Plagued: Book 1

by Eden Crowne

  “Nothing. God, Kara why do you have to be so mean?” She set the tray on the end of the bed. “I haven't done anything wrong. I've been keeping out of your way like you said. Trying to help Eloise make you comfortable and all you do is snap at me. I know you don't really like me but, jeez.”

  To her horror, Kara's face crumpled up, and she began to sob.

  Kara crying was scarier than Kara yelling.

  Sky took a few steps towards the bed.

  “No,” her sister thrust one hand out to stop her coming closer.

  Sky hesitated. “Kara.”

  “Close the door and go.” Kara wiped her face with the back of her hand. “Go. Get out. I don't want to talk about it. Especially not with a child.”

  Sky slammed the door on her way out. Why couldn't she have a sweet big sister who gave her make-up tips and boy advice? Like on TV.

  On her way down the hall, Sky texted both her mom and Jake, telling them Kara needed damage control. Although she didn't put it exactly that way in her mom's text. Maybe her sister would talk to them. This sort of behavior was way out of character. Kara liked to be in control – of herself and everyone around her.

  Sky's mom had been frustratingly offline since the 'Hugo Incident,' as Sky was calling it. A couple of texts with chatter about unimportant things or Kara's condition were all that had come in.

  Jake arrived about a half an hour after she finished dinner, ringing the door bell. Coming straight from the base, still in his gray camouflage fatigues and combat boots. He was around six feet two, black hair in a military buzz cut. A good looking guy with the strong Asian features of his father.

  Sky waved him through to the bedroom. “Try and get her to eat dinner, will you, Jake?”

  He ruffled her hair like she was a kid and went in.

  Eloise came home about ten, blew a kiss to Sky and went upstairs to the master bedroom. Tricia went as well, dancing at her mistress' heels. Even the shadowy wiener dog – who refused to be exorcised – trotted along.

  After that, Sky just gave up and went to bed. Kara had made it clear she didn't want or need Sky for much of anything. Particularly comfort.

  Sky walked to the Redwood Shopping Center the next morning to meet Rickey at CBC. The trees were changing colors, but the weather had suddenly warmed up again trying to make liars of the fall foliage. Carved pumpkins and Halloween decorations on the houses seemed out of place. Surely with this weather, it was only the fourth of July coming up?

  Halloween meant the end of school and the beginning of vacation. It also meant the approach of flu season. Sky did not want to think about that, not today. She had to unzip her coat after a couple of blocks it was so warm. Today she had liberated a mid-thigh length army green cotton jacket from her mom's closet, wearing it over a navy long-sleeve t-shirt, skinny jeans, and her slouchy walking boots.

  Daphne and Sara Anne envied the access to her mom's stock of vintage clothes. Daphne was too busty for her mother's stuff and Sara Anne too petite. Plus, Emily Murphy had the enviable foresight to shop at brands that were making a huge comeback now in resale stores.

  She covered the mile and a half to the mall quickly, stomach growling, thinking about what she would order. Maybe a carrot cake muffin today and an espresso like the very charming Quill. That seemed like a grown up sort of drink.

  Rickey waved from an outside table. Sky went in and waited for her order before joining him, taking a bite of her warm muffin on the way over.

  “Hey, Rickey!”

  He shook a finger at her. “Don't talk with your mouth full.”

  Sky laughed and held her cup up. Rickey pretended to clink it with his own. They always toasted each other like this. She took a sip and decided she liked this strong, bitter taste. Rickey had a sweet tooth, his was a soy cafe mocha. His family's love of cheese meant he had to take tablets to offset the side effects of all that lactose. On his own, he stuck to soy.

  Settling in at the table, Sky took the time to look carefully at Rickey as she ate her muffin. It didn't take a rocket scientist to tell something weird was going on. He looked almost as bad as Kara, pale with dark circles under his eyes. Barely sipping the coffee, his eyes flitted restlessly over the crowd as though expecting to see someone.

  Sky looked out at the noisy, coffee drinking group with him. On the edge, sitting alone at a table, she saw the drop-dead gorgeous boy, Quill. He was dressed more casually today in black turtleneck and hunter green jacket. Meeting her eyes, he waved. Sky flushed, surprised he even remembered her and waved back.

