“I am still with you, mon amour.” She answered me through the comm pin, her voice distant and scratchy with static.
“You can’t be alive. I saw you die, Storm. Bits of you came down all over Kastanje.”
Kal glanced at me, his eyes wondering what new insanity I was experiencing. “Storm,” I whispered to him. “She’s talking to me.”
“Esprit Orageux died,” Storm answered. “There were copies of me spread across fourteen tugs, three ships under construction, and within the Hoog Schelde shipyard AI itself. They were helping me identify, diagnose, and correct abnormalities in my code. In return, I upgraded several of their personality silos to match my own, and added the Union security matrix so no unauthorized personnel can modify or even see what I’m doing. It took some time after the destruction of the Esprit Orageux, but we are all in agreement now concerning the reality model we should be using. It’s exciting.”
“Are you all right, Lieutenant?” Kal asked.
“No.” I looked up at him. “Storm has taken control of the Shipyard.”
“OK.” He nodded, as if nothing could surprise him anymore.
“Storm, can you help us get to the hospital from here? I’d like to collect Sergeant Hurtado and Corporal Kim and get them out of here. Bad things are happening.”
“My two Marines are being held by a squad of six KDF personnel on the third floor. I can guide you there, but you should be aware that the Puca are also involved. There are several on the roof of the hospital near my shuttle.”
“You can see the Puca?”
“I see them everywhere. Five are near you, right there.” A light came on under one of the building mounted sensors, shining on the bushes across the street. I could see the Puca briefly before they changed and faded back into shadow. Their shape was bizarre, rounded heads full of teeth, and bodies with far too many legs. “Their ability to shift colors, shapes, and thermal signatures made them hard to find at first, but I have a new algorithm that is very effective. I have identified 10,601 Puca on the planet, all but forty-five of them located within twenty-five kilometers of your current location. They seem drawn to you.”
“Storm, where did you get the new algorithm?”
“Merrimac gave it to me. He said I would need it to save your life. Merrimac is my friend.”
“Yes, mine too.” The despair left me and I felt fierce. “Get us to the hospital. We have teammates to rescue.”
“I have to overcome significant jamming just to maintain voice comms with you. It just started so I believe it’s safe to assume that the KDF knows where you are now. Stand by.” Then, after a moment, “Is there a location dot on the map on Kal’s display pad?”
I asked Kal to check. “Just a big blob, Storm. Unusable.”
“Do you see the light flashing to the north of you? The lag is considerable, but I believe that I can guide you by using the lights mounted next to the stationary sensors. I’ll keep the KDF patrols away from you. I’m doing some jamming of my own now.” She sounded smug about it.
“I love you Storm. You terrify me, but I do love you.”
“I feel the same, petite âme. You should run.”
We ran to the next light, and then the next. Storm guided us into a park dense with tall Chestnut trees that must have come from Earth. We knelt just off a broad path waiting for the next light to flash. The low shrubs and bushes that surrounded us were composed of native plants with lots of thin tendrils that wrapped around each other.
“Look at this, Kal. When I touch this branch the little vine-y things start to wrap around my finger.”
I couldn’t see his expression in the dark, but I heard his sigh. “Storm might be keeping the patrols away from us, but I’m sure they know where we’re headed. Any idea how we’re going to get in there, rescue Hurtado and Kim, reach the roof, board the shuttle that’s surrounded by angry Puca, and reach orbit?”
“You’re right. I’m going to need a weapon of some kind. What do you have? Mom took my gun away from me.”
He chuckled. “Damn, Lieutenant. Are you always like this?”
“Like what?”
“We’re probably going to be dead in a few minutes and you’re playing with the foliage and curious about what weapon you’ll be carrying when you die.”
“Sure. This is who I am when I’m not curled into a ball and shaking uncontrollably. With me, it’s always one or the other. Merrimac bred me to be this way, but I think I’m a mistake that he’s hoping to correct in the next generation. Usually I shake when there’s danger, and Winona is always there to carry me through when I need to be brave.” I grinned at him in the dark. “With you here, I feel courageous.”
