The Tomorrow Heist

by Jack Soren

  “Pissed,” Lew said, moving toward him.

  Lew slammed his right fist, protected with the suit’s metal, into Mikawa’s head. The robot stumbled back. Then Lew hit him with his left. And then again. And again and again. But aside from pushing him back, he wasn’t damaging the thing.

  “My turn,” Mikawa said, his leg coming up insanely fast, hitting Lew in the midsection and sending him sprawling on his back, almost sliding right off the walkway. Mikawa, unable to balance on his twisted foot, fell backward onto the ground as well.

  Lew struggled up to his feet and, again, raised his fists as Mikawa got up, but he had to think of a new attack. Angrily smashing his fists into the part of Mikawa he needed wasn’t such a great idea. And then he remembered what Reese had said—­Mikawa’s control unit was in his torso, not in his head. His head was just a big hard disk. Lew needed to calm down. Think rationally. Stay in control.

  Lew faked a left, then, interlocking his fingers, clubbed his fists into Mikawa’s shoulder, shoving him aside. The robot stopped well short of falling off the walkway, but when he turned back, Lew was behind him. He grabbed Mikawa in a headlock. Unfortunately, he’d never be able to choke him out, and while Mikawa was incredibly strong, so was Lew and the suit. Lew drove him to his knees and held on.

  “You’re wasting time,” Mikawa said. “Just throw yourself off the walkway, Lew. End things on your terms. I’ll allow you to do that. You will never beat me. All things being equal, a human can never better a machine. Even with the aid of machinery.” Mikawa’s voice not being strained from Lew’s squeezing where his throat should have been was wholly unsatisfying, but that wasn’t Lew’s plan.

  “There’s one thing you forgot,” Lew said.

  “And what is that, Lew?”

  “Humans don’t fight fair.”

  Lew used all the power the suit could muster and rammed the mechanical ulna from Mikawa’s detached hand through his back and out his chest. Sparks and some sort of liquid sprayed out of the hole.

  “LEwuuuuuuuuu . . .”

  The dead lights in Mikawa’s eyes dimmed, then went out.

  When he was sure the thing was dead, and he’d caught his breath, Lew grabbed Mikawa’s head in his hands and pulled. He howled as he separated it from the mechanical body. Finally, Lew stepped back and let the headless body fall over the edge, crashing to the forest floor below.

  Chapter Thirty-­eight

  JS Hakuryū

  5:15 P.M.

  CAPTAIN MAKOTO WAITED while Hiroshi Nishida, the sonar operator, verified his readings. He wanted to be absolutely sure. Had to be. As far as the shadow was concerned, the enigmatic, nameless government operative, they should have fired the torpedo by now.

  “There was definitely some sort of launch at the top of the hour,” Nishida said.

  “And nothing else, since?”

  “No, sir.”

  “What about the sensors?” the shadow said. Everyone turned and looked at him. It was the first time he’d spoken to anyone besides the captain. Then everyone looked at the crewman monitoring the sensor readings.

  “Nothing, sir. I’ve checked multiple times. Nothing has been released into the water at that location.”

  The captain sighed. He exchanged a look with the shadow but resigned himself to his duty.

  “Fire torpedo, mister.”

  “Hai!”

  The torpedo tube flooded, and the Type 89 torpedo launched at Ashita, its screws churning through the water at almost seventy knots. The torpedo would impact its target in just over nine minutes.

  The captain turned to say something to the shadow, but he was already gone.

  “Take us home,” the captain said as he left the bridge.

  Ashita

  5:17 P.M.

  LEW KEPT THE exo suit on as he climbed the stairs to the top of the tower. He was exhausted, and most of him just wanted to lie down and go to sleep. His body ached even with the suit’s support, but he could tell that if he took it off, he wasn’t going to make it twenty feet, never mind almost twenty floors. Under his arm, he carried his prize. He kept waiting for the head to start talking to him. If it did, he was going to use what little energy he had left to punt it off the top of the tower.

  Per met him on the stairs halfway up. He took the head off him and let Lew put his arm around him for extra support. Lew tried to not think about the robotic thing Per was using to hold him up.

