Those Who Walk in Darkness so-1

by John Ridley

  "Orders were to take him alive," Soledad reminded Yar.

  "Orders were to try. That was before he started getting cops shot up. Now we'll take him any way he comes."

  Okay.

  Soledad said: "Get down."

  Eddi and Yarborough didn't move.

  Soledad said again, respectful to Yar but stressing: "Get down."

  Eddi, Yarborough, they crouched near where Vin lay.

  Alone, in the clear, it'd be just her and the freak. Soledad was good with that. If anything, she eased up some. The ease that came with the feeling of control. Her right hand down at her side gripping her weapon, she came off like a gunfighter waiting for the last toll of the noon bell.

  She waited…

  She waited…

  Just the trees, the openness of the park. A morning breeze.

  A breath held, released.

  A little radio chatter. Background cop Muzak.

  Her hand opened a little, closed again around the gun.

  "Pleasedontshootmeldidntmeantohurtanyone."

  The freak.

  Soledad swung up her arm.

  Soledad fired.

  The bullet from her gun streaked forward but struck nothing. The freak was gone again.

  The freak reappeared directly behind Soledad.

  "Whyareyoutryingtokillme?"

  Soledad looked behind her, saw the freak."Oh, shiiii…" By the time she'd realized she had less than a second to do something, Soledad was already moving, springing backward, going parallel to the ground as the bullet she'd fired off whipped around, homed in and sped for its target: the freak who was right in back of her. She felt the chop of the air as the slug cut across her, over her, past her, and slammed into a guy named Herbert Lewis.

  Herbert Lewis hit the ground about a half second after Soledad.

  Different than Soledad, he'd be staying down some.

  Freaks.

  They're faster than us, stronger than us… That's just for starters. Throw in some of them can fly. Throw in some of them can expand to six, seven times their regular size. Throw in that some of them could be sitting on top of a nuke when it went off and it wouldn't hardly muss their hair… That's what we're up against.

  So if we can't outrun them, if we can't outfight them, and since we sure as hell can't outfly them, we have to outthink them. We have to be smarter than them. We've got to outscience them. And since that's all we've got, that's what we use.

  That's how it is with my O'Dwyer. When you get down to it, there's nothing fancy in the basic technology. Just in the way it's applied.

  The bullet I used on the speed freak: BLAM technology. Barrel-launched adaptive munitions. Each bullet has a nose on a ball joint that's swiveled by small piezoceramic rods. Changing the angle of the nose, even slightly, at supersonic speed creates massive amounts of lift. Steer the nose toward the target, the bullet follows. Thing is, for the bullet to work, the target has to be" painted." The bullet has to know what it's supposed to hit. Not hard. Lots of ways to paint a target. Laser. Radar. Flir. Sonar. I used a variation of sonar. Firing the slug activated an IMP which is set to scan for Meta emissions, then it locks on the highest-resonating reading. Since speed freaks' molecular structures are always in a state of hyperkinetic motion… BLAM. Target lock and the bullet flies to wherever the freak is. The real magic is a small—I'm talking microchip small—sensor behind a quartz window that catches the signal and controls the piezoceramic rods that direct the bullet. Couldn't do that with a conventional slug, one from a weapon that uses a hammer to fire the bullet. But that's the beauty of an

  electronic gun. Sure, eventually the slug itself'II run out of sufficient kinetic energy, and a moving speed freak could probably outmaneuver the bullet. None of it's a hundred percent solution. It's a start. It's science. Science and good thinking. For every freak, there's a way to stop it. The fliers, the expanders, the terraformers. Even the intangibles and the telepaths. I'll figure out something for them.

  One day I will.

  Same as in myths and stories they found wooden stakes for vampires and fire for the Frankenstein monster, I'll figure out something for every kind of freak there is.

  Only, I won't use silly, make-believe mumbo jumbo; garlic and wolfsbane. I'll use real science and real good thinking.

  Technology is my silver bullet.

