Blackcollar: The Judas Solution

by Timothy Zahn

  Or so he apparently thought.

  Setting the rest of the sheaf of papers on the floor beside the comfort chair, he took the first page and tore off the upper two corners. Going to the shower enclosure, he moistened them with drops of liquid soap from the dispenser, then took them to the two obvious cameras and carefully pasted one over each of the lenses.

  That left the third camera still intact, of course. But he was willing to play the game for now and pretend he hadn't spotted that one. If and when he was ready to make his move, its presence shouldn't matter.

  He took the rest of the page and meticulously folded and refolded it until he had a narrow, stiff, rulershaped probe. Then, lugging the comfort chair over to the door, he sat down and began prodding carefully at the crack between the door and the frame. It was late and he was tired, but it would look odd if he didn't put at least a little effort into freeing himself.

  There was no way such a flimsy probe could actually spring the lock, of course, and he could imagine the secret watchers having a good laugh at the would-be blackcollar's pathetic would-be escape attempt.

  They were welcome to their amusement. Playing with the lock this way gave him a perfect excuse to press his ear against the metal wall and to listen to the noises conducted through it. The first step, Lathe always said, was to scout out the territory and to learn the unique rhythms of people and movement and equipment.

  Working industriously with his folded paper, Caine settled in to begin learning the rhythms of his new home.

  * * *

  "General?" the officer at the Novak's comm station called. "Passenger section reports the shuttle has returned."

  "Acknowledged," Lepkowski said, turning away from the bridge canopy and his contemplation of the darkened world turning beneath him. "What's current status on Security communications down there?"

  "Still low-level, sir," the officer said. "Aside from that one thirty-minute spike, it's all been very quiet down there."

  That spike most likely being when Security realized that the drop pods had carried only hang-gliding dummies. If things had gone according to plan, Lathe and the others should have been safely to Inkosi City by then, possibly even at Shaw's place and under the Khala blackcollars' protection.

  If things hadn't gone according to plan, they might already be dead.

  With an effort, he shook away the thought. They were in danger, certainly. Every military operation, no matter how carefully planned, carried risks. But he'd known these men a long time. If anyone could pull this off, it was them.

  And meanwhile, he had more important things to do than worry. Squaring his shoulders, he stepped up behind the helmsman. "Change of plans, Lieutenant," he said, pulling a magnecoded card from his tunic pocket. "Here's our new course setting."

  "Yes, sir," the other said, frowning slightly as he took the card and plugged it into the reader. "It'll take us about three days," he said, peering at the display. "That'll run us nearly a week off schedule, plus whatever time we spend there."

  "The passengers will get over it," Lepkowski assured him.

  The other smiled faintly. "Yes, sir. Helm stands ready."

  "On our way, then," Lepkowski said. "Full power; flank speed as soon as she'll take it."

  "Yes, sir."

  Ponderously, the Novak began to pull itself out of orbit; and as it did so, Lepkowski gave the planet below one final look. Everything was going well down there, he told himself firmly. Of course it was.

  CHAPTER 5

  "Silcox's building is just around the corner," Reger said, pointing through the windshield at the next intersecting street. "Second from the corner on the right. You can see it over the row of houses here."

  "I see it," Skyler said, leaning forward to look past Kanai's shoulder as he adjusted his goggles over his battle-hood. The building was relatively short, four stories tall, with only the top visible above the twostory duplexes lining the street they were driving on.

  He shifted his attention back to the street itself, searching for other traffic. But aside from rows of parked cars along both curbs, no other vehicles were in sight. "Hawking?"

  "All set," Hawking confirmed, sealing the last fastener at the neck of his borrowed general's uniform.

  "Did you want us to do a drive-by first?"

  "Better not," Skyler said, getting a grip on the door handle. "A Security general shouldn't have to search for his stakeouts. Kanai?"

  "Ready," the other blackcollar said.

  "Okay, Reger, slow down," Skyler ordered. There were a pair of parked vans coming up that would be ideal. "Kanai ... go."

