Red Awakening (Red Zone)

by Janet Elizabeth Henderson

  “That is one pissed-off woman,” Hunter said.

  “I wonder why?” Mace was pretty pissed off himself.

  He scanned the team of scientists before tapping on his datapad to check the people in front of him against the details on his target. A photo of Rueben Granger appeared. Mace glanced back to the lineup. His target was second on the left and had a look on his face that told the audience he was far too important for this event. According to the dossier his team had put together, Rueben was short, ambitious, and the youngest person ever to hold the position of lead scientist at a CommTECH research facility. He was also the man behind the new and very faulty datachip design. And he looked like an oily, hairless rat. Mace added that last part himself.

  When he looked back to the stage, he found Keiko smiling at the first scientist in line—her friend from the night before. The socially awkward woman wasn’t shy about catching Mace’s eye, and when she did, she gave him a death glare.

  “Uh, Hunter, did Keiko talk to Abigail about me?” Mace said quietly.

  “Did she ever,” Hunter replied with a laugh. “Dude, you are totally up shit creek.”

  “Don’t you think you should have shut that crap down?” Mace held Abigail’s glare, and the timid scientist didn’t back off. It was impressive.

  “Why?” Hunter said, and Mace could almost hear him shrug. “It wasn’t a security issue.”

  All Mace could do was growl his irritation. He’d deal with Hunter later. Along with everyone else on his team who was working to piss him off.

  …

  Keiko refused to acknowledge Mace, which was difficult, considering he was at least half a head taller than everyone else on the terrace, making him hard to miss. But she wasn’t going to waste any more time on the man. He’d pulled her into this situation. She’d betrayed her government because of him. Her parents were in danger because of him. Okay, so that wasn’t all on him, but he had a hand in it. She was so furious she was shaking with it, and she wished she’d never set eyes on the man.

  “We’ll deal with him later,” Abigail whispered. “Give me five minutes with him in my lab. There’s a whole lot I can do to him in the name of science.”

  “I am seriously tempted to take you up on that,” Keiko whispered back as she waited for the crowd to quiet down.

  “No one messes with my friend,” Abigail vowed as she tried to stare a hole through Mace’s head.

  “I’ll deliver him to you personally,” Keiko said. “And Hunter, if you’re listening, I’m including you in that, too.” He deserved everything he got for listening in on her every communication, and she hoped he was squirming in his chair, wherever he was.

  As the din died down, she pasted on a smile and faced the crowd. She had a job to do. “Welcome to Houston,” she called, waving at reporters she’d known for years and was fond of. “The city is putting on a show, just for you.” She motioned to the glorious reds and purple of the sunset, and a cheer went up.

  “As you know, most of our press conferences are held at head office or in some high-priced hotel so that you lot can drink away our profits. But today, we’re here, at our cutting-edge Houston research facility. There are two reasons for the change in location. The first, of course, is to show off our new lens, which is going to blow your minds. The other is to let you guys have access to our scientists in a controlled environment. One where you can’t get them drunk and talk them into gifting you some free tech.” There was much laughter and sounds of faux disappointment. “But, to compensate for missing out, we’re going to feed you.”

  “It’d better be a good spread to make up for the lost tech freebies,” someone shouted, making everyone laugh.

  “I promise it’s delicious. Now, let me introduce you to the team behind our latest technological marvel.” She gestured to the two rows of scientist taking up the stage. The heads of department stood beside Keiko, the rest in a line behind them.

  Rueben Granger was already preening, practically salivating at his chance to be in front of the press yet again, even though he’d had little to do with lens development—datachips were his specialty. No, the new lens was all Abigail’s work. Rueben was only at the launch because he was Abby’s boss—and because he liked the limelight. He straightened his shoulders, ready for her to introduce him first, as the most important person there. In his mind, anyway. Keiko pretended she didn’t notice his behavior and instead gestured to Abigail.

