The air felt crisper than it had when he arrived at the hospital. He felt like he couldn’t fill his lungs with enough of it. Burrett nearly hyperventilated breathing in the fresh air. He walked off the hospital grounds and hailed a cab.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Tailo Building, L19, Theron Techcropolis, Armaros
Chamberlain grunted as he continued to press his forearm into Jayne’s throat. “I don’t… ugh… like killing women, but… I’ll allow an exception.”
Jayne felt herself going lightheaded, but her body wanted to flail. She pressed an elbow back a couple inches, feeling a small opening in his armpit. Jayne leaned into the opening, shoving her shoulder upwards and into his armpit as hard as she could while throwing his arm off her.
She heard a pop and Chamberlain screamed. “You bitch!”
Chamberlain hunched over and clutched at his dislocated shoulder. Jayne scanned the floor for her gun, which slid by the doorway separating the living area from the kitchen. She scrambled across the floor for it. Chamberlain let out another cry and barreled his body weight into her, knocking Jayne to the floor. He snatched the gun from the floor with his functional arm, exhaling in pain. “It seems you won’t get your way, junior spy.”
Jayne pushed herself backwards. Chamberlain fired a shot, barely grazing her arm. She saw a metal object under the cabinet—her gun. She contorted her shoulder. She pressed herself against the floor as hard as possible until she could reach for the object.
Chamberlain fired another shot, this time barely missing her head. Jayne grabbed the gun from under the cabinet fired a shot into Chamberlain’s thigh. He fell to his knees, maintaining his grip on the gun while clamping his hand over the wound.
Jayne continued to inhale deeply to combat the lightheaded feeling. She noticed Chamberlain held his gun in his left hand, which Jayne remembered from his file was his weaker hand. She lined up her shot and fired at his left hand, knocking the gun from it and further wounding his leg. “Give up, Chamberlain. I don’t want to shoot you again.”
Chamberlain was pale. The fire in his eyes burned with hate and desperation. He ran at Jayne with every ounce of energy left in his body, knocking her back onto the desk. “Fuck… you… junior spy.”
His injuries kept him off balance, projecting him towards Jayne on the desk. Jayne scurried off the desk, landing in a crouching position. Chamberlain’s torso landed sideways on it with a smacking sound that made Jayne wince. He managed to shake it off quickly and ran at Jayne again. She pointed the gun at his head. “Chamberlain, it’s over. You were a great operative. It doesn’t have to end this way. Please don’t force me to do this.”
But Chamberlain was like a rabid animal. Reasoning wouldn’t stop him now.
Jayne felt tears welling in her eyes as she pulled the trigger two more times, once hitting his dislocated arm and once hitting Chamberlain between the eyes with a bullet. His knees buckled under him and he fell like a sack of potatoes. Jayne fell to her knees, completely winded and with the gun still aimed at Chamberlain.
Her extremities went limp, causing the gun to fall to the floor. The corners of Chamberlain’s mouth turned up smugly as the embers in his eyes fizzled and faded to glassy. Jayne flopped against the wall for support and let loose a series of choking sobs. She pleaded with Chamberlain, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I’m so, so sorry.”
BZZZZZT! BZZZZZT!
The comm notification wouldn’t have registered to Jayne if it hadn’t vibrated. Her head was swimming with murky, heavy thoughts and she almost resented being taken away from them. She did her best to sound normal. “Hey Merry.”
Merry sounded positively giddy and more energetic than usual. “Hey Jayne. We disrupted the comm signal—Hey, are you alright? You sound like shit.”
Jayne ran her fingers through her hair. “Yeah, I’m…”
Merry sighed. “…completely not fine. Don’t hand me that crap. What happened?”
Jayne could barely squeeze the words out of the lump in her throat, “He’s dead. I… I killed him.”
Merry let out a breathy, “oh fuck,” then paused. “I’m so sorry, Jayne. I know you were only doing what you had to do to keep everyone safe.”
“I wish I believed that. He was just another spy. Like me.”
