by S. M. Nolan
The realization shined light along a road paved by what she'd survived. Her only hope of reaching it end lay in pitting her natural skills against Omega. Of one she was certain; her ability to understand people. It had helped start her business, envisioned on paper what others had seen in their heads. Now, that singly useful skill would help them get out alive.
24.
Decryption
October 7th
1:45 AM
Lhasa Warehouse
Maggie and Russell spent their time scanning each page of the books with hand-held infrared scanners. Thorne had explained that the powerful beams recorded the images, allowing his software to assign alike-characters definitions based on possible relevance from dictionaries. Then, it compiled them into several example passages. Thorne picked the most coherent, then ensured the program properly interpreted the rest of the text.
Presently, Maggie scanned a new-Chinese volume beside Russell on a cot. Her vision bounced between the book and Reese across the room, her back to them. Both she and Thorne wore headphones stuffed in and on their ears, the room quiet otherwise. Russell glanced up every few seconds, his tension palpable.
He pivoted sideways, whispered, “What the hell'd you say to her?”
“I told her the truth,” Maggie replied in a hush.
“That's helpful.”
She carefully turned a page. Her hand hovered along it at a sluggish pace, eyes on the beam. She shifted to the next, “It's what I told her.”
“I can't tell if she's ready to snap or if her mind's just running.”
“What makes you think it's either?”
His spine quivered, “She's too damn quiet.”
“I wouldn't let my guard down, if that's what you're getting at.” She took a deep breath, turned the page, “She only cares about herself. Whatever she does is for her own benefit. Telling her the weapon's purpose could only open her up to us.”
“What?”
“Russell, she had no idea. Every Human has an interest in what we're doing. Inasmuch as she'd like to deny it, she is Human. She wants to survive. More importantly, she has pride and she's being led around on a leash. We both know she doesn't like that.”
“Is telling her really smart? What if Omega doesn't know?”
Maggie sighed, “I told her the truth, Russell. That's it. Everyone involved needs to know the stakes, regardless of sides. Neither one of them trusts West. They don't care about Omega. They're just scared of fighting them. You saw that.”
He tilted his head in agreement, “So what, you want to turn them?”
She gave an earnest look, “This isn't about mind games. It's not even about right and wrong. All I wanted was to show her she is part of the world, no matter what she thinks. If she doesn't want to be a pawn, she'll have to recognize the real fight. Thorne too.”
Russell mused, “It's not a stretch to think Omega will want to test the weapon, and if it's as dangerous as it's said to be, they'd be the first group to go.”
A momentary silence ensued before Maggie agreed.
“The strike-force are an expendable asset,” Russell said. Maggie flipped a page of her book and he mused further. “Accidental or otherwise, they'd be the first casualties. Their loyalty's more convenient than they'd like to admit. So whatever's forced them to commit to Omega's the hurdle. West likes drugs. Thorne had legal trouble, but Reese…”
Maggie caught on, “Whatever's brought her here isn't enough given proper incentive. You can see it if you look hard enough. We just need to show her.”
“What about West? He'll come back eventually.”
She was silent. West was a valid threat, his return inevitable. He would either try to kill them or take them prisoner. Without Reese, any escape might be impossible. Moreover, Thorne couldn't fully decrypt the data if they left without him.
She looked to Russell at a loss, “Our only advantage is that he's completely out of control. That was clear enough when he left us here alone—and nearly beat Reese to death.”
“It's still a risk. We're relying on logic with someone that's not entirely mentally stable.”
“Russell, please just trust that I'm right. We need to try.”
He saw the sincerity in her, exhaled a long, heavy breath. Despair clutched at his chest. “Alright. I don't really like it, but we're not going to end up any more dead otherwise.” Maggie gave a pained look. “Be honest, but don't let your guard down. Don't push it and…” He trailed off. “Just be careful.”
She agreed, playing over how to approach Reese. Another hour of silence passed before Reese rose again to smoke. She sneered at Maggie to follow. They headed out in-step, the mountain's night air chilling Maggie through her long sleeve shirt.
