The Face of a Rogue

by L T Anderson

  Krystal slid Fred’s short sleeve up his arm and over his shoulder. She snatched a sterilizing pad from the box and swiped it over his skin.

  Felix removed a battery-powered injector and selected a cartridge containing a clear liquid. He pushed the cartridge firmly into the injector and pressed the unit against Fred’s deltoid. The injector clicked, releasing the doctor’s serum.

  “Now what?” Krystal said.

  Felix sat on the bed at Fred’s feet. He looked up at Thomas. “You must take an injection as well, my friend. I’m sure you are close.”

  Thomas rolled up his sleeve. “Hit me.”

  The doctor repeated the procedure on Thomas, then replaced the utensils into the case. “And now, you both must rest.” He glanced at Krystal and Ryker. “I will remain here until they have sufficiently recovered.”

  Krystal looked at Ryker. “I guess that’s our cue to leave.”

  “Keep us apprised, Doc,” Ryker said as the two turned to leave.

  Krystal and Ryker walked abreast down the narrow concrete corridor between the Punk housing units.

  “I’m dog-hungry,” Ryker said. “Feel like getting something to eat?”

  Krystal looked up at him. “Yeah, I do.” Her face softened, and she managed a smile. “It’s been a long day already.”

  When they reached the dining room, Ryker held the door open. “Something smells good.”

  The pair shrugged off their dusters and found two empty pegs on the wall among a jumbled assortment of leather and denim. They turned to face the noisy room. Punks of every rank, shape, size and color filled most of the tables. The lively atmosphere epitomized the chemistry and sense of belonging cultivated by Dion during his tenure as the Punks’ leader.

  “Table for two in the corner there,” Ryker said.

  “Let’s do it.”

  Ryker raised a hand and caught the attention of one of the short order cooks behind the counter. He pointed to the corner table as he and Krystal made their way across the room.

  “I don’t need a menu today,” Krystal said as the two seated themselves.

  “Cheeseburger and onion rings?” Ryker said.

  Krystal’s eyes sparkled as she looked at him. “Is there anything else?”

  Ryker glanced up at the cook behind the counter.

  The man looked at Ryker and used sign language. What do you want?

  Ryker signed back across the room. Two cheeseburgers, two onion rings, two ice waters.

  The cook returned two thumbs-up.

  “I didn’t know you signed,” Krystal said. “How cool is that?”

  He smiled. “I’m sure there’s a lot we don’t know about each other, Krys.” He gazed at her over the table. “Tell me something I don’t know about you.”

  Krystal leaned her chair back on two legs and hung her arms to the sides. “Hmm. Did you know I once shot a bullet through Silver’s hand with a 9mm pistol?”

  Ryker raised an eyebrow. “Interesting. So what brought that on?”

  “It was a ricochet off Levi’s head.”

  “Wow,” Ryker said, both eyebrows now raised. “So the bullet you fired hit Levi’s head first? Holy cow.”

  “Yeah. It’s a long story. But I hate that guy so much I tried to kill him.” Krystal smiled. “I guess you could say Silver was collateral damage.” She chuckled. “I never really liked her anyway.”

  Ryker shook his head. “Gutsy move. It’s a wonder anyone could even get close enough to that bastard to kill him.”

  She leaned back to the table. “I got lucky. You’d have to be in his inner circle to get close enough. He’s always surrounded by heavy security.”

  “So what else?” Ryker said.

  “What do you mean, ‘what else’?”

  Ryker placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin in his hands. “What else is in that head of yours? What’s in that heart?”

  She folded her arms across her chest. “Let’s leave my heart out of it.”

  “I’m not letting you off that easy. You can’t hide your heart forever.”

  Krystal looked toward the kitchen. Her ears burned and she knew she was blushing. “When are those burgers getting here?”

  Ryker reached across the table and used a finger on her chin to turn her face toward him.

  She didn’t resist. She looked into his eyes. Yeah, okay. You’re handsome, rugged, kind and loyal. I could fall for you. Damn you, Ryker.

  “Don’t hide your heart from me, Krys.”

