Cade 1

by Neil Hunter

  The tunnel seemed to go on forever. The darkness extended both in front of and behind her now. Kate began to feel isolated, alone. She walked for what seemed an eternity.

  Where was Lisa?

  Had she forgotten their arrangement? Perhaps she had been delayed.

  Then a voice came out of the darkness around her, soft, almost a whisper, and Lisa’s pale features moved into the pool of light cast by the flash.

  ‘You came,’ she said, surprise in her voice.

  ‘I told you I would,’ Kate replied. ‘Hey, can we get out of this damn tunnel? It gives me the creeps.’

  ‘I like the darkness,’ Lisa said. ‘It’s safe…or it was until those men started coming and stealing our people.’

  ‘That’s why I’m here,’ Kate told her. ‘To see if we can find out what’s going on and where they’re taking your friends.’

  Lisa led the way along the gloomy tunnel. Here she was in her element. She moved with ease, comfortable in the shadows and totally unafraid of the atmosphere. She ignored the scurrying rats.

  A quarter of an hour later she was leading Kate through narrow tunnels, some lit by bulbs dangling from wires attached to the ceilings. Power was obtained by tapping into electricity cables. In other sections light was provided by oil lamps or sputtering torches that filled the air with stinging fumes.

  Kate began to see signs of habitation as they moved deeper into the honeycomb of interconnecting tunnels. She noticed, too, that as they traveled they were descending. The tunnel complex existed on a number of levels, each successive one deeper than its neighbor. The deeper they got, the more people they came across. Although Kate sensed some reserve, she quickly became aware of the gentleness of the tunnel dwellers. There was no open hostility, simply suspicion because she was a stranger. The moment Lisa explained that Kate was there to try to help find out why their people were being taken, the journalist found herself surrounded by anxious faces, each with a personal story to tell.

  They had lost husbands. Sons. Brothers. Only a few women had been taken. Young, healthy women.

  Following the declaration of who had been taken came the inevitable fearful questions.

  Who were the hijackers working for? Why had the people been taken? Where were they?

  Kate had sympathized with them, trying desperately to comfort them, and promising that she would do everything in her power to locate their missing friends and relatives.

  Even as she followed Lisa from tunnel to tunnel, listening to the people, her active mind was seeking a solution, but she had no ready answers.

  From the information she’d been able to glean, it appeared that the numbers of missing already ran into the hundreds.

  That many people would present a problem when it came to moving them around. Which meant transport of some kind, something familiar on the road so it wouldn’t create too much interest.

  A large, covered trailer? Hauled by a diesel tractor? There were dozens of those on the roads each day, moving all kinds of goods around. Who would notice those?

  Kate filed the possibility away for further investigation.

  Hours had slipped by. Kate had become so absorbed by her dealings with the tunnel people that she forgot time. It was only when Lisa drew her into a small room off some tunnel deep below the city that she realized how weary she was. For the first time since coming below ground she glanced at her watch and saw it was late afternoon.

  ‘Hungry?’ Lisa asked.

  Kate nodded, too absorbed in inspecting the room to speak.

  Lisa’s home, small and primitive by normal standards, had a coziness that drew Kate into its embrace. The first thing she noticed was the tidiness. Everything had its own niche. Nothing seemed out of place. Her few belongings were obviously well cared for. They had seen long years of use with other owners before coming into her possession.

  As Kate watched, Lisa drew water from a plastic container and poured it into a small pan, which she placed on a single electric ring. While the water boiled, she spooned coffee from a small jar into a pair of thick mugs.

  ‘I hope you like it black and unsweetened,’ Lisa said.

  ‘Right now,’ Kate said, ‘I’m ready for anything. You know something, Lisa, I can’t remember the last time I did so much walking.’

  ‘Kate,’ Lisa began, ‘is there…I mean, can you do anything?’

  ‘I can give it a damn good try,’ Kate assured her. ‘I’ve got a few good contacts. I can have questions asked. And I do know someone who might be able to open a few doors.’

