by LC Champlin
Two yards below the drone, Sarge turned an expression of disbelief on it. “That’s none of your business.” He resumed his march to rendezvous with a squad of four minions.
“When you invade my neighbor and kidnap a person who works for me, you make it my business.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? Just get your ass out here.”
Time cut to half speed. Details grew gauzy. Sarge’s threats, then his ignorance; what did the inconsistency mean? The disconnect between body and consciousness grew. A glitch in the Matrix, or perhaps the Percocet setting in at record speed?
No, reality.
Augmented reality.
Sensation returned in a wave of fire and ice. Wind and howls sang. A ray of sunlight flashed on the drone, blinding him for a moment. Breathing returned with a gasp that sent electricity around his chest. “Ken,” Nathan exhaled the name. “No coincidences, he said.” I’m a fucking imbecile for not seeing it earlier!
The truth set them free, but it would damn Ken to the hell he so admired. No one toyed with Nathan Serebus and his pack.
Snarl turned to a sneer, then to a grin of victory. “It seems we’ve had a misunderstanding.”
Chapter 50
Know When to Hold ’Em
The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
A yell tore the fabric of ambient neighborhood sounds. Shukla?
The nearest cannibal pack reached the patio, but at the cry, they pulled erect to hiss in its direction.
“I know you guys have a lot on your plate,” Bridges began over the radio in forced calm. “But Badal just jumped over a cannibal that dove at him. Damn it, he’s in the middle of a horde!”
Splendid. Being a have-a-go hero and ending a martyr aided no one but the enemy.
“Albin.” Mr. Serebus. The voice felt like a hand on Albin’s shoulder. “Bring Mikhail here.” Permission to abandon the hunt for Shukla.
A gunshot echoed from Shukla’s vicinity. Now every predator in the neighborhood would know a conflict occurred.
Marvin’s voice crackled over the radio: “Josephine just shot a cannibal! Badal’s with her now. They’re heading our way.”
Rifle up, Albin pivoted toward the Oshiro’s gate, which lay thirty meters distant. Then he froze. A team of four men in full combat equipment trotted along the side of the detached garage toward the fence. Dread crashed into his chest like a breaker. Keep your head.
Reaching back to push Kuznetsov behind the bush, he met only air. Then the engineer pulled him through a gap in the shrubs.
++++++++++++
Inset screens along the margin of the display showed the scouts: Albin and Mikhail worked their way south along Ken’s shrubs. Nathan’s breath caught as a squad of four mercenaries advanced on them from the north. Four cannibals from the northeast twitched toward the hedge.
Albin and Mikhail ducked through a gap in the hedge: a gate. As for the rogue engineer and reporter, another screen showed them at an Oshiro back door.
Back to Sarge: “Your current client is cheating you.”
Sarge hit the PTT. “Go around the back. Alpha Team secured the entry.” Then he addressed the drone, “We’re coming to take it.”
“Why does your client want Birk’s”—really Doorway’s—“files?”
“Stop worrying about that and start worrying about the enemy at the gates.”
A video feed pulsed in the upper-left corner of the display. A white tanker truck with red and blue chevrons on its sides rumbled down the street. Small, made for local deliveries, 3,000- to 4,000-gallon capacity. It crashed through the Oshiro’s gate but stopped at the bollards.
“It’s time for a bonfire.” Sarge’s eyes glinted from under his gorilla brow. “All squads, converge on the Asian house to the south. Take out the wall.”
A pitched attack? Shit. “Sarge, you have two choices: Hand over your share of Birk’s collection and any files you found before I turn the snipers on you.” If Ken deigned to. “Or you can work with me.” If they entered the Oshiro, the mercenaries would see Nathan’s offer in a different light, one that crackled with electricity. Subdued, they would act as hostages for whom Red Chief would have to trade Birk’s cards for. Perhaps they would agree to live up to their mercenary name and work for Nathan instead of the terrorists. As for payment, well, that could come later.
“I think we can work something out. But if you double-cross us, we’ll crush you.” Businesslike, as if reiterating a standard clause in a contract.
