Crusade For Vengeance (Dark Vengeance Book 2)

by Adrian D. Roberts

  “We don’t know, Milicevic has some interesting contacts. Maybe one of them sold it to her.”

  “OK, what’s your plan then?” Hayley interrupted.

  “Hopwood drives the aircar with Hanna in the back.” Deni said calmly. “They drop me off on a handy rooftop and I’ll be able to keep an eye on you,” she shrugged. “If I freeze, I’m not endangering anyone as I wouldn’t be there anyway.”

  Hanna looked over to Hayley. “It’s your call. You’re the one who’s going to be in the thick of it.”

  Hayley studied Deni closely. “Can she shoot?” she asked Hanna.

  “That she can definitely do, Milicevic trained us both very well. We’ve just never had to do it in a real live situation before.”

  “OK, Deni. You’re in.”

  “Thanks, Hayley. I won’t let any of you down.”

  “Let’s get moving then,” Hanna said to everyone. “Willem, have the kids stay in contact. We’ll need to know the second any of the groups move in case they lose their wristcomps. We hit Orrick’s group first.”

  ***

  The aircar rose up the side of the building and over the lip of the rooftop. Deni crouched by the open door, much as Valerie had the last time she saw her. Pushing the thought from her mind, she leapt out the moment the aircar touched down. Sprinting across the flat roof to the opposite side, she hunched down against the wall, the rifle strapped to her back.

  “Checkmate in position,” she reported on her com.

  “Hammer, are you ready?” Hanna asked.

  “All set, Angel,” Hayley replied.

  “Anvil?”

  “Say the word,” Flint answered.

  “Let me know what you can see, Checkmate,” Hanna said.

  Deni unstrapped the rifle and carefully positioned it on the wall. Settling herself in, she flipped up the back of the scope and searched for their targets.

  “Angel, I’ve got them. They’re coming out of Stockyard’s bar. Seven goons, all grouped together. Orrick is in the back. They’re walking away from you, Hammer.” Hayley, Layman and Calcutta were waiting in an alley on one side of the bar. “Anvil, they’ll be with you in forty-five seconds.”

  “Everyone, hold position,” Hanna said sharply. “Orrick is on the com to Rapaport, it sounds like he’s winding up. There, they’ve finished. Coms are down, you are clear to go.”

  Hayley and the other two slipped out of the alleyway, jogging towards Orrick’s group. They were almost right on top of Flint’s team.

  “Checkmate, take the first shot,” Hayley said.

  Deni was tempted to ask her if she was sure, but she didn’t have the time. In seconds the group would be right in front of the alley Flint was hiding in. If she didn’t shoot now, he, Barber and Leigh would be seen. While watching, Deni had been moving the cross hairs of her scope from body to body. A button on the side flipped the view from wide to focused. A woman loomed large in front of her.

  Deni squeezed the trigger gently. The rifle bucked slightly, automatically absorbing the heavy recoil. The woman went from laughing with the others to falling back, a massive hole in her chest, in under a second. Deni switched the scope back to wide angle and searched for a second target. Hayley, Calcutta and Layman were already firing into the group. Two more went down.

  Flint, Leigh and Barber stepped out of the alley, Mag pistols humming, and two more fell. Orrick tried to run across the road, away from the ambush. Hayley shot him cleanly in the back and his body collapsed to the ground. Only one was left, a man hiding between two parked wheelies.

  Deni could see the others had lost him. They didn’t know where he was and were beginning to spread out. The man started to rise up, pistol in hand. No one was looking his way. Hanna couldn’t direct them. She had no way of knowing who was alive and who dead.

  Deni could hear and feel her heart beating rapidly. The cross hairs were on his back, moving with him as he stood. Gently, she exhaled, stopping with half the breath still in her lungs and squeezed the trigger. His back exploded. Deni slumped down over her rifle. Two shots, two dead. Today she joined everyone else she knew in the galaxy. She was a killer.

  “Nice shot, Checkmate,” Hayley congratulated. “We didn’t see him. All clear, Angel. Pick us up, Magpie.”