She stepped out behind Reese, the glow of the city to her left. Reese rounded with her arms crossed. Cool wind whispered through the warehouse-district, abandoned in the late hour. Reese lit a cigarette, began to pace a short distance with swift, frustrated movements. Maggie sensed a deeper inner-conflict than she'd given Reese credit for.
She pursed her lips, blew smoke from her nose, “I heard you… talking.”
“Yeah, and?”
“You think I'm a mental case? That this is some fucking game?”
Maggie's face was blank. “If you'd really heard me, you'd know I think the opposite.”
Reese took a harsh drag, “I don't fucking like you, Doherty. I really don't. I'd be happier if you were dead.”
“Yeah, well, I'm not,” she replied idly.
Reese's fury grew. “Yeah, well, you should be.”
“Something I say get under you skin?”
“You know damn well I'm nobody's pawn!” Reese roared.
“Looks different from here,” Maggie replied, sickly satisfied by Reese's squirming.
Reese rushed Maggie. She grappled her, spun sideways. Maggie's back slammed the metal warehouse. Reese clasped her throat, held her there. Maggie refused to struggle, knew Reese's hope lay in terrifying her.
Reese leaned to whisper, her tone bordering on seduction, “I could kill you right now. Snap your neck. Leave you where you fall.”
Maggie fought not to gasp, retained her cool. She pressed a cheek to Reese's, whispered back, “You won't. Because then they win.”
Reese grit her teeth, growled to a crescendo, and slammed Maggie back against the warehouse. She released her to step away and turned in a huff with a long drag of her cigarette. Maggie choked for breath, doubled over with her hands on her knees.
Reese whirled to loom over her, “I'm no pawn. For you or anyone else. If I help you, I'm yours; if I stay, I'm theirs. So what? Just leave? Run away?”
“You'd be hunted down,” she replied in a rasping inhale.
Reese internalized her anger, spit a snide question, “So tell me, Miss Molly, what are my options, really? No bullshit. Say I agree with you. What do I gain by helping the English tart?”
She took a deep breath, straightening, “Stop thinking the world wants to control you. Fuck, Reese, you're not that special.”
“Sorry, sweetheart, things aren't that simple.”
“What happened to you, Reese?”
“Why don't you just shut the fuck up, Molly.” She flicked her cigarette away, stepped for the door.
“No, I want to know.”
Maggie shoved her sideways. Reese stumbled, caught herself on a wall, too stunned to respond with violence. “I'm just not miss-priss, hell-bent on saving the world.”
“No, you're miss hard-ass, hell-bent on destroying it.”
Reese shoved her back, “Maybe, but maybe I'm alright with that.”
“Even if it kills you!?”
“Fuck if I care,” Reese said, shoving her to the ground. She grasped the doorknob.
“I do!”
Maggie lunged. She tackled Reese's knees, knocked her into the sheet-metal. Reese's fury burst. A fist slammed Maggie's face, knocked her onto her back. She knelt over Maggie, landing blows into her sides and abdom
en. She blocked out the crippling pain and gripped the wound in Reese's arm, squeezed with all of her might. Reese howled, jerked back, pulled Maggie to her feet. She struggled to shake Maggie's grip as she screamed spittle.
Maggie taunted with a torrential out-pour, “Go ahead! Beat me like West did! I'm sure daddy's proud to see you in his shoes.”
Reese gave a blood-curdling rasp, unleashed a barrage on Maggie's face with her free hand. Her head ricocheted like a rag-doll. An arm made futile attempts to block. Maggie took a blow, jabbed Reese's throat. They fell together, Reese struggled to breathe.
Maggie centered her weight on Reese's chest, laid into her knees, “Is this what you want?”
She jabbed a fist into Reese's jaw. Blood ran from fresh wounds. She ignored the pain and growing heat in her body, unleashed a flurry of blows.
“Is this what you're missing? No control. Being tousled like a slut?”
“Fuck you!”
