by Neil Hunter
“Just one of the drawbacks of being human,” the cybo quipped. “You have to breathe.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Cade said. “Spare me the commercial for Cybo Tech.”
Janek smirked in satisfaction.
He pushed his way through the dense mass of foliage, his directional functions keeping him on the same trail he’d followed on his way in.
Cade, keeping an eye on the trail behind them, kept in close contact with the cyborg. He trusted Janek’s ability to get them clear of the base, but took account of the fact that on his way in the cyborg didn’t have hostile forces at his back.
“You spotted any yet, T. J.?”
“Uh-uh, but they’re out there. Those suckers won’t quit. We’ve loused up their perfect plans, and they’ll trail us to the back door of hell if they have to.”
“They’ll have to do it on foot,” Janek said, “because I put their chopper out of commission.”
Cade smiled. That would cause some bad-mouthing among Tane’s crew. The mere leader would lose some credibility with Cade’s escape. He’d be even more determined to stop Cade and Janek now.
Just then Janek stopped without warning, raising a hand. Cade pressed close to a thick tree trunk and peered back into the gloom, straining to pick up sounds of pursuit.
Janek indicated a distant point. Watching it carefully, Cade picked up the silent movement as someone eased through the foliage. He shouldered the rifle, squinting through the sight. He saw the armed figure swim into focus. Cade moved the barrel a fraction, leading the target. He waited until he had a comparatively clear shot, then gently eased back on the trigger. The rifle cracked sharply, and the muzzle lifted slightly as the bullet exited. Cade kept the sight on the target and was rewarded by the figure jerking back, slamming into a tree at his back and then pitching face down on the forest floor.
“Pretty good, T. J.,” Janek said softly. “Took your time, but you got there. Now let’s set a pace and keep moving.”
They moved on again, pushing deeper into the forested terrain, and the dense thicket closed in around them. Cade was still suffering the effects of the Chem-lands stench. The pervading smell was inescapable. As they pushed deeper in, their pursuers fell farther behind. Light began to penetrate, exposing the decaying tangle of foliage, the twisted mutations that had once been normal, healthy trees. A thin mist rose from the spongy floor, curling around their feet as they passed. Cade spotted dark, lurking shapes underfoot and was thankful when they scurried out of his path. He had no desire to come face-to-face with any of the forest creatures.
They could hear the continuing sounds of pursuit. Lukas Tane and his mercs were still with them. The sounds rose and fell, sometimes seeming closer, then drifting away into the distance.
A crackle of auto-fire erupted without warning, and streams of slugs whipped through the foliage around Cade and Janek. Pale slivers of wood burst from a trunk close by Cade’s head, stinging his cheek. He put on a spurt of speed that drew him level with Janek.
“What?” the cybo asked. “You see one with your name on it?”
Cade ignored the gibe. He pushed forward, following Janek’s directions, plunging into a dense thicket. The thorny branches clawed at his clothes and flesh, and he envied Janek’s immunity to pain.
He caught the cyborg’s warning yell even as he picked up the soft whoosh of an incoming mortar shell. Cade dropped to a crouch, sheltering against a gnarled tree trunk. The mortar exploded with a sharp crack and lifted a chunk of forest floor. Clods of earth and torn vegetation rained down over the Justice cops, while swirling smoke drifted across the area.
Janek had picked up the mortar’s delivery point. He ranged in with his rifle and let go with a sustained burst, placing his shots within a prescribed area. He heard one man yell in pain. Others thrashed around as they burrowed back into the thicket to avoid the incoming fire.
“You okay?” Janek asked.
Cade pushed to his feet, bracing himself against the trunk, the rifle to his shoulder as he spotted a tight group of mercs emerging from cover yards away from where the mortar had come.
His hard-driven shots dropped one man dead in his tracks and wounded another. The remaining mercs scattered, throwing a volley of loose shots as they dispersed.
“I am now,” Cade growled.
“Let’s move on,” Janek suggested, and they broke cover to make for the deepest part of the thicket. Janek was in the lead, his tough frame carving a way through without pause. His keen eyes were able to pick out the most solid ground yards ahead, so he managed to keep them moving without too much wasted time.
