Frankie felt sure these guards knew that they were protecting their primary escape route and were doing their best to hold it. Frankie followed Cole up the corridor, shooting her own rifle between Cole’s own bursts. As they neared the end, Frankie broke into a run and sprinted to the end before dropping to her bum and back to slide the last few feet and fire at the three men she found behind the corner in the corridor. They shot back, but they hadn’t expected her to drop to a low position and missed her entirely. Finding herself next to the door that led to the roof, Frankie kicked it with her foot and smashed the door open before rising to her feet and covering the corridor as her friends followed her into the room.
‘Jude, we need emergency evac, get down to the roof,’ she sent through her link as she fired past Kalypso at the first guard to make it to the top of the stairwell back at the end of the corridor. The man ducked back to keep from being shot.
‘Yeah, you stay in there,’ Frankie muttered to herself, firing at the doorway again.
Cole came up next to her and fired as well.
‘Are they all up on the roof yet?’ she asked.
‘Nearly,’ he said.
‘I’ve got this, Cole. Get them up there; let me know when you’re all on the roof,’ she said. Covering this doorway wasn’t difficult, she didn’t need Cole to do this, although she appreciated the dedication of all members of her team.
A few seconds later, Cole ‘s voice sounded through her link. ‘We’re up,’ he said. ‘Flyer inbound.’
Frankie backed off from the door into the room, squeezing the trigger once more before she turned and ran, leaping halfway up the ladder before climbing the last few steps and reaching the cool evening air out here on the facilities rooftop. The tranquillity of the scene was broken, however, by the roar of the flyer’s engines as it dropped to the roof, its rear loading door open wide. Mere seconds later, they were all on board as Jude gunned the flyer’s engines. The aircraft rose up into the night sky, the rear doors closing as it banked towards the city.
‘Good job back there,’ Cole said. ‘Did you get her?’
‘Hellion? No, I didn’t. She saw me coming and got out of the way,’ she said, feeling annoyed that she hadn’t managed to get a shot off on her that had actually hit her.
‘Damn it. Well, better luck next time,’ Cole said.
‘Sure,’ Frankie answered and moved to sit in her usual seat. She leant forward in her seat towards Gibson. ‘So, what did you find? Was she there?’
‘She had been, based on the records in that terminal, but she’d been discharged a short time ago,’ Gibson answered her.
‘How long ago?’ Frankie asked.
‘Over thirty-six hours ago,’ he said, looking tired and frustrated.
‘I’m sorry,’ Frankie said.
‘Thanks. But surely I’m the one who should be apologising.’
‘Why?’ Frankie asked.
‘For dragging you all out here and nearly getting you all killed while on this wild goose chase,’ he answered her.
‘Nonsense,’ she refuted him. ‘We all made our own choice to come on this mission, and we’re all alive and well. I don’t think anyone here regrets coming to help you, so stop with the recriminations,’ she explained.
‘Yeah, I know. I’m just annoyed that we didn’t find her.’
‘But we did find out that she was there, at some point in the recent past. That’s something. Not to mention finding out that Hellion is alive and well, and while that might not be welcome news, it is useful and interesting.’
‘Hmm. I suppose,’ he said, a slight smile crossing his lips as he sat back. She took it as a sign that he was done talking and sat back herself.
She could certainly think of better news and information that she could have found out today, but knowing that Hellion was out there and almost certainly wanting to get some revenge on her did mean that she would be looking out for her and keeping an eye out for any traps she might lay. She didn’t fancy getting caught in another ambush, that’s for sure.
Frankie looked back over at Gibson and noted how Veronica was leaning into him, and how they were talking in hushed tones. She’d noticed that they seemed to be getting closer to each other this past couple of weeks. They were spending much more time together and seemed to be enjoying each other’s company. They were long time friends and, at least at one point, something more, so it wasn’t surprising that they were close, but to Frankie’s eyes, they seemed closer than before.
Their body language had changed, and they just seemed more like a couple than friends.
They hadn’t said anything, not to her at least, and as far as she knew, not to anyone else, either, but Frankie had an inkling that they might be seeing each other again.
She smiled to herself. She liked Gibson, and, if she were honest with herself, might even say that she fancied him, at least a little bit, but she really didn’t think that getting together with him was a good idea. She didn’t want to create unease in the group and she didn’t want to annoy Veronica if she had her eyes on him because that would just compromise their team. And then what if she split from him? Could she still work with him if the break up was acrimonious?
There were just too many reasons why she shouldn’t do it.
She also, if she were honest, didn’t think that Gibson should get too close to Veronica, either, for the very same reasons, but she wasn’t sure it was her place to impose any kind of ban on the relationship either.
She felt sure that if it became an issue, William would have a word with them.
No, she’d decided that she should be looking for that kind of thing outside of the A.C.T. Easier said than done as she didn’t exactly spend much time outside of her work, which would make finding a relationship kind of difficult.
But she did have one idea, which, as she sat there looking over at the two love birds, became that much more attractive to her. She’d been thinking on this for the past two weeks, wondering if she should act on her idea. But now, she just knew she had to. Now, she was sure. No one was going to do it for her, after all.
