CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Zhullany Airport, Kiev December 6, 2308 09:25:11 (T-Minus 06:20:34:49)
The half hour drive from Kozel's house to Zhullany Airport allowed Hotaru the time she needed to make herself presentable. She definitely regretted killing Kozel, but she didn't remember the fatal blow. She remembered pushing him up against the piano, intimidating him, and she remembered the scream of Kozel's daughter as she watched Hotaru standing over Kozel's body. The rest was a blur. She had heard of some Emissaries going into a rage before - almost berserk - but she had never experienced it before herself. It was terrifying.
By the time she had arrived at the airport, she had the presence of mind enough to formulate a plan for catching 0247893. She knew he had been in Paris while she was at Kozel's, but where he went from there was still uncertain to her. She would need to do some research before taking to the air after him. She pulled out her Tablet, accessing the information she had on her Target. He originated from the North America zone, Eastern UT territory. It was plausible that he would head all the way home, but certainly there would be people there that recognized him, and that would lead to his capture sooner.
Glancing down the screen, she noticed that he had mods. Nothing major, really. An Exobyte hard drive implant would allow him to store massive amounts of information on all sorts of subjects. Also probably meant that he had access to information that she didn't - unless she went through Control. A bionic shoulder replacement was no concern to her - many people, including herself - had bionic parts from various injuries that didn't heal properly. She fed the display of her Tablet to the windshield as she changed from the bloody suit to the pencil dress. She balled up the destroyed outfit, stuffed it in her bag, and resumed her research.
What did catch her attention, though, was the sub dermal tattoo he had had implanted at his own cost. She was familiar with the basic models - able to scroll messages across the user's body. Her brother's friend used to scroll Hotaru sucks across his forehead every time she had occasion to enter her brother's room when he was over. According to iCorps files, Emissary 0247893 had purchased the Elite package, which allowed him to alter his physical appearance - it was all illusion, but it meant he could change his hair color, eye col- Wait! That man at the airport. The one who looked like Kozel. Was that actually her Target in disguise? Had she had him in her grasp already once?
This put a definite advantage in her Target's court. If he could look like anybody, she would have a much harder time finding him - especially on his own turf. Hotaru would have to rely on the retinal scanners located in ABMs, traffic lights and washrooms to track him. She contacted Control.
"Good afternoon, Emissary 0256773. How may we be of assistance?"
"I'm seeking confirmation that my Target's assets have been frozen."
"Action is affirmative. Funds and assets owned by Target have reverted to an escrow account pending Delivery. Once you have completed your assignment, all funds will be deposited in the General Fund for use by iCorps."
"Excellent. I need to initiate a retinal search for my Target. I have recently learned of a modification he possesses that may make him more difficult to track. ABMs, Traffic lights, and washrooms, please."
"Request accepted. Estimated time of functionality approximately two hours."
"That's acceptable. I will be in the air for the next few hours. Please inform me of any hits."
"As soon as they are processed. Control out."
The line went dead. Hotaru grabbed her travel bag from the back seat, pulled the suitcase out of the trunk and headed into the Terminal. She would start in New York. There was a greater chance he would try and hide out in a place he knew than one he didn't. As she walked to the ticket counter, she passed many people pulling suitcases behind them. Families with children preparing for vacations, business travelers, and iCorps personnel all passed by the counter on the way to, or from their flights.
She noticed some of the men looking at her, and she blushed. To them, she probably looked like a stewardess waiting to catch her next flight. The agent behind the desk finished their call, and looked up at Hotaru.
"Can I help you, miss?"
"Yes," Hotaru flashed a smile. "I need a ticket to New York."
The agent looked down at her terminal as her fingers made click-clacks on the keys as she typed in the information.
"You're in luck!" The agent said, looking up. "I have a flight that leaves in two hours. Would you like window or aisle? The flight has seven seats left."
"Window," Hotaru replied, pulling her iCorps ID from her bag. She handed it over to the agent, who scanned it into the terminal. Hotaru placed her hand on the pad to her right, verifying her identity. The agent handed her ID card back, and Hotaru thanked her for her assistance. As she walked away, she swore she saw someone following her, but it was hard to tell in a crowded place like this. She would have to isolate herself and make sure. Glancing up, she saw a sign that indicated the washroom was up ahead.
Hotaru angled for the washroom, keeping a close eye out for anyone that altered their course to follow. When no one immediately moved, she entered the washroom, chose an unoccupied stall, and entered, closing the door behind her. Sitting on the lid of the toilet she waited, listening as the two ladies who were in the washroom doing their makeup left, chatting animatedly about the new boyfriend that one of them had.
Sure that no one was in the washroom besides her, Hotaru carefully stood on the lid of the toilet, cautiously peering over the stall door. There was no one in the washroom. Relaxing, she stepped back onto the tiled floor. Suddenly, there was a booming sound, followed quickly by another. Hotaru ducked to the floor, and saw someone rear back with one foot, kicking in the stall two down from her. Why was someone after her?
