by Simon Haynes
"Headquarters will not send us anything, Trainee," said Bernie, her eyes still closed. "It is not in their budget."
"You should let me speak to them sometime. I'll explain —"
"NO!" said Bernie quickly, her eyes snapping open. "You're not authorised. Trainees cannot make intragalactic calls. And even if such a thing were possible, think of the cost!"
Harriet was silent as the lift bore them upwards. Whatever Bernie said, she'd get a set of batteries somehow. Her sanity depended on it.
Chapter 21
After five minutes in the armoury Harriet was weighted down with every bit of riot gear Bernie could dig out in her size, plus several larger pieces 'just in case'. As a result she could barely move, but every time she tried to take something off, Bernie would hand her two more of the same thing.
"These will protect the soles of your feet," said Bernie, offering her two thick metal plates with straps.
"Who the hell is going to shoot me there? I'd have to lie down first." Then Harriet realised how much all her protective gear weighed. "Then again, if I wear all this stuff the problem won't be lying down, it'll be getting up again."
Bernie held out the foot protectors. "One must always be prepared."
"I'm not scouting around, I'm going in there to get Alice out." Harriet took the plates, and, as soon as Bernie turned to pick up something else, slipped them onto an empty shelf behind her.
Finally, Bernie stepped back to inspect Harriet's outfit. After looking her up and down critically, she declared herself satisfied.
"About time. Will you fit in the cruiser, by the way?"
"Yes, the rear compartment was designed to accommodate a BNE-II."
They got to the garage without incident, although Bernie walked more slowly than usual. Steve opened a door for Harriet, and when he realised Bernie was coming along, he lifted the sloping roof at the rear. It rose into the air and the entire side of the car opened out, revealing a couple of strong steps. Bernie used them to get in the back, then crouched low with her knees either side of her head. She took hold of two specially-strengthened straps, and, without fuss, the car closed up again.
"Looks like you need a charge there, Bernie," remarked Steve.
"Thank you for pointing that out," said the robot.
There was a click, and a panel opened. Inside there was a thick cord. "You're welcome," said Steve. "Don't use it unless my engine's running."
Hungrily, Bernie plugged the cable in. Meanwhile, Harriet settled in the front and pulled the door to. "Canitt's place," she said. "And …"
"Step on it?" suggested Steve.
On the way, Harriet turned to look over her shoulder. Bernie had a blissful look on her face as she took a charge, and she hoped the trip would be long enough to get the robot into fighting condition. "Are you okay now?"
Bernie eyed her thoughtfully, a concerned expression on her face. "I would prefer you did not try to contact headquarters. In fact, I must insist on it."
Harriet nodded.
"The truth is," continued Bernie, "when the other officers left this station ten years ago, I was put into storage. But before they shut me down, I programmed myself to wake up several days later. At that time I discovered several orders had arrived from headquarters. The first was to install one of those cheap, brainless little robots in the Dismolle Peace Force station, to answer calls from the public. The other was to ship me off to a nearby planet, where … where …" Bernie's voice dropped to a whisper. "They were going to scrap me, Harriet. My parts were to be used in other BNE units serving at more prestigious stations."
"No wonder you don't want to bother HQ. But … how come you're still here? What happened to those orders?"
"I switched them," said Bernie promptly. "They recycled the nasty little robot, and I remained here to answer calls."
Harriet laughed. "Oh, nicely done, Bernie. Nicely done."
"But if headquarters discover I am active, they will send a team to correct the mistake. Or worse, Trainee —" her voice dropped to a whisper. "They might recycle me and install an answering service."
"That's not happening while I'm around," said Harriet firmly.
Bernie looked relieved. "Excellent, I'm glad you understand. It has been troubling me for many years now, and I find that confiding in you has increased my happiness a great deal."
"That's okay, you can always cry on my shoulder."
"That will not be necessary, Trainee."
"So they don't know you're running the place?"
"You might say that, yes. But, however long it takes, someone will eventually read the report and piece together the … mistake. At that time they will send for me."
"Nonsense, you're doing a fine job!" said Harriet loyally. Privately, she wasn't so sure. The robot had surprised her more than once, and not in a good way.
"If the time comes, I will ask for your help. A reference, perhaps a few words of praise from a human … it might make the difference."
"Of course I'll help! And in the meantime, we'll make the Dismolle Peace Force station the best on the whole damn planet."
"That would not be difficult," said Bernie. "We are the only station."
* * *
They drove on in silence, and as they approached Canitt's premises Harriet outlined her plan. "We can't go in there guns blazing."
"That is a given, Trainee, since your gun will not blaze."
"I need you to organise a little distraction. I know you emptied the place with that power cut, but this time I just want Canitt out of the way."
"Just him?"
"Yes. He's the only one who'd recognise me. The rest only saw me in passing."
"In my experience, they will not see past the uniform."
"They're not the only ones," said Harriet, looking down at all the bulky riot gear she was wearing.
"Very well." Bernie closed her eyes for a few seconds. Then she reopened them and nodded. "Mr Canitt just received some bad news. His private car will be repossessed if he does not speak with his bank manager in person … immediately."
