Boone wondered for a minute if he didn’t have a mild concussion after all.
“The— What?” He looked from Asha to Thad and then over to Gabe. They all seemed to have no problem with her apparent non-sequitur.
Gabe seemed to take pity on him. He motioned Boone in closer. “Sad five bros is an acronym,” he said in a low tone.
“Acronym?” Boone repeated.
Gabe and Thad exchanged a look. Thad gave a slight nod.
“What I’m about to tell you isn’t classified exactly, but it’s not knowledge anyone outside of the SRU knows…”
Thirty seconds into the explanation, Boone flipped on his wire’s data recorder. If he’d learned one thing as a Marine, it was to pay close attention when those above him shared their knowledge…
* * *
While Gabe and Asha quietly finished recounting a technique known only to special operators, Thad’s gaze swept the crowd, his mouth thinning in anger at the number of people still milling around. He was just about ready to have Gabe break out his NCIC credentials to encourage the park visitors to disperse when the voice of an SI broke in over the sky park’s loudspeakers.
“Please proceed to the nearest shop.” The voice repeated this instruction, adding, “A small breach in the sky park’s ES field has been discovered. Do not panic; the situation is under control. But for your safety, please proceed to the nearest shop.”
It was almost comical how fast the crowd of onlookers dispersed. Startled exclamations sounded, a sense of urgency permeating the air, as visitors suddenly rediscovered their missing sense of self-preservation. Kids began running in every direction, chased by frantic parents. People flooded the sidewalks, vacating pools and streaming from rides in their haste to get to the nearest building.
“Now they react,” Asha muttered.
“Ain’t got the good sense God gave a goose.” Thad’s words were thick with disgust.
“Anyone want to explain why a gunfight didn’t register as dangerous, but an ES breach did?” Boone asked to no one in particular.
Gabe shook his head. “Bystander effect,” he told the corporal. “It’s not clear to them that the fight poses direct danger. An ES field breach on the other hand…”
A shout came from his left, and he turned to see two security officers bearing down on them. Beside him, Boone tensed.
“Easy there, hoss,” said Thad, a large hand landing on the corporal’s shoulder. “Sky park security. We’ll handle them, too.”
The two officials came to a stop, their eyes taking in the carnage. There was a lot to see, with two unconscious men, smashed bushes, Boone’s scratches and Thad’s scraped knuckles, and the canoe paddle draped casually over Asha’s left shoulder. As if sensing that her stance might seem a bit aggressive, Asha lowered the paddle, letting it dangle loosely from one hand.
“Officers,” Gabe greeted, activating his badge. The seal of the Navy’s Criminal Investigation Command floated in the air between them. “I’m Special Agent Gabriel Alvarez, NCIC.” He made a sweeping motion that included Thad, Asha, and Boone. “They’re with me.”
The older of the two Searcy employees shot Thad a sharp look. “We’ve been fielding reports all over the damn park. One of our security guards said a Navy lieutenant who matches your description called for the ES evac. That you?”
Thad nodded. “That’s correct.”
Before he had a chance to say anything more, the security officer turned narrowed eyes on Boone. “There are also reports of someone using our cabling as a zipline.”
Thad’s hand clamped down on Boone’s shoulder as the corporal started to shift uncomfortably.
“You got that right, too,” Thad said. His tone remained genial, but his expression had shuttered.
Gabe decided now would be a good time to intervene. “Gentlemen, you have a turf war brewing on your platform, between a rogue element of the Mastai cartel and its enforcers. Right now, the safest place for civilians to be is behind the protection of an ES field, which is why the lieutenant asked your office to issue the alert. I take it all your outbuildings have localized fields to keep patrons safe?”
The man blinked rapidly as he digested the information Gabe had just thrown at him. He swallowed hard at the word ‘cartel,’ darting a nervous look around. Shaking his head, he stuttered, “Ahh… we’re not equipped to take on organized crime—”
“Well, you see,” Thad drawled, “that’s why you have us.”
