by Michael Todd
“Who is it?” Sal heard her voice in the background.
“Someone called Salinger Jacobs,” the man said. Sal winced as a scuffle sounded on the other end, followed by a few muttered curses before the noise stopped for a second. He wondered if the line had gone dead.
“Hey, Sal,” Courtney said and sounded a little breathless. “How’s it going there? Any new monsters that I’m missing out on?”
“You don’t know the half of it,” he said blithely. “Who was that on your phone?”
“Oh, right, that’s Allen Robinson.” She laughed. Sal knew he was the last person in the world who had any right to feel jealous, but he couldn’t help a tiny little twinge.
“New boyfriend?” he asked curiously but tried to make it sound casual.
“Hell no,” she said and chuckled. “He’s an assistant my company saddled me with so that I didn’t have to show up for work every day.”
“That sounds like fun,” he replied, still determined to sound light-hearted.
“And he’s gay,” she added, “so nothing like that happening around here.”
“Right.” He felt considerably more relieved.
Get your shit together. This isn’t high school. There’s no need to create drama right now.
“Anyway,” Sal said and broke the awkward silence that ensued. “Sorry, the conversation went a little off-track there.”
“No problem. How are Madigan and Amanda?”
“They’re doing pretty well,” Sal replied. “We’re all settled at the compound now. And we have a new member to the group too. Anja, an IT expert from Russia, has helped us investigate a couple of leads regarding what some other people are doing around here.”
“Oh, interesting,” Courtney said and frowned a little as Robinson returned his attention to the paperwork that they would discuss in the afternoon. “I’d ask you to go into more detail, but that could take a while and it has to be pretty late for you. Besides, we do have some things we need to discuss.”
She laid out what had happened to her since he and Madigan had gone back but carefully avoided the topic of a cow’s head. He might be a little odd, as she’d said, but she doubted that he would see it in the same light as she had. It wasn’t like it was important, anyway. She had needed to send a message, and by the looks of things, the message had been well received.
“That sounds like a tough couple of weeks,” he said once she brought her tale to an end. “How much do you know about running a company like that? I mean, I’m running a company too, but that’s barely comparable, right?”
“You have no idea,” she agreed feelingly. “That’s why the members of the board put Robinson on me—to make sure I don’t fuck any of their money-making schemes up.”
“Well, it sounds like you’re in some good hands.”
“I like to think so,” Courtney replied. “But…again, back to the topic at hand. Covington—or Billionaire Bitch as I’ve taken to calling her in my head—said something that might be seen as a threat to you guys. I’m not sure what to make of it, or her, but you and Madigan are the only real friends I have left anymore. I wanted to give you a heads-up in case she has the kind of pull to cause you trouble there in the Zoo.”
Sal drew in a deep breath. “We’ve made our own share of frenemies around here, but I’ll make sure that we’re doubly careful. You should do the same. Have you thought about maybe getting some security for your house or something?”
“I’m working on that,” she lied. “My dad made the house a fortress, so I’m already damn well protected.”
“Good. You be careful. And if you need help, call and Heavy Metal will come running.”
She laughed. “Thanks, Sal. It’s good to know that I still have you guys watching my back.”
“Always,” he replied. “I need to go. Call me if anything comes up.”
“Promise. It was nice talking to you again, Sal. I might call you even if nothing comes up.”
“You do that. Good night, Courtney. Be safe.”
“You too,” she replied, and they both took a second before hanging up. Sal didn’t want to become a walking cliché and tell her to hang up first, but the impulse had been there. He shook his head, pushed up from his bed, and wandered out of his room. It was late, but he wouldn’t be able to sleep yet. He paused to get some cold coffee from the kitchen before he shuffled into the living room, where Madigan worked on her laptop.
“Our little friend keeps changing the wi-fi password,” she muttered at him when he sat down beside her. “Seriously, I know there are security issues, but how in the hell can the wi-fi password be a problem? We’ll know if they come in close enough to use it anyway, and by that time, we’ll use guns and armor, not firewalls. Oh, maybe a literal wall of fire?”
“Put it in the suggestion box,” Sal said with a straight face.
“We have a suggestion box?” She raised her eyebrows.
“Not yet, but suggest it and I might put one up,” he retorted with a cheeky grin. “Anyway, I had a chat with Courtney. It looks like she’s about as good at making friends over there as we are here and said that we could perhaps expect some extra trouble to come our way over the next couple of weeks.”
“They’ll have to get in line,” Madigan grumbled. “Did you tell her about how unsuccessful our attempts were to find someone to fill her shoes? And the body count of specialists that we’ve put up in her absence?”
“I didn’t want it to seem like I tried to guilt her into coming back, so no,” he replied and took a deep breath.
They looked up as Amanda and Anja both entered the kitchen area. They seemed to be in good spirits, with the armorer teaching her companion how to curse in Spanish and the other girl teaching her how to do the same in Russian. Sal waved them over to join him and Madigan.
“What’s up, boss?” Amanda asked and grinned cheerfully as she dropped onto the beanbag. Anja chose one of the vacant couches and sat with her feet tucked under her legs as she looked at him.
