Danger’s Vice

by Amanda Carlson

“Where’s your craft?” I asked Bender as we entered the secured room.

  He jammed his thumb behind him. “Next building, old parking ramp.”

  I popped Luce’s door. “You want a lift?” Lockland walked around to Luce’s passenger side and got in.

  Bender snorted. “Like the three of us would fit in there. After you leave, I’ll lock up. See you in three.” He held up the last three fingers of his right hand. “We regroup then.”

  I chuckled as I got in. “Are you saying my craft is small?” I flipped my visor up since the lights were on.

  “A1’s are puny.”

  “Hey, careful now.” I started her up. The plan was for Lockland and me to travel to The North together. Once we arrived, we were each going in different directions to try to find as much information as we could on Hutch, Cozzi being my first stop. Bender was heading to The Middle to start actively shaking down his contacts. It was pretty incredible that Bender hadn’t heard any trickle-down about Tandor’s men either. And to say he wasn’t happy about it was a gross understatement.

  I’d pity his neighbors, but I didn’t have any to spare.

  “Expect a fight,” Bender said. “You’re heading right into the heart of trouble. Watch your back.”

  Bender had tried to talk me out of going to see about the old man on the way back, but I had demurred. Once I made sure Cozzi was all right, Ned was next. Lockland had offered to help, but traveling as one was easier than traveling as two. One attracted less notice, and I needed to be stealthy if I was going to intercept Ned without the Dillweed catching on.

  We’d all agreed to keep in contact via the tech phone twice an hour. “I’m not planning on dying anytime soon,” I told him. “Cozzi’s going to talk whether he wants to or not, and so will Ned. Once I have that information, I’ll make contact.”

  “If you find yourself in a bind and we can’t get there, give Militia a call,” Bender said, backing up as I reached up to grab Luce’s door.

  “Are you giving me permission to let Case in on our plans?” I asked, giving him a pissy look. I’d shared everything that happened with them, including Case’s backstory. I turned to Lockland. “Are you in agreement with him? We’re choosing to trust Case now? Because if we are, I might have an issue with that. The guy told me some stuff, but he hasn’t proven anything to us yet. The entire story could be bullshit.”

  “What Bender is saying is the guy could be an asset in a fight. If you’re in trouble, call those who offer help. For now, that’s us and Militia.” He grinned, showing straight, white teeth. He was a lucky man. “I’ve heard stories about the mysterious Dixon. I don’t think Case was lying. Dixon’s got quite a rep and is well known in certain circles. Though I’d thought he died years ago, but apparently not.” Lockland sounded impressed, which surprised me even more than the guys telling me to call Case if I needed help.

  “We’ll see,” I grumbled as I closed the door. Bender saluted as I hit the button to open the wall. The graphene in front of us began to part immediately. Once outside, we would fly parallel to the city and then enter just before The North began. Knowing Hutch and his men were on the lookout, it was too risky to take the streets. “You know, suddenly deciding to trust this guy after a fifteen-minute discussion about where he came from seems a little premature to me.” I lofted Luce into the air, letting Bender shut things up from the inside.

  “It’s not just the story,” Lockland said. “Although it helped. This guy has helped us out a few times. Only takes one more, and he’s in.”

  I balked, gliding Luce low along the tree line to keep her out of sight. “How can you say that?” I turned to make sure Lockland could see my bewildered expression. “I’m positive the guy’s been holding back the entire time. He knows more than he’s ever let on. That sob story he fed me easily could’ve been a lie. There’s no way to know for certain, and now he gets the third-time’s-the-charm rule? I don’t think so.” Case hadn’t earned our collective trust yet. Far from it.

  “I agree. He could still be playing both sides, but if he is, he’s doing it for a reason. If he ends up double-crossing us, I’d be surprised. If he was Dixon’s man, he’s the focused type who would continue seeking justice for his nephew. That means taking Tandor’s entire crew out. That’s the way it goes. And you know as well as I do that if someone saves one of our lives more than twice, they’re in.”