  Krystal snapped out of her trance when the cook arrived. “Two cheeseburgers and onion rings, my friends! Sorry you had to wait so long.” He surveyed the room. “You can see how busy it is today.”

  “Thanks a lot,” Ryker said. He glanced at Krystal. “The best things in life are worth waiting for.”

  “That they are, Ryk,” the cook said. “I’ll have your waters sent over. Enjoy.”

  Chapter 44

  Outside the Box

  The maître d’ in the executive dining room on Level Seven greeted Curtis and Johnny with a bow. “Of course, I have a table reserved and ready for you. Right this way.”

  The two followed the portly man toward the center of the room.

  Johnny grabbed the back of a chair when the man stopped at a large table for two. He sat down and looked up at Curtis.

  Curtis remained standing next to the maître d’. He scanned the restaurant. “We’ll take a table in the corner. I want my back to the wall.”

  Their host smiled and bowed again. “Apologies, sir. There are no corner tables available at this time. Rest assured you will get premium service from here and any other table of your choice.”

  Curtis tipped his chin up toward an empty corner table. “We’ll take that one.”

  Johnny glanced over his shoulder, then looked up at Curtis. He smiled. “That’s reserved for Levi, dude.” He pulled the chair next to him out from under the table. “Have a seat, man. I’m hungry.”

  Curtis looked down at the man again. “We’ll take that one.” He tapped Johnny’s shoulder as he moved around the back of his chair. “Let’s go.”

  The maître d’ hurried after Curtis. “This is highly unusual, sir. If our leader comes to dine—”

  “Then I’ll deal with our leader,” Curtis said as he selected the chair in the corner. He seated himself and folded his hands on the table. “Now, bring me two large waffles and a side of bacon.”

  Johnny walked up to the table and chuckled. “They stopped serving breakfast hours ago. Dinner menu is excellent, though,” he said as he sat down opposite Curtis.

  Curtis remained silent, his eyes fixed on the maître d’.

  The man bowed his head once. “Coming right up, sir.” He looked at Johnny. “The usual dinner, sir?”

  Johnny couldn’t help grinning as he placed his napkin in his lap. “You know, I think I’ll have some waffles and bacon as well.”

  Curtis surveyed the luxurious dining area. The room was crowded. Guests occupied most of the tables. Waiters busily brought trays with drinks and pushed rolling carts with entrees.

  He nodded toward the crowd. “There’s a lot of nosy people here that seem to be taking an interest in us.”

  “We’re sitting at Levi’s table without Levi. What do you expect?”

  Curtis raised a hand to a passing waiter. “A couple of ice waters and coffee? I take mine black, no sweetener.”

  The waiter nodded acknowledgment and disappeared into the bustle of patrons and servers.

  “You order the same thing more than once and they’ll make that your usual,” Johnny said.

  Curtis was disinterested. “So what’s the deal with Levi not being able to make a decision?”

  Johnny lifted an eyebrow. “Huh?”

  “Back in the War Room. Was there actually any other choice but to ram that convoy through the Punks’ vehicles?”

  “Oh, that,” Johnny said. “Well, it kinda seem
ed like he maybe wanted to talk to them. You know, negotiate.”

  “Seriously, Logan?” Curtis placed his napkin in his lap as the drinks arrived.

  The waiter dropped two glasses of ice water on the table in front of the pair.

  Johnny’s ice water had a lemon wedge attached to the rim. His coffee was light brown and frothy. It had obviously been blended with additives. He held up the tall glass toward Curtis. “See? The usual.”

  Curtis grabbed the waiter’s wrist and locked eyes with him. “See this order? Make it my usual.”

  The waiter nodded and passed his tablet over Curtis’s right hand. “You’re in the system now, sir.”

  Curtis sipped his coffee and looked at Johnny. “See? It doesn’t take two orders to register my usual.”

  Johnny was impressed. “Never thought about that.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Curtis said. “As I was saying, with regard to that convoy and the blockade, there was no choice. Levi seriously considered negotiating with an enemy that has absolutely no leverage. That’s a sign of weakness.”