"That's unbelievable!"
"Thank you, Trainee."
"No, I mean it. What kind of bank manager works after six pm?"
"From the traffic network, I see that Mr Canitt has just started his car."
"Then he's a fool." Harriet shrugged. "Anyway, it's basically the same plan as before. I'll tell them there's a runaway hiding in their building, go and find her in the stairwell, and march her out of there." Then she remembered Alice's ankle. "Well, drag her out, anyway."
"That plan will work for the regular staff, but what about Finch and Willis?"
"No reason to think they'll get involved. They didn't show when I had my tour earlier."
"You are assuming a lot, Trainee Walsh."
She shrugged. "I still have the gun … and you. If anything goes wrong, march in and arrest the lot of them."
"Under what pretext?"
Harriet remembered the fraught half-hour she'd spent in the interview room. "Oh, so you need a pretext to arrest people now?"
Bernie paused. "I did what I thought best."
"Later. This isn't the time."
As if on cue, Steve pulled up to the kerb, just around the corner from Canitt's premises.
"Are you sure Canitt left?" asked Harriet.
"Definitely."
"All right. Stay out of sight anyway, in case he comes back." She managed to get out, struggling with the heavy riot gear, then walked round the corner and across the near-empty car park to the front door of Canitt's offices. The lights were on, but she could only see the guard plus a handful of people, the rest having gone home.
As she approached, the guard stood up straighter. "Evening, officer."
"Good evening."
"Is there a problem?"
"Nothing to worry the civilians with," said Harriet. The guard looked to be in awe of the Peace Force, and she was fully prepared to exploit that. "There have been reports of a runaway in sec
tor nine-Alpha. That's this area right here."
The guard's hand dropped to the butt of his weapon.
"Belay that," said Harriet sharply. She wondered if that was Peace Force or Navy, but it didn't really matter because the guard withdrew his hand. "We're talking about a schoolgirl, not a fugitive."
The guard took in Harriet's riot shield, personal armour and helmet. "You don't look like you're hunting a schoolkid."
"Oh, this lot? Standard issue. Now, the girl was spotted entering these premises, so—"
"She's in here?" The guard's eyes widened in surprise, and he instinctively reached for his two-way.
"Don't alert everyone," said Harriet quickly. "Just call the other guards to this position so I can brief them."
"There's only the night shift."
"So call them."
The guard nodded and activated his two-way. "Mike? Tina? Reception, please. We have an intruder on the premises."
Harriet groaned under her breath. The only thing worse than three armed guards was three alert armed guards. "Did you have to say that?" she muttered.
"I'm sorry?"
"If you make them jumpy, they might start shooting at shadows."
"We're professionals," said the man huffily. "We don't overreact like your people do."
Harriet couldn't reply to that — she'd heard all kinds of stories about the Peace Force, few of them good. "I'm with the Dismolle station," she said, by way of explanation. "We're here to serve the public, not shoot at them." She glanced towards reception, where the receptionist was watching her with curiosity. "Wait here, I'll be back in a minute." She stomped over to the counter and threw a salute. "I'm Peace Force officer Walsh, at your service. There's no cause for panic, sir, but I've had reports of a runaway in the building."
"What … inside?"
"Relax, sir. It's just a teenage girl. She had a fight with her parents and ran off."
"But I haven't seen anyone."
"She might have sneaked in earlier, during the power cut."
The man's face cleared. "Oh, you heard about that? The boss was furious, reckons we might have lost a whole batch of product."
"I'm not interested in your product. I'm here to find the girl."
"Y-yes, of course. What can I do? Shall I call everyone and warn them?"
"No! I'm just making you aware of the situation. There is no cause for alarm, got it?"
The man eyed her heavy riot gear. "If you say so, officer."
At that moment the other two guards turned up: an overweight man with a beard, and a slim, olive-skinned girl with a ponytail. Harriet went over to address the group, and found the first guard already explaining.
"What we have here is a code three and a code nine," he said. "Potential intruder, presumed non-violent."
"She's not presumed non-violent, she is non-violent," said Harriet sharply. To drive the point home she clarified. "By that I mean she's not violent. Everyone clear?"
They nodded, and Harriet waved the guard into line with the others. "I'm looking for a teenage girl," she said, walking up and down in front of them, and addressing them like she imagined a Peace Force captain would address his officers. "She's absolutely no threat, and I want all of you to stay right here while I find her."
"Um …" said the first guard. "No offence, but one of us has to go with you. This is private property, and we're official security."
"All right, but no guns. Leave yours with the others."
"You want me to search the place … unarmed?"
Harriet turned and pointed. "How many times do I have to repeat this? We're looking for a frightened schoolgirl, not a gang member with a blast rifle and a death wish. NO GUNS!" Harriet frowned at the other two, her eyes narrowed. "If either of you open fire, I'll arrest you for attempted murder. If you shoot her, it's the death penalty. Got it?"
"But Dismolle doesn't have the death penalty!" said the woman with the ponytail. "If it went to trial —"
"Who said anything about a trial?" said Harriet grimly. "I'm with the bloody Peace Force. Step out of line and I'll shoot you myself."