“Which makes what he did that much worse, Jayne. You did not choose this for him. Chamberlain made his own choices with his own fucked up brain. Hell, for all we know, he was going for suicide by spy. How is that your fault?”
Jayne started wringing her hands. Her muscles tensed. The swirling feeling in her stomach grew. She was in no mood for absolution.
Merry cleared her throat. “Anyway, Celia’s safe. I was able to disrupt the comm signal between Chamberlain and his goon just in time. It was all thanks to your quick thinking. The right lives were saved, thanks to you. You have to remember that.”
Jayne smiled faintly. “That’s great news. You guys made that happen.” Jayne felt dizzy, like she was between the eye and the wall cloud of a tornado. Merry’s words barely registered in her head.
Merry continued excitedly. “Yeah, the boys are tracking the goon down as we speak. He’ll be in custody in no time.”
Jayne felt a weight lift from her chest. She looked at Chamberlain’s body. His glassy-eyed gaze was permanently affixed to the ceiling and the river of blood gushing out of his forehead was trickling more slowly. “I’m proud of you guys, Merry.”
Merry smiled. “I’m proud of you too, Jayne Fucking Austin. It’s almost over.”
Jayne wiped her eyes, the combination of sweat and tears was almost cloying. “Thanks.”
Merry disconnected the call, leaving Jayne alone with her thoughts. The air was completely still and smelled of mildew and stale bread. Jayne asked out loud, “What the fuck did I do?”
Jayne searched her brain for anything in the Academy that could have prepared her for her first occupational kill. Eventually, she decided there was nothing the Academy could’ve done to prepare her for this. How would they know her first kill would be a fellow operative? She continued to contemplate Chamberlain’s body and what must’ve happened in his life that led him to this place.
Jayne closed Chamberlain’s eyes, muttering thanks for the boy in those psych evaluation videos who was ready to give everything for Armaros. He gave up the possibility of a normal life, honest relationships, and the ability to trust in order to be a good agent. It wasn’t long before Jayne related this line of thinking to herself. She rested her head on her knees and cried.
She allowed herself a couple more minutes of crying before picking up her handheld. Jayne weighed the pros and cons of calling the police. On one hand, she would be implicating herself by calling. Plus, she would have to invent one hell of a cover, risk getting caught, and having to live with a heavy secret.
Doing the right thing it is. Her hands trembled as she called the police.
The voice on the other end sounded tired and disconnected. “Techcropolis PD, District L19. What’s your emergency?” Jayne opened her mouth, but nothing came out. “Hello?”
Jayne snapped herself back into reality. “Yes, I… I want to report a death—a murder…”
“Are you hurt in anyway?”
“I… Technically, yeah, but I’m fine.”
“Can you tell me exactly what happened?”
Jayne ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “There was a fight. It was an accident. It was self-defense.”
“Who was fighting, Ma’am?”
Jayne forced herself to stand up. “Me. I apprehended a spy.”
“Okay, ma’am. Stay with me. Where are you located?”
“In the Haron Building, third floor.”
“Can you please walk me through the fight? What happened?”
Jayne felt nauseous. She walked to the window to better hear the imminent sirens. “It… It’s a long story. Please just get here. I’ll explain everything.”
There were two clicks on the line. “W
e’ve locked onto your coordinates and will see you in approximately 10 minutes. I will need you stay on the line with me until police arrive.”
“Do I have to say anything?”
“No, I just need to keep you on the line.”
The pollution outside stung Jayne’s battered face.
“Thank you.” Jayne continued to enjoy the air for a few moments longer.
She contemplated the ways this scenario could play out, none of which felt particularly appealing. She looked at the body again, remembering this was once a respected agent.
Jayne closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. “Okay. It will be okay.”
+++
Ridgeview General Hospital, L64, Theron Techcropolis, Armaros
Merry shook the jittery feeling out of her hands and exhaled, composing herself. She opened a comm call to Fred. “Pick up. Pick up. Pick up.”
Fred scoped out the hallway, completely unaware of his comm buzzing. He stopped two doors away from 6B to further survey the scene. He saw a dark figure by the bathroom, but the safety light was too far away to be effective from Fred’s vantage point.
