Touch

by Camille Picott

  “You’re not responsible for his actions, Gun,” Li Yuan says as they reach her door. She gives his hand a hard squeeze.

  The action is oddly affectionate from a hard woman like Li Yuan. Gun opens his mouth to speak when he notices the hard rectangle she presses into his flesh. He squeezes her hand back, palming the data drive.

  Gun says the only thing he can think to say. “I want you to know there’s one Anderson in this compound who recognizes the gifts you offer our family.”

  Li Yuan inclines her head. “Too bad that Anderson isn’t the one in charge.”

  With that, she slips into her suite and closes the door.

  ***

  “No way,” Mage breathes. “Is that what I think it is?”

  “Woah.” Nate gapes. “Bro, you owe her one.”

  “What is it?” Gun snaps, annoyed at being the only one in the dark.

  “I can’t believe she just gave it to you,” Lox says. “She could have asked for your left hand and that would still be a steal.”

  “Yeah,” Mage adds. “She could have charged you big time.”

  “Will somebody tell me what this is?” Gun shouts, stabbing a finger at the tablet in Nate’s lap.

  “That data stick she gave you contained an avatar,” Mage says.

  “I know that.” That much was obvious from the nondescript teenage boy staring blankly out of the screen at them. “But what’s it an avatar for?”

  The three are silent for so long that Gun seriously contemplates throwing something to get their attention.

  Nate must see the growing tension in Gun’s face, because he says, “Bro, this is one of the personal avatars of Billy Long.”

  “The programmer from VHS?” Gun asks. “Sulan’s friend?”

  “Yeah. But it’s not just any avatar. This avatar is keyed to Long’s intel Collusion Underground vault.

  Gun’s jaw drops. Collusion Underground is one of Vex’s premier storage vaults. It’s infamous as the chosen hangout for those both brilliant and borderline nuts. Or, in some cases, those brilliant and completely nuts. Security on the site is premiere, boasting a perfect record of never falling to a hacker. If Billy Long used this as his intel vault, and if he socialized with the elite circle or brilliant paranoids who made it their home in cyberspace, he was more than a force to be reckoned with.

  “Dude, maybe Li Yuan can get Long out of the Dome, too,” Nate says. “Now he would be a score for Anderson.”

  “Did she say anything when she gave it to you?” Lox says.

  Gun shakes his head. “Nothing.”

  “We’ve been trying to get a membership to Collusion Underground for years,” Lox says. “Can you believe we’re not smart enough or notorious enough to make the cut?”

  “Well, you’re definitely not smart enough,” Nate quips. “I mean, come on, guys. You only hacked Infinity Stadium during a Global press conference. Anyone can do that.”

  “That’s it!” Mage crows with boyish glee. “That’s our ticket in. Why didn’t I think of that?”

  “Like I said,” Nate replies. “You’re not smart enough to get into Collusion Underground. They smell your special brand of stupid from a mile away.”

  Gun ignores his team as they continue to banter. He stares down at the nondescript avatar on Nate’s tablet, lost in thought.

  Just why had Li Yuan given this to him? What game is she playing? She might be Sulan’s mom, but that doesn’t mean she’s trustworthy. This gift seems too good to be true, and in his experience, presents such as this are the ones to bring the most trouble.

  He intends to get answers.

  20

  Collusion Underground

  “Why?” Gun demands, striding into Li Yuan’s suite.

  Dawn light filters in through the open blinds. To be honest, it’s so early he wasn’t even sure she’d be awake. Then again, it’s hard to picture Li Yuan Hom as a late riser.

  Not only is she awake, but she’s fully dressed and in the middle of a yoga routine when he enters. The card table is pushed under the window, leaving an open space in the middle of the sitting room. Li Yuan looks up from her position in the Pigeon pose when he barges in, but she doesn’t rise.

  “Good morning, Gun,” she says, flowing from Pigeon pose into Downward Facing Dog.

  “Tell me why.” He plants his boots beside her, hands clenched in fists.

  Li Yuan doesn’t play dumb. “Because Reginald and Claudine Winn are the two most dangerous people in the country. Because while your father and I are wasting time in a contest of wills, the Winns continue to advance their game.”