“Nothing much,” he replied. “We had news of some new enemies coming at us from all sides and wanted to make sure that we’ve not left anywhere exposed. Anja, how’s it going with the cybersecurity? Do you need anything else?”
She looked almost surprised at having her name called. “No, not really. I have all the hardware I need. I’ve sent the people who tried to find us on a merry chase around the world, so it should be a while before I need to update the VPNs. There are a couple of different parties following the trail, so I’ve used the opportunity to backtrack them and find out who they are and what they’re doing. It’s slow going, but this way, I won’t get caught while snooping around.”
“Perfect,” Sal said. “Keep up the good work and let me know if you need anything else.”
“I could use a coffee machine in the server room,” she said disarmingly.
“Put it in the suggestion box,” he replied and left the woman confused for a moment as he turned his attention to Amanda. “I’m a little concerned about the number of people we’ve pissed off so far. They’ve already tried to eliminate us while we’re in the Zoo, and I don’t think it’ll be long before they turn their attention to the compound. What would you say is the state of the defenses?”
The armorer shrugged. “I’ve updated much of the software with Anja’s help but it’s fairly basic overall. We do have top-of-the-line motion sensors connected to some heavy machine guns mounted on automated turrets. If anyone tries to attack us on foot, they’ll eat a shit-ton of lead.”
“What if they come with armor?” Madigan asked. She took a sip from Sal’s cup and made a face.
“That depends.” Amanda shrugged but frowned as she considered the question. “The suits won’t stand up well against that kind of firepower. Most of the Hammerheads the folks at the base use would get the Swiss cheese treatment out there too. But if what we’re worried about is the damned private contractors, I can assure you that they have something heavier, like what you said the R
ussians were using. Those could cause serious trouble if they approached head-on.”
Sal immediately looked serious. “Do you think there’s anything you can do to improve our defenses with the resources we have?”
She leaned forward with a grin on her lips. “Oh… I have a couple of fun ideas I think would make all the difference in the world. But I’ll need some space and time, though. And you can’t complain about what might look like destruction to you but is actually simply my creative process.”
He wasn’t at all sure that he wanted to come between the woman and her creative process, even if security wasn’t at the root of it. “Have at it.”
“Remember,” she said, “anything I mess up is something I intend to fix, so whatever happens, I expect you to keep your dick in your pants about it. Or your vaginas corked, in the case of the two of you.” She pointed to Anja and Madigan.
“I’ve helped to install a basic AI system to make sure that my servers are all connected to the security system too,” Anja said and merely shook her head at the other woman’s challenge. “As they are, they’re open to cyber-attacks from the people who could come after us. It’s best if we make things as difficult as possible.”
Sal finally dragged in a deep breath. “That sounds like some good work for the day. I expect everyone to pitch in and help in any way that they can. That includes me and Madigan too, so don’t hesitate to call on us. Of course, I’m not sure how much help I’d be with the mechanical stuff, and I’ll probably be grumpy if you wake me before noonish. Otherwise, I’ll be in my lab. Oh, while I think of it, Madigan and I have a thing to do tomorrow. But other than that, we’re as free as birds.”
“Cool beans,” Amanda said with a grin. “With that, this gal needs her beauty sleep. Have a nice night, y’all.”
The group parted ways and headed off to their respective apartments.
Chapter Six
Anderson stepped out of the Hammerhead that he’d rented from the base and studied his surroundings cautiously. The coordinates he had been given were less than half a mile away from the wall construction. From where he stood in the silence, he could hear the heavy machines used to put together the massive feat of engineering. There was talk about the various walls being visible from space, but he doubted it. They weren’t that tall—or wide, for that matter. What made them so damn impossible to comprehend was the sheer length. The damn things stretched longer than the Great Wall of China—and construction continued relentlessly.
The view was even more impressive, he noted, with the sun as it rose in the east and crested the endless shifting sands on the distant horizon. He looked around appreciatively and drew in a deep breath of the cool air. It would be scorching hot in a couple of hours, especially out there where the dunes could reflect the sun’s heat and make it even less tolerable. He missed the cooler climes of his own home. Even the cheap air conditioner in his office would have been acceptable at this point.
Another Hammerhead came into view and lumbered over the dunes and rooster tails of sand sprayed as the wheels spun. The driver was clearly a reckless person, someone who cared more about getting where they were going as fast as possible and less about the state the vehicle would be in by the time they arrived.
He’d done his research, and he could place a fairly well-informed guess as to who was behind the wheel of the rapidly approaching vehicle.
It skidded to a stop some twenty paces away from him and the occupants waited until the sand had settled before they pushed the door wide.
Only one door opened, Anderson noted as the person he’d guessed to be the driver stepped out. She wasn’t too tall but had a hard build and the look of a soldier, all things considered, with vaguely Hispanic features. She was dressed in civvies with her dark hair drawn back in a loose ponytail. Her stride was confident and limber as she made her way to where he stood and stopped immediately beyond arm’s reach.
