by Max Barry
“Stop!” they shouted. Buy saw guns. He didn’t think Government agents were allowed to shoot him just to stop him fleeing, but they looked pretty pissed off so he floored the accelerator and swung out into traffic. Then there were horns and screaming tires. A sedan passed by his door so closely he couldn’t believe they didn’t collide. Then he was roaring away from Kate’s school.
He found a leafy side street and parked. He had Jennifer’s cellphone number. It rang forever. Then she picked up. “It’s me.”
“How did this happen?” Her voice broke his heart. She sounded destroyed.
“I don’t know. I’m sorry, I just…don’t know.”
“Listen to me. It all depends on you now. I can’t touch John Nike while he has Kate. I need you now.”
“Wait,” he said. “John Nike?”
“John Nike is the criminal I’m chasing. But that’s not important. What’s important is—”
“No,” he croaked. “I…I’m working for John.”
“What?”
“He’s—a Liaison in US Alliance. And… I’m an assistant Liaison.”
“Oh, shit,” she said. “Oh, shit, what have you done for him?”
“He asked me to find some people in Melbourne. Some protestors.”
“Who?”
“Um… Hack Nike… a girl, I think her name—”
“Hack, yes! It’s him!”
“I saw the kidnapper. It was a girl. Violet.”
“That’s Hack’s girlfriend! I can find out where Hack lives—”
“No, that’s okay.” He felt light-headed. He felt sick. “I know where Hack is.”
77 Emancipation
“Hey, wow,” Violet said. “You’re okay, I’m so pleased.”
“You left me on your kitchen floor,” John said. There was some kind of emotion on his face, but it was hard for Violet to tell what it was. “You left me looking like this.”
“You look great to me, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Violet said. She backed away, dragging Kate, until her heels hit the wall.
John reached out and wrapped a hand around her neck. It was becoming clear to Violet that John was not here to deliver her three million dollars. “Payback’s a bitch, isn’t it?”
“Hey!” Claire said. Claire had herself a gun, Violet saw, and was pointing it at John. She had never felt so relieved. Although this didn’t seem like the Claire she knew. Everyone had been changing in Violet’s absence. “That’s enough!”
“Shoot him!” Violet said. “Do it, Claire!”
John’s eyes didn’t leave Violet. “Why don’t you take a hike?”
“All right,” Hack said. He took Claire’s hand.
“Not you, asshole,” John said. “You I have business with.”
“We are leaving this store,” Claire said. Her voice shook; so did the gun in her hand. “And Violet’s coming with us.” John said, “Little lady, you’ve got a lot—”
For the first time, his eyes flicked away. Violet took the opportunity to plant her right knee in his nuts. John dropped to the ground as if she’d shot him.
“Ha! Take that!” She went to kick him and he grabbed at her pants. Violet screamed: it was just like back at the apartment. She flailed and tore at him. John’s grip gave way and she was free, running toward Hack. She was leaving Kate behind, but that was too bad: Kate was no longer Violet’s top concern. There was a door at the rear marked STAFF ONLY and she yanked it open. “Hack, come on!”
Hack ran, pulling Claire with him. Violet slammed the door as soon as they were through it. It was pitch black inside. She groped for something resembling a door lock.
“What’s going on?” Hack said.
“Hold the door handle.”
“What?”
“Hold the door handle, I can’t find the lock!”
“Oh, shit,” Hack said, and John hit the door from the other side. Someone screamed, and it might have been her. “Where’s the lock?”
“I don’t know, I can’t see!”
The door rattled. “I’m losing it, I’m losing it, find the lock!”
“Lock the fucking door!” Claire shouted.
Violet found a bolt and slid it across. John hit the door again. She sagged in relief.
“You did it.” Hack’s voice sounded warm. “Thank God.”
“Yeah,” she said. She suddenly thought: was Hack hitting on her? Yes, she thought, he was. Hack had dallied with Claire, with shy, quiet Claire, but Claire wasn’t enough for him. Hack needed someone like Violet, who could take charge of him. She’d told him that a thousand times. “Isn’t it funny, how we should meet again? It’s like fate.”