  Johnny inhaled deeply when the waiter arrived with a rolling cart containing the waffles and bacon. “Damn, that smells good!” He looked up at Curtis. “I kinda like eating outside the box like this. Waffles and bacon at dinnertime!”

  “Get used to it,” Curtis said. “Levi hasn’t thought outside the box in years. The Punks should have been wiped out a long time ago.”

  Johnny swiped a chunk of margarine and slapped it onto one of his waffles. “Whadda you mean?”

  “What I mean is…” Curtis bit off half a bacon slice. “…the only thing standing in the way of the Changers’ victory, is the Changers’ leader.”

  Johnny stopped spreading the margarine and looked up at Curtis. He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Are you saying what I think you are?”

  Curtis shrugged and sliced his waffle into strips. “Levi’s a liability. He’s not a true leader.”

  Johnny glanced over his shoulder. Two busboys busied themselves clearing a table. “But he’s our leader.”

  “How long has he been the Changers’ leader, John?” Curtis hand-dipped a waffle slice into the container of maple syrup. He looked up at Johnny. The syrup dripped off the waffle into the container. “And how long is everyone here going to continue to accept his pomposity and indecisiveness?”

  Johnny furrowed his brow, bewildered. His eyes darted around the table at nothing in particular. “Well…”

  “Anyone in Levi’s inner circle could lead the Changers.” Curtis bit the end off the waffle slice and pointed it at Johnny. “You could.”

  “Hmm.” Johnny sat up straight and glanced around the room. “I don’t know, man. Someone would have to bump him off, you know?”

  “And whoever is capable of pulling that off would become the Changers’ leader, right?”

  Johnny smiled. “Yeah, I suppose that’d be right.”

  Curtis sipped his coffee. “When we’re done eating, I want to visit SOUL Central where we’re making the new Chybrids.”

  Johnny shrugged. “Sure, okay. But why?”

  “I want you to see all the technology Levi has at his disposal. Then you’ll see why I think we’re wasting it by having him as our leader.”

  “Think we should mention any of this to Silver or Xander?” Johnny said.

  “I’m just thinking out loud,” Curtis said. He held up his water glass. “Between friends, right? In my opinion, both of them have what it takes to be a better leader than Levi. They both know how to make a snap decision under pressure.” He swigged his water and placed the glass on the table. “Damn, you saw Silver in Tremayne when she took out Ms. DeMone, right?”

  “Aw, that was awesome,” Johnny said, smiling.

  Curtis winked. “Then you get my point.”

  Fred stood behind the wet bar in his quarters at Punk headquarters. “I don’t know what was in that injection, Felix, but I feel like I’m running at 110 percent right now.”

  “I agree,” Thomas said. “I was feeling a little down. I guess I didn’t realize how close I was to timing out. I feel like I’m firing on all cylinders, only turbocharged.”

  Felix smiled. “Splendid.” He held up a finger. “Just remember, the serum you received is not a replacement for absorption. The effect is only temporary. You will both feel worse than before in thirty days. Forty-five at best.”

  Fred opened three bottles of mineral water and walked around to the front of the bar. “So absorbing lives is still in the picture for our immediate futures?”

  “Unfortunately, yes,” Felix said. “However, as you both have witnessed, a reversal of the Change is possible.”

  Thomas smiled. “Then let’s do it.”

  “That is not an easy proposition.” Felix shook his head slowly. “I destroyed all the technology and equipment I used on Krystal when I left the Underground.”

  “But we have all that information,” Fred said. “Thomas and I brought all your plans and calculations and formulas with us when we left.”

  “Yes,” Felix said. “And I, too, have the information in my head. The unfortunate situation is that in order to perform the procedure on anyone else, we will need to reconstruct my lab.” He sipped his water bottle. “And I am not sure that is possible outside the Underground.”

  Fred hoisted himself onto a barstool and rested his elbows on the bar behind him. “You know, this is a stretch, but there may be a possibility.”

  “Are you thinking about Pops and Geezer?” Thomas said.

  “Well, yes. Krystal said the Hangar is well equipped and they are geniuses when it comes to fashioning something from nothing.”

  “From nothing?” Thomas said. “A figure of speech, right?”

