Anja hadn’t clawed her way up from the streets to be gunned down by some mad woman.
“Derrick,” she called to one of the hired guns.
“Yeah,” he answered, turning back to her.
“Why don’t you lot head back to the club. Send Ishiko and her group to meet me outside the next stop.”
“Thanks, Chief,” he answered with a big stupid grin on his face. “Do you want us to drop you off on the way?” They only had two, four seater, cars for the seven of them.
“Nah,” Anja answered with a shake of her head. “It’s not far, I’ll walk.”
“Right you are,” they didn’t need to be told twice. Anja watched them all climb into the two cars and drive off. She waited until they were out of sight and ducked into a nearby alley. Digging the com out of her ear, she slung it and her wristcomp, along with the burner, into a dark corner. There was no telling what Hanna could trace. Without a backward glance, she walked down the alley, away from this territory forever.
***
Rapaport was awake and the menacing presences of Hayley, Flint and Calcutta were keeping her quiet. When she came round, she had taken one look at the anger in their eyes and kept her mouth shut. Deni sat perched on Ripper’s old desk with Rapaport sitting in front of her in a single chair. Hanna came striding in, passed Rapaport, grabbed Deni’s arm and hauled her over to one side.
“What the hades were you thinking,” she demanded in a harsh whisper.
“What? We were in the best place to go after her,” Deni whispered back angrily. “If we’d waited for Hammer, we would have lost the element of surprise and more of our people would be dead!”
“What about you? What about me? I couldn’t handle it if you got hurt,” tears were in her eyes.
Deni grabbed her friend into a hug. “I know, I’m just as glad I wasn’t hurt either,” she pulled back so she could look into Hanna’s eyes. “We need to deal with it later. This isn’t over yet.”
Hanna nodded back firmly and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “OK, OK,” she sniffed and shook her head before turning to Rapaport.
“You almost got away with it,” Hanna said and took Deni’s seat on the desk. Deni sat behind her, in the comfortable chair designed for whoever was running the club.
Rapaport stared back defiantly. “Listen to your friend. It’s not over. You think this is all I’ve got?”
“It is now,” Hanna said calmly. “Orrick and his crew are dead and we’ve taken the Workshop back. All that’s left is Anja and we’ll be taking care of her shortly.”
“Where’s Milicevic? Why isn’t she the one questioning me, rather than a kid who thinks she can wear her mother’s clothes.”
“These two kids are responsible for all this,” Hopwood interjected from behind, walking through the door.
Jerking round, Rapaport stared at him. “You bastard! It was you!”
“No,” he corrected her and stood next to the desk on Hanna and Deni’s right. “It was all them, I was on the run. I thought I’d be dead for sure.”
“Where’s Milicevic?” Rapaport demanded again.
“Not here,” Hanna answered. “You were right about that, she’s off planet. Won’t be back for a month at least.”
“You did this without her?”
“I’m sure it would have been easier,” Hopwood answered. “But the girls didn’t need her. You should have made sure they were dead.”
Rapaport glanced around her and licked her lips. “It was all Anja’s idea. She came to me. Said we could both be rich and all I would need is to hire a few extra guns. I can tell you where she is. Just let me walk out of here alive.”
“Anja...” Hayley said quietly.
“That little bitch,” Flint said.
Hopwood shook his head. “It was her. That’s a surprise. We’ll deal with her, don’t you worry,” he looked over to Hanna. “What’s it going to be?”
Deni looked at her friend, her face was like stone. She was reminded of Valerie before she executed Aamir and Bjorn. Deni had killed seven people that night, but all were armed. She didn’t think she could kill someone, who was so complete at her mercy, in cold blood. Cest was a special case, Hanna didn’t have it in her and it seemed her friend knew it too.
Standing, Hanna swallowed visibly and walked past Rapaport. The woman slumped down in her chair, relieved she had been given her life. Hanna turned when she got to the door and looked at Hopwood, nodding to Rapaport’s back. He nodded grimly and drew his pistol. The woman didn’t even see the shot coming.
