by Neil Hunter
The man’s head whipped back, and his legs turned rubbery. He slumped to the ground, rolling onto his face. Cade unloaded the SMG and tossed it aside, then handcuffed the unconscious man and dragged him into the shadows on the far side of the site.
The side door was unlocked, and Cade quickly slipped inside. He was in a poorly lit corridor that ran deep into the building. At the end there was a single door. Cade cracked it open cautiously and peered into a bleak room that smelled of sweat and disinfectant. There were a couple of benches and a rickety table stained with dried blood. He crossed to the door on the far side and opened it. There was another corridor stretching before him. Now he could hear a distant chant. Men shouting and yelling and whistling. There was also the thump of many feet pounding on a floor.
He moved along the corridor. It angled sharply into a wider passage with a slope leading into what appeared to be pitch-darkness. The noise of the crowd had increased. Cade followed the slope and emerged in a large room with a low ceiling where he sensed the presence of many people. The only light in the place came from a couple of spotlights in the center of the ceiling. They were focused on a single area in the middle of the room.
Cade stayed close to the wall, hidden by the shadows.
The baying crowd was gathered around a pair of men, stripped to the waist, who were beating each other senseless. Both men were already streaked with blood from numerous gashes and cuts to their battered faces, and livid bruises marked their sweaty torsos. The desperate pair threw heavy punches at each other as they stumbled and lurched around the blood-spattered circle formed by the crowd, oblivious to the howls and screams of the audience. The whole place reeked of fear and the barely restrained ill will of the crowd. It was so strong Cade could almost feel it.
He stood the grisly spectacle for as long as he could before he lifted the SPAS and triggered two shots into the ceiling. The thunderous roar of the combat shotgun cut through the scream of the crowd. As if it had been a single voice, the roar ceased, except for a few isolated words of protest.
‘Plenty more where those came from,’ Cade yelled. ‘Justice Department. I want you people to listen to me. Give me what I want, and I’ll leave you in peace. Screw around, and I’ll give you more than a hard time.’
The silence dragged on, broken only by the sound of the fistfighters who were still slugging it out.
‘I don’t have all night,’ Cade yelled.
‘What do you want?’
‘I want Pardee. Nobody else. Give him to me, and I’ll leave.’
‘Give him the son of a bitch,’ somebody said. ‘I’m missing a good fight here.’
A chorus of agreement rose from the audience.
‘Dump the bastard?’
‘Hand him over. Company goon.’
Somewhere in the crowd there was sudden commotion accompanied by shouting and cursing. Then a group of men emerged from the gloom, pushing a single figure before them, a lean, hard-faced man dressed in the uniform of Lexus Security.
The name tag on his jacket identified him as Pardee.
‘We don’t mind if you lose him somewhere,’ a man called from the shadows.
‘Put the sucker into orbit.’
‘You better take this.’
An auto pistol was thrust into Cade’s hand.
Pardee stood glaring at Cade. His eyes were angry, threatening retribution.
The SPAS dropped level with Pardee’s navel. ‘Let’s go,’ Cade said.
Pardee moved ahead of him, away from the arena. He didn’t say anything until the renewed roar of the crowd had faded.
‘You want to tell me what this stupidity is about?’
‘You’re under arrest, Pardee.’
Pardee laughed. ‘Come again?’
‘Involvement in the illegal transportation of Darksiders from Earth.’
Pardee spun around, ignoring the SPAS.
‘Go screw yourself,’ he said. ‘I’m covered on that.’
‘You were until I busted Randolph Boon. Right now he’s behind bars back in New York.’
‘How the - ’ Pardee’s face tightened. ‘That bitch. So she did tip you off. And she had me believing she hadn’t breathed a word to anyone. I should’ve hit her harder.’
He was still speaking when Cade’s boot slammed into his testicles. Pardee let out a high shriek. He doubled over, clutching at his groin, and Cade shoved his right knee into Pardee’s face. The force of the blow straightened the security man up, slamming him into the wall. Blood streaked his lean face. Cade slugged him a couple more times, forgetting he was holding Pardee’s gun in his left hand. He shoved the weapon under his belt, then reached down and hauled the man to his feet.
