by L. E. French
The front door clanged shut. “C’mon, Doc.” Splice hurried through the shop to the back door.
I snatched up my windbreaker and backpack. At my command, the local weather scrolled across my vision, reporting the clouds had cleared and it shouldn’t rain again until tomorrow afternoon. Thank goodness.
We climbed onto the bike while the outer garage door rolled open. Splice slipped her goggles over her eyes and we lurched into the night.
[Splice: Are you sure you want to go back? We make a pretty good team and I can probably get those schematics in a few hours.]
[DocSoo: I’m sure, thank you.]
I pored over her words, re-reading them several times. Admittedly, she’d done a good job using her various robotic arms to follow my directions for assisting me. No arguments, no questions, no hassles, no delays. With practice, we would work well together.
[DocSoo: Why are you willing to work with me?]
[Splice: Because I have no interest in fucking you, and you’re not going to interact with the patients much beyond cutting them open. No personal shit involved, so there shouldn’t be an issue. Besides, you don’t act like a drunk, you act like a guy who looks at alcohol as medication for a disease you can’t figure out how to diagnose.]
Her statement breezed past me, which reminded me that I had my emotion regulator turned on. Though I didn’t want to, I switched it off, re-read the words, and considered hitting her. At once, she’d insulted and shamed me. I needed to be handled and worked around. My skills were my only value to her. And to Misery.
Gritting my teeth, I stifled an angry retort. [DocSoo: Okay.]
[Splice: We’re almost there. Good luck, Doc. I’ll ping you when I get the schematics.]
The bike rolled to a stop one block closer to the Nightmare Hotel than before. A crowd still milled outside that old warehouse, and this time, I didn’t have to push through it. I thanked Splice and jogged down the street, eager to be away from reminders of all my failings and failures.
Time ticked against me. I reached the corner of the Nightmares’ street at 11:56. Men in dark trench coats spilled from the building, making it difficult for me to imagine a quiet, unobserved reentry. Panic prickled my scalp and I considered letting my regulator handle it. This time, though, I felt I needed to deal with it. Misery could only get so mad if she found out I left. After all, I came back.
Ducking around the side of the fence, I ran as fast as I could to get behind the building. Back here, no windows lined the wall, giving me a chance. I jumped at the fence and pushed myself to get over it as fast as I could. Thirty-three seconds beat my previous time by a lot. Fear put a lot of speed into me, it seemed.
I darted to the building, running so fast I hit the black concrete wall. Gasping for breath, I peered around the corner and watched men I’d only seen in passing climb into the cars and start engines.
[Monster: Wake up, Doc. Be outside in five minutes or I’m coming to get you.]
Too relieved for words, I straightened and took a few deep breaths while constructing a response.
[Doc Soo: I heard the commotion and came outside already. What’s going on? Is someone hurt out in the street again?]
[Monster: You’re full of surprises, Doc. Bring the medkit. We’re going to a regular meet, but since we’ve got you, Misery wants to bring you along. Something can always go sideways.]
I stepped into sight and waved to the nearest gang member. He nodded to me and beckoned me closer. Happy to comply, I jogged closer and climbed into the backseat of the car he pointed to. Wraith slid into the driver’s seat. He looked me over and said nothing.
Trying not to fret about being discovered, I held my backpack in my lap and waited. I focused on breathing until Misery took the seat beside me and Monster took the front passenger seat. Everyone wore Nightmare trench coats. Except me. I still wore jeans and a black t-shirt with my black windbreaker over it.
Misery crossed her legs as Wraith pulled the car onto the street behind two others. Black leggings disappeared into her polished combat boots. “We’re going to a normal, routine meet with our suppliers. We do this every week and nothing happens. I’m bringing you because I’d like you to get involved in our regular business so you know what to expect. You stay in the car unless someone needs medical treatment or Monster or I tell you to get out.”
“Yes, ma’am.” At least no one expected much from me.
She watched the scenery through the side window. “Do you think I still owe you for saving my son, Dr. Tsukuda?”
