Sean swiped through the living room holo, looking at recent activity. “Looks like. Most recent activity that wasn’t just the cleaner checking in was about nine months ago,” he told her as she came back into the room.
She leaned against the kitchen doorframe. “Think he’s on the run?”
Sean turned to look at her. “Probably. I mean, hopefully. According to Molly’s profile, that would be a fate worse than death.” He paused, looking around and holstering his weapon again. “Although…” he ambled over to look at a picture of the city, “Spire was his home. From what we can tell, after he left the outer system, he worked hard to not have to keep running and hiding. He went to great lengths to change his identity. My guess is he won’t be so easy to run out of the city.”
Jack went over and stood next to Sean as he inspected the picture on the wall. “You think he might change his identity again?”
Sean nodded. “He might try. If it means disappearing but keeping the comfort of his old life.”
Jack glanced up at him. “So, is there any way we can trace that? So that he can’t?”
Sean tilted his head sideways. “I’m not sure. There are a few things we could try…”
He started back towards the door. “In the meantime, he’ll be sweating it out; which is exactly what Molly wanted for him. He knows we’re onto him, and he knows we’re coming for him. It’s just a matter of time.”
He led the way back out into the hall and pulled up his holo, connecting a call with Maya. “Hey, Maya,” he said, waiting for Jack to follow him out and then closing up the apartment behind them. “Looks like the apartment is a bust. Want us to run down any more locations while we’re down here?”
Jack waited while Maya and Sean spoke over his implant. She headed back in the direction of the stairwell, noticing everything she could about the building — imagining the people who might live here, while listening for any sounds of life. There was nothing. Just silence.
And Sean. “Okay. We’ll head back, then; but let Molly know that if she needs us, we can be with her as soon as she has a location she wants to check out.”
Sean and Maya said their goodbyes, and then Sean hung up.
Sean shrugged as he headed over to the stairwell. “Looks like it’s back to base for us. For now. There’s another possibility that Oz has flagged, but we’re going to need a different ride.”
Jack eyed him suspiciously, but already knew better than to push him to reveal. He was having way too much fun. Something told her that the next ‘ride’ was going to have big, manly guns attached to it.
And probably lots of them.
Senate House, Spire
Joel stepped back into Garet’s office. “Hotel is booked,” he told Paige.
She looked up, eyes weary and skin dull from the hard work and focus.
“You look beat,” he told her.
Paige nodded. “I am,” she sighed, closing down a holo screen and sitting back. She glanced at Garet, who was pacing by his desk, talking to another senator. “I think it’s time to call it a night. We’ve done all we can do.”
Garet finished his call and turned back around. “We’ve got another one on board,” he announced.
Paige, despite her fatigue, clapped her hands. “That’s great news!” she exclaimed brightly. Then her face changed suddenly to serious-Paige. “But we need to get some rest.”
Garet waved as if to tell them goodnight, but Paige wasn’t done. “And when I say ‘we’, I mean all of us.” She looked at him sternly as he went to make another call. “I mean it, buddy. Plenty more to do tomorrow,” she told him.
Garet looked at the time and yawned. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” He raised one eyebrow, almost playfully. “Probably,” he added.
She narrowed her eyes and started packing up. Joel stepped over to the sofas to help her.
Garet had started doing the same. “Hey, do you guys need a car to your hotel?” he asked.
Joel looked over. “No, but thank you. We’re good.” He had a glint in his eye. Paige could tell he was dying to show off the pods, but she knew he wouldn’t. They’d had this conversation about the tech they had access to. It just wasn’t worth drawing attention to it.
Joel had done all he could. “Okay, I’ll meet you outside on the steps, Paige.”
Paige smiled over at him. “Sure. Thanks,” she added.
Garet ambled over and perched on the chair next to the two sofas. “You did good today,” he told her.
She smiled. “Thanks. You weren’t bad yourself.” She glanced at the door. Part of her wanted to be here, to get some closure; the other part of her just didn’t trust him. She wasn’t concerned about her safety – she just felt a little uncomfortable around him, now.
Garet dropped the professional facade for a moment. “So, how is life up on Gaitune these days?” he asked.
She could see his eyes were fatigued with stress, and he’d started graying a little. Yet somewhere, she felt, was the same guy in there: the junior official who would flirt with her when he came by her desk to see his boss.
Paige closed her bag and stood up. “It’s great. It’s everything I didn’t have down here.”
Garet stood up with her. “Good. Hey, let me walk you out…” He motioned to her to lead the way and they headed for the door. Before they got there, though, he stopped. “You know… if you ever wanted to come back…” His voice seemed to catch in his throat.
Paige turned around to look at him properly. He seemed genuine. She paused a moment, considering.
He looked at her expectantly, like maybe without Joel around she might be different. Paige’s eyes dropped to the floor and she shook her head. “No. I don’t want to.” She forced a smile. “But thank you.”
Paige turned and stepped through the open door. Garet made it to the door and paused. He hung one hand on the door, trying to decide whether to follow her out or to stay, and escape any awkwardness.
He called after her. “You go on ahead. I’ve just remembered something I need to do.”