No one reacted and Deni managed to hold in her own shock. Standing carefully, she didn’t want the others to know how much it affected her, she followed Hanna out. Her friend was round the corner, out of sight and shaking.
“Are you all right?” Deni asked gently with a hand on Hanna’s shoulder. At her touch, she straightened and turned around. There was pain in her face, the pain of doing something that had to be done, but not something she wanted to do.
“Yes, I think so,” she smiled sadly. “Deal with it later right?”
“Deal with it later,” Deni told her with a nod. “Anja first.”
“Bloody right, let’s see where she is,” Hanna checked her Quartz. “Shit.”
“What is it?” Deni asked, but Hanna was already running back into the office.
“Heads up everyone! Anja’s group is heading back here right now. Two cars, three in each. We’ve got maybe ten minutes at the most.”
“Which entrance are they using?” Hopwood asked.
“No way to tell,” Hanna answered.
“Do they know what’s happened?” Calcutta asked.
“No idea,” Hanna replied. “They wouldn’t have been able to contact anyone we’ve hit, but that might be why they’re coming back. They could come in ready for a fight or without a clue.
“We split up then,” Hayley said. “Two teams, one at each entrance. The one that doesn’t get hit, gets outside and takes them in the rear.”
“That’ll work,” Deni agreed. “And we use the original teams, but I’ll go with Anvil and Hopwood can join Hammer. Hanna, you stay here and call the shots.”
Hanna stared at her for a long moment before nodding, jaw clenched. She didn’t like it but right now, as far as Deni was concerned, she didn’t have to. They needed every gun they could get.
“Hammer takes the front and Anvil has the rear,” Hanna ordered.
“Aren’t we one short,” Calcutta pointed out. “Isn’t there seven in Anja’s group?”
“Anja stayed behind by the look of it,” Hanna told them. “We can pick her up later, let’s worry about who we’ve got heading our way first.”
“Deni, you’re with me,” Flint shouted and ran out the door. Deni ran after him, grabbing her rifle from where she had left it on one of the sofas in the lounge. “Barber, Leigh,” he called into his com. “The last group is coming our way. Meet me at the rear entrance.”
Flint led them through the narrow corridors confidently, never missing a turn all the way to the rear door. When they got there, Deni felt dismay. There wasn’t much cover to speak of. If the hired guns came in hard, it would be a shooting gallery in both directions. Flint must have been thinking the same thing.
“Hanna?” he asked over the com. “Can you change the door codes down here? It’ll hold them long enough for Hammer to get behind them.”
There was a slight pause before Hanna answered. “No, not from inside. I’d need to be plugged into the lock itself and we don’t have the time.”
“OK, we’ll just have to hope they come in the front or through here dumb and happy.”
“I think we can rely on dumb,” Hanna quipped. “None we’ve seen so far have shown a hint of even street smarts.”
“Don’t get cocky,” Deni warned her. “Don’t forget what Milicevic taught us. We made that mistake with Cest.”
Hanna paused again before replying. “Yeah, OK. Hammer. Anvil may need you there pretty quickly.”
All they could now was wait and everyone settled down where ever they could find. Deni was right at the back, lying on the floor and tucked in as close to the wall as she could manage. She found herself studying the door while she waited.
“Flint?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think the Scythe could punch through that door?”
“Maybe.”
“Shame we left it in the aircar on the roof.”
“Hah. Yeah. It could come in real handy right about now.”
“The winner of tonight’s contest is team Hammer,” Hanna said over the com. “Our marks are pulling up in the street. I can see all six on camera and my, they do look dumb and happy. Anvil get moving.”
“We take it slow and easy everyone,” Flint said sternly. “All it would take is for Anja to have lost her com and she could be waiting for us out there. I’ll go first.”
Unlocking the door, Flint hauled it open swiftly. No shots came through and he cautiously stepped outside with Barber behind them. They checked both ways carefully, powerful lights on the end of their rifles shining out into the dark.