Besides, she’d said to Oliver, her former neighbour, that she would go back one day and tell him what had been going on in her life anyway. So, she could do that and see if he were still interested in her. He used to be, or, at least, she was sure he used to be. He was forever wanting to talk to her, inviting her round to his place and she’d caught him looking at her body more than once.
Still, it had been a few months now, so, maybe he’d found someone. Maybe he’d got together with another girl that she knew nothing about. Well, she’d like to go back and see what he was up to anyway, and who knows, if he was still single, maybe it would lead to something?
Before long, the flyer was back at base. William wanted to see them to stay abreast of the events that had happened on the mission. It wasn’t an official A.C.T. sanctioned or approved mission, but William had been clear that he didn’t mind them following this lead up as long as they were discreet and it didn’t interfere with their other work.
Gibson seemed happy with this.
‘So, what’s the next plan of action?’ Frankie asked Gibson as they walked along the corridor. They had been the last two to walk out of the meeting as William had other business to discuss with them. It didn’t take long, but it did mean they were walking back to the living quarters without the rest of their team.
‘It’s back to the drawing board, I think. We need to go through the reports and data from the facility and see if we can figure out what they were doing with her there, and then we can see if we can’t find her again,’ he said, sounding a little defeated.
‘You’ll find her,’ Frankie said to him, patting him on the back.
‘I hope so,’ he said. ‘Kalypso has been amazing in her hunt for Stephanie, so hopefully, she can work her magic again.’
‘I’m sure she will,’ Frankie said, wanting only to reassure him after this setback.
‘Are you okay, you seem
a little troubled,’ Gibson asked.
‘Oh, really?’ she asked. She was thinking about a lot of things, but she wasn’t about to tell him that she’d been wondering what his relationship with Veronica was. She decided to stay on topic. ‘I’m just thinking of all those patients in that place. I just wish we could have done more for them, you know? I’m pretty sure there’s a bunch in there who probably didn’t have any choice in the matter.’
‘Probably. There’s nothing we could do, though. If we called the police, it would just end up swept under the carpet.’
‘Yeah, someone in a position of power who was on Psytech’s payroll would make it all go away,’ Frankie agreed.
‘That’s right. And if we stayed there and tried to free them ourselves, we’d just end up with the whole of Psytech’s paramilitary force coming down on us,’ Gibson said.
‘We’d be drowning in agents and operators,’ Frankie added.
‘Not to mention mechs. No, the only way to deal with that is to take the long view.’
‘I know,’ Frankie said. ‘Bring down the company as a whole, force them into new ownership, or make them culpable for their crimes.’
‘That’s it.’
‘It’s just so frustrating, though. I wish I could just snap my fingers and make it all go away.’
‘Don’t we all,’ Gibson agreed.
They soon made their way back to the team’s living area, and Frankie headed back to her personal quarters. Oliver had no idea that she would be turning up, and for all she knew, he might be out. Although, during the six months she had lived in that apartment, she could not really remember a night that she had noticed him going out. He seemed to live in that place all day every day. She figured he worked from home, which was not uncommon, but she didn’t know what it was that he did exactly.
She hunted through her clothes and picked out a few items, wanting to look nice, but not wanting to go to too much effort. This wasn’t really going to be a date. Not tonight at least. She ended up pulling on some fitted leggings and boots with a jacket over her vest top.
Nothing special, but she felt happy that she looked good and not over dressed. She didn’t need to tell anyone where she was going, but as team leader, and with their work happening literally at any time of day or night, she knew that William always appreciated knowing where his team was at any given moment. So, she left him a message, letting him know that she had headed into town. Frankie made her way outside and walked well away from the base before she even attempted to pick up a taxi.
A short time later, she walked in through the front doors of the apartment building she used to live in and made her way inside. Walking in here now reminded her of how much things had changed and the life she had left behind. After all, it wasn’t long ago that she would walk through this lobby and navigate her way past Dion and his friends at the time, who would often cat call her or otherwise make a nuisance of themselves.
Now, she and Dion both worked for the A.C.T. after she had recruited him, while the rest of his friends were dead after a run in with some Psytech agents.
She took the elevator and rode it up to her floor, enjoying the familiar sounds and smells that brought back so many memories.
The lift slowed and finally came to a stop, the doors opening up and revealing the lobby area outside and the corridors that led off it. Frankie hesitated for a moment, actually feeling kind of nervous, but found her confidence again after a few seconds and stepped out just before the elevator doors closed. Very little had changed in the intervening months, but then, it hadn’t been very long really since she had lived here.
Frankie started to walk along the corridor. She had to smile to herself as it amused her that she was feeling just as nervous, if not more so doing this than when she was on a life or death mission.
She shook her head, took a deep breath as she walked, and finally reached the stretch of corridor that she used to live on. She passed the door to her former landlord's apartment first. She wondered if Mrs Scrivens still lived here. Probably, she thought, but she didn’t really want to knock on her door to find out. She never really liked Janet. She had always hassled Frankie for her rent, which admittedly was often late, but that had been a by-product of her work’s payment schedule.