‘Where is she, Pardee? Kate Bannion. Which brothel did you dump her in, you useless bastard?’
Pardee raised his battered head. Blood was dripping freely from his face. He tried to focus on Cade’s angry eyes.
‘I forget,’ he croaked, giving a lopsided grin.
‘Then remember, pal, because I haven’t even started yet.’
Cade clamped a big hand over Pardee’s collar and dragged him out of the building. He half carried the security man across to where he’d parked his car and dumped him on the ground. Pardee lay in a crumpled heap, breathing noisily through a broken nose. Cade left him for a minute before he dragged him to his feet and slammed him against the side of the car.
‘Tough guy, huh?’ Cade asked.
‘Yeah.’
‘Specially when it comes to handling women. That it, Pardee? Your specialty?’
Pardee’s lip began to curl. ‘I should have killed her,’ he yelled.
Cade hit him, letting go with all the frustration that was coming rapidly to a boil. The blow lifted Pardee off his feet and laid him out across the car’s hood.
Cade stuck the muzzle of the SPAS under Pardee’s chin, grinding it into the flesh.
‘You like to talk about killing other people, Pardee. How do you stand up to it yourself? You want to find out? Right now? All I need is one quick pull on the trigger, and you are gone. Hear me, Pardee? You really ready for it, you son of a bitch?’
The wildness in Cade’s words convinced Pardee more than the feel of the SPAS burning into his flesh. The imminence of sudden death, never closer, unnerved him.
‘Back off! For pity’s sake, man. It’s just not worth it, dyin’ for a bitch like that. You want her that bad, you can have her. If you can get her back from Lange.’
‘Where?’
‘I can show you.’
Cade pulled Pardee to his feet and handcuffed him, then dumped him in the passenger seat of the car. Once he was behind the wheel, Cade placed the SPAS where Pardee could see it.
‘Pull anything smart, and you’ll be the first to get it. Guaranteed.’
Following Pardee’s direction, Cade drove west to the outermost section of Six Domes. This turned out to be the hardcore slum of the city where the dregs of Lexus existed in a gloomy twilight world. The dome had been one of the first to be built. It had basic facilities and had never been improved once the better-equipped domes had been constructed.
As with any settlement created by man, there was always a need for the baser vices, and there were always those who would offer them. Here in Red Dome were the brothels, tolerated by the company because it accepted that it was probably safer if the miners, far from home and the majority living a single life, had the opportunity to legally relieve their sexual urges. The brothels, run with ruthless efficiency, were confined to Red Dome, as were the violent practices that always accompanied prostitution in its many and varied forms.
Entering the confines of the dome, Cade felt the oppressive aura of the place settle over him like a smothering blanket.
He trailed along the twilight streets, passing bars and restaurants. The buildings were basic utilities, ugly and for the most part dirty. The same description seemed to fit most of the people Cade saw as he drove through the narrow streets.
‘Turn d
own there,’ Pardee mumbled through swollen lips.
Cade pulled into the narrow street and followed it until it ended in a square.
Facing him was a three-story building with malfunctioning neon sign at the front that said Lange’s Place. Cade drew the car to a stop across from the building, noting the beefy bouncers loitering on the sidewalk outside.
Pardee seemed to find it amusing. He managed a throaty chuckle. ‘It’ll be worth it just to see you get ripped apart.’
‘You’ll have a long wait, Pardee,’ Cade advised.
He reloaded the SPAS, then did the same with the Magnum. He checked the Colt Stainless Steel .45 Auto Special he’d taken from Pardee.
‘That should do it,’ he said under his breath.
‘What the hell you going to do? Start a friggin’ war?’
‘Could be. I’ve handled these places back home, and one thing I know is they don’t like giving up their girls. Only this time the girl happens to be somebody special. I want her back, and she’d better not be hurt, Pardee.’