Her use of my real name sent a shiver down my spine. I saw no other way to interpret it than as a threat. She knew who I was and what I’d done, and chose to remind me of that fact. “No. I’m in your debt, Misery.”
“That’s right.”
“Excuse me, Misery.” Monster turned with a frown. “Ikuri wants to delay until tomorrow.”
Misery snorted and waved him off. “Fuck that noise. We’re already on our way.”
Monster’s gaze slid away as he focused on composing a message. We bumped down the street while I wondered if Ikuri was Yakuza. Everything I knew about them screamed at me to steer clear.
“He says there may be police complications if we proceed tonight,” Monster said after a long pause.
“Give him our ETA and tell him I have another supplier option if he’s too much of a limp-dick to handle my business.”
I kept my mouth shut and watched DeeSeat flash past. We sped through areas with no streetlights or datastreams, Wraith punching us through the darkness faster than seemed safe. I imagined all kinds of creatures lurking in those dark places, though I knew none of them were real. The car slowed when we emerged from the shadows at the old, abandoned baseball stadium.
Hunks of concrete from the stadium’s collapse decades ago lay strewn on the street where no one had bothered to clear them away. Long strings of jury-rigged solar lights decked the building and its neighbors like holiday garlands, providing tiny dots of white light strong enough to let us see the road. This area had only a few, minimal datastreams to tap into and I avoided them. A place like this seemed likely to harbor viruses. Both kinds.
Our five-car caravan stopped in the middle of Royal Brougham Way with the front car at the edge of a giant crack in the asphalt. Misery drummed her fingers on the leather seat.
“He’s running late,” Monster said.
“No shit,” Misery spat. “Tell him he has ten minutes.”
“In the meantime, he suggests we do a sweep of the area.”
Misery scowled. She opened her door and stepped out. Without moving away from the vehicle, she twisted one way, then the other. Less than a minute passed before she sat down and shut the door again. “The area is clear. Send five hunting inside. I won’t be caught with my pants down, no matter which way this goes.”
I wished I had the balls to ask her what “hunting” meant. Looking out the window, I saw a car empty, five men stepping out with guns bigger than pistols. They jogged into the stadium as a group, hustling around debris and disappearing from sight. For unknown reasons, I gripped my pack tighter.
“He’s begging for more time,” Monster reported. “He says he’s stuck under I-five at James Street until his escort can deal with some unpleasantness.”
“Why is he stalling?” Misery drew her pistol.
“He could actually be stuck?” I suggested.
Misery looked at me like I was an exceptionally stupid child. “Stick to medicine, Doc.”
I huddled in my seat, wishing I had run away with Splice. At least I knew what she wanted and had no problem with it. Misery acted like she had a secret plan for me and it would destroy me.
“What do you want to do, boss?”
Gunfire echoed from the stadium. I snapped my head around in time to see muzzle flashes reflected on the concrete. Two of our five hunting men ran into sight, checking over their shoulders as they fled for the cars.
“What the fuck,” Misery snapped. “Monster, what’s
going on?”
“I don’t know. The grid is shit around here. They’re dropping in and out.” Monster and Wraith raised guns and stepped out of the car.
“Stay here,” Misery said as she also stepped out. They all did me the courtesy of shutting the doors.
More gunfire cracked and boomed all around the car. A brave man might have at least watched. I hid on the car floor, using my backpack as a shield over my head. The gunfire seemed to go forever and I switched on my emotion regulator. I still hid. The implant didn’t make me stupid.
The door opened and Monster dove inside with Misery, both smeared with blood. Wraith jumped into the driver’s seat as the engine revved. Monster reached back and yanked the door shut. Gravity threw me into the seat as Wraith spun the car and floored it.
“Doc, Misery’s been shot. Fix it!” Monster snatched my wrist and dragged me closer.
Still conscious, Misery groaned. In the brief few seconds before Wraith plunged us into darkness again, I saw enough glistening on her shirt to guess she’d been shot two or three times. So much for the trench coats being useful.