  The last of her gear packed away, clothes changed, Soledad's head was full with thoughts of nothing else except how good it would be to get home, take a bath. Maybe give Ian a call. Definitely give Ian a call. She thought of Yar. She thought of Yar having to write up the op, make copies, distribute them, file them… How long does it take to even get down on paper craziness like going after speed freaks? Long enough to keep you from getting straight home, taking a bath and calling the one you love.

  … Love…

  She felt bad, for Yar: having graduated from hunting freaks to hunting freaks and pushing paper. Not much she could do about it other than remind herself if she ever had the chance to move up, don't.

  Closing her locker, Soledad started from the ready room. A few rows over, sitting on a bench, helmet in hand and head down, was Eddi. She looked up. She saw Soledad giving her a stare and gave one right back.

  The two women went a while not talking, staring.

  Finally Eddi broke up the nonconversation with: "I'm sorry."

  "Sorry's what you say when you spill a glass of water reaching for the salt, not after you put bullets into a guy's chest."

  "Then I don't know what to say."

  "Who asked you to say anything?"

  Eddi put down her helmet and stood. She gave off a heat that held none of the nervous" I screwed up" little girlishness she'd owned a minute prior.

  Soledad's fingers made a fist thinking on their own they might be called to do work.

  Eddi: "You hate me. You have since first we met."

  "Hate's a strong word. How about: I don't like you as much as I can."

  "Why?"

  "You're an arrogant little bitch."

  "So are you."

  "You think you're a badass. You think you can take down every single freak there is by your own self, no help from anyone."

  "Just like you. I could've been same as you only better." Eddi gave a delicious simper."And that's what's got the bug crawling in you. You want to be freak hunter number one. You can't stand to see anybody take your place."

  Soledad, laughing, laughing spiteful: "You want to be the biggest, nastiest MTac on the block, go ahead. Take out every freak in the state. See if I care. There're plenty of 'em to go around. I don't hate you because you think," hitting the word for all it was worth,"you're better than me. I… you want to call it hate? All right. I hate you because you want to be me." That wasn't said angry. That was said hurt.

  Eddi's face twisted, her expression jumped, confused, as she tried to wrap her head around what Soledad'd said and the emotion she put with it.

  "You strut in here knowing all about me, where I came from, how I did in the academy. You come around wanting to be a BAMF like you think I was on my first call. Only, you know what I was that night? A screwup. I broke rules, and that almost cost me my job. I got careless, and that almost cost me my life. Look at it." Soledad craned her neck, let Eddi get a clean look at her throat."Look at it!"

  Eddi did. Eddi gave the scar tissue a long stare.

  "That's my good-luck charm. You get touching-close to a freak that's trying to kill you and you don't die, that's as lucky as it gets. I

  used to hide it. Used to be ashamed of it. Just showed how stupid I was. Not anymore." As if to prove the fact, Soledad ran a hand gently across her burns."I fucked up, I lived to tell and I sure as hell'll never fuck up again. Not same as before. I learned my lesson.

  "And you want to be me? I don't need that; I don't need any hero worship. I had heroes. My heroes wiped out half of San Francisco."

  Quite suddenly Eddi was hit with some wisdom."… And that's why, isn't it?"

&nb
sp; "Why…"

  "You don't want to be called Bullet. You don't want a nickname." Eddi nodded at Soledad's tattoo, finally digging its full meaning."They had nicknames, and you don't want to be anything like them."

  Soledad went quiet. Truth. She couldn't do anything but say yes to it, then: "I'm going to talk to Yar."

  "Ma'am?"

  "Nobody died. The cop who's made a mistake is two times as sharp as the one who hasn't. That I know for fact. So I'm going to talk to Yar about keeping you on the element. Hell, he would've anyway, but he should know I… Vin too; we've got confidence in you." Before Eddi could give a thank-you: "You and me are even on screwups at one. It doesn't go beyond that."

  "Yes, ma'am." Eddi almost smiled.

  Soledad did. She went for the door, stopped. Turned back."It's not my business, but do you have a man or anything like that?"

  "No, ma'—"

  "Soledad."

  "No, I don't."

  "If you're at all inclined, you should think about giving Yar-borough a chance. He's a do-right guy. He'll treat you good. And what they don't teach you in the academy: In this life you need somebody."

