by Gini Koch
“Knee her back! Knee her back and work to get out!” Tito was full of good advice.
I’d pulled it off earlier when no one was around. Might as well give it a go here, in the presence of witnesses. Besides, Gladys was tough but she was also small.
Shifted my hips so I rocked her, slammed my knee into her back as hard as I could, while I shoved my arms at her with all my strength.
Gladys went back as my leg went up. The move worked perfectly again. The only problem was that Gladys was a lot shorter than Mahin. I did hit the back of her head, but with my shin. Which hurt like hell.
It stunned her, though, which was what I needed. Used the mitt to hit her with a slapping left and she went off of me to my right. I rolled to my left and scrambled to my feet.
She ran toward me again, and I decided it was time for my favorite Kung Fu technique—Crane Opens a Can of Whup-Ass.
Jumped to the side onto the leg whose shin wasn’t hurting with my other leg up. Blocked her with my nice pointy Crane Hands. Side blade kick to her knee. Okay, to her hip, she was really short. Two palm strikes to her head, another to the face, and a fourth to her floating ribs. Okay, to her damn shoulder. No wonder she was considered so formidable—she was hard as hell to hit correctly.
However, I was definitely rocking her. The next move was another kick to take out her knee. Gladys, seeing this, tried to swerve out of my reach. No worries. Crane Has Long Wings wasn’t hard to do from this position, either.
I chopped the back of her neck with the side of my right hand as hard as I could. She stumbled and almost lost her balance, but recovered and ran on. Into an open isolation chamber behind me, which I saw as I spun around to supposedly hit her with the second Crane Wing.
She came out with a hypodermic. Not this again. “What are you going to threaten to do to Jeff or Christopher this time?”
She looked at the hypo in her hand then back at me. “Nothing. I’m going to stab this through your eye. And there won’t be a single thing you can do about it.”
“I think there are several things I plan to do about it.” Thought madly about what weapons take-away forms I knew. Crane said this was not in the rules and requested a knife or a gun, since Crane and I actually knew how to take both of those away. Needles were long, sharp, pointy, and yet small, making them hard to stop. Crane said it was out of ideas. Baseball Mitt shared that it was ready to take whatever it had to for the team.
Gladys smiled. “I doubt they’ll work. ACE isn’t around to help you any more.”
Figured part of the problem with Gladys that Algar had mentioned was that she’d figured out somehow that ACE was indeed on hiatus. Not good. I needed a weapon. I could pull out my Glock and just shoot her, but that seemed extreme at the moment, and not in any small part because I didn’t want to blow away White’s sister in front of him. That just seemed so horribly wrong to do to anyone, let alone someone I cared about. I just wanted to knock her out—potentially into a bloody pulp, but still “out” was what I was shooting for.
Should have kept my purse on. Could have gotten the harpoon out without looking. Oh well, so much for that. Could always grab my own hypodermic out of the isolation chamber—they always had tons in there—but that seemed both scary and ridiculous, even for me. Plus that would mean my back would have to be to Gladys, and even for a second that didn’t sound wise.
She ran at me, hypo held like a knife, slashing as she got closer. She slashed and stabbed, I dodged, using the mitt to block.
Wanted her away from the people who were unconscious, my husband especially. So I started backing up.
“Running away so quickly?” she sneered.
“This? This isn’t running. When I run, you’ll know.”
More thrusts with the needle from her, more dodging and blocking from me. At this rate one of us was going to get tired, and it was a fifty-fifty chance it might be Gladys. Not the best odds. Time for something offensive.
Technically, she was so tiny I should have been able to just pretty much use my longer reach and smash her. But she was fast, skilled, and waving that needle around. Fighting Uma the Bitch Leader during Operation Invasion had been a lot easier. But I’d had an Amazonian battle staff to use then.
“Tito! I need a distance weapon of some kind!”
Something sailed through the air. “Kitty,” Rahmi shouted. “Catch!”
