“IS HE REALLY THAT BAD?”
“That bad— you don’t know. Oh god, you don’t know.” He whispered.
“TEN SECONDS.” Another program down, too.
His voice was serious again. “Doctor Dire, I promise you this. We will take any and all steps to prevent Vector from getting those flowers, including your destruction if necessary. Either give them to us, or destroy them yourself. You—”
“TIME’S UP.”
The second-to last program failed. I hung up, and threw the computer into a hard purge. The burner phone’s Grid profile ceased to exist, and I held my breath as the AR line of the trace coiled, flexed, then grounded out somewhere around Rhode Island.
Well.
That hadn’t gone as planned.
I pulled my mask off, and tucked the computer back into its hidden compartment.
I’d need a different approach if we wanted to get paid our ransom. But I had a name now, and another clue. Whoever this Vector was, Morgenstern Inc. feared him.
In any case, the matter wouldn’t be easily resolved, and that let me move on to my next task. I strolled out of the back rooms, tossing my mask from hand to hand. “Martin, are you good to drive?”
“Yeah. We going now?”
I checked the armor. It was almost done, just had the paint cycle left to go. “Sure. Dire will go get suited up. Pull the van around, and she’ll hop in. ”
Around the north end of Broadoak avenue I called for a halt. “SOMEWHERE AROUND HERE,” I rumbled.
“Neighborhood’s still shitty.”
Unsurprising, but still sad. He found a parking lot at the edge of the coast, near a marina that had seen better days. I clambered out, nightvision amped up, surveying the area for observers, and finding none. To the south the lights of Boardwalk’s marinas glittered softly along the water, and the Boardwalk itself was filled with its own cascades of light and colors of tourists and vacationers living it up. The eager pulse of party music pounded across the waves, and I wished them the joy of it.
To the north, the ruins of the old docks moldered, and dirty beach stretched into darkness— darkness that ended in a cluster of ruins out on a long pier, old skeletons of roller coasters and rotted clown faces against a low moon.
Funland.
“Place looks different, without the camp.” Martin said, whispering. I nodded, and turned my Mask’s volume as low as it could go. “READY?”
He held out his arms to me, and shut his eyes tight as I picked him up into a fireman’s carry. He was no weight at all to my armor, and the gravitics flew us silently across the water, arcing out into the ocean, and coming around low and fast until rotted wooden pilings and crumbling planks cropped up on my nightvision. “GOING UP,” I said, and he groaned as we ascended, darting past a half-intact Ferris wheel and over to the north end of the big pier.
As I went, a light glimmered at the edge of my vision, and I saw that we weren’t the first to arrive. A small electric lantern shed its glow, next to an old man in a wheelchair. Next to him, the armored and glowering form of Mags was just visible. Though I was still in the darkness, her head snapped toward me as I got within a few hundred yards. Some sort of metal-sense? I noted that for future conflicts.
I touched down, and set Martin to the ground, using my sensors to examine the area. Nothing and no one else, so I approached, letting my metal-shod feet clank thud against the planks. Some broke and cracked under my weight, but with the gravitics on, I didn’t fall. Martin, for his part, gave me a wide birth as he came in on my flank. And he was the first to speak, as he ran ahead.
“Hahahhaha! Sparky! M’man!”
A mane of white hair raised its head, as a brown-skinned face peered into the darkness. “Martin?”
And damn, it was good to hear that querulous, creaky old voice again. I sniffled, and felt a tear roll down my face. Thank heavens for my mask, it let me cry without shame. We’d been through so much together. And he hadn’t changed a bit.
Martin slowed when he approached the chair, and Mags tensed up.
“Shit, Sparky, call off the dog. Hey, is your ground up?”
Sparky shook his head, tapped a metal choker around his neck. “Don’t need that no more. Now c’mere, son!”
Martin crouched down, and I watched as the two folded into a hug. Martin was weeping too at this point, and I’m pretty sure Sparky’s eyes were moist in the lanternlight. Mags looked uncomfortable; she shifted her feet around, coughed, and moved her visor over to look directly at me.
“You might as well come out too before you drop the entire pier.”
“VERY WELL.”
Martin pulled back from Sparky, rubbed his face. Sparky’s eyes got bigger and bigger as my armored bulk stomped out of the darkness, red cape swaying around me as I pulled up, and surveyed the three of them.
“Long time no see, Dire lady. Looks like you got an upgrade.”
“MADE IT HERSELF.”
“Well, least it’s American-made. Not too many things are these days.”
“YOU HAVE AN UPGRADE TOO.” I indicated the broadcast torc he wore around his neck. It wasn’t as spiky as the version I’d made him, back in the day.