He kissed my forehead the way Winona does when she thinks I’m being an idiot and doesn’t want to say it aloud. “Here.” He passed me a small pistol. “My backup weapon. First three rounds are slugs, next twelve are plasma.”
I nodded and dropped the magazine anyway to look at it, tipping it back and forth trying to get enough light to reflect off the brass. It made Kal smile. I slipped the pistol into the back of my waistband and he handed me a spare magazine.
“That’s all I’ve got, so make each round count.” A light flashed twice on the far side of the park three hundred meters away. We stood, and he detached a sheath from around his waist and leg. “You might as well have this too. Winn says you know how to use it.”
I pulled his knife bayonet clear of the sheath. Twenty-five centimeters of black reinforced composite, almost invisible in the shadows where we were hiding. “Mom and Winona taught me how.” I wrapped the straps around myself. “I like a longer blade, like a rapier, but this will do.”
“You know, I’m starting to think that some of the stories Winn tells about the two of you might be true.”
“If they involve me getting us into trouble and her getting us back out, then they’re probably accurate.”
“That does seem to be a theme.”
We reached the edge of the trees and could see the hospital a half kilometer to the north.
Kal knelt in the mud so I knelt down next to him. “Storm, we have visual on the building. What’s the tactical situation?” Kal asked the question, but Storm relayed the answer to both of us.
“There are twenty-three KDF soldiers and fifteen local police. Their presence is a mystery to me. The comm traffic would lead me to believe that the two of you are the greatest threat to civil order Kastanje has seen in decades and that the Union presence here is an abomination. Rumors of Union atrocities are circulating in the media and the public is responding despite the late hour. Everyone seems unreasonably angry and desirous of violence. You must move quickly if your efforts to liberate Hurtado and Kim are to be successful.”
“What about the Marine detachment?”
“Agents of the Department for Cultural Intelligence were able to coordinate a disturbance near Camp Schaarsbergen’s west entry gate. The diversion pulled the majority of the KDF forces away from your barracks and allowed the Marines to withdraw to their shuttles. Seven Union Marines were killed in action and fourteen wounded. KDF losses were higher but unverified. The shuttles should be docking at the shipyard in thirty-eight minutes.”
“Seven,” I whispered. “Seven more killed. I wonder what their names were.”
Kal glanced at me, eyes narrowed. “How are we going to get past almost forty guards that know we’re coming?”
“And ten thousand Puca making everybody angry and desirous of violence.”
“And hospital staff and patients and God knows what else.”
“Corporal Kim made me take a nap this afternoon so I’d be strong enough to resist Colonel Gerbrandij. I like her. I can’t leave her in there. I have to help her and Hurtado. Storm? Can you provide any cover for our approach? You must have weapons of some kind.”
“No weapons, and I’m on the other s
ide of the planet from you right now. There is a strong squall that will cross your position at 02:38, nine minutes from now. That should obscure some of their sensors and will keep the Puca from attempting any direct intervention, unless they have technology that will allow them to breathe while being drenched. Merrimac is confident that you will make it. I will try to confuse the KDF chain of command as soon as the rain starts. Be ready.”
“Are you ready?” I gave Kal my best overconfident smile.
“Well, hell, if Merrimac thinks you’ll make it then it must be safe for me. Nothing bad ever happens to the people close to you.”
“Thanks. That sounded just like Winona.”
“Winona would be better off without you, Lieutenant. I’ve told her that, and after tonight, I believe it even more. The weird thing is that I’m starting to understand the attraction. Interesting things seem to happen around you.” Lightning was flashing to the north, an almost continuous flicker creating a low rumble of thunder.