“Contact me on channel two of your radio. Your drone stays here, though.” The window began to close.
“No.” Rifle muzzle up—
Pull back! Gunfire rattled as the drone zigzagged up, back toward the Oshiro.
Simultaneously, the drone before Nathan shot toward the gap in the window.
“Judge!” Marvin yelped.
Chapter 51
Know When to Fold ’Em
Hey I Don't Know - Kongos
A blur of black and brown, then the drone fell under jaws and paws. Judge tore a rotor off. The other blades still spun, but only for a few seconds before they suffered the same fate.
Marvin trotted up, tennis ball in hand. “Good girl! Look, ball!” Distracted, she let him take the mangled craft.
“Atta girl,” Nathan laughed as he patted the dog’s neck. “No more eyes in the sky.” Or fewer, at least.
“Hey, the Off button.” The economist hit the switch on the drone’s under side.
“Keep guiding Albin and Mikhail. I have to speak with Ken.” Nathan turned, but stopped as Marvin caught his elbow.
“Nathan.” Doubt and concern filled the tone.
“I don’t have time—”
“Maybe we should just give them Birk’s files and collection. Is keeping them really worth it? These mercenaries are busy people, and we have a fortress. If we toss it out a window to them, they’ll leave.”
“Then they sell it to their client, who will use it to control the cannibals. This is not just me gunning for advantage, Marvin.” Why didn’t he understand?
A flash in Albin and Mikhail’s screen—The merc squad had blasted the gate from its hinges. Now the hostiles entered in room-clearing fashion: one man right, one left, right, left.
Where was Albin? There, the Oshiro’s side door, thank God!
“If they light up that tanker, we’re toast!” Marvin again grabbed Nathan’s arm.
Pain sank its talons into Nathan’s sides at the sudden halt. “Let. Go.” His right fist came up.
Worry in his face, the economist retreated.
Nathan stalked down the stairs—with care.
“They don’t even have to get past the bollards in the driveway!” Bridges continued from behind. “It’s thousands of gallons.” On he went.
Where was Ken? In the lab. Cue the audio link. “Ken, take the gunmen out—Taser, sniper, giant mecha, I don’t care how you do it. If you don’t, you’ll be saying hello to them face-to-face.”
“If this place couldn’t put down a few whackos with weapons, then what’s the point of having it?”
“Then do it.”
Splinting his ribs, Nathan quickened his pace. Judge trotted beside him as Marvin matched speed on his right.
“When are you giving them the data? We have copies.”
“I don’t reward threats.”
The lab panel slid aside. Ken, the defiant pest, turned from the screens to regard them. Nathan stormed toward him—then halted as Josephine and Badal jogged out of the far hall.
Badal beat even Jo to speaking: “She wasn’t there!” Arms out in desperation, he looked ready to cry. Or kill. “They must’ve taken her. We gotta—”
“Badal.” Nathan raised a hand. “Wait. Trust me.”
“But—”
Josephine clamped onto the engineer’s arm with both hands. “He said wait.”
Ken propped his fists on his hips. “You got us in quite a mess, didn’
t you, Nathan?” Despite Ken’s nose coming barely to Nathan’s bicep, the inventor managed to look down on his guest.
Not only had Ken misread what page his rival was on, he’d missed the entire book. “Badal.” Nathan gestured to the man. “Come here.” The engineer jogged up. “The terrorist mercenaries who are attempting to kill us now and who almost killed you and everyone who went to look for you”—words that made Badal flush under his tan—“don’t have Hemali. I don’t know if they have anyone.”
Shaking his head, Badal raised his hands. “Wait, wait. Then where is she?”
“I wager she’s still in New York.” Bombs away. Awaiting impact . . .
A pause, then, “What. The. Fuck?” Badal looked from Nathan to Ken, then back to Nathan. “The kidnapping was made up?”
In the periphery, Ken blanched. Center of gravity lowering, he shifted his stance to defensive. Slight, but noticeable.
“If you wanted us gone, why not just kill us or kick us out?”