  “Maggie?” Lew said as they rounded the thirty-­fifth floor. Per shook his head. “Fuck. Jonny?”

  “Your partner won’t leave her side. We may have a problem,” Per said.

  “Like what?”

  “She’s still breathing, but she’s lost all feeling in her legs. From the look of it, her back and possibly her neck are broken. We never should have moved her in the first place, but if we move her again . . .” They exchanged a look. “If we try to put her in a pod, it will probably kill her.”

  “If we don’t, she’s going to die anyway,” Lew said, wincing as they rounded the final set of stairs. “How are we for time?”

  “You should probably stop asking me questions.”

  “That bad, huh,” Lew said. They hobbled over to the ladder.

  Per helped Lew get the suit off and, on his first step, he collapsed.

  “Fuck,” Lew said, doing a poor job of taking the pain. “It’s my leg.”

  Per knelt beside him and ran his human hand up and down Lew’s leg.

  “I don’t really think this is the time for—­AH!” Lew’s sarcasm was punctured when Per twisted his foot back and forth. “Son of a bitch!”

  “Definitely broken,” Per said. Lew fought for breath as sweat broke out on his forehead from the pain.

  “Your bedside manner sucks, Per,” Lew managed. “Get me over to the ladder. You can heave me up with your can opener.”

  Per sat him at the base of the ladder, and then climbed up through the hatch. Once there, he turned around and reached down with his robotic arm. Lew climbed the ladder using one arm, dragging the exo suit along.

  “What are you doing?” Per asked, as Lew passed him the exo suit. It wouldn’t fit through the hatch while being worn, but it could fit on its own.

  “What I do best—­something dumb. Just take it.”

  Per took the suit and pulled it up, then he reached down and pulled Lew up to the escape-­pod annex.

  “Do you want me to help you put it on, again?” Per asked.

  “It’s not for me. Go get the escape pod open and put our friend inside,” Lew said, nodding at Mikawa’s head. Per nodded and headed to an escape pod. Lew grabbed the suit and dragged himself across the floor over to where Jonathan was on his knees beside Maggie.

  “Hey, buddy,” Lew said.

  Jonathan looked up, seeming a little confused. “Lew? Should have known you were indestructible.”

  “I’m feeling pretty destructible, to tell the truth. Listen, Jonny, we gotta go.”

  “I can’t. Look at her. If we try to move her—­”

  “I know, Per told me,” Lew said.

  Maggie, who had been out, opened her eyes. “You’re alive?” she said, swallowing thickly.

  “Nice to see you too, Maggie. Listen, you need to tell your boyfriend here to let me move you, or we’re all about to have a real bad day.”

  “Can’t . . . can’t feel my legs. Neck feels . . . weird.”

  “I told you, Lew, she can’t.”

  Lew hated what he was about to do, but he didn’t have a choice.

  “Per!” Per came out of the open pod and joined them. “I need you to get Jonathan in the pod and keep him there. Now.”

  Without a word, Per grabbed Jonathan with his robot arm and hauled him to his feet. Jonathan resisted and even reached for the machine gun that was on the floor, but Lew pushed it out of
his reach.

  “Lew! What the fuck are you doing! You’ll kill her!”

  “Go,” Lew said, and Per dragged Jonathan away.

  “You’ll kill her, you bastard!”

  “Maybe,” Lew said to himself.

  Maggie opened her eyes again. “Are you going to leave me here? I know I should be brave and say that’s what you should do, but I’m so bloody scared, Lew.”

  “We’re going to try something. It’s probably going to hurt, but it’s all we’ve got.” Lew said. He worked his way around her so she was between him and the exo suit.

  “I get it,” Maggie said when she saw how he’d lined up the suit.

  “Scream if you have to,” Lew said, slipping his hands under her neck and tailbone.

  “I’ll be okay.”

  “I wasn’t talking to you.”

  She laughed, and as she did, he lifted her off the ground with nothing but his upper-­body strength. Then he wriggled himself forward so she was over top of the suit. Trying to ignore her screams and cries, he lowered her into it. When everything was latched and secured, he activated the suit.

