Across the hall, the crash of breaking furniture could be heard from the ruined door. She shuffled forward, weapon up with her finger ready on the trigger.
Suppressed automatic gunfire tore through the far walls in a wide arc. She ducked instinctively but continued to move forward across the hall with her pistol leveled. Stepping into the room, she could see Takeo on the floor. The man standing over him held a square portable hard drive in one hand and a bent automatic weapon in the other.
“Stop where you are, and get on the floor,” she yelled.
Takeo turned and looked at her, confused to see her. “Run!” he shouted.
The man ignored Olivia and raised a heavy steel boot, smashing it down on the Japanese man’s head. An explosion of fluid and brain matter washed over the floor. Olivia flinched and stepped back, shocked at the scene.
Olivia didn’t need any more reason to pull the trigger.
The 9mm bucked in her hand as she hit center mass with the first two rounds. The high-speed lead punched holes in the black-hooded pullover. The sound of ricochets carving through the wall and shattering the nearby patio window barely registered. Lifting her aim slightly, she fired another two rounds into the unflinching man’s hood, puffing holes into the fabric. One round ricocheted, but the second found a soft spot. A curl of smoke and a crackle of electricity seemed to concern the killer.
Dropping both the hard drive and the weapon, she saw it lift the metal hands to its head, tearing the hood off in shreds of fabric. A flat black robotic head lay underneath. Thick metal fingers reached up, looking for the source of the damage.
It turned to look at her with what only could be described as a cluster of optics that made its head look like a spider’s set of eyes. Unrelenting, she drove another five rounds home into the myriad of optics. They popped and crackled with each piece of red-hot lead.
It staggered hesitantly toward her. Dropping to one knee, she controlled her breathing, each round punching out another piece of glass. With only a few remaining, it raised its arm, causing the rest of her rounds to reflect off the thick metal. She continued firing into the body, looking for a weak point, but the rounds just continued to deflect.
It turned slightly away from her, and she noticed a small gap in the armpit of the raised limb. Firing another five rounds, she made them count. The bullets carved an arc through the body cavity. Whoever was inside the suit was either getting perforated, or their body armor was getting hit hard in a soft spot.
The machine hesitated, crashing sideways into the small kitchen. The arm dropped to the side. Acrid smoke billowed from the body, and fire seemed to flicker from under the armored panels as the suit leaned hard against the counter.
The suit seemed to stagger for a moment then got its footing. A metal hand reached for a loose kitchen knife on the ceramic counter. The blade looked small in its large hands, but Olivia knew that the machine would likely cut her to shreds.
She raised her weapon and fired another round at the exposed optics. The electronics and glass exploded, but the remaining eyes stared at her as she noticed her semiautomatic’s slide was locked backward. It was empty.
Her hand reached for the second mag, but she realized that the extra ammo was still sitting in Jack’s backpack. She looked across the hall and stepped toward the door. Her movements had been clear to the killer, and with a forward-thrusting kick, it sent the fridge crashing into the opening, blocking her inside with it.
The smoldering suit stepped forward with a limp. One arm was hanging by its side motionless, and the head was sitting at an odd angle to view her with a single good eye. The cold machine seemed to be savoring the kill like a cat playing with a mouse.
She moved backward, realizing that the bathroom was right behind her. Stepping inside she slammed the door closed, locking it. Looking around the room, she could see that the water from the shower was still running.
Reaching down into the tub, she snapped the plug closed and stood up. Toasters didn’t work well in the tub, but neither would her attacker’s suit of armor. Spinning, she looked for anything to defend herself with.
As the door behind her splintered open and exploded inward, she reached for the shower curtain, tearing it from the bar before throwing the end at the machine's face. For a split second, it was distracted by the obscured vision and seemed confused about what was covering its head. It stumbled forward, scraping at its face with the knife still clutched in its hand.
