The door to the bedroom opened, and Mandy walked in, nearly swimming in a bathrobe of her own. “Did you know we had a hot tub?”
“I can't say I paid much attention.” Kevin squeezed his eyes shut. “I think I'm losing my mind.”
Mandy arched a brow, and gave him a little, amused smile. “How can you tell?”
“This morning …” Kevin looked back to the bed, then to her. “To start with, were you in the bed with me when I woke up?”
She nodded. “You were tossing and turning a lot. You calmed down after I slipped in. I suspect it's the teddy bear effect—something warm and soft as a tranquilizer.”
He frowned thoughtfully. “What else happened?”
Mandy gave him a half smile. “Why do you think something else happened?”
“Either I'm going crazy, or someone had fun last night.”
Mandy shrugged. “You apparently have some very vivid dreams.”
Kevin blinked once, then sat down on the edge of the naked bed. “Wow... That was completely and utterly beyond the pale. If I had known I was actually doing it in real life, I—”
He was cut off as Mandy started laughing at him. “Kevin, if you think for one moment that I couldn't have objected if I wanted to, you have obviously not been paying attention.”
Kevin's mind was a little slow before morning coffee, but especially slow on matters like this even when he was fully awake. “You liked being jabbed by someone who's half asleep?”
Mandy rolled her eyes. “The last guy I was with didn't do half as good a job as you did when he was awake. So, no, I didn't mind. And I don't mind.”
Kevin blinked again at the tense change. “Miss Mandy, are you seducing me?”
Mandy laughed, shook her head, and then slowly moved towards him, swaying her hips dramatically. She leaned forward, touching his shoulder. “Would you like me to?”
Kevin chuckled, and then leaned his head in one hand, rubbing at the temple. He smiled gently, shaking his head a little. He glanced up at her, and even Mandy could see that he was seriously thinking about it. She was pretty, innovative, quick witted, and capable of hunting him down. And her own, eccentric sense of morality wasn't alien to him—which might say more about his own mental process as anything else. That she had Moira's coloring didn't hurt … that was also part of the problem. And, even if he decided to forget that he was widowed four months ago, there was still the problem of his life after he executed the last capital criminals. Assuming he survived his little killing spree in the first place.
Not to mention the little fact that the last time I slept with anyone, she was dead less than four hours later. And jumping into the sack with Mandy, as tempting as it might be...
“No,” he said flatly.
Mandy flinched, the humor drained from her eyes. “Oh. Of course. I didn't think—”
Kevin gave her a sad smile. “Yes you did, and I'm flattered, I think. But if we...” He cleared his throat. “Well, if we, it wouldn't be anything more than a rebound fling.” He shrugged. “I don't do rebound, and I don't do anything in half measures.” He sighed. “As much as I would like to, I'm just not wired that way. I'm Catholic. I mate for life, like wolves.”
Mandy lightly placed her hand on his cheek, and sighed lightly. “Oh well, it was worth a shot. I guess it’s time to go to New York and get Senator Charles Todd.”
Kevin smiled. “I guess it's time to see how much he likes getting screwed.”
“He won't like it half as much as I did.” Kevin blanched, and she laughed at his shocked face. “Oh, lighten up.”
*
Two days later, Mandy sat on the observation deck of the Empire State Building, looking down at her laptop computer, frowning deeply. She leaned against the safety rail, ignoring everything going on around her—the tourists, in particular. There was even one guy ogling her legs—she didn't know why, exactly. She was wearing shorts and a white t-shirt, but come on.
Kevin stood next to her, looking across town at the target—the apartment building of Senator Charles Todd, Intelligence Oversight Committee. It was certainly well put together... And by that, he meant the security arrangements.
“I count a few dozen in the street, dressed in commando casual,” he said.
Mandy frowned again, looking at the input coming from the binoculars. Installed into the device was a laser microphone, as well as signal interceptors. All the radio transmissions flying through the air were snatched out like an NSA intercept and relayed information straight to Mandy's computer... Which told her that they were in seriously deep trouble.
“And there's a problem: they learned from your last routine.”
Kevin kept the binoculars still so they could keep capturing data, but looked down to meet Mandy's gaze. “Oh?”
“Yeah. You're intercepting more than communications. They're sending out vital statistics, heart rates. You can't...simplify any of them.”
A wince. He couldn't kill anyone. “Because if I do, it'll set off a whole bunch of alarms. Things don't get any easier. I suppose they have their own emergency power system, huh?”
“You can lay money on that. Say what you like about them, they're efficient.”
Kevin blinked. “You know this group of clowns?”
Mandy shrugged with one shoulder and looked back down at the computer screen. “By reputation, mostly. They're not exactly the sort of people you invite over to tea.”
He arched a brow. “Are they the sort of people you...simplify as a package deal?”
“Yup.” Mandy stared at the screen in case something interesting came in. “What did you have in mind?”
He looked back into the binoculars and smiled. “I'm thinking that it's time to start dealing with these people wholesale. If you think I'm the solution to some of the Guild's problems, then I think it's time that I thought in those terms. It's time to clean house.”