  Maggie’s eyes rolled back in her head, and she heaved a sigh of relief that was almost sensual. She swallowed and started to breathe normally. Lew worked his way up onto his good leg, then reached down to help her up, but as it turned out, she didn’t need his help.

  “Are you good?” Lew asked.

  “You’re bloody brilliant, Lew.”

  “Good, in that case, can you help me into the pod?” She laughed again and put her arm around him. They shuffled over to the pod.

  Jonathan, who was being held inside by Per and uttering crazy threats against everyone, eased up and stared in amazement when Lew and Maggie got into the pod. They slammed the door behind them. Lew fell down onto the bench seat, which wrapped around the pod’s perimeter. Maggie sat down beside Jonathan and took his hand. Per let go and sat back himself.

  “Jesus, Lew. God, I’m sorry, man.”

  “Just shut up and push the button.”

  Epilogue

  WHILE THE ATLANTIS EXPLORER’S aft crane was lifting the first escape pod out of the drink and onto her deck, their sonar detected the trail of the JS Hakuryū’s torpedo moments before the massive explosion on the ocean floor filled their screens. For a terrible five minutes they couldn’t detect anything else, and they thought the worst. Finally, a few hundred meters off their port side, another escape pod broke the surface.

  The Atlantis Explorer pulled alongside the bobbing pod and again used one of her aft cranes to lift it out of the roiling ocean. The storm had headed off north again, but its remnants were still being felt.

  The Custodians’ medical crew checked everyone out. They set Jonathan’s busted nose and gave him a better temporary splint and sling for his broken wrist. They gave Lew an inflatable splint for his leg and a pair of crutches. Maggie was left in her exo suit but given painkillers and saline. They didn’t have the facilities to treat her on the ship. Per was uninjured, or at least he refused to let anyone examine him.

  Everyone from the first pod was fine, including Reese, who apparently was still asleep.

  Once they were checked out, they all sat on the foredeck of the Atlantis Explorer with gray blankets over their shoulders. The Custodians’ medics wanted Maggie to lie down, but she said as long as she kept the suit on, she was fine. She was sharing a blanket with Jonathan.

  After Lew’s last experience on board the ship, he was a little reluctant to stay put, but there wasn’t much choice at the moment. Fahd and several members of The Custodians crew had already apologized to him profusely. Jonathan was trying to accept the miscommunication story, but if Lew hadn’t been Lew, not only would he probably be dead, so would just about everyone else. Not to mention, the Dead Lights virus would have been released into the ocean currents.

  The Custodians personnel were combing the Jirojin Maru and evaluating the situation over there. From the reports so far, all of the guests and crew were still out cold but alive and well. The medical staff didn’t expect anyone to wake up for another seven or eight hours. The guards in the hold were out cold, as well, but they all had plastic-­tie handcuffs on them now. Including the two who had come up in the first escape pod. Apparently The Custodians were working with the Japanese government, who were swearing up and down that they had nothing to do with this whole debacle. They had agreed to help the Japanese ferret out the responsible parties within their ranks. The Custodians would handle the debriefing of all of Tenabe’s ­people when they reached the mainland. When that was completed, they’d determine who would be set free and who would be turned over to the authorities.

  They weren’t cuffing her, but Tatsu would have to answer for her part though Fahd assured Jonathan that her actions on Ashita would be taken into account. Everyone said they’d vouch for her, but apparently there was evidence linking her to several bombings in the States.

  “We tracked Tanaka’s implant and picked up his body a few kilometers east of here,” Fahd said, standing near Jonathan. Jonathan and Maggie nodded somberly.

  “He was in so far over his head, it wasn’t funny,” Jonathan said.

  “Couldn’t be helped,” Fahd said. “And don’t fault him for keeping things from you for so long. He was under my orders.”

  “I don’t, and I know,” Jonathan said, his disdain clear.

  “Look, I don’t blame you and Lew for being pissed,” Fahd said. “I know you’d both probably like to take a swing at me right now, but we have a way of doing things. If you’re going to be part of it, you need to get okay with that.”

  “Yeah, about that,” Jonathan said, but Maggie interrupted him.

  “What about Alex Corsair’s body?” Maggie said.