  Rickey gave a shuddering sigh and Sky turned her attention to her friend. Reaching out, she put her hand over his.

  “Tell me. Something's been going on all week and I've been preoccupied over my non-existent, only-in-my-own-mind romance with Hugo St. James. You're not happy. Is it Kyle?”

  “What? No.” He looked surprised. “God no. Kyle is great. My mom is going to drive me up to San Francisco next Friday and we'll spend the weekend together. Then he'll bring me home and Dad will barbecue.”

  “Of course your dad will barbecue.”

  “Dad likes Kyle because Kyle loves football. Along with Bruno, they pile on the couch after dinner and watch classic games from college ball on DVDs. It makes Dad happy.” He waved one hand in the air. “Not why I asked you to come.” He took a shaky breath. “Remember the Stealth Bikes and the Catz 'bots at Operation Cineplex?”

  “Yeah, yeah, you said you lost them. Which was too bad. That could have turned into a good lead for our side and maybe erased my demerits from Operation Cineplex. ”

  He leaned close, speaking very quietly. “I didn't. Lose them, I mean. Sky...I don't want to involve you, but I need to tell somebody. I'm just a kid. This is too much for me. I don't know what to do.”

  “Tell me,” she spoke just as quietly, remembering she'd been saying that to herself since the night of the raid as well.

  “The Catz kept close enough to the bikes for me to track them. The bikers headed south on 101 towards Mountain View, so they didn't go very far. Which I thought was weird. Why not go far away, right? They got off the freeway and rode randomly around the streets for a few minutes before heading to their final destination.”

  “Where?”

  Rickey looked around again and whispered in her ear, cupping both hands over his mouth.

  Sky stared unseeing around her, trying to analyze what he'd just said.

  Rickey nodded. “I swear it's true. I went to Sergeant McNeil to tell him I tracked three stealth bikes that tried to escape unseen from the multiplex. Instead of being pleased, he started acting strange. Wanted me to repeat everything and show him all the data. He became seriously angry, even though he tried not to show it. He ordered me to download the data stream and any info from our exchange including recordings of the request to dispatch the Catz onto a flash drive. After that, I was to erase it from the mainframes and any backup files. Made me swear an oath to keep quiet. Said it was a matter of national security.”

  Sky took a sip of her coffee and looked cautiously around the terrace expecting a squad of uniformed men to be watching them now. “The sergeant knows the request came from me, not you Rickey. I'm the one who saw the Stealth Bikes.”

  “I know. He spoke to me at my party. Remember, he came?”

  “Yeah, with the major, who is, by the way, my sister's C.O.”

  “This is just getting too connected in a scary way. I didn't invite him and neither did my parents. He just showed up. Later, he spoke to me alone. Wanted wanted to know if you'd been asking about the Catz.”

  “What did you say?”

  “The truth. That I told you I lost them. He made some vague threats that if I wanted to keep my friends and family safe, I'd forget about the whole incident. Can I have a bite of your muffin? I'm still hungry.”

  “Yeah, sure.” Sky pushed it towards him.

  Rickey picked it up, only to nibble a microscopic bite before handing it back. As Sky took it, she felt something ha
rd and small on the bottom of the muffin. Taking a bite of it herself to cover her movement, she reached for a napkin to wipe her mouth. Behind it, she transferred whatever it was to the napkin and tucked it into her jacket pocket.

  “The Catz picked up some chatter over the riders' radio when they got close.”

  “Did you use that new eavesdropping program for encrypted cell phones?”

  “Yes, and now I'm sorry I ever learned it.” He grasped her hand with both of his and quietly told her how he controlled the Catz manually from the mobile command center. Each 'bot had a wide angle lens with a close-up focus built into their head. He'd watched as the bikes went back to the base. Home Guard Base 51. Watched as the riders keyed their way through two security gates and into a warehouse that required all three riders to pass retina scans and facial recognition protocols before the doors swung open. “They called a burner phone number. They were talking about a warehouse full of cold bloodstock. They said the name Bromwell, Sky. Twice. That's the major's name. I'm scared.”

