Mina Cortez: From Bouquets to Bullets

by Jeffrey Cook

  “No, Ma'am. But I know how to make an entrance,” she said, pushing the spare respirator and goggles towards the Director.

  “Did you secure Raymond Harper, by chance?” the Direcor, asked while pulling on the gear. “I haven't been able to get through to anyone.”

  “I did one better. The programmers are rescued and under heavy security. I came to find you. They're working on getting past the jamming to get help here. With all of them working on it, it shouldn't be much longer.”

  Your stunt bought some time, but I don't think this is going to hold out much longer. How many shots do you have left?”

  “Four. How many of them are out there?”

  “At least seven. Or there were. Plus however many in the cars pursuing you. Did you learn anything else from your rescue, by chance?”

  “If we can get Scott to a secure computer, he has an account of how many of these chips got out. He doesn't think there's very many. We're probably seeing most of it.”

  “This may be enough.”

  “Maybe, but we've thinned their numbers some, and numbers help.”

  “Yes, they do. And they have them.”

  “No, no ... not like that. This is ... like a video game.”

  “Explain.”

  “Their chips counter everything ours are feeding us, but they're not very sophisticated. They kind of fix on one action at a time,” Mina explained, while doing her best to tear the sleeve off of her jacket to wrap around her leg, simultaneously grateful she was starting to process better, less so that the gunshot was starting to hurt a lot more. “If you can do something they actually don't expect and divide their attention, well, it sort of glitches.”

  “And we don't need to stop them all, we just need to buy a little more time for your friends.”

  “Precisely. I'm a little low on ideas, though.”

  “Did anything in your apparently extensive reading tell you how I lost my arm, Agent Cortez?”

  “No, Ma'am.”

  “Please follow me as quickly as you can. It went a little something like this.” Fiona Richter stood from her hiding spot, firing at the first sign of motion, then rushed into the cloud. Mina did her best to keep up, noticing the Director hunching low and leading with her cybernetic arm. She could hear more gunfire, and once felt something graze her shoulder, but nothing solid. They reached one of the hard points, finding two men trying to draw a line of fire through the thick haze. The Director fired her shotgun, but by the time she brought it about on them, they'd adjusted to her line of fire. Mina got the idea, whirling about and putting two bullets into one of the men before he adjusted to her as well.

  She was turning on the other, but he had her beat to the draw. She fired, but nowhere near on target. He would have had her dead to rights, had the Director not whirled about, using the shotgun as a club, connecting with the man's neck. There was a strangled sound, then another as the surprised gasp caused him to inhale a lungful of fertilizer. Mina shot him point blank, and only then noticed the Director's arm hanging limply, with newly exposed and sparking circuitry in a number of spots. Mina traded her the shotgun for the pistol and used the last shell in the shotgun to blow the lock off the nearest door. They charged into the building, emerging from the haze.

  “Up the stairs,” Mina suggested. “And hope no one is on the cameras.”

  “If we head up, there'll be no way down.”

  “Which they also know,” Mina reminded her. “It took them a while to look up last time.”

  “Reasonable, under the circumstances,” The Director agreed, as the pair headed for the fire stairs.

  With Mina's injured leg and the Director's deadweight arm, getting up even a flight proved to be a major chore. Mina was starting to feel faint by the time they'd gotten up four flights. The Director grabbed hold of her with her good arm, pulling Mina along up the last flight until they emerged onto the roof. They took what cover was available, with the Director keeping aim on the one doorway to the rooftop. Mina tried to pull herself into position to aim the shotgun, but the dizziness grew worse.

  She wasn't sure at first if it was just ringing in her ears, or the lights flashing in front of her eyes, but the noise eventually grew into sirens. Mina vaguely heard the sound of the Director's comm crackling to life.

  “Miss Richter, please advise.”