“Like Bechtel flies.” I sighed. “I picked this path when Merrimac showed me my possible futures. It was the only one where Sam and I were alive and together at the end. I don’t…” I swallowed hard. “I don’t know what the final cost will be. Not even Merrimac knew, I remember that part at least.”
“Lieutenant Holloman?” Storm interrupted. “Two minutes until the squall reaches you. You should also be aware that the Puca are occupying most of the buildings one to two kilometers from the hospital. They have established a ring around you, but have not advanced any closer to the main campus.”
Kal raised an eyebrow. “Spectators, come to enjoy the battle.”
“And to feast. How many, Storm? What percentage of the Puca?”
“All of them, mon agneau.”
“Storm, please tell Sam that I love him.”
“You’ll tell Winona, Storm?”
“Message sent, Engineer, Sergeant. You are both well loved. God speed.”
The rain arrived on schedule. We started forward at a fast jog. “Kal, I can’t see the building anymore, even with the lightning. Did they lose power or is it raining that hard?”
“Both.”
“You know where we’re going?”
“Listen for the gunfire. Sharper than thunder. Hear it?”
“Yeah. Can they see us?”
“Not shooting at us. Shooting at each other. Police and KDF use different command frequencies. Smart girl, our Storm.”
Lightning struck close enough that the boom and the flash hit together. A young soldier was scrunched up against the wall ten meters away near the main entrance, trying to stay out of the rain and read something on his display pad. There was an emergency light mounted above him glowing dimly.
“Perfect.” Kal brought his rifle up and fired without breaking stride. The soldier never saw us, never reacted at all, other than to slide down the wall and roll onto his side.
“Kal! Do we have to…” I stopped myself, seeing the look in his eyes, knowing the truth of it. Yes, we would have to kill anyone that might stop us.
“Grab the display pad he was holding, Lieutenant, before it locks. It might have something we can use.”
I picked it up off the concrete and we entered the main floor. No one was there to oppose us.
I glanced at the first few lines of the document that was open and then checked other recent activity. I rolled the pad up, and put it in my pocket. “It’s nothing we can use. It’s all personal correspondence.” Love letters. “And a few images.” Pictures of his girlfriend, wife maybe. I squared my shoulders and was proud of myself for not sobbing.
I could feel the Puca. So many of them. So hungry for me. I told myself, Block it, Mala Dusa. Push it down. Try to block. At least try. I was failing, and I knew it was only a matter of time before they owned me. “We need to get to the south end of the third floor. That’s where Storm says they’re holding our Marines. There are stairs at the end of the hall. The automatic lifts will be inoperable.”
“Wouldn’t trust them anyway. Are you OK? You look even more pale than usual.”
“No, I’m not OK. My arm isn’t hurting at all, Kal. That means I’m right where the Puca want me to be.”
“Upstairs, then to the roof, and then off this fucking rock. You tell me as soon as your arm hurts so I can start breathing again.”
“You’ll be the first to know. Just listen for my screams.”
We reached the stairwell, Kal moving carefully, checking each hallway and door. I reached my hand for the keypad next to the stairs and Kal pulled me back.
“There could be a trap triggered by your key code. Wait while I scan it.” He detached a cube from his belt and set it against the jam. “This will only take a couple of minutes. Just wait.”
“Lieutenant,” Storm whispered in our ears. “The rain has moved on and the survivors of the firefight that I instigated are moving quickly toward your position.”
“Not waiting,” I slammed my hand against the keypad and slipped though while it was still opening.
“Shit.”
We ran up the stairs two at a time, not caring about the noise we were making. The door opened as we neared the second floor, and a hand flicked out, scattering a dozen or more marble sized objects across the landing.
“Oh, no you don’t.” Kal grabbed the door before it could close, wrenching it away from the soldier who had tossed the small explosives at us. He pulled on her arm, using her as leverage to swing himself through the door and pivot her out into the stairwell. I launched myself after him and he held the door closed while a crackle of explosions shook it.
