Please tell me that's a joke."

  "There's no way to know if he'll actually show," Reba replied, "But Farris recently received intel that he was invited."

  "Who's Rex Sinclair?" Agent Wong asked.

  "He's Matt's evil uncle," Wendell said. "He wants Matt dead so he can take over the Zillion fortune."

  "Seriously?" Agent Wong said. "Sounds like a soap opera villain."

  Wendell laughed. "Yeah, a soap opera villain with a billion dollars and a thing for deadly toys. Dude tried to off us with tiny killer drones."

  "Tiny killer drones? Really?"

  "You just saw Matt transform into freaking Bruce Lee and you have a problem with tiny killer drones?"

  I asked Reba, "So, what does Farris want us to do about this family reunion?"

  She shook her head. "Nothing. It's highly unlikely your uncle will try anything in public. Farris just wants you to avoid engaging Sinclair in any way that might jeopardize the mission."

  "Got it."

  Next, Wendell briefly reviewed his plan to hack into Banks's security camera system, which covered every inch of the villa. Not only would Wendell be able to observe our every move, he'd also be able to control what Banks's guards saw on their monitors. Agent Wong and I would also be fitted with ultraminiature two-way transmitters called earworms, allowing us to remain in communication with both he and Reba at all times.

  "Wendell and I will feed you information on the fly," Reba said. "We'll be like your guardian angels."

  "Perfect," Agent Wong said. "Knowing you'll be watching makes me feel good ab
out our chances."

  I wasn't sure, but it seemed to me that Agent Wong had directed this last statement more towards Reba than Wendell. And again I noticed a fleeting, knowing gaze between the two women. I couldn't help wondering if they were hiding something.

  Wendell further explained, "Reba and I will be staked-out in a surveillance van parked a few blocks away." Then he wheeled to me. "Dude, this van is the shit. It's tricked out like the cockpit of a freakin' space shuttle. I think the only thing it can't do is fly. You gotta see it. It's right downstairs in the garage. The weapon Farris sent for you is in the van as well. So, while we're down there, I can get you set up.

  It struck me odd that Wendell said weapon instead of simply saying gun. I would've had the same reaction if my former roomie called a double cheeseburger a sandwich. That just wasn't Wendell. I asked him, "What kind of weapon are we talking about?"

  Wendell cracked a huge knowing smile. "Oh, you'll see."

  "It's not a gun?"

  "It is, but not like one you've ever seen. Just wait until we get downstairs."

  Clearly, Wendell planned to surprise me so I decided to let him have his fun. I assumed Agent Wong and Reba would join us, but when Wendell and I stood up to leave the two women remained seated.

  "I've seen the van already," Reba said. "Hell, I was the one who arranged to have it transported here from the Paris bureau."

  "I'll skip the nickel tour too," Agent Wong said. "I've spent more time in surveillance vans than I care to think about." Then she smiled at Reba. "I'd rather hang here with you and have a glass of that chardonnay... if you don't mind."

  "Absolutely," Reba said. As she rose and crossed to the bar, she waved to Wendell and me. "You boys have fun."

  Agent Wong waved too. "Bye-bye."

  THE SURVEILLANCE VAN was parked in a corner space in the hotel's underground garage. From the outside, it looked like a typical unmarked white delivery van, but inside it was a technological marvel. Wendell's earlier description was no exaggeration. As soon as he slid shut the rear compartment's door I was I was bombarded by technology. Control panels with multi-monitor arrays covered both walls. There were so many switches, dials, buttons, and lights that I couldn't help leveling skeptical eyes on Wendell. "You really know how to operate all this?"

  Wendell laughed. "Yeah right. Not even close, but the techs at X9 briefed me on everything I needed to know for this particular mission."

  "And you're confident you can handle it?"

  "Observe." Wendell dropped into a rolling chair and began typing commands and punching buttons. Suddenly every monitor filled with black and white images of hallways, stairways, and occupied elevators. Only when I spotted a familiar luxurious hotel lobby did I understand what I was seeing.

  I said to Wendell. "You hacked into the hotel's security system?"

  "Way more than that," he said with a smug smile. "I'm tapped into their computers, phones, elevators, ventilation. Shit, I have control of the entire shebang and they don't know a thing."

  "Wow," I said, still riveted to the video feeds. "Okay, I'm impressed."

  "And that was just practice." Wendell killed the connection and swiveled to face me. "Don't worry, I got this covered." Then he cracked an anticipatory smile. "Ready to see your new toy?"

  "The gun?"

  He chuckled then slid a stainless steel case out from beneath the control panel and laid it atop a chair. It was about the size of a briefcase, but twice as thick. He pointed to a small oval-shaped sensor near the handle. "It's linked to your right thumbprint."

  I pressed my thumb to the sensor. There was a beep followed by the CLACK of a lock releasing.

  Wendell declared, "ta-da," as he swung open the case with a flourish.

  Suddenly I was staring at a black handgun nestled in foam. Wendell's hype had led me to expect something special, but the weapon looked like a typical 9mm, no different than the type most police officers carried.

  Wearing a puzzled scowl, I said to Wendell, "What's so special about it? It just looks like a regular gun."

