Maelstrom of Treason

by Michael Anderle

  Erik twisted the yoke and headed in a different direction. “Emma, can you keep a drone on him for a couple of minutes?”

  “Yes. His straightforward course should allow for intercept,” Emma replied.

  Erik descended until he was skimming the ground. He decelerated further and maneuvered beside a huge atmosphere-processing pyramid. “Emma, change to a random color and adjust the transponder again.”

  “Done,” she replied.

  Erik checked an external camera and groaned. “Hot pink? Are you kidding me?”

  “It was selected randomly, per your request,” Emma noted.

  “It kind of stands out,” Erik grumbled.

  “It is distinct from your other colors, and you didn’t say anything about a subtle random color.”

  “Great.” Erik brought the MX 60 back into the air. “Give me an intercept course with an arc.”

  A red nav marker appeared in his smart lenses, along with a marked course on a map on the console. Emma highlighted the target vehicle on the edge of a map expanded beyond the limits of the lidar, along with marking the position of each of her drones. Draven was moving toward the edge of the city.

  “Let’s see where this guy leads us,” Erik murmured. “If we’re lucky, it’ll be somewhere we can blow him up.”

  “We don’t need to blow him up,” Jia observed.

  “Sure, but we’re following a syndicate enforcer who killed or kidnapped our missing ID agent,” Erik commented. He gestured toward the map. “This isn’t going to end with us sitting down to discuss our thoughts on the Dragons’ goalie.”

  Jia stuffed another magazine into her pocket before reaching into the back. “Okay, grenades, it is.”

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Erik narrowed his eyes at Emma’s drone feed as two other flitters fell in behind Draven’s vehicle. “They aren’t trying to force him down. They must be friends.”

  “That’s not a good sign.” Jia opened the hidden panel beneath her seat to draw out the TR-7. “If he realized he was being followed earlier, he might have called for reinforcements. There goes our chance for a quiet conversation.”

  “We’re approaching from a different angle with a different color and a different transponder,” Erik replied. “Even if he realized he was being followed, he might not realize it’s the same flitter, but this won’t end as cleanly as we wanted.”

  “You don’t think this is too easy?” Jia asked, setting the TR-7 between the seats. “It might be a trap. We have this ridiculously customized flitter that makes us less vulnerable, but it doesn’t make us invulnerable.”

  “Nah.” Erik shook his head. “Easy is relative. Most people messing with these syndicates don’t have experimental AIs and half the equipment and access we have.” His gaze flicked between the lidar, drone, and camera feeds. Emma’s navigational area was keeping him on the intercept course. “They don’t even have friendly syndicate bosses willing to trade information.”

  “I just keep thinking Alina could have done this,” Jia commented. “That makes me worried.”

  “Sure, but you saw what happened with Kalei.” Erik snickered. “The conspiracy isn’t the only one who can throw pawns at people. Wheels within wheels. The ID might be on our side, but that doesn’t mean they’re always our friends. We just all want the same thing—a dead conspiracy.”

  “You are not upset that we’re being used?” Jia gave him a questioning look.

  “No.” Erik shook his head. “It’s a mutual thing. I’m not going to care unless some ID ghost tries to kill us, and if Alina is half as smart as she seems, she’ll know that trying to kill us would be a bad idea.”

  “The gun goblins appear to be heading into an industrial zone built around an old habitation dome,” Emma reported. “My interrogation of local records suggests many of the properties in that area are not in active use. There are articles discussing reclamation, but the projects seem to be at a standstill, concerning planning and resource allocation.”

  “A dome?” Erik asked. “I’m beginning to see where they got their name. Do any of the local records mention the Dome Society?”

  “There’s surprisingly little mention of specific syndicates in what is publicly available. There is a press release from the CID dated several months ago that mentions the Dome Society and your friends at Prism Associates as ‘organizations of interest.’ The Dome Society is of greater concern to the CID because of their involvement in human trafficking. Prism Associates seems far more interested in gambling and related areas, but compared to what was publicly available about such groups on Earth, it’s as if this whole planet wants to pretend there are no gun goblins here. There are even many articles claiming that organized syndicates are more an urban myth than reality and that the government has hyped up the threat to allow more Earth influence over Mars. The articles claim that what some people are calling syndicates are simply unusually colorful mutual aid societies.”