“Eh, I’ve still got that one, but one of the Brigade techs made me this one that ain’t so noticeable. They’re turnin’ me into a respectable citizen.” he cackled.
“Psh, like that’ll happen,” Martin said. “Got your hip flask on you?”
Sparky fished around in his wheelchair, and tossed it to Martin. “Careful with that. That was Roy’s.”
“Ah.”
We bowed our heads for a moment, remembering. When I looked up, I caught Mags staring at me, before she shifted her visor away, lips tight.
“THAT’S ABOUT THE HARDEST PART OF THIS PATH, REALLY.”
“Oh?” Sparky asked.
“COULDN’T GO TO HIS FUNERAL. CAN’T VISIT HIS GRAVE.”
It was too risky. The veteran’s cemetery was well-monitored, and the MRB was surely watching. I just couldn’t justify the risk, no matter how much I wanted to. Roy had been the closest thing I’d had to a father, really. Tears threatened again, but I squeezed my eyes shut.
“Dire,” Sparky whispered, and my audio sensors picked up the squeak of his wheelchair as he rolled it closer. “It ain’t too late. You can come in out of the cold. Give this up.”
“NO. NO SHE REALLY CANNOT.”
“A villain’s life ain’t no life at all. You saw what it does to people. You fought the worst of ’em. And now you want to throw that away? You want to go out there and fight my kids? Hells, Dire. You’re better than that. You could be a hero. The best of ’em...”
I considered him for a long moment, then turned to look at Martin. “AND WHAT OF MARTIN, IF DIRE SURRENDERS?”
“Hey. If you wanna...” Martin raised his hands. “I ain’t saying you should, but don’t let me hold you back if you want to. Your life, your choices. I’ll be fine on my own if I have to.”
It was tempting, I couldn’t deny it. But I’d considered it before, and always ground down to the same conclusion.
“NO.” I raised a hand, and clenched it. “HEROES ARE A NECESSARY PART OF THIS WORLD; IT IS TRUE. BUT THEY ARE NOT ENOUGH. THERE ARE PROBLEMS OUT THERE, SPARKY, PROBLEMS THAT HEROES CANNOT PUNCH OUT. PROBLEMS THAT NO AMOUNT OF FIGHTING WILL SOLVE. YOU AND THE REST OF THE WORLD NEED DIRE DOING WHAT SHE’S DOING, EVEN IF YOU CANNOT SEE IT YET.”
“And just what are you doing?” Mag asked. “Besides hurting my friends, I mean? Because I’m really not seeing it.”
“SIMPLE, CHILD,” I said, shifting my mask to look down upon her. “DIRE WILL FIX THE WORLD’S PROBLEMS.”
“Ha! Yeah, you and every politician out there.”
“UNLIKELY. POLITICIANS ARE CONSTRAINED BY BEING PART OF THE PROCESS, PAWNS UPON A BOARD, LIKE MOST OF THE REST OF THIS WORLD’S INHABITANTS.”
“Aren’t you one of those inhabitants? Calling yourself a pawn now?” She grinned. “You said it, I didn’t.”
�
��TRUE. BUT DO YOU KNOW THE FIRST STEP TO BECOMING A PLAYER, INSTEAD OF A PIECE?”
“No, but I’m sure you’ll shout it at me here in a second.”
Irritating. I continued anyway. “THE FIRST STEP IS TO LOOK AT THE BOARD.”
“Yep, called it.”
Sparky swatted at her. “Look at the board, hah? Never too good at chess. Poker’s more fun.” He frowned. “Lost so much money on that, back in the day. You wouldn’t believe how much Unstoppable cheated outta the regiment ’fore we caught on he was sharking us.”
“CHESS WORKS BETTER FOR THE ANALOGY,” I clarified. C’mon Sparky, focus. “BUT AT ANY RATE, LOOKING AT THE BOARD REQUIRES RESOURCES. SO DIRE’S GATHERING THOSE.”
“Stealing them, you mean,” Mags clarified.
“FROM THOSE WHO DESERVE IT OR CAN SPARE IT, YES. FROM OTHERS, OBTAINING THEM LEGALLY.”
“Yeah. We didn’t have a truce right now I’d take you to bits, lady.”
I narrowed my eyes, and turned to face Mags full on, stomping closer, step by step. Unhurried, I watched her back up a step, half-raise a hand. But Sparky caught her arm, shook his head.
I leaned down over her, brought the armor down and half-crouched, bringing the eyes of my mask level to her visor.
