by A. G. Taylor
Another volley of bullets burst through the wall of the conference room. Hack hit the carpet as a round tore over his head and through the window. The glass went opaque as the bullet punched a one-centimetre hole in the middle of the pane.
Wasting no time, Hack threw the T-shirt over his head, grabbed one of the leather chairs from the table and heaved it at the weakened pane. The chair sailed through the glass and over the side of the building. Gulping down some of the halon-free air blasting through the gap, Hack struggled forwards and stepped out onto the ledge.
Standing on the side of a building, seventy-seven floors above the earth, a half-metre ledge doesn’t seem very wide at all. The window panes provided no purchase, so Hack pressed his back against the glass and slid along towards the corner of the building. His plan was to walk round to the other side, hopefully out of the immediate view of the guards, and then try to climb down. This was easier said than done, what with the force of the wind at this height, which threatened to catch him and sweep him off the side at any moment. Centimetre by centimetre, he edged his way along to the comparative safety of the other side of the building...
Inside the conference room, one of the guards kicked the door open. Taking a quick glance over his shoulder, Hack started moving faster as the man entered the room and swept his gun around. He was almost two thirds of the way to the corner when the guard spotted him.
Sacrificing caution, Hack ran the remaining few metres as gunfire split the air. The windows behind him exploded. Hack made the metal support at the edge and threw himself round as glass splinters flew. Somehow he managed to keep his balance, but then a powerful crosswind hit and he staggered back, feet on the edge of the ledge. He caught a glimpse of IFC plaza, over three hundred metres below. Turning from the vertigo-inducing sight, he grabbed the support and pulled himself against the building. He looked at the ledge along the other side of the building and tried to get his feet moving, but they just wouldn’t obey.
Another volley of bullets ricocheted off the metal.
“I’m not a thief!” Hack screamed. “You’ve got the wrong guy!”
He was answered by more gunfire.
Holding on for dear life, Hack looked at his feet and wondered just how far the drop was to the level below.
“It’s too far to jump,” a voice said at his side, as if in answer to his thoughts.
Hack turned and saw a blond-haired kid just a little younger than himself leaning casually against the glass right beside him. In shock, Hack’s grip on the support loosened. He took a step back—
And fell off the side of the building…
Hack tried to scream, but found it impossible as he fought to get air into his lungs. Two seconds after going over the ledge, he passed the fiftieth floor of Two IFC, picking up speed as he went. His arms and legs flailed uselessly as he spun round. The side of the building raced past like a track and the illuminated plaza rushed up to meet him at terrifying speed. His mind was filled with the awful certainty of death approaching.
Four seconds down, passing the thirtieth floor, Hack finally managed a scream that came out as a strangulated gurgle.
A second figure blinked into existence directly beside him…
Hack recognized the face of the boy from the ledge as he reached out to grab his arm…
The world disappeared. For a split second, they were nowhere at all. So, this is what it’s like to be dead, Hack thought.
Then reality rushed back as he and the other boy rematerialized less than a metre above the ground. Hack slammed against the concrete of IFC plaza, every bone in his body jarred by the impact, and lay still for a second. With a groan, he looked over at the body of the blond kid, lying beside him on the ground. They should have been dead – pulverized by the fall – but somehow that hadn’t happened. Around them, people were murmuring and pointing. Someone ran over and crouched beside him.
“I’m okay,” Hack said, pushing himself into a sitting position. He looked up at the skyscraper and shook his head at the hundreds of metres he’d just fallen. “Somehow I’m okay.”
“They’re calling an ambulance,” the woman reassured. The other kid snatched Hack’s wrist and they disappeared again…
Teleporting back into existence on the far side of the plaza, hidden in the shadows of a tree. Hack yanked his arm free and rounded on the kid.
“Will you stop doing that?” he snapped, still aching from the impact.