“You’re missing the bigger picture.” Zen-calm radiated from Ken as he smiled. If he gained two hundred pounds and shaved his head, he could double for Buddha.
Hand resting on the XD-S .45, Nathan faced him. “That’s right. You don’t want to kill us, you want to dominate us. Always playing god, eh, Ken.”
“So you’re not denying you faked this shit?” Badal stepped forward, fists up. “Bastard!”
Nathan caught him before Ken could self-defense the Indian to death. “Wait.”
“But he . . .” Badal paused, head down, chest heaving as he controlled his fury. “He made me think my sister was dead, or worse. I risked my life and”—glance at Josephine, who ignored him in favor of welding her attention to Ken—“everybody else’s. What if they’d shot one of us? Albin and Mickey are still out there.”
“Why, Ken?” Josephine demanded.
Time to lay Ken’s cards on the table. “The sanest explanation is that you wanted to discredit me in front of my people.” Nathan gestured to the pack. “But that’s giving you too much credit, because you aren’t sane. You wanted to play your sick Faithful Dark game.” Yet even that explanation fell short—not that it mattered. What mattered was wrestling control of the Oshiro from Ken. The pack deserved a safe location from which to operate.
“I wanted to make you a stronger team.” A pleading look from Ken accompanied this.
“You expect me to believe you only wanted to run a little team-building exercise?” With a laugh, Nathan shook his head.
Elbow still in Nathan’s grip, Badal leaned closer to Ken. “We’re not doing ice breakers. I’d love to do a neck breaker, though.”
“Badal.” A tug back distracted him.
The lab door slid open to admit Albin, with Mikhail at his heels like a hound. Both safe, thank God!
Eyes narrowed, glasses off, the attorney stalked toward his prey: Badal. “Mr. Shukla. Because of your colossally foolish, selfish actions today, four people could have died, or even joined the horde of mindless cannibals. Your concern for your sister does not give you the right to put others’ lives at risk.”
“You didn’t have to come after me.” By the last word, though, the defiance collapsed to dread as Badal stepped back.
“Albin.” Nathan motioned for him to wait. “The man who put all our lives in danger . . . is Ken.”
All eyes turned on the Oshiro’s master. Hands gripped weapons tighter. Albin’s AR barrel lifted to cover Ken’s knees. Mikhail’s weapon followed suit.
Ken raised his hands in a shrug. “But did you die?”
Chapter 52
Know When to Run
Follow - Breaking Benjamin
“Mr. Oshiro,” Mikhail murmured, “how can you be so casual?”
“Why so depressed? You made it through.” Beaming, Ken spread his arms as if in welcome. “You’ve leveled up!”
“This isn’t a computer game,” Badal snapped.
“No.” Ken smirked.
On the drone display in Nathan’s glasses, Sarge’s teams approached the Oshiro. Meanwhile, the tanker truck’s driver bailed out and scrambled back to the fortress’s front gate.
Nathan drummed his fingers on the XD-S’s holster. “If you really intended for that adventure to be a team-builder rather than an attempted murder, stop the threat outside.”
“Why?” Ken remained obstinate despite facing five opponents. “They can’t sustain a siege. If they try, I call the National Guard. Hah, it’s not often I get to say that!”
“Ken, I realize you believe you have the right to be a god here, but the mercenaries will turn your underworld into a true hell if they light up those four-thousand gallons of gasoline on your doorstep.”
“Even at the distance of the street,” Albin put in, “the fire will be intensely hot on the walls of the Oshiro. In addition, the flora around the tanker will ignite.”
Badal shook his head in disbelief. “It’ll blow half the Oshiro off.”
“The tanker will burn, not explode,” Ken replied. “It’s a moot point, though. They won’t light it.”
Josephine laughed. “They didn’t bring it here for a yard decoration.”
A wave of calm engulfed Nathan. He now had the advantage. “If you won’t act, then I’m glad I have access to the Oshiro’s weapons.” If he was going to lie, go big: “And not just the weapons, but the majority of the Oshiro’s features.” Come on, Ken, take the bait. Put your head in the noose.