  “This is Abigail Dawson, head of our Visual Implant and Ocular Interface Division.” Her shy friend nodded to the crowd and took a step closer to Keiko; meanwhile, Rueben quickly brushed the scowl at being slighted from his face. “Abigail’s team has come up with a lens that has ten times the clarity of anything else on the market. We’re talking crystal-clear imaging and precision colors that take the strain out of long-term use. Say hi to the press, Abigail.”

  The color drained from Abigail’s face, and Keiko quickly squeezed her arm.

  “Sorry,” she whispered with genuine regret. “I’m off my game.”

  “It’s okay,” Abigail said. “I understand. I’d be off my game, too, if I were you.”

  “It’s no excuse. I know you hate these things.”

  “True. I wouldn’t be on this stage if Rueben wasn’t playing a game of whose dick is bigger.” She paused. “Mine is, and I don’t even have one.”

  Keiko smothered a laugh as she turned back to the crowd. “I forgot, even though I’ve known Abigail since college, that she isn’t really a stage person. My bad. And I’m sure she’ll make me suffer for it later.” She grinned at Abigail. “But she wants you to know that she says hi, and if you want free tech, your best bet is Rueben.”

  The crowd laughed, Abigail relaxed, and Rueben’s ego was stroked. It was why they paid her the big bucks. With a quick squeeze of Abigail’s hand to say she was sorry, she moved on down the line, all the while aware of Mace’s eyes boring into the back of her head. It was clear he was annoyed that she’d locked herself in the closet to sleep the night before. But, seriously, was he expecting her to climb into bed with him and carry on where they left off? Did she look that stupid?

  Deep breaths.

  Focus on the job.

  As soon as the press conference was over, she planned to take steps to remove the man and his team from her life once and for all. She would resign from her job as press secretary. It was the only way to ensure they couldn’t hold the information on her parents over her head forever. It was the only way to keep her parents safe. Which meant she’d no longer hold any value for Mace. His interest in her would be over. Much like her dreams of a Viking. From now on in, she planned to stick to boring, corporate men.

  She looked at the next scientist in her row, and her heart sank, even though she kept a smile plastered to her face. “Rueben Granger needs no introduction. As head of our Implanted Tech Division, he has personally overseen every aspect of this project—even though lens technology isn’t his area of specialization.” It was a little dig, one that went right over his head.

  She didn’t have to ask Rueben to speak—he thought it was his due and waited, greedily, for yet more attention. He cleared his throat, took a step forward and lifted his chin. “I am thrilled to be here on this auspicious day…”

  You could almost hear the press groan. The head of research could talk about himself for hours, and there was food growing cold. If she didn’t nip things in the bud fast, there would be a revolt.

  “It wouldn’t be a product launch without you, Rueben,” she said quickly. “I know that the press is eager to ask you their questions as soon as I’ve finished introducing the rest of your amazing team.” She turned to the audience as though they were forcing her to interrupt his speech. “You’re just going to have to wait until I’m done, okay?”

  “Of course.” Rueben gave the crowd a reprimanding glare.

  The press managed to stop from uttering a collective sigh of relief, and Keiko moved on to the last of the section leaders. Unlike
their department head, the section leaders and the rest of their teams lined up in a row at the back of the stage would rather have been back in their labs than performing for the continually greedy news cycle. Keiko would have preferred it, too. There had been no need to drag every scientist involved in the project onto the platform. That had been all Rueben. His ego had needed the large numbers in attendance to make him feel important.

  “Please give a warm welcome to Andrew Moray.” She indicated the last of the section heads, an older man with laugh lines around his eyes and a ready joke for everyone who took the time to talk to him. “Andrew is new to our research center here in Houston, having come across from our Scottish base a few months ago. He’s a genius at manipulating and developing new materials. He’s also the reason the new lens is thinner and softer than ever before, creating a truly irritation-free experience. Trust me, I’ve tried it, and you’ll never know it’s there. Would you like to say hello, Andrew?”

  “Aye, I would.” He smiled at her as he took a step forward.