  She was thinking about Cade. If anyone could pick up a lead to what was happening down here in the tunnels, Cade was the man. Once she had her information together, she would present it to him.

  Later Lisa took her on a further tour of the tunnels. Kate found she was becoming fascinated by the culture that existed so strongly beneath the city. What caught her imagination was the trust and genuine concern the Darksiders had for one another. There was little envy or distrust. Families and groups existed together with ease. Lisa explained that there were unwritten but closely observed rules. They were laws that no one would break, because if they did, there would be instant justice served. Everything that was done, said or planned was for the good of the overall community.

  Self-aggrandizement was frowned upon. Greed and deceit were not tolerated. And within those laws the Darksiders lived in a state of almost complete harmony.

  That was her impression until Kate saw another side to the Darksider face, when she met a man called Rolf. He had been introduced to her as one of the community leaders. A man who held a position of influence due to his powerful presence. Rolf was known as an elder, because he had the authority to command others. Kate met him and, for some reason, instantly disliked the man. She recognized him as the universal bully, who knew his strength and used it to intimidate others. Rolf clearly knew this. It showed in his manner and the coldness in his eyes. As an outsider Kate viewed him through unblinkered eyes, and what she saw frightened her. Rolf, she decided, was a dangerous man.

  For his part, Rolf made no attempt to hide his contempt for Kate.

  ‘l suppose you’ve told everyone you’re here to help them? To expose the cruel exploitation of the Darksiders?’

  ‘Something like that,’ Kate replied. ‘Why? You have a reason to think I’m lying?’

  ‘It’s a thought. Face it, Bannion, you work in a business that thrives on other people’s troubles. It’s what newspapers make their money on. A story like ours could sell quite a few editions.’

  ‘If that’s the way your mind works,’ Kate replied, ‘then you’re in a sorry state.’

  Rolf studied her, his bitter eyes raking her body. He made no attempt to conceal his inner thoughts. Kate saw it all in his face.

  ‘Why object if someone tries to help?’

  ‘We don’t need your help,’ Rolf said. ‘We look after our own. Always have.’

  ‘Tell that to the ones the hijackers took,’ Lisa snapped suddenly. ‘Maybe it’ll give them some comfort wherever they are. If they’re still alive.’

  She turned and walked away, her slim shoulders hunched in anger.

  ‘She has a point,’ Kate said. ‘You haven’t exactly done much to stop this business, have you? How many times have the hijackers hit? Enough to make you want to organize some kind of defense against them? So why haven’t you?’

  She left the question hanging in midair as she hurried to catch up with Lisa. She felt Rolf’s cold eyes on her all the way.

  Later that night, huddled inside Lisa’s cozy room, Kate shared the girl’s meager food and listened to her taped information.

  ‘Can you take me back in the morning?’ she asked. ‘I have gathered information that might help me to make a start in my investigation. But I need to talk to my people about it.’

  Lisa showed her disappointment, but her common sense told her that Kate had to return to the outside if she was going to do anything with the information she had gathered
.

  ‘All right, Kate. I’ll miss you, though.’

  ‘Hey, it doesn’t mean we can’t see each other again. I’d like to come back, Lisa, when this is all over. Talk to your people again. Get to know them better.’

  ‘Even Rolf?’ Lisa asked with a half smile on her pale lips.

  Kate shook her head. ‘No, not Rolf. Lisa, I don’t trust him. Can’t tell you why, but my instincts are telling me he’s no damn good.’

  ‘You’re not the only one. A number of us have been quietly questioning Rolf’s failure to handle the hijackers. There’s something odd going on.’

  They were about to settle down to sleep when the silence was broken by the distant, unmistakable sound of gunfire.

  Shouts and screams echoed along the tunnels.

  ‘Not again! ‘ Lisa whispered, her eyes wide with terror.

  ‘The hijackers?’ Kate asked.

  ‘Yes.’ Lisa scrambled by Kate, pushing aside the blanket that covered the entrance. ‘Kate, we have to get out of here. They’re very close.’

  Kate snatched up her recorder, then followed Lisa as she hurried along the tunnel. She didn’t ask any questions but simply trusted the Darksider to lead her to safety.