Chapter 13: Power Outage
April 17th, 2093
Being a human shadow wasn't the easiest thing in the world. The right conditions had to be met, and while it was possible to do it in the middle of Manhattan, it wasn't wise. There were all sorts of street lamps, office lights on at all odd hours, etc. However, with a partner, Kevin had the ability to create an artificial sunset in the land where there was always an artificial day.
Kevin looked at his watch, and knew exactly where Mandy was. The Mercenary was, at this moment, in an area of Astoria, Queens, several acres in size—the power station casually called “Big Aliss.”
But the problem then was going to be a bear. What would happen when the lights went out? Kevin didn't have any illusions. The Mercenary systems would automatically switch over to whatever backup was in place. He would be visible no matter what he did.
Mandy had the answer to this one. The switchovers were automatic, and they switched over in three seconds when the power went out. When the main power turned back on, it would switch back. Also in three seconds.
The apartment building in question wasn't all that hard to move past. It was Manhattan in the early evening. The entire area was lit up like a carnival, and the alleyway was commonly used as a walkway for pedestrians.
So, when Kevin Anderson entered the alley at 9:00 pm, the guy casually lounging in the alleyway with the Mercenary helmet and uniform didn't pay too much attention to him.
Kevin blinked, and paused, but no one else looked twice. The Mercenaries in this case, were all wearing body armor that had “NYPD” on the front and back in big white letters, and any police officer who swung by would most likely have walked off at the first sign of the Mercenary identification cards.
The Mercenary was standing so casually in the alley for the simple reason that he was only fifty feet away from the loading dock, where another Mercenary stood guard.
And that loading dock was what he was really interested in.
Kevin looked at his watch. 9:01:30... 9:01:31... 9:01:32...
Kevin took his next step at 9:01:33.
&
nbsp; At 9:01:34, the lights went off. At 9:01:37, they flicked on again for an instant.
The power for the area came back on again at 9:01:40, and then stayed on.
The Mercenaries looked around, and they even scanned with every piece of equipment at their disposal. After a moment, they relaxed. There were no visitors on thermal. Motion sensors were distracted by the various and sundry people out in the street. The lights from the street and the apartment above made things too bright for night vision, but nothing on ultraviolet turned up either. There was, quite simply, nothing there. Unless someone looked up.
Kevin waited, and watched from his perch on the fire escape, looking down at the Mercenaries, wondering what the hell he would do if anyone had spotted him. He glanced at his watch. He had only five more minutes before Mandy played with the power again. And that would be the last time.
Mandy had asked him why the odd times; why not nine in the evening, on the dot? Simple: because a blackout exactly on the hour would look suspicious. A flickering brownout at odd seconds in between was almost impossible to coordinate...unless there was a watch linked into the Mercenary satellite network.
Now, Kevin's only concern was how to make it there without someone else causing a problem. He certainly had to go in through the loading dock, which meant getting around both guards, while at the same time being unable to kill any of them.
This could be difficult. He frowned, thoughtfully, and glanced around...and his eye rested upon a ledge that traced underneath the windows and around the edge of the building. It, like every other building in New York City, was well over a hundred years old. Even buildings that had undergone reconstruction had been mostly remodeled with new materials.
Including the drainpipes.
Kevin reached out with one gloved hand and made certain his grip was secure before he started shimming along the ledge. He didn't even think to look down, even as he rounded the corner of the building. His eyes locked on the ledge in front of him, hoping that he would find a pipe sooner or later, otherwise—
Kevin felt his leg brush up against something, only then did he glance to his left. And there it was: a titanium water pipe, probably installed when titanium was cheaply made in the 2050s. Still valid, though... Assuming they made the nails just as sturdy, and not just whatever would hold the pipe to the wall.
Kevin Anderson moved just a little past the pipe, and slowly established a grip on it, one hand at a time. He stopped, and then looked down. One guard had moved, leaning against the wall of the building Anderson was on while still able to look both ways down the alley.
Kevin worked his rubber boot off his left foot, digging the back of his heel against the pipe. He wagged his foot, pulling the boot off part way. Then he kicked off, aiming for a smaller alcove between the loading dock and the building.
The Mercenary turned, gun at the ready; either he had heard the boot hit the ground or saw it on his motion scanner. The guard hesitated a moment, then started moving forward, deeper into the shadows. He came in, gun raised to his shoulder like a proper soldier.
“Do you see anything?” he asked the empty air.
Kevin blinked a moment, watching the man pass under him, thinking over the possibilities. Unfortunately, the first that came to mind was the most irritating—that the onboard systems for each of the Mercenaries could be accessed remotely by a main control system.
Oh well, I guess I'll just have to hope they can't keep track of everyone the entire time.
The guard swept the alcove. “A boot. That's it? Oy ... Okay, control. Later. Consider this my check in. Next one at 2200 hours. Out.”
The moment he said “Out,” Kevin let go of the pipe, dropping twenty feet from the air, aiming both feet straight at the back of the head of the Mercenary. He landed on the back of the helmet, driving the man's head straight into the ground. Without any preamble, Anderson checked the man's pulse. Slow, but steady. He was still alive.