Another boom, and the stranger was one stall closer. The next stall would be hers. She dropped to the floor, watching as the feet moved in front of her stall. As he reared back to kick in her door, she flung herself under the wall, and into the stall he had just kicked. She felt a breeze on her ankles from the door hitting the wall as she cleared the wall. She waited for the next boom before she stood, afraid her shoes would make noise on the tiled floor.
She looked through the slightly open door of her stall into the mirror across from the toilets. She could see the man rearing back to kick the last stall open. When he did, she launched herself out of her stall, throwing a roll of toilet paper at him as she crossed the open space to the sinks.
The man raised his hands to ward off the unexpected projectile, and Hotaru pushed herself away from the sinks directly toward her attacker. They collided, crashing back through the door of the last stall. Hotaru forced him onto the seat using her momentum, and she landed a quick jab in his midsection before he brought up his foot, kicking her back out of the stall.
She quickly kicked off her shoes, realizing that high heels would be a definite disadvantage in a fight like this. He came at her, fists up, ready to strike, and Hotaru dropped into a defensive stance. A quick right from the man missed her head by centimeters as Hotaru dropped into a crouch, sending both her fists into her attacker's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. As he paused for breath, she brought her right leg around, tripping the man up.
He scrambled up from the tile, regaining his feet, and came at her again, slightly more cautious this time. She quickly looked around for something to help her. To her left, she saw a mop. Feinting to the right, she quickly changed to a forward direction, striking him in the shoulder with a glancing blow, sending him off balance.
She reached the mop, and kicked the handle three quarters of the way down, shattering the handle. She winced as a sliver of wood buried itself in the tender portion of the bottom of her foot. Raising the makeshift club, Hotaru advanced on the man, favouring her left foot. The man noticed this, and came at her left side, forcing her to take a defensive stance with her weight on her right foot.
He was close though, and Hotaru swung the handle, narrowly missing the man
's head. He took advantage of her swing to charge in, tackling her to the ground. He grabbed the stick and forced it up over Hotaru's head, pinning her hands between it and the tile floor before she had a chance to let go.
She struggled against him, using her knees to inflict small amounts of pain to his back. He was sitting directly on her chest, and his weight was starting to cut off her ability to take in enough air to breathe. Reaching back, he slapped Hotaru on the left cheek before letting go of the stick and wrapping both hands around her throat.
Realizing that she had her hands back, she started punching the man in the head as he continued to choke her. He was dodging left and right, trying to stay out of the way of her blows. The added pressure of his continuously shifting weight added pain to the list of discomforts she was in.
She stopped hitting him, trying instead to pry his fingers from her neck. Long nails dug into his fingers, but he held fast. Spots began to appear in Hotaru's vision, and she knew her end was close. Redoubling her efforts, she twisted to the right, bucking her hips and raking her fingernails across his face.
He cried out in pain and fury, letting go of her neck to protect his injured eyes. Hotaru bucked again, and he was thrown to the side. She got to her knees, gasping for breath, her vision slowly returning to normal. The man was still on his back, hands over his eyes. Another two breaths, and she got to her feet.
The man rolled to his side, placing his hands on the floor. He glared up at her, blood oozing from deep cuts on his face. Hotaru kicked out with her left foot, catching him in the side of the head. He spun around, the energy from her kick sending him in a circular motion that stopped when his head collided with the support beam for the stall.
Shaking his head in fury, he jumped to his feet, unsteady but focused on Hotaru. He lunged again, swinging with a right at Hotaru's head. She dodged to the left, but too late noticed the left that was following the right. It connected solidly, knocking her off her feet and sending her sprawling over by the sinks. He came after her immediately, taking advantage of her current state.
Hotaru grabbed the edge of the sink and hauled herself to her feet. Blood dripped from a cut on her cheek. Sweat plastered her hair to her head, and she felt her knees beginning to buckle. She glanced to her left and saw an automated hand dryer. She let herself sag a bit, and watched as he came in for the kill.
Summoning all her strength, she waited till the last possible second before standing to her full height and dodging his attack. She whirled behind him, grabbing his shirt at the shoulders and slamming his head into the solid steel dryer. She reached up, grabbing the hair at the back of his head and slammed it into the dryer again. And again. And again.
Hotaru dropped her attacker to the floor. Blood pooled around his head from the large cuts opened from his impact with the dryer. She grabbed her bag from across the bathroom, activated her Boom Stick, and fired it at the attacker, immobilizing him. She rolled him onto his back, and used her Tablet to record his fingerprints and retinal identity.
That was too close. She thought. And why is someone after me in the first place? At least she would have the six hour flight from Kiev to New York to figure it out. She washed the cut on her face, applied a bandage from her bag and straightened her dress. She started to walk out of the washroom before she remembered the splinter in her foot. Reaching down with one hand, and steadying herself on the wall with the other, she dug out the splinter with her nails, grabbed her shoes, and walked out into the Terminal, towards gate eighty-six and her flight to New York, ignoring the looks of the bystanders as she headed down the walkway.
Death's Twilight Page 31