  “Supervisory Agent Richter to all units, surround the area, full net. Don't let anyone escape. Most especially Raymond Harper.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Mina woke up in bed. She felt weak, and it took a while for the haze to clear from her thoughts. At first, she thought she might be in the hospital, given the type of bed, and the fact she had an IV drip. As she became a bit more aware of her surroundings, she noticed Miko and Scott sitting next to the bed, talking quietly. “Where?” she started, quietly, trying to sit up with mixed success.

  “Hey, Sleepyhead,” Miko chirped, turning her attention to Mina. “We were wondering how long it was going to take you to get up on one of those rare times you get to sleep in.” She checked her chrono, then glanced at Scott. “I win. You owe me five bucks.”

  “You couldn't have woken up five minutes earlier?” Scott mock grumbled, though he couldn't hide the smile. “We were worried about you.”

  “So, where am I? Mina repeated. “Are my parents around? They have to be worried sick,”

  “FBI HQ basement. Your parents have been told you're in protective custody until an investigation finishes, then you're being released,” Scott informed her.

  Miko added, “Oh, yeah—released with strict orders for no heavy biking or anything for a couple weeks. They've got you patched up pretty good, dermal patching, blood transfusion, the works, but you can't aggravate it. They'll just have to let you use the truck.” Miko grinned a bit wider. “Though based on the state of campus, I'm not sure you should be allowed to drive. Like, ever.”

  “Ok, so when exactly am I being released?”

  “We're all stuck here for a while. Your Director and Miss Lasko wanted to be informed when you woke up. They need to figure out what they're doing now with the information Scott saved.”

  “Exactly what did you find?” Mina asked, managing to sit up, forgetting all about her leg feeling numbed or the fuzziness in her head.

  “It's not good,” Scott admitted. “Almost all of them are accounted for. They're pretty sure Harper was high up, but suspect some black marketeer is still out there calling the shots. Still no idea how they got to cops, FBI agents and one of your people. Worst thing, though, is that two chips are still missing. While there's not a lot of facilities that can make high grade chips, if they have even one to copy, you could end up eventually seeing a lot more of those things.”

  Mina nodded. “The Director mentioned an emergency order. Bringing more people in on this.”

  “You're probably going to have to,” Scott agreed. “Starting with just going through everything at the University and Harper's records to try and figure out where things fell apart.”

  “His records?”

  “Raymond Harper shot himself, rather than letting himself be taken in,” Scott informed her. “They're going to have me working on hacking his files more soon, but so far, it doesn't look promising.”

  “You've been busy.”

  “You've been out for almost 24 hours.”

  “Then its time I get back to work,” Mina responded, struggling to turn.

  Miko grabbed her shoulder and stopped her. “Uhm, hospital gown,” Miko said quietly. “Let Scott go let them know you're up so they can come remove the IV and do this right ... the Floral Avenger should not be fighting crime without pants.”

  * * * *

  The Director was waiting for the three of them when Mina, Miko and Scott showed up in her office. Her movements suggested to Mina that she'd also spent some time being patched up, and her artificial arm was still in bad shape, but Mina was still pretty sure the Director was taking better to her recovery than Mina. She did her b
est, despite the limp and all that had happened the last few days to look as professional as possible, standing in front of Fiona Richter's massive desk. “Agent Cortez, reporting for duty, Ma'am.”

  The Director fixed her with a stern gaze for a few moments, then sighed, relaxing just a little. “We have quite the mess here, Miss Cortez.”

  “I know, and I know I didn't always help matters. I'm sorry, Ma'am.” Mina started, wondering again if she was going to keep her job, or if she might end up transferred somewhere, like the Director had been before her.

  “I appreciate you taking responsibility for your actions, Miss Cortez. Learning on the job can be a tricky experience. We'd have preferred you to have a lot more training before putting you on an investigation. You could use more patience, and there's going to be a lot of questions from high up on Miss Kimura's presence in this investigation.”

  Mina nodded. “I understand, Ma'am.”

  “That said,” the Director continued, “You showed some good instincts. In your own unique fashion, you did also save my life on campus. Trying to clean and cover that up is going to take half the department, but I'm grateful. Unfortunately, the case isn't solved, and we seem to have hit a dead end.”

