Protocol said to use a cut out, to get a message to Arlene, but since she had been tracked for almost three weeks, they already knew about her. One more call wasn’t going to make a difference.
“Yes?” Arlene answered.
“Something’s come up,” Julianna told her. “Go dark and meet me at back up two.” The com clicked as Arlene didn’t waste any time. Julianna found the number Hanna left on the wristcomp. She memorised it before powering the wristcomp down. She would arrange the meeting with Button, but in the meantime the Cell were going into hiding for a while. At least until Julianna could be sure this wasn’t a trap. While she believed it to be unlikely, it wasn’t worth risking everyone over.
***
“What do you think?” Hanna asked , after she filled Deni in on her conversation with Julianna.
“It still seems a long shot,” Deni said. “It’s been a week and we don’t even know if she’s alive or not.” They were back at the Workshop. It wasn’t a conversation they could have with Flint in the car.
They were both covering the same ground they had since Valerie’s single transmission. Since then they heard nothing from her and feared she hadn’t survived. Hanna knew the chance of Valerie still being alive were incredibly slim.
“OK. I still say we need to at least try,” she told her firmly. “And unless you’ve changed your mind, I’m still in charge. Now, what about Julianna?”
“I think she’ll come through.” Deni said. “It’s in her interests to get a unit like Shadow Company over to her side. It must be what her contact has been working toward and this is the perfect opportunity. Even then, they do meet with you and agree to help, how do we know they can find Valerie?”
“We don’t, but it’s likely they’ll have access to stuff I can’t get to, and give us a lead. What bothers me most about Ison Island, is the complete lack of information. It’s a black hole. Nothing has come out about anything happening there. Not even a twitch on the datanet from the Manuals living on the island.”
“Valerie wouldn’t go down without leaving a very big hole in the ground,” Deni agreed.
“Exactly, so why cover it up? They could easily write it off as the usual Family feud. From what you found out, Ison has more than enough enemies to blame it on.”
“So why take the time and effort to cover it up, if there is nothing to hide... Unless you were trying to hide a certain person you don’t want anyone to know is still alive.”
“Exactly!” Hanna exclaimed with a smile. “It’s slim as a lightning bolt, but better than nothing.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Looking up at the grey permacrete building in front of him, Button felt a sense of foreboding in the pit of his stomach. The location wasn’t right for meeting his cousin. Previously they picked an open public place, generally serving beer. He was sure in his own abilities and knew tracking him was very difficult. He wasn’t over-confident and had the experience to prove it. Julianna wasn’t as good as him, but he trained her when he found out about her involvement in the Rebellion. He knew she was very good at not being followed as well.
This made the manner of her contact with him and the location for the meet very suspicious. It was still his cousin, so he was here. Drawing his Pulse pistol, he walked up the steps to the entrance cautiously. The door wasn’t locked and could barely stand on its own. He pushed the door open and it felt like it would fall off its hinges at any moment.
Inside, Button could see and smell why. The internal walls were disintegrating. The Polycarb, bio-fibre and carbon-fibre components were well into their cycle of decomposition. Button estimated they should have been replaced at least five years ago. The outer walls, floors and stairs would all be made of permacrete and would last for centuries, so there was no danger of a collapse.
The smell of the rotting materials made the building all but uninhabitable. A perfect place for a covert meeting. Button slipped a pair of glasses on. They were small and used generally by those who couldn’t afford to have their optic nerves augmented to compensate for strong sunlight. These particular glasses included a few extra features, like a threat assessment HUD and thermal imaging. They were not nearly as good as his FPBA, combat helmet or even his goggles but were perfect for a place like this.
Trying to ignore the smell, Button crept up stairs slippery with the excretions from the walls. Julianna’s message told him, to meet her on the third floor. Button found her exactly where she said she would be. He couldn’t see any sign of anyone else and let out a long breath when he saw she was safe.
“Jules?” he called.
She spun round with her pistol out. “Shit, Chao. Don’t sneak up on me!”
“Sorry,” he shrugged and holstered his pistol. “What’s going on? Why the cloak and dagger?”
She lowered her own pistol but didn’t put it away.
“Carter’s people came and found me. They had me, Chao, Hacked my wristcomp and com. They were tracking me for over two weeks before contacting me in the middle of the street, two blocks from my home. That’s why the dead drop and look,” she held up her wrist, “no wristcomp so no com.”
“Wow, that’s not good. Are you sure?”
“She showed me chapter and verse of what I’d been doing and pictures were included for good measure.”
“I’ve never heard of anyone doing that. What did the Major say?”
“Nothing, she wasn’t there. I was contacted by a three person team, a gang member with the same tattoo as the one from the Green Man, someone called Deni, who I only saw at a distance from behind a rifle aimed at me and a girl named Hanna. It was Hanna who did all the talking. She said she wanted to talk to you. Carter is in trouble and Shadow Company are the only ones who can save her.”
Button looked around for somewhere to sit, but there was nothing suitable. Nothing he wanted to use, anyway.