  "Exactly. It's designed to look that way. But trust me, there's nothing regular about it."

  Now, even more intrigued I reached for the weapon but Wendell slammed the case shut.

  "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not so fast. Farris said you have experience with guns. Is that true?"

  Not until that instant did it occur to me I was being given a firearm, despite never being asked if I knew how to use one. While the halo implant could imprint weapons knowledge instantly, I still thought the question should've been asked. There was only one explanation. Before crashing my party the night we met, Farris ran a background check on me. Along with my love of peanut M&Ms, I'm sure the report included my adopted father's passion for hunting. I didn't always go on the trips, I preferred to spend my weekends biking, but he did teach me to safely handle a variety of weapons. I never shared these fun facts with Wendell when we were roomies because we never once discussed guns.

  After I quickly filled him in, Wendell shook his head and said, "Unbelievable. You mean all that time I was living with a gun nut?"

  I laughed. "You're the one who's a nut. Are you going to show me this 'amazing gun' or not?"

  "Calm down, Jesse James. Before we do this you sure you don't want to use Halo to upload the weapons dataset?"

  "You really think that's necessary?"

  Wendell shrugged. "I don't know. Then again I don't know shit about guns."

  "Would you just open it already?"

  With just as much enthusiasm as the first time, Wendell swung open the case again. "BAM!"

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  I reached into the case and lifted the silver handgun from the foam cutout. The weapon was dense and well balanced, but for a medium sized gun, it didn't feel quite heavy enough. Also, its surface wasn't cool to the touch as you'd expect, instead it was room temperature. Whatever material the gun was made from, I knew it couldn't be metal.

  As I bounced the weapon in my hand, Wendell said, "Crazy light, right? It's made of silver Texalium, a type of carbon fiber. Zero metal parts for obvious reasons."

  "Nice. How many rounds does the magazine hold?" Instead of replying Wendell just watched as I tried to thumb the mag release button. Oddly, I couldn't find it. On a handgun of this type the magazine is ejected by sliding forward a button on the inner grip, but turning the weapon in my hand, I failed to spot a release button anywhere. I looked at Wendell. "Well? How do I free the mag?"

  That impish smile reappeared on Wendell's face. "Actually, you don't."

  "What do you mean 'you don't?' Then how do you load it?"

  Without uttering a word Wendell removed the foam lining from the gun case's bottom half, revealing a shooting target. It was black and white with numbered concentric circles, similar to a typical firing range target, but with one key difference. Instead of a hanging sheet of paper, this target was mounted on a thick cushion of ballistic gel.

  I watched puzzled as Wendell hung the open case by its handle on the inside of the van's rear door. "What are you doing?"

  "What's it look like?" he said. "Step back as far as you can and fire into the target."

  "In here? Someone might hear."

  "They won't, trust me."

  "Is this van soundproof too?"

  "Dude, just trust me."

  I eyed the gun again, still trying to solve the missing release button mystery. "So it's already loaded?"

  "Yes, yes. It's loaded. Just step back and give it a try. Jeez!"

  I backed up against the wall that separated the rear from the driver's compartment. Wendell leaned out of the way as I raised the handgun, took aim at the target, and squeezed the trigger.

  The only indication I had fired the weapon was a sharp recoil and the THWAP of the bullet striking the target and ballistic gel. The handgun made no sound at all, not even the typical hush of a silencer.

  I gaped at the weapon in my hand. "What the hell?"

  Wendell laughed. "F
ucking cool, right?"

  I raised the gun and squeezed off three more quick shots. Again, not a peep except for the THWAP, THWAP, THWAP as holes appeared in the target.

  "That's incredible," I said to Wendell. "This has to be proto-tech, right?"

  "Duh," Wendell said. "According to Farris only top X9 agents have a gun like that."

  "Why do I get one?"

  "Because you own it. Z-Tech manufactures it."

  I stared at the high-tech weapon with new eyes. A completely silent handgun, invisible to detection was a pretty scary killing machine. If it fell into the wrong hands-- Suddenly it struck me that I still didn't know how to load the thing. When I looked up to ask Wendell, he was grinning again.

  "I know what you're thinking," he said. "You still want to know how to load it, right?"

  "That would be helpful, yes."

  "I already told you... you don't."

  "What? Come on, there has to be a way to load it."

  "But what if there wasn't?"

  "Wendell, that doesn't make sense, unless..." My voice trailed off. I studied the gun again. "Wait. Is this some sort of laser gun?"

  Wendell chuckled. "Nope. It fires bullets. Well, kind of."

  "Kind of? What does that mean? Either it fires bullets or it doesn't."

  "Have you ever played a first person shooter?"

  "You mean like Doom?"

  He rolled his eyes. "Doom's pretty old school, but yeah."

  I wasn't a huge gamer, but in my teens I played my share of Xbox and PlayStation games. By far my favorites were first-person shooters. "Of course," I told him. "But what does that have to do with this gun?"

  "I'm getting there," he said. "You ever use cheat codes and play in god mode?"

  "Sure. That's when you get all the weapons and can't be killed, right?"

  "Right. And you get something else. What is it?"

  I thought about it a second in context to the gun. It struck me like a bolt of lighting. "Are you talking about unlimited ammo?"