“Yeah, I bet you would!” Maggie spit flecks of blood, gripped Reese's wound with one hand. The other slugged her abdomen. “That's it isn't it? That's why you're here. You like it, don't you?” Maggie's eyes widened above a sadistic smile. “It's not like you know much else, you fucking tramp!”
Maggie pummeled Reese with uncontrolled rage. Blood soaked the hand clenching the wound. Part of her wanted to stop, knew it was wrong. The rest felt it was only a matter of time before Reese gave in and her emotional barriers collapsed. Only then could she reach the woman beneath.
She was tired of Reese's attitude. Tired of wasting time fighting. She needed her help. The whole damned world might depend on it. She wanted to beat Reese senseless. Break her down. Make her stop fighting whatever was inside. Maggie's fists ached. Her strength waned with her adrenaline.
Finally, with each blow came a word, “This. Isn't. About. You. It's. Bigger. Than. Your. Bullshit!”
Maggie mustered the last of her might and pelted Reese's cheek. Her head knocked against the pavement. Maggie stumbled back, hyperventilating. She fell against the warehouse, body splayed in exhaustion.
Reese was silent, dazed. Maggie's breathed in ragged gasps. It took a full-minute for Reese to roll toward her with a long groan. It was an awkward sound—almost pleasure-filled.
Reese spit a wad of blood sideways, wiped her mouth. She pulled Maggie forward by her collar, grabbed the back of her head and tongued her. It took a moment before Maggie's mind caught up. She pushed away. Reese rolled sideways, let out a heavy breath and licked her lips.
“That's it?” Maggie choked. “That's all this is about?” She was shocked; less at Reese's actions than her motivations. Reese propped herself against the wall. “All your bullshit's been about proving you're still a bad-ass even though you like women?” She suddenly calmed herself, too exhausted to shout. “I expected more, but I can't say I understand.”
Reese pushed herself up with a wince, “Why would you? Nobody fuckin' does.” She lit a second cigarette with a long drag. Her next words were begrudging but calm, “Let me guess, raised by mommy and daddy. Only kid in the big city. Lots of opportunities. When it got hard, you had someone to run to.”
“No. Raised by my mother. My dad died when I was young.”
“How sad,” Reese said, mocking sympathy. She puffed her cigarette with spite, “I'm the older of two kids. My parents wanted a son. When they got one, they forgot I existed until I pissed them off. Then daddy's little fuck-up had to go and fuck-up some more by liking girls. When I left I didn't even get a goodbye. I just walked out the door and never heard from them again. Then, I—”
She hesitated to avoid something deep. Maggie watched turmoil cross her face. It quickly disappeared.
Reese continued, seemingly more angry with herself, “I showed up for their funeral and no-one said a goddamned thing to me. I was all that was left of my family and no-one gave a shit.”
Maggie watched her mounting resentment, “I'm sure no-one that really knew them thought much of them.”
“Fuck them,” Reese spat. “How would they know what I went through?”
“Yeah, well, it's really worth turning against the world.”
“Like you'd know,” she snipped, wiping blood from a lip.
Maggie raised an eyebrow, “Did I stop too soon?”
She growled deep frustration, “You think I'd be talking if I wanted more?”
Maggie marveled at her idea of pillow-talk. “You really do get off on it.”
“Yeah, so thanks,” Reese said with a smokey plume. “As much as I fucking hate admitting it, you're right. Pain is all I really know. But it's too late to change that now.”
Maggie hesitated, as unstable as she seemed, Reese's perception was clear. Her damage might never be repaired, but it didn't necessarily make her a lost cause. If she could accept it would take time, she might still be saved from any horrors she'd yet to inflict.
Unfortunately, Maggie didn't have time, but she could promise to help regardless. It was an obvious out from Omega. Whatever they'd offered was hardly enough to overcome even the shred of possible hope at saving herself.
Maggie sighed, looked her over, “Look Reese, nobody gives two shits what you get off on unless you want them to get you off. Personally, I'd rather not be the one to do it, but if it comes down to that or letting all of Humanity die… I could do worse.”
For the first time since Maggie'd heard Reese's voice, she laughed with sincerity. There was no menace intended, no malice inflected. For one, simple moment, there was a spark of joy in her.
