Devil’s Road

by Gary Gibson

  ‘Johnny was my first navigator.’

  He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back inside the foyer. ‘It’s about dawn. We should get moving in case the shots drew something else’s attention.’

  ‘But how did that thing know?’

  ‘All anybody knows is somehow they can dig around inside your brain and show you the people or things you most care about. From that moment, unless you’ve got any idea what you’re dealing with, you’re dead meat.’

  ‘You’re telling me they can read minds?’

  ‘It’s no crazier than anything else on this damn island,’ he pointed out. He started to get inside the Coupé and shot her an accusing look. ‘You were looking at the map.’

  Shit. ‘So?’

  He stared at her. ‘I hope you weren’t thinking of driving off and leaving me here.’

  She glared at him. ‘I wanted to see where we were going, is all.’

  He swore under his breath and tossed his rifle in the back. ‘Lucky for you the only thing I care about is getting the hell out of here before something else comes sniffing around.’

  Sidekick Du Jour

  The morning proved to be cool and foggy, with mist clinging close to the ground, and Dutch struggled to see further than a few hundred metres in the dawn light. She drove at a slow crawl, but before long the day got brighter and the road ascended, lifting them above the fog. She glanced to the East, seeing tall mountains towards the centre of Teijouan. The cameras recorded it all.

  They came to a halt, seeing the road bridge ahead of them had collapsed into a gorge. ‘That was still standing last time I came this way,’ she said.

  ‘Looks like it fell down sometime after last year’s race,’ said Nat, looking over the map. ‘We’ll just figure out another route.’

  Dutch pushed the door open and got out. Nat kept poring over the map, trying to find a way across or around the gorge. She shielded her eyes with one hand and peered north. Shinchiku’s skyline was about visible, far off on the horizon.

  As she watched, a tiny orange star rose from amidst the ruins.

  ‘Hey!’ She turned and shouted to Nat. ‘Look.’

  He got out and joined her. The flare ascended further, then faded. ‘That’s the Countess’s signal.’

  Dutch nodded. ‘She’s reached the first rendezvous. We need to move faster.’

  ‘Once again, we are not here to—’

  ‘I heard you the first time,’ she snapped. ‘But we still need to refuel before we make the crossing.’

  Nat spread the map on top of the Coupé’s roof. ‘Take a look,’ he said, beckoning her over. ‘There’s a river down in that gorge. The map says it’s shallow enough I think it might be possible for us to drive straight across it.’

  ‘But how do we even get down there?’

  His fingers traced a route on the paper. ‘A switchback road leads to the bottom of the gorge and back up the other side. It’ll take time, but any other route takes us too far inland.’

  Dutch sucked her teeth. ‘Risky, though. Someone like Vishnevsky can ford a river in that tank of his, but the Coupé’s a different matter.’

  ‘We might as well check it out. We’d be crazy not to.’

  She agreed to his proposal with some reluctance. They took a road off the highway and navigated their way down the switchback road. The road veered back and forth down the slope of the gorge like a madman’s scribble, but they were soon driving past warehouses and shops lining the banks of the river.

  Nat turned out to be right; the water didn’t come up much higher than their ankles. ‘It’s been a dry season,’ he noted. ‘No way we’d be able to get across if there’d been rain any time in the last few weeks.’

  Dutch used a low gear, easing the Coupé across the shallow flow. Another road ascended the opposite slope with yet more switchbacks, its flanks covered in what appeared at first to be tiny houses. Closer investigation revealed it to be a cemetery, the houses mausoleums.

  They were approaching the top of the hill when Doktor Elektron’s Peterbilt semi came roaring out from behind the cover of an electrical substation, catching the rear of the Coupé and spinning it halfway around in a circle. The impact slammed Dutch’s head against the wheel and she tasted blood. Her vision swam, but she stayed conscious. Beside her, Nat groaned and swallowed with apparent difficulty.

  She looked out the window and saw Elektron reversing his truck. If he rammed them a second time, they were dead.

  Dutch reached for the ignition and tried to start the engine again; it coughed once, then fell silent.

  She tried again: still nothing.

  Ice coated the inside of her chest as she stared at the key. She considered getting out of the car and running.

  Third time lucky, she told herself, and tried again.