“Where’s the light switch?” Claire said.
“Uh,” Hack said. “I guess, yeah.”
She found his arm in the darkness and squeezed. “We should go somewhere and catch up.”
The light flicked on. Claire was standing next to a switch. The room was filled with shelves and boxes.
“Hey,” Violet said. “Well done, beanpole.”
“Violet?” John said through the door. “Can you hear me? I think we got all mixed up. I’m here to do the trade. I’ve got your money. I’ll leave it on the desk, all right?”
She bit her lip. “I wonder if he really has my money.”
Hack said, “Violet, this guy’s not here to do you any favors.”
“Hmm,” she said. “You’re right. Let’s get out of here.” There was an exit at the rear, leading to a dark stairwell.
Halfway down, Hack said, “Violet?”
“Yeah?”
“Who was that little girl with you?”
“Oh!” she said. “No one.”
They exited on the ground floor, between a Disney store and a Starbucks. The mall was so packed with shoppers that the air felt hot and humid. It was hard to breathe. Violet’s mind was racing. This was some good luck, reuniting with Hack. She wanted to capitalize on it. “Let’s go back up.” She tugged her gun from her pocket. “Let’s get John.”
“Uh,” Hack said, “Violet, I think we should just get out of here.”
“I should have shot him through the door,” she said. She felt like an idiot. “Why didn’t I shoot him through the door?” Hack and Claire were staring at her.
“What?”
“Are you nuts?”
“Hey,” Violet said, stung. “You don’t know what I’ve been through. I’m just trying to get what’s mine. If I have to shoot someone, I’ll do it.” But Hack was looking at her as if he’d never seen her before. Claire was standing there, letting it all happen, and Violet realized she’d gone too far. She decided to tear up. “Hack…it’s been so hard.” She clutched at his shirt. “I only wanted to get ahead, but everyone kept screwing me. I’m sorry I hurt people. Forgive me?”
“Don’t touch me! You need help! Seriously!”
“Why, you little shit,” she started, but that was as far as she got. There was a man in the crowd, and his eyes were locked onto hers. He looked familiar. When his face darkened and he began to move toward her, she remembered. She’d met him this morning, at Kate’s school. His name was Buy. “Oh-oh,” she said.
78 Hubris
When the NRA took Jennifer away, John sank to the carpet. He closed his eyes and pressed his face against the glass. Then he started laughing. At first it was a snigger, then it ballooned out of control. He screamed with laughter. He felt tears streaming down his face.
The funny thing was Jennifer’s face. She’d thought she had him. She’d thought she was about to exact righteous vengeance. Then, BAM! He had her. It was classic. It was why people like John got ahead in life and people like Jennifer took Government jobs.
He stayed there for too long. Then the glass against his cheek trembled. He sat up, startled. The entire building vibrated. Then it stopped. John waited. There was a booming, rolling crump. The building shook again, harder.
John bit his lip. He had a feeling that he knew what that might have been. That mi
ght have been General Li using his own judgment.
The elevator doors dinged. “John?” He turned. It was the Pepsi kid, looking somber. “John, you need to come with me. It’s important.”
“Did you just feel that?”
“Come on. This is serious.”
“Are we being attacked? Is it Team Advantage? I need to see General Li.”
They entered the elevator. “That’s where I’m taking you.”
“You’re a good kid,” John said. “You’ve stuck with me from the beginning. I won’t forget that.”
“Yeah, thanks,” the kid said. “You have, what, some kind of disturbance up here?”
“A domestic dispute.” He grinned. Then he saw where the elevator was headed. “Where are we going? That’s Alfonse’s floor.”
“That’s where Li is.”
“Wait,” John said, panicked. “What’s going on? What did—”
The doors opened. The area was packed with Liaisons. Heads turned. Conversation died. Alfonse was standing in the middle of the room. General Li was with him, his beret in his hands.
