Reason For Vengeance (Dark Vengeance Book 1)

by Adrian D. Roberts

  Tumbler was a different proposition altogether, a former Thief who specialised in high end burglaries, she had fought tooth and nail into a position of power in the Inferno underground. Running a large and well organised Crew in everything from drugs and prostitution to armed robberies and protection with a reputation for ruthlessness. Her short stature, slight build and youthful looks, from being one of the rare people in the Ghetto to have the Life X treatment, often fooled people into thinking her reputation was overinflated.

  Sneaker wasn’t fooled though, he’d dealt with her before and knew for a fact she wasn’t happy with him for building his own Crew. She also knew that as long as she didn’t go after him directly the Tops would not interfere. Even if they did, Sneaker thought that Tumbler might just have enough Enforcers on her payroll to get away with it.

  “Gaunt would have taken her to Tumbler’s main place,” Sneaker said. “She’ll be in contact and I’ll bet she wants the take from the Job.”

  Deni didn’t know Sneaker that well, but she heard from Hanna, he wasn’t someone to bite your head off for asking a question. “Are you going to give her the take?”

  Sneaker looked at her for a few seconds then sighed. “No, I’m not. Firstly, I don’t have it anymore, it’s been fenced already. Secondly, the cash from the fence isn’t mine to give, it’s the Crews. Lastly, it wouldn’t matter to Hanna as Tumbler will kill her any way. She’s taken her to send me a message and to make sure that I fully appreciate it, she’ll hammer it home as hard as she can. No, we need to play this a different way.” He frowned down at the floor for a few moments.

  “Come on.” Sneaker grabbed his jacket from a hook behind the door and ushered Deni out of the door ahead of him.

  “Where are we going?” Deni asked.

  “To get a drink.”

  Deni followed Sneaker down the stairs, past the front door and further down to the car park underneath. He took them to a battered old wheelie and got into the driver’s seat, motioning Deni to get in the other side.

  “Surely-” Deni began.

  Sneaker cut her off. “Quiet, I’m thinking,” he said calmly but firmly.

  Sneaker started the ground car with a soft hum and drove out of the car park onto the street. He drove steadily, not seeming to be in any rush. Deni wanted to shout at him to hurry, but she didn’t dare.

  It wasn’t a long trip though, as less than a kilometre away Sneaker pulled up outside the Dawning Sun, not far from where Deni lived with Hanna. He got out and Deni followed him, not knowing why they were here. Sneaker paused outside the door, pulled out his com and keyed in someone’s number. They answered quickly and Sneaker replied.

  “We’ve got a problem, come to the bar.” Deni couldn’t hear the reply and Sneaker answered whatever question was asked. “Yeah, where else. Get here as fast as you can.” He put the com away and went in.

  Deni stayed behind him. She knew this place. It wasn’t somewhere fourteen year old girls just wandered into, no matter how tough they were and where they grew up. Sneaker strode with a purpose to a dark table in the far corner. He sat opposite a woman who did not even raise her head from the glass of whiskey in front of her. An almost full bottle sat not far from the glass.

  Sneaker didn’t say anything, just waited patiently, with Deni hovering behind him anxiously.

  Nothing happened for several minutes, the silence only broken by the woman drinking from her glass at regular intervals. Finally she finished what was in the glass and poured herself another one from the bottle. Only after the bottle was placed carefully back on the table and she raised the glass one more time, did she break the silence.

  “What do you want, Sneaker?” the woman asked. “Unless you have my money, we’re done.”

  “The money is on its way,” he replied. “The merchandise has been sold and the cash will be with me shortly. That’s not why I’m here.” He paused, but got no response other than the glass being lifted. “There has been a complication. Someone who’s angry about us pulling the Job and has the muscle to do something about it, has taken Hanna.”

  The glass paused half way to the woman’s mouth and she seemed to be considering something. “So?” the woman asked finally.