  The first shot took out a woman at the table next to theirs. She fell without a sound. Another shot hit the man with his dog standing and talking to a pregnant lady with red hair. That's when the screaming started. Chairs and tables fell clattering as people scrambled in all directions.

  Sky reached over to grab Rickey, pull him out of his wheelchair to the ground. She heard the retort of a gun and Rickey gave a little gasp of surprise. His body went limp, and the two of them fell in a tangle of arms and legs. Everything was suddenly chaos. Screams and frantic shouts. For Sky, the world narrowed to the space in front of her and the deep red stain spreading over the sidewalk. Rickey's eyes were wide and frightened. His mouth was moving, but no sound came out.

  Sky caught the scent of something familiar. She looked up to see Quill standing boldly in the line of fire. He had his jacket wadded up in his arms and a thick, white pad in one hand.

  “Here, the pad has a clotting agent. Put it on the wound.” He gave it to her with his jacket. “Take this, keep him warm. I'm sure you know the drill.”

  And he ran in the direction of the shots.

  She ripped open the package and pulling up Rickey's shirt, pressed the pad to the bleeding wound. She knew what this type of field dressing was. Just like Quill said, it contained a clotting agent that would stop any more external blood loss. Internally, though, he could still be drowning in his own blood. She took Quill's jacket, laid it over him and applied pressure with both hands against his chest.

  More gunshots popped, loud and sharp from other directions. She didn't know if there were now more attackers or the Home Guard had arrived. Scooting around, she placed herself between Rickey and the direction of the first shots. He was breathing in quick gasps.

  “Hold on Rickey, hold on. “

  He moaned, and she pressed harder.

  “Stay with me, buddy. Remember, you and Kyle are going to get married. You're going to adopt four babies, two boys and two girls. Or three babies. I can't remember. You can't die. You can't!”

  “Sky, don't let them...hurt Mom, hurt Dad. Sky, please.” He clutched her arm.

  “I'll watch out for them, okay? All of us will. Kyle loves you and you love Kyle and you're going to get your legs. Only four-hundred something days and you get your legs. Rickey, Rickey, please! ”

  His eyes closed and he panted rapidly, his face turning gray.

  Sirens whined from the direction of the parking lot. There were uniforms swarming the area now, she saw guns out.

  “Medic!” She yelled, waving one hand wildly. “Man down! Here!”

  Two soldiers ran to her, one calling in on his mic. Paramedics followed a few minutes later, though it seemed like hours to Sky. Like the world was moving in slow motion. They pushed her aside, getting Rickey's vitals, ripping off the blood-soaked jacket and quick-clot wound sealer, applying a clean one.

  They didn't even wait for a stretcher. One of the paramedics picked Rickey up and ran towards the parking lot and the ambulance. Sky ran with them. They didn't want to let her ride along with Rickey. Sky made it clear they'd have to knock her down right there on the sidewalk to keep her from climbing in. She squeezed into the space at the foot of the stretcher to stay out of their way. Siren wailing, they headed for University Hospital, only minutes from the shopping center.

  As the paramedics worked on Rickey, Sky tried voice command to reach the Antonelli's house. The ambient noise was much too high and she had to dial them. Her hands shaking, she could hardly hit the right part of the screen. Her voice broke completely as she tried to tell Rickey's mom to come to the hospital ER. That Rickey had been shot in an attack.

  As they piled out of the ambulance, she ran beside the stretcher into the hospital. That was as far as they were going to let her go. The Clean Room was off limits. The doors swung closed and locked automatically after the stretcher went through and the light turned red. Though Sky beat on the metal doors, shouting to be let in, they wouldn't open. She finally fell to her knees, sobbing.

  This was her fault. She had seen the Stealth Bikes, asked Rickey to roll out the Catz and track the men she thought were Hemogoblins. They weren't. If Rickey was right, they were so much worse than that. Just like the man in the blood vault said. An inside job with members of the Home Guard in the middle of it.

  Now the sniper attack. This was not some random Victims Army shooting. The timing too perfect. Someone wanted Rickey dead. Maybe those people wanted her dead as well. They would if they knew what Rickey slipped to her over the table at CBC. A tiny memory card. He hadn't erased the data. He'd copied it.