  This time it caught.

  The tyres bit into the tarmac with a screech. The Coupé lurched forward and out of the way barely in time. She caught a glimpse in the mirror of Elektron slamming on the brakes before he plunged through the road-barrier and down into the gorge. He reversed and spun the wheel to pursue them, Kid Atomik by his side.

  The Coupé, by some miracle, remained functional. They picked up speed, steering past several ancient wrecks. The road still climbed ahead of them; one last switchback, then they were back on level ground.

  She almost shouted in triumph when she saw Elektron slipping to the rear. Then the Coupé inexplicably started to slow down, like one of those nightmares where you stay rooted to the spot no matter how fast you run.

  ‘What’s wrong with it?’ she screamed.

  ‘Dutch,’ croaked Nat. ‘The engine.’

  Steam came pouring out of the hood and Dutch worked the gas pedal to no effect. The car rolled past several more wrecks before drifting to a halt. She pounded the dashboard with a fist, screaming her frustration.

  ‘Out,’ yelled Nat, pushing his door open and disappearing from view.

  Dutch at least had the foresight to put on the brake before getting out and running. They were at the uppermost edge of the graveyard, and she saw a small mausoleum made from pink and grey stone behind a low concrete wall. She ran towards it, seeking cover.

  Shots cracked through the air as she threw herself flat behind the wall. She crouched low, bullets gouging chunks of stone from out of the mausoleum’s walls.

  The shooting stopped. She listened, hearing voices, although not well enough to make out what they were saying. One she recognised as Doktor Elektron, while the other had to be Kid Atomik, his sidekick du jour.

  A gap in the wall allowed access to a short concrete path that led into the interior of the mausoleum. Dutch crawled over to the gap and peered out: Elektron’s truck had pulled to a halt twenty metres further down the road. Past the opposite verge lay nothing but a sheer drop.

  She watched as Kid Atomik climbed onto the roof of the semi’s cabin. He lay flat, studying the road through a rifle fitted with a telescopic sight.

  The rifle twitched towards Dutch and she ducked back. A bullet knocked another chunk out of the wall behind her. The Coupé wasn’t hard to spot, given the steam still pouring from under its hood.

  ‘Hey, Atomik!’ she yelled, her voice echoing in the still, flat air.

  ‘What?’

  ‘You’ve got a stupid fucking name, you know that?’

  ‘Yeah?’ His voice sounded high and reedy. ‘Whatever the fuck kind of a girl’s name is Dutch?’

  Another shot knocked chunks out of the mausoleum. She glanced back out through the gap, wondering where in hell Nat had got to.

  Assuming Elektron or the kid hadn’t killed him.

  Now she had time to think, it was clear Elektron had planned his ambush well. He’d known the collapsed bridge would most likely force them to drive across the river and take the road up the side of the gorge. All he’d had to do was sit up here and wait.

  ‘You might as well come out from hiding,’ shouted Elektron. She couldn’t see him, but he sounded cl
ose. ‘Your car looks trashed.’

  ‘How about you give us your truck instead?’ Dutch yelled.

  Elektron laughed wheezily. ‘Where’s your boyfriend?’

  ‘No idea, but I can see yours on top of that truck.’

  ‘This isn’t a fucking joke, McGuire!’

  ‘You dumb shit,’ she bellowed, ‘I’ll bet your dick hasn’t been this hard in years.’

  She risked another glance and spotted Nat, still alive and crouched behind a hatchback. He nodded to her and put a finger to his lips.

  Elektron darted out from cover, a Beretta machine pistol gripped in both hands. He ran behind another wreck before dropping out of sight. Dutch swore under her breath. Neither of them had thought to grab a weapon before they abandoned the Coupé. But from the way Elektron kept running from cover to cover, he didn’t know that.

  ‘How much did Muto pay you?’ shouted Dutch.

  ‘I want to talk to your navigator,’ Elektron shouted back. ‘I know what he stole from Strugatsky!’

  She looked over at Nat and mouthed what the hell? But Nat shook his head.

  A shadow passed over the mausoleum building. Dutch craned her head back and saw something huge and winged pass low over the gorge. A second later a terrified shriek echoed up and down the road, followed by the sound of rapid gunfire.