She turned back and waved, then carried on down the hall, feeling just a little bit stronger; feeling that her answer had allowed her to reclaim a small piece of herself.
Police Precinct, Downtown Spire
Molly sat back in her chair and stretched. “Oh my ancestors. I’m so ready for another mocha!” she declared, half-yawning, half-whining.
Chaakwa looked up, her stony police lady face breaking into a grin. “How on Sark will you sleep tonight, if you have one at this time?”
Molly shook her head. “It’s a good point, but the mocha addiction comes first.”
Chaakwa chuckled. “You’re a braver woman than I,” she smiled, looking back at the file she’d been scouring through.
Oz, we got anything new?
Closest match is a 78% probability.
“Still at 78% for that abandoned building…” she relayed to Chaakwa.
Chaakwa pursed her lips. “Damn it. Lemme see if there are traffic cams in that area. Maybe we can get lucky…”
Chaakwa opened a different screen and started identifying herself to the police system.
It was past 11pm, and most of the normal office activity outside had died down. Molly had considered trying their in-house mocha machine, but each time had talked herself out of it, knowing what a disappointment it would be.
“Let me call my team and let them know where we’re up to,” she said finally, getting up out of the chair from which she hadn’t moved for the last several hours.
Chaakwa acknowledged her statement and continued accessing the system, cross-referencing the address and cross streets they were interested in.
Molly had pulled up her holo. The call connected. “Hey, yeah, it’s me.” She paused. “Yeah, I guess Oz is routing it through the ops room, and whatever mystical tech they’re using there. Yeah, it’s on my list… anyway, Maya, listen to me.”
Molly paused
, waiting for Maya to finish her apology for rambling. “It’s okay. I’m here with Detective Chaakwa; we’ve identified a building where Andus might be holed up, but we’re working on making certain he’s there. In the meantime, Oz is going to send you some other intel we’ve gathered. Detective Chaakwa had another four or five businesses, and some more properties for him that we didn’t know about. We need you and Pieter to do the same on those, alright?”
Chaakwa glanced over at Molly while her system completed a search. Molly continued talking some more. “Yes, yes. That’s fine. Okay, I’ll be back in a few hours, I think. Check in on Joel and Paige for me, and get an update.”
She paused again. “Yep. You’re point lady right now. It suits you,” she added with a little laugh. “Okay, great. Yes, see you in a little while.”
Chaakwa smiled over the top of her holoscreen. “Good team you have there,” she commented.
Molly considered her statement. “Yes. I think you’re right,” she said, smiling contentedly. She flipped her holoscreen closed and sat back down where she had been working. “Right, let’s see if we can get that 78% to over 90%…”
Senate House, Spire, Conference Room
It was mid-morning the next day, and Garet had managed to peel himself away from the hub of activity happening in the main conference room where he had met with the AG the previous afternoon.
He pulled up his holo and called Molly. The call connected.
“Molly. Hi. Yeah, it’s me. Everything is okay.” He paused, listening in his auditory implant. He nodded. “Yes, we’ve got the ruling you need. The AG is on board, and we’ve just agreed by a majority to support it. It all goes official next month, but we’ve more than enough support to make it a fait accompli.”
Garet glanced back through the half-open door he’d just come out of, and watched the other senators and decision-makers for the city work through the fine details. There was little disagreement on what needed to happen; the only friction they were working through was how to best get it done.
And that was the kind of friction they were all happy with.
Joel stood in the opposite corner of the room, carefully watching everything that was going on. He caught Garet’s eye and gave him a discreet thumbs up. Garet nodded, smiling, then stepped away from the doorway again.
Garet answered Molly’s question. “Yes; within about six months, the law about needing private insurance will be repealed, effectively undoing the system of financial slavery.”
He smiled, hearing how pleased she was at the result. Then he continued. “We have enough commitment to ensure that there will be government-supported health provisions. We have one or two key players we still need to bring on board, but this is more than enough to undo the primary care level of Jessica’s empire.”
He winced, hearing Molly squeal with delight on the other end of the call. Quickly he grappled with the holo to attenuate the volume. He was glad he did. It went on for a little while.
“Okay. I should get back in there, then. Talk later.” They said their goodbyes, and he ended the call before stepping back in the room.
Chapter 11
Gaitune-67, Hangar deck
It was late morning and the team had already been up for hours, prepping for the final takedown of The Syndicate. Spirits were high as the team assembled on the hanger for their final pep talk and briefing.
Pieter and Brock stood around, feeling a little out of place— as even Maya seemed to have suited up into something combat-comfortable.
Sean, Crash, and Jack were obviously ops-ready, with their body armor and flight gear outlining and accentuating all the places a warrior would like to look big, or trim.
Molly was the last to arrive, presumably having just come from a talk with the General. Her face was serious, and her hair pulled roughly back against her head. As she approached, the team hushed; sensing intuitively that this was big leagues, as well as potentially life-and-death, now they had got through all the research and prep.
