“Bah, you are both useful,” Saviour said, waving it off. “To be doing things first. Collect intelligence. Gamayun may be of help. Meanwhile…” she smiled slyly. “In light of current tragedy, CCCP is understandably on lockdown. And you, who were just visiting, are also understandably…not available. CCCP regrets, and you are in good health, but no one comes in, no one goes out, until crisis is resolved.”
The smile turned wolfish. Bella returned it.
***
In three days, they had learned a few things. Jack—whoever he was—was gone. So was Harmony. They hadn’t resurfaced, nor had they been dug out, and that argued for a very well-laid plan. Acrobat and Scope were gone; knowing them, Bella and Vickie were sure they were trying to track Harmony. The betrayal would have cut them to the heart. Bulwark would live—probably—but he was in the intensive care unit and still wasn’t conscious. He had every resource that Echo could muster. One more healer wouldn’t make a difference. She couldn’t dismiss him from her mind, but there was no point in obsessing over him when there were other things that she needed to concentrate on.
Verdigris did not know of Vickie’s back doors into the Echo system, nor did he know about Overwatch. Now, this particular piece of intel came not from Vickie’s hacking, or not entirely, but from Vickie’s magic. Bella didn’t know a lot about hacking and even less about how Vic’s magic worked, but Saviour seemed satisfied and Bella was inclined to follow her lead.
Last…Bella and Vickie were very, very far down on Verdigris’ list of interests. Echo hadn’t even inquired about them until today, and had appeared satisfied with Saviour’s answer that they had been making a casual visit and got caught in the lockdown. There hadn’t even been a demand that Bella join the medical team on Bull’s case, nor that Vickie track down Harmony, Scope, or Acrobat.
The question was…would they stay “invisible” if they left CCCP territory? Well, Bella was considering that anyway, though she was pretty sure Vickie would follow her lead. Wouldn’t it be safer, wouldn’t they be able to do more, with CCCP?
She wasn’t going to ask Saviour; much as she liked Nat, the Commissar was very much inclined to “requisition” every resource that came within grabbing distance, and the two of them were definitely resources. No…no, she had someone else in mind.
She lurked around the recreation room until that “someone else” put in an appearance after his shift. By way of a bribe, she had a six of Guinness.
“Hey, tall, dark and waterproof,” she said, swinging the six-pack suggestively. “Got a minute or three?”
John looked over to her instantly, already grinning. “Someone been tellin’ ya stories ’bout me, Bells?”
“Aw come on, who doesn’t like Guinness?” She winked.
“I’ll have some of the dark stuff. Pull up a milk crate, comrade; I wouldn’t trust that couch. Already eaten ’bout three remotes; might graduate to blueberries or somethin’.”
Bella laughed, and handed him the six. There were a lot of mismatched cushions from deceased couches and chairs stacked in a corner; she grabbed one and sat on the floor.
John pulled up one of the aforementioned milk crates, gingerly sitting down on it while he cracked open the first beer. “Y’got the look of someone with a lotta things on their mind. What’s up, kiddo?”
She took a bottle and opened it, sipping to give her a moment to phrase things. “Well, we know some stuff now. Not nearly as much as we’d like, and Vickie is still working on that, but we have enough to make a decision. Vic’ll probably do what I do, so it’s pretty much on me. Stay with Echo, or defect?” She took another sip. “We are pretty sure that Verd doesn’t know about Overwatch, and that so far as he is concerned we are among the herd of faceless powered flunkies. Which means…if we stayed, potentially…potentially we could run a revolution via the Overwatch system. But should we? Because if Verd does find out about it, he’s not going to be offering severance pay, unless you’re talking about heads on silver platters.”
John had already finished his first beer while he listened, and was starting on his second. “So, what you’re askin’ is, should y’stay with Echo, or defect to the CCCP, right? Weighing the risks an’ whatnot.”
“That’d be a ten-four.”
“Easy, then. Stay with Echo. Wanna hear the not-so-easy reasons for it?”
She spread her hands wide. “You have my undivided attention.”