‘Well, good luck, because you’re goin’ to need it. Man, this is going to be good. And I’ve got a ringside seat.’
‘Closer than you think,’ Cade said.
He climbed out and walked round to Pardee’s side. He opened the door and hauled the security man out. jamming the muzzle of the SPAS into the small of Pardee’s back, Cade marched him across the square.
‘Hey! What do you think you’re doing? You can’t drag me in there. They’ll think I double-crossed them.’
‘Don’t you worry. They’ll know for sure when I tell them.’
‘Bastard,’ Pardee screamed. ‘You lousy - ’
‘Hey, what’s going on?’
One of the bouncers blocked the way.
He was broad and barrel-chested. His unshaven face, pitted and scarred from too many contract periods down the mines, showed the hostility his voice expressed. His hand hovered close to the butt of a pistol shoved down the front of his pants.
‘Get out of my way, or I’ll make you,’ Cade said flatly.
The bouncer smirked. He began to close his fingers around the gun butt.
Cade rammed the SPAS into Pardee’s spine, shoving him forward. The bouncer stepped aside to avoid the stumbling man, and Cade lashed out with the shotgun. It flashed twice. Once against his opponent’s throat, then reversed as the stock crashed against his skull. The bouncer grunted and went down.
Out the corner of his eye Cade spotted another one dragging a compact SMG into line. He took a long step forward, then dived, hitting the surface of the street on his shoulder. His body twisted, bringing him around to face the bouncer, the SPAS already tracking in on its target.
Cade fired once, the blast of the shot blanketing every other sound. The shot took the bouncer in the chest, spinning him off his feet and spiraling him to the ground. The stutter of an SMG blasted Cade’s ears, and he felt the impact of the slugs against the street beneath him. He gathered his legs under him, thrusting himself up to his knees, picking up the gunman’s position from the direction of the shots. Cade swept the SPAS around, catching a glimpse of the man as he tried to realign his weapon. Cade triggered the SPAS hard and fast, putting a wide blanket of shots in the area. The third blast caught the moving man, tearing him open along his spine and knocking him headfirst through one of the brothel’s front windows. Cade gained his feet and moved toward the shattered window.
To one side Pardee had struggled to his feet and suddenly set off in pursuit of Cade.
The bouncer the Justice cop had put down lumbered sluggishly upright, shaking his bleeding head. He spotted Cade and dragged his handgun from the waistband of his pants. He let out a wild yell, leveled the gun and started to lay down a volley. He was firing on the move, his aim erratic.
Slugs chewed at the plastic window frame around Cade as he took a reckless dive through it.
Pardee was not so lucky. The security man was caught in the hail of slugs. He gave a startled cry as he felt the tearing impact of the bullets. They burned deep into his chest, cleaving his heart and lungs. Spitting bloody froth, Pardee stumbled over the window frame and crashed into the room.
Cade, back on his feet, crossed the room and kicked open the door. He was met by a hail of slugs that blasted the frame from the wall. He did a long belly flop, angling the muzzle of the SPAS toward the dark staircase where the shots had come from. The shotgun’s powerful blast shredded the banister rails and peppered the hidden gunman. He sagged back against the stairs, then slid to the bottom in a loose heap.
On his feet again, Cade moved along the downstairs passage, kicking open doors and sweeping the interior of each room with the smoking SPAS. He disturbed the already panicking prostitutes and their clients, seeing more naked flesh in a couple of minutes than he usually saw in a month.
The only thing he didn’t see was Kate Bannion.
He heard the thunder of feet from the floor above and angry voices demanding to know what was going on.
The bouncer from the street burst in through the front entrance, crashing along the passage. He opened up the moment he saw Cade, but his wild shots missed the mark. Cade dropped to a crouch and triggered the last two shells from the SPAS, slamming his opponent almost back out on the street.
Then he tossed the empty shotgun aside, and pulled Pardee’s Colt and his own Magnum.
The footsteps above Cade ceased, a door opened to his left and a scared face peered out.