“What kind of trouble?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she replied shaking her head. “She wouldn’t say. It must have something to do with why Carter disappeared. Hanna told me if I was L.I., half of the Legion would be in the Ghetto after Carter. What happened to her? What made her use Furioso to vanish? You said she was loyal to the Pantheon.”
“Actually, I said she was loyal to the Legion. I’ve since found out that is certainly no longer the case.”
“Why? What happened?”
“I can’t say, Jules. Not because I don’t trust you or anything, it’s just very personal to the Major and I honestly don’t think it’s my place. Trust me on this, the Pantheon and the Legion broke faith with her in the worst possible way. She’s hunting the Privileged and she’s already left a body count behind her you would not believe. I need to see this Hanna as soon as you can arrange it. Can you do that?”
He could see his cousin wasn’t happy and there were a lot of valid reasons for it, but she nodded. “I’ll do better. This thing all stinks worse than this building,” she took a slip of paper out of her pocket. “Here’s the number of a workshop out at Anju Borough. She said that’s where I should contact her.”
Taking the paper, Button memorised it and put it in his pocket to destroy later. He didn’t blame her for not passing the information electronically.
“OK. I think I’ll drop in on them and have a chat.”
“Be careful, Chao,” she warned. “They’ve showed they’re not amateurs.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less of someone the Major was working with, but don’t worry,” he winked at his cousin. “I won’t be going in alone.”
“You’re going to get me to ask again, aren’t you?” she said irritably and he shrugged in answer. “Alright, I’ll bite. Why aren’t you going in alone?”
“I told Major Forlani and it turned out, she already knew I was recruiting for the Rebellion. She’s in and so are most of the Company. The only reason it’s not everyone, is because I haven’t had time to speak to them yet, but I’ve got more than enough to handle a Ghetto gang if I need to, eve
n if they’ve been trained by Major Carter.”
“That’s excellent news! It’s a shame that I’ve been compromised. I’d love to see the expressions on their faces when you kick down their door!”
“I’ll let you know the moment we have it secure and I’ll even have a holovid for you!”
“You’re too good to me, Chao.”
He shrugged and grinned. “Well what are big cousins for?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“Bravo, do you have eyes on target?” Major Forlani asked into her com from the passenger seat next to Button.
“Crossing the last roof now, Shadow Lead,” Sergeant Major Bickerstaff reported. Major Forlani picked First Platoon to provide cover for the meeting. As Major Carter’s old Platoon, they had been the first of the Company Button approached. Bravo fire team would cover the workshop from the west, across the street. They were furthest from the target and would get into position first.
“Shadow Lead, Bravo is in position. It looks very quiet down there. No movement. Should we send in the drones?”
“Negative, Bravo One. Target has shown exceptional Hacking ability. Let’s not show her anything more than we have to. All teams. Call it when in position.”
“Lead, Alpha has eyes on target,” Corporal Richings reported from the roof to the east and behind the workshop.
“Lead, Charlie. We’ve got the north side covered,” Sergeant Sonya Haebich responded from the building next to the workshop.
“Lead, Delta. South is secure,” Corporal Laila Nichols commed from the roof opposite Charlie fire team.
“Received, First Platoon. Hold positions, report any movement and wait for my orders before assault unless directly threatened. Lead clear.”
“So what did you do with the Lieutenant today?” Button asked the Major as he drove the eighteen year old, four-door wheelie down the street. It’s white, battered exterior blending in perfectly in the Ghetto.
“He’s running an errand for me, which unfortunately will take a couple of days. I needed some additional reports from New Titan on our performances in the training exercises last month.”
“Ouch, I know you needed to get him out of our hair, but that was overly cruel, Major.”
“Take a commission and it’ll be up to you where to send junior Lieutenants, when you don’t want them underfoot.”
“It might be a bit late,” Button said half seriously.
“Or we get to build our own army and we’ll need experienced leaders.”
“You’ve thought about this a bit too much for my liking, Major.”
“I haven’t thought about much else since you knocked on my door, Chao. This is a very dangerous road we’re travelling down and I don’t know where we’re going to end up.”
“I think we’re going to a vehicle workshop and I know it’s the Ghettos, but it really isn’t that bad around here. Look,” he pointed to the graffiti on the walls, “they even redecorated for us.”
“You know what I mean, Chao.”
“I do, Major, and wherever we do go, remember, I’ll always have your back.”
She smiled at him and then nodded at a turning on the left. “There it is.”
Swinging the car into the empty yard in front of the workshop, Button stopped and got out.
“Bickerstaff wasn’t kidding, it’s quiet.” Two of the workshop’s large shutters were closed with the middle one left wide open.
“Too quiet,” Major Forlani agreed and drew her pistol. “Take point, I’ll be right behind you.”
The entire Platoon were in civilian clothes and all were wearing light armour hidden underneath. Button drew his pistol and as he moved forward with the Major close behind, no one would mistake them for gang members. Their movements were precise and well-practised. He approached the open door from the left, at an angle to allow him to see as much as possible without exposing himself.