  She ducked her head back out. Elektron stood out in the open, his back to both her and Nat. He’d lifted his Beretta to fire up at an enormous winged Kaiju flying into the distance, Kid Atomik wriggling in its massive claws.

  Nat didn’t waste time, jumping up from his hiding-place and running towards Elektron, knocking him flat. The Beretta went skittering across the road, and Nat rolled Elektron onto his back, flailing at him with his fists until he stopped struggling. Dutch meanwhile ran over and snatched up the Beretta before training it on Elektron.

  ‘Shit.’ Nat jumped back up, alarm on his face. Elektron stayed put, his face bloodied and bruised. ‘I forgot about those damn gloves of his.’

  ‘Uh-uh,’ said Dutch. ‘His suit won’t work here, remember?’

  Nat’s eyes widened. ‘Good point.’ He pressed one boot on Elektron’s neck. ‘You hear that, dickface?’

  Elektron’s eyes rolled in his head and he gurgled something inaudible. Dutch scanned the sky; she had a feeling the Kaiju wouldn’t return until after it had eaten its lunch. Nat yanked down the zip on the front of Elektron’s gizmo-riddled suit and rummaged around inside before pulling out a familiar red envelope.

  Dutch snatched it from him and pulled out a sheet of rice-paper covered in Japanese calligraphy. ‘So you were working for Muto,’ said Nat, staring at Elektron with contempt.

  Elektron stared back up at him with an angry scowl, his skin damp with sweat and the B.O. coming off him in waves. ‘That’s only part of it, and you damn well know why.’

  ‘What did you mean when you said Nat stole something from Strugatsky?’ asked Dutch.

  Elektron looked between them in confusion, his domino mask askew, then. ‘You’re serious? You don’t know?’

  ‘Nope.’

  A faltering grin caught one side of his mouth and he looked back at Nat. ‘How about it, navigator? You gonna tell her the truth?’

  Dutch fired the Beretta into the road a few inches from Elektron’s head. He jerked back and regarded her with silent horror.

  ‘Cut the bullshit,’ she roared. ‘What did he steal?’

  Elektron’s gaze shifted between them. ‘A map.’

  You piece of shit, Nat. ‘One that leads past the Rift?’

  Elektron nodded frantically.

  Blood pulsed in her head as she turned to look at Nat. ‘Is this true?’

  Nat shook his head in disgust, then turned and walked a few feet away.

  A greasy smile spread across Elektron’s face. ‘Shit, he really kept you in the dark, didn’t he?’

  ‘There was an expedition,’ said Dutch. ‘I know that much.’

  Elektron nodded. ‘Strugatsky sent a bunch of his scientists here to find what they could, except most of them disappeared.’

  Dutch twitched the barrel of the Beretta towards Nat, who had turned back to regard them both. ‘I asked you if what he’s saying is true.’

  Nat’s eyes grew larger. ‘Dutch—’

  She steadied her aim, Elektron forgotten for the moment. ‘Tell me.’

  ‘Fine,’ he said. ‘Strugatsky sent in the expedition, not Wu.’

  Dutch turned the Berreta back towards Elektron. ‘Tell me what else you know.’

  ‘Strugatsky knew someone had hacked into his secure networks and stolen data related to the map, along with samples of the superconductors, so he hired Muto to find out who.’ Elektron pushed himself up onto one elbow, moving slowly in case it gave Dutch an excuse to shoot him. ‘Once he realised Wu had put you in the race, Dutch, he figured you were being sent here to retrieve the rest of them from under his nose.’

  Dutch took a step back so she could train the Beretta on both of them. ‘That still doesn’t explain why you had one of Madame Muto’s death notices in your jacket.’

  ‘Listen,’ said Elektron, licking thin, greasy lips, ‘you’ve got the advantage here, and that’s cool. We’ve been friends a long time, and—’

  She fired another shot into the tarmac near Elektron’s head and he scrabbled backwards, closer to Nat. ‘Okay, Okay!’ he said in a panic. ‘Muto came to me with an offer two days before the race.’

  Two days? That meant Muto had discovered she’d be in the Devil’s Run after Wu decided to put her in it, but before he broke her out of jail. Hiro would have dug most of the information up for her.