  The sound of gunfire came closer. The thump of heavy boots thundered in her ears. Kate ran, breath catching in her throat. Ahead of her, Lisa’s slim body twisted easily around the bends in the tunnel they were following. Kate maintained her pace despite the uneven ground.

  Suddenly Lisa took another turn, cutting along a narrow side tunnel. The move had taken place so quickly that Kate overshot the spot. She slithered to a stop, tripped and fell to her knees. Muttering under her breath, she clambered to her feet and headed for the side tunnel.

  She had no time to reach it.

  Armed figures, clad in dark nylon coveralls, filled the tunnel. They wore hoods over their heads, and black visors hid their faces.

  Kate turned about, only to find that her way was blocked by more figures. These were Darksiders, and Kate saw that they were also carrying guns.

  She recognized the one leading them.

  It was Rolf.

  ‘You bastard,’ Kate yelled. ‘I knew I was right not to trust you!’

  Rolf advanced on her, his auto pistol leveled. ‘And I guess I was right about you. I said you were trouble.’

  ‘You haven’t seen anything yet,’ Kate raged.

  Rolf gestured for one of his men to grab her.

  Kate let him get close, then swung her recorder by its strap. The solid weight caught him across the side of the head, knocking him against the wall of the tunnel. He stumbled, bleeding from one cheek. Kate saw a second figure moving toward her and she lashed out again. A hand reached out and snatched the recorder from her fingers, and too late Kate remembered the hooded figures behind her.

  She fought them every step of the way as they tried to subdue her. Despite her struggles they overwhelmed her and dragged her to the ground.

  ‘Not so tough now?’ Rolf said with a grin, peering down at her.

  He gestured, and one of the hooded men knelt beside

  Kate. She watched, fascinated as he produced a glittering syringe, slipping off the cap at the end of the needle. Then he brought the syringe to her arm, pushing up the sleeve of her jumpsuit. She wriggled, realizing what was about to happen, but there was nothing she could do. The hands holding her down were too strong. The cold prick of the needle was followed by the hard feel of it entering her arm.

  Moments later a warm glow began to engulf her body.

  ‘Can’t say it’s been a pleasure,’ Rolf said. His voice sounded a million miles away.

  Kate stared up at him. His features wavered, began to dissolve before her eyes.

  ‘Have...an interesting trip…’

  Rolf’s final words barely penetrated the mist of warmth flowing over her. Kate struggled, but couldn’t be sure her body was responding to her commands. She felt herself slipping away from reality. Her awareness decreased and she felt numb, weightless. Sight and sound and feeling had all but gone. She was losing everything. Her entire being was shutting down …

  Kate sat up on the bunk bed where she’d been lying. She inspected the small room she was in, her eyes picking out the details.

  No windows. Illumination by a harsh strip light in the ceiling. The walls and floor were all constructed out of the same dull material. A bland gray color. It looked more like a prison cell…or a cabin. Was she on a ship? Heading where?

  She stood up slowly, feeling her legs tremble as she put weight on them. She walked the length of the room, inspecting its construction. The single door was locked. She would have been surprised if it hadn’t been. There wasn’t even a handle on her side.

  Standing in the middle of the floor, she became aware of a gentle vibration. Placing her hand against the wall, she realized she could feel it there.

  The vibration suggested power. A great deal of power. Again Kate thought of a ship. The door slid open with a soft hum, startling her. Before Kate could reach it, the opening was blocked by the gleaming form of a chro-metal android carrying a tray of food.

  ‘Time for you to eat, Miss Bannion,’ the android said.

  ‘Where am I?’ she asked.

  ‘Cabin 12, deck 3.’

  ‘What vessel?’

  The android turned to look at her. Its amber eyes surveyed her for a time.

  ‘You are on board the ore freighter Lexus-6. We are two days out from Orbit Platform Pegasus-2. Our course is set for the Asteroid Belt, with touchdown on Lexus-9 in eighteen days.’

  The android placed the tray on the bunk, then left the cabin. Kate barely registered the door sliding shut. Her mind whirled as she absorbed the information the robot had given her.