The guards blanched.
Harriet was pretty sure they'd got the message, but she decided to make certain. "All right, unload your weapons, all of you. Come on, right now."
Reluctantly they obeyed, removing the charge packs. Harriet debated whether to collect them all, but she foresaw protests and she didn't need an argument. Instead, she watched the guards tucking the slim packs into their pockets. "Now stay here and don't move." She gestured at the first guard. "You, with me. We'll skip the lift and take the stairs to the basement."
"You studied the floor plan?" said the guard admiringly. "Nice prep work!"
"Of course I studied the floor plan," said Harriet quickly. "I'm a professional."
Chapter 22
Harriet took the lead, taking the steps one by one like a child who'd just learned to walk. She couldn't see her feet because of the bulky protective gear, and she was so top-heavy she felt like she was going to tip over at any second. On the plus side, there was no room for the guard to push by … or to get a clear shot at Alice, should the girl suddenly appear.
They passed a landing with a set of elevator doors, and Harriet paused for breath.
"I'll go ahead find her if you like," offered the guard.
Harriet shook her head. "She knows me. If you spook her she might run, and if you corner her—"
"Are you telling me she's dangerous?"
"She'll be scared, that's all. I've been trained to, er, talk her round."
"We've all had that training," said the guard.
"Just stay behind me and keep calm." Harriet leaned over the rail and looked down. There were only two more floors to go, and she was tempted to call down to Alice and let her know they were coming. On the other hand, the guard might wonder how Harriet knew exactly where Alice was. So, she kept quiet and began to descend the next flight of stairs.
Before she'd managed three steps there was a ping nearby, and the elevator doors began to open. Harriet turned to look, and her stomach dropped when she saw who it was: Melvin Canitt. Worse, he was holding a gun.
"I knew it!" he exclaimed triumphantly, when he saw Harriet. "I knew there was something off! That thing with the late car payment, the repossession … that was you!"
"Just stay calm," said Harriet, eying Canitt's blaster. She was decked out from head to toe in protective gear, but the stairwell was like an echo chamber and blaster shots would bounce off the concrete walls just like sounds. If he fired it could be a bloodbath. "Lower your weapon and we'll talk."
"I don't think so," snapped Canitt. "Charlie, cover her."
The guard took out his gun and inserted the charge pack. The blaster whined as it reloaded, and then Harriet had two weapons pointing at her.
"Look," said Harriet. "I'm going to reach into my—"
"Don't move a muscle!" shouted Canitt.
"But I'm with the Peace Force. I have my badge—"
"Harriet, that fancy dress isn't fooling anyone. Wait, is that even your name? No, of course it isn't!"
"Actually …"
"Shut up!"
Canitt raised the gun, and for a second Harriet thought he was going to shoot her where she stood. Bernie had been right about him, she thought suddenly, and if she lived through this she'd be sure to listen to the robot more carefully in future. Well, some of the time at least. "I don't know who you think I am, but I'm here to find a runaway girl."
The guard explained. "That's the excuse she used, boss. I'm sorry, she had us all fooled."
"I'm not surprised, she's been briefed well." Canitt nodded at her. "Search her. Look for guns, radios, anything."
The guard patted her down, handing Canitt the training pistol and commset. He stuck the pistol in his waistband and put the commset in his pocket. Then he studied her thoughtfully. "Infiltrator, am I right? That's why you got a seat next to me on the flight. That's why you tried to get a job here."
"You offered me the job," protested Harriet.
"It was all part of your plan," mused Canitt, ignoring her interruption. "Worm your way in, steal my secrets and sell them to the highest bidder." His eyes narrowed. "No, that's not it. You're working for them, aren't you?"
"Them?"
"Don't play games. Green Arrow Enterprises, is it? Or is it that crook Rutherford, with his two-bit operation on Forzen?"
"I've never heard of—"
Canitt waved his gun, silencing her. "Down the steps. Now."
"Why?"
"Because I'm going to get the truth."
"You can't hold me, I'm—"
"You're an armed intruder on my property. I can do whatever I want." He nodded towards the guard. "Charlie will back me up."
Charlie still looked annoyed at being duped, and as he nodded his agreement Harriet could see there would be no help from him. Not unless she could talk him round, and that was never going to happen with Canitt right on the edge. No, the best thing would be to go quietly, let Canitt have his little interrogation, and patiently explain her side of things. That way, if the worst happened and he started shooting, the ricochets would have no chance of bouncing up and down the stairwell until they hit someone. Someone like Alice, for example.
Of course, the 'going quietly' routine hadn't exactly worked with Bernie, but then the robot hadn't been pointing a gun at her.
Harriet took the steps one by one, slowly, trying not to fall the rest of the way. On the way down she hoped Alice had the sense to remain hidden while the three of them went by. She imagined Alice leaping out of the darkness in a futile attempt to save her, and her blood ran cold as she pictured the men gunning her down.
As they descended the last flight of stairs, Harriet decided to speak up. "We're just going to talk, right? No need for any sudden moves."
"What?"