by Neil Hunter
It was the heavy bursts of fire from the guards. The amplified vibrations were disturbing the fragile hold of the strata.
Janek made his way across to where
Harry crouched.
‘Now it’s our turn,’ Harry said.
‘Harry, we have to get out fast. The cavern is starting to break up. The gunfire is disturbing the faulty strata. This place could come down on us any minute. We have to pass the word and get everyone out.’
Harry stared at him with wide eyes. ‘There’s no damn way we can get them all in the elevator. It only takes a few at a time.’
‘It’s all right,’ Janek said. ‘I have a better idea for getting us out.’
‘What?’
‘The ore freighter. There’s enough room in the thing to fly all your people. We can take it up to Platform-12. There’s a Marine Corps unit based there. A squad is on its way down now to help, but I don’t think we can wait. We have to get out now.’
The Darksiders from the ramp were spreading across the cavern with weapons taken from the dead guards. Harry broke cover, moving from group to group, passing the word. Darksiders went into the working tunnels to warn those inside.
Janek hurriedly headed for the main tunnel, conscious of the increase in the rockfall from overhead. Dust was sifting in a constant stream now, accompanied by debris.
A yelling guard slammed into him, lashing out with his empty weapon. The barrel of the SMG caught Janek across the side of the face. It tore his synthetic skin and exposed the dull gleam of titanium beneath. The guard stared at the metal, and in that moment of hesitation Janek put a slug into him, blowing the man off his feet.
Harry reached the mouth of the tunnel almost at the same time as Janek. He was waving his people into the tunnel, yelling at them to hurry. Somewhere in one of the working tunnels a deep rumble sounded, followed by the crash of falling rock. Seconds later a thick cloud of dust erupted from the mouth of the tunnel, billowing out across the cavern. Men scattered in panic, some being swallowed in the dust. Overhead there was a loud crackle of splintering rock. Large chunks began to fall, some of them splitting as they hit the cavern floor.
Janek heard men screaming in fear and pain.
He waited for the dust to clear and searched the littered cavern floor. A number of bodies lay sprawled beneath chunks of rock. Others were stumbling blindly over the debris, still trying to reach the safety of the tunnel.
‘There,’ Harry yelled above the din of falling rock and sporadic gunfire.
Janek saw the Darksider pinned by his legs. Without a second’s hesitation he headed for the trapped man, ignoring the falling rock that struck him. Reaching the man, Janek bent over him, jamming his gun back in its holster.
‘Save yourself,’ the injured man said. ‘No one can shift that damn rock.’
‘You got cash to make a bet on that?’
He dug his hands under the edge of the slab of rock and lifted. Beneath the flexi-coat of titanium, Janek’s powerful servo-muscles took the strain. The slab of rock lifted with ease, and the Darksider was able to drag himself clear. One leg was badly crushed and bloody.
‘Come on,’ Janek said, ‘let’s get the hell out of here.’
He picked the man up and carried him back to where Harry stood watching.
Two Darksiders took the injured man and headed along the tunnel, following the mass of Darksiders already jamming the way.
Janek pulled his gun, turning on his heel as a stream of bullets scored the tunnel wall close by. He slapped Harry’s shoulder, knocking the man to the floor.
Armed guards were running in the direction of the tunnel, as though they intended reaching the protection of the freighter themselves.
Janek opened fire. His spaced shots took out two of the hostile guards, dumping them on the hard floor of the cavern. The surviving pair concentrated their fire on Janek’s position. Bullets chipped the rock around him, and he felt a couple slap against his torso, pushing him off balance for a second. Lifting his auto pistol, Janek returned fire. He caught one guard. The other got to his feet and turned to run, but Harry emptied his magazine into him before he’d taken two steps.
They were free again to head along the tunnel. Behind them the sound of falling rock increased.
Harry glanced at the tall, blond-haired figure, and a smile touched his lips.
‘You’re not your usual cop,’ he said.
The rattle of gunfire from the front of the massed crowd caught Janek’s attention. He began to push his way through the packed crowd.