  Soledad left, hurried to get home to Ian.

  Wow. I can't believe you did that."

  "She's… uhhhhh… she's good cop. If I'm honest with myself, I've got to admit at least she's got the bones to be good. Doesn't heeel… Right there."

  Soledad was stretched out on the floor. Ian was straddling her, rubbing her back. Soledad liked—loved—getting her back rubbed. Deep tissue. She loved it so much it seemed to Ian that he was just about always giving her a massage. Hard as he rubbed, she could always take it a little harder. Made his fingers hurt like hell. Stiff, tight, cramped for a long while after. There was a day the week before, he couldn't do any drafting. He couldn't keep up the pace. Not doing Soledad's back three or five times a week and still have working digits. Ian had a feeling no matter what else they worked in their dysfunctional relationship, Soledad and her needy back were always going to be a problem.

  Soledad: "Doesn't help us any to lose her without giving her a fair shot."

  "No, I get that. That's not the part I'm wowing. That you'd put your neck out for somebody; that's not very…"

  "Not very what?"

  "It's not very Soledad."

  "Hell of a way to put it."

  "Just trying to emphasize your uniqueness."

  "Yeah. Good luck making that into a compli—ahhh. That's good."

  Ian was getting to know Soledad's back real well. He knew what kind of pressure she liked, where she liked it most. Where she needed it even if she didn't care for the hurt that came with loosening overtight muscles. Ian was earning himself a long-standing gig.

  Not all bad, he thought. Not all.

  "It's not that big a deal. A little lower."

  "I think it's a huge deal. You told me you didn't even want the girl on your team."

  "Element."

  "Then in the span of a couple of days, you go from hating her to—"

  "Little lower."

  "Fine. Cool. We'll avoid the conversation. But I appreciate you're, I don't know… whatever. Growing as a person."

  Soledad rolled onto her back, faced Ian. She said: "Okay. Now work this side."

  Soledad!"

  Soledad turned and saw Yarborough rushing the hall toward her. She stopped, let him catch up.

  "I gotta ask you something."

  "Make it quick. I have to get to the hospital."

  "What's the matter?"

  "Nothing with me. I'm supposed to go see the speed freak."

  "What about?"

  Soledad made a look that said she didn't know."DMI told me to go down, I'm going down." Soledad paused, waited for Yarborough to do his asking.

  He didn't ask anything.

  "Well?" Soledad prompted.

  "Uh…"

  "What?"

  "It's about Aoki."

  "Told you: Me and Vin, we've both got confidence in her. I think she can still work out to be—"

  "You think maybe she'd go out with me?"

  An empty look."What?"

  "You think she'd go out with me?"

  "For crying… Yar, bad enough I've got to go deal with some freak, and you—"

  "Just want your opinion."

  "How about this: How about you ask her out, then we'll all know." Just then remembering Yar was now SLO: "Sir."

  "I can't do that."

  "You can't ask a girl out?"

  "Not her."

  "Not her? What, is she magic?" SLO or not, Soledad was going to laugh. She was going to but realized: "You afraid of her?"

  Yarborough's feet scuffed at the floor.

  "I don't believe this. You hunt muties for a living, but you're afraid of some girl?"

  Afraid, yeah, but mostly, thinking of Reese, Yar was afraid of not taking a chance.

  But to Soledad: "She's not some girl. You see how hot she is."

  "I guess."

  "You can't tell me she's not hot."

  Soledad flipped her wrist, read her watch both to check the time and to let Yarborough know that she really didn't have any to waste."Yar, I'm a woman. What do I know from a good-looking woman?"

  "You know a hot chick when you see one. Come on, you see a hot chick and you know it. You don't think any of those supermodels are hot?"

  "I'll tell you right now I don't much care for anything that's got 'super' attached to it. Why don't you get Vin to ask—"

  "Oh, Christ, I can't ask Vin."

  "Can't ask Vin, can't ask Eddi, but me you can ask?"

  "Vin told me I was gonna meet a chick like Eddi, a chick that's got my number."

  "Here's some, uh, advice, sir: When you do talk to her, you might not want to call her a chick."