“Sorry,” the boy said, sitting heavily on a low wall in the semi-darkness. It was clear from the look on his face that he was in pain also. Across the plaza, the crowd that had seen their original fall was now in complete turmoil at their disappearance. “We were generating a little too much interest.”
Hack sat down and rubbed his aching shoulder, which had hit the concrete hardest. “Who are you?”
“My name’s Robert Williams,” he answered. “And I’m here to make sure you don’t get yourself killed tonight.”
6
“So, let me get this straight,” Hack said. “You came here looking for me because your sister had a premonition I was in trouble. She just knew I’d be there on the 77th floor needing someone to save me from the men with guns?”
Robert nodded. “Something like that. Sarah has advanced telepathic abilities and she uses them to track down kids like you. Kids who’ve been given powers by the fall virus.”
“Track down?” Hack said. “Or do you mean hunt down?”
“We’re with a scientific organization called HIDRA. It stands for the Hyper-Infectious—”
“I know what it stands for. I’ve read the blogs.”
“Then you’ll know we’re working to find a cure for the fall virus,” Robert continued. “We’re also a safe haven for kids who’ve been persecuted because of their abilities. We give shelter if necessary, advice on controlling and developing your powers—”
“And all I have to do in return is help out your private army from time to time, right?” Hack interrupted. “I’ve heard all about Colonel Moss. And what was the other guy called? Major Bright?”
“That’s in the past. Colonel Moss is in jail. The military doesn’t call the shots at HIDRA any more.”
“I’ll take your word for that,” Hack said. In the middle of the plaza, a couple of uniformed cops had arrived and were listening to the woman’s story. He got to his feet, keeping in the shadows. “Well, thanks for saving me from getting squished. Maybe I’ll look you up sometime—”
“Hey, you can’t just walk away!” Robert protested, standing also.
“That’s exactly what I’m doing,” Hack said and he started across the plaza, keeping to the edge.
His thoughts had turned to Jonesey, who was still in the hands of Hui. They could be anywhere in the city, but if he knew his friend he’d go to the Golden Chip. The only question was, would Hui let him? Thankfully, the crowd was too busy bending the ears of the cops to notice him as he approached the entrance to the MTR station. The teleporting kid, Robert, seemed to have taken the hint and wasn’t following him either.
Hack ran down the escalator into the station, waved his Octopus card at the turnstile reader and made the platform for the Tsuen Wan line just as the train was arriving. The protective doors, designed to stop the rush hour crush of passengers pushing themselves onto the tracks, opened and he slipped inside, grabbing a post in the middle of the carriage. A few seconds later the train pulled away smoothly on its high-speed trip under the bay towards Kowloon.
Glancing down the carriage, Hack saw someone he recognized: the fake tourist guy from the GC. He cursed inwardly and looked in the other direction. Sure enough, there was camera woman from that day in Tai-O. Both of them were staring directly at him, making no effort at pretence now. How had they found him again?
“Friends of yours?”
Hack turned. Robert stood beside him, holding onto the pole as if he’d just appeared out of nowhere – which he probably had.
“You don’t give up, do yo
u?”
Robert shook his head. “I told you I wasn’t going to let you get yourself killed, and I meant it. My sister sensed people are after you because of your powers – people who don’t have your best interests at heart.”
“And did she sense that before or after your HIDRA spies started following me?” Hack pointed at the man down the carriage and then the woman. “I spotted my tails a week ago, so you can stop with the telepathy story.”
I’ve never seen those two before in my life, Robert replied, using his mind to communicate directly for the first time. But judging by the way that guy is talking into his wrist, I’d say they’re not alone.
Hack turned his attention back to the man. Robert was right – he was whispering into a mic concealed in the sleeve of his coat. There was a receiver in his left ear.
They’re not with you? Hack thought. He’d never had the chance to use the telepathic communication all fall virus-altered kids shared, but in the presence of the other boy it seemed completely natural.