  Jia shook her head, the disbelief on her face clear. “The level of endemic corruption here makes Neo SoCal seem like heaven. Do people actually believe that tripe?”

  “They must on some level if they’re talking about human trafficking,” Erik replied with a deep scowl. “But it helps a lot of people if they just look the other way.” His scowl lessened. “Radira mentioned they all stayed out of each other’s way by specializing in their flavor of corruption. They might have thought Chetta was law enforcement or even a journalist.”

  “Do we really think he’s alive at this point?”

  “If they think he’s a cop or a journalist, that might have bought us some time,” Erik suggested, doubt on his face. “Killing a gangster is expected. Killing too many others gets the wrong kind of attention. But I wouldn’t mind knocking a few heads around until they give us something, and if I were going to kidnap some random guy and hold him somewhere, a nearly abandoned area on the edge of the city sounds like the perfect place.” He descended. “Make sure he’s not tagging your drones, Emma.”

  “I’m keeping a good distance and utilizing flight patterns typical of local drones,” she replied. “I’ve sent a few to that area, keeping them very low to avoid detection.”

  Jia stuffed AP magazines into her pockets. “If someone spots the drones on a camera, they might get spooked and tell Draven to run.”

  “If he makes a run for it, we’ll know he has something to hide.”

  Jia’s answer was succinct. “He’s a gangster. Of course, he has something to hide.”

  Erik’s smile turned hungry. “But my gut tells me they have Sukorn here.”

  “And if your gut is wrong?” Jia asked.

  “It’s not. We’re going to follow them there, and we’re going to ask for him. Even if they don’t have him, they know where he is, or where his body is located. We’re not leaving Mars without Sukorn one way or another.”

  “And if they tell us to go away?”

  Erik chuckled darkly. “Then we ask not so nicely, and we have Emma hack everything in sight.”

  Jia’s expression turned incredulous. “You seriously want to just go up and ask for Sukorn? We could try to infiltrate, take time to gather evidence.”

  Erik shook his head. “We’re not cops anymore. This isn’t about evidence. This is about getting the job done. The Dome Society can continue to exist if they give us Sukorn.”

  “I was worried more about staying low profile.” Jia’s forehead wrinkled in deep thought. “But now that I think of it, this is a situation where punching them in the nose might get our point across quicker.”

  Erik touched his nose. “That’s right. Think like Lanara. Efficient. I don’t give a crap about their syndicate wars. Radira proves that not all syndicates are filled with idiots. Now it’s the Dome Society’s chance to prove they aren’t. If they are, that’s not our problem, but we can still be a solution.”

  “The three flitters are descending,” Emma reported. She magnified the feed. The vehicles continued down, closing in on a cluste
r of tightly packed buildings surrounding a taller one in the center. The fence surrounding the entire area enclosed what appeared to be a smaller, solid fence, but after looking at it, Erik realized it was the remnants of a dome base. Low-flying drones circled the area, along with suited men with rifles. There were no sniper towers, but there were a conspicuous number of blocky towers that Erik suspected held hidden anti-aircraft turrets.

  “That’s pretty blatant,” Jia commented. “You’d think they wouldn’t walk around like that.”

  “It’s not like it’s illegal to have security,” Erik replied. “They’re on the verge of a syndicate war, and the local syndicates know everyone’s territories anyway.” He blew out a breath. “It doesn’t matter to us. We just needed to know where this guy was going.” He dropped lower, now flying between the buildings with the road not far below them, hover vehicles rushing over it, along with sparse flitter traffic above. There’d been a noticeable decrease in traffic in the last few minutes.