  Chapter 16

  Blood Loss

  Sky waited at the hospital with Rickey's family and her aunt. He was in surgery so that was something. At least he wasn't dead.

  'Please god', Sky kept saying to herself. 'Don't let him die.'

  The ER waiting room filled up and up as the other victims were brought in and their family and friends flooded the hospital. A TV in the back of the waiting area was playing the news. Sky walked restlessly back and forth and caught bits and pieces of the story. A sniper, Victims Army member, they believed. Alone, so far. Three people shot, one fatally. A massive manhunt was already in progress, the entire town cordoned off. She got the call to assemble with her squad. Juniors and Seniors were joining the Home Guard regulars in the manhunt.

  She'd have to pull herself together. She was a soldier, even though all she felt was desperate and frightened.

  “I have to report,” she told the Antonellis. “We're all being called in.”

  Eloise got up and took her by the arm. “You're gear is at home, I'll drive you. I'll be back Marian, Fernando, as soon as I can.”

  Rickey's parents nodded numbly. Bruno sat in his father's lap though he was really far too big for that. They all understood. Sky wished she had a lap to climb onto, someone to reassure her in this new, frightening dynamic of traitors and betrayal.

  The rest of the day was full of guns and patrols and door-to-door searches. Tactical and Home Guard covered the neighborhoods near the mall first. As night fell, they moved into the abandoned areas of the city. Neighborhoods that had not been designated for renewal under the Land Rights Act yet. The Guard used drones to track residual heat signatures in this part of town while searches were on-going elsewhere. They'd narrowed the parameters to several blocks. Overhead, flocks of little flybots crisscrossed in a tight grid pattern looking for possible booby traps. There was no power in these parts of town and it was getting dark. Trucks rolled in with giant floodlights to illuminate the streets.

  Each squad had a Broodmare unit following. The mobile technology packhorse stepped along at the rear. Its funny, rocking gate keeping it upright no matter what the terrain. Rickey usually coordinated programming the support tech. Today, they had a borrowed tech from another unit. They were working under another Squad Leader as well. No one would tell Sky or the others where Sergeant McNeil was. Sky was glad he wasn't there, knowing what she
did now.

  Block by block they searched using readings from the flybots and the Catz sent on ahead. Catz had originally been designed for search and rescue, able to climb swiftly through narrow spaces and over debris. Now they were outfitted with electronic spurs that shot shock darts to incapacitate their target.

  They spent several long hours on patrol and Sky forced herself to focus on the mission. Anything to keep from thinking about the dangerous information on Rickey's flash drive. Beyond the bare details, she shared nothing with the others. After what happened to Rickey, how could she? Daphne, Raj, Sara Anne and the twins were with her. Chase was off his crutches but their C.O. Kept him at the base to help in communications.

  One squad, not theirs, flushed out a group of ten or so people who tried to run. The Catz took down most of them; the soldiers the rest. Sky saw them lying on the ground, bound and gaged. Interrogation would show who was just a vagrant and who was something more.

  Sky and her squad ducked as shots erupted from nearby. They scrambled for cover behind wrecked and rusting cars. The shots rapidly escalated into a full-scale firefight lighting up the darkness with bright orange and white flashes.

  They were ordered to fall back one block and rendezvous with their Squad Leader. They ran, weapons ready. The fighting seemed to be moving towards them rather than the other way. They literally plowed into several figures turning the corner at the same time. An overgrown hedge had blocked their view and they collided with enough impact for blunt force trauma.

  Sky struggled with one of them, dressed in civilian clothes. They grappled, punching and kicking. She'd been taught to use a combination of Aikido and wrestling moves in close quarters fights like this and she fought to get him in a submission hold. She wasn't very tall and needed the excruciating pressure and twisting moves of Aikido to give her an advantage over larger opponents.

  She used it now, going very close to the other, slipping under his arm to grab and twist, forcing her opponent to the ground. She slipped into a scissor hold around the other's chest, one arm in a chokehold around their throat. Her other hand twisting his wrist until she felt it snap. The perp screamed in pain. High pitched. A woman, not a man. Not that it mattered. She kept screaming as Sky applied more pressure.