  “On my way,” Hopwood answered from the aircar’s cockpit.

  “Good work, everyone,” Hanna said. “Now we know it works, let’s take back the Workshop. That Electron cell is almost out of juice.”

  Deni slung her rifle over her shoulder and checked the ammunition. Eight shots left in the magazine and two full spare ones. She was carrying everything they had. Much of the rifle’s effectiveness came from the ammo itself. They weren’t available anywhere but a Devil armoury. Even with the general corruption in the Pantheon, they couldn’t be bought from even the best connected arms dealer.

  Walking over to the centre of the roof, she waited for the aircar to return. Hopwood would pick up Hayley and the others first. He didn’t take long and she was soon sitting herself down next to Hanna. She didn’t look at her friend and was surprised by a gentle squeeze of her knee. She looked up to Hanna’s concerned face.

  “Are you all right?” Hanna asked quietly.

  Deni didn’t really trust her voice and nodded slightly.

  “It’s not as easy as they all make us believe is it?” Hanna said gently.

  “No,” Deni whispered and shook her head. She remembered how Hanna had been after Cest. At first it had been elation and then it sunk in what she did. Her friend did everything to hide it from the others, but it was Deni who stayed up with her late into the night.

  “You going to be OK?” Hanna asked.

  Deni nodded. “Yeah, let’s get this done first. I’ll deal with it later. We’ve got a Job to do first.”

  Hanna nodded and turned to the others. “Listen up everyone. Here’s the Workshop,” she put a holo up in the middle of the crowded compartment. All the seats were taken. Flint and Calcutta had to stand by the door. “Two outside and five inside. Slight change of plans. We land, as we discussed, here on the building across the street. Here’s where it changes. Hammer and Checkmate exit here. Checkmate sets up on the roof and Hammer heads to the street. Magpie takes the aircar in a wide circle around the Workshop.

  “When Hammer is in position, I kill the coms and Checkmate takes out the two guards outside. Hammer, get across that street as fast as you can. Make lots of noise. Use the low wall around the yard for cover and get your heads down. Checkmate, feel free to shoot anyone who sticks their heads out.”

  “No problem,” to her surprise, Deni’s voice came out calmly.

  “With them interested in what’s going on out front and why their coms aren’t working, Magpie lands us on the Workshop roof. Flint, how quickly can you blow the skylight?”

  “With what we’ve got..?” he mused. “I’ll be done before they realise we’re there.”

  “We’ve got two Grav-belts,” Hanna continued. “Any volunteers?” All three of Anvil put their hands up. She looked over to Hayley. “Who’s best for this?”

  “Flint’s the best shot. He should stay on top and to give cover. It’ll be Barber and Leigh.”

  “How does that all sound?” Hanna asked.

  Hayley smiled back. “That’s why I never want to be the Boss, it’s better than any plan I could come up with, Guv.”

  Deni smiled at the blush blossoming on Hanna’s face. It happened every time. She never realised just how much smarter she was than everyone else. She had been with Hanna in every step of Valerie’s training, but she couldn’t come up with a plan that good.

  “How are we doing, Hopwood?” Deni called to take the pressure off her friend.

  “Ready when you are,” he called back. “I’ve been circling out of sight of the Workshop, for a couple of minutes.”

  “Take us in,” Hayley ordered. A minute later, Deni was running across a rooftop again with the aircar lifting off behind her.

  It was id
entical to the previous one, but this time Deni didn’t set up the rifle immediately. It would take Hammer a while to get down to ground level, they did have forty flights of stairs to descend after all. It might have saved time to drop them off in the street on the other side of the block. They could then come in through the alleyways. It made the chances of someone spotting the aircar more likely and Deni agreed with Hanna’s decision.

  The rifles scope disconnected easily and Deni peeked over the top of the wall. Both of the guards were still in the Workshop’s yard. They were wandering about quite aimlessly on either side. Their heads still moved about quite a bit and they looked alert. Taking them by surprise would not have been easy.

