He looked at her, completely confused. “Why would I?” he asked. He pointed to Paige. “She’s planning to expose me. Why would I let her go? I need to find out what she knows, and who she’s told.”
“And then she’s as good as dead?” asked Molly. Her anxiety and frustration was turning to rage.
“Yes, probably,” responded Dewitt, excited that he was getting her riled up. Getting a reaction was something he lived for.
Of course, it wasn’t something he could do in his professional life, but when he had control over people in his private life, he would go to town on them. That had been what had provoked his late wife, and a few others since.
“You’re a monster!” Molly grated.
“Another way we’re alike. You and I, Molly…we’re just ambitious. And I’m tired of being everyone’s bitch. I’ve been used and abused my whole career. I’ve been the Syndicate’s pawn for the last twenty years. And now, now—when I most need their support to clean up their mess—they abandon me. Reject me! Tell me they’re distancing themselves from me?!”
He paused a moment, his voice dropping to a whisper. “I’ll give them distance!”
Molly couldn’t be sure from where she was, but it looked like his hands were shaking in anger. His jawline looked tense, but the rest of his face was strangely expressionless.
Probably something he’s picked up being a politician, she assumed, hiding his true feelings.
He was hovering over his brief case again, and this time took out a small bottle of liquid. Molly watched him intently.
He continued on, as if he were explaining his sins for absolution. “I’m not mixed up with them because I crave power or politics. I was like you once.” He glanced at her, a small smile on his face before looking back at the liquid. “Young. Idealistic. But then they made me kill my wife, and because of the divorce, it looked really bad. They offered to make it all go away, and I’ve been working for them ever since.” He paused, twiddling the bottle in his fingers, before glancing over to Paige who had been helplessly watching the interaction unfold.
She wished she hadn’t tried to be brave. She wished for once she had just followed her gut and gotten out of town. Too late for that now.
“There’s really no way out of this for me. Or, unfortunately, for either of you.” He started to walk deliberately back towards the table and Molly.
Molly changed tactics. “You don’t need to keep working with them. If they’ve abandoned you, then you’ve got a way out. Why keep cleaning up to keep them safe? Your career is going to be finished. You can make a deal…expose them, in exchange for your safety. There are other ways!” Molly’s voice was cracking as she spoke through her anxiety, trying to persuade him with reason.
“No there aren’t.” Dewitt’s shoulder dropped noticeably, and for an instant he looked like a defeated man. “You can’t understand how powerful they are. They own the police. The military. The legal system. There is no way this can end well for me. I need to silence you two, and however many people you’ve told. If I’m lucky, they’ll let me keep going and push this bill through.”
With that, he put the bottle down on the table next to the saucer and headed over to Paige. Grabbing her roughly, he dragged her like a rag doll off the couch, onto the floor, and across the wooden flooring to the door. Dewitt propped Paige up by the doorway; the guy in the atmosuit guarding the door turned to look at her, then resumed his position.
Dewitt grunted something at him, and the guard spoke into his holo, presumably to another team member.
Dewitt walked back to the couch, closed up his briefcase, and placed it by the door as well.
“Here’s what’s going to happen now, Molly,” he told her clinically. “You’re just going to fall into a deep sleep you’ll never wake up from. I’m going to take Paige somewhere more comfortable, and we’re going to have a little chat. She’s going to tell me everything I need to do to clean up this frightful mess, and then I’m going to get this goddamn bill passed and get on with my life.”
He picked up the bottle of liquid and put a few drops onto the pink disc. Immediately the chemicals started reacting, giving off a lot of mist.
Dewitt quickly moved backwards, watching as the mist thickened. Breathing it in, Molly started choking uncontrollably.
He continued his education. “I like this method of clean up. It leaves no trace in the room, or in the blood… especially not with these high ceilings,” he indicated upwards.
A second later, he was at the door. He scooped up his briefcase and dragged Paige after him.
Molly didn’t even see him leave. The fog around her was thick and black. She racked her brain trying to figure out what this stuff was…but it was so hard to focus.
Oz. Oz, are you there?
Safe house, fifty kilometers west of Uptarlung
Both men looked aged and tired. They’d been at this for hours now, and though they were making good progress, the work was like combing through a haystack for a couple of needles.
“I think I’ve nearly got all the evidence we need to prove our case. Just need to present it so it’s good for each media outlet and the official channels. Who should we include on the list? The chief justice? The police commissioner? The normal police channels for reporting this kind of crime?”
Garet was thinking out loud, and also constructing the list that he was about to put into action.
Joel looked up from a bunch of lewd photos he’d been sorting through.
“Yeah, all of the above, and anyone else you can think of. The more people, the better.”
“Great. I’ll compile a list of social channels too. I’m sure the Angry Onion would want to know about this!” Garet smiled, relieved that they had a way out of the pickle he’d been in no less than twenty-four hours ago. “How are you doing? Any good shots?”