Merry closed out of the dark web, a little disturbed by Fred’s lack of response. She frowned, closed the comm call and opened a conversation with Vlad. “Hey. Did you go to the pharmacy?”
Vlad chortled. “Ummm, no, Ms. Winterbourne. I’m talking with Security instead.”
Merry accessed the nano-tracking program on her laptop. “Huh. I’m not disagreeing, but why the change up?”
Vlad exhaled slowly, searching for the right words. “I can’t put my finger on it, but something isn’t right about this. Anyway, I have to get back to them. What did you need?”
Merry opened a memo, looking for Burrett’s chip number. “I was just calling to let you know I disrupted the signal between Chamberlain and his goon. He won’t be giving the order to kill Celia but bringing Security to her room is probably a good idea.”
“Ooh, you agree with something for a change?” he chuffed.
“Disconnecting now.” She closed the call and pasted Burrett’s chip number into the search box.
The prompt made her heart sink. This chip is no longer active.
“This can’t be right,” she muttered to herself. She verified the number and searched again. The energy she felt from a few moments ago deflated in a slow leak.
+++
Celia Wilson’s room, Ridgeview General Hospital, L64, Theron Techcropolis, Armaros
Fred flattened himself against the wall outside 6B and listened for the accomplice. He heard a brief whisper, then nothing. Fred felt cold and lightly touched his sidearm for comfort. He gritted his teeth and muttered to himself, “Time to do this.”
BZZZT! BZZZZT!
Fred glanced at his comm, cursing Merry’s timing. He set it to Do Not Disturb and entered Celia’s room, immediately making eye contact with Chamberlain’s goon. He wore a long gray sweater over his faded teal scrubs and stethoscope. The goon broke eye contact and approached Fred. “Oh, I didn’t see you there. Are you related to Ms. Wilson?”
Fred eyed the phony doctor carefully, his hand instinctively moving towards his sidearm. “You could say that. She’s my friend’s niece. Do you normally check on patients with the lights off?”
The fake doctor’s eyes traveled to Fred’s sidearm. He moved slowly towards Fred, appearing to reach for something in his pants pocket. Fred felt himself freeze. He was completely immobilized, except for his labored breathing and the tightening in his throat.
The costumed goon smirked. “Didn’t want to wake her. Her condition gives her insomnia sometimes. Why are you visiting so late?”
Fred stammered through clammy lips. “I… I was in the neighborhood and just concerned.” Fred gripped his sidearm. “She… She’s like a little sister to me.”
The goon’s gun was fully drawn. “Bullshit. Try again.” He lurched at Fred menacingly, but it was only a cruel fake-out. He laughed. “Why are you here?”
Fred remained motionless, hand frozen on his sidearm. “I told you,” he managed to choke the words out. “I’m visiting my friend’s niece…”
The goon snarled and indicated Fred’s weapon with the tip of his own gun. “Then why the piece? Were you going to put her out of her misery?”
“No! That’s—“
The goon interrupted Fred. “Know what? Don’t care.” His eyes grew more focused and intense. “You’re in my way. Maybe I should put you out of your misery.”
“FREEZE!”
Three armed security guards burst into the room, and immediately surrounded Fred. One of the officers yanked Fred’s arms behind his back. Just as they were about to cuff him, Vlad rushed in. It took him a split second to understand what the fuck was going on. He pointed at the phony doctor. “No! Him! It’s him, officers!” The security guards immediately aimed their sights on the goon. Fred caught his breath, stepping behind the security guards. He felt Vlad’s hand on his arm.
The goon looked towards the window, as if contemplating jumping out of it. An armed guard pointed his weapon at the goon. “I wouldn’t do that, sir.”
Two of the security officers stood in front of the doorway. The third officer quietly moved to the goon’s left. The goon’s eyes darted around the room, searching for an exit. He rushed closer to the window, finally noticing the bars on the outside of it.
The guard to the goon’s left tackled the goon to the ground, disarming him in the process. The other two officers backed him up, one assisting the first officer and the other keeping his gun aimed at the goon. “You have the right to remain silent…”
Vlad anxiously watched the officers take control of the interloper. He turned to Fred. “How you doing, kid?”