  “Of course,” Fred said. “But we have to start somewhere. What do you think, Felix?”

  “I would like to meet these two geniuses, Pops and Geezer. I would like to tour their facility.” Felix stroked his chin. “We will also require some powerful computers and someone with the ability to both program and operate them.”

  Thomas and Fred locked eyes. “Drew and Sydney?” Thomas said.

  “Exactly what I was thinking,” Fred said. “I’ll arrange it with Krystal.”

  Lace ignored the signal when the semitruck driver in front of her flashed his brights. “I’m in no mood for your bullshit, Changers.”

  The big Punk riding shotgun chuckled. “Glad Dion gave us this assignment, boss.” He pounded a fist into his hand. “I really feel like knocking out some Changers.”

  “Damn, Cassius,” Lace said. “Look how they’re totally tearing up this town.” She guided her BearCat between two trucks into a forty-acre swath of land that had been cordoned off by the Changers. “How many houses do these assholes need, anyway?”

  “Too many,” the big Punk said.

  Lace steered the truck past a dozen Changer construction workers sitting in a group. Conventional tin lunch boxes rested in various stages of disarray around the men. “Greetings, citizens,” one of them said to the pair.

  Cassius leaned out the window and held up his middle finger. “Greet this, fuckwad.” He held his pose, turning toward the rear as the BearCat passed. He sat back down and turned to Lace. “When are Rudie and Jas’s crews getting here? I’m gettin’ antsy, you know?”

  “I think Dion wants ’em here ASAP,” Lace said.

  Cassius snugged his well-worn fingerless gloves onto his calloused hands. “Fuck that. What’s Krystal say?”

  Lace shook her head slowly as she stared through the windshield. “It’s the same as what he said. Seems like she’s directing Dion now.”

  The big guy traced a tattoo on his forearm with a finger. “Someone’s got to, boss. Sometimes I get the feeling Dion’s lost his way, man.”

  Lace’s head jerked sideways. “Don’t think that. Dion’s our leader. Always has been.”

  Cassius hung his arm out the window. “
Think what you want, man. I’ll follow Krystal anywhere.” He looked at her across the cab. “Almost the whole crew feels that way.”

  “Dion gave her the authority she has—”

  “But it was her idea to bring in reinforcements when Dion was sittin’ on his hands, man,” he said. “That was a good move.”

  Lace smiled. “Yeah, but Dion sent you guys to rescue me from Raymond, right?”

  “Okay. I’ll admit he’s still got it in some ways,” the big Punk said. He gazed out the window. “Only wish we could have caught Ray. Fucker.”

  Lace’s two-way radio lit up. “Copy, Lace. It’s Nico. You out there?”

  Lace flipped her mic down. “Gotcha, Nico. Go ahead.”

  “Yeah, everything’s dead at the north, south, east checkpoints. I know you’re just getting into town. Anything happening out that way?”

  Lace steered her truck onto the shoulder of a dirt street inside the newly scraped subdivision. “A shit-ton of Changer activity. We’re gonna get out and have a look around.” She glanced across the cab and smiled. “I think Cassius is chomping at the bit to stretch his legs. You’re welcome to join us.”

  “Sounds like a plan, Lace. Break. Adam, Joey, you guys copy?”

  “Joey here.”

  “Adam.”

  “Guys,” Nico said. “Leave a couple Cats at your checkpoints and meet at Lace’s location.”

  In the Underground, SOUL Central was quiet save for the clicking of numerous robotic arms and the usual drone of humming machinery. Curtis looked up at the series of various-sized pods that contained the SOUL Chybrids. “So Levi put you in charge of the young SOULs?”

  Johnny smiled. “You bet.”

  “Well, that’s one of only two good decisions he’s made in his lifetime. From the looks of this, Dr. Rasmus was the other.”

  “Thanks for that, Curtis,” Johnny said. “I’d count you as a good decision.”

  “Kissing my ass, Logan? I was destined to be a Changer. Levi had nothing to do with that.”

  “Yeah, well, Changers are winners, Curtis. You’re not a Bystander or a Punk anymore. You’re on the winning team now.”