  “We looked. He must have been washed overboard. There’s no sign of him on the deck. Even the blood washed away,” Fahd said.

  “Are you going to go down and check out Ashita?” Per asked.

  “We’ve had an ROV down there for a half an hour,” Fahd said.

  “A what?” Maggie asked.

  “A remotely operated vehicle. A little unmanned sub with cameras on it, tethered to the Atlantis Explorer,” Fahd said.

  “And?” Lew said.

  “It’s going to be hard to verify the story you guys told. There’s some debris on the ridge, but it looks like whatever was left after the torpedo hit rolled over the edge to the bottom of the Japan Trench. Over ten thousand meters down. There will have to be a review to determine if it’s worth investigating further.”

  “If it’s worth it?” Lew spewed, getting up on his feet. Jonathan got up quickly and stepped between him and Fahd.

  “Take it easy, Lew,” Jonathan said. Then he turned to Fahd. “About our future with The Custodians. There isn’t one. “

  “That’s up to you, and I understand, but I think you’re making a mistake. Take some time to think about it. I told you, we’re the good guys even if we do use unorthodox methods.”

  “Good guys,” Lew said. “You sent Jonny in blind and almost got everyone killed. Not to mention using amateurs like Tanaka and Reese. Tanaka is dead, and what Reese went through . . .”

  “Sir?” One of Fahd’s men came over carrying a satellite phone. He handed it to Fahd. “It’s Mr. Valmont.” Jonathan noticed Fahd’s demeanor change, and his Adam’s apple clicked up and down.

  “Excuse me,” Fahd said, turning and taking a few steps away so he could take the call in private. Jonathan watched Fahd’s body language, which seemed more submissive than he’d seen him act so far.

  “What’s that about?” Lew asked.

  “Not sure. But if I had to guess, I’d say our friend Fahd isn’t as high up on The Custodians’ food chain as we thought.” After a few more minutes, with a lot of gesturing by Fahd, he handed the phone back to the crewman and rejoined Jonathan and Le
w.

  “I’ve been asked to extend The Custodians’ formal apology to you, Mr. Katchbrow,” Fahd said, his facial expression betraying his true feelings.

  “Mr. Katchbrow?” Lew said. “Damn, you done fucked up, son!” Everyone tried to hide their smiles.

  “Um, yes,” Fahd said. “And Ms. Koga, I’ve been asked to extend The Custodians’ hospitality to you. And to ask you if you would be interested in joining us. You don’t have to answer now, it’s a standing invitation.”

  “What about the authorities? The bombings?” Maggie asked.

  “If the Americans come for you, we’ll do all we can mitigate the charges.”

  Tatsu smiled. Fahd turned and looked at Per.

  “I’ve also been asked—­”

  “No thank you,” Per said. His tone told Fahd it would be pointless to press him.

  “As you wish.”

  Per exchanged a look with Lew, who winked at him, before Per looked back to Fahd. “I wish.”

  “CAN I TALK to you for a minute?” Tatsu asked Per, gesturing for them to step away from the main group. Per nodded and followed her to the ship’s railing.

  “What is it, Miss Koga?”

  “You can call me Tatsu,” she said.

  “Fine, what is it, Tatsu?” Per asked.

  “Things didn’t really turn out the way we expected down there, but we had a deal. You kept your part, but I didn’t get a chance to keep mine.”

  “True.”

  “Well, I can’t show it to you anymore, but I can tell you about it,” Tatsu said. She explained that Project Dead Lights was the virus they had just defeated.

  “I see.”

  “Are you disappointed?”

  “No. I was just thinking, even though we destroyed the virus, most likely the data on how to make the virus was sent to the Japanese government before Norris died.”

  “I . . . I never thought of that.” Tatsu and Per looked out to sea.

  “I’m not so sure we stopped anything.”

  THE CHOPPER TOUCHED down on the mainland, and the doors of the limousine waiting by the landing pad opened almost immediately. Jonathan, Lew, Per, and Maggie, still in her exo suit, stepped down onto the tarmac. Tatsu was on another chopper headed to some sort of interview process with The Custodians. Jonathan wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Reese had still been sleeping on the ship the last time Jonathan saw him.