Put my right hand up and caught Rahmi’s battle staff. They were weighted more like a javelin—one end heavier than the other—but both ends glowed. The staff was activated which was nice. Activated, it resembled a double light saber, allowing its wielder to totally get their Darth Maul on.
“Gladys, just a mention. This staff can cut through you like butter. Don’t make me want to do that. You know this isn’t you. You’re being controlled by someone you happen to despise.”
“How would you know what is or isn’t me?” she asked. “Or who I despise?”
“You’re Richard’s sister. You telling me that you’re choosing Ronaldo over him?”
“Richard’s dead,” Gladys said. “I saw him die.”
Couldn’t risk looking around. “Mister White!”
“Here, Missus Martini. Essentially right behind you. Gladys, it’s me.”
She looked right at him. Right at him. “I have no idea who you are, but you’re not my brother.” She looked around. “And before any of you try to claim kinship with me, I don’t know who you are, just that you’re not who you say you are.” She looked back to me. “Other than you. I know who you are.”
“And just who is that?”
“You’re the reason Richard and the rest of my family are dead.” She said it calmly, as if it was longtime common knowledge. “You infiltrated us and destroyed us. And for that, you have to die.”
With that, she lunged toward me.
CHAPTER 38
MY MIND LIKED TO WORK FAST in situations like these.
First off, it casually pointed out that there was no way Gladys was this convinced that no one she’d known all her life were her family, at least not over a few hour period. Meaning Ronaldo had probably been working on her for a while. Or else she’d been having problems ACE had nicely been covering up or helping her with.
Both options said the same thing—she wasn’t going to stop.
As I put the staff up into a defensive position, my mind then shared that both Option #1 and Option #2 had issues. My mind had a challenge believing that Gladys had turned. No one from White, to Jeff, to Walter, would buy this, long-term mind control or not. And if ACE had been working with her, he’d have told someone, Gower for certain.
Ergo, perhaps, and hopefully, this wasn’t the real Gladys. Tito had an OVS, and it might be a really good time to use it. Because Option #3 said we had a lovely new android in our midst, and, awful as that was, I was kind of praying Option #3 turned out to be the case.
But in order to verify which Option was our Big Winner of the Hour, I had to take her down. But not down permanently, in case Options #1 or #2 were what was going on.
Gladys closed the gap and Thought Time was over. I was really being tested on my long-term muscle and skills memory. Hadn’t fought with a Beta Twelve battle staff since just before my wedding, but thankfully the skills liked to show up when I needed them most.
The Skills would have preferred to have my left hand free and open, but Baseball Mitt said that it was, so far, the only thing really helping me, and the rest of the Peanut Gallery could chill. Had to agree. And I knew how to use a staff one-handed.
As it turned out, Baseball Mitt had called it right. Blocked Gladys with the staff and slapped the hypodermic out of her hand with one awesomely altered Crane move. Crane felt that it deserved second billing in the fight and was hanging about, waiting to offer help as needed.
Crane suggested a front ball kick to whatever part of her body I connected with. Did the move, got her right in the sternum. Go Team Sanity!
As Gladys fell back, I took a moment to li
sten. Didn’t hear the sounds of fighting any more. Hoped that meant that more than White were still standing up. Of course, if they were, a little help would have been nice.
Then again, I wouldn’t want to get near the active end of a battle staff, so perhaps the others were just showing wisdom.
Or else they were leaving room for Rhee. Who came up behind Gladys and slammed the length of her battle staff against the back of Gladys’ head.
A normal person, human or even A-C, would be down now. Gladys wasn’t down. She shook her head, reached back without looking, grabbed the staff, and wrenched it out of Rhee’s hands.
Baseball Mitt, Crane, The Skills, and I all agreed. “She’s not Gladys, I think she’s an android!” Hoped this would get someone verifying with the OVS.
A blur ran past and around us. “Kitty’s right,” Christopher called. “Per the OVS, whoever Kitty’s fighting is not fully organic.”