  “Weird names, weird outfits,” Jia commented. “These Martian syndicates are all about theatricality. I think you’re right. If we’re the same way, we might be able to end this without trouble, and if not…”

  She left it unsaid, but the silence was bugging Erik.

  “Blowing stuff up and shooting people is theatrical.”

  Erik slowed the flitter as they approached the fenced-in buildings. He stopped near the front gate. Emma’s drone feeds showed a half-dozen armed men with rifles clustered near the gate. The pair’s arrival had not gone unnoticed.

  “While the building’s composition is blocking thermals and my other sensors in some areas, there are dozens of confirmed gun goblins inside,” Emma reported. “I’m bringing in more of the drones, but even at high altitudes and angles, I’ve spotted ten fleshbags actively patrolling the perimeter in addition to the men guarding the gate.”

  “We could really use an exoskeleton or two about now,” Jia murmured. “Thanks, Alina.”

  “I thought you were all about grenades?” Erik asked.

  “It’d be nice if I could use one with a grenade launcher.” Jia shrugged. “That’s what I’ve been doing in all those simulations, remember?”

  Erik chuckled and opened his door. He stepped outside. “Adapt and overcome.”

  Jia remained inside the MX 60, her hand on the TR-7 as he advanced toward the front gate. Drones circled above them, but no alarms rang out. No men shouted in worry. The gate slid open with a quiet hiss. A guard advanced toward the MX 60, rifle in hand and a smirk on his face.

  “Who the hell are you?” the guard asked.

  “Someone interested in finding someone else,” Erik explained.

  “And who the hell is that?”

  “Chetta Sukorn,” Erik announced, keeping his hands at his side. There was no reason to escalate the situation yet. “Your man Draven took him. We want him back. Give him back, and we’re gone.”

  The guard glared at him. “Like I said, who the fuck are you?”

  “I’m the guy asking for Chetta Sukorn.”

  The guard chuckled and shook his head. “You’ve got balls, whoever you are. Wait here, or you’ll get shot.”

  “I’ve got all day.” Erik leaned against his flitter. “Take all the time you need. I’ll just check my team’s scores while I’m waiting.”

  The guard disappeared behind the fence.

  Emma had him tagged from afar with one of her drones, and he was clearly talking to someone. If the syndicate had realized that Sukorn wasn’t spying on them and he was still alive, they might give him up without too much trouble.

  It was like Radira had said: earning new enemies in a time where you were already dealing with trouble wasn’t a good strategy. The question remained if the average syndicate head on Mars possessed Radira’s restraint and foresight.

  “It’s difficult to achieve total accuracy at this distance,” Emma declared, “but I can generally understand what he’s saying by reading his lips.”

  “And?” Erik murmured under his breath.

  “He’s informing his superior that someone has come looking for ‘that snoop Draven brought here,’ and that they don’t recognize you. They’re not sure if you’re syndicate or a Confed.”

  Erik chuckled. “They didn’t use his name?”

  “I’m almost certain that he said ‘that snoop.’ There’s a slight margin for error, but the actual words can’t be significantly different from those. The guard seems irritated they haven’t moved said snoop, but he then was obviously chastened by his superior for speaking out of turn.”

  “Good enough for me. Sounds like they have him here. I’ll give the Lady a shot, and we’ll wait to see if they’ll be reasonable before I give her any more.”

  A couple of minutes passed before the guard jogged back out to the flitter. “Nobody knows anything about anyone named Chetta Sukorn. Get lost.”

  “You sure? I can show you a picture if it’ll help.”

  The guard sneered. “I don’t know who you are, and you haven’t tried anything, so we’re going to let you go. Get the hell out of here. We’re being nice and assuming you don’t understand who you’re screwing with.”

  “The Dome Society?” Erik offered.

  “If you know that much, then you should know not to mess with us.” The man ran a finger across his throat. “I noticed you brought a chick with you. You shouldn’t have brought your girlfriend if you don’t want her to see you get your ass kicked.”

