“We’re shutting them down!” Salem’s voice shouted out.
“Great,” Bella replied through gritted teeth. Blisters were forming on her heels as she closed her eyes, trying to hold her position.
A cool rush of air suddenly hit her, accompanied by a quietening as sounds she hadn’t noticed faded, the power to the panels cutting out. Opening her eyes, the chute had returned to darkness, the last of the glowing red vanishing.
“Thank you,” she breathed, letting her body start to slip as she relaxed her grip.
“Thank Quartzig. He hacked into the building's systems. Are you okay to get out of there?”
“Whoever that is, tell him I said thanks. I should be alright to head to the ground floor now,” Bella looked down, her light beam scanning the chute below. “I’ll be wherever the waste gets dumped.” She began to ease herself down, still wanting to take it slow. She didn’t get this far to break her neck on the drop.
“It looks like it ends up at the back of the building. We’re heading there now.”
“Great, see you there,” Bella replied.
She moved faster now, keeping a steady pace down the chute until she saw a glimpse of light below. Hoping there wasn’t a drop from the chute to the ground, she edged her way down until she was at an opening.
Below her were piles of ash and debris set out into square containers, the drop only a metre or so from her. It looked safe enough and the ash would be relatively soft. She released her grip. Crashing into the piles of ash, the dust flew up around her and created a cloud of grey that flooded her vision. Holding her breath to avoid breathing in the particles, she lay for a second, allowing her muscles to relax. Looking upwards through the mist, she moved a hand to try and clear the air.
Two dots of green light burned through the ash. She blew out, releasing the breath she’d been holding, and caused the dust to eddy around and separate. The lights were attached to a pair of goggles. Two glowing eyes stared down at her.
Chapter Thirty-One
Ally
Ally and Quartzig had followed Salem after he’d jumped the barrier at the entrance to the hospital. She was surprised at the lack of security trying to stop them but wasn’t going to question their luck. As they caught up with Salem, he had paused inside a lift, his hand slamming the button for the twenty-forth floor, but a warning came up every time he pressed it, denying access. As they got closer, they saw he was talking on his PDA.
“Can you access the building’s waste controls?” he shouted to Quartzig as they arrived, his eyes wide with fear.
“I…sure, I just need to hook up to something with building access,” Quartzig replied, nodding to a digital information board on the wall.
“Do it. I need you to shut down the waste incinerators quickly!”
Quartzig paused for a moment, then nodded and walked to the panel. Ally watched as Salem spoke frantically to Bella through his PDA. He clearly cared for this Bella.
“It’s done,” Quartzig called out.
“Thank you,” Salem smiled, then spoke to Bella again.
“Good work, Q,” Ally said.
“No problem.”
Suddenly Salem looked around the corridors, trying to work something out, then took off into a run.
“Hey, wait up,” Ally shouted before following him.
“She’s going to be coming out toward the back of the building, where the disposal units are picked up,” Salem yelled back to her.
“Is she okay?”
“Think so, she just-” Salem skidded to a stop. He clenched his fists against his temples and dropped to his knees. “Fuck! Not now!”
Quartzig came alongside Ally as she knelt beside him.
“What the hell? What’s wrong?”
Salem let out a groan through clenched teeth, and he rubbed his knuckles against his head while scrunching his eyes shut. Ripping his left hand away, he reached inside his denim jacket and pulled out a small cylindrical flask jacket. Using one hand, he tried to remove the cap, but it slipped from his grip and clattered to the ground, spinning out of reach. A sound of frustration cried out as Salem blindy searched for the flask.
“I don’t know what’s in the flask, but perhaps we should assist?” Quartzig said, stopping the spinning flask with his foot.
“Agreed,” Ally picked up the bottle and popped off the cap before placing it into Salem’s shaking hand.
His fingers wrapped around it, lifting it to his lips before taking several long hard gulps of the liquid inside. Seconds later, his body relaxed, the tension seeming to pass as he opened his eyes. Turning to Ally, he gave her the smallest of nods.
“Thanks, that’s better,” he let out a long slow breath through pursed lips followed by a deep inhale.
“What is that stuff, and what the hell just happened?” Ally asked, eyeing the flask.
“Medicine,” Salem whispered, passing her the bottle with one hand but held up a hand to pause her from asking any more questions as he closed his eyes again, this time seeming to try and focus on something.
Ally took a sniff of the container. Alcohol fumes burnt her nose as she tried to identify the smell. Her years of working in a bar had given her enough knowledge of spirits to recognise the scent.
“Rum, DigiFire if I’m not mistaken. This stuff is banned in most bars. It’s almost 90% pure alcohol,” she looked back down at Salem, who was still focused on something.
“One moment, I’ll explain,” Salem whispered, his hand still up.
Ally glanced at Quartzig, who shrugged in response.
Salem opened his eyes and jumped to his feet. An impressive feat, Ally thought, considering that a shot of DigiFire would knock most people out within seconds.
“We need to walk and talk though, Bella is still in serious trouble,” he set off again in a fast march.
“Okay, talk,” Ally said, stepping in line with him.
“Okay, short version, as we don’t have long. I have a receiver in my head that allows me to intercept most signals going through the air.”