“Android, ninety-nine percent confirmation,” Tito said. Heard some worried muttering. “No one ever gets a hundred percent, Kitty, android or organic. Clothing, fillings, and so forth.”
“Awesome.”
Gladys went into a staff-fighting stance then launched herself at me.
I could fight with a staff one-handed, but it wasn’t easy. She used her staff to knock mine out of my hand. It went flying. Decided I’d had enough and I went for my Glock.
Blocked her staff with the mitt. We were very close to each other. I’d been practicing and was able to flip off the safety with one hand. Did so, slammed my Glock into the side of her head, and fired.
She was definitely an android, and I knew this not simply due to the fact that we’d been fighting all this time and she hadn’t tried to get the gun out of my pants, but because she didn’t die or stop trying to kill me.
No worries. Mom had worked with me on rapid-firing techniques and, like Christopher, she didn’t really ever say, “Good enough, we can stop training now.” Shot several more rounds into her head, which staggered her back a bit. Then did a line of fire from her head straight down.
Clip emptied, Android Gladys was still up, but clearly malfunctioning. At least I took her jerking around like she was having a major seizure to be a malfunction, since I doubted anyone had created an android that would try to do the shimmy as either an offensive or defensive technique.
Rahmi and Rhee got back into the act. Rhee grabbed her staff and retrieved it from Android Gladys while Rahmi grabbed Android Gladys’ head. Never let it be said that the Amazons weren’t hella strong. She ripped Android Gladys’ head off her body.
Finally the body dropped. “We need to get that head to a lab for study,” Tito said.
Considered everything that was going on. “Oh, crap. Rhee, take the other end of the body.” I grabbed the feet. “Rahmi, keep the head. Come with me, as fast as possible!”
Adriana had the door open, meaning she’d made the same leap I had. We were closer to the bottom levels than the top. And the top had our people milling about waiting to kill us. But I doubted Algar wanted this in his pipe system.
However, the fifteenth floor also housed major incarceration. And if we lost one cell, it was better than losing people or isolation.
Headed down at the fastest hyperspeed I could manage. Found the first open cell, we tossed the body and head in, and I slammed the door.
We were just in time. Because the android parts exploded as the door closed.
It was a hell of a big explosion, and it blew the door out. Which blew the three of us back.
I wasn’t a fan of slamming into a wall. It hurt like hell. Unlike the guys, it didn’t knock me, or the princesses, out. But the wind was definitely knocked out of me. From what I could tell, it was the same for Rahmi and Rhee. And I’d only heard one explosion and frankly expected two.
On the plus side, my earbuds were still in and my iPod was still playing. So I had that going for me.
Thankfully, someone had followed us. Three someones. Serene picked me up, Claudia took Rahmi, and Lorraine grabbed Rhee.
As they ran us to the stairwell the second explosion went off. Couldn’t be sure but it sounded bigger than the first. It definitely rocked the girls, but all three kept their feet and didn’t drop their cargo. As part of said cargo, I was particularly grateful.
Hoped I hadn’t destroyed this entire level, particularly because the Lair was on this level. But better the level than all of us.
“Go girl power,” I said as Claudia slammed the stairwell door shut and Serene put me down.
“That’s the best android yet,” Lorraine said without preamble. “Because it was around all of us and no one thought that Gladys was acting odd or anything.”
“Until, you know, she went crazy,” Claudia said. “But Al Dejahl was in the building and we just figured she was mind controlled again.”
“It’s nice to know that our luck just stays consistent, isn’t it? I see the League of Evil Geniuses has regrouped and re-formed and is back, bigger and better than ever.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Claudia said. “You up to going back upstairs?”
“Sure. Princesses?”
They confirmed they were back in fighting form, so the six of us zipped up. Perhaps not as quickly as we’d zipped down, but still, we were zippy and not dragging, or blown up, so I felt I could toss another one to the win column.
Arrived to see Tito wanding everyone and having Adriana wand him as well. Gave us the “over here” motion, so we six went and got wanded, too.
