Scavenger Blood

by Janet Edwards

  “We will rescue them,” said Donnell soothingly, “but we have to take a moment to plan tactics first. Charging blindly at superior weaponry is always a bad idea, because being dead severely limits your future actions.”

  He sighed. “If Cage has a sniper rifle, it will have a vastly longer range than bows or even Armed Agent weapons, but be little use in a close quarters fight. The problem is that if Cage has found a store of advanced weapons without security locks, then he could have some equally lethal short-range weapons.”

  I grimaced. “When Cage tried to murder me and the off-worlders in Sanctuary, he used a gas grenade.”

  “Grenades are old-style weapons,” said Ice, “and Cage’s sniper rifle must be an old weapon too. The message said it was projectile based, and the last of the projectile based sniper rifles were manufactured over a century and a half ago. Everything after that used advanced laser technology.”

  Donnell pointed his forefinger at Ice. “You’re right. That means Cage’s sniper rifle dates from before modern security locking measures were brought in. He must have found his weapons in a museum.”

  Wall frowned. “I thought there were laws about permanently disabling all the guns in museums and private collections.”

  “Somehow that sniper rifle wasn’t disabled,” said Donnell. “As it’s projectile based, Cage will be limited to using whatever ammunition he found with it, but we have to assume he has a large supply.”

  Donnell paused. “If Cage is right over in one of the apartment blocks, then he shouldn’t be able to hear our whistled messages. Blaze, you’re much better with Morse code than me. Tell Aaron’s hunting party we’re going after Cage. They have to stay where they are until we come and get them.”

  I took the whistle from my belt, and rapidly sent the message. An acknowledgement came a moment later.

  “Cage was on the top floor of one of the apartment blocks near the swimming pool when he shot at Aaron’s hunting party,” said Donnell. “If he’s still in a room facing the restaurant, then he’s got no view of the swimming pool side of the building, so we’ll approach from that direction. Cage could have moved to either a different room or the roof though, so we’ll have to be careful to stay under cover.”

  The others turned and headed for the door, but I caught Donnell’s arm. “Can’t we check everyone in Aaron’s hunting party is all right before we go chasing Cage? It would only take me a minute to whistle another message.”

  Donnell winced and spoke in a gentle voice. “Blaze, you’re too young to know much about old-style weapons. We don’t need to ask the hunting party if everyone is all right because they’ve already told us they aren’t. Their message included the word precision for a reason.”

  I rubbed my forehead. “You mean that Cage’s shots are hitting their targets precisely?”

  Donnell nodded. “Cage will have practised with that sniper rifle before using it in an attack. He’ll have taken Aaron’s hunting party completely by surprise, giving him one clear shot before they knew what was happening, and possibly several more shots before they made it inside the restaurant.”

  I couldn’t help picturing that. A shot coming from nowhere, one man falling, the others turning to run and ...

  “Everyone with us will be desperately worried about at least one person in Aaron’s hunting party,” continued Donnell. “It’s best for us to deal with Cage while we’ve all still got hope. Afterwards ... Well, some people will have to face a brutal reality.”

  As we walked after the rest of our group, I thought through the implications of what Donnell had said. Cage would have wanted to make the most of that first surprise shot at the hunting party. He’d have chosen his preferred target from those available, and waited for the perfect moment to shoot him.

  I bit my lip. There was no doubt about who Cage would choose as his preferred target. He’d have aimed his sniper rifle at the man whose death would hurt the alliance, Donnell, and me the most. Donnell’s plan for the future had been that I would eventually succeed him as leader of the alliance, with Aaron as my deputy, but that would never happen now.

  Memories from the past fed my imagination to create new images. My memory of Cage smiling as he tortured me in the boathouse, changed to become Cage smiling as he aimed the sniper rifle at Aaron. My memory of me looking down at the body of Cage’s last victim, Marsha, became me looking down at the body of Aaron.

