by H C Edwards
Again, Goodin smiled.
“I appreciate that, Hon. I really do…but I’ll be fine as is. You let me be.”
Trey stayed a moment longer and then turned away. Albert held the door open for him, an entry to a stairwell by the looks of it. As Trey passed he saw that the man was staring intently back at the councilwoman.
“You go ahead and tell him what he needs to know,” Goodin said to Albert, a parting comment that seemed to carry a heavy weight with it.
The man gave her a nod and followed Trey through the door, wiping away tears with the back of his hand.
Convergence
“Nobody moves,” Stanton said, rifle pointed at the Zhuk woman, his other hand sweeping across the rest of the people gathered.
Despite his off-putting demeanor, Misao was glad for his steady and commanding voice. She doubted that her own would have carried as much weight or force, especially when she noticed that almost every person in front of them was carrying some sort of weapon, ranging from clubs to pistols to rifles.
She wondered where the hell they’d procured those. Only the ASF had legal access to firearms, and it wasn’t like there was a market for them.
“We’re just here for the woman,” Stanton continued. “The rest of you back away slowly and there won’t be a problem.”
He advanced a step, perhaps assuming that the crowd would disperse or retreat, but it was readily apparent that it wasn’t going to happen. In fact, rather the opposite occurred, as two other people stepped forward, one a hulking beast of a bearded man with a coat that only partially concealed his massive frame, and a tall athletic woman with a blonde bob cut.
“Don’t you move another goddamn step!” Stanton shouted immediately, his rifle swinging towards the new threat.
The massive man held out his hands in placation.
“There’s no need for this,” his booming voice assured them, but he didn’t stop, walking slowly towards Misao and the men with her.
Todd, the younger guard to her right, also trained his rifle on the big man.
“He said don’t move.”
The big man came to a halt at Mia Zhuk’s side. There was another woman, a much younger one, next to her that looked panicked and terrified. Her appearance was bedraggled, countenance pale and wispy. She seemed ready to bolt like a startled deer at any moment.
“I think you’ve made a mistake,” the big man said calmly. “Maybe you should leave and come back later.”
Stanton sneered.
“There’s no mistake. That synth next to you is coming with us. You get in the way, I’ll put you down myself.”
The big man looked around. As he did so the crowd surrounding him started to spread out slowly. They moved in unison so it was difficult to tell who initiated it, but within a few seconds they had formed a half-circle around Misao and her guards. Not only that, but they were brandishing their weapons without a hint of concealment now.
Stanton licked his lips and shot Misao a nervous expression. She could tell that he wanted to take a step back but his pride wouldn’t allow it.
“Now would be a good time to say something,” Todd whispered from her right, his own anxiety apparent in his tone.
This seemed to jolt Misao out of her frozen state of helplessness. She set her jaw and stepped forward past her guards.
“My name is Councilwoman Hideshi. We are here to apprehend this woman for a crime against another citizen of Akropolis,” she said, pointing to the Zhuk woman. “Hindering our duty is in direct violation of the law and will result in the detainment and prosecution of all involved.”
She was relieved to find that her voice carried the weight of authority she meant to deliver, except that despite this, her presence seemed to mean very little to those in the hub.
Not a single person was moved by her threat, nor did anyone flinch from the implications. Instead, they stood resolute and silent, the big man looking at Misao grimly.
“We know who you are,” he rumbled.
“Then you also know what will happen if you don’t comply,” she replied.
“You’ll silence us like the others?” he grunted, folding his arms across his massive chest.
This was not playing out the way Misao thought it would. First of all, she expected maybe one or two others with the Zhuk woman, not this crowd. Second, the big man’s word seemed like a threat in itself. She had a feeling that he knew exactly what he was talking about while she was clueless. That wasn’t a pleasant feeling. It made her confused and unsure.
She could feel the tension in the air and the nervous energy of the two guards at her side. The situation was quickly slipping out of control, and she wondered for the first time if it would be best to back out and return with more guards. And yet, if she did that they could possibly lose the murderer.
What would she say to the council or to Talbot for that matter?
“Listen,” she began, but was interrupted by the big man.
“No, you listen,” he said, his tone brooking no further argument. “We’re done here. It’s time for you and your friends to leave…now.”
With that last word, Misao heard the cocking of rifles and pistols. Within an instant there were half a dozen weapons aimed at her and the guards.
“Screw this,” Stanton mumbled out of the corner of his mouth. “I put that big bag of shit down and I guarantee the rest scatter.”
“Don’t you do a damn thing,” Misao commanded. “You either, Todd.”
The big man took a slow step forward and slid to the side, mostly concealing the Zhuk woman and the other girl behind his large frame.
“There’ll be no arrests here today, Councilwoman,” he said. “Leave before anyone gets hurt.”
Misao glanced around at the crowd that half-surrounded them. The men and women in the group looked determined and unflinching. The same could not be said about her own guards, who seemed to fidget every other second, their rifle barrels wavering from the behemoth of a man to the other armed individuals in the crowd then back again.