“Colonel James Anderson?” she asked and regarded him with open curiosity. “You’ve grayed somewhat since they last took a picture of you. You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t salute.”
“Madigan Kennedy,” he responded with a small, polite smile, “formerly sergeant in the Marine Corps, held under contract here in the Zoo after your tours expired and recently branched out in the private sector. Color me impressed. Not many former soldiers do as well as you have when they strike out on their own.”
“I’m far from alone, Colonel,” she said and folded her arms in front of her chest.
He nodded and took a moment to look around. There didn’t seem to be anyone else in the Hammerhead, a fact which made him feel a little more comfortable. He’d come alone as well, unarmed and unarmored. It was one hell of a risk, all things considered, since they were fairly close to the Zoo, where humans were far from the most dangerous creatures to be found.
But he was the approaching party. He was the one who needed their help and had to be willing to take the proverbial first step—which, in this case, was to allow them to trust him. He merely hadn’t expected her to do the same.
“You came alone,” Anderson noted aloud. “And without any form of armor too. That’s awfully trusting of you, I have to say.”
Kennedy smirked and shook her head. “Sorry, Colonel, but I don’t trust anyone but Heavy Metal.”
As if to prove her point, she raised her right hand and held a clenched fist in the air. After a moment of bemusement in which he wondered what she meant, he glanced down at his chest and a bright red spot on his white shirt. A laser pointed at him, obviously directed from the wall. He couldn’t see the origin, but he didn’t doubt that there was a massive rifle on the other end.
“Salinger Jacobs, I presume,” he said with a smile. “PhD candidate with a gun. Do you really trust him to make that shot from…let’s call it seven hundred yards?”
Kennedy shrugged. “I’d trust that man with my life. And considering that I trained him myself, I think I can trust that he can shoot your ass dead from however far away he is.”
Well, he acknowledged calmly to himself, she wasn’t an idiot, but then he’d known that about her already. He’d viewed footage of the two in action. Teams comprised of only two members required a high degree of synchronicity to make it work, and from what he’d seen, it looked like they had fought together for years. She had an impressive record from her time in the military, so he didn’t doubt that she’d trained her pet scientist well enough that he would be exceptionally handy with a rifle.
All that was moot, though. He merely allowed his mind to assimilate the details out of habit—a souvenir from his time as a wet operations specialist with the military. Those had been good times that, unfortunately, had long since passed.
“I’ve read your file, Kennedy,” the colonel said and cut abruptly to the meat of why they were out there. “I know that you only agreed to meet me because you read my file in turn.”
“Sure,” she admitted without hesitation. “Much of it was redacted, of course, although a friend of mine helped to fill in the missing pieces.”
“Fair enough. You know, then, that I’m a man of my word, out here to serve my country to the best of my ability. I’ve never done any less than that, and have often done more, sacrificing my own health and family to do what needed to be done. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was always necessary, and I’ve managed to square it away with my conscience…more or less.”
Kennedy drew in a deep breath. Anderson could see that she wanted him to quit his rambling and get to the fucking point, but something about her training held her back. Maybe it was about not disrespecting a superior officer or something similar that no amount of time away from the Marines would completely eradicate.
“The point is,” Anderson continued, “I’m here to hire you. I need a team that’s trustworthy and competent—good people who can use their brains on the go and know how to handle tough situations.”
“I sense a lot of vagueness in your description of what you need people for
,” she noted.
“Force of habit,” he admitted and shrugged in an offhand way. “This operation is completely black. Off the books and honestly, up against people who operate off the books too. They have their fingers in all the right pies, and they have people in almost every team coming from the Staging Area, which is why I need people who aren’t on the official payroll.”
“Impressive work. There’s so much blackness around here that you’ve started to suck all the light out of the fucking Sahara.”
He chuckled. “True, but my point stands. Anything you do for me, you would do in service of your country, but it would be something that can never see the light of day—both for your sakes and for mine.”
“I’ve served my country a long time,” she said quietly, “but my country hasn’t done much to serve me back. Over the past months, I’ve chosen to serve myself instead. I only came to this meeting because you seemed like the kind of person who wouldn’t try to have me and mine shot down. We’ll need some added incentives if we work together.”
“Fair enough,” Anderson conceded with a nod, drew a small credit chit from his pocket, and moved slowly forward to hand it to her. He was well aware that the shooter might take this as a hostile action and shoot but he trusted the man to hold off until Kennedy’s command.
She took the chit and scanned it quickly with her phone.
“Fifty grand,” she said and looked impressed. “That’s almost unbelievable from a guy on a government salary.”
“I managed to squirrel some money away from my work around here,” he explained. “Unfortunately, that’s all I have that I can access without it being flagged as suspicious by the people whose radar I’d rather not be on.”
“Look, Colonel,” Kennedy said and raised her hand to stop him from further speech. “This works as an up-front payment, but if you want us to work for you full-time, we’ll need a steadier source of income. I assume, obviously that our work for you will cut into our bread and butter trade of stripping the Zoo of anything of value.”