  Sneaker stiffened in his seat, Deni could see his shoulders tighten. “So, she’s one of us.”

  The woman raised her head suddenly and her eyes seemed to blaze out from under her dark hair. “One of you,” the woman said quietly. “I was only in for one Job.” Deni was scared and she could sense she wasn’t the only one. There was something truly terrifying about this woman. Deni took a step back when those eyes looked in her direction, but Sneaker hadn’t budged a millimetre.

  “Yes. Hanna’s one of my Crew and yes, this was your first Job.” He subtly emphasised the word first in that sentence. “If it was you who’d been taken, I’d do whatever I could to get you out. I believe I’m responsible for my Crew, first or last Job and I take that seriously.”

  “I wouldn’t be taken.”

  “I believe that Valerie, I saw what you can do. I’m willing to bet my life and more importantly Hanna’s that you’re Legion. Legion Commando as well,” Sneaker leaned forward. “Never leave anyone behind. Isn’t that what they say.”

  Valerie lowered her eyes back to her drink. She stared at it and as always, all she could see were the faces of Daphne, Bobbie and Tom. One second smiling, the next bloody and lifeless. Daphne’s eyes floated there in the amber liquid. Hanna’s were so like them. That’s what shocked her in the alleyway after she killed that scum. She almost walked past when she saw the girl getting beaten, but something wild and lethal rose inside of her and demanded release. She killed Tern, not out of justice, but simply because he gave her enough of an excuse.

  When Hanna looked up at her with Daphne’s eyes, Valerie almost collapsed. It had taken every gramme of control to turn and walk away. She had known Hanna wasn’t Daphne. When Hanna walked into the bar and proposed such a stupid idea, it was her eyes that made Valerie seriously consider it.

  Now those eyes floated in front of her and what Sneaker was saying called to her. She was Legion. She was born Legion, lived Legion and she would never leave any of her Company behind. To belong to something again called to her more strongly than the whisky in front of her. The Job had been a diversion, nothing more. This now seemed to have the spark of something else.

  She looked up at Sneaker. He was smart, very smart. She’d recognised that the first time they met and knew he would work out she was Legion. It didn’t worry her. The Legion was a truly massive organisation and the biggest single employer in the entirety of explored space. The number of women with the same name as her ran into the thousands, spread on ships and worlds spanning a volume of space containing tens of thousands of stars. The chance of him tracking her, particularly with the Legion’s security protocols surrounding the Devils, was remote in the extreme.

  It had been a year since Furioso. There were no bulletins or wanted notices with her name and face on. Valerie Carter was dead. The people who ran the Pantheon and the Legion had ensured her name was buried deeply.

  She was surprised and impressed by Sneakers devotion to one of his crew. It was far from what she would have expected. So why not rescue Hanna? It was a worthwhile mission and if she died trying? So be it.

  “OK, Sneaker. Tell me about where she is being held and who has her.”

  “I’ll do better than that,” he replied with a smile. “I’ll show you.” He pulled out his datapad from his pocket, typed some commands into it and set it face up on the table between them. It emitted a holographic projection, which hovered in front of them, showing a heavy set forty storey building, a wall surrounded, it with over thirty metres clearance from the building all around. It was set in the middle of a housing estate with four or five storey buildings around the wall, many of them right up against it. The only way out via the ground was a single reinforced gate in one corner, exiting via a wide alleyway over fifty metres long leading t
o the main street.

  “The Boss’s name is Tumbler and I’ve been keeping an eye on her for some time.” Sneaker explained. “She doesn’t like me much and has been very against me starting my own Crew. She started out as a Thief and she was a good one, very good. Had a tendency to be a little brutal with anyone who disturbed her, but she had a number of big scores. The Tops liked what she made for them and gave her leave to start her own Crew, just over twenty years ago. Since then she’s been steadily building her little empire. Drugs, guns, armed robberies, prostitution, you name it, she does it, but her main income is from the drugs. Most of which are manufactured and distributed from this building.”