“I’m good like that. Let’s look at this big-picture-like. One, you’re already on the books with Echo. You’ve got access to stuff via Echo that we don’t necessarily have here at the ol’ CCCP. Echo, even under this Dominic guy’s control, still has resources out the ass, an’ then some.” John took a swig of beer. “We can use that here. You two’ve already passed us a bunch.”
“And Vickie can get into the inventory and make sure that anything we swipe for you never existed.” Bella paused. “But if we weren’t still with Echo, we’d never be able to swipe it in the first place.”
“I, personally, like the path of least resistance. So, point two. While y’all are with Echo, you’re small fish, like y’already said. You defect to the CCCP…you might just show up on radar, and make our signature bigger. Way things are, with y’two friendly an’ cooperatin’ with us under the table, it serves everyone’s interests best. You can help us, we can help you, an’ so long as we’re careful, no one is the wiser. If things get too hot over at Echo, we can pull y’all out an’ go from there.”
“But once we’re out, it’s not going to be easy to get us back in.” She nodded, and sipped. “Third reason?”
He finished his beer. “Third reason: I don’t think you’d look as good as I do in this uniform. Just doesn’t go with your eyes, Blue.”
She mimed a blow at his head. “You know, somewhere out there, a village is missing its idiot.”
“Might wanna skedaddle home then, kiddo; someone’s bound t’be keepin’ your seat warm.” Another grin. He always seemed to smile so easily. About half the time…she didn’t believe the smile. Maybe more than half. It was certainly charming, even disarming, but to her there was always some pain, and it seemed forced. More like a weapon, a tool or a defense he used so habitually he wasn’t even aware of doing so. “So, what’re your thoughts on…well, my thoughts? Remember, most people askin’ for advice are only really lookin’ to get their own opinions confirmed.”
She sobered and finished her beer in one long swallow, putting the empty down beside her. “Should I run a revolution? Am I totally insane? I mean, yeah, look, the blood of my hippie ancestors is running around in my veins, chanting and waving signs, but this is Dominic Frickin’ Verdigris we’re talking about. Supergenius. You must have talked to Vic, or even just listened to her muttering to herself lately. This guy pulls off stuff most crime lords wouldn’t even dare to dream about, and for him, it’s only Tuesday. He took over Echo, for god’s sake.”
“Does he got any sorta special abilities, aside from havin’ a big brain? Immune to damage, can phase out of reality, or fart out showtune lyrics?”
“He doesn’t need anything but that big brain. The big brain makes him money, and the money buys him everything he could possibly need or want.”
“Sounds like he can take a bullet just as easy as the next guy, then.”
“Wait—” Bella said. “Let’s go talk to Vickie.”
“You don’t have to go talk to her; she’s standing behind you,” said Vickie’s voice from the door. “A little cat told me you were having a discussion I needed to contribute to. There had better still be a beer left.”
She listened without comment while Bella outlined the conversation, and nodded when Bella was done.
“She had been listenin’ for a minute an’ a half before ya noticed her, but damn if the little blonde ain’t sneaky.” John held a fresh beer out to her. “We’ll have to start breakin’ into the vodka, soonish.”
“I could go for that. Even Comrade’s Choice. Okay, Johnny, let me tell you w
hat I’ve winkled out so far, and bear in mind that Dominic Frickin’ Verdigris probably has a lot more layers around him than I have been able to find.” Vickie looked beyond tired, like she hadn’t slept in the last three days, and thinner than when he’d last seen her. “So. When he’s at home, which is mostly, he has a primary defense system running on an AI that’s not hackable without being on the premises and within that primary perimeter. Rumor hath it that he has a lot of…how to put this…demented pieces to this system. Like a shark tank. No lie. This is a system that runs traps and kill zones only and it probably costs the GNP of a small country. He has a secondary system that runs the alarms. He has guards, perimeter guards and bodyguards, and his personal bodyguard, who never leaves him and probably sleeps with him, is a metahuman named Khanjar who has never, not once, missed.” She drank half the beer. “That is what I know about. Which is probably no more than half of what he actually has.”