“Get her coat off,” I snapped, comfortable giving orders in this one type of situation. “And get me some light. I can’t work in the dark.”
Monster grunted with effort. Misery whimpered. The car vibrated. I pawed through the backpack for latex gloves.
My wristband caught on something and I froze. Despite our exchange earlier, I owed Misery nothing. Sure, I appreciated her paying Splice to reactivate my implant. If she’d just introduced us as payment for saving Phantom, though, I could have arranged things directly with Splice. Instead, Misery slapped a leash on me and turned me into her slave.
Bright light flared, momentarily blinding me. Misery’s black shirt glittered with blood pumping out of two ragged, wet holes. I took in the situation and decided exactly what needed to be done. For now, some clotting agent and bandages would be the best option until we could get to a stationary spot. She’d pass out and need a blood transfusion.
“What’re you waiting for?” Monster growled.
“Shut up.” I bared my teeth at him. Ironically, Misery had made my rebellion possible by having my implant reactivated. “I’m not doing a fucking thing unless you hand over the button controlling my wristband.”
Monster whipped a pistol out and pressed the barrel to my head. “You’ll fucking patch her up or I’ll blow your fucking brains out.”
In his place, I think I’d also expect to be dealing with the frightened doctor who’d crumpled in room ten. This version of me could kill a man in cold blood for something as worthless as a pair of fake breasts with red lipstick. “You kill me and she dies. She’ll bleed out in five minutes if I do nothing. And if you don’t hand over the button, I’m not doing anything. You got another doc you can get to in less than five minutes, Monster?”
“You ungrateful son of a bitch,” Monster spat.
“Ungrateful? Ha! Yes, I’m so ungrateful for being made a slave. Hand it over.”
Misery managed a few words between gasps and gagging noises. “Give…it…to…him.”
Scowling, Monster holstered his gun and dug in Misery’s coat pocket. He produced the button.
I took it and tucked it into my pocket. Pleased with my victory, I snapped on gloves and got to work.
Chapter 13
[Doc Soo: I may need an exit strategy.]
I sent the message to Splice as Wraith pulled the car into the Nightmare Motel. Misery was stable for the moment, and unconscious. Monster hauled her out of the car while I ripped my gloves off and tossed them onto the floor with the rest of the garbage I’d created while saving Misery’s life. As I got a good grip on the backpack, Wraith got a good grip on my arm and yanked me out of the car.
[Splice: What’s going on?]
My message summarized my bold action. Wraith, still as silent as his namesake, hustled me into the building and down the hallway behind Monster. For a moment, I thought he meant to give me a pre-op pep talk in room ten, but we followed Monster into nine. Monster laid her on the kitchen floor, which I assumed had to do with how much easier it’d be to clean than carpet.
[Splice: Damn. Go you. What’s the situation now?]
[Doc Soo: I’m about to extract the bullets. I have a bad feeling that once Misery is safely tended, Wraith and/or Monster are going to beat the shit out of me.]
Dropping to one knee beside Misery, I offered my room key to Wraith. “Bring me the bag with all the tools. I need several things inside it to do this properly.”
Monster nodded with a scowl and Wraith left. “If you think you’re walking out of here, you’re mistaken.”
“If you think I’m going to do anything else under that kind of threat, you’re stupider than you look.”
[Splice: I don’t have much ability to prevent a beating, but I can come down there and be your getaway vehicle.]
[Doc Soo: That should be good enough. I hope.]
With a roar, Monster punched the fridge so hard he dented the door.
Delusion came running into the living room. “What’s going on?” He saw his mother and gasped. “Mom! Doc Soo, are you going to save my mom?”
“Monster and I were just discussing that. I need a guarantee of my safety before I start anything.”
“God, of course you’ll be safe!” Delusion picked up Misery’s hand and squeezed it.
I gave Monster a smug smirk. Wraith returned and set the bag next to me. Digging through it, I found what I needed—forceps and a scalpel.