“What the hell?” John said.
“John,” Alfonse said. “Are you aware of what’s going on outside?”
“What’s happening?”
Alfonse looked at Li.
Li said, “John explicitly authorized me to use any and all resources at my disposal to respond to enemy assaults.”
“What the fuck is happening?”
“You have done precisely what I forbade you to do,” Alfonse said. “You have involved us in further military action. This must end. Immediately. It is not a profitable environment for business.”
“Okay, wait.” This was going to require another speech, John realized. “Yes, okay, a few people will get killed. Change is always messy. But let me be clear, we are going to be the winners in this new world. Without the Government, we can eliminate Team Advantage. Without Team Advantage, we have no competition. That’s worth a little conflict. This is all just aggressive competition within a free market.” He looked around. There didn’t seem to be many nodding heads.
“This isn’t freedom, John. It’s anarchy.”
“Well,” John said, “if you’re going to split hairs—”
“There has been a vote.”
He froze. “Excuse me?”
“The member companies have decided that an unregulated market does not serve our interests. We have already begun a dialog with the Government.”
“Who? Which companies? Because, fine, let them go. We don’t need those pussies.”
“Most of them.”
“Oh.” He swallowed. “I see.”
Alfonse said, “We will, of course, be disavowing any responsibility for damage caused by your actions.”
“Of course.” He could feel the hysteria rising in his throat. “Sure, go ahead, paint me as the bad guy.”
“Security will escort you out of the building.”
“I have a right to be here! I’m the Nike Liaison!”
“No, John, you’re not.”
He turned. Gregory Nike was against the wall. John hadn’t seen him. “Well,” John said. “Isn’t this sweet.” He turned to the Liaisons. “Who’s with me? Who wants to keep up the fight? We can start our own loyalty program! We can finish what we started! Who’s with me?” Suddenly a lot of Liaisons were frowning at the floor and studying the paintings. “You cheap fucks,” he said.
An NRA soldier took his arm. It was one of the same guys who had thrown Jennifer out; of course it was. “Let’s go.”
“Li! Don’t let them do this!” But Li said nothing. Li knew where his budget was coming from. The soldier began pushing him toward the elevator. As they reached the stairwell, John caught sight of the Pepsi kid. “And you!” John clung to the door frame. The soldier tugged at his arms. “You little shit! You always were a spineless parasite, you Pepsi asshole!”
“Don’t make this difficult,” the soldier said. John lost his grip on the frame. The door banged shut. Then it opened. The Pepsi kid appeared at the top of the stairs.
“Hey, John,” he said. “My name is Theo.”
“What?”
“My name is Theodore.”
“What makes you think I give a shit?”
“No reason,” the kid said. Then the soldier dragged John down another flight of stairs and he lost sight of him.
“Okay, wait, wait,” he said. “You don’t need to take me straight out. At least let me get some things from my office. Let me make a couple of calls.”
“My orders are clear, sir.”
“That Government agent—you shot her, right? She’s not still around, is she?”
The soldier glanced at him. “It was decided to eject her from the building.”
“You asshole! You talk about orders, what about my goddamn orders?” The soldier said nothing. “Okay, wait. I’m sorry. You’re just trying to do your job. I appreciate that. But you don’t have to take me out the front door. Let me leave through the parking lot.”
“I’m taking you out the front door.”
“I’m very close friends with General Li! Very close! You don’t want to piss me off!”
“I’ll take that risk, sir.”
“I have two hundred dollars,” John said. “Right here in my pocket. Go on, take it.” They entered the lobby: the glass revolving doors loomed. He tried to dig in his heels, but his business shoes slipped on the polished floor.
“Please, sir,” the soldier said. The lobby doors slid apart, and then there was sunshine, and people. “You’re demeaning not only yourself, but the entire US Alliance organization.”
“Oh, shut the fuck up,” John said.