“Y’done, comrade? An’ where’s the part that I’m supposed to be impressed?” John put his hands up in defense. “I’m not tryin’ to be an asshole, honestly, though it’s hard for me. I’m just sayin’; where there’s a will, there’s a way. This guy has security, okay. You just listed off a lot of major stuff. The best sort of security is the sort that no one knows ’bout til it’s bitin’ them in the ass. Sure, there’s definitely more, no ‘likely’ about it. But we got a chunk of it. Here’s the thing with runnin’ security on a VIP. If you’re part of the hired help, you have to be right every time, all the time. The bad guys? They only have to be right once. That makes security a losin’ game, in the long run. Eventually, the ‘bad guys’—us, in this instance—get lucky or get it right. An’ we’re not a bunch of preschoolers around here, if’n ya hadn’t noticed.” John finished his fourth beer, reaching into a small refrigerator for a fifth. “So, are we talkin’ about killin’ this guy, or what?”
Bella held up a hand. “Just a second.” It shocked her, and she didn’t want to show it, that Murdock was that ready to go, that fast. That he either could justify an assassination that quickly, or just figured it was in order as long as she thought it was justified. She’d known he was hard…she just hadn’t quite known how hard.
“Let me think out loud here. Now, you’re saying we, and while I am sure that Nat would be perfectly happy to put one between the man’s eyes, Nat doesn’t have an infinite number of people to send after him. Limited resources, and I think after she thought about it, she’d have to say that one target is not worth what it would take. Which would pretty much leave the we being the three of us here.”
“I’d say it depends on the target. Is this guy enough of a threat to warrant the risk? From the sound of things, he very well could be. If he screws over Echo, that’s a major roadblock that has been removed for the Nazis. In the position he’s in, he could screw over the CCCP. Neither of these things are things that we can abide, correct?” John shrugged. “I trust you, Bella, an’ I trust Vic. She says that he killed Tesla in a power play. That seems t’make him fair game, in my book.”
“That’s the thing. We don’t know what he wants Echo for yet. It’s not likely, but it’s possible that he got a scare tossed into him by one of those Thulian pop-ups. Or something else. He might be on our side.”
“By killin’ the leader of the largest metahuman organization in the world, covertly.” John cocked an eyebrow, taking another swig of his beer.
“Whose leader was spending most of his time hiding under his desk and the rest of his time letting petty bureaucrats boss him around and hamstring his organization to the point of casualties.” Bella frowned. “Case in point, the suicide of the Mountain and the collateral casualties among the civilians.”
“There’s lots of reasons to kill folks, an’ I’ve explored quite a few of ’em. Incompetence takes more than a bit to get my blood or fires up, kids.” He sighed. “Listen, I know y’all are playin’ devil’s advocate here. An’ I get it. But, honestly; y’all think this guy is workin’ with us? I want your honest opinions on it. He is a guy that we figured might have somethin’ set up to kill all three of us; I’ve had my troubles with both Echo and Blacksnake, mind you. Call me biased.”
“I think he’s working his own game,” Vickie piped up, clearly too tired to have energy to spare for her usual nerves. “I don’t think it’s currently incompatible with Echo’s, even though it’s not going to be in Echo’s best interests down the road. Look, Johnny, one of the things I try and do is get inside peoples’ heads, and I think the reason Verd grabbed both Blacksnake and Echo is to put them solidly between him and the Thulians. Because I suspect if they know about him, they’ll try and put the snatch on him, and I think that he finds the idea of working for them revolting. Not because of what they are or do, but because he refuses to work for anyone but himself. He’s a sociopath. No one matters to him, but him. But conversely, that means the idea of anyone exerting authority over him would make him furious.”
“Part that grabbed me there the most was ‘put Blacksnake and Echo’ between himself an’ the Thulians. Doesn’t sound like Echo an’ Blacksnake are on the winnin’ side of that equation. A shield is made to get chewed up in battle.”
Again Bella raised her hand. “I get that.” She pinched the bridge of her nose just between her eyes to stave off a headache. “Look. Two things. One, we can’t, and I mean, can’t, start acting like the bad guys. We do, they win, because we become them. Two, this isn’t answering the question I asked.”