  Mina relaxed just a little at the hints of praise. “That's what I was told. Two chips still missing, and a dead end as to who Raymond Harper was answering to, right?”

  “Precisely. Meanwhile, neither you nor I are in condition to pursue this to the best of our abilities. Besides, with all the attention they've drawn, the black marketeers involved are most likely to try and get very far away from here. They won't want to give us anything to follow up on, so the danger should be past.”

  “So you're pretty sure it is black marketeers, Ma'am?”

  “We've identified most of the people captured or killed at the University, as well the burglar at your apartment. While there are some exceptions, almost all of them have extensive ties with smuggling rings or other major criminal enterprises.”

  “Exceptions, Ma'am?”

  “We kept everyone who responded on site, and started a live sweep for the missing chips, since we had the testing center right there at the University. In addition to the two rogue FBI agents from before, one additional agent and two police officers were found to possess the counter-chips. We thankfully managed to have enough attention on it that they weren't able to get away, nor interfere overmuch with the investigation, though we caught the agent in particular trying to be sure she was the one taking possession of Harper's records. Both the local FBI offices and all local police precincts are undergoing an extensive sweep in our search for the remaining chips, or someone who can shed some light on the mole’s location.”

  Mina took all of this in, but found she had nothing to add this time. “So you're going to put out the emergency request, and have me sign off on it?”

  “Right after we talk to Miss Lasko,” the Director agreed. “She's preparing the paperwork, at my request, and assures me she'll deal with the political fallout. We need to replace our own population, and make sure we have every possible resource to address the threat.”

  “Understood, and I totally agree. I mean, not that it necessarily matters that much, but this is way beyond me,” Mina admitted.

  “Don't be too hard on yourself, Miss Cortez,” the Director answered. “That's my job,” she added, with a completely straight expression. “Besides, this has gone well beyond what any of us could have expected.”

  “So, before we go speak to Miss Lasko, what happens with Scott and Miko now?” Mina asked.

  The Director looked over the other two, so far standing quietly just a bit behind Mina. “Mr. Szach isn't a problem. His security clearance is more than sufficient. He'll have a few questions to answer regarding some University records, but I don't think that will ultimately be a problem. For now, we're retaining his services as a consultant.”

  “Well ... that's something. What about Miko?”

  “Miss Kimura is a different matter entirely. Thankfully, while it always gets plenty of unpleasant questions, the situation isn't without precedent. There is also the matter that her father works with University and historical records, which includes some sensitive information at times. That's not saying there won't be a lot of scrutiny for a while, but I think it can be dealt with. In any case, she's still part of the process for now, as Miss Lasko wanted to debrief her as well.”

  “Kinky.” Mina heard Miko mumbling under her breath.

  * * * *

  Miss Lasko was settled behind her desk when the four entered. Though she offered them a seat, the Director declined, apparently feeling it more official to deliver reports standing, as she'd had Mina doing when Director Richter was the one on the other side of the desk. Despite the hints of pain and remaining numbness in her leg, Mina followed suit. As soon as she entered the room, Mina paused, trying to figure out what was different about Miss Lasko, and quickly ascribed the unease to the total change of atmosphere. Where before, the office had been welcoming and the woman friendly, now, Miss Lasko was all business. “What do we know?”

  “We've accounted for all but two of the chips and locked down the University's computers. Raymond Harper seemed to have been heading things up at the University, but someone was feeding him his marching orders,” the Director explained.

  “I received reports of corrupt FBI agents?” Miss Lasko asked.

  “Unfortunately, correct,” The Director confirmed. “Three FBI agents, two police officers, and one inquisitor.”

  Mina fidgeted at the last bit, shifting a little uneasily on her leg. She glanced back to Miko and Scott, both of whom seemed to be trying to be quiet and out of the way, difficult as that was.