  "For real? I thought Vin and them were just ribbing me. Chicks don't like that?"

  "It varies. Most of the good ones don't care. But why take the chance out of the gate?"

  "Soledad, the thing about Eddi, she's hot, yeah, but she's not just hot. She's, she's a lot of things, and I like her. It's… everything is different when you like somebody."

  Soledad and Ian; she knew the truth about being fond of someone.

  Yar was preaching to the converted. She didn't have the heart to tell him different as things were when you liked someone, they really got messed up when you loved them. Yarborough was already looking more distressed than Soledad could remember seeing him. She believed, right then, if he had a choice between going head-to-head with an invulnerable or having to ask Eddi out, Yar'd be rushing toward the nonkillable freak.

  She said to him: "Look, if you're going to move on Eddi, now's the time to do it. I was talking to her the other day and I told her she needed to get with someone; have a guy in her life."

  "She hasn't got a man?"

  "Nope. And she sort of hinted around she thought you were hot too." A lie, but a righteous one.

  "She said that?"

  "Not in so many words, but women have a way of talking, you know?"

  "… I guess."

  "Well, I'm telling you: We do. And she… she said in her woman way that she thought you were hot."

  "Wow."

  "Yeah. Wow. So why don't you go ask her out?"

  Yarborough did more floor scuffing."She say how hot she thought I was?"

  "Yar, I gotta go."

  Two days after Herbert Lewis had gotten out of surgery he'd recovered enough that he could carry on a coherent conversation. Or finally cared to. A DMI officer, one of a rotating team of three who'd been planted just outside his hospital room, came in tape recorder rolling, ready to collect intel. The only thing Herbert Lewis had to say: "I want to see Bullet."

  The DMI officer got his meaning exactly.

  Word got sent to Central. Forty-two minutes later Soledad trekked up the hospital corridor. The mediciny smells, the sights of rehabbing bodies: Right away she thought of her own most recent stay in a hospital. Two-plus weeks for burns and a
popped knee. She thought of Reese's final stay in a hospital. Months and months of wasting away.

  Her hand to Herbert's door, a cop posted one to each side. This was going to be good, Soledad thought. It was going to be good to be in a hospital not because a freak put her there, but because that's where she put the freak.

  Herbert was in bed, his right shoulder well bandaged. As Soledad came in, his head turned toward her very, very, very slowly. The sluggishness was courtesy the Versed he was being fed by IV drip, the midazolam HC1 spiked with a double dose of hydrochloride. A special cocktail mixed just for hyperkinetic freaks. Kept them lucid but put their metabolism in near suspension. It'd be enough to drop a normal man into oblivion. Herbert's speech was slowed but hardly slurred.

  He smiled when he saw"… Bullet." Words seeping from him gradually."You came."

  "I don't like that; getting called Bullet."

  "And I don't like getting shot, but that didn't stop you."

  "I'm sure that MTac you wounded didn't much care for it either."

  Herbert gave a slow roll of his eyes. Only kind he could."He was going to kill me. I tried to grab the gun from his hand." He squirmed a little, worked at making himself comfortable but found he couldn't. A bullet wound—the flesh and bone the slug tears away. The deep-tissue surgeries required to mend the defect— tends to keep you from getting cozy."All he got was a graze to the thigh. I'd trade him any day."

  "It's your own fault. We didn't have orders to shoot you."

  "No one told me."

  "No one told you to run either." To the point: "You asked for me. Why?"

  "I wanted to meet you, meet the person who was able to shoot a hyperkinetic."

  "Taking your kind out isn't that big a deal," Soledad fronted. Up until the slug found its way into Herbert she had no idea if it would really function, if the science that worked so well in theory, on paper, could perform in fact. There was no need for Herbert to know that. Let the freak think MTacs could take him and his flying, burning, mind-reading and super-whatever friends out at will.

  "Don't bother with the bravado. I'm already impressed. We all are."

  "We? Other freaks?"

  "That's what I like about you police: unbiased, impartial. But, yes, we are impressed by you. By how you handled Clarence—"

  "Who's—"

  "He was the pyrokinetic you killed."