She didn’t want to think about her too much, though. She’d had enough of Janet Scrivens when she’d lived here, and it wasn’t why she had come. Instead, she kept walking, and as she passed the door to her own apartment, she noticed that there was a “For Sale” notice on the outside of it. Frankie paused for a moment. Was Mrs Scrivens selling off her old place? It didn’t say it was for rent, after all, just for sale. It seemed like Mrs Scrivens wanted to get rid of it.
She wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. Maybe this whole renting thing was getting the better of her, or was it just Frankie’s apartment? Frankie had pretty much destroyed it recently when the agents had attacked her inside of it, so, there was likely quite a lot of damage that had needed repair.
Oliver would probably know more. Stepping away from her former apartment, she walked to the next door along. Frankie took a moment to take a breath, feeling way more nervous than she really should, she thought. She was here now, though, so, she might as well go through with it. Was it the thought that he might turn her down? That Oliver might have found someone else? The idea of rejection was something she did not like. But you had to put yourself out there if you were going to do anything in this life.
Frankie pressed the button beside the door and heard the buzz on the inside of the apartment. After a second or two, she heard movement and footsteps approaching the door as the intercom fizzed into life.
‘Who is it?’ said a male voice from inside the room. It was digitised and distorted, but she recognised it right away.
‘Hi, Oliver, it’s Frankie,’ she said.
There was a pause.
‘Frankie?’ Oliver said in clear disbelief. There was more movement. ‘Oh, shit, it’s you. Hold on,’ he said. She heard locks click back and disengage from their housings and suddenly the door opened up.
Oliver stepped into the doorway, a look of surprise and hope on his face, which quickly turned into a beaming smile when he saw her. ‘Frankie, wow. It’s great to see you. It’s been ages,’ he said.
Frankie smiled back. His excitement and enthusiasm for seeing her wiped away any remaining nerves. ‘I know, but I did say I would come and see you,’ she said.
‘You did. Back when you trashed the apartment,’ he said.
‘Yeah… Heh, not my finest hour, but it was worth it to see Mrs Scrivens face,’ she said.
‘She was pissed,’ Oliver said.
‘I bet. So, can I come in?’ Frankie asked.
‘Oh, yes, of course, um, come in,’ he said. Frankie could see the sudden nerves that gripped him as he backed into his place, his eyes scanning around, looking for anything incriminating. She smiled. She’d never actually been in his apartment, even though he had invited her often enough. But she’d not been interested back then; she’d been so focused on wanting to help the exiles in the Undercity that anything else just didn’t stand a chance.
His place was much like hers was. It was a single large room that was both a living and sleeping space, with a tiny kitchenette, a bed, and a couple of comfy seats. There was also a desk with a very fancy looking terminal on and under it with an office chair before it. There seemed to be a paused game on the screen. It wasn’t the tidiest apartment she’d ever seen, but she felt like hers had been worse, back when she lived next door. There weren’t too many items of clothing or underwear scattered about, which was always her issue.
‘Nice place,’ she said.
‘Urr, thanks,’ he answered her, glancing about the room. ‘Sorry, I didn’t know you were coming. Otherwise, I would have cleaned up a bit,’ he said, looking a little embarrassed.
‘Don’t worry, I don’t mind. It’s cleaner than mine used to be,’ she said, trying to put him at ease.
/> ‘Really?’
‘Oh, yeah. I was a right slob. You should have seen the place,’ she answered him.
‘Well, erm, do you want a drink?’ he asked.
‘No, I’m good, thanks.’
‘Oh, okay. Shall we sit?’ He gestured to the sofa that was close by.
‘Sure,’ Frankie said and sat down at one end of the seat. Oliver moved and sat at the other.
‘So, it’s great to see you, how have you been?’ he asked.
‘I’m well, thanks, and busy,’ she said.
‘That’s good. You still at that same place?’
‘No, I have a new job now. I work for the Home Office,’ she said. It was something of a lie, but it was close enough and it was what she and her team had been taught to say when asked who they work for.
‘The government? Really?’
‘Yeah. I applied and luckily got the job,’ she said.
‘Wow, you have moved up in the world.’
‘Are you still… in fact, I don’t know what you do,’ she said.
‘I work from home, mostly. I do systems maintenance and deal with network issues. I work for a company that does this kind of thing, and it means I can work from home, so, it’s cool,’ he smiled.
‘Oh, nice,’ she said.
‘So, um, what brings you back here? I mean, thanks for coming to see me, but I thought you’d left for good when I saw you walk out of that smoking apartment.’
Frankie smiled. ‘Yeah, I had a bit of trouble there,’ she said.
‘What kind of trouble. I mean, what happened to you?’
She figured she’d tell him about the attack and the Jacker Gang and her new body. This wasn’t classified, unlike her work, so, she could tell him all about that. ‘Well, I never told you, but when I lived here, I used to go down into the Undercity and help people. You know? Exiles. People who had lost everything because of Corporate greed,’ she said.
‘You mean the ones who couldn’t afford to pay their insurance or keep up their repayments on their prosthetics?’
Prometheus Vengeance (The New Prometheus Book 4) Page 6