Cade lost track of how long they pounded through the thicket. He concentrated on Janek’s broad back as the cyborg ploughed his way forward, ignoring the hostile vegetation.
It was Cade himself who picked up the trio of mercs running parallel with them.
“Janek, your right!” he called.
The cyborg turned his upper body without breaking stride and opened fire, punching a spurting hole through the throat of one mere.
The others returned fire. They were carrying heavy-caliber machine rifles capable of delivering devastating, continuous volleys. They laid down a deadly stream of shots that began to shred the thicket round the Justice cops.
“Split,” Janek yelled over his shoulder, ducking as bullets pounded the trees around him.
Cade swung left, diving into the foliage. Too late he spotted the gleam of water directly ahead, and before he could change direction he sank up to his knees in the slimy pool. He twisted his upper body around in time to see one of the pursuing mercs burst out of the thicket.
Cade’s rifle arced up, and he peered through the sight at his target. The weapon fired, and the mere was knocked off his feet as the slug chewed a bloody hole in his shoulder. He still attempted to return fire, dragging his sagging machine rifle on line one-handed. But his effort was wasted as Cade triggered again, this time taking him out for good with a headshot.
Dragging himself out of the foul-smelling pool, Cade crossed to the far side of the clearing, then took a reckless dive into the foliage as he heard more of the mercs closing in behind him.
He ignored the clawing thorns and the sticky cling of unseen objects that crawled across his body. He figured it was wise not to wonder what they were.
The rattle of shots accelerated his progress, and he heard the hail of slugs burning the air above his head, clipping the foliage and timber.
On his stomach, he crawled into the depths of the thicket. The floor of the forest felt soft and spongy beneath him. Cade could have sworn the damn thing was alive. One thing he could agree on. The Chemlands were hellish—like nothing else he’d ever experienced.
There was a sudden, tumultuous exchange of fire. The racket seemed to come from all sides. Cade sat upright, his rifle at the ready. Just as suddenly the firing ceased and the forest around him fell silent.
Janek reappeared, striding through the thicket like some creature from a horror movie. His clothing was filthy and tattered, his face streaked where the makeup had rubbed off. Apart from that he looked fine. No agitation. No sweat. The cyborg was his normal, in-control self.
“I think we’ve lost them for the time being,” he said, staring down at Cade. “What are you doing down there, T. J.? You lost something?”
“Only my sanity,” Cade replied, sleeving dirt from his face as he climbed to his feet. “And don’t give up on those mercs so easy.”
Janek turned, plodding on through the thicket, his powerful hands ripping aside tangles of gnarled and knotted branches.
“Chopper’s close now. We should be there shortly.”
They covered another quarter mile before the thicket thinned out and the terrain began to rise in a series of uneven steps.
Pushing hard, Cade kept up with the relentlessly tireless cyborg. His whole body ached, muscles screaming in protest against the pressure he was putting on them. The sweat pouring down his face burned through the cuts and brui
ses. He figured that in a few more hours he was going to be stiffer than a burned-out service droid.
Janek reached into his top pocket and pulled out the signaling device. He pressed the button that would give Kate the signal to start the chopper’s engine.
At the base of the slope armed figures moved into view. Tane’s mercs had picked up the trail again.
The first indication of their persistence was sporadic gunfire. A stream of slugs peppered the slope, kicking up dirt and chipping rocks.
Janek took out the last of his grenades. He pulled the pins and threw the grenades down slope. The detonations failed to injure anyone, but the effect was still positive, as Tane’s men scattered, their offensive fire faltering then dying as they ducked for cover.
Digging in his heels, Cade made it to the top of the slope. He trailed close behind Janek.
The thump of the chopper’s rotors reached Cade’s ears before he saw the craft. He was too weary to figure out how Janek had managed to arrange for the engine to be up and running.
The hatch door swung open. Janek grabbed Cade’s arm and shoved him into the chopper. Cade sprawled across the floor. He sensed Janek stepping over him and dropping into the pilot’s seat. Janek locked the hatch, then pushed the power to max, working the stick and foot controls. The chopper lifted off immediately.