  Together, they wrenched open their doors and jumped from the slowly moving car, hitting the ground jogging. Kanai ducked between the vans, with Skyler right behind him. They waited there until Reger had made a leisurely turn around the corner, then stole across the lawn between the two duplexes, coming to a halt in the shadow of a stubby tree a dozen meters from the side of Anne's building.

  Besides being short, the building was also relatively narrow, at least compared to the other apartment houses in the neighborhood. There were only two apartments per floor, Kanai had told them, with Anne's on the third floor east, the opposite side from their current position. The building had interior hallways, a staircase at each end of the building, and a single door front and rear on the first floor.

  Security's observers would probably be watching both those doors, of course.

  Unfortunately for them, there were other ways into a building besides the doors. Especially a building like this one, whose exterior walls were composed of an alternating pattern of brick and rough-cut stone.

  It took thirty seconds to fasten their plastic crampons onto their gloves and boots. Through the decorative bushes in the building's front yard Skyler could see Reger's car pulled alongside one of the other parked cars, with the newly minted General Hawking conversing inaudibly with the driver. The Security car's other occupant had gotten out and was standing by the curb, watching the conversation across the car's roof with his back to the building he was supposed to be guarding.

  There was a tingling from Skyler's wrist: two men watching front, one in back, west side unwatched.

  Skyler nodded to himself. Ideally, Security should have set up a fourth man to watch the west side, to prevent precisely what he and Kanai were about to attempt. Apparently, they'd decided it wasn't worth the extra effort.

  Others in Phoenix also under surveillance, Hawking's signal continued.

  Skyler grimaced. Or else they simply hadn't had the manpower to spare for a tighter net. They were reacting to Poirot's disappearance faster than he'd expected.

  Too late to worry about that now. Kanai had already crossed the lawn, a silent shadow against the dark grass, and had started up the side of the building, his crampons hooking onto the edges of the bricks and stone as he climbed the wall. Keeping his attention on the building's rear, Skyler followed. He made it, apparently unobserved, and started up.

  It took just over a minute for them to reach the third floor. Another minute and Kanai had one of the windows open and had slipped inside. Skyler glanced at the street, to see that Reger and Hawking had finished their conversation and were driving away, then climbed in behind him.

  He found himself in a large but narrow conversation room packed with mismatched furniture and scattered groups of toys. There were no nightlights, but enough streetlight was seeping in around the curtains for them to find a clear path through the maze. Kanai unlocked the front door and slipped out into the hallway. Skyler paused long enough to tape a flat over the latch bolt so that the door wouldn't lock, then followed.

  Anne's lock was a pick proof electronic job, but Kanai obviously had the code. He got it open and the two of them went inside, emerging into a mirror image of the conversation room they'd just left, only without the toys.

  "Which way to the bedroom?" Skyler whispered as he closed the door behind him.

  "Don't worry about it," Kanai advised, turning
to face the rear of the room. "Relax, Anne. It's Kanai and Skyler."

  "Skyler?" Anne's voice came. A small accent light flicked on, and Skyler saw the young woman crouched beside an overstuffed couch, a short-barreled pellet scattergun pointed their direction. "Rafe Skyler?"

  "The one and only," Skyler confirmed, pulling off his goggles and battle-hood for her inspection. "Nice to see you again, Anne."

  "I wish I could say the same," Anne said, lowering the scattergun a few degrees. "What are you doing here?"

  "Getting you out," Skyler told her. "Go get dressed. Quickly."

  "Don't be insane," she growled. "Security's already seven-eighths convinced I'm part of Phoenix—they check on me at least twice a week. If I disappear, they'll know for sure."

  "They're not looking for proof tonight," Skyler said grimly. "Just bodies. Warm or otherwise."

  "And not just yours," Kanai added. "Some of your associates are also being watched."

  Anne's throat tightened visibly. "What kind of hornets' nest have you stirred up this time?"

  "Maybe the last one we'll ever need," Skyler said. "Now go get dressed. And bring all the Whiplash you have."