  I had a bleak moment where I wondered what would happen to Rebecca now. I’d make sure she got the best available care, but Aaron’s death would be devastating for her. How many times would Rebecca look eagerly at the returning hunting parties before she accepted that she’d lost her father as well as her mother?

  I fought to drive those thoughts from my mind. Donnell had said that we all still had hope, and that was true. The chance of Aaron still being alive had to be vanishingly small, but I clung to that meagre possibility, and concentrated on the vital importance of preventing Cage from killing anyone else.

  Chapter Six

  Donnell led the way back to the path, and turned in the direction of the apartment blocks. There was what seemed a long walk before he finally paused by the side of a fire-blackened building. The roof had partially collapsed, and I could see through the gaping hole where a door had once been, to where a pit in the floor was half full of slimy green water.

  “We’re close to the three apartment blocks now,” said Donnell, “but the swimming pool complex stops us from seeing them, so Cage shouldn’t be able to see us either.”

  “Cage was probably shooting from the nearest apartment block,” said Ghost. “That’s the closest to the recreation area and has the best view of the restaurant.”

  “I agree,” said Donnell. “We can’t risk getting involved in a long-distance exchange of fire with Cage, because he has the advantage of both weapon range and height on his side. We can’t risk going inside the apartment block and getting involved in a close-range exchange of fire either, because we can expect Cage to throw grenades at us.”

  He shrugged. “Waiting until after dark won’t help. Cage’s sniper rifle is almost certain to have a night vision attachment, so he’ll be able to shoot us just as easily as in daylight.”

  “So what do we do?” demanded Wall.

  Donnell smiled. “We’re going to force Cage to leave the apartment blocks by setting fire to the nearest one. The three buildings are so close together that the fire should soon spread to the other two.”

  After my experiences in the London firestorm, the idea of deliberately setting fire to a building when a person was inside it, even if that person was Cage, filled me with horror.

  “Blaze and I will start the fire,” said Donnell. “I want the rest of you to take up positions around the apartment blocks, ready to deal with Cage when he tries to get away.”

  “Deal with Cage,” repeated Ice, in his unreadable voice. “Does that mean you want us to capture him or shoot him?”

  “You’ll have to make your own decision depending on the situation,” said Donnell.

  “Queens Island’s decision is going to be to kill Cage whatever the situation,” said Raeni. “We trusted Manhattan to keep him prisoner before, and it didn’t end well.”

  “Manhattan is as eager to kill Cage as you are, Raeni,” said Wall.

  Raeni made a disbelieving noise.

  “The rest of you should get into position now,” said Donnell hastily. “I’d like Manhattan to help Blaze and me guard this side of the buildings, Brooklyn should take the eastern side, while Queens Island and London work their way around to the north. We don’t need to worry about the western side because that’s blocked by the lake.”

  He paused. “Make sure you keep under cover until you see the fire taking hold. Once the flames are moving in his direction, Cage should be too busy running to shoot at anyone.”

  The others split into four groups and moved off. I waited until they were out of earshot before speaking.

  “Do we really ne
ed to set fire to the apartment blocks? We wouldn’t have to search all the rooms inside them to find Cage. Once we’re inside an apartment block, the tracking displays of our guns will show us if he’s there too.”

  “And what would we do when we found him?” asked Donnell. “Cage isn’t going to lay down his weapons and meekly surrender. I see little point in us risking our lives to capture him when he’s going to be executed anyway.”

  I sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”

  “Machico says that I’m right most of the time, but horribly wrong the rest of it,” said Donnell cheerfully. “Now we need to find a power storage unit. There won’t be any intact ones in this burned out swimming pool complex, so I’ll have to get one from the nearest apartment block.”

  I opened my mouth to ask why he’d used the word I rather than we, but he hurried off down a narrow path between two of the fire-scarred buildings. As I chased after him, the voice of my Armed Agent weapon spoke in my head.

  “Three hostile alien lifeforms.”