  “Is that hanger doors on the roof?” Valerie asked.

  “Yes, she’s got an armed aircar in there that could easily be mistaken for a Gunship. The surrounding wall is solid carbonide. The only entrance is the gate. The building itself has two loading bays.” They flashed up on the hologram not far from the gate. “With one pedestrian entrance.” A pair of double doors also flashed on the hologram, just next to the loading bays. “They are the only way in or out of the building, there are no entrances on any of the other walls, nor from underneath.”

  “What about security? Are you in their system?” Valerie asked.

  Sneaker ran his hand though his hair and shook his head ruefully. “No, all of the security systems are hard wired throughout the building and completely separate from any other network. They lose some in effectiveness and coverage with that set up, but it’s the only sure-fire way to keep out people like me. It also means they don’t have any remote access either. They have a permanently manned security room in the centre of the building. They have one hundred percent visual coverage and from that room, they would direct any response using coms. They need to manually direct their people, so response times will be slow with a lot of room for error. “

  Sneaker grimaced. “The real bitch though is how they’ve rigged the building. At a push of the button in the security room, blast doors seal all the entrances and windows. Only the hanger has any sort of override. Once that button is pushed, there’s no way in or out until it’s released. They will also block standard coms, including what I have available. After they come down, we won’t be able to talk to anyone on the outside. The good news is that neither will Tumbler.”

  Valerie cocked her head to one side. “How strong are the doors and can they be stopped from closing?”

  “Humph.” Sneaker grunted. “They’re blast doors from an old Legion cruiser. They can’t be stopped. Anything in their way will be completely crushed.”

  “What is the rest of the building made of?”

  “Internal walls and doors are Polycarb sheets on Carbon-Fibre frames filled with Bio-Fibre.” As it was the fourth most abundant element in the universe, carbon became the basis for many building materials, once the processes to manipulate it became readily available. Polycarb was a carbon/wood fibre polymer that was cheap, easy to manufacture and created no pollution, with a designed life span of only one hundred years. Once its century of life was up, it would begin breaking down to a substance easily absorbed by any diverse Terran based eco-system. It could even be disposed of earlier by the application of a simple, sprayed chemical that would start the decomposition process.

  The Polycarb was fixed to a Carbon-Fibre frame with little in common with its earliest incarnations, other than its component elements of Carbon and Silicon, the eighth most common element in the universe. This light weight, rigid and very strong material, was perfect for manufacture in a variety of uses. Along with the Bio-Fibre filling, it had the same decay safe guards as the Polycarb. All of this gave the Corporations holding the permanent patents, an ongoing supply of orders for building components needing to be replaced.

  ”Outer walls are stronger, as you would expect, made of standard permacrete. The only differences are the ground and second floors. Both have been reinforced with carbonide.” Permacrete was the preferred building material for the areas settled by the Manuals. It was cheap and easily manufactured. Carbonide was a different material altogether. Almost a hundred times stronger than permacrete, it was what was used in the construction of the massive towers set aside for the Privileged.

  “Personnel?” Valerie asked.

  “A lot, forty to fifty Enforcers and another hundred plus workers. Most of which will stay out of the way if they can.”

  “How good are the Enforcers?”

  “Normal Ghetto hired guns. Tumblers got some good one’s though and her Chief Enforcer is a right evil bastard named Gaunt. He’s big and as mean as they come. His favourite pastime is picking fights in bars with as many people as he can and relishes breaking their arms. He’s hooked on muscle enhancers, he’ll try anything he can get his hands on and he’s killed off just about every one of his nerve endings, so he can’t feel pain.”

  Valerie looked at Sneaker questioningly. “And how were you proposing to follow up on that promise to get Hanna out without my help?”

  Sneaker shrugged. “Call in every favour I’m owed to get as many Enforcers as I can. Two pronged assault. Firstly on the main gate to distract them, then come in from the air. Land on the roof and blow the doors. Hanna will probably be close to Tumbler, whose offices are one floor below the hanger. Fight our way in, grab Hanna and get out the same way we got in.”