‘They won’t let us near!’ a man yelled.
‘The bastards want us dead.’
‘Let’s rush ‘em.’
Janek was able to see over the heads of the Darksiders and spotted the five armed guards blocking the end of the tunnel. Beyond them was the bulk of the freighter, resting against the loading platform of the dock. At the extreme end of the dock was the airlock that had been built into the solid rock-face.
As he pushed his way to the front, he felt the tunnel floor shift. Janek saw an auto weapon in the hands of a weary, unshaven Darksider. The man wasn’t even aware he still had the weapon.
Easing the weapon free, Janek checked the magazine. The indicator told him it was full. He snapped back the cooking lever and stepped free from the crowd.
‘Let them through,’ he ordered. ‘I’m a Marshal from the Justice Department. Don’t waste any more lives. This operation is all finished.’
‘Says who?’ one guard sneered.
‘I do,’ Janek told him.
The guard peered at Janek, seeing the dull metal gleaming through his torn skin.
‘Jesus, it’s a fuckin’ robot. Giving us orders.’
He began to laugh as he moved forward, raising his SMG.
Janek sighed wearily. They never learn, he thought.
The auto weapon in his hands swept up with terrible precision. Janek’s finger touched the trigger, and the SMG began to crackle with fire.
The lead guard was the first to die, his body shredded by the unerringly accurate fire. Before his bleeding, torn body hit the ground, Janek had swiveled the SMG, laying down a withering blast of fire that swallowed the other guards in its deadly maw even as they loosed a few shots that sent injured Darksiders tumbling to the ground. They were hurled back across the dock, bodies trailing blood and shredded flesh. The SMG snapped on an empty breech, smoke curling from the muzzle. Janek tossed the weapon aside, shaking his head at the guards’ stupidity.
He stood and watched as over three hundred Darksiders swarmed through the freighter’s open airlock and into the cargo holds.
Harry nudged him and leaned closer.
‘Hey, Janek, let’s get out of this damn place before we get buried along with the rest of the garbage.’ As they went on board, Harry suddenly asked, ‘Can you fly this damn thing?’
Janek grinned. ‘Can a hen lay eggs? Come on up to the flight deck and watch a goddamn tin man fly this bird.’
Chapter Nineteen
‘I can’t believe it! After everything I went through!’
Kate threw down the copy of the newspaper. It slid across Cade’s desk, and he had to snatch up his mug of coffee before it landed in his lap.
‘They killed my story, T.J. All I got was a half column on the sixth page.’ She slumped in a chair across from him, her eyes blazing with anger.
Milt Schuberg cleared his throat self-consciously. He was standing at the window, pretending to watch the clouds drifting by.
‘I guess you guys are feeling pretty pissed off about this,’ he said.
‘Nobody’s blaming you, Milt,’ Cade told him.
‘Hell, I lost, too,’ Schuberg said. ‘When Boon walked, I wanted to...' He shrugged. ‘What could I do? The guy has clout that goes all the way back to Washington Central. The big boys were all gunning for us. Too many behind-the-scenes manipulators.’
‘Most of them in Boon’s pocket,’ Janek said.
‘Let’s face i
t,’ Schuberg added. ‘There are a lot of people making fortunes out of this titanium bonanza, including the armaments business. They couldn’t afford to stop bringing the stuff in.’
‘Boon might have walked free, but at least we put a stop to him exploiting the Darksiders,’ Janek said. ‘And security on Lexus-9 has been tightened up.’
Bronson and his Marines had swept through the Lexus mine complex on their arrival, taking out the resistance offered by the guards involved in the Darksider affair. In the aftermath, once the story had come out, the miners had staged a walkout until new management was installed and the dangerous seam closed off. Bronson’s men had discovered a mass grave where dead Darksiders had been buried. The body count reached over two hundred. To Bronson’s disgust, the facts had eventually been suppressed and a cover story put out.
By the time Cade, Janek and Kate arrived back in New York, the shouting had all but died down. The returned Darksiders had been sent back to their tunnels, despite a strong desire to have their grievances aired.