“All clear, let’s go!” With him in the lead, the four of them ran down the alleyway and around the corner. They were greeted by the sound of gun fire from just inside the Beautiful Mind’s front entrance. It was twenty metres from the alleyway and they charged forwards. Halfway there, a man staggered out, blood running down his arm. Deni didn’t recognise him. Flint and Barber fired almost in unison and he spun to the ground, chest and head shredded.
A woman burst out of the Beautiful Mind, slipped on the blood left by her colleague and sprawled onto the hard permacrete. Deni found she was lying right in her sights and pulled the trigger. Her Pulse burst riddled her body and it was all over.
“Hammer’s clear, four down,” Hayley reported jubilantly.
“Anvil’s clear, two dead,” Flint said with a grin.
“Excellent work, everyone,” Hanna congratulated them.
“Now for Anja,” Hopwood pointed out.
“Checking now,” Hanna answered. “She hasn’t moved. That’s not right. I’m backtracking her com trace... Fuck!”
“What?” Deni asked.
“The last time she moved was right after this lot left her. They were meant to delay us coming after her. I bet if we go there, we’ll only find her wristcomp and com. She’s gone.”
“Shit,” Barber said for all of them.
***
The truck pulled into the warehouse yard and Anja jumped down from the back. She looked around carefully, but no one was so much as looking in her direction. It wasn’t unusual for people to hitch a lift on the back of the big transporters as they moved goods around the city. You couldn’t steal from the containers on the back without some heavy equipment, so no one cared.
The Underground hadn’t been an option, too many cameras for Hanna to track her with. The truck was perfect, no electronic trace left behind. She was twenty kilometres and four gang territories away, but she didn’t feel safe. Milicevic would want her blood and there weren’t very many places she could hide from Hanna. That much she had learned tonight.
The sun was starting to shine through the gaps in the tall buildings around her. Anja went looking for a truck heading out of Zeus. She needed to be clear of the city as soon as possible and after that, start thinking about getting off planet. Only with light years of incommunicable space between her and that girl, could she begin to feel safe.
Over each loading dock was a screen displaying the destinations of the trucks. Anja walked along unnoticed. One was going to Paradise Hills, a town outside of Zeus in the direction of Ares. There was a spaceport in Ares City. It would be slow going, long and medium distance freight was taken by air on big cargo ships. She would have to change at every town on the way, but it would be untraceable.
The time on the screen told her she had fifteen minutes to spare before it left. At the end of the loading bay, she spotted an employee restroom. No one would probably care if she slipped in there to clean herself up a bit. If they did, she still had her Mag pistol under her jacket and thermal knife in her boot.
The restroom was empty with a couple of sinks and two cubicles. Anja took advantage of the opportunity to use the toilet. She was washing her hands when the main door opened. Anja looked up and was surprised to see a slight, Asian man enter.
“What the fuck?” she demanded turning round. “This is the ladies asshole.”
“I know,” he replied and raised the pistol hidden by his leg. “Cracker says hello-“ It was the last words she would ever hear.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“Grab a seat,” Deni told Hayley and Hopwood in the living area.
Hayley sat down tiredly and Hopwood took a few seconds to have a look around. Deni could understand his curiosity. No one had ever been allowed into the back of the Workshop before now. There was nothing to see. All the doors except this one were shut.
“Thanks,” he said and sat next to Hayley.
“Can I get you anything?” Deni asked.
“Honestly no,” Hayley replied. “As soon as Hanna gives us the all clear, I’m going to use one of the kid’s bunks and sleep for a week.”
“I don’t blame you,” Hanna said as she came in from the Rig. She collapsed next to Deni and covered her eyes with her arms.
“What did they say?” Hopwood asked with more urgency than anyone else could muster.
“We’re safe,” Hanna answered without removing her arms. “None of the other gangs will move against us.”