He couldn’t see anything on the right hand side of the workshop. The two ramps he could see were both up, with wheelies on them, and the floor around them was clear. There were no easy places for someone to be hiding. He nodded to the Major to indicate he was going round to the left and she stepped up ready to cover him. He stepped round the door and the left hand side was the same as the right, with one exception. In the middle of the floor, sitting on a single chair positioned so it couldn’t be seen from the outside, was a blue-eyed girl.
“Hi,” she said brightly, looking up from the datapad she was reading. “Shadow Company, I presume? I’m Hanna.”
Keeping his gun on the girl, Button walked in a circle around her and scanned the area with his eyes. Behind her were several doors, all open and a staircase running to a second floor. Two of the three doors up there were open as well. The third led to a rear area easily able to hold quite a few people.
“Bravo one, Lead. Scan the building.” Major Forlani said from behind.
“Copy Lead, scanning now. I see three people in the entire building. You, Button and an unknown sitting three metres in front of you. No one else,” Bickerstaff said over the com.
“Don’t worry,” the girl said. “There’s no one else here. When we saw you coming, I told everyone to tidy up and clear out. That was one argument I don’t want to repeat, I can tell you. My pal Deni was not happy.”
“You knew we were coming?” the Major asked.
“What?” Hanna smiled. “Did you really think you could drive four identical lorries into the Ghettos and not get noticed? I had word you were on your way, when you were still twenty-two Klicks out. Did you bring the whole Company with you?”
Button looked over to the Major and shrugged. She nodded and he holstered his pistol, walking back to the open door to keep an eye out.
The Major ignored the question, holstered her own pistol, picked up a chair and sat down opposite the girl.
“Hanna, wasn’t it?”
“That’s right. Sorry, I don’t have any of your names.”
The Major paused before replying. “I’m Major Shannon Forlani and that’s Private Chao Button. You said you wanted to talk to us about Major Carter, so talk.”
“How much do you know, Major?”
“Know about what?”
“OK, it’s going to be one of those conversations. My friends think I’m too trusting and naive about people. I prefer to think of it as listening to my instincts and what I can find out about people. For instance, did you know Julianna, Button’s contact in the Rebellion, is his cousin?”
Jerking up from where he stood leaning against the door, Button spun round, to find himself being regarded thoughtfully by the Major.
“That makes more sense,” she said. “I did wonder how they got to him. Two black sheep in the same family? That’s a surprise.”
“It was kind of my fault,” Button admitted. “Do you remember my cousin Cherilyn?”
“You used to stay with her father when on leave. She died in a... Oh, I see.” The Major held his gaze for a few moments longer, to tell him the conversation wasn’t over, and turned to the girl. Button grimaced to himself and went back to leaning against the door frame. Jules hadn’t been kidding. Hanna was a genius Hacker to be able to find that out.
“I’ve got a way out of here if I needed it,” continued Hanna, “but when I saw it was Julianna’s cousin coming, I knew I could trust you, and so here is what I think you know. Valerie is alive. The death of her family affected her very badly. It’s her mission to find and kill those responsible. She was also the person who destroyed Furioso.”
“You’re right, I did know all of that,” the Major confirmed. “What don’t I know?”
“After Furioso, Valerie went to Blaze. She spent about a year drinking more whisky than you can fit into a freighter, before saving my life more than once. Afterward, we worked together for a while, until she bumped into someone connected to the deaths of her family. As you can imagine, it was not a good experience for that person. He led to a second person, who also ended up dead and then we came h
ere. We’ve been following the trail, moving further up the chain. Valerie went to talk with someone we thought could help, and disappeared. This was her last transmission.”
“Mission blown! Do not respond. I repeat. Do not respond. Extract and go to ground. I will make my own way out. Carter clear!”
To hear her voice, after thinking she was dead, was heart breaking. It was different from when she accosted him in the alley. This time, the voice was clear, precise, focused, as it was on hundreds of missions.
“When and where did it happen?” the Major asked. The question was to the point but he wasn’t fooled. He knew how close Carter and Forlani were. He could hear the pain in even those few words.
“Almost two weeks ago on Ison Island.”
“Valerie invaded Ison Island? That’s a tough nut to crack even for her. What happened?”
“I don’t know.” Even though he’d only just met her, Button could hear the pain in the girl’s voice as well. “We couldn’t have coms without getting spotted.”
“And you haven’t been able to Hack your way in?” the Major challenged.
“I’m good. If it’s connected to the datanet and I have time to find it, I can Hack it.” Hanna shot back. “All Ison Islands security systems are hard-walled. Without physically being there, I don’t have a way into their system.” Button was impressed. There weren’t many people in the Legion who would stand up to Major Forlani.
“What makes you think there’s a chance she is still alive?”
“Two things. Since the transmission, Ison Island has been completely shut down. No reports of the incident, official or otherwise. No messages to friends and family off the island, nothing for two weeks. Someone is hiding something.”
“And you think that is the fact that she’s still alive? I can see your logic and it does make some sense. What’s the second reason?”
“Erm, can you turn off your coms for a minute? I know the rest of the Company will be listening and I don’t think Valerie wanted me to tell anyone this.”
Crusade For Vengeance (Dark Vengeance Book 2) Page 26