Randolph Boon, out on bail, was on his estate in the Bahamas. Clever manipulation of the media by his lawyers had diverted much of the publicity away from him. Lesser employees in the Lexus conglomerate were taking the fall for Boon’s nefarious scheme. As he was unable to answer back, the dead UCS captain, Connor, had been cited as having a great deal of responsibility for the crimes. UCS, always a thorn in the side of the NYPD because of its backing by local politics, had come under close scrutiny, and much of its power had been taken away.
The overall results were less than satisfactory for those most involved.
Schuberg had his prime suspect freed on bail and had to live with the knowledge that Boon was unlikely to stand trial.
Kate Bannion, having survived her ordeal on Lexus-9, was finding that the power of the press was not always beyond the heavy hand of governmental repression.
The Darksiders, who had suffered more than most, recognized betrayal and retreated to their subterranean world.
They saw clearly that justice was not going to be served in their cause.
Cade seemed to accept the lesser victory better than anyone. He was angry, even bitter. The Justice Department, though fighting the court decision on Boon, seemed to be losing. Orders had come from Washington Central for Cade to step back from the affair and move on.
He took that as a polite way of being warned off. He didn’t like it, but he appeared to have accepted it.
His partner didn’t believe it for a second. Janek said nothing, but looked and listened a lot. He knew better than to accept Cade’s meek surrender. There was something going on in Cade’s head that was removed from his everyday activities, and Janek was curious to know what it was.
‘Milt, you going my way?’ Kate asked suddenly.
Schuberg grinned. ‘Anytime, honey,’ he said.
‘T.J.?’ Kate said. ‘I’ll see you later?’
He glanced at her. ‘I’m not sure.’ He patted a file on his desk. ‘Something I have to look into first.’
‘Looks like it’s back to business,’ Schuberg said.
‘Give me a call,’ Kate said. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. ‘I haven’t had time to thank you properly for pulling me out of Lexus-9,’ she added in a low whisper.
Cade grinned up at her. ‘You will.’
She spread her hands. ‘Sorry about blowing off steam, guys,’ she apologized. ‘It was only a story.’
Janek didn’t say anything until the door had closed behind Kate and Schuberg.
He came around to sit across from Cade, his eyes boring into his partner’s.
‘Give, T.J. I want to know what you’re up to.’
Cade remained impassive. ‘Me? What could I be up to, partner?’
Janek waved a finger at him. ‘That’s what I want to find out.’
‘I’ve a bad feeling about this, T.J.’
‘Get us down,’ Cade said. ‘These coordinates.’
‘I can read a map, Thomas,’ Janek said in a hurt tone.
The cyborg eased back on the stick of the sleek, matt black helicopter. The machine had twin turbo-powered motors that could drive it along at over 250 mph.
Now that they were within striking distance of their target, Janek had engaged the silent-running mode, reducing the chopper’s engine noise to a subdued whisper.
Below them the calm waters of the Florida Strait gleamed dully under a pale moon. Ahead lay Grand Bahama Island.
‘Down, buddy,’ Cade said. ‘Just in case somebody left the radar on.’
Janek angled the chopper until it was skimming the waves. He flew parallel with the sandy coastline until the marker on the chopper’s computer screen flashed to show they were within a half mile of their target.
Minutes later Janek eased the helicopter to a gentle landing on the white beach. He cut the engines. As he and Cade climbed out, they could hear the soft hiss of the ocean rolling in against the shore.
Both of them were clad in black jumpsuits. Their faces were blacked, and they wore dark gloves. Janek had a black wool cap pulled over his pale hair.
‘The villa is over there,’ Cade said. ‘The other side of those trees.’
‘Are you sure about all this?’ Janek asked.
‘Would I drag you into trouble?’ Cade asked. ‘Trust me, partner.’
‘Every time I do, I regret it,’ Janek grumbled.
They slipped through the stand of swaying palms. Tall grass curved out of the sand, slapping at their legs as they passed by. Beyond the trees they could make out the roof-top of the spacious villa. It stood in its own grounds, surrounded by a steel-mesh fence.