  Rueben let out an irritated huff, but Keiko ignored him. The Scottish scientist swept his hair to the side of his forehead as he addressed the crowd, knowing the directional mics would pick up his voice and magnify it for everyone to hear.

  “I’d just like to say one wee thing before we get into the presentation.” He took a deep breath and thrust his fist high in the air. “Freedom for the people! Down with CommTECH!”

  Keiko gasped and staggered back. Camera drones zoomed in on the scientist as the press called out questions. At the back of the terrace, a scuffle broke out. Security, dressed in black and armed with laser rifles, ran for the stage. A shot was fired. Someone screamed. A massive hand wrapped around her arm and jerked her from the platform. She fell, squealing and calling for help. A loud blast shook the terrace, filling the air with smoke.

  “Abigail!” Keiko screamed, but in the scramble she couldn’t see her friend.

  “Everybody, get down!” someone shouted. “We are Freedom, and we’re taking over this building. Do as you’re told, and you won’t get hurt.”

  Freedom? The terrorists were there?

  “Breach, breach!” one of the security team shouted.

  A large arm wrapped around her middle. Her feet swung as she was lifted. She twisted, straining to see who had her, fearing she already knew.

  Mace.

  “Wait! Stop! We need to get Abigail.” She kicked and struggled, but it was no use. Her fingernails tore at the arm shackling her, but his hold was unbreakable. He ignored her and ran. Dodging left and right, weaving his way through the chaos.

  “Where’s the press secretary?” someone shouted. “Get Keiko!”

  There were more gunshots. More screaming. Chaos reigned. The haze began to clear as the smoke dispersed. Reporters were huddled on the ground. Crying. Shocked and afraid.

  “Let me down right now,” she shouted.

  A hand slammed over her mouth. “Damn it, woman. Shut up. I’m trying to save your life.”

  Mace swerved sharply, and she looked down to see what he’d dodged. The body of a security team member lay sprawled on the hand-painted tile. Dark red blood oozed from him, spreading like an inkblot beneath him.

  “No.” The word was muffled against his palm.

  “On your knees,” a woman shouted from the platform where seconds earlier Keiko had stood, holding court with the press.

  Through the fading smoke, she saw all of the scientists kneel on the stage. Abigail among them. Her friend was deathly white as a woman held a gun to their heads.

  “Bring Keiko Sato to me,” she shouted. “Now!”

  Mace jumped over something and then banged through a door, all the while carrying her under his arm. The door slammed shut behind them, blocking Keiko’s view of the terrace, leaving her with the image of Abigail kneeling before Freedom.

  Leaving Abigail alone without Keiko to protect her.

  Chapter Eight

  Red Zone Warriors surveillance vehicle

  Four blocks from CommTECH Research Facility

  Houston, Northern Territory

  “We’ve lost communication with Mace,” Hunter said.

  Striker looked over at their tech guy. “Is it just our comm feed, or is all communication down? What about the news cameras?”

  Hunter hit some buttons, and the main news channels appeared on several of the screens that covered the interior walls of the van. No one had coverage of the press conference.

  “This isn’t good.” Friday paled. “The last thing we heard was a freedom cry from that Scottish man.”

  “Don’t say it,” Striker ordered Hunter, whose lips were twitching.

  “Say what?” Her large blue eyes stared up at him.

  “Nothing, bébé.” He rubbed his thumb over her lower lip. There were things his genius wife would never understand, and a movie reference from over a hundred years earlier was one of them.

  “That really can’t be good.” Hunter pointed at a screen, then clicked some keys.

  An image of the terrace where the press conference was being held filled the wall, but it was a very different scene from the one they’d witnessed just minutes earlier. Reporters sat on the ground in front of the dais, their hands on their heads. On the stage, scientists knelt, their hands tied behind them. One was the Red Team’s target, Rueben Granger. Another was Keiko’s friend Abigail. A fight had taken place, and the camera scanned to show the viewers the bodies of CommTECH security lying where they’d fallen on the expensive painted tiles. Around the edge of the terrace, masked gunmen held weapons on their hostages.