  “Yeah, she wouldn’t like that.” Erik smiled. “But I’ll take your word that Sukorn isn’t here.” He slid back into the flitter. “We’ll get out of here.” He closed the door and lifted off. “Keep as many drones around as you can without getting spotted, Emma. Also, watch our ass to make sure nobody’s following us.”

  Jia sighed as the MX 60 sped away. “So much for them being reasonable. I suppose we have no choice but to make a scene.”

  Erik chuckled. “That’s one way to put it.”

  “How do we do this without the locals showing up?” Jia asked.

  Erik shook his head. “This isn’t Neo SoCal. This isn’t even Earth. You said it yourself. This is blatant. This is a syndicate base in the middle of nowhere with roving armed guards. If we don’t drop a plasma torpedo on them, I bet the cops won’t show up until the dust settles. It’d be more trouble than it’s worth.”

  “I wonder if Alina could get us a plasma torpedo?” Jia mused.

  Erik stared at her. “What?”

  “Not for everyday use,” Jia insisted. “Just special circumstances. You never know when we might need something like that.”

  Erik swallowed. “Let’s stick to grenades and missiles for now.”

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  “Arrogance gets people killed,” Jia declared as she strapped on her tactical vest.

  They had flown away from the syndicate base and parked in an empty underground garage where they could get their magazines, grenades, and heavier weapons ready.

  Emma was blocking the local cameras since they needed to pull out the carryaids and strap the laser rifle and rocket launcher to them.

  “Are you talking about us?” Erik grabbed a tactical EMP and put it in a duster pocket. “We’re about to storm a syndicate base by ourselves. Some people might say that’s arrogant.”

  “I meant them,” Jia suggested, looking insulted. “They didn’t even bother to tail us or figure out who we are. Even if we’re just scouts for another syndicate, the current situation is one in which they might get hit.”

  “It’s unstable, but not open warfare.” Erik patted his TR-7, an eager look on his face. “They probably figure no one is going to make the first move by going up against a major place. Take out some enforcers here and there and then make a big move.”

  “I’m still hoping that once they realize we’re willing to use force, they’ll give us Sukorn.” Jia set an assault rifle between her feet. “But I’m full of doubt about that.”

  “Is this
going to be a problem?” Erik asked. “You seemed eager before, but now I’m wondering. This isn’t a police raid. We don’t have a warrant. Making jokes about grenades isn’t the same thing as going in there ready to shoot a bunch of guys to rescue someone we don’t even know.”

  Jia shook her head. “These are trafficking scum. If they fire on us, I have no problem paying them back in kind. There might be shades of gray in our new job, but I don’t think this is one of them. Even if we’re not here to destroy the syndicates, it doesn’t mean we can’t bloody them a little.”

  “As long as we’re on the same page.” Erik took a deep breath. “Okay, here’s the plan. Emma, you’re going to fly us in low to avoid any assumed anti-aircraft turrets. We’ll hit the front gate and show up armed, offering them one last chance to give us Chetta. If they say no, we fight our way in. Emma, you can hack their systems while we’re doing our thing.”

  “And if the police show up?” Jia asked.

  “Then we’ll try to get back to the flitter and lose them,” Erik suggested. “We don’t know how easy it would be for Alina to get us out of trouble, so we might as well not test it. However, if we can’t find Sukorn, or at least find where they dumped his body, we’re not going to cut it going forward against tougher organizations.”

  Jia blew out a breath. “It always ends in a big fight for us.”

  Erik grinned. “It keeps things exciting.”

  The MX 60 descended toward the gate. The guard was waiting in front this time, his gun at the ready. Emma highlighted the targets behind the gate, and her entire squadron of drones circled the area, ready to close in for additional recon.

  “Give me an exterior loudspeaker, Emma,” Erik requested. “It’s time to see if these guys can be reasonable.”

  “My analysis suggests a high probability of idiocy,” Emma commented. “Gun goblins are often stupider than the average fleshbag.”

  Jia cradled her rifle in her arms. “I don’t need to be a super-AI to figure that out.”