Kevin removed the man's helmet and set it down on the ground, facing the alley, just in case anyone wanted to access his systems should they get bored, and see through his night vision goggles. Anderson also checked the gun. Darn, the barrel has a camera attached to it...oh well...
Kevin simply removed the clip from the gun, and set the gun down, propped up against a wall, also making sure it was pointed at the alley.
After quickly sliding his boot back on, Kevin peeked around the alley corner. The other guard was still on the loading dock, quite unconcerned...and backlit from the inside of the building. Brilliant.
Kevin kept himself behind the corner of the building and checked the time. He had less than two minutes. This was going to have to be done with the assumption that this next Merc was an idiot... Then again, he's backlit, so that assumption may not be too much of a risk.
He swung his arm up and out, letting a bullet from the clip fly out into the darkness, clattering along the road. Kevin heard the clack of a gun...and the charge of an energy weapon. Oh nuts, that can't be good.
Kevin took a breath and held it for a count of twenty, waiting for the guard to appear in his line of sight...and... Now.
Kevin burst out of his hiding place and hopped up onto the loading dock, pushing himself into the first floor of the building. Thankfully, no one was there.
Kevin paused, checked the hall for cameras, and then moved forward. He glanced at his watch again, timing the maneuver just right. He hesitated before tapping the elevator button. The doors slid open—and the power went out. He darted into the elevator and driving a small needle into the pinhole cameras in the four corners of the elevator. The power came on again after he was done, and he touched the button for the top floor.
As the elevator started to climb, Kevin quickly breached the elevator ceiling and slid onto the roof—just in case anyone else decided to get on board.
On the tenth floor, the elevator stopped—but the building was fifteen stories tall. Two Mercenaries slid into the elevator, and Kevin frowned slightly. One leaned against the rear wall of the elevator, and sighed, the other cursed. “Someone hit the up button on this damn thing.”
“Damn. Now we'll never get out of here. And our shift ended what, an hour ago? I'm just glad—”
He was cut off as a small loop of a belt whipped down and around his neck, jerking him up into the ceiling of the elevator. The lift shook as the man's body hit the roof.
The second man whirled, briefly pondering where his compatriot went. He stepped forward, looking up into the ceiling panel—and Kevin's feet came right down into his face.
Kevin loaded both of them on top of the roof, and took the liberty of utilizing one of the explosive charges on their bodies, setting the timer for ten o'clock—what he had heard was the usual check-in time. If his cover was going to be blown on the hour, he might as well have a ready-made distraction.
He stepped out, onto the roof, and looked at the building across the street, the apartment building where his target lived. Kevin took his belt and threw it around the guy wire connecting the two buildings, gripping it firmly with his other hand, and pushed off the roof, sliding down. He had both legs up and ready to absorb the impact against the roof, and it was as soft a landing as he could manage—which meant that his entire head rattled, and every bone in his body vibrated.
He carefully transferred himself to the ledge, letting the strap of the assault rifle keep the weapon attached to his body. He shimmied along the ledge until he was at a balcony. He lifted himself up just enough to peer onto the balcony. There wasn't anyone there, and a few boxes were the only things of apparent interest, each stacked one atop the other.
Do these guys want me to walk in?
Kevin listened carefully for a moment, waiting for the sound of anyone on guard. After a long half minute, he pulled himself up, over the edge, and onto the balcony. Well, that was easy.
At which point, a Mercenary stepped into his line of sight, not ten feet away.
*
Mandy walked out of Big
Alice quite calmly. She had nearly brought down the wrath of several government agencies on her head, but she had managed to avoid any complications. Everything she had done registered as a little less than a blink in the system. And avoiding security on the way out had been even easier than avoiding it on the way in. The power plant was not a jail; everything they had was geared towards keeping people out, not in.
Mandy jogged down the street, and made it to the nearest subway station. At this time of night, it wasn't that hard to get a train. And since she wasn't wearing her helmet, it wasn't that hard to go unnoticed, especially after she tossed on a leather jacket to cover her shoulder holster.
Mandy slipped down to the subway platform and leaned back against the wall of the train station, waiting for the next train that went into Manhattan. Her eyes flickered around the subway platform as she became bored... if she took the moments of silence to think, then she'd be spending her time thinking about Kevin, which wasn't something she wanted to dwell on too closely. What would be the point? There couldn't be any progress in the foreseeable future, and that future couldn't be much longer than a few weeks. After that...
Because, what am I going to do, jump the guy after he lost his wife? It'll probably take him longer than he has to get over her.
Mandy scanned the movie posters. One for the next HALO film, another release of Lord of the Rings, and yet another comic book film. She was about to go back upstairs to the subway's newspaper stand when she heard the first footstep. And then the second from a different end of the platform.
Six of them emerged from behind the great stone staircases. None of them looked like street thugs. In fact, she would have to say that they looked a hell of a lot like assassins.
Codename: Winterborn (The Last Survivors Book 1) Page 15