Joel nearly laughed out loud. “I’ll tell ya, this guy has no shame. He will screw anything with an orifice if it’s going to help his career. I was worried we’d have to catch him in the act, but it looks like a bunch of people over the years have done that for us. Grieving divorcees, pissed off husbands—even his own people looking to leverage him. The guy is a scumbag, and so are all his associates by the looks of it.”
“So, you think just sending them to his judge lady friend will be enough? You aren’t worried that she knows about this already?”
“I’ve checked their messages. She thinks he’s all hers, and is pushing for them to make the next step in commitment. What’s worse, I think she’s in love with him. No way their relationship is going to remain intact once these images go out.”
“Want me to throw some into the media shitstorm I’m cooking up, too?” Garet was excited about regaining some power and getting some revenge on the guy who tried to have him killed.
“No. Need to keep these separate. If we go mixing them up it will look like someone is trying to damage his career and it won’t be taken seriously. Keep it clean.”
Garet nodded his understanding, and continued arranging the materials he’d gathered.
Joel checked the time. Molly should be with Crash and Brock by now. He should call her to make sure they were set to release their findings. She’d probably want to look over the materials before they went out.
After disabling the jamming app, Joel pulled up the call function on his holo and dialed.
“That’s strange…”
Garet looked up. “What’s that?”
“Call isn’t going through. Lemme try the guys she’s meeting.” Joel dialed Crash.
“This is Chris Ashworth.”
“Crash, hi, this is Joel. Is Molly with you?”
“No, she’s not shown up yet. We’ve been hanging about for a while now. Any idea on her ETA?”
Joel’s brow furrowed.
Noticing something was up, and only being able to hear Joel’s side of the conversation, Garet sat up.
“Something must be w
rong. She messaged me hours ago. Are you sure you didn’t miss her?” Joel’s eyes darted left to right, as if searching the space in front of him for insight.
“No, we got here about ten minutes before we said we would. If she got to the hangar, we’d know about it. I can go check with the main gate, though. See if she signed in.”
“Yeah, if you could, that would be helpful. Call me back.”
Joel disconnected the call.
Shit, if only there was some way to trace her holo. That had been an Oz trick, though. He had no idea how to do that. He stood up, and started pacing, trying to figure out his next move.
Chapter 18
Spaceport, Hangar 08771A, Outskirts of Uptarlung
Crash had told Brock about the conversation, and the two quickly got into Crash’s car to drive down to the gatehouse.
“I hope everything’s all right,” muttered Crash. “Joel sounded anxious. I think they’re mid-mission. Figured they had a client with them at the safe house when we interviewed.”
“If I had known you were going to be working this team, I would have worked much harder at the interview!” Brock said, rolling his head against the headrest to look at him and smiling. For a short moment their eyes locked, but Crash had to turn away to watch the road. Brock broke the moment further by commenting on the car.
“Man, you’ve got nothing personal in this car. No gear, nothing to make it comfortable. Just like something issued temporarily by the military.”
“You know me. Mission ready, and not much else to plan for.”
“Yeah. I remember.”
They pulled up by the gatehouse and they both got out. Crash tapped on the door, and then stepped into the little office. The gatehouse guard looked up from his holo. From the color of light coming off it, he was probably watching a movie.
“Yup?” he asked. “How can I help?”
“Sorry, we were just wondering, have you had a Molly Bates sign in yet?”
Brock stood in the doorway watching the exchange.
“Molly Bates?” The guard clicked to a different frame on his holo and scanned down a page. “No, not tonight. You expecting her?””
“Yeah, over at hangar 08771A.”
The guard looked down at his list again, and shook his head. “Sorry, nothing here. Tried calling her holo?”
“No, not yet. Thanks.” Crash stepped out of the office, and they headed back to the car.
“What you thinking?” asked Brock.
“I’m thinking that maybe Joel has reason to be worried. You don’t arrange to meet your new crew for an urgent mission and then just not show up….”
Then, having another thought, he popped his head around the door and spoke to the guard. “Hey, if you have her sign in, can you get her to call us straight away?”
The guard nodded. “Sure.”
“Oh, and we’re expecting to take receipt of some supplies too. So we’re around if they show up.”
“Yep, got your holo contact on your sign-in. I’ll let you know.”
Crash nodded his thanks, and then stepped outside again. He pulled up his holo and dialed Joel.
Joel answered. “Hi, Crash. Anything?”
“Hey, Joel, we’re at the gatehouse, and they haven’t had her check in at all. I guess we’ll just wait here, but let me know if there is anything we can do.”
“Okay, let me know if you need anything.”
Crash clicked off.
“Maybe we should wait back at the hangar?” Brock suggested.
“Good plan,” agreed Crash. They returned to the car, and set off back to the hangar, keeping their eyes peeled and taking in the lay of the port, just in case.
Unknown location
Molly started to regain consciousness. Trying to move, she realized she was still tied to the chair. Her head hurt something awful, but from the inside out, rather than from that bump she took earlier.
Shifting in her chair, she tried to get more comfortable and sit up a bit. The sick feeling from the beer was still with her, but amplified ten times with a different type of hangover.