  An instant later, my gun’s tracking display appeared. The green dot of Donnell was right next to me. The confusing group of nearby lines showed the layout of the swimming pool complex. The far taller mass of lines a distance away had to be this side of the nearest apartment block. The other side of it was obviously still out of tracking range.

  I wasn’t surprised to see that the three purple dots of falling stars were all either on or inside the apartment block rather than the swimming pool complex. Falling stars never lingered on burnt out buildings. I wasn’t sure if that was just because their paler colour was conspicuous on the black walls, or they hated touching ashes and soot.

  Donnell didn’t comment on the presence of the falling stars, just kept walking. When we reached the end of the swimming pool complex wall, he lifted a hand to stop me, and we both peered around the corner at the apartment block.

  Donnell spoke in a low voice. “Cage’s sniper rifle may not just have a longer range than our guns, but than their tracking displays as well. It should only take me thirty seconds to sprint to the main entrance. If you see any sign of Cage, then start shooting at him. Even if the laser pulses of your gun can’t reach him, the distraction will delay him firing at me.”

  “Once you reach the building, should I run after you?” I asked.

  “No. I’ll only be over there long enough to find a power storage unit. You stay here to provide covering fire when I come back.”

  “But ...”

  “You stay here to provide covering fire,” repeated Donnell, “and that’s an order.”

  I groaned. “Yes, sir.”

  Donnell sprinted off. I watched anxiously until he was inside the apartment block. In theory, he should be safe now that Cage couldn’t shoot him from a distance, but I was still tense as I followed his movements on my tracking display. Donnell’s green dot moved through the layout of the apartment block, finally staying still for a full minute before heading back towards the entrance again.

  That must mean Donnell had found the power storage unit he wanted. The lights in the apartment block windows and doorway were shining brightly in the gathering darkness. I saw Donnell come out of the entrance and kneel to put something on the ground. He must be going to rig the power unit to explode now.

  I grimaced. I knew how to rig a power unit in theory, but I’d never actually done it myself. From what I’d heard, it was easy to make them explode. The problem was delaying the explosion until you’d had time to get well clear.

  I was startled when Donnell didn’t do anything to the power unit, just stood up again and came sprinting back to join me. “My gun’s tracking display showed Cage isn’t in that building,” he said breathlessly.

  I gave him a bewildered look. “Why did you get a power storage unit and then just leave it in the doorway?”

  “You know what happens when you rig a power storage unit to explode?”

  “I’ve seen the explosion from a distance,” I said.

  “This time you’re going to see what happens when you fire an energy pulse weapon at a power storage unit. You see that concrete barrier ahead of us?”

  “Yes.”

  “I want you to lie flat on the ground, and wriggle forwards until you’re behind that concrete barrier. You then lift yourself up, get a target lock on the power storage unit, fire, and immediately throw yourself to the ground again. Understand?”

  I frowned. “So this is going to cause an especially big explosion?”

  “Yes. When you fire an energy pulse weapon at a power storage unit, it causes an instantaneous overload. There should be an explosion and some flames that set the apartment block on fire.”

  “Flames?” I repeated dubiously.

  “I know you’re afraid of fire, Blaze. I’ve tried to shelter you from that in the past, but you aren’t just my daughter any longer. You’re my deputy, and one day you’ll succeed me as leader of this alliance. When you’ve got people’s lives depending on your decisions, you can’t allow yourself to freeze with fear.”

  “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop being afraid of fire,” I said.

  “This isn’t about stopping being afraid, but learning to keep going in the face of your fear.”

  I hesitated.

  “If you prefer it, I’ll set fire to that building myself.”

  I sighed. “No. You’re right that I need to face my fear of fire.” I got down on the ground, and started wriggling reluctantly forward.

  “You have to keep flatter than that and move faster,” said Donnell critically. “Use your elbows more.”

  I tried to keep flatter, but that made my progress even slower. I eventually reached the concrete barrier, lifted myself cautiously up, and pointed my right forefinger at the power storage unit. Since it wasn’t a living creature, I had to order my gun to set a target lock on it.