  This discussion was pissing me off. There was something about Case that didn’t ring true. Playing both sides didn’t surprise me, but there was more. The man knew too much. He’d tracked me too easily in The North. He managed to get me to bring him back to my place. The residence I no longer had.

  We’d find out soon enough, because when shit got real with Hutch and his men, everything would shake out.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to take you to your ride?” I asked. Lockland had abandoned his craft after the chase and come to the canals on foot.

  “Nope. They had to have found her by now. I rigged her with traps. If they try anything, they’re going to pay for it. We should enter The North on foot. Once we separate, I won’t be that far away. If you need me, just reach out.”

  “I will. I’m not expecting to get caught, but if I do, I’ll ring the alarm.”

  “This guy Hutch has to be smarter than Tandor, which makes sense since he’s still alive. Like Bender said, watch your back. Expect them to be sneaky.”

  “Sneaky and sloppy.” I chuckled. “So far, we’ve managed to evade everything they’ve thrown at us. We killed Tandor and took out at least half their crew. As far as I’m concerned, we’re going to come out on top because we don’t make mistakes like they do. If we’re trying to blow someone up, we get the job done.”

  “That’s true,” Lockland said as I pushed Luce faster. We’d arrive at our destination very soon. I planned to enter the city at a location I wasn’t familiar with, but Lockland was. “But we can’t forget that they managed to do something nobody’s ever done before—they kept themselves cloaked in our city.” His words came out in a snarl. “They orchestrated how and when we found out about them and played the advantage as long as they could. It would’ve worked, too, if the kid hadn’t stolen the quantum drive and forced their hand. He deserves a reward.”

  I hadn’t thought about it before, but Lockland was right. What Daze had done had forced Tandor out into the open. Whether the kid had planned it or not, it’d been a brilliant move. I’d have to find a suitable reward once this was all over.

  Something shiny and weapony.

  Lockland shook his head as he continued, “We can’t afford to make this kind of a mistake again. I’m going to have to find more contacts and enhance our security measures. Get ready to do some serious salvaging. I’m going to have a long list of supplies we’ll need.”

  “Tell me about it,” I said. “With one of my residences gone, I’m depleted more than what’s comfortable. It’s a huge relief that Darby didn’t blab about my place in the canals. If he had, I’d be wiped out.” It was still hard to think about the loss of my home. “Now that I have a kid hanging around, needing stuff like food and a roof over his head, it makes it a little more intense. I can’t afford to be without resources.”

  “Three buildings down, go up and over the wall,” Lockland directed. “Nobody monitors here, but as soon as you’re over, drop down immediately and take a right. They won’t be expecting us to resurface before morning.” He grinned, his teeth gleaming in the low light. “But that doesn’t mean they don’t have people on watch.”

  I did as Lockland asked, going up over the wall that had been built around the city following the dark days. It’d been for both stabilization and protection, but it was hardly monitored anymore. The government had more important things to do, like arrest and interrogate innocent people. Though, they did enjoy sending out their UACs to try to keep people in line.

  I hadn’t seen a government drone in weeks, which was strange.

  Once we were in, even though I was
flying without headlights, I could tell where we were. It was a fairly desolate area, most of the buildings crumbling beyond repair. No one lived here. It was outside of any protected area and, for the most part, unsafe. There were a lot of pockets like this in the city. These kinds of places were what separated the neighborhoods.

  I wanted to set Luce down as soon as possible, because props were loud and attracted attention.

  “That building up on the left, the one that’s sheared off at four stories?” Lockland said, gesturing out the windshield. “I’ve used it before. There’s a hollowed-out place on the first floor. The opening’s small, but you shouldn’t have an issue getting to it. The entrance is up and over some tall rubble, so it will keep the craft cloaked.”

  “Got it,” I said. “I’ve used a building up on the right, but I usually park on the roof. I’m thinking lower is better, because we might need to make a quick exit.”

  He nodded. “First-floor access would be a plus.”