Oz. Are you there?
She felt something shift in her neurology, like Oz was booting up or something. She wished she could reach around for her holo and run a diagnostic, but there was no way she was getting out of these bindings without some help.
Oz, she called to him more determinedly. Wake your fat arse up. We’re in trouble.
The stirring happened again.
Molly started scanning the room for something to help her get free. Anything. Something sharp, something she could leverage the ties free with. Just something…
How about I call Joel?
Oh, Oz, you’re awake. Thank goodness.
Relief flooded through their shared system, and even Oz seemed to buzz through her head a little more lucidly.
Yes, get out coordinates to Joel.
She thought for a moment.
Any ideas what that chemical bath bomb could have been?
Let me find out… Looks like it’s some kind of experimental sleep drug that was discontinued in stage two trials because it would bind with the blood and kill their test subjects.
You’re kidding?
I am not.
So how did I survive?
The alcohol in your system. It seems that the alcohol has a higher affinity with your blood than the toxin. This means that your liver has mostly been able to excrete the toxin before it could bind to the blood or build up in any of your organs to cause any significant damage. The fact that you also fell unconscious meant that you took in less of the toxin in before it dissipated.
Molly shifted in the chair again, trying to wiggle her hands free.
I’ve managed to get a message to Joel’s holo with our coordinates. If he’s still in the house with the jamming signal activated, he won’t get the message until he either switches off the jamming or leaves the property.
He must have noticed I’m missing. Mind, the way we left things, I’m not sure he still cares. He may have abandoned the mission entirely. Okay, let’s find a way to get me free…
Dewitt Residence, Spire
Dewitt opened the front door to what Paige could only guess was his mansion. It was enormous and beautiful, like something out of a fairytale in her books as a child.
Dewitt grabbed her by the arm and pushed her in. Henry followed, letting Erik take care of the car.
Inside the mansion, Paige noticed beautiful floors and rugs, and what looked like a grand piano in the foyer. She guessed it was a piano but she’d never seen one in real life. They were something of a relic from the human civilization. Why he liked it, she wasn’t sure.
Dewitt didn’t give her a chance to take in the environment. Distracted, he pulled her roughly toward the stairs and pushed her upwards.
“I’m going to make our guest more comfortable upstairs. Erik, come. You’ll need to guard her.”
“I’m Henry.”
“Henry, Erik…whatever.” Dewitt answered.
Henry followed him obediently.
At the top of the stairs, Dewitt guided her to what must have been a guest room and shoved her in. Rethinking this, he followed her in, grabbed her again, and then shoved her into the closet. He closed the closet and bound the handles together using a curtain tie.
“She’s your responsibility now. Under no circumstances does she leave that closet. Understood?” He stared at the Ogg.
Henry nodded, and Dewitt left, closing the bedroom door behind him.
Unprepared for taking care of a live prisoner he wasn’t to kill, Henry stood awkwardly looking at the closet. He went to cross his arms and hesitated. He cocked his hip and put a hand on it, then stood straight again. Finally, and self-consciously, he sat down on the bed and rested his hands in his lap.
This was not what he had in mind this morning when he was told to tail a traitor.
“Seems like we’re all go
ing to transfer dimensions painfully.” he said out loud, forgetting that the girl was sentient, and alive.
Safe house, fifty kilometers west of Uptarlung
Joel had been pacing for a good ten minutes, and Garet didn’t know whether he should keep working to try and console Joel. He clearly cared for Molly, even if they had gone through an enormous bust-up.
He looked up, watching Joel, trying to decide what to do.
“Is there any way to track them at all?” he asked. “I remember my aunt put an app onto my cousin’s holo so she knew where he was if he ever got into trouble. Totally ruined his social life, though…”
“No. We hadn’t thought that far. This operation is brand new.” Joel was still pacing.
“You know, the best thing for us to do is get this stuff out according to plan. She might just have gone to a bar or something. They had a few drinks before they left.”
“You don’t seem that worried about Paige.”
“I’m sure they’re fine. I’ve seen you guys in action. There is no one I’d feel safer pairing Paige with. Molly knows how to handle herself, and I know she’s got Paige’s back. From what I could overhear, those girls were bonding.”
Joel paused for a moment, taking in the information. If he hadn’t been such a hothead, she never would have been drinking like that.
His holo beeped as a priority message came in. In the panic, he’d forgotten to reset the jammer.
Opening the message, he saw it was from Molly. Well, Oz. “We’ve been kidnapped, Paige is gone, here are our coordinates. Please hurry.”
Forgetting Garet, he grabbed his packed gear from the other room and headed out to the car. Garet was shouting, but it was background noise to Joel. Firing up the engine, he was ready to take off when Garet, barefoot on the gravel, appeared at his window.
Opening the car window, Joel remembered the bigger operation.
“Let me come with you. I can help.” His face was anxious, showing deep concern for Paige.
That made him a liability.
The Ascension Myth Box Set Page 17