  She was on a ship, but not an oceangoing vessel. She was on a deep-space freighter on its way to the mining colonies of the Asteroid Belt. Earth already lay two days behind her, and with every passing second she was being taken farther into space, away from everything she knew and away from anyone who cared for her.

  For long moments Kate was plunged into deep despair.

  She gazed wildly around the sparse cabin - which she now considered her prison cell - and realized that for the first time in her life she was truly and utterly alone. There was no one here to help her.

  Not even Cade, the one man she could always count on.

  Even he was out of reach and probably unaware of her predicament.

  She was involved in the biggest story of her career, but the way things were going, there was no way she would be able to write it. Not even for her obituary.

  Chapter Nine

  ‘You’ll like this, T.J.,’ Janek said, walking into the main office with a computer readout in his hand. He deposited the sheet on Cade’s desk. ‘Everything is starting to fit in place.’

  Cade scanned the sheet. The information was laid out neatly, each strand connecting to the next like a family tree.

  ‘I did some in-depth scanning,’ Janek explained. ‘Feldstet and Dolan were both receiving impressive payments into their bank accounts way beyond the scope of their salaries. The inputs came via a series of dead drops, but even they have a source. I set up the computer to follow the trail of each irregular payment. Somebody thought they were being clever by paying through a complicated chain of dummy accounts, all by electronic transfer. I don’t suppose they ever considered anyone would bother to check through so many transactions. Every payment originated from the office of Hamilton Lasall. Max Lippin’s employer.’

  Cade took a closer look at the computer readout as Janek continued the rundown.

  ‘Rolf?’

  ‘The same, TJ. Lasall was paying Rolf, too, and Jak Regis. There are a number of other names on the list, as well, and I ran a check on them. Quite a mixed bunch. Most of them already known to the law-enforcement agencies.’

  ‘The hired help. The guys that do the dirty work. What do the lines under the names mean?’

  ‘They’
re dead, T.J. They tie in with the people we tangled with on the freeway and the hit men l ran into at Feldstet’s apartment building. And Rolf’s pair of gunmen.’

  ‘This gets wilder by the minute.’ Cade leaned back in his chair. ‘What does it all lead to, apart from someone trying to stop us digging too deep? Just what the hell have we stumbled into?’

  ‘Here is an indication,’ Janek said. ‘The trucking company in Newark. The one the panel truck is registered to. Guess who is the company lawyer?’

  ‘Lasall? He’s a busy guy.’

  ‘Before you ask, T.J., I already checked his client list,’ Janek said. ‘For the past three years his main source of income has been Lexus Incorporated. One of those multinational companies. Deals in everything you can think of. Deeply into electronic and industrial manufacture. Owned by Randolph Boon. One of those old-time magnates. A tough businessman who figures he’s better than the rest. Runs the company like a private kingdom.’

  ‘Has Lasall any stake in the company?’

  ‘Owns a sizable chunk of shares apparently,’ Janek said.

  ‘This keeps on getting better,’ Cade remarked. ‘Did you turn up anything on the phone cards?’

  ‘Had the central computer run a check. They came up with the number of the freight company in Newark. The other one is proving hard to break. It’s one of those illegal circuit-runner cards. They’ll get to the number eventually.’

  Circuit-runner cards were used by individuals who didn’t want their number exposed. It meant that a party could receive calls, via a complicated set of illegal dead-drop numbers that rerouted the call back and forth before connecting with the destination. Circuit-number calls were non-visual, and the individual on the receiving end of the call remained unknown, his voice being electronically altered.

  Cade banged his fist down on the desk and swore between gritted teeth.

  ‘And Kate’s right in the middle of all this shit.’

  ‘We’ve two leads,’ Janek pointed out. ‘The freight company and Hamilton Lasall. Perhaps it’s time to make some house calls .’

  ‘Right on, pal,’ Cade said. ‘I’ll handle Lasall first. Even if I don’t get anything from him, at least I can make him believe we’re getting close. It could scare him into making a move.’