“Signals? Like radio waves?” Quartzig asked.
“Radio, Digital, Analogue, Gamma, pretty much any and all waves. Some I can interpret, others are more like constant static, white noise,” he continued, “Anyway, sometimes the signals can get a little overwhelming, I can’t stop them coming in, you see, I have to kinda filter through them myself. Imagine seeing every television station being played into your mind simultaneously and needing to focus on just one.”
“That sounds unsettling,” Ally said.
“It is. That’s where the good ol’ DigiFire comes in. It numbs some of the goddamn noise, adds a little haze around the edges so I can focus,” Salem rapped the side of this head with his knuckles.
“That…actually makes sense,” Ally raised an eyebrow.
“Glad you’re accepting of my coping mechanism,” Salem said sarcastically.
They were approaching a door whose green-lit neon sign read ‘EXIT’. There were no guards. Something Ally once again felt concerned about.
“How come no one has stopped us yet?” she said out loud.
“Well, that’s what I was getting through on the noggin’ just now,” Salem slowed as they approached the door. “It seems that we aren’t the only ones here looking for Bella. I think whoever set the fire is still here. I intercepted a communication, someone asking if the target was neutralised. It also said the security hack would only last another thirty minutes.”
“Someone hacked the automated security so they could set the fire uninterrupted,” Ally nodded.
“And if they’d been sent to kill Bella, you can bet they’d need confirmation before leaving,” Salem said, “So they are potentially waiting for Bella to arrive outside as well. Salem raised a boot and kicked the door open leading to the back of the hospital.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Persephone
Persephone was headed towards an access point that would take her back up to the Boulevard.
<
br /> So far, she’d not heard or seen any more of the Krovoz. Perhaps they had gotten the hint though somehow she believed that was unlikely. A beeping rang out. Her PAD indicated a voice message had arrived. Tapping it, the voice of Keller rang out.
“Prime is sitting cosy in his cell, all ready on our end for the big show.”
Things were moving on schedule, but she needed to get to the transmission site soon in order to begin.
She moved through the Underpass and away from the Nexus. She saw the Koenig standing at the entrance to the access tunnel. He had a large backpack strapped to his shoulders as his eyes shifted from one side to the other.
“It is time, yes?” Koenig smiled as he saw her.
“Indeed it is, Doctor,” Persephone nodded as he pulled open the access door which creaked. He jumped back as two pairs of eyes looked at him from inside the tunnel.
On the opposite side of the door, two women stood, looking just as surprised seeing Koenig and Persephone as they were of them.
“Oh, sorry,” the younger of the two women mumbled, trying to push past Persephone. As she passed by, she looked up and saw Koenig.
“Doctor?” she said, an uncertain smile forming on her face.
Koenig looked at her, and slowly a look of recognition appeared on his face.
“Mollie? What…what are you doing here?” he said.
Persephone smiled to herself. She knew exactly who this scruffy looking young woman was and was waiting to see if Mollie recognised her. Admittedly it had been a while since the Fall, and at the time, she was just another clone as far as Mollie had been concerned.
“I’m just…here to pick up some stuff,” Mollie stumbled over her words. She clearly didn’t trust Koenig. Smart girl.
“I see, and who is your friend here?” Koenig turned to the smarter looking woman beside her, who had remained quiet.
“Oh, this is Ava, a friend from the Boulevard,” Mollie turned to Ava, who smiled politely.
Persephone watched Ava carefully. As long as Faust had done his job correctly back at the warehouse, she wouldn’t have anything to worry about. It was the ultimate test, seeing as she had been the one to kill Ava’s husband.
“Nice to meet you, Ava,” Koenig nodded.
Mollie had turned to look at Persephone now. She could feel the girl’s eyes searching her face.
“Do I know you?” she asked. Persephone could see the gears moving inside her little head.
“You should,” Persephone waited, anticipating the exact moment the pieces all fit together. Watching, she saw the look of fear, anger, and horror flash across Mollie’s eyes.
“Persephone…”
“There you go,” she smiled, a hand thrust out and grabbed Mollie's neck.
“A..va…” she choked as the grip tightened.
Ava stood for a moment, watching the scene unfold but unmoving. Koenig leapt forward, jamming an electronic device into Ava’s side.
“One move and this will fry all those circuits inside you, not fun for you, no? I know a Synth when I see one, especially one with Owens poor wife’s face,” he hissed.
“Now then, Mollie, killing you now wasn’t really part of the plan. In fact, I hadn’t even put any thought into your existence at all, really. The little Underpass rat that hitched a ride to the big wide world, but thank you for saving me the time and energy of finding you later when I clean up the rest of the trash,” Persephone tightened her grip.
Mollies eyes flared red as she struggled for breath. The colour caught Persephone’s curiosity, and perhaps there was more to this one than she’d assumed.
“What’s this? Could it be that you are part of the Krovoz?” Persphone twisted Mollie’s neck to move her face to one side as Mollie’s metallic hand clasped against Persephone's forearm.
“I’ve had about enough of you people trying to strangle me,” she spat in Persephone’s face as she began to tighten her own grip.