  “That doesn’t explain the access avatar.”

  “Billy Long and his uncle are respected members of Collusion Underground.” She flows into Half Lord of the Fishes. “Everything they have on Global and Project Renascentia is in that vault.”

  “How did you get the avatar?”

  “Billy’s uncle is a longtime friend and associate. He gave it to me as a contingency. I believe the time for contingencies is upon us. It’s not a free pass, Gun. It will get you into the vault, but Billy and his uncle are two of the most paranoid people on the planet.” Li Yuan glides from Half Lord of the Fishes to Wide Leg Forward Fold. “The vault will be decked out with every imaginable piece of Black Tech. Extracting intel could prove impossible, even with the access avatar.”

  Gun isn’t buying her story. “If the intel in the vault is so useful, why didn’t your friend just give it to you?”

  Li Yuan’s dark eyes find his. “If you knew Uncle Zed, you wouldn’t ask me that question.”

  Wait, Uncle Zed? Gun frowns. “Uncle Zed? As in—”

  “The Black Tech designer?” Li Yuan nods. “The one and the same. Billy does the programming. Zed manages the sales and distribution. They’re a team. A good one.”

  Gun has to sit. He finds the nearest seat, which happens to be the windowsill. The brilliant programmer behind Uncle Zed Black Tech is a VHS kid? Sulan’s friend? How had he missed this piece of intel?

  “Are these two on your Dome extraction list?” Gun asks. Having such talent in the Anderson fold would be priceless.

  Li Yuan ignores the question. “Global is a dangerous enemy. Our enemy, Gun. We need every advantage to fight them. The access avatar could prove to be an advantage. If you can extract intel without self-destructing.”

  “Why give it to me?”

  “Because I find you more palatable and reasonable than your father.”

  “You gave it to me because you know I care about your daughter. You think that gives you leverage with me.” Gun doesn’t bother concealing his anger.

  “My husband and I didn’t chose Anderson Arms at random, Gun. Of all those we could turn to for sanctuary, we deemed this company the best equipped to stand against Global. We want to stand and fight with you to bring them down.” She shifts into Big Toe pose, turning her head sideways to look at him. “Do what you will with the access avatar. It’s a gift. What you chose to do with it is up to you.”

  His anger rushes out of him. He rises to leave, mulling over his options.

  “Gun?” Li Yuan stands in the Warrior pose, her back to him.

  “Yeah?”

  “If there’s anyone who can get intel out of Billy’s vault, I think it’s you. I just want you to know that. For what it’s worth.”

  ***

  “My team and I are infiltrating Collusion Underground,” Gun tells his father. “We obtained access to a vault that contains intel on Global and Project Renascentia.”

  Anderson scoffs, spearing Gun with scrutiny. “How did you obtain this access?”

  “The Dread Twins have an array of contacts.” It’s not an outright lie. The twins do have a lot of contacts.

  “You might as well storm Fort Knox while you’re at it. I don’t care how brilliant your team is or if you have vault access. It’ll take weeks to develop the software needed to survive that place. You need to focus your efforts on convincing Li Yuan to give up the
Dome’s location.”

  “I will,” Gun lies. He doesn’t want to put the lives of the Dome in his father’s hands any more than Li Yuan does. “But I can’t spend twenty-four hours a day trying to grind her down.”

  Anderson narrows his eyes. “You’re getting soft. I don’t like it. Your time with the Hom girl has changed you. Your affection for her is clouding your judgement where her mother is concerned.”

  “No, my affection for Anderson Arms is guiding me. Li Yuan and her family will be valuable assets. We’re in danger of pissing that all away if you don’t start showing her some respect.”

  “All the assets in the world won’t mean a damn thing if Reginald Winn is allowed to walk free.”

  “Which is why I’m going to break into Collusion Underground. We need all the help we can get in the battle against Global.”

  “Fine.” Anderson waves a dismissive hand. “See what you can dig up in Collusion Underground.” His voice hardens. “Don’t think it will change my mind, though. Li Yuan Hom doesn’t leave her suite until she gives me the intel to bring down Reginald Winn.”