  “An AIA Agent? That's a serious problem,” Miss Lasko continued. “You're positive? That should be virtually impossible.”

  “Virtually,” The Director said. “We have Agent Victor Hall linked to Raymond Harper, and his reports stated that the University computer and programming center had been checked end to end, and was clear. That was obviously not the case.”

  “You have no idea what an agent would stand to gain from such associations?”

  “None. His accounts were under observation, like all agents. His psychological profile was solid. His profile and record to that point showed an absolute dedication to the ideals the AIA was founded under. He'd even had family in the service,” the Director explained.

  A lot like herself. Mina couldn't help thinking, and the thought made her that much more uncomfortable. She didn't care for every detail of her current job, perhaps, but she couldn't imagine betraying national—international—security. The line of thought continued to add to her unease. The conversation continued as she tried to place what was bothering her.

  Her attention was briefly dragged back by the commentary. “Agent Cortez has agreed to sign off on the emergency order,” the Director was explaining. “I hesitate to do it, given the amount of attention and expense, but until those chips are located, we have a massive threat to every asset in the agency. “

  “If you're certain it's necessary, I'll do my part,” Miss Lasko agreed. “You don't serve as a Deputy Mayor for this long without knowing how to muster the bureaucracy so people can do their job. What kind of numbers are we talking?”

  “It's a matter of international security at this point,” The Director answered. “As many as it takes to follow every lead, crack down on every black market outlet we have traces on, interrogation specialists to talk to the captured FBI agents and police officers. We simply cannot afford to give them any time to figure out duplication of the chips, or we're going to start losing more agents.”

  Mina focused on that a moment, something in the words sticking out. The word security, in particular hit her oddly, then was accompanied by the smell of expensive cologne and gun oil.

  Mina started to twitch, then forced herself to be still, glancing at Miko instead, as she'd done moments before. In this glance, she took note of Miss Las
ko's two bodyguards, the broad-shouldered giant, and the smaller Japanese man she'd seen on her first visit to this office.

  For a moment, it made perfect sense they'd be there. It was a dangerous situation, after all. Someone with Miss Lasko's history and ties to the AIA would be very vulnerable. Then it began to hit her. She knew the men were armed. They still smelled the same. Previously, even Miko had noted that the big man stood out as someone who could handle himself. Despite which, she'd overlooked their presence.

  Mina lightly nudged Miko, not saying a word, nor gesturing, just making sure her friend was alert.

  Miss Lasko glanced at Mina curiously. Mina had been distracted enough to lose track of if she was still being discussed, or if she'd missed something. “I'm sorry,” she started.

  “Quite all right. Injured in the line of duty, I understand. I will be looking forward to reading the reports in more detail. It seems maybe we made a good decision bringing you in after all,” Miss Lasko said, smiling warmly at Mina. “I'm sorry your introduction to the job has been so rough.”

  “I understand I have you to thank for getting me in on this case,” Mina answered.

  “I'm not certain whether to say you're welcome or I'm sorry, but I am glad we got your friend and the rest of the programmers back safe and sound.”

  “Oh, no question. So am I,” Mina said. “You know, it’s just one of those things. I've been shot, had people chasing me, wasn't sure who to trust. It's just been kind of a rough few days. I don't mean to sound ungrateful,” Mina meandered, looking to the Director as she continued. “I do appreciate what you guys have done for me. On the other hand, I could have been in Russia dancing the Nutcracker right now.”

  The room burst into motion.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Mina's shifts and twitchiness, it seems, had already registered to the security detail. Both went for their guns, but the Director picked up on the hint faster, and activated the EMP pulse in her cyber-arm. There was an electrical crackle and a pop. The next instant, Mina nearly lost her balance as the whole world seemed to shift into confusing rapid motion. She had trouble tracking movement; she was nauseous, and a crushing headache spread from the base of her neck up the back of her head. She was glad the Director had caught the "Nutcracker" hint, and even more glad that everyone else in the room, aside from Miko, was having just as much trouble as Mina.