“What do you say to that, Monster?” I asked.
“Son of a bitch,” Monster rumbled.
Wraith pressed a gun to my head and cocked it. When this ended, I’d need to throw up and sit in a safe, quiet room for a while.
Delusion gasped again and batted the gun away. “What are you doing?” he screamed. “Mom is dying!”
Monster gritted his teeth. “Fine. Patch her up and get the fuck out.”
My smirk grew and I dove in to retrieve bullets.
[Splice: I’ll be on my way in about fifteen, so I should be there in about a half hour.]
[Doc Soo: Perfect timing.] I set a countdown and paced myself against it. When she pulled up, I wanted at least to be close to walking out the door. My fingers flew.
Monster paced the entire time. Wraith stood as an implacable wall of muscle. Through the door they’d left open, I heard boots in the hallway and knew leaving would be more complicated than I thought.
As I dropped the first bullet on the floor with a clack, someone stopped in the doorway. Aside from listening, I focused on stitching the wound shut.
“We lost six,” the newcomer said. “Four injured. They’ll all live, but a visit with the Doc would be good.”
“Get whoever you can of Ikuri’s people. I want someone to interrogate, and I want them now. Take whoever you want.” Monster crouched at Misery’s head. Patch up the guys before you go or I’ll—” He gritted his teeth and glowered at me. “Just do it.”
As much as I disliked walking away from patients who needed help, I couldn’t let him keep me here any longer than necessary. Every second I stayed here offered him one extra chance to swipe the button back. While I worked on Misery, I trusted him not to try anything. Once I finished, all bets were off. “I’m not your bitch. If they’ll live, then my conscience is clear.”
“Fuck you,” Monster spat.
Delusion stared at me, wide-eyed. The kid had so much to learn about how his family worked. “Why wouldn’t you help them?”
“Because Monster won’t let me do it of my own free will. I’d be happy to help them if they came to my clinic and paid me. I’d even be happy to do a house call. If I was paid and allowed to leave whenever I choose.” I tied off the stitches and shifted to the second bullet hole. Twelve minutes left, which made this possibly the fastest surgery I’d even accomplished. Motivation was the key. “The important part here is I refuse to be a slave.”
“I know
who you are,” Monster growled.
“That’s true. All that really does is insure I never want to deal with you again. So, if you’re going to hold that over my head, you can bet your ass that when I leave here I won’t be sticking around, and I definitely won’t take your messages or offer my services to you or anyone referred by you. In fact, I might go see if Ikuri would like to hire me. I’m sure he’d be interested to know whatever I have to say about this location and your people.”
“I don’t understand,” Delusion whined.
“You will when you’re older,” I told him. The second bullet hit the floor and bounced with a clackety-clack-clack.
Monster stood and paced across the living room. “Delusion, go to your room.”
The kid straightened his back and made a fist. “No. She’s my mother. I was here first. You go to your room!”
Glancing up from the stitches, I got the impression Monster wanted to haul Delusion off for a beating. For the moment, my presence protected the teen. Monster had enough brains to guess I’d stop working if he did anything. Aside from that, he probably wanted to keep an eye on me and also probably still harbored the hope he could tackle me and force me to stay.
Several tense minutes passed with Delusion holding Misery’s hand, Monster pacing like a caged lion and Wraith standing stock still behind me. Two minutes to go, I tied the second set of stitches off. One minute to go, I cleaned around both sites with damp gauze.
[Splice: I’m here. There’s the small issue of the fence and gate between you and me.]
I taped gauze over the first wound. Monster paused in his pacing. Wraith hurried out of the room.
“So that’s your plan,” Monster grumbled. “Splice. We should have collared her when we had the chance.”
Snapping my gloves off, I sighed. “Is that the only way you can think of to get people to help you?” I dumped the small supplies from the bag into the backpack. They could keep the gauze and tape. The durable tools were mine. “I would’ve stayed here for a long time if you’d just let it be a choice.”