  Valerie sat back, looking at the hologram. “What’s this building here?” She pointed to the one up against the wall directly opposite the gate.

  Sneaker shrugged. “It’s a housing block, about half occupied with derelicts and degenerates. Most probably work for Tumbler in her processing plant.”

  “OK,” Valerie nodded to herself. “Will Rush, Troll and Barney be in on this?”

  Sneaker nodded. “They’re on their way here now.”

  “Can you shoot?”

  “Yes,” he said calmly and Valerie could see he meant it. She looked past him and quirked an eyebrow at Deni. “No,” Sneaker said shaking his head.

  “Hey,” Deni piped up. “She’s my friend.”

  Sneaker turned and chopped his hand in front of her, demanding quietly. “Have you ever killed anyone?” Deni shook her head. “Ever fired a gun?”

  “No,” she said.

  Sneaker turned back to Valerie. “Not a chance.”

  Valerie was still looking at Deni. She could see the determination in her face and body. Hanna obviously meant a lot to her and she was fully prepared to do whatever she could. Valerie nodded to one of the chairs at the table.

  “Stick around and grab a seat.” Deni slipped into the chair hesitantly, obviously not knowing what she would have to do, but still just as determined.

  Valerie leaned forward and looked at Sneaker. “We just need one more shooter and they need to be a good one.”

  “What?” Sneaker exclaimed. “That’s just impossible. Six of us to go into that building? We’d need at least 10 guys to attack the gate!”

  “Six is fine,” Valerie replied calmly. “The problem is the hanger. That will need to be neutralised. It’s an escape route Tumbler can use.”

  “Escape route?” Sneaker said in disbelief. “Wait. If six of us go in there she won’t need an escape route. If, by the most impossible odds, she does, there is no way she would dare use it anyway. Tumbler’s up for promotion to a Top. Her life wouldn’t be worth spit if word got round she was run out of her own building by just six guys.”

  “Good, I was worried we’d need a ground to air missile.” Valerie said seriously. “One that would need to be very advanced if that aircar is as powerful as you say. You’ve got most of what we need in your stash of weapons. All we are missing is that extra shooter and a recycling lorry. Can you get them today?”

  Sneaker shook his head, the incredulity obvious on his face. “Yeah, the truck is easy and I know a guy. Hobbs. He’s close by. He’ll be expensive, but I reckon we can get him. Now what the hell are we going to be doing?”

  “Get him, promise him lo
ot from whatever Tumblers got stashed in there. I’d put money on there being a Families ransom inside.” Valerie said. “Now here’s the plan….”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Deni was seated behind Troll and Barney in a ground car across the road from the housing block Valerie asked about. Troll turned around and looked at her.

  “You ready, kid?”

  “Yeah,” she replied. “I know what I’ve got to do.” Her voice sounded strong even to her ears. That amazed Deni, she really wasn’t sure about this. She had never been in a fight where guns were involved. The girl was determined to do this and do it well. Hanna was her friend

  “Good,” Troll said. “Just stay behind Barney and me and make sure you get the ammo to us as quick as you can.” Troll looked over at Barney and he nodded to her. “Let’s do this. Remember slow and steady over to the building, no rush. We don’t do anything memorable and no one will remember us.” She got out of one side and Barney the other, slinging their large bundles over their shoulders.

  Deni grabbed her bag with sweaty hands and followed them out. The three of them crossed the road in the early morning sunshine and went up to the building. It was even more run down than Sneaker said, every other window was smashed and the doors hung ajar, looking like they could never be closed properly any more.

  The inside was even worse. Debris was scattered everywhere with a strong smell of human excrement and in all probability remains as well. A thin woman wearing, what only could charitably be called, rags stumbled out of a doorway. She looked at them briefly before wobbling past them.