Gabe cut Thad a warning glance as the operator baited the man. He returned his attention to the guard in time to catch the skeptical look on his partner’s face. It was apparent the man had his doubts. Given their attire, it was understandable; they were dressed like any other park visitor, in t-shirts and board shorts.
“We have all the equipment we’ll need to bring them in,” Gabe said. “There aren’t that many of them, and now that the civilians are safe, we’ll be able to do our jobs without concern one of them might be harmed in the process.”
Asha stepped forward. “What we don’t know, though, is how many of your own people are compromised.”
Shock, revulsion, and denial played across their faces. Their reaction to her statement told Gabe that neither man had considered the possibility. The second man looked ready to argue the point.
Thad stepped in to head off any resistance. “We know for a fact that someone in maintenance is working with them.” He inclined his head back down the ceramacrete path. “I’ve vetted one of your security guards; he’s back by one of the kiosks, standing guard over one of the prisoners. He’ll oversee them for us as we detain them.”
The first guard looked from Thad to Gabe, wary acceptance settling on his face. “What should we do, then?”
Gabe chewed on the inside of his cheek as he thought it through. The man’s response, whether or not he was aware of it, indicated he’d yielded to Gabe’s authority. He stifled a laugh at that. He had no authority over a civilian facility, but if they hadn’t noticed, Gabe sure as hell wasn’t going to point it out.
“We’d appreciate it if you ran interference with the employees inside the buildings, the ones in direct communication with your park visitors. Do what you can to keep them calm and safely in place. We’ll wrap this up as fast as possible.”
24: EVACUATION
Saltwater Wave Pool
As the SI’s announcement began to broadcast across the beach, Chris Reid rose from his deck chair and stepped out from under the umbrella’s shadow.
“Chris?” His wife’s voice sounded behind him, tense with worry.
He flashed her a reassuring smile before striding to the water’s edge, his eyes on the water volleyball players who had stopped to hear what the SI had to say.
When the announcement began to repeat, Chris lifted his fingers to his lips, letting a shrill whistle pierce the air. The familiar sound had his son, Chase, spinning toward him. Chris pointed to the girls on the float and motioned for Chase to bring them in. The teen nodded and began wading out to where the young girls lay, oblivious to the alert that had just sounded.
Amy stepped up beside him, her gaze on her son. “You’d think the park would have a way to interrupt that VR program and warn them,” she murmured.
“I’m sure it violates some safety reg somewhere,” he agreed absently, his mind occupied by a fresh thought. A suspicion had begun to form that this ‘minor breach’ might have been sounded for another reason entirely. It hadn’t escaped his notice that they’d suddenly lost their connection to the outside world when the public net went down.
An itch at the back of his neck, one he’d learned in his military career to pay close attention to, had him reaching out to the medic. When she answered, she sounded a bit distracted.
He cut right to it. {Any truth to that announcement, or has your situation escalated?}
{Escalated,} she said after a moment. {He brought friends. And rivals.}
{Rivals?} His mental tone sharpened. {Want to clarify that for me, Spe
cialist?}
{The NCIC agent with me recognized one of the men as a Mastai cartel enforcer.} Quickly, she laid out everything that had happened thus far.
{And you’re certain you have this well in hand? I could leave the kids with Amy, commandeer one of the shuttles, and fly it out of range of the swamper,} he suggested.
The medic hesitated. {Let me run your offer by my lieutenant and the special agent. With civilians exiting the picture, they think the number of tangos is manageable.}
Chris sent her a mental nod. {I’m not going to second guess the boots on the ground. I’ll get the kids into one of the concession huts. I’m here if you need me. Remind your team to take advantage of every resource they have.}
Amusement pulsed his way. {I can assure you, sir, Gabriel Alvarez is no grandstander. Neither is Thad Severance. If either one thinks we could use the help, they’re not too proud to ask.}
Chris nodded as Gabe’s name registered. {Alvarez. I’ve heard of him. It’s nice to put a face to that name Man’s got a good reputation; once we’re out of this mess, I’d like to buy you three a drink, if you’ve the time.}
{We’ll take you up on that, sir. Sorry, sir. Gotta go.}
The connection cut out and Chris returned his attention to the kids pouring out of the saltwater pool.