“This woman is wanted for murder,” Misao said, revealing what she considered the last card she had to play. “Of a human.”
She expected this statement to have some sort of impact on them, perhaps not the big man himself, but surely on some of the others. It was with great surprise then when she realized that not a single man or woman batted an eye at this revelation, which either meant they already knew or didn’t care.
Misao felt cold inside. It was a strange feeling and took a moment for her to recognize it as dread. There was no swaying these people, and any further attempts of threats would only escalate violence.
“It’s time to go,” she said quietly to her two companions, taking two steps back until she was behind them.
“You have got to be shitting me,” Stanton said, his resentment clear.
“We’ll come back,” she explained. “This is not the time.”
But Stanton ignored her, glancing over at the younger guard from the corner of his eye.
“You got me on this?”
Todd, his voice hesitant and quivering slightly, responded, “I do.”
“Guard, I am in charge here and you will do as I say,” Misao hissed at him, knowing even as the words came out of her mouth that they would go unheeded.
Stanton didn’t even wait for her to draw another breath. A loud rattling boom erupted from the end of his rifle barrel, and immediately she saw the big man reel backwards, even as Todd to her right followed up with his own short burst of semi-automatic fire.
And then it was chaos, shouts and screams and the rattling of gunfire, as if the heavens had opened up and hurled thunder and lightning down upon them all. She felt a tug on her right arm and then something heavy slammed into her head and spun her about. To her right, Todd made a sound that was like a wounded animal and then slammed into her, knocking the both of them to the ground.
Misao hit the floor, stunned, the breath knocked from her lungs. Above her, Stant
on was still firing his rifle in a sweep, only to be hit simultaneously a microsecond later by multiple shots, making him reel and lose his two-handed grip on his weapon. There was a short spray from his barrel and then out of nowhere the big man barreled into the guard like a Maglev-Train, sending Stanton up and out of Misao’s line of sight.
It was over as quickly as it had begun. The hub had fallen silent, or maybe the ringing in her ears prevented any other sound from reaching her. She couldn’t move. In fact, it seemed as if she’d been detached from her body. She wondered if this was what it felt like to die and why it didn’t hurt more. And then her wandering gaze found Todd, the young guard that had fallen down by her side. His eyes were wide and terrified, staring straight into hers. She tried to move her hand and reach out to him, feeling the urge to stroke his cheek in reassurance, but even before she could complete the thought, his pupils glazed over and he laid still, jaw slack, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
She followed him into darkness.
“Sonofabitch that hurts!” the woman groaned as her friend pressed down on the compress against her upper thigh.
“You just keep holding it down,” the man replied, taking off his belt and cinching it tight above the wound, earning a scream in return.
“How is she, Marcus?” Bear asked as he stood towering above the two huddled on the ground.
“She’ll be fine,” the man named Marcus said. “Lost some blood but it went through and the wound is clean. She needs a clinic.”
“They can take her once we’re gone.”
Marcus glanced up at Bear’s wounded shoulder.
“I need to take a look at that.”
“I’m fine for now. See about the others.”
The man scurried off, attending the handful of wounded. A few feet away were three bodies lying prone on the ground but they were beyond help, and while the majority of the others were attending to those that had taken gunfire, there were still some who were kneeling down at the sides of the dead, whispering words that were obviously private.
Claire stood staring down at the blood that was pooled across the floor. She had never seen violence before, and though she had read of it in books, the actual aftermath was something almost beyond her comprehension. It was obvious that she was in shock but knowing it and combating it were two different aspects.
Bear walked over and laid a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up, still huddled in the blanket.
“Are you hurt?” he asked her.
Claire looked down at the blanket, realized that there was blood splattered all across her chest and made a sound of revulsion and panic, stumbling backwards. Had Bear not been there to catch her she would have fallen to the ground and probably knocked herself senseless. As it were, his strong arm held her steady as she batted away the bloody blanket, hand running across her chest in search of a wound.
At first her mind didn’t quite believe what her eyes were telling her, that there was indeed no hole in her chest and that the blood belonged to some other unfortunate soul. It took several seconds of her staring to come to terms with her luck.
“I…I’m okay,” she mumbled through numb lips.
Bear’s grip loosened as he made certain that she was steady then let go of her completely to make his way towards the dead guards and councilwoman. Claire followed, her feet moving of their volition. It wasn’t a conscious thought so much as a fearful reaction to being left behind.
Mia, the kind woman who had been the first to find Claire and who had just been accused of murder, was already there, kneeling at the side of the youngest guard. When they stepped closer, Claire could see that the woman was gently stroking the dead man’s head.
“Mia,” Bear said softly as he came to a stop behind her.
“He’ll never get the chance,” Mia said out loud, though she didn’t seem to be addressing either of them.
“Mia,” the big man said again. “We need to go. The Pantheon was monitoring our systems. They’ll know the train arrived. We don’t have much time.”
“Right,” she replied almost angrily, wiping away tears with the back of her hand.
Mia stood and turned around, giving Claire a quick up and down.