  Her lips compressed briefly. Then, with a curt nod, she turned and disappeared into the rear of the apartment.

  "Exit strategy?" Kanai asked.

  "Back the way we came," Skyler said, crossing the living room to the front windows. "I blocked the other apartment door open to let us get in." Pressing himself against the wall, he pushed the curtains aside a couple of centimeters. The Security car, he saw, was still parked where it had been when Reger and Hawking drove off.

  Only the two passengers were no longer inside.

  "Damn," he muttered, slipping his fingers up his sleeve to his tingler. Front Security gone from car; front door exit; stand by for backup.

  Acknowledged.

  "And there's bound to be backup on the way," Kanai murmured as he headed for the front door.

  "Undoubtedly," Skyler agreed. "Any ideas?"

  "I'll head back the way we came." Pausing at the door, Kanai put on his gas filter and sealed the battlehood's flaps against it, covering the last bit of exposed skin. "Maybe I can draw their attention."

  Skyler nodded. "Watch yourself."

  "I will. You sure you don't want to use the back door instead of the front?"

  "No, I figure they'll expect us to go out the back," Skyler told him. "Besides, there's that lovely Security car out front, just waiting to be borrowed or disabled. Anne! Shake a leg in there."

  "I'm ready," Anne said, emerging from the bedroom. She was dressed all in black, with a dark kerchief tied around her hair and a small gray backpack slung over one shoulder. Her gloved hands still held the scattergun. "They're coming?"

  "Any minute now," Skyler said, stepping to her side and nodding to Kanai. "Go."

  Carefully, the other eased the front door open a crack. For a moment he stood motionlessly, then looked back at Skyler and jabbed two fingers toward the stairway at the front end of the hallway.

  Skyler nodded acknowledgment and gestured across the corridor. Kanai nodded back and slipped out into the hall. "Wait here," Skyler murmured to Anne as he got his own gas filter in place and stepped to the door.

  They were coming, all right: two sets of stealthy footsteps coming up the stairs. Pulling a pair of throwing knives from their forearm sheathes, Skyler stepped into the corridor and moved forward to intercept. By the time the first Security man poked his head into view, he was in position.

  The would-be assailant had just enough time to gape before Skyler's knife bounced hilt first off his forehead, sending him toppling backward into his partner two steps farther down. The impact sent the pair rolling and tumbling in a confused mass the rest of the way to the next landing down. Skyler followed, retrieving his knife and giving the second man a quick chop behind the ear to make sure he stayed put. Hoping the rest of the tenants would have the sense to ignore the sudden commotion and stay inside their apartments, he eased an eye over the railing.

  And ducked back reflexively as a withering hail of paral-darts shot up from the stairway below, scattering off his flexarmor and goggles and filter.

  The backup had arrived.

  He snatched out a shuriken and sent it blindly over the railing to give the unseen shooters below something to think about. Attack in progress; front steps, he sent urgently with his tingler. The paral-dart barrage continued without pause; from the angles and rhythm he estimated there were at least three shooters. Minimum of three attackers; pinned on second floor landing.

  He had sent two more shuriken through the paral-dart salvos before Hawking's response came: On my way; attackers gathering in rear.

  So he'd had been right to pick the front door. Kanai: Can you engage rear forces?

  Affirmative, Kanai replied. Pickup in front?

  Pickup in front, Hawking confirmed. Ready.

  Slipping his knives back into their sheaths, Skyler pulled out his nunchaku. Hawking: Go. Grimacing to himself, he put one hand on the railing and vaulted over the side.

  It was a risky stunt, with the downside options about evenly split between breaking his ankle or breaking his neck. But he avoided both potential disasters, swinging his body in just enough to miss the lower railing and managing to land solidly in the center of one of the steps instead of hitting the edge. There were actually four Security men there, as it turned out, all in riot gear, all clearly startled by his unexpected appearance. One of them managed to twist his gun around and get a shot off at point-blank range before Skyler's side kick sent him flying down the steps into the next man. Two double swings with his nunchaku took out the other two.