  Gun doesn’t bother responding. In the last twenty-four hours, he’s pondered the merits of the access avatar. There’s no guarantee it will yield any good intel. That being said, he knows full well Li Yuan won’t give up the Dome’s location. The only way to break the stalemate between her and Anderson is to gather evidence against the Winns by some other means. When Li Yuan’s intel is no longer needed, Anderson will release her. Once freed, Li Yuan will bring Sulan to him.

  ***

  For the next several weeks, Nate and the Dread Twins apply themselves to fabricating avatars to combat the Black Tech in Billy’s vault. Gun spends his time following Sulan’s Vex circuit. After Infinity Stadium, the cybermercs are on high alert for him. He wants to contact Sulan, but doesn’t risk it. He can’t help her or Li Yuan if he gets caught.

  He attends every one of Sulan’s public appearances, even going so far as to buy a ticket to the Crawler show. No one on his team is surprised when Imugi shows up and douses everyone in Dream Dust. Gun suspects the Vex show host might be Claudine’s confidant, or at the very least a business partner of some sort. Nate, who monitors the event, yanks off his Vex set before the Dream Dust is administered.

  He manages to speak to her and Billy once at an anarchist rally. The conversation is shorter than he would have liked. He hoped to glean more intel on Project Renascentia, and perhaps even get Billy to tell him the secret to breaking into his Collusion Underground vault, but Claudine and her mercs cut the meeting short. Gun barely escaped.

  Gun visits Li Yuan every day on the pretense of updating her on what he knows of Sulan. In truth, there’s been an ache deep inside him ever since Sulan was taken. He misses her, plain and simple. Seeing Li Yuan, his only connection to Sulan now, lessons the ache a fraction.

  He never bothers asking Li Yuan to give up the location of the Dome. They both know she won’t.

  One day, he arrives to find Li Yuan has kicked a hole in the sheetrock to reveal one of the horizontal beams. She has her feet hooked on the beam and does sit ups from a hanging position.

  The furniture in the living room has been pushed up against the wall. The coffee and end tables are stacked on the sofa. The love seat has been tipped up on its end and wedged into a corner.

  “How goes the hack into Collusion Underground?” she asks, huffing as she curls up and down against the wall.

  “We’re close,” Gun tells her. “My team is almost finished with avatars built to combat Black Tech. We’ll be ready to infiltrate in the next day or two.”

  “Good work.” She unhooks her feet and hops to the ground, moving to the center of the room. As Gun watches, her body flows in a complicated martial arts pattern. Her limbs move with quick, firm decisiveness. She kicks, block, strikes, and lunges, her body in constant motion. “How’s my daughter?”

  “Global has polished her up. She follows a script. She’s probably convincing to anyone who doesn’t know her.”

  Li Yuan raises an eyebrow, never ceasing her slowing in her exercise. “What do you see when you look at her on stage?”

  “Someone who would rather eat rocks than be in the public limelight.”

  The barest smile tugs at Li Yuan’s mouth. “That sounds like my daughter.” She turns away from him, running her finger along a crystal vase. She’s wedged a pricey relic from Pre-‘fault days between sofa cushions.

  “Did Sulan . . . did she ever talk much about us?”

  Her words come out casual and off-handed, but Gun takes in the tense muscles of her neck and back, of the way she is careful not to look at him. In all the time he spent with Sulan in the Cube, he lost count of the number of times she showed up angry after a fight with Li Yuan.

  “When you see Sulan again, ask her about our fight against the Blazers,” he says. “Ask her about the Meat Grinder competition. About our training sessions with the Marstons. About the first time she pegged a guy in the groin.” He walks around, forcing Li Yuan to face him. “Ask her about the endless hours of training she dedicated herself to over the last few months.”

  Li Yuan glares at him, but not before Gun sees sorrow flash through her eyes.

  “Have Morning Star show her some fighting techniques,” he says softly.

  Her nostrils flare. He sees her internal struggle to maintain her glare. He waits for her to snap at him or change the subject, but there’s a sudden shuffle of boots outside the suite door.