Believe me, it’s not our style, Robert replied. You’re picking a fight with the wrong person. Whoever those two are, they know how to find you. How much do you want to bet that guy’s calling in backup? When you get off this train, you’ll find more of them waiting and there’s nothing—
“Okay, okay,” Hack said. “I get the idea.” His head was spinning. The man and woman weren’t Triad and they weren’t HIDRA either, so who were they? The train began to slow as it approached Tsim Sha Tsui station, the closest stop to the GC.
“All right,” Hack said, “let’s say I want your help. What’s the big plan?”
“I teleport us to street level this minute. Two HIDRA hovercopters are en route to the city. I’ll call in our position and they’ll pick us up for transport to our mobile base.”
“There’s something I need to do first,” Hack said. “A friend of mine is in trouble and I’m not leaving the city until I know he’s safe.”
He fully expected the other kid to make some argument about how they didn’t have time or how it was too risky to go after Jonesey when people were following them. But Robert merely nodded.
“Fine. We’ll help your friend.”
Hack said, “Okay, let’s get out of here then.”
Robert took his wrist… The brightly lit, enclosed space of the carriage faded away and was replaced by humid night air and a darkened alleyway. Hack felt momentarily disorientated by the teleport and just a little nauseous. He bent over and took a couple of deep breaths.
“You okay?” Robert asked.
Hack nodded. “Yeah, still getting used to that.”
“Do you know where we are?”
Hack looked left and right, spotting the buses crowding Nathan Road at the far end of the alley. He estimated they were only a few streets away from the GC.
“This way.”
Hack led Robert through the backstreets at a run, checking behind to make sure they were no longer being followed. Teleporting directly out of the subway system seemed to have done the trick.
“That’s a pretty useful ability,” he told Robert as they ran. “Have you done that before? Jumping off a building to save someone, I mean?”
“Never,” Robert said.
“Then how did you know it was going to work?”
“I didn’t.”
As they reached the ground level entrance to the GC, Hack stopped and gave his companion a look. “You didn’t know it was going to work? Then you could have been smashed to a pulp along with me.”
Robert shrugged. “My sister told me to look after you. Didn’t want to let her down. She’s real mean when she’s angry.”
Hack was suddenly a whole lot more grateful for what the other kid had done for him that night. There weren’t many people for whom he’d jump off a building, especially not if he’d just met them.
“If he’s here, Jonesey will be on Level 6,” Hack said, indicating the open entrance to the GC. It was almost 10 p.m. and the market was shutting down. Evening shoppers and stallholders poured out of the building.
“Okay, let’s get going.”
“We’re not teleporting up?”
Robert shook his head. “Best to take the stairs. I’m getting tired and we might need to get out of there fast. I’ve probably got a couple of ’ports left in me this evening, but let’s save them.”
Hack understood what Robert meant: using his own power for any extended length of time left him feeling drained. He could only imagine the amount of mental energy expended in jumping from one physical location to another.
They entered the GC and rode the elevators past the floors of gadgets and software. Lights and screens were shutting down everywhere. Hack always found the market a little eerie at this time of night – without the hustle and bustle, the GC became a place of shadows. Level 6 was in near darkness. The upgrades area never stayed open as late as the computer stalls below. Hack scanned the empty cubicles, eyes adjusting to the light, and then turned to Robert.
“Wait here. I need to deal with this myself.”
He and Jonesey had gotten themselves into their present situation. And if Hui was there, as Hack somehow sensed he was, it was up to them to sort it out. Robert seemed to understand this, because he nodded and leaned against the wall by the escalator.
“Just shout if you need me,” he said. “I’ll be there quick.”
“I bet.”
Hack headed across the floor towards Jonesey’s cubicle. Sure enough, he found his friend sitting in the middle of his workspace – wrists and ankles secured to the swivel chair with duct tape. Jonesey’s eyes widened as Hack approached and ripped away the piece of tape covering his mouth.