  "Skyler?" Hawking's voice called from below.

  "Clear," Skyler called back. "You?"

  "Front clear," Hawking confirmed. "But that could change."

  "On our way," Skyler said. "See if you can start the car out there. If you can't, disable it."

  "Right."

  Skyler started back up, but he'd only made it to the next turn when he met Anne coming down. "I told you to wait," he said.

  "I did," she said, stepping over one of the unconscious men. "You're making a real mess of my building."

  "They can take it out of my deposit," Skyler said, taking her arm as he exchanged his nunchaku for a pair of shuriken. "Stay close."

  The front door was clear, as Hawking had promised, with four more armored Security men sprawled across the grass. They headed outside, Skyler pressing Anne close to his side to give her as much protection he could.

  They were halfway to the street when there was a motion around the corner of the building to their right.

  He snapped his arm up into throwing position, targeting the figure with his eyes—

  "It's me," Kanai called softly. "Rear is neutralized."

  "Good," Skyler called back, lowering the shuriken. Hawking had the car door open now, and he and Anne hurried toward it.

  And were nearly knocked to the ground as a flechette slammed hard into Skyler's chest.

  "Down!" Kanai shouted, hurling a shuriken in the direction the shot had come from. Wrapping his arms around Anne, Skyler rolled them both onto the grass, turning over to put his back to the concealed gunner. A second shot caromed off his shoulder as they fell, the impact spread out to a tolerable level as the flexarmor went momentarily rigid. Another pair of shots slammed into his back, and he heard a whisper of branches as Kanai sent another shuriken toward the unseen gunner.

  From the street came a sudden squealing of tires. Skyler turned his head part way around in time to see the Security car jump the curb and roar across the grass. The sniper got off two more rounds, both aimed at this new and clearly unanticipated threat; and then Hawking rammed the car into a short decorative hedgerow. Even before the vehicle had come to a complete halt he was out the door, nunchaku flailing.

  He paused and glanced around, shifting his nunchaku to his left hand—

  Clear, Skyler's tingler s
ignaled. Reger coming—everyone to street.

  "Come on," Skyler grunted to Anne, hauling himself to his feet and pulling her up beside him. "Hurry."

  They reached the street just as Reger brought their car to a screeching halt. Skyler opened the rear door and half helped, half threw Anne into the backseat. Kanai was already on the far side of the car, diving in on Anne's left as Skyler climbed in on her right. "Stay down," Skyler ordered, pushing her head toward her lap and resting his arm across her back and head as partial protection. Ahead, Hawking had pulled the Security car back onto the street and was signaling the others to pass him. "Reger—go."

  The other needed no encouragement. He peeled away, the engine protesting as he gunned it for all it was worth. They shot past Hawking, and Skyler looked back to see him pull in behind them, accelerating hard to catch up.

  "Haven't done anything like this since I was a kid," Reger commented. His voice was a little strained, but Skyler had the odd feeling that he was rather enjoying himself. "Where to?"

  "We'll change cars at the first cache point," Skyler told him, taking his arm away from Anne's back. She straightened up, pulling off her bandana and rubbing her shoulder where she'd landed when she and Skyler had hit the ground. "Ditto at the second. If all seems clear, we'll head back to the safe house."

  "And then what?" Anne asked.

  Skyler smiled grimly. "We have a little surprise for you."

  In the intermittent glow of the streetlights he saw her eyes narrow. "I don't like surprises," she warned.

  "You'll like this one," he assured her.

  She leaned back in her seat and resumed rubbing her shoulder. "Yeah," she muttered. "Maybe."

  * * *

  The reports coming from the field were confused and incomplete. But the essence came through with painful clarity.

  Anne Silcox, the number one person on Security's list of probable Phoenix members, had escaped. And she'd done it with the help of the newly arrived blackcollars.

  "Have all other units move in immediately," Bailey ordered the communications officer. "Have them pick up everyone they can and bring them here."