“Tatiana,” he called out as the girl in the teal bikini stood at the water’s edge, looking around in confusion for an aunt who was no longer there.
She looked up at him as he stopped in front of her.
“I’m Colonel Reid. Your Aunt Asha had to step away for a minute, but my wife and I told her we’d look out for you. We need to move to shelter for a bit. Can you grab your things and follow us, please?”
He pointed toward the hut that sold concessions, situated alongside the boardwalk, at the edge of the beach. People from the pool were trudging up the small dune and streaming under its roof.
Tatiana looked from the crowd back to Chris and then shrugged. “Okay, sure.”
* * *
Halfway across the platform, Petra sank down behind a row of bushes, contemplating the evacuation order. This was unexpected. She wasn’t sure yet if it was a good or a bad thing. Either way, she needed to decide how the team was going to handle it.
{What the—} Kele broke in on their team channel.
Delia talked over him. {Shit! How’d that happen?}
Petra lifted a virtual hand to forestall their questions.
{Let me ping Jay,} she said. {His employee access should be able to tell us something…}
A minute later, the maintenance worker’s presence popped up in the channel.
{Jay, is there any truth to this announcement about an ES field failure?}
Jay’s mental voice was tinged with concern. {No, it’s bogus. I accessed the park’s systems monitor the minute the warning began broadcasting. Everything checks out. The ES field’s perfectly fine.}
Kele sent a mental shrug. {Well, with everyone rushing around, no one’s going to pay much attention to a woman pushing three dollies.}
{Yeah, but who ordered it, and why?} Delia sounded skeptical. {Would the enforcers use it as a ruse to clear the area?}
Petra shook her head. {That makes no sense. Enforcers would want to blend in with the crowd, not call attention to themselves. No, this is someone else’s work.}
{Are you thinking it might be the guy Ike chased? The Marine, maybe?} Kele asked.
{He’s just one guy,} Petra began, but then she tilted her head to one side as she gave his words serious consideration. {You could be on to something, there. It would make sense, especially if he caught sight of an enforcer. Guys like that are hero types, always thinking about getting civilians to safety. He might have used that argument to convince security to get people out of the path of flying bullets.}
{Does this change anything, Boss?} Kele asked.
Petra shook her head. {No. The Marine is none of our concern. You see him, steer clear.} She injected a bit of humor into her voice. {Who knows; maybe he’ll round up the enforcers and do our dirty work for us.}
Delia’s mental sigh was long and loud. {If wishes were horses.}
{Not gonna ask what horses have to do with that. Me, I prefer to have my wishes granted in cold, hard credits,} Kele said. {Although today, I might settle for a couple of enforcers, gift-wrapped with a nice ziptie and a one-way ticket to the bottom of the Pelican Ocean.}
{We’re going to have to make that happen on our own,} Petra reminded him. {Speaking of which… we need to get on with it.}
Despite her counsel to the others, Petra didn’t take her own advice just yet. She remained in a crouch, mulling over her next decision. After a moment, she reached out to Jay once more—but this time, it was on a private channel.
25: DISTRACTIONS
Maintenance Access Hatch
The third of the four reserve devices had just been placed into its cradle and the explosive sent on its way when the ping from Petra came across Jay’s wire.
{I need a distraction,} the cartel boss ordered. {Set off that charge you planted along the back of the infinity pool.}
Jay glanced worriedly at the final device. Carefully placing it into its cradle, Jay activated the crawler and backed out of the access panel.
{You sure you want me to set off one of the explosives? There’s no going back from that once you begin.} The question might not have been phrased as tactfully as possible, but Jay was running out of time.