  I glided into the space Lockland had indicated, up and over a large mound of trash. The opening wasn’t much bigger than craft size, but doable. I set her down immediately. Turning her off, I glanced around with my visor down, searching for any heat signatures that shouldn’t be here. “Seems pretty secure. I’ll have to remember this for next time.” If there was a next time. Honestly, once this was over, I’d happily take a hiatus from The North for a good long time.

  We both got out, crunching over rock and debris toward the opening, which was up a slight hill made of crumbled concrete. Lockland gestured as he made his way toward the right. “There’s a short trail up and out. A long time ago, I tried to make it into some stairs, but it didn’t work. The debris is too loose.”

  We hurried up, slipping and sliding, but finally managing to conquer the mound. At the top, we both stilled, listening for any strange noises. “Sounds clear to me,” I whispered. “Do you have a preferable way to enter from here?”

  “Two blocks straight ahead, there’s a building that’s habitable, but only above the fifth story. It should be quiet about now, and it has a pass-through.”

  I nodded. “Sounds good to me.” I kept my voice low as we moved down the rubble from the other side, which went quicker than climbing up, and entered the street. “I always use the entrance a kilometer east of here. It’s the closest point of entry to my now-defunct residence.” I made a grumbling noise that ended up coming out like a strangled cough. “No one monitors it. It’s the one with the big painted sign.”

  Lockland drew his weapon of choice. “I know that entrance. I’ve used it once or twice.” His gun was a Blaster, a wicked-looking thing a little bigger than his fist and heavy as hell. It shot large explosive cartridges full of scrap tungsten. Meaning it exploded sharp, nasty, jagged chunks of metal into your body, essentially ripping it to shreds. There was no surviving a blast, which was why it was sometimes referred to as a Death Blaster. I drew out my Gem. She was equally as wicked, but I liked to think it was in a different, more eloquent and searing kind of way. I tried carrying a Blaster for a while, but the thing was so big it hurt my wrist to keep it upright.

  “Here we go.” Lockland slid his back along a building, his head methodically moving as he scanned the area.

  I followed him closely. “Let’s hope this ends tonight.”

  “There’s a good chance things will come to completion sooner than later,” he agreed.

  “Just the way I like it.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Lockland was right, the building had a pass-through, and it was empty—though we had to break a pretty hefty lock to gain access. I was a competent lock picker, but having tech aids at my disposal made it much easier.

  A concentrated laser slice, and it’d popped right open.

  Once on the other side, we parted ways.

  We could do more damage and gather more intel—not to mention be less conspicuous—if we were apart. It was risky, but it was the right thing to do.

  From this location, I was a kilometer and a half away from seventeen and Cozzi.

  As I jogged, sticking to the side routes I knew were uninhabited, I prayed the old man was still alive. If he wasn’t, I was directly responsible for his death. I’d pretty much manhandled him down there in his shroud, dragging his luggage along with us.

  It didn’t take me long to traverse the distance.

  I’d seen a few people in the distance, but I’d stuck to the shadows. I was lucky no one had noticed me. Ten meters before the opening of the building where Cozzi was, I heard voices.

  “Damn,” I swore under my breath. The talking was coming from the interior. I slipped in closer, moving like a ghost. They didn’t have anyone guarding the outside. Another mistake.

  I listened at the edge of the entrance.

  One of the voices sounded familiar.

  It was Dill, and he was issuing orders. “I don’t give a fuck how long it takes,” he shouted, his voice agitated. “She’ll come back here to get that old man. It might be a day or might be three. You will intercept her when she does. Take her alive. Hutch needs that quantum drive back, or we can’t go along as planned. So, you stay here, don’t complain, and you get your fucking job done. If I have to come back, I’ll kill you both and replace you. Or better yet, you can just become my Plushies.” Footsteps headed out. They were moving quickly. I ducked around the corner just in time, praying the asshole would turn my way. I was itching to make him hurt. The fact he hadn’t recognized me on the street when we’d met earlier should’ve been enough to get him killed—or at least kicked out of the dictatorship. Maybe Ned hadn’t told him who I was.