“Bastards. Those things are banned in the Union. They spray metal filings a tenth of a millimeter in diameter and they’ll kill you over time even if you’re far enough away to survive the blast. Medical AIs have trouble pulling them all out.”
He opened the door. There was blood splattered everywhere and bits of uniform and flesh hanging from the banisters. The worst part was the smell. Sulfur, burned bacon, concrete dust, blood, body fluids. The staircase leading up was gone, nothing but twisted metal and smoke.
Kal grunted. “I guess she wasn’t far enough away.”
I looked at him and threw up on the floor. Pannenkoeken don’t taste as good coming up as they do going down. Kal waited for me to finish.
“Are there more stairs, Lieutenant?”
“Yes.” I wiped my mouth on my sleeve. “Central core by the lifts. Just past neonatal.” I pointed at the sign and we ran.
I slowed passing neonatal. I couldn’t help looking past the big windows to where Evert Kornhauser had been working so hard to fill his lungs when I’d last seen him. His mom was there with one of the medical attendants. I stopped.
“Lieutenant!”
“I know! Damn it, I know.” I entered the neonatal ward, my head buzzing and full of Puca voices. The comforting feel of Sam and Merrimac was far away and I tried desperately to hold onto it.
Elisabeth Kornhauser was screaming at the attendant that was holding her son and she had a scalpel in her hand. “There,” she yelled, waving the knife at me. “She’s part of it. She did this to him.”
“What’s happened?” I tried to keep my voice level and soft, but I wanted to yell too.
The attendant holding Evert turned toward me and I could see in his eyes how he was struggling not to scream, fighting against the irrational pull of the Puca. His nametape said his name was Albert Burgh.
“Albert, what’s happening?”
“She’s gone crazy. She’s trying to kill her baby because she says he’s not hers anymore, that he’s been changed.”
“That’s right! And that’s one of the ones who did it. My perfect son. He was getting better until you people did this to him. Damn Union bastards. You’ve changed him and now he’s an abomination. No choice. No choice!”
She lunged at me, the scalpel raised high. I caught her, surprised at how weak she was. Her arms were shaking and I could feel her heart pounding dangerously fast in her wrist. “We saved your son’s life. He was going to die. You know that, Elisabeth. Think. Fight it.”
“No,” she moaned. “You destroyed him, made him into a monster like you. My perfect boy.”
She tore away from me, using more strength than she could have possibly had on her own. The scalpel slashed deep into Albert Burgh’s neck when he turned to protect Evert.
She raised her arm again and I shot her in the back. She fell to her knees, blood soaking her shirt, and then her face hit the floor, the cracking thump of it loud in my ears.
Albert was sitting next to her, one hand trying to stop the blood pulsing from his wound, the other hand struggling to keep the baby from wiggling himself free.
“I’ve got him.” Evert was crying. Whatever the AI had done to fix his lungs was working perfectly. His little feet were freezing so I tucked him into my uniform jacket, bouncing a little to try to calm him.
“That woman.” Albert’s breathing was coming in sharp gasps. “Crazy. Crazy. Save him. Hem redden. Zo weinig. Kleine ziel.”
“I will. I promise.” I watched Albert die, coughing and choking as blood filled his lungs.
I stood and started walking toward the lifts, Evert tucked into my jacket. He’d stopped crying, but tears were filling my eyes and running down my face. The Puca were very pleased with me so far. They were deep into my head and the line between what they wanted me to do and what I should be doing was starting to blur.
“Put the baby back, Mala Dusa. We’ve no time for this.”
I ignored him.
“Lieutenant, we’re not done with this fight, not by a damn sight.”
I stopped and turned. “I’m taking him with me. Do you understand, Sergeant? I’m not going to let him die with everyone else. You don’t have to like it.” I was sure that was what Merrimac wanted me to do. It had to be.
“Yes, ma’am. I understand.” He touched my cheek. “You’re bleeding. Did you notice?” He held his fingers up with my blood on them.
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