{Yes, dammit. This whole backup plan was your idea. Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet now.} The cartel woman’s mental tone was acerbic enough to kick Jay into a fast jog.
{No, of course not. I’m only confirming.} The hide was just up ahead. Jay just needed to keep her talking for a bit longer. {How about I set off the smallest one first, just enough to get the sky park’s attention?}
{Fine, set that one off. I don’t care,} Petra snarled. {Just do it.}
Jay sped up, hitting the stairs at a run. Stepping onto the roof, the maintenance worker took a deep breath and looked out over the sky park.
{Copy that. Give me a minute. One distraction, coming right up...}
26: REINFORCEMENTS
Sky Park Grounds
Visitors continued to stream into the park’s outbuildings. Curious faces gawked at the tableau surrounding Boone as they rushed past. Acutely aware of time slowly ticking away, he chafed at the inactivity. He was relieved when Gabe made the executive call to hand their prisoners over to the two security guards.
Thad clapped a hand on Boone’s shoulder. “Told you it’d all work out. They’ll clean up after us and ride herd on the prisoners while we round up the rest.”
The hand on his shoulder steered Boone away from the others, leaving Gabe to iron out the details. “Come on; let’s get kitted up.”
Thad stopped to check on their two prisoners, while Boone turned his attention to the topmost box stacked on the dolly. He flipped open the lid and began rummaging inside, pushing past frag grenades and CUSP batteries until he found what he was looking for—a way to secure their prisoners. He pulled out the small flat case and turned to the operator.
“LT!” he called out. When Thad looked up, Boone held out two sheets of thin, flexible material. With the flick of his wrist, he sent them spinning toward the man.
Thad caught the zipties midair, then bent and slapped one onto their prisoner’s exposed neck. The nanopackage unpacked and the man, who had begun to stir, stilled once more. He crossed over to the thief and repeated the action.
Bending to scoop up the pistol the enforcer had dropped, Thad offered it to Boone with a questioning look, but Boone shook his head at the silent offer. He’d seen something else inside the box he’d rather use.
Boone had recognized the SWS case immediately. The Sniper Weapons System was one he was intimately familiar with, having used it to protect the herds on his family’s sprawling ranch from predators for years. He pulled the case free of the box and applied his palm to i
t, expecting it to challenge him for his military ID. As he’d feared, the thieves had breached the case’s security.
Opening the lid, he found exactly what he had expected to see: a Houghlin Kingsolver, pulsed tactical .308. The weapon could deliver both projectile and laser rounds, though the latter was reserved mainly for non-atmospheric combat. His hand closed around the frame’s familiar lines. In minutes, he had the rifle assembled.
Tucked safely inside a spare sleeve was an optical scope that beat to hell any augments known to man. He hadn’t had anything this sweet back home, though he’d used the precision tactical optic once on the range back at Ouray, when his instructor had brought it out to demo.
With this, he could easily dial in any location on the platform. He looked around at the sky park, recalling his earlier thought that most people—gun runners included—didn’t often think to look up when fighting or trying to retreat. The clock tower caught his eye, and he studied it thoughtfully. He dragged his attention back to Thad when the Unit operator called out to him.
* * *
Thad watched with some bemusement as the young Marine deftly assembled the sniper rifle. The ease with which he did so had Thad exchanging a meaningful look with Gabe. Somewhere along the line, this young corporal had become exceedingly comfortable with one of the deadliest personal weapons in the Alliance Navy.
“You qualified to shoot that thing, ami?’ he asked, with a dip of his chin toward the weapon in Boone’s hand.
The corporal nodded. “I requalified a month ago, on the range aboard Callaghan.”
“Score?” Thad shot back.
“Expert. Small bore and P-SCAR, too. Sharpshooter: flechette.” He grimaced. “Marksman: RAU-19.”
Gabe laughed softly. “You’re not a fan of the big bastards, I take it.”
Sudden Death (A Military Sci Fi Thriller) (The Biogenesis War Files) Page 12