  Instead of heading toward me, however, the footsteps faded in the opposite direction. Well, there would certainly be a next time.

  Cozzi was my first priority. My fear for the old man’s well-being thumped in my chest.

  I crept back to my former spot outside the building. Dill was nowhere in sight. I angled my head, my ear positioned to better hear what the guards were saying. There were two voices.

  “Hutch has a new nickname for him,” one guy cracked.

  “Yeah, what’s that?” the other said.

  “Dillweed,” he snickered.

  “I don’t get it.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “I didn’t at first either, but he said it was some kind of plant.” He snickered again. “A lowly plant that died off a long time ago.”

  “That’s not funny.”

  It was totally funny.

  These guys were definitely not too bright. I had no idea how much firepower they had or if they were wearing armor. My Gem could penetrate most things, but if they wore something highly reflective, there could be some refraction, which could prove deadly if the surface was shiny enough.

  Either way, I didn’t have a choice.

  I drew my Gem and my HydroSol, which shot hydrogen-air bullets. If they connected with the bloodstream, they were fatal, but the gun was loud and would alert anyone in the area that I was here. I thought better of it and put the air gun back and drew out one of my knives.

  Once the two of them were distracted by trying to interpret some of the markings on the wall, I stepped inside, dodging debris to keep quiet. One was quite a bit larger than the other. I needed him down first. If I could get the other guy to talk, that would be the best scenario.

  Creeping up four meters behind them, I casually murmured, “Hey.”

  They both spun at the same time, fumbling for their weapons.

  I was quicker.

  My Gem blasted a hole through the big guy’s upper arm, and my knife landed in the other one’s thigh. They both went down. I moved quickly, knocking the big guy unconscious with the butt of my weapon. Then I straddled the other guy, ripping the knife out of his thigh and placing it at his neck. “I need you to stop making noise now,” I growled. He complied as best he could, a whimper or two still coming through. “Consider yourself lucky to be alive. Tell me what’s going on, and you’ll continue brea
thing.” After a few more mewls, I pressed the tip of the knife in, drawing blood. “Why are you here?”

  “Because…because,” he sputtered, “you’re coming for the old man, right? That’s why you came, didn’t you?” He grimaced in pain as he inadvertently moved, causing my blade to dip farther into his body. My knife was serrated, so it wouldn’t be a clean cut. “I’m not with them, I swear.” He began babbling, “They made me do it. They didn’t have enough men, so they went into the skells. They threatened us with Plush. Me and my boyo over there, we don’t know these guys. We don’t owe them any allegiance. They threatened us!”

  My knife remained in his neck. “Why comply? Why not just leave?”

  He looked confused, his eyebrows furrowing. “And go where? There ain’t anyplace else to go. And these guys said that they would find us. Said they were going to be the new government, and if we didn’t follow their orders, we would be their slaves. And they have slaves, too. I seen them! They’re like seekers, but different. They can control them. It’s creepy as shit. But we know you. And your crew. I’ll do anything you want. Please don’t kill me.” His hands began to slide up in a surrender pose.

  “Don’t do that.” My voice was hard. He stopped instantly. I had to decide if he was telling the truth or not, which was always tricky. “What’s your name?”

  “Willy,” he answered quickly. “I was born above Rothman skell. Have you heard of it? My mama and daddy lived there. I never left. Got nowhere to go.” He was basically right about that. Northerners were born and raised here and rarely left.

  “Do you know a guy who goes by the name of Ned?”

  He nodded. “Ned works for Dill now. I wouldn’t take that job for anything. Dill’s a mean son of a bitch.”

  “Willy, there’s no way for me to know if you’re telling me the truth or not—”

  “I am, I swear!” he insisted.

  I shook my head. “Saying it doesn’t make it true. I hear what you’re telling me, and it makes sense. I don’t want to kill you if I don’t have to. So I’m going to give you a test. Okay?”