“YOU WILL TRY TO STOP DIRE, AGAIN AND AGAIN. AND YOU WILL FAIL, AGAIN AND AGAIN. THIS IS NOT A THREAT. THIS IS NOT INTIMIDATION. THIS IS SIMPLY HOW IT WILL BE. IN TIME YOU WILL GAIN VICTORIES AGAINST HER, BUT NOT HERE AND NOT SOON, AND NEVER SIGNIFICANT WINS. DIRE WILL NOT STOP. DIRE WILL NOT REST. DIRE WILL NOT CEASE UNTIL THIS UNJUST, CORRUPTED WORLD IS RESTORED TO A PLACE WHERE HUMANS ARE FREE TO LIVE WITHOUT FEAR, AND OUR SPECIES ASCENDS TO ITS FULL POTENTIAL.”
She opened her mouth, shut it again.
“SO FIGHT YOUR HARDEST. BRING YOUR TEAMS, PUSH YOUR POWERS TO THE LIMIT, AND TEST YOURSELVES IN THE CRUCIBLE THAT IS DIRE. ONLY THEN, WILL YOU COME TO BE READY FOR THE INEVITABLE.”
“And what’s the inevitable, hah?” Sparky asked.
I straightened up. “THE TIME WHEN THE REST OF THE WORLD ADMITS THAT DIRE IS RIGHT. THE TIME WHEN HEROES AND VILLAINS AND ORDINARY PEOPLE, ALL OF HUMANITY UNITES UNDER HER BANNER. THE TIME WHEN THE HUMAN RACE PUTS ASIDE PETTY, WASTEFUL CONFLICTS AND GREED AND FEAR AND IGNORANCE, AND GOES FORTH TO CONQUER THE WHOLE DAMN UNIVERSE.”
“Lady,” Mags said. “Don’t hold your breath.”
“YOU WILL SEE.” I said, turning my back on her. “IN ANY CASE, DIRE IS DONE WITH BANTER. SPARKY, DO YOU HAVE SUSAN’S LAST NAME?”
“I do.” He confirmed. “But I ain’t too sure I should be givin’ it to you.”
“SHE’LL COME TO NO HARM.”
He tapped his fingers on the arm of his wheelchair, and his face was as calm as a still pond. “I believe you believe that. But when villains go lookin’ for people, sometimes they bring trouble with’em. Even if they don’t mean to.”
I had to admit, he had a point. Come to think of it, that time traveler was a perfect example of the truth of that statement.
Truth. Perhaps that was the most effective tool, here.
“IT’S MINNA,” I confessed. “SHE’S DISAPPEARED.”
“What?” He looked surprised. “She didn’t get settled with the rest of the camp?”
“Nah, man,” Martin said. “Dunno where she got to. I think Susan got Anya, was taking care of her. But no sign of Minna.”
“That ain’t good. No way Minna’d go off and leave Anya with someone else this long.” He pulled on his beard. “Yeah. Alright. Her last name’s Donner.”
“SUSAN DONNER.” I nodded. With my backdoors and the supercomputer, that was enough to start with. “THANK YOU.”
“Jus’ don’t go givin’ her no trouble, alright? You do that for me, Dire lady?”
“THAT SHE CAN PROMISE. AH— ONE MORE THING.”
Mags tensed, and I saw Sparky raise a hand casually, too casually, to the back of his neck. He didn’t trust me, and it damn near broke my heart.
“RELAX. IT’S JUST A NAME. VECTOR. EVER HEAR OF A COSTUME WHO USES THAT AS HIS ALIAS?”
Sparky shook his head. “Ain’t heard ’a that one.”
But Mags twitched. “Vector? Of course!”
“YOU KNOW HIM?”
“I know of him. He—” She shut her mouth, glanced at me. “Y’know, I think I’ll let you find that out on your own.”
“HE’S IN THE CITY AND CAUSING TROUBLE. ANY INFORMATION YOU SHARE WILL HINDER HIM.”
“Yeah. But I don’t have to tell you squat. Fight your own battles, Dorktor.”
“A TRADE, THEN?”
“You’ve got nothing I want.”
“DIRE KNOWS WHAT HE’S AFTER.”
She scowled. “And how do I know you’d tell the truth?”
“WHAT GUARANTEE DOES DIRE HAVE OF YOUR VERACITY?”
“Huh?”
“DIRE DOESN’T KNOW IF YOU’LL LIE EITHER. BUT SHE’S WILLING TO TRUST YOU. SPARKY WOULDN’T TEACH YOU TO LIE, AFTER ALL.”
Like hell he wouldn’t. Back in the day the man had gotten me here under a pretense and tricked me into a vulnerable position. Almost killed me, too. It had all been a misunderstanding, mind you, but the old geezer was devious in his own way.
But I figured I could guilt the brat into talking. Heavens knew she hadn’t shown much restraint there earlier in this conversation.