Taking advantage of the lull, Olivia turning away from the flailing metal man and grabbed the toilet tank lid. It felt heavy and cold in her hands as she held it from one end. Hefting it over her shoulder, she swung hard at the head, smashing at it through the curtain. The ceramic weapon fractured and dissolved in her hands, clinking to the floor in a shower of broken pieces. The machine only rocked slightly to one side before righting itself.
Undeterred, the knife slashed at the air blindly, cutting wide swaths. Olivia stepped back as it shuffled forward, wildly and rapidly carving at the air. It was blinded, but it was only a matter of time before it closed that gap and got in a lucky blow.
Balancing up on the toilet, she stepped up onto the edge of the uncovered tank, inching by the blind killer’s slashing blade. Olivia pressed herself against the wall, stepping up onto the sink, her head rested against the ceiling, and her rear slid along the fogged mirror.
She raised one of her feet and braced her body against the mirror. With more of a push than a kick, she pressed hard against the shoulder of her attacker. At first it didn’t move, but she gritted her teeth, and the slashing machine staggered away and into the tub with a resounding clang. Face down, blind, it tried to orient itself, dropping the knife.
Blood from its metal foot washed down toward the drain as it pulled itself to a kneeling position. The exposed electronics arced with the water, popping and crackling in the steam. Shuddering, it stopped moving, locked in a kneeling position. Smoke and steam filled the room as it continued to spark.
Olivia stepped down and noticed a blaze of colored paint through the machine’s torn hoodie. Her tentative hand pushed a finger into the holes caused by her bullets. There was an image underneath. She forced her fingers into the hole and ripped it wide.
The orange blaze of the Neotech corporate logo was painted on the outer plastic of the machine's shoulder. “What the hell?”
Pulling her phone out, she snapped a few pics of the logo and the armor. This close, she wondered if there was anyone actually inside. It didn’t look the right size for a person. It was the wrong shape. There wasn’t enough room to fit anyone in there.
Excited voices were echoing from outside, and the groaning of metal caught her ear.
Hotel security was trying to move the fridge.
Rocketing out of the room, she slid down on her knees next to Takeo’s body. Her hands moved the rubble and broken wood from the fight, searching for the hard drive. She was going to catch hell for this, but getting paid for it was better than having to pay for it.
Moving a shredded book aside, she recognized the small hard drive the metal man had been holding. It was the size of a pack of cigarettes and maybe a bit flatter.
The fridge at the door began to tilt.
Leaning back, she jammed the metal rectangle down the front of her pants, somehow lodging the cold metal on the inside of her underwear. She winced at the sharp edges and frigid temperature as it dropped into the crease where her right leg met her pelvis. As the fridge moved, she pulled out her wallet, flicked open her private security ID, and lay on her belly. The pressure wasn’t helping the discomfort.
Having gone through all of that only to get shot would be a brutally ironic end to a long day.
Her heart raced as she lay prone. The men kept their weapons on her and flooded into the room. The black suits seemed out of place to the carnage that just had occurred.
“Hey, guys,” Olivia mustered. “I was across the hall, heard the commotion, and came to help. It looks like I wa
s too late.”
Someone pulled out plastic handcuffs and knelt on her back, crushing the wind out of her. Hands patted her down thoroughly, but thankfully the amateur didn’t roll her over and left her face down with her hands behind her back as he checked her ID.
Olivia lay there on the cool floor looking at Takeo’s crushed skull. He was likely a murderer and a kidnapper, but in the end he had tried to warn her. Something about that bothered her, like a puzzle piece missing from the complete picture.
She lay there for another fifteen minutes until the police came, and thankfully Gabe was the first through the door, followed by a number of people in ties and shirts covered by ballistic vests. “RCMP” was plastered across the vests. One of them spotted her and knelt down to cut through the cuffs. “Sorry about that, Miss Thorne.”
“Thanks,” she said, standing. The hard drive pressed uncomfortably into her pelvis. She was glad she wore loose jeans so that she could fit into the suitcase earlier that day. The fabric was likely hiding what would have been an obvious bulge.