  But there was no sign of Mace.

  Friday’s fingers clamped around Striker’s wrist. “You don’t think…”

  “Mace is too stubborn to die,” Gray Hanson drawled from the front seat of the van, where he sat rubbing the silver-tinged stubble on his chin. As usual, the man seemed disconnected from what was happening around him. Something Striker would worry about another day, after he’d dealt with their current crisis.

  “Plus, he’s massive. If he was dead, we’d see the body for sure,” Hunter said.

  “He isn’t dead.” Sandi came up to stand behind them. Her tone made it clear that she would not allow her brother to die. As though her word on the matter was enough to prevent it.

  A young woman with short blond hair and luminous white skin walked forward to stare into the camera. “My name is Susan Neal. I am a Freedom fighter. For too long we have lived under the oppression of the conglomerates, our lives dictated to us by companies who care nothing for the value of their people, only the value of their stock. We are being held hostage by the companies who rule us. And we will no longer stand for it.”

  The camera closed in on her face. “We are controlling all signals in and out of this building. The CommTECH security team has been eliminated. We are in charge of this research facility now.”

  She turned her back on the camera and strode to the scientists. She held up a strap. “This is an EMP band.” She threw it to one of her masked team.

  The man fastened the band around the head of Rueben Granger, who whimpered like a kicked puppy.

  Susan gave the scientist a cold smile before turning back to the camera. “We demand that Miriam Shepherd call a fair and open election, to ensure that this territory is run by elected officials and not by a company that’s more interested in profit than in its citizens. We want to return to an unbiased system of government. One that favors the poor and not the interests of business. If the CEO of CommTECH does not meet our demands to start the process for a fair and public election within the next hour, we will eliminate one member of this world-class scientific team. After that, we will kill one more scientist or member of the press each hour until our demands are met. If our demands still aren’t met by this time tomorrow, Keiko Sato will die in front of her millions of fans.” She held up a tiny black box. “A flick of the switch will ensure that the chips CommTECH implanted to enslave their people wil
l instead kill them. This is on you, Miriam Shepherd. You and your lust for power. You and your never-ending greed for wealth.”

  She turned back to the scientists and smiled. “Tell me, Miriam, just how important is your head of tech? How valuable are these world-class scientists? How badly do you want them to live? You have an hour to decide.”

  The screen went blank for a second before returning to the news teams, who were already dissecting the message of the Freedom terrorists.

  “What’s the likelihood of Miriam Shepherd giving in to Freedom’s demands?” Striker asked his wife.

  “Not likely at all. No one on that dais is irreplaceable. Losing any one of those scientists would barely make a dent in CommTECH’s schedule and nothing more than a ripple in the news. Freedom have sorely overestimated just how valuable those scientists are to the company.”

  “If Miriam doesn’t care about her scientists, she’ll send Enforcement in to deal with the terrorists. That building is going to turn into a war zone.”

  “And we have a man inside,” Sandi said.

  Striker felt the weight of responsibility. Mace wasn’t only Sandi’s brother, he was his best friend, and he was family to every team member who had survived the bomb that ended the Technology War.

  Each one of them should have been dead. Hell, they’d expected to die. Their commanding officer had given them five minutes’ warning that an experimental weapon of mass destruction was being deployed.

  There had been tears in the man’s voice. “They told us not to contact our teams,” he’d said. “Said there wasn’t any point. Fucking bullshit, all of it. A man deserves the right to say goodbye, even if that’s all he can do. I’m sorry, Striker. I’m so fucking sorry. I argued that we needed time to get our people out, but…”

  Striker hadn’t said anything to console the man. There hadn’t been time. Instead, he’d cut the communication dead and turned to his regiment, his team, the friends he respected and cared about, and told them that their country had decided they were collateral damage in an attempt to end the war.