“Eh?” Sweet bemusement on the bastard’s face.
“I refrained from doing this earlier for the same reason I asked you to pilot the drone: courtesy. I think I’ll start with the basement. I’ll open the kennels, shall I? Release your pets?” Pull the noose tight.
“Dogs?” Badal wondered.
On the screens in Nathan’s glasses, the cannibal pack that had approached Albin and Mikhail now stalked through the fence’s wrecked gate.
“No.” Nathan raised his chin. “The Damned. Ken is dissecting cannibals in the basement.” He smiled sickly sweet at the inventor-turned-lunatic.
“Cannibals?” Jo echoed.
The assembled stared at Ken. All save Marvin, who focused on his glasses. “We’re getting more company out there.”
Might as well use Sarge’s threat. “Excellent point, Marvin. Everyone, pack your gear in case we have to evacuate. Divide the collection and drives among yourselves.”
Shoulders hunched, Mikhail looked from Albin to Nathan. “Leave? Where are we to go?”
“I don’t anticipate leaving, but as Albin says, be prepared. It’s going to take me a minute to review the defense systems in the Oshiro.” With this long of a distraction, Ken should have already reset his username and password to the Oshiro system. “Marvin, enlighten them on the basement. Albin, organize everyone to help cover the entrances. Judge, come here.”
“Sir,” Albin began.
“Go, Albin. They need your help. This is my fight.” He glanced at Ken, who eased closer to the exit.
Electricity crackled in the adviser’s glare. “Mr. Serebus, the Oshiro is our best chance to weather this Perfect Storm. The files are of no use if we die—”
An explosion lit one of the screens. A grenade? The northern hedge smoldered.
“Go. Please.”
“As you wish.” Frowning, he turned and trotted toward the exit with the others. He’d understand once Nathan gained access to the Oshiro’s system and its booby traps.
Judge whined as her friends left. Nathan caught her collar. “Easy, girl.” Twitching his shoulders under the lingering discomfort of dismissing Albin, he rounded on Ken.
A green alert box from KeyJack popped up on the glasses. Keyboard accessed. Focusing his gaze on the arrow below the box expanded the notification. Username and password changed. Username, Myo-Ken. Password, 13Banbut$unoreichou13. Now . . . access settings, change it to his own password.
A grin of triumph spread across Nathan’s face. The ri
ght to be a god belonged to Ken, but full access to the Oshiro’s network now belonged to his rival.
The calm in Ken’s demeanor faded in inverse proportion to his rival’s pleasure. “You . . . you never had access, did you.”
“Made you look.”
Ken turned and sprinted for the back wall. A panel opened before him; he sprang through.
Not so fast. “Judge, fass!”
Chapter 53
Treed
Kings and Clones - We Are the Empty
The panel closed in front of Judge. Snarling, she began scratching at the barrier.
“You’ll only die tired, Kenny.” The 3-D map represented Ken with a red dot moving away from the lab. “Judge, come.”
On the CCTV views, the mercenaries waited along the Oshiro’s perimeter wall. Nathan should set the defenses against the attackers, but as long as Ken remained on the loose, the inventor posed a threat. Ken would do all in his power to regain access to the Oshiro’s mainframe. No doubt he kept the proverbial key under the doormat.
Nathan hit the PTT. “Albin, I’m sending the login codes for the Oshiro’s system. Work out the external defenses. I’m dealing with the internal features.”
“Yes, sir. Kenichi-san fled, I see.” Disappointment in the tone?
“I’ll find him, don’t worry.”
Logging in under Ken’s user account caused secret passages to appear on the glasses’ map. Nathan took the hall that approximated Ken’s path. Internal defenses appeared as well: Tasers, electrified floors, locking doors, fire doors, light controls. A dropdown menu of settings came standard with each.
“Arm defenses.”
Where? the program prompted.
Running his gaze over Ken’s probable path lit trap icons.
Ken’s dot neared an intersection, where the rightward corridor led toward a room that bore a shield icon. A safe room.