Massaging her wrists, she looked to Gabe. “Looks like Takeo attracted all the wrong attention. The killer is in the tub. I emptied my entire clip into him, and he didn’t even flinch. It was like fighting a tank.”
One of the RCMP officers pushed his head into the bathroom to look at what Olivia was referring to. Stepping back out, he yelled to the group of police officers. “Everyone out, Grab your gear and clear the hotel!”
“What?”
“Get out!” he yelled. The rising panic on his face indicated that he knew more about this than she did.
Moving out of the room with the group, she stepped into the alcove of her door across the hall. The springs had closed it, and she realized that most of the fight had been caught on acoustic camera. Scanning her keycard, she leaned into the room and ran to the bathroom to collect the tablet. Dropping it in the backpack, she could hear Gabe knock on the door. “Olivia, we have to go!”
Olivia opened the door, letting him in. “I have evidence that you're going to need to put Neotech away. I have a video of the murderer killing Takeo.” She pulled hard on the acoustic imaging plate, and the sticky surface released. The moment it came free, the fire alarm rang.
“Seriously? The entire hotel?”
“Yes. I’ll explain why when we are downstairs.” Gabe rarely had a worried look on his face, but she could see he was torn between waiting for her and escaping to safety.
“Got it. Let’s go.” She zipped the bag shut and slung it over her shoulder, following her friend toward the stairwell. It was only five floors up, but the stairs were filled with people meandering toward the bottom. The federal police officers were on each floor, encouraging people to hurry.
Shoulders bumped against her, and she was tempted to throw an elbow at the well dressed and not so dressed people trying to push by her in a panic to escape what they believed to be a hotel fire. She lost Gabriel in the crush of bodies but knew he would be waiting for her at the bottom.
Mercifully, the final fire exit door opened into the parking lot, and she stepped out, following everyone else. The evening air was filled with flashing red and blue lights. Looking around, she spotted Gabe standing next to the cordon of police, trying to control the scene.
A large fire truck whined toward them, red lights oscillating. It pulled up next to the police cars.
“What the hell, Gabe. It’s a dude in an armored suit. He’s dead.”
The RCMP officer looked at her. “That’s not a suit. That’s a piece of military hardware. No one’s going back inside.”
“Why?”
“Remember when the Mexican civil war happened and the United States attempted to annex the Baja Peninsula while no one was looking?”
“Yeah, it was on the news for a year straight.”
“Well, they sent those things in to pacify the local militias and warlords.”
“Seriously?” Olivia looked up at the building.
“As serious as I can get. We were sent in as a team of UN investigators to make sure that things were on the level. There were accusations of war crimes on both sides.” The man sighed and fidgeted with his vest. “The civilians were trying to clear the dead and rubble from the first firefight the Americans had with the local warlords. It was a stalemate, but three of those things mowed down fifty well-armed gang members before being disabled.”
“So what’s so dangerous we had to clear a hotel? It's not operational. I killed it.”
“It's not dead. It’s in lockdown mode. The moment someone moves one of its limbs or shifts the weight, it explodes. If the self-destruct pack is still installed, it’s designed to obliterate any enemy forces attempting to capture it.”
“I get it." Olivia looked up at the building for a moment. "It’s Neotech's machine. I doubt it’s armed; I fiddled with it. Mind you, with the other things Neotech's been up to I wouldn’t be surprised if it did have explosives.”
Gabriel looked at her. “You said you had evidence for us?”
“Yeah.” She fished out the tablet and handed it to Gabriel. “It didn’t show up well on the acoustic scanner I used. It was all blurry, but the keyhole camera caught it breaking through the door. There was a fight, and when I got inside to stop it, it killed him. I checked the body afterward, but he was stone-cold dead.”
“What were you doing there?” the RCMP officer asked.