“Thankfully, everyone on this floor is who we think they are,” Tito said.
“That’s a lot of people.”
“I started checking as soon as we identified Gladys as an android.”
“Good thinking.” Looked around. One person was conspicuously missing. Looked around again. Make that two. “Where are Jeff and James?”
CHAPTER 39
“I’M RIGHT HERE.”
Spun around to see Jeff looking beat up but otherwise alive and well. Wasn’t the right time to throw myself into his arms shouting, “You’re alive!” But I wanted to.
He gave me a small smile. “I’d like it, but yeah, not the right time.”
“Thought emotions were blocked here.”
“They are. Read your expression.”
“Go you on the good husband points. Where’s James?”
“In Security Main. Where we need to get back to.”
“You need adrenaline.”
“Not right now.”
“You’re a liar about the need for speed.”
“Probably. But that needs to wait. We have other issues.”
“Jeff, can you hear me?” Reader’s voice was on the com.
“Yeah, James.”
“I’ve got the shields down. I’m calling in containment units from Caliente Base. What floors do we need contained?”
“Just the ground floor.”
“You cleared the others?” I asked.
“The lower levels were empty.”
“But when we got to this level and found Gladys and the rest of her team waiting for us, we couldn’t exactly keep on going up,” Christopher said. “If you cleared the facility down to here, though, we should be good.”
White and I exchanged a look. “We didn’t,” I admitted.
“Why not?” Jeff asked.
“We knew where to go,” White replied. “Your wife’s instincts.”
“Fabulous,” Jeff groaned. “We need those levels searched and cleared, then, James.”
“James, everyone on the top floor is armed with an automatic or semiautomatic weapon. Most of them are A-Cs.”
“Got it. Agents from Caliente Base coming in riot gear. I have a floater aligning near you, stay out of its way.”
“Tell them they need to disarm and bang heads,” Jeff said. “Literally.”
“Why are we banging heads?” I asked.
“I second the question,” Reader said.
“To try to clear
the heads of those of our people who are still under the mind control,” White said. “Apparently, as Adriana showed us, heavy blows to the head dislodge my brother’s mind control.”
“Ah, the Hawkeye Technique. Or maybe it should be called the Black Widow Technique.” Wasn’t willing to call Ronaldo Loki. Loki was a compliment I wasn’t willing to hand Ronaldo.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, baby.”
“Really? You saw the movie. With me. But anyway.” Trotted over and retrieved my purse. “Chuckie, can you verify that my purse isn’t containing things it shouldn’t?” Handed him said purse.
“Oh, yes, ma’am. Anything else? Foot rub? Latte?”
“Numbers to your Swiss bank account.”
He laughed as he pulled a small black rectangular thing out of his pocket. It was similar to the Alien Things Finders he’d had during Operation Invasion, only sleeker. Presumed this was a newer, special model, or else this was for bugs and such only.
He ran it over my purse. “You’re clean. So to speak.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? I feel fine and I’m sure I look no worse than anyone else here.”
“Really? Trust me, don’t look in a mirror.”
“Thanks ever.” I honestly didn’t feel awesome, but the faster healing and regeneration that A-Cs had was the best thing ever. Even my shin didn’t hurt that badly right now. And, frankly, if the worst pain I had after all of this was a banged up shin, I should probably head to Vegas and put some money on double zero.
“James, we could use medical support,” Tito said. “Thankfully we have no dead, but we do have injured.”
“On it. Floater is live,” Reader said. “Stand back.”
Normally no one cared about keeping out of the way of a floater gate. Figured Reader was just on edge. Until I saw the number of Field agents pouring through. Had a feeling we’d pulled in more agents than just those at Caliente Base.
In addition to the sheer numbers, no one would want to get in the way of this particular exiting horde. I’d never seen an A-C in anything other than the standard Armani Fatigues. These guys all looked like S.W.A.T., minus guns, but with the clear riot shields police use. They were also all wearing headphones.