  Deni watched them carefully and decided the one on the right would be her first target. He looked like he was built more for speed. If his partner went down, he’d probably run, making it a harder shot. The other guy was much bigger. Hopefully he would duck down behind one of the wheelies. Deni hoped it wasn’t the green one. They’d only finished repairing the bodywork and re-spraying it a couple of days ago. The customer was meant to pick it up in the morning. Deni really didn’t want to put a massive hole in it.

  Neither of her targets did anything of interest while she watched. They walked about seemingly at random, but their heads were constantly looking towards the street.

  “That’s not where the threat is, you bastards. I’m up here.” The anguish she felt at her earlier killers was buried deep inside her now. She kept the image of Cortez in her mind taking rounds meant for her, his body falling back through the doorway. It helped her to focus and see the two men down there as targets, not human beings.

  “Angel, Hammer is in position.” Hayley’s breathless voice reported over the com.

  “Do you need a minute, Hammer?” Hanna asked.

  “You’re too used to Valerie,” Deni said to herself.

  “We’re fine, Angel,” from Hayley’s tone, Deni guessed she wasn’t happy and Deni didn’t blame her. “Take the shot when you’re ready, Checkmate.”

  “Lining up now,” Deni responded and laid her rifle on the wall, clicking the scope back into place. With the rifle’s stock firmly in her shoulder, she positioned the crosshair over the smaller man’s chest. He stood near the front of the yard, looking out onto the street, his Mag rifle held loosely in his hands. He wasn’t going anywhere and she took a moment to check the other guy’s location.

  He was over near the right hand Workshop Bay door, as far as he could get from the entrance. He’d turn towards his buddy when she took the first shot. Deni tried to work out where his approximate position would be. It was only a guess, but it would give her a place to start.

  She swung the scope back to the first, who hadn’t moved yet and aimed carefully.

  “Taking the shot,” she breathed into her com and squeezed the trigger. The man’s chest disappeared in a spray of blood when the bullet hit him. She was already moving for the second man and he wasn’t where she assumed he would be, nor where he started. Flipping the scope to wide angle, she saw him running at full sprint towards the door.

  Damn he had quick reactions. Deni tracked the scope on his running back and when he paused to push the door open, she fired. The shot blew him straight through the now open door. If Hanna wanted them looking this way, they sure would be now.

  Switching back to wide angle, she watched Hayley, Layman and Calcutta run across the street. Their battle cries drifted up through the night, to even her high perch. A woman burst out of the Workshop. Her Mag rifle fired towards Hammer, but she was too slow, they’d already reached the low wall. The woman darted forward and took refuge behind a wheelie. Fortunately it wasn’t green.

  Deni caught a fleeting glimpse of the aircar landing on the Workshop roof and Anvil jumping out, before she narrowed her focus. Taking careful aim, she sent a bullet through the car’s roof, the side panel and into the woman. The car didn’t even slow it down. Deni doubted the woman had time to scream.

  Three down, four to go, she switched the scope to deep scan. The walls of the Workshop became transparent and she could see the last four as blue skeletons. An explosion reverberated across the rooftops and all four turned towards the skylight. Deni took her opening and shot one clean through the permacrete wall.

  A second fell backwards, probably shot by someone from Anvil. Two blue skeletons descended fast from the skylight, Barber and Leigh. There was nothing to tell them from the two remaining targets. Without solid shapes, depth perception was difficult, particularly from this angle and distance. All four were darting around and pointing at one another. She’d lost them. She couldn’t tell friend from enemy.

  “Lightning blast it,” she cursed over the com. “I can’t make out who’s who down there.”

  “Alright, keep your cool,” Hayley replied. “Are any covering the door?”

  “No, that’s all clear.”

  “We’re going in. Anvil, this Hammer, we’re coming in through the door.”

  “Do it, Hammer,” Flint replied. “It’s dark as space down there. I can’t see a bloody thing.”

  “Cover us, Checkmate,” Hayley said.

  “I’ve got your back, Hammer,” Deni replied.

  The three of them covered the distance across the yard quickly. Calcutta led the way as they burst inside. No one was looking in their direction. One of the four skeletons inside spun towards them and flew backwards. Deni could now see five people on their feet moving around.