  “Shooting now,” I said, fired my weapon, and dropped flat again.

  As I hit the ground, there was a sound like thunder, and the sky filled with flames.

  Chapter Seven

  I lay flat on the ground, my arms protectively over my head, and my eyes tightly closed.

  “Blaze, are you all right?” asked Donnell’s voice.

  I seemed to be physically uninjured, I couldn’t feel the pain of any burns, but I was frozen rigid in terror. I couldn’t see flames with my eyes closed, but I could smell and taste smoke, and hear the roaring sound of fire.

  “Blaze?” Donnell’s voice nagged at me again, sounding much closer than before, and then his hand touched my arm. “There’s no need to be afraid. We’re quite safe here.”

  I tried to speak but couldn’t make a sound. I was a child caught in the London firestorm. I was hearing my mother’s screams, and my brother yelling at me to run. I had that odd feeling plaguing me again. Something had happened back in London that didn’t make sense.

  “Blaze, I’m getting scared here,” said Donnell. “Please talk to me.”

  Donnell was getting scared? He’d made me set the world on fire, and now he was complaining about getting scared? I was hit by fury, opened my mouth to tell him to go pollute himself, but cut off the swear words in time.

  I’d shouted those words at my father before. Two weeks after our arrival in New York, my brother had turned traitor, blown up the New York portal relay centre, and left forever. Donnell and I had had a cataclysmic argument afterwards, and with Hannah working to widen the rift between us, we’d been estranged for six years. We’d only just started to rebuild our relationship, so I daren’t risk swearing at him like that again now, but I couldn’t hold back my anger entirely.

  “You claimed there’d be a few flames,” I said bitterly. “That’s a lot more than a few flames.”

  “I apologize,” said Donnell. “I didn’t expect there to be such a massive explosion or so many flames. When I was inside that apartment block, I was confused by the fact I had to search three apartments before I found a power storage unit. Now it’s clear
there wasn’t the usual arrangement of a standard power unit in each apartment, but a more powerful storage unit serving a whole group of them. When you shoot a more powerful storage unit ...”

  He let the sentence trail off, and I finished it for him. “You get a more powerful explosion.”

  I was still angry, but I was focusing my anger where it truly belonged. My fear of fire had begun in the London firestorm, but Cage had reinforced it when he dangled me over the cooking fire in Reception. Cage had used threats and blackmail to make a bid for leadership of the alliance. Cage had tried to murder me and the off-worlders, succeeded in killing Marsha, and attacked our hunting party with a sniper rifle. I was here to help rescue our people, not to lie in the dirt like a coward.

  I used my anger to overcome my fear, opened my eyes, and cautiously lifted my head. The smoke in the sky was tinged with orange from the setting sun on the western horizon, and with red from the distinctive glow of flames straight in front of me. I got up on my hands and knees, and peeped over the top of the concrete barrier.

  The nearest apartment block was burning fiercely. I saw a burst of flames shooting up from the roof. The safety features on a power storage unit were designed to make it gradually release power and melt in a fire, but one that was growing unstable from lack of maintenance could explode.

  Donnell went to sit on the concrete barrier. “If Cage is in the second building, he should be making a run for it soon.”

  I got to my feet and moved to sit next to Donnell. We watched the flames gradually engulf the first apartment block and start spreading to the second. There was no sign of Cage.

  “I suppose this scene looks very like the London firestorm,” said Donnell.

  I gave a choking laugh. “This is nothing compared to the London firestorm. When the power grid exploded, chains of fire spread across the whole city. Random buildings burst into flames and collapsed within seconds. The only reason any of us escaped alive was because the Europe Parliament House was surrounded by an ornamental lake, and had its own inter-continental portal room in the wing that was built on pillars and jutted out over the water. That didn’t stop the flames spreading through that wing of course, but it slowed them enough to give us vital extra minutes to escape.”