Fred was shaking, two streams of tears trickling down his face. His skin appeared completely bloodless. He couldn’t take his eyes off the scene on the floor and his mind felt like it was suffocating under the weight of its own thoughts. “I… I’m okay, I guess.”
Two of the officers continued to cuff the goon, assisting him from prone position to standing. The third officer picked up his gun and placed it in a plastic evidence bag. Vlad and Fred stood in silence as the officers led the goon out of the room.
Fred continued to shake, looking paler than ever. His stomach gurgled and he ran for the bathroom. Vlad shook his head.
BZZT! BZZT!
Vlad smirked as he picked up the call. “Impeccable timing, Ms. Winterbourne. Security just escorted the accomplice out of here. The girl’s still asleep, and Fred is vomiting his guts out.”
Merry breathed a sigh of relief. “So Fred’s okay then? I was worried when he didn’t pick up.”
Vlad heard the toilet flush and the sink running. Fred gagged twice more before emerging from the bathroom, pale and disoriented, which was starting to seem like his new look. He adjusted his glasses sheepishly. “Sorry.”
Vlad chuckled. “I wouldn’t say he’s fine, but he’s unharmed.”
Merry paused. “Is Burrett with you?”
Vlad raised an eyebrow. “No. No sign of him. Isn’t he with you?”
A sick feeling washed over Merry. “No. He somehow managed to deactivate his chip.” She swallowed hard. “I think we’ve lost him.”
Vlad exhaled as he kept an eye on Fred. “We’ll be right there.” He motioned to Fred to follow him. He guided Fred out of the room. “This is most assuredly not what I expected.”
+++
Ridgeview General Hospital, L64, Theron Techcropolis, Armaros
Merry stared blankly at her laptop screen, letting her conversations with Vlad and Jayne marinate. Chamberlain was dead and Burrett escaped, two hypotheticals that somehow never made it into their planning sessions. She attempted to track Burrett’s signal again but arrived at the same result.
Deep down, she expected a call from Jayne asking to be sprung out of a holding cell. Merry laughed at the thought. She started to punch in commands to access the dark web, some weird porn, some dirty cla
ssified files—anything to get rid of the nervous energy. Anything to keep her from feeling helpless.
Still, she felt as though she could sleep for days and it might not be enough.
Merry leaned back against the foyer bench, gratefully feeling the cushioning and support on her spine. She looked at her hands, marveling at how she was too exhausted to even think of getting on her laptop or handheld right now. She chuckled to herself. “There’s a first time for everything.”
Vlad and Fred stepped off the elevator and hurried over to her. Vlad looked at Merry as if she was missing an arm. “Everything okay? Are you restarting after you upgrade or something?”
Merry was too punchy not to laugh. “So they got the guy, you say? What happened?”
Vlad shrugged. “It was simple, really. Fred got there first and held him off, then I brought security. It was actually a pretty good fight.”
Fred looked away and shook his head. “I kinda froze.”
Vlad patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t be modest, kid. You totally froze.” Vlad turned back to Merry. “Any word on Burrett’s chip?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I lost his tracker signal and his earpiece has been deactivated. I let him disappear in all the confusion.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over this, that won’t help,” Vlad said to comfort her in his own way. “Dammit, he gave us the slip. What would Jayne do if she were here?”
Merry’s head was pounding and she wanted to hibernate for a week. “She’d know what the fuck to do next.”
Vlad smiled. “That too, but she’d have us pow wow over food, right? When’s the last time you guys ate?” He pointed to the hospital cafeteria. “C’mon, how bad could it be? Besides, after all that crisis, it wouldn’t kill us to feel normal until we have to make our next move.”
“Normal is a setting for washing clothes,” Merry muttered.
Vlad smirked. “Oh, did you learn that little platitude in rehab?”
Merry snorted. “Why? Do you need me to recommend a good one?” She pried herself off the bench and gathered her gear. “This is the second good idea you’ve had tonight, Vlad.” She looked him in the eye as she walked past. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
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