Cade sat up, shaking the mist from his eyes. He leaned his back against the bulkhead and only then realized there was someone in the copilot’s seat.
Slim figure.
Red hair.
“Hey!” he said, reaching out to spin the seat around.
“Hello, T. J.,” Kate Bannion said, giving him her best smile.
Cade stared at her for a moment. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Janek hunching down in his seat, trying to make his tall frame disappear.
“So I’m not around, and there’s a conspiracy behind my back,” Cade growled. “Janek, you just have to learn to resist beautiful women.”
Chapter Eight
Using the helicopter’s on-board vid-phone, Cade called up Milt Schuberg of the NYPD. Schuberg was an old friend, one Cade knew and trusted.
“What the hell happened to your face?” Schuberg asked when he came on. “Got to admit, T. J., it’s an improvement.” Then he got serious. “What’s going on? There’s all kinds of shit flying around. Seems you’ve been stepping on some pretty high-powered toes. Right now you ain’t exactly flavor-of-the-month.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Cade said. “Listen, Milt, there anything I should watch out for?”
“Don’t go near your place or Kate’s. No kidding, T. J., you are hot. Can’t find out where the orders are coming from, but it’s way over our heads.”
“Thanks for the tip, Milt. Watch out, yourself. There’s something big brewing, and the players aren’t fussy who gets hurt.”
“Will do, big feller. Hey, T. J., stay in touch.”
Cade cut the connection and looked over at Janek.
“We have to land somewhere, sometime,” Janek said matter-of-factly. “Any ideas?”
“How are we for firepower?”
“I picked up enough to see us through the week,” Janek replied. “Why?”
“How about we do a little pushing for a change,” Cade said. “Like dropping in at Amosin?”
“Haven’t you had enough?” Kate asked. “Out of one mess, and you want to jump right into another?”
“I’m not doing this for the fun of it,” Cade said. “Right now I’m thinking about George Takagi. All he was doing was his job... and it got him killed.”
Kate touched his arm, her face gentle. “And I’m just trying to keep you alive.”
“Cut it out, you two,” Janek said. “You’ll have me in tears.”
The cyborg leaned forward to tap in coordinates that displayed a map of the New York environs. He fed in more information, and the image altered, focusing on a magnified area of the map.
“That’s it,” Janek said. “Amosin’s complex. That’s where they have their robotics division. There’s also a weapons section. Amos Sinclair, the guy running the corporation, has his estate inside the complex. I read about it once. The place is out of this world. He’s got everything he’ll ever need there.”
“Isn’t he reputed to be a recluse?” Kate asked. “Hardly ever leaves the place. When he does, he goes by his own transport direct to his destination and then straight back.”
“Sounds a likable kind of guy,” Cade murmured. He was opening the bag of weapons Janek had left in the helicopter. “Wasn’t he involved in some political fuss a few years back?”
“That’s right,” Kate said. “We ran an article on it. He’s got some pretty radical views on the way the country’s being run. Doesn’t like the administration or the way it’s letting the U.S. down worldwide. Sinclair was going on about it being time for a hard-line government, one that would push the U.S. back to the top of the league. He was trying to get some candidate into the running for future president. Some hard-liner spitting fire and damnation.”
“Problem was the guy had the charisma of a week-old sweaty sock,” Cade said. “He might have been a hard-ass, but he didn’t even get the backing of the skid-row winos.”
“Sinclair backed out of the political scene after that,” Kate said. “Haven’t heard much about him since. Hey, you guys, is he involved in this business?”
Cade hefted a powerful SMG he’d pulled from the bag.
“That’s what we’re going to find out,” he said.
They landed the helicopter at a small airfield about twenty miles from the Amosin complex. There was a local car-rental agency at the field. Using Kate’s credit card, they hired a nondescript 4x4 and loaded all their gear into the truck. Before they left, Janek shut down the chopper’s power plant and even disconnected the radio and vid-phone so there were no signals being transmitted. If someone wanted to track them, they would do it eventually. He was attempting to put off the hour for as long as possible.