“Y’have my answer, Blues. Stay with Echo, until the moment comes when y’can’t. Y’can do more good there, for all of us. Plus, it’d make it easier to eliminate this guy with y’all on the inside, anyways.” He shrugged easily, finishing his beer.
“But—look, there are only four people who might run a revolt from inside. Bulwark, Ramona Ferrari, and Yankee Pride. And me. Of the three, I think I am going to be the one least watched, and the one…the one with the most will to do it. Bulwark is out for now. Ramona and Pride are in shock. Once I get the ball rolling, I am pretty sure the others will follow. But am I the right person for the job?”
“So, the matter is settled for ya? Of course you’re the right one for the job, kiddo. Ain’t necessarily ’bout bein’ the ‘right one’ so much as it is bein’ the one that’s there an’ willin’. Roger?” John stood up, discarding his empty bottle in the trash bin with a toss.
Slowly, Bella nodded. “I guess…talking about it out loud…yeah. Kind of solidified things. And…I think the way to do this with the least number of casualties is to topple him. Not kill him, just get him out.”
John nodded in response, placing his fists on his hips. “Then it’s settled. Just remember; we’re at war. Folks get killed; some ’cause they need to, some just ’cause.”
“But no one wins a war fought on two fronts much less three,” Bella retorted. “We can’t fight Verd and Blacksnake and the Thulians.” She turned to Vickie. “Vic, first thing. We need that desk. Got me? Get in touch with Ferrari, find out where it went, because we can’t let Verd get it, and we need it bad.”
Vickie nodded. John raised an eyebrow and let the incomprehensible comments slide by.
“Funny y’say two fronts. Argument could be made that this guy bein’ alive, period, might create that. Nyet?” John took his turn to hold up his hands. “Just sayin’. I’m good to go for whatever; I’m just a shooter, now. Not a planner anymore. ’Kay?”
She frowned. “No. That’s not okay. If I’m going to be in charge, I refuse to be handicapped because someone who knows more than I do won’t use his brains.”
Another smile. “All right, but I already told ya; I can be a real asshole when I try.”
“You can be a real asshole when you don’t try, Johnny,” Vickie said wearily. “It’s part of your charm.”
“I’ve got charm? Don’t tell Ol’ Man Bear, he’ll get jealous.”
Bella shook her head, then reached out and mussed his hair. “Moron. Look…thanks. For evacking us.
For getting our backs. For helping me.”
“No need t’thank me, ma’am. I’m just doin’ my job.” This time he really smiled, and it felt real for Bella. “Seriously, though, forget it. It’s what we do, isn’t it?”
She nodded, soberly. “Yes, it is.” She looked him in the eyes. “And I think you know why.”
He met her gaze for a few moments, purposefully, then shrugged. “We’ve all got our reasons, kiddo.” John looked around, confused. “So…are we outta beer? If so, I think that’s a tragedy in the makin’.”
“I think I’m up to one beer run,” Vickie replied. “As long as you ride shotgun and do the heavy lifting. Then I’m finally going home to my real bed.”
“I’ll go along on that,” Bella replied. “I’m ready to see my own bed too. I’ll even buy the beer.”
“Ridin’ shotgun means I get to bring a shotgun, right?”
Bella smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
***
They dropped John off at CCCP with two cases of Guinness. A bottle of single malt came home with them. “We need a nightcap,” Bella had declared.
Vickie raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t mix with my meds,” she replied, quite seriously. Bella knew she had been medicated up the entire time they’d been at the HQ. Saviour had considerately put her in a little room all her own, then put Chug on guard at the door. For some reason, Vickie’s people phobia didn’t include Chug.
“All right, then, I need a nightcap. You can keep me company with tea.”
They didn’t talk much in the car, nor on the way up to the top floor in the battered old elevator. Bella half expected Vickie to beg off when they got to their floor, but instead, the little mage followed her in. When Vickie headed for the kitchen, Bella forestalled her. “You go sit,” she said. “I’ll make tea.”
“Afraid I’ll burn the water?” Vickie asked wryly, but didn’t argue. She wasn’t moving well today; probably a night on the CCCP cots hadn’t done her much good.
World Divided: Book Two of the Secret World Chronicle-ARC Page 41