“I-I’m fine,” she stammered in return, wishing she still had the comfort of the blanket to huddle within.
“Chase?” Mia asked, looking past the two standing in front of her.
“She’s fine,” Bear said, motioning with his head. “Helping out with the wounded.”
Mia nodded.
“A deal’s a deal,” she said. “I’m ready to go when you are.”
Claire looked back and forth between the woman and the big man with some alarm.
“You can’t be serious?” she incredulously asked. “After what just happened you plan on going to The Mountain? There are more than just a few guards there and they are all armed.”
“We decided on this before you showed up, little one,” Bear replied, although gently and without his usual harsh demeanor. “If we don’t help those people no one will, and I don’t want to think about what will happen to them if we don’t. We’ll stick to the plan we have.”
“No, wait,” Claire begged, grabbing onto Mia’s arm as well as Bear’s. “Come with me. I…I have a friend who can help. I mean I have a friend whose father could help us. He will listen to us, I know he will, and he’s important.”
Bear looked down at the hand holding his arm. Claire let it go as if she was holding a hot iron. She turned her attention back to the woman.
“Please,” she said.
“Do you have a transport for this girl, Bear?” Mia asked.
“There’s a few we have wired just for the Waste Belt but it’ll take her anywhere she needs to go,” Bear answered. “Frank will show her where. They won’t be looking for her, not with us to worry about. She’ll have a day or two. I can’t promise anything after that.”
Mia took Claire’s hands in both of hers and looked her straight in the eyes.
“You take that transport and go to your friend. Tell them what you saw in The Mountain. I don’t know if they can help, but you understand when I say we can’t wait for it.”
Claire nodded as her hands were released. Mia turned to Bear just as the other woman named Chase joined them, looking frayed and somber but otherwise unhurt. She and Mia shared a look and a brief smile.
Bear bent down and retrieved the fallen rifles from the dead guards, wincing as he shifted his wounded shoulder. He handed the rifles to the two women.
“Okay, Claire,” Mia said. “Tell me how to get to those people.”
The wounded and dead had been carried away, save for the two guards and the councilwoman, and what was left accounted to about eleven souls, including Bear, Mia, and Chase. The group was checking their weapons and ammo.
It hadn’t taken long for Claire to give the directions, and when she was done, a man who introduced himself as Frank came by as the others gathered around the two Mag-Lev trains, which were now on the rails and pointing down the tunnel towards The Mountain.
“We need to hurry and get you to the transport,” the man impatiently said to Claire.
She nodded, and as she turned away to follow Frank’s lead, she heard the soft intake of a hissing breath and a low moan.
Claire froze, looking down at her feet with widening eyes.
“Stop,” she whispered, and when the man didn’t hear her, she shouted instead. “Stop!”
Everyone that was left in the hub froze, all eyes turning towards her, but Claire was already on the ground next to the councilwoman.
“She’s alive!” she shouted, almost crying out in relief.
She didn’t know the woman, sure as hell didn’t recognize her as one of the council, but she nevertheless felt a blessed relief to see the woman’s eyelids flutter briefly as she moaned again.
The side of her head was matted with blood, but upon closer inspection Claire realized that what appeared to be a headshot was in actuali
ty a three inch graze along the side of the councilwoman’s skull. The wound had bled heavily but it was shallow.
“Give me your arm,” Claire demanded of Frank, who had knelt by her side to inspect the councilwoman.
Without waiting for a response, she grabbed the man’s sleeve and tore it off at the shoulder, yanking it off over his wrist and hand even as his face screwed up in protest.
Claire took the sleeve and wound it around the woman’s head and tied it off. It was a terrible bandage but it would stop the bleeding.
Mia and the others were quick to her side, Bear pushing to the front.
“How is she?”
“She’s fine,” Claire said, looking up at him and smiling. “I mean, I think she’ll be fine. It’s just a graze.”
She looked back down at the woman, who was actually stirring, face scrunching up in pain now that she was nearing consciousness.
“What the hell do we do with her?” Frank said, looking towards Bear.
The big man frowned, looked down at Claire’s suddenly trepid expression. She didn’t know what he was thinking, didn’t have to.
“You don’t have time,” she blurted, looking straight at Mia when she said this. “I’ll take care of her. The rest of you go. I’ll take my chances.”
Bear looked about to rebuff this suggestion but Mia stepped in front of him.
“She’s right. We need to go now. Let the girl handle this.”
The big man hesitated a few seconds longer and then nodded.
“Alright,” he relented. “Frank, get them to the transport. After that, get your ass back here as quickly as you can and get Patrick somewhere safe. With any luck, we’ll see you again.”
The two men shook hands, sharing a long look before breaking apart. Frank bent down, and belying his lean frame, easily picked up the councilwoman and headed off towards a tunnel in the opposite direction.
“Stay on my heels,” he said to Claire, who was already rushing to keep up.
Frank was none too gentle as he piled the councilwoman in the seat next to Claire. He closed the door and ran to the other side.