  “Where’s the last one, Checkmate?” Hayley asked. “Calcutta and Layman are with me and I can see Barber and Leigh. There’s meant to be seven of them,” frustration was evident in her voice.

  Three skeletons where obviously lying on the ground inside. Five we’re walking around, where was the last one?”

  “Got her,” Deni reported excitedly. “Rear corner furthest from the door. She’s at the back of the storage area.”

  “Thanks, Checkmate,” Hayley said. “Everyone, she’s over there. Don’t give her a way out. You in the corner!” she shouted. “Slide your gun over to me and come out with your hands up. Don’t make us come in and get you.”

  Deni sighed as the crouching skeleton stood and raised her hands. Two more ran over and grabbed her, tying her hands behind her back.

  “Angel, Hammer. All clear.”

  “On my way, Hammer.” Deni swung her sight to the Workshops roof and she could see Hanna already running over to join Flint. “Magpie, go get Checkmate. We don’t have much time.”

  “On it,” Hopwood replied and the aircar rose up in the air, turning towards Deni.

  Deni stood and switched out the magazine on the rifle. It still had five shots left, but she could well need more than that next time. Rapaport had a lot more people round her than there were here and with Orrick.

  Hopwood landed the aircar and Deni got in. He dropped her in the yard before flying back to one of the surrounding rooftops, where no one could see it. Calcutta was dragging one of Deni’s kills out of the way and she went over to her.

  “Do you need a hand?”

  “Nah,” the woman answered. “You already did your bit, five shots, five kills. Pretty impressive.”

  Deni shrugged. “It’s not difficult really, a child could shoot this thing without missing.” The look she got back showed Calcutta was thinking a similar thing. “Erm, are you sure you don’t need a hand.”

  Calcutta let go of the man’s legs and straightened up. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting the power back for Angel’s main system?”

  “Yeah, but I...”

  “But nothing. That’s more important. Go.”

  Deni nodded and turned away. She was right. Hanna needed her Rig up and running if they were going to be able to keep up this pace. Deni knew the Workshop’s wiring better than anyone. She’d already spent some time working out how they would have shut down the power. Simplest was normally the best place to start.

  A round metal cover was embedded in the permacrete yard. It was
too heavy for her to move unaided and she didn’t have a grav-harness. The tool belt around her waist contained an extendable crow bar. It allowed her to lever the cover up enough to drag it to one side. Underneath was a short drop down to the utilities pipe. The single thirty centimetre conduit contained all the water, power and datanet pipes and cables. This access area had a single lever on each one so they could easily be turned on and off. Both the datanet and power were switched to off. It took her less than five seconds to put them back into the on position.

  The lights still weren’t on when she climbed back up. Calcutta wandered over.

  “You shouldn’t be out here alone,” she said.

  “Everyone else was busy and you said this needed to be done.”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t realise no one else was about. I’ll stay with you. I take it that didn’t work?”

  “It worked as far as that connection is back up, but they must have cut it off further in as well. Help me with this.” Deni started to push the cover back and Calcutta shook her head.

  “Leave it. We can send someone else out in a minute. Where next?”

  “Inside, I need to check the power relay.”

  The backup lights Deni installed when they refitted the place were on, giving them all light to work to. Calcutta asked Leigh to put the cover in the yard back and Deni went to the back of the workshop, where the last of Rapaport’s people had been hiding. A heavy metal cabinet sat in the corner, it’s door lock forcibly removed.

  “Eh, don’t let Hanna see this,” she told Calcutta. “She’ll give us all a lecture on how lazy and destructive people can be.”

  “She doesn’t seem the type.”

  Deni open the door and looked inside. “She’s not normally, but when someone uses brute force on something she can Hack in seconds, it messes with her view of the universe. They knew what they were doing here. They found our tap on next door. Made a mess of it as well. Fortunately the main one was just switched off.” The main lights came on all across the Workshop.

  “Looks like we’re back in business.” Calcutta said.