‘I’m looking for a woman,’ Cade said.
‘You came to the right place for that,’ the woman said. ‘But I think you got the idea wrong. You pay for ‘em. Not force ‘em at gunpoint.’
‘The one I’m looking for is new. She was brought in a few days back. Red hair. Name of Kate.’
The woman smiled. ‘Well, she’s a tough cookie, sure enough.’
‘Where is she?’
‘Lange’s got her up top in his own place. She gave everybody such a hard time he decided to break her in the hard way.’
‘How do I find it?’
‘Just keep going up. Last flight of stairs, and it’s the door facing you.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Hey. Watch out for the droids he keeps up there. They’re nasty.’
The woman withdrew behind the door, and Cade ducked low and hit the stairs on the run.
Shadows moved at the head of the stairs, light gleaming on raised weapons.
Cade didn’t wait. He opened up with his pair of auto pistols, scything the stairs with a hail of shots. Men yelled. Bodies stumbled, crashed to the floor. Cade flattened as he reached the top, peering over the edge of the floor. A gun blasted close by, sending splinters flying. He ducked out of sight, heard the approaching footsteps and waited. A shadow fell over the stairs just ahead of him. Cade raised his Magnum, waited a couple more seconds, then pushed upright. He caught the man a fraction of a second off guard.
The Magnum blasted twice, sending the .357 slugs slamming into the man’s chest.
He fell back with a trembling moan, twitching as he hit the hard floor.
The odd scream of panic coming from behind closed doors eventually faded away.
Cade went up the next flight slowly, remembering what the woman had told him. The stairs ended on a wide landing, with a single set of double doors ten feet in front of him.
Cade approached the doors slowly, his eyes searching, ears open for the slightest suggestion of sound behind them.
He was as close as four feet from the doors when he spotted the small security camera mounted in a corner of the ceiling.
‘Shit!’ he muttered, realizing he’d probably been monitored all the way up the stairs.
Before he could do anything else, the doors crashed open and a tall, chro-metal droid came at him. It was fast for its size and bulk. Cade barely had time to duck as it cut the air with a powerful arm. The chro-metal fingers snapped together in disappointment. Cade rolled, his move bringing him up behind the droid. On his back
, Cade raised both feet and planted them against the robot’s metal rear end.
He straightened his legs. Caught off guard by the sudden move, the droid stumbled forward, missed its footing and toppled out of Cade’s sight down the flight of stairs. Back on his feet, Cade moved to the head of the stairs in time to see the droid pick itself up and start to climb back up. He leveled the Magnum, aimed and fired in a single movement.
The .357 slug cored through the droid’s eye and cleaved its electronic brain apart.
The droid faltered and lost its forward motion. Lurching drunkenly, it fell against the banister rail, smashed it and fell through to the floor below, where it lay twisting and jerking.
As Cade straightened up, he heard the heavy sound of the second droid. It blocked the doorway, its gleaming skull turning to pick Cade up with its keen eye.
For the second time Cade recalled what Janek had done to stop the cybo back on the highway in New York.
He laid two shots through the droid’s eyes. The slugs blew out through the back of the robot’s head. It turned and walked into the wall just outside the doors before dropping with a heavy thump to the floor.
Cade entered the room. It was wide and expansive, with a curving picture window in the far wall. The floor space was cluttered with oversize armchairs, sofas and low occasional tables. Expensive electronic equipment lined one wall, and beneath the picture window was a huge circular bed covered with black sheets.
Cade’s gaze was drawn by a stainless-steel cage that had been built in one corner of the room. The interior was bare, with no signs of any comfort being available for whoever happened to be in the cage.
A half-naked young woman occupied the cage, manacled in a half-sitting position. She could neither sit properly nor stand up. Held upright by the chains, the prisoner was forced to endure the uncomfortable and unnatural position for as long as the captor decided.
The face was hidden, but Cade recognized the supple outline and the red hair, though now it was tangled and matted, hanging loose over her face.