Crouching at the fence, Cade tapped Janek on the shoulder. ‘All yours,’ he said.
‘I’m sure this is highly illegal,’ Janek mumbled as he checked the fence for sensors and electro-beams.
‘Leave the worrying to me,’ Cade said.
‘Sensors,’ Janek confirmed. ‘And before you ask, Thomas, yes, I can override them.’
He bent to the task, tapping in to the sensor’s frequency, then splicing in an override chip. Once he had that completed, Janek used a small pair of cutters to open a gap for them to slip through.
He eased the section back into place in case anyone wandered by.
Cade led the way across the wide, smooth lawn, dotted with exotic plants and tall palms. The villa ahead was ablaze with light, throwing long shafts out across the grass.
‘Did your informant tell you how many armed guards we might run into?’ Janek asked.
‘Four patrolling the grounds,’ Cade answered. ‘Another three inside the house.’
‘For an innocent man, our friend Boon appears to be worried.’
‘That’s the point, Janek. The son of a bitch isn’t innocent. He’s guilty as hell.’
‘Then why is he here and not in jail?’
‘Because we live in an unfair world. Money and influence still talk. If you’ve enough of both, you get away with murder. In Boon’s case, mass murder.’
‘I thought that was why the Justice Marshal units were formed. To make sure people like Boon don’t get off.’
Cade grinned in the darkness. ‘Right. And that’s what we’re doing. Our job.’
He placed a hand against Janek’s chest, cautioning him.
An armed figure had strolled out of the shadows near the villa. The guard angled across the grass, not seeing the intruders but coming directly for Cade and Janek.
Reaching under his left arm, Cade drew the dull black gun holstered there.
He took quick aim and fired. The gun only made a soft hiss. It fired a sleeper dart. The guard grunted as the needle point pierced his neck. He took two more steps before the powerful drug took effect. He sprawled face-down on the grass, and Janek dragged him out of sight beneath a sprawling mass of vegetation.
They repeated the operation twice more within the next few minutes.
Cade and Janek sprinted toward the side of the villa. Flattened agai
nst the outer wall, they checked the area. Nothing moved.
‘Let’s go,’ Cade said.
They eased along the wall until they reached a side door. It opened at Cade’s touch, and they slipped through. They found themselves in the spacious garden laid out at the rear of the villa. It was a mass of flowers and lush vegetation, and closer to the house was a huge swimming pool. A number of athletic, sun-bronzed girls were cavorting naked in the water.
‘Don’t look,’ Cade warned his partner. ‘They’ll corrupt you.’
‘You’re looking,’ Janek whispered.
‘Yeah, well, it’s too late for me.’
They worked their way to the rear of the villa by way of the wall and the concealing vegetation.
A flight of stone stairs led up the side of the villa to a balcony fronting an upstairs room.
‘Boon’s study,’ Cade said.
They climbed the stairs, keeping out of sight below the stone wall that edged the steps.
Sliding glass doors closed the comfortable room off from the balcony. Peering round the edge, Cade spotted Randolph Boon seated behind a massive desk, working on some papers. He was not alone. An armed guard was with him.
‘Boon’s in there,’ he told Janek. ‘Behind the desk to the left. There’s a guy with an SMG. He’s on the far side of the room. I want to do this fast, Janek. No chance for either of them to raise any alarm.’
‘I’ll deal with the guard,’ Janek said, drawing his own gun.
He leaned around the edge of the glass door, scanning the interior of the room and pinpointing his target. Janek closed his hand over the edge of the door and slid it open. The door ran on smooth rails, opening without a sound, and by the time the guard realized there was an intruder it was too late.
Janek stood in the doorway, his right arm tracking the guard with his gun. He touched the trigger, feeling the weapon push back as it fired. The shot struck the guard under the chin, and the slender dart expended its drug swiftly into the bloodstream.
Randolph Boon’s first awareness of something being wrong came when he saw the guard stagger and fall. Boon pushed his chair away from his desk, half rising.
He turned and saw the two black-clad figures framed in the open doorway.