Persephone looked down at the hand that was clasped to her forearm, the pain surprisingly increasing until she had to let go.
“Well,” Persephone laughed, dropping Mollie to the ground, “it appears you are far more interesting than I had anticipated. Good for you.”
Mollie rose to her feet, striking a fighting pose.
“Oh please, don’t take my praise as an invitation. You were doing so well,” Persephone sighed before pulling out a blade.
“Why did you kill Julian?” Mollie shouted, her anger forcing the words out.
“Who? Oh, Mr Travitz? He was just a catalyst for something more, I’d say that you’ll see soon enough, but it’s unlikely you’ll be alive that long,” Persephone nodded to Koenig, who quickly pointed his electronic device at Mollie, and pulled the trigger. A shot of electricity bolted across the air and slammed into Mollie’s chest. The electricity ran through her body, every muscle contracting as she dropped to the ground.
Ava, now free of Koenig's threat, rushed to Mollie’s side.
“Stay back,” she shouted, glaring at Persephone and Koenig.
“Curious,” Persephone tilted her head, watching Ava. It appeared Faust had some things to answer for.
The sound of metal rhythmically tapping against concrete echoed around them, followed by footsteps walking at a causal but brisk pace.
“You must be Persephone,” a voice boomed out in a thick Russian accent.
She looked up, seeing a man with a cane walking towards them. He was dressed in a large dark fur coat jacket that looked like it had been made from the skin of a bear, bulking his shoulders out. A black velvet suit shimmered.
“And who are you?” Persephone asked sharply. Her patience was wearing thin.
“My people tried to talk to you politely,” the man walked closer. Behind him, three men followed. “But you have made me come and speak with you in person, at much cost to my precious time.”
“Ah, you must be the leader of the Krovoz,” Persephone nodded.
“I am, and I’m afraid I cannot let you leave here without answers to some questions,” the man flashed a smile showing two razor-sharp fangs.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Xander
The MPD precinct was busy as usual as Xander pushed through the doors and into the waiting room. Warm, humid air hit him, contrasting to the freezing cold outside. Inside a wooden reception lined the far wall, behind which the inner workings of the station was visible. Scattered around the waiting area were solid metal benches that looked as though they hadn’t been changed in the last fifty years, scratches and markings covering them showing fragments of stories from past visitors.
“Hello sir, how can I be of assistance?” A young man was stood at the counter in front of him, a smile flashing across his face. Xander tried not to roll his eyes at the clearly new recruit, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
“Hi, I need to speak with Detective Mike Duggan,” Xander said, getting to the point.
“Detective Duggan?” The man was checking the list of personnel in the building on a digital screen that was hidden under the counter. Still the same old systems, Xander thought, remembering his time in the MPD, something that seemed like another lifetime ago.
“Can I ask your name?” The recruit said, still looking down at the screen.
“Sure, Draven, Xander Draven.”
“The Xander Draven?” The clerk's eyes shot up and stared at him.
Xander smiled slightly, only partially surprised that his name still meant something in the industry.
“Yeah, that’s me, kid, but let’s keep this professional,” Xander’s eyes glanced down to the screen, getting the clerks attention back to the task at hand.
“Oh…Of course, sorry, I’ve just heard so much about you, sir, big fan,” he smiled as he placed his hand over a sensor. It lit up and activated a call to Duggan’s office.
“Thanks,” Xander smiled. As the clerk made the call, a sound-isolating barrier fizzled between him and Xander, muting all the sounds and speech from the desk
to anyone in the reception. As he waited, Xander surveyed the precinct behind the counter. It looked busy as ever, and he had to admit he missed the energy of working on the force, but not the paperwork. Pulling out a cigarette, he leaned on the counter and lit it, inhaling the fumes.
Now that he had some time to pause and think, Xander had started to look at the whole situation as a case, to stay objective, and something wasn’t adding up. What had started out as sorting out the Sliders for Howie had somehow ended with Prime being put in Blackwater Prison for something he hadn’t done. A thread needed to tie the Sliders, Persephone, Prime and Keller together. Why would Persephone want Prime in prison, and how is Keller connected when he’s in Blackwater himself. Xander recalled the Keller Case back when he was still in the MPD. Thomas Keller was a nasty piece of work, but he was secure behind bars, wasn’t he?
“Mr Draven?” The clerk called out, and Xander’s train of thought evaporated. “Detective Duggan says you’re to come through and see him in his office.”
“Thanks, kid,” Xander nodded and stubbed his cigarette out on the top of a metal bin near the counter before walking towards the metal entry gate to the precinct.
Stepping through the gate, two small orbs the size of grapes appeared hovering in the air before circling around Xander. They started at the top of his head and worked their way down with beams of green light illuminating him. Sat next to the detector was an elderly man whose eyes were closed, two small nodes attached to his temples were emitting a similar green glow. Xander looked at him, waiting for the verdict of the scan as the information was transmitted directly to the old man’s mind.
“Please remove the revolver, sir, place it in the container to my left,” the man tilted his head sideways slightly, indicating a small metal box that was sat on a podium. His eyes remained shut.
Neon Blood (Neon Helix Universe Book 3) Page 14