  ‘To do what?’ Dutch asked. ‘Stop us getting to the superconductors first, or to kill me?’

  ‘…kind of both.’

  ‘Maybe Muto used your vendetta with her to cover up the real reason she wanted you dead,’ suggested Nat. ‘Because Strugatsky paid her to have you killed and keep us out of the race.’

  Dutch had to admit it made sense, but something still niggled at her.

  She moved closer to Elektron, poking him in the chest with the Beretta. ‘How did you manage to cut the fuel line in the Coupé?’

  Elektron stared at her in utter confusion. ‘What?’

  She poked the barrel hard against his chest. ‘Stop bullshitting me. How did you do it?’

  ‘For the love of God, Dutch, I swear I don’t know what you’re talking about!’

  ‘Why should I believe you, when you were sneaking around our car before the time-trials?’

  ‘Okay, fine,’ Elektron admitted. ‘I meant to plant a tracker—something real simple that’d work as long as you didn’t go too deep into the d-field. But you found me before I had a chance to do it. But I don’t know anything about a fuel line!’

  ‘Of course he cut it,’ said Nat. ‘I don’t think one true word’s ever come out of his mouth.’

  It occurred to Dutch that if Elektron had cut their fuel line, it would have been with the intention of doubling back and murdering them while they were stranded in the middle of nowhere.

  Instead, he’d waited until now, which made no damn sense unless he was telling the truth, and somebody else had cut the fuel line. And if it was somebody else, that meant whoever had Muto’s final death notice was most likely in the race.

  She pinched the skin between her eyes and massaged it. ‘I need to think about this.’

  ‘Dutch,’ Elektron said in a half-whisper, low enough Nat wouldn’t hear him. ‘You don’t need that guy—he’s been lying to you the whole time. But if you and me team up, maybe we—’

  Dutch shot Elektron in the thigh. He let out a full-blooded scream that rapidly dissolved into animal-like whimpering, his face bloodless and quivering.

  Dutch swung the Beretta back towards Nat. ‘He’s got one thing right—you lied to me about the expedition and Wu’s involvement in it.’

  ‘I had no part in that decision,’ he said. ‘For what it’s worth, I didn’t a
gree with it. But I had my orders from Wu.’

  Dutch’s face twisted up like she wanted to spit. ‘I swear to God I should leave the pair of you assholes here to rot.’

  ‘We got you out of jail,’ Nat pointed out. ‘If you turn up at that finishing line without me and Wu even suspects you abandoned me, he’ll throw you straight back in that Russian jail, and you know it.’

  ‘And if I talked? Told everyone the truth, about the real reason I’m in this race?’

  ‘There are easier ways to commit suicide.’

  ‘Listen to me, Dutch,’ said Elektron, his face stiff with pain. ‘He’s still keeping things back from you, like what the Rift actually is.’

  ‘Are you going to listen to any more of this bullshit?’ asked Nat.

  ‘Shut up,’ said Dutch. She nodded to Elektron. ‘How about you tell me what you think it is?’

  ‘It’s the one question everybody wants the answer to,’ said Elektron, biting the words out. ‘See, back when the Rift first formed, everyone got to running around in a panic thinking the North Koreans had nuked Teijouan. Except then the first Kaiju appeared, and they realised something else had happened.’

  ‘You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know.’

  ‘Yeah, but then a rumour went around that maybe the Americans had been developing some kind of weapon in league with the Teijouan authorities.’

  ‘I’ve heard that bullshit rumour before,’ she said. ‘Don’t try to test me.’

  ‘No, Dutch, it’s true. Except it wasn’t a weapon—it was an experiment.’ He gulped rapid breaths as he spoke, his skin slick and pale and his voice halting. ‘See, they built a secret facility up in the mountains where they could use death-row prisoners as guinea pigs. Wired them up to computers and fed them full of drugs.’ A peculiar fervour came into Elektron’s voice. ‘They were trying to hack the underlying code that controls reality itself, but they did it too well. They opened a door they couldn’t close.’

  ‘Where did you get this crap from?’ she demanded.

  ‘Wu knows the truth,’ Elektron insisted, jerking his chin towards Nat. ‘So does Strugatsky. That’s why they don’t let anyone but us onto the island, not even scientists, except for their own people—it’s all a cover-up.’