“What about my credit card?” Kate asked when they were already rolling north along the highway that would lead them to Amosin.
“Let’s hope they haven’t covered that,” Cade said, not too convincingly.
The plan was to drop Kate off at a small motel so she could check in with Milt Schuberg, while Cade and Janek went for the Amosin complex.
They didn’t even have the opportunity to locate a motel. Half an hour after they left the airfield, they picked up a tail. Janek spotted it in the rearview mirror.
“They must have half the state on their payroll,” Cade grumbled. “Come on, Janek, let’s get out of here.”
Janek trod on the gas pedal. The 4x4 picked up with surprising speed, and he held it on a steady course as it hurtled along the highway.
“Hang on,” he said. “I can make a left about three hundred yards along. Gets us on a back road we can use to get us to Amosin.”
“They’ll have that covered, Janek,” Cade yelled above the roar of the truck’s motor. “Don’t delude yourself. This bunch knows how to play the game.”
“Okay, okay,” Janek snapped. “You’re so damn smart, you do the navigating.”
“Take that cutoff,” Cade said. “But leave it to the last second so our tail overshoots. Then come out fast and get me on his tail.”
Janek made a sound like a harsh chuckle. “Sneaky, Thomas,” he said. “I love it.”
He tromped down harder on the pedal, and the truck surged forward. Using his perfect timing and coordination, the cyborg calculated his turn precisely. He barely slowed before whipping the 4x4 off the highway and around onto the side road. Tires howled in protest as Janek guided the truck into the curve. The tail car shot by, and its brakes locked as the driver realized his error. The car lurched back and forth across the highway, swaying dangerously. It covered a couple of hundred yards before the wheelman had it under control.
By then he was too late.
Janek knocked the truck into reverse and rol
led out of the side road, then took the 4x4 forward. Cade had already lowered his window, leaning out with the SMG cocked and ready.
As the truck bore down on them, the occupants of the tail car abandoned the vehicle. Doors sprang open and armed men spilled out across the highway. They started firing wildly, too concerned with their own safety to even aim properly.
Cade opened up with his SMG, raking the rear of the tail car with a volley. The magazine he’d loaded contained a combination of steel-jackets and tracers. The slugs ripped through the car’s steel bodywork, tearing open the fuel tank, and the tracers did the rest. Just as Janek rolled the truck past the car, it blew in a ball of orange flame and black smoke. The fireball swallowed the car and spread across the highway, scorching the side of the 4x4 as it shot by. The roof of the truck was peppered with flying debris. The gush of fire and smoke rose into the bright, cloudless sky.
Janek pushed the truck to the limit. They were all aware that there would be more opposition. Amosin knew they were on their way. The vast organization had the means to throw up a great deal of interference.
It could—and it did.
More cars appeared behind them, swinging in behind the truck. This time they didn’t hang back. With motors howling, they closed rapidly on the lone 4x4.
Auto fire crackled. The truck’s rear window blew in, showering them with glass.
Cade fired through the gap and blew a line of ragged holes across the hood of the lead vehicle. The driver eased back, allowing the second car to hold the close position. This one poured on the power and rammed the rear of the 4x4. The truck shuddered and slid until Janek brought it back under control. The pursuing driver repeated his maneuver, deliberately ramming the 4x4.
“That guy’s either suicidal or one of those damn combat droids,” Cade yelled.
“I don’t care what he is,” Janek snapped back. “Just stop him!”
Cade scrambled over the rear seat and crouched in the truck’s rear compartment. He wedged himself against the rear corner, watching the advancing tail car. As it loomed closer for a third strike, Cade leaned forward and triggered the SMG’s magazine at the windshield, raking it the width of the vehicle. The windshield exploded in the faces of the occupants. The man beside the driver flung up both hands as his face became shredded and bloody. The driver didn’t flinch, despite the fact that his chest and face were lacerated by the flying glass. Cade caught a glimpse of dully polished titanium steel beneath the shredded artificial flesh.