She gnawed her lip. “Alright. You first.”
“FLOWERS. THREE BIG CRATES FULL OF PINK AND WHITE FLOWERS.”
“That doesn’t tell me much.”
“THEY PUT OUT A LOT OF POLLEN, THAT HAS SOME SORT OF HORRIBLE EFFECT.”
“Yeah, that would be up his alley. Still not telling me much.”
I shrugged. “THEN RECIPROCATE WITH AN AMOUNT OF INFORMATION THAT YOU FEEL IS FAIR.”
“Well, I guess I could save you some Grid searching, that’d be fair. He was a doctor in a bad part of Africa. Working with the World Peace Corps, or something like that? Anyway, he got fed up with the hunger and starvation that he saw there. And either he had powers or got them there, because he started trying to fix it.”
“COMMENDABLE.”
“Uh, not so much. His idea of fixing things was letting loose plagues that changed people’s digestion, to make it more effective and let them eat weird things for nutrients.”
“HM.”
“Oh crap, please don’t go getting ideas!” She honestly looked concerned.
“NOT HOW DIRE DOES BUSINESS.”
“Yeah, that’s good, because the plagues killed a bunch of people. And a lot of the survivors were— well, the pictures are out there. They got messed up pretty bad. Like they had to be mercy-killed bad.”
Well. There went the notion of trying to sell the flowers to Vector. No wonder the client had been scared of the suggestion.
“SO WHY IS HE NOT IMPRISONED?”
Mags leaned on Sparky’s chair. “It turned out he wasn’t limited to plagues. He had made some mutant beasts and stuff. Which is why when you mentioned him it made sense to me, because those freaky vines we saw? Totally something he’d do.”
“HE’S GOT SOMETHING BIGGER, TOO. A SMALL KAIJU.”
“Jesus fucking Christ—”
“Hey!” Sparky bonked her helmet. “Language, young missy.”
Martin chuckled, and she flushed. “Sorry. Wow. Uh, that’s bad. Wait...”
She pointed at me. “These flowers you mentioned... where are they now?”
I smiled under my mask. “WELL, OUR BUSINESS IS DONE. READY TO GO, MARTIN?”
“Sure am.”
Mags took a few steps forward. “Hey! Look, this is serious, if—”
“GOODNIGHT SPARKY. BE WELL.”
“G’night Dire. Good luck. You’ll need it.”
“No, stop! If there’s anything you—”
I half wondered if she’d try to stop me, when I grabbed Martin and lifted off.
She didn’t, and we got back to the van unmolested.
“Well, that kid was pretty pissed.” He remarked. �
�Teenagers, amirite?”
“IT WAS A BIT OF A PLEASURE TO LEAVE HER HANGING.” I grinned under the mask.
The grin turned to horror, as red messages flickered across my HUD.
“GET IN THE VAN. DRIVE!”
“What—”
“THE LAIR’S UNDER ASSAULT! GO! DIRE WILL MEET YOU THERE!”
“Hey, don’t leave—”
I didn’t hear the rest of his sentence, as I dropped him and kicked the gravitics in from hovering to full thrust, launching myself south.
And as I flew, hot panic turned to smoldering anger.
Someone was going to pay for this.
CHAPTER 11: MOVING ON DOWN
“Doctor Dire? Oh yeah, we know that bitch. Time comes, we're going to pay her back for what she did...”
--Excerpt from a wiretapped conversation with Kiefer, leader of Die Kriegers, the East Coast's largest human supremacist organization
My armor was not built for speed. The best I could do was around fifty miles per hour, and that was with a good tailwind behind me. This gave me plenty of time to read each damage report thoroughly as it came in, and fume over the loss.
The worst part was the lack of visual feed. They’d been smart enough to take out the outside cameras first, and the inside feed didn’t have much more than a shadowed figure rushing in through the side door, catching a taser dart from the grid and dropping. Someone dragged him back, then a few more came in more cautiously with weapons out, and got dropped by a directional screamer. Then there were billowing clouds of smoke everywhere. I hadn’t put smoke in any of my defenses, so that was something the invaders had brought. Not good. That would interfere with some of the defenses.
I wove through the skyscrapers of downtown, well under the airships in their set flight paths above me. It was dark and I had no light on me, but there were people on the streets below even at this hour, and some of them doubtless saw me. I didn’t care. I had too much invested in my lair, I’d spent months building the damn thing up, and now I’d have to move the irreplaceable components.
If there was one silver lining to this, it was that Tomorrow Force and Crusader were both out of town. They were some of the main sky watchers for the city, and they would have been on me in a heartbeat if they’d been around.
DIRE : SEED (The Dire Saga Book 2) Page 16