“You’re sure?” Hopwood pressed.
“None of them were lying. At least that’s what my voice stress program was telling me. Nothing can stop them changing their minds in an hour, but right now, I really am too tired to care.”
“It really is over then?” Deni asked, feeling more than a bit bewildered.
“As much as these things can be,” Hopwood said. “We’ll still be vulnerable for quite some time. How can we recruit without letting another snake in.”
Leaning forward, Deni took a deep breath. “That’s for tomorrow, but there is something we need to tell you both before we can all sleep.”
“Like where Milicevic is and why she went haring off planet without any notice?” Hopwood said.
Deni looked at Hayley, but she seemed content to let Hopwood do the talking. It seemed they might be right about these two.
“Yes, it’s about that. We think after last night, we owe both of you the truth.”
Hanna took her arms away from her head and leaned forward with a heavy sigh.
“It’s a long story, but you see Milicevic’s real name is actually Valerie Carter...”
Hanna’s explanation included only the high points of Valerie’s life over the past two years, but she missed out Furioso. They had agreed that was a can of worms just too nasty to open.
Hopwood and Hayley sat in silence the whole way through. Whether completely stunned or just too exhausted to say anything, Deni couldn’t begin to guess.
“Do you have anything to say?” Hanna demanded after all four of them sat in silence for five minutes.
Hopwood leaned forward. “That’s quite a story,” he paused. “Look girls I respect you both immensely after what we all just went through, but that’s a little far-fetched isn’t it?”
“Where do you think we got the Scythe?” Deni asked.
“It’s a just a rifle,” Hayley pointed out. “Flint said it was rare, but everything is for sale in Zeus.”
“Alright, then,” Hanna said, standing suddenly. “We have just the thing to convince you.”
Deni looked up at her concerned. “Hang on. We said that was a last resort.”
“I’d say we’re there now. Come on,” she stormed out and Deni looked at the other two.
“You’d better follow her and try and be prepare
d.” Hopwood and Hayley looked back curiously. Both shrugged and went after Hanna.
Deni dragged herself out of the soft sofa, it would be so easy to stay there and let herself drift off. Soon, very soon, she promised.
Hanna keyed in the code to the armoury and swung the door open.
Hayley let out a low whistle. “I said everything, but I didn’t mean that! They’ve got to be telling the truth, Scott. I’ve never heard of Fully Powered Body Armour outside the Legion. I can see a rifle, even a rare one like the Scythe, going missing. For one of those,” she pointed to Valerie’s matt black suit of armour. “They would tear the Ghetto apart.”
“What...” Hopwood coughed to clear his throat. “What do you want from us?”
“Help us find Valerie,” Deni said from behind them.
“Once were done,” Hanna continued. “You two can have the gang with our blessing and all the support programs I can leave behind.”
“You said you weren’t interested in running it, Hayley,” Deni carried on. “We were thinking you’d make an excellent Chief Enforcer with Hopwood as the Boss.”
“What do you say?” Hanna asked.
“You girls don’t mess about do you?” Hopwood said.
“We can’t,” Deni said. “We’re vulnerable and Hanna and I are distracted. If this gang is going to survive, grow and thrive, it needs someone looking beyond the next couple of months or whatever it will take. We think you two are the best people to do that.”
“I’m in, Scott,” Hayley said. “What about you?”
He nodded and smiled ruefully. “I’m probably going to regret this after I’ve slept, but I’m in.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
The anger at Dorme’s insufferably smug attitude, still burned inside Admiral Cestari. He walked down the corridor deep inside the Heavy Cruiser, PLN Talon. The assassin out thinking everybody, by realising Carter would go to Arnold Ison as a way to get to September, was galling enough. Dorme alone realised Carter would need allies and Ison was the logical candidate. By telling Ison, Carter was an assassin on her way to kill him, it gave Dorme the leeway to insert a powerful force of mercenaries on her most likely entry route. They may have been hiding there for weeks, but it was successful.
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