Reese winced from the jolting laughter on her pained body, “You know, I really don't like you, Doherty.”
“I don't like you either, but for now, we're stuck together.”
“I could always kill you.”
“Then you'd have no one to beat you to orgasm.”
Reese gave a resounding laugh, “I'm sure I could find someone. But you're missing the point; you think I can help you. I can't. You have no plan. No direction. What good's your little coup if we sit here with our thumbs up our asses?”
Maggie shrugged, “We either let them win or beat them.”
“You really don't realize the kind of resources Omega has,” she said, bemused. “If you fuck up, you're dead. End of story. And that's just us. Who the fuck knows what'd happen to you.”
“Then we play them for what they have,” she said thoughtfully. “We use their resources and contacts to get to the weapon.”
“West will come back in force,” Reese assured, snuffing her cigarette. “When he does, if Thorne hasn't finished, he'll kill him. If that happens, you're little masquerade's pointless.”
“What'll happen if he shows up and Thorne is done?”
“He'll take you guys prisoner. He's a junked out asshole, but he's not that stupid.”
“Then why leave us alone?” Maggie asked.
“If you think we're not being watched right now, you're worse off than I thought,” Reese admitted. “He's got surveillance cameras on us now. I doubt he's got audio, but… whatever. I hate that fuck and he knows it.”
“Are you alright?” Maggie asked with genuine concern.
Reese shrugged, “I don't like the fucking gorilla, and you've seen what he can do.”
“I meant about—”
“I know what you meant. It's that or he kills me. I could kill him, but then Black would kill me.”
“Not much of a choice if you ask me.”
“Yeah, well, at least with Kurst and Hoff around he was more tame.”
“Well, then I am sorry,” Maggie admitted.
“Doesn't matter. They're dead, I'm not. If we didn't expect to die we wouldn't be doing what we're doing. I guess the only choice is which side I'd rather have do me in.”
“So, you'll help?” She asked with renewed hope.
Reese rubbed her forehead, “I don't fucking know why, but—”
The door opened. Russell stepped out, shocked at the scene. His eyes darted over them. Blood leaked from a
gash on the right side of Reese's bruised face. Maggie's lower-lip was fat and purple from where her ring had hit and torn the skin.
Russell pulled his pistol, trained it on Reese, “The hell happened?”
Maggie waved him off, “Put the gun down, Russell, I'm fine.”
He looked to Maggie with skepticism, pointed his narrowed eyes on Reese, “What'd you do?”
“She did it all, boss man,” she grunted, rising.
He was dumbstruck by his apparent ignorance, but lowered his pistol to help Maggie up. She thanked him, “We're fine, Russell. Trust me.”
He caught her meaning, “If you say so.”
“I do. Got something for us?”
He holstered his pistol, “Thorne's decrypting the first book.”
Maggie nodded, “We'll be right behind you.”
He gave a final look for confirmation. Maggie nodded him onward. The door shut again, left the two women alone.
Maggie examined Reese, “I need your help with Thorne.”
“What?”
“Convince him to help us. We can't do this without him. We know Omega's black-mailing you, and Thorne's only holding on by a thread.”
“What am I supposed to do? Beat him senseless?”
“Offer him protection. Something. I know you can figure it out.”
“Sounds like you're using me in the meantime,” Reese admitted caustically.
Maggie grew more serious, “Reese, I am asking for your help to make things easier. We need him, and we need to get the hell out of here. I don't want to have to kidnap him.”
Reese sighed, “I don't know if I have that in me.”
“Did I really hit you that hard?”
She shrugged, “Maybe. Maybe it was just that good of a kiss.”
Maggie rolled her eyes, “It wasn't that good.”
“Says you,” she quipped with a raised brow. She relented, “I'll do what I can.”
In that moment, Maggie saw a spark within Reese she hadn't before, and she suspected, neither had anyone else. Even through the blood, sweat, and hardened exterior, Reese clung to her shredded Humanity. There was an odd sense of accomplishment at it, but a worrisome caution underlined it.