  Li Yuan’s focus snaps toward the door. She snatches up the crystal vase and drops into a crouch. Gun spins around as his father flings open the door and marches inside. His expression is thunderous.

  He takes one look around the disfigured suite, then stomps over to the minibar and slams a tablet down on the counter.

  “Watch this,” he growls. “Both of you.”

  Gun and Li Yuan don’t make eye contact with one another as they approach the tablet. Even from across the room, Gun recognizes the image on the screen: the shiny white plastic mask with the blue sea serpent crawling up the right side. The mask of Imugi—again.

  “You may have succeeded in cutting off my head,” Imugi growls, “but rest assured, another will always grow back. Behold Project Renascentia.”

  The screen cuts to live footage of a refugee camp. The camera zooms in on a row of people huddled beneath a lean-to comprised of a disintegrating tarp and old plastic garbage bags. The people lay on their backs in a line, covered by ratty blankets.

  From the pallor of their faces, it’s clear they’re sick. They all cough, some of them so violently they spit up blood.

  The footage cuts to another camera. The videographer walks through camp, catching hunched over, coughing people on screen. Most are huddled under lean-tos, many with blood spattering the front of their shirts.

  On the edge of the camp is a pile of bodies. Most are very old or very young.

  Something inside Gun clenches at the sight of the little, lifeless bodies. He wants very much to break something. Anger boils up his throat, like lava venting from an underground channel.

  The angles of Li Yuan’s face have hardened, her eyes blazing. When she looks at Gun, he sees his fury reflected back at him.

  “Weep, America,” Imugi says, his shiny mask filling the screen. “One by one, you shall fall by our hand. We shall move into your embittered landscape and remake a better world.”

  The broadcast ends, leaving a frozen picture of Imugi’s mask on the screen.

  In the silence that follows, Gun hears his own harsh, angry breathing.

  “Initial reports are claiming a modified version of the pneumonic plague,” Anderson says.

  Gun, absorbed by the horror, forgot his father was still in the room.

  “I told you this was coming,” Li Yuan says. Her voice is quiet, but hard enough to grind rocks.

  “You could have prevented this.” Anderson stabs a finger at her.

  She knocks it away and retreats
several steps, watching Anderson the way a wary lioness might watch a lion. Gun tenses.

  Anderson looks down in surprise at his hand. Under normal circumstances, flicking away the hand of William Anderson would be a dangerous thing to do. But Gun senses the moment when his father, seeing Li Yuan’s defensive stance, decides to ignore the act.

  Instead, he plants his hands on his hips and glares. “Do you hear me, Ms. Hom? These deaths”—he gestures at the tablet—“are on you. If I’d had the location of the Dome, I could have stopped the Winns. I—”

  “You would trade the lives of those in the Dome for the lives of these refugees.” Li Yuan, though shorter than Anderson, manages to give the impression of staring down her nose at him. “That is not an acceptable alternative. I will not help you kill or hurt people.”

  “I’ll send in a small team,” Anderson says. “My top mercs. They’ll execute the Winns in their sleep.”

  Gun sees the lie in his father’s face. He’s about to speak up, but Li Yuan beats him to it.

  “There is no sneaking into the Dome. The only way in is to blow a hole in it, or else have someone on the inside initiate an unauthorized opening of the hatch over the landing field.” She shakes her head. “Both actions will bring down swarms of mercenaries. We need to throw the force of Congress against Global. Once I have extracted my husband and my team, we will have all the intel we need to do so.”

  “You leave me no choice,” Anderson says. “If you will not give me the intel, I will force it from you.”

  Gun has a brief, horrifying vision of Li Yuan’s body bloody and broken beneath the “administrators of influence,” as his father calls them. He can’t let that happen to Sulan’s mother.

  “Wait.” Gun steps between them. “My team is close. We’re almost ready to infiltrate Collusion Underground. Give me another forty-eight hours.”

  “Don’t get soft, son,” Anderson says. “It doesn’t become you.”

  “I’m trying to preserve a valuable relationship for the company,” Gun snaps back. “The Homs have a lot to offer Anderson Arms. You know this.”