“You escaped!”
“Yeah. I had a guardian angel.”
“You shouldn’t have come here. It’s a trap!”
Hack nodded and looked around the cubicle. The PS5 sat on the workbench, linked up to the LCD. Jonesey read his mind.
“It works.”
“Let’s get you free.” Hack kneeled and tore away the tape around the other kid’s ankles.
“Just go!” Jonesey protested. “All this is my fault.”
Hack started on the wrist bindings. “We got the evidence that Goodware stole your idea. It was worth it. Right?”
Jonesey shook his head as Hack removed the final piece of tape. “He’s here.”
Hack straightened up and turned slowly. Hui stood in the cubicle doorway. In his right hand he held a squat weapon that Hack recognized from a lifetime of first-person shooters as an Uzi 9mm.
“Well, you are a talented young man,” Hui said, aiming the machine gun in their general direction. “Even I would have found it difficult to escape that tower in the position I left you. I’m beginning to think that shooting you would be a terrible waste.” He studied Hack with his dark, calculating eyes. “Come with me. I’ll make you a billionaire before you’re twenty.”
Hack played for time. “What about Jonesey?”
Hui chuckled. “He’s a fat slob with a moderate talent for fixing laptops. Toss a rock in this city and you’ll hit ten kids just like him. You, however, are truly unique.”
Hack picked up the PS5 from the workbench. “And what about this?”
“Just something my bosses want,” Hui said with a shrug. “Sony will pay to get the prototype back rather than have it cloned, just like Microsoft did when we stole theirs. Everyone will be happy.”
Hack looked at Jonesey from the corner of his eye and then turned his attention back to Hui. “So, I guess if it got full of bullets, your bosses would be pretty annoyed, huh?” He stepped in front of Jonesey, holding the PS5 before them like a shield.
Hui gave an exasperated sigh. “You’re really starting to—”
Hack threw the PS5 at Hui, making him choose between catching the console and shooting them. He chose the former. As he grabbed the machine, both Hack and Jonesey went for the back of the cubicle.
They vaulted the wall and landed on the
other side. Hack grabbed his friend’s arm and pulled him in the direction of the fire escape. The back of the cubicle exploded as Hui fired a burst of rounds. The two boys staggered back. Bullets impacted the plasterwork ahead. They ducked round the side of another cubicle and crouched there, all too aware that the cardboard walls were no protection at all.
“You disappoint me, kid!” Hui shouted. “I’m offering you the chance to make some real money!”
“You’ve got the console!” Hack shouted back. “Just take it and go!”
Hui laughed. “That’s not how things work in my business. We tie up our loose ends!”
Hack pulled Jonesey into another cubicle. Hui fired again – cutting through the wall where they’d crouched seconds before.
“Go for the fire exit,” Hack whispered. “I’ll keep him distracted.”
Jonesey opened his mouth to protest, but Hack pushed him out of the cubicle and went in the other direction, moving towards the escalators where he knew Robert was waiting.
“You’re gonna have to do better than that!” he shouted.
Hui responded with gunfire, more prolonged this time. Hack threw himself onto the floor of another cubicle as computer manuals exploded above his head.
“I can keep this up all night!” Hui screamed when he finally stopped firing. There was a click as he ejected an empty clip and slotted another into the Uzi.
Hack looked up. Bullet holes riddled the cubicle walls and paper fragments filled the air. He rose into a crouch, ready to run, but a hand touched his shoulder…
“Let’s get out of here,” Robert said.
Hack pulled away. “Not until I know my friend’s safe!”
Robert began to argue, but was cut short as Jonesey’s voice called across the floor.
“Hack! He’s got me!”
Robert and Hack looked at one another. Hack sighed and moved to the cubicle entrance.
“You’re not actually going out there?” Robert hissed. “He’ll kill you.”
Hack thought it over. Then he said, “You’ve still got a couple of teleports in you, right?”