79 Loss
The NRA soldiers marched Jennifer out onto the street. She was so numb from the news of Kate’s kidnapping that at first she didn’t realize what was happening around her. Then the NRA soldier nudged her and said, “Ma’am? You should go now.”
She looked up and shook her head, trying to clear it. She felt slow and stupid. She felt beaten.
“Ma’am? Please.”
“Right,” she said. There was a mall across the road, with a McDonald’s on one side and a Burger King on the other. In between the two was a riot. A bunch of kids in baggy clothes were looting the Burger King: pulling down posters, smashing cash registers. She caught a glimpse of Calvin trying to separate a fight, then lost him.
She stepped onto the road. A horn blared somewhere, but by the time she realized she should turn her head, it had stopped and the driver was yelling at her. Jennifer kept walking. When she reached the other side, two black vans jumped the curb and flung open their doors. Police officers spilled out, jostling past her. They ran toward the rioters.
“Jen!”
She saw Calvin again and tried to head for him. Calvin would help her.
“Move away from the store!” one of the Police shouted, and then somebody fired a gun, either the looters or the Police, either the US Alliance people or the Team Advantage people; she didn’t know which and it didn’t matter anyway. A lot of people hit the deck, which made it easier for her to spot Calvin. She wound her way toward him between red and yellow plastic tables and chairs.
“For fuck’s sake,” Calvin said when she reached him. “Get your ass down!” He pulled her into the doorway of a stationery store. It had a sign on the door which said PROUDLY INDEPENDENT, and another below that that said GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE! “What’s the matter with you?”
“He took Kate.”
“What?”
There was another, longer rattle of gunfire. The Police had formed a cordon around the Burger King. The looters were retreating to the McDonald’s. NRA soldiers were reinforcing them, taking positions behind the counter and cash registers. There was a lot of shouting going on. Then someone fired again, and a bullet ricocheted off a Burger King cash register with a clang.
“Kate,” she said. “He took my daughter.”
Calvin stared. “Kate’
s here?”
She shook her head. “In Melbourne. He says he’ll kill her unless I let him go.”
“Oh, Jen.”
“Calvin, I don’t know what to do.”
“Okay,” he said. “It’s okay, Jen, we—we’ll arrest him. We’ll make him let her go. We can—” His words were lost in one of the loudest sounds Jennifer had ever heard. The Police had mounted a machine gun on the Burger King counter and it was chewing up the McDonald’s store. Shreds of red and yellow plastic spiraled into the air like confetti.
“I’m going back in.”
“Jen, you can’t! Get down! We’ll work something out!”
“I should have shot him,” she said. “When I had the chance.”
“Jen, wait! Did you see Billy?”
“What? Billy’s here?”
“I had to bring him. Then I lost him. For Christ’s sake, get down!”
“I have to go,” she said, and stood.
She’d taken ten steps when she heard it: a spitting sound, like air hissing out of a tire. She noticed a puff of white smoke at the top of the US Alliance tower, like the world’s smallest cloud. Then something sleek and metallic drew a white line from the cloud to the Burger King and an invisible fist hit Jennifer in the chest and she was deaf.
She wasn’t sure if she passed out. She became aware that Calvin was above her, shouting. She read missile from his lips. The Burger King was on fire. Everything was drenched in black smoke. She looked around. She could barely see the base of the US Alliance building. She could barely see the glass lobby doors open. She could barely see John Nike come out of them.
“Calvin?” she said. “Can I have your gun, please?”
His lips said: What?
“Just—” she said, and through the smoke John saw her.
She tore Calvin’s gun from his holster and started running. She leapt over bits of ex—Burger King and dodged stunned Police officers. The smoke curled and drifted, hiding John from view and revealing him again.
John stepped onto the road and held up his hands. She thought he was surrendering. Too late for that, she thought. Then she saw the cab. John flung open the door and jumped inside. He must have said something highly motivational, because the cab took off, its tires smoking. She was too far away to stop it. She was much too far.