Sean stepped over to her and handed her the wooden stick that she’d started carrying on missions. “I dunno how much use this is against the guns that fire bullets and rays,” he told her, “but I’ve seen you use this thing… and you’re pretty lethal with it. I thought you might like to take it with you - just in case.” Molly looked up at him, noticing a genuine respect and caring in his eyes. For the first time ever, she saw him as a protector— not just a warrior. She shook the thought from her head, calling herself stupid for such a silly observation. Her appreciation was evident, though. “Sean… thank you,” she told him softly, if not a little awkwardly.
He touched her shoulder, careful not to let his hand linger too long in front of the others - in case they misinterpreted it. “I just figured without Joel here to support you, it… well. You know.” He stepped back to where he had been standing with the others, and let her start the briefing.
Molly nodded to him in thanks, and then looked to the whole team assembled. “As you mostly already know, Detective Chaakwa was very helpful yesterday. She helped us to not just find the likely location, but to get a 92% confirmation on where Andus is right now.” She pulled up her holo and stretched the screen to make it big enough for the small group to all see.
Oz, show us the footage, please?
Molly continued, talking over the video clip. “Traffic cams clocked him two blocks from this location. We’re pretty sure he’s here. Maya, you know what to do with this one. Take Pieter and Brock, and let’s make Andus’s worst nightmare come true.” Molly and Maya exchanged knowing smiles.
“Wo-oooooooooah!” interrupted Brock. “We ain’t combat ready!” he protested, his whole body involved in the conversation.
Maya chuckled and put a hand on his forearm as she stood next to him. “It’s okay,” she tried to assure him.
Molly grinned at him. “Don’t worry, Brock. Maya’s got the game plan. You don’t need to be combat-anything. In fact, you boys just need to look pretty. Maya’s got this handled.”
Brock turned and checked out Maya head to toe, then back to front.
Maya chuckled again. “What you doin’?” she asked, trying to see what he might be looking at on her body.
Brock clapped his hands once. “Girl, I’m just looking to see how many weapons you’s packing!”
Maya grinned. “I don’t need any. You’ll see why…”
Brock stood mostly still again, muttering quietly to Pieter who stood on the other side of Maya. “We’s dead. We both is dead!” he warned him, now mostly playing, but clearly still a little concerned by the latest plan.
Molly shook her head, smiling. She continued the briefing. “Meanwhile, Jessica’s empire is crumbling,” she announced. “Yesterday, the board voted to offload 164 of the subsidiaries. This means that within a few hours, the announcements will have all been made, and the share price of her company will plummet uncontrollably. Her empire will be destroyed.”
There was a mini round of applause in the team. Molly appreciated their enthusiasm for the conquests that were more than just blowing shit up. She was in task mode, though, so she skipped really enjoying the experience, and continued on with the briefing. “Crash and I will deliver the news to Jessica, and explain exactly why this fate has befallen her,” she told them.
“Sean and Jack,” she said, looking over in their direction and tapping her stick against the side of her leg, barely feeling it through her knee-high combat boots, “you’re cleared by the General to use the Mini Empress to take out Mac’s desert safe house.
“Oz,” she told the rest of the group, “has tracked Mac to a safe house in the desert, which has powered up. The General agreed that you need a ship to deal with that one; the pods just aren’t built to go up against anti-aircraft guns. Plus, I understand you’ll both enjoy blowing the fuck out of something,” she added, turning back to Sean and Jack with a glint in her eye.
“You got that right, boss,” smirked Sean,
flexing his pecs underneath his folded arms.
Jack stood next to him, looking just as battle-ready; and maybe even a little battle-hungry, from the look in her eye. Sean glanced down at her and put out his hand for a high-five. She slapped his hand hard, forcing him to shake it out and mouth “oww,” mostly for the amusement of the rest of the team.
Molly wasn’t done with that part of the op, though. “Be careful,” she warned. “From what we know of this guy, he is weapon-savvy, and a former arms dealer. There is no doubt he’ll have some nasty shit stashed away somewhere, and where better to keep it than out in the desert? You’re flying into a war zone. Don’t think of it as just one guy with a gun.”
Sean and Jack had both sobered up with their playing, and nodded solemnly.
“Okay, folks,” Molly said, bringing their attention back to her briefing. “One last thing. Joel and Paige are still at the Senate House with Garet. It’s thanks to their hard work that we’re able to do this takedown in good conscience, and leave the planet much better off than before.” She paused, looking around the team. There was a sudden air of respect and almost pride in what they were about to achieve.
“Let’s keep them in the loop,” she continued, “and make sure we bring them home safe when all this is all done. Joel has full jurisdiction to make a decision on what happens with Garet when we’re through. They’ve been working closely, and we think Garet has indeed thrown his chips in with us; but Joel has the final decision on that one… just so we’re all clear.”
There were nods and “yes ma’am”s that reverberated around the hangar deck.
“Okay, let’s move,” she told them, clapping her hands the way Joel does to indicate they were dismissed to get going.
With that, the team members scrambled into their respective pods. Jack and Sean strode across to a different area of the hangar; they needed to collect their new toy: a small, light-weight, fast-moving, safe-house-bombing version of the gate-enabled Empress that drew everyone’s eye whenever they would step into the hangar.
The Ascension Myth Box Set Page 79