“I’m a private security investigator. I had a client who hired me to retrieve their little girl. This guy is ... was the suspect in that case. He was released on bail. I was hoping that someone would show up and incriminate him. We have reason to believe that it was Neotech that hired him to do the kidnapping.”
“This jives with why you called us, I guess.” He looked at Gabriel.
The older detective nodded. “I put two and two together when Olivia called me earlier. I figured if there was trouble at the hotel it would be her. I was right ... again.”
“Thanks. I think,” Olivia said.
The federal police officer pulled out his phone. “I’m going to get that warrant for you. This easily gives us enough evidence to do a raid on Neotech's building. I’ll get you your warrant if you talk to your boss and set up any SWAT assets you have. We don't have quick-response assets here.”
“Thanks,” Gabriel said. As the RCMP officer walked away, Gabriel addressed Olivia with a stern look. “This.” He pointed at the building, and then to all of the people standing outside. “Is why you cause me paperwork.”
“You love it, though. I do all the evidence-gathering and skull-cracking and then hand you the bad guys on a silver platter.”
“Really? This time it was another dead guy and an exploding robot.”
“It hasn’t exploded yet.” She shrugged, smiling at him.
“Don’t start.” He pulled out his electronic tablet, setting it to voice transcription. “I’m taking your statement here and now. I don’t have time to go back to the precinct for this.”
“Sure. Sure,” she said as she shifted her stance awkwardly, trying to avoid the now-warm hard drive from lodging any lower in her groin. She began verbally reviewing the events of the evening, carefully dancing around the fact she was there for Mr. Grey and the hard drive.
During the lengthy discussion, she wondered for a moment how men managed having their equipment in the front of their pants. It seemed like a constant need to adjust everything.
Chapter 15
In the dark, Olivia climbed over Jack's fence. It had taken two bus transfers and a cab to get back to his place. She paused for a moment in the shadow before wandering into the orange glow emanating from the light above the door. This time, instead of an angry kid and a shotgun, she was greeted by Mom.
The large black man stood on the back steps, wiping his hands on his apron. “Hey Olivia. How are you?”
“Good, Mom. You?”
“Oh, just fine. Decided to come out and get some fresh air for a bit.” The man sat down on the
steps of the rotting porch. "Can't spend all your time in the dark."
She stepped up and plopped down next to him. The scent of peanut butter wafted off his body. “Have you been baking again, Mom?”
“Sure. Have to keep the boys and girls fed. They have important work to do.”
“I’m not sure if peanut butter cookies count as a balanced diet,” Olivia said.
“How did you know I made cookies?”
“I can smell it on you.”
She laughed as he smelled his own arm and shrugged. “There are worse things to smell like, I guess,” Mom said.
“True.”
“Want me to tell Jack you’re here? He’s downstairs working.”
“Nah, he probably already knows." She pointed to the camera above the door. "Besides, I need to meet a friend first, and this is the safest place for a meeting.” She checked her watch: two minutes till midnight. The serenity of the neighborhood and the persistent sound of crickets masked how rough the area was.
“Why aren’t you asleep?” she asked.
“I keep odd hours. It’s easier to get things done when everyone’s out of the way and not underfoot. Not that these boys keep any normal hours either.”
“I’d love to keep normal hours. Right now I would pay good money to sleep in my own bed.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Some bad dudes are likely hanging out at my place. I have to get clear of this mess before I can sleep in my own bed or go back to work.”
“You can’t let them push you around, Olivia. Otherwise, they keep pushing. I’m not saying it's right to fight, but you have to show them you’re not easy pickings.”
“You’re preaching to the choir, Mom.”
“Then why aren’t you at home?”
“Mostly because of your baking ... and that creepy dude standing in the shadows over there.”
Olivia’s hand moved to the handle of her gun. She heard the crack of a twig in the dark near the edge of Jack’s fenced backyard. The overgrown bushes and unkempt lawn cast deep shadows. Deep enough to hide in.
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