The Hunt for Pierre Jnr

by David M Henley

  ‘Now you know how us norms feel —’

  ‘Ozenbach, Lazarus. Stop,’ Gock ordered. ‘We have to keep this civil. For what it is worth, I believe we are on the same side. Peter has done nothing during the reorientation period to suggest otherwise. If it helps you, Peter, I can remind you that you both work for me, so the direction Geof is taking is under my orders. Understood?’

  ‘Yes, Prime,’ Peter muttered.

  ‘I suggest we take a five-minute break to cool off. Ozenbach, your joules are low; get yourself something to eat. I would like to come back to the topic of transmission on our return.’

  Pete stood and paced the short length of the room. How had the Prime gotten him into this so easily? He’d resisted, but still, here he was in the Cape, leading the charge for Services.

  Gock began the second session. ‘I think we can all agree that Geof’s theory of something akin to a mental virus is troubling. We are monitoring for any signs of a pattern change. Mister Lazarus, can you acknowledge for me that you understand why we must take this threat seriously?’

  ‘Yes. I understand. If there was any foundation for it, I’d be very worried.’

  ‘But can you prove it to be true or false? As a telepath you must have more insight than us?’ Geof asked.

  ‘Only that I have never had such a lasting effect on people. My ... manipulations ... last only as long as I maintain them.’

  ‘But what Pierre does is different, isn’t it? Remember the midlanders? They had been changed, altered permanently.’

  ‘Yes, but ...’ Pete struggled. ‘That was very noticeable. We wouldn’t be in any doubt if it was so obvious.’

  ‘Pete, I consider you a friend. I hope you think of me that way too. Isn’t it possible that Pierre might have gotten better at it?’

  ‘Are you talking about me?’

  ‘I’m just asking you to consider that it’s possible.’

  ‘Of course it’s possible,’ he answered. ‘The whole reason I turned myself in was to prove to myself that I wasn’t in his control ...’ Pete’s heart sank as he realised the truth of what he’d just said. He’d never put it into words before.

  It’s okay, Peter. It’s okay.

  Arthur?

  Yes. It’s me. I know how you feel. Remember I knew him long before you did.

  How do I go on?

  I think you just do, though I wouldn’t be the man to ask.

  Gock cleared his throat. ‘Would you like to stop for this evening?’

  Pete shook his head. ‘No. No, thank you.’

  ‘Alright then. We can pause any time. There is no rush to resolve all our problems in one night.’

  Pete wondered again if this was the same Ryu Shima he knew originally. There had been a new level of compassion in recent discussions. Gock, how do you know it is him? he asked, but received no reaction.

  ‘Geof, Peter would like to know why we have brought him and his squad to Atlantic. I don’t think it would hurt to provide him with the reasoning.’

  ‘As you wish, Prime. It is simple enough. The Cape area is one of the largest grey zones on the planet. The monitoring we have is scattered and the majority of it comes indirectly through private surveillance. It is essentially the best place in the world to hide, and we suspect a great many psis may be here and possibly even Pierre Jnr.’

  ‘And you intend to collect them all?’

  ‘If that is the Will,’ Gock answered.

  ‘How will we draw them out?’

  ‘One at a time, Pete. Yours is the first ready team, so we don’t want you to overdo it. Get to know the territory, learn what you can. That knowledge will come in handy when the other teams arrive.’

  ‘How long will the operation last?’

  ‘This isn’t one operation. This is a campaign. We’ll be here as long as it takes.’

  ‘And Arkady is cooperating. He is going to help you?’

  ‘He is helping himself, but through common interests our goals will align,’ Gock supplied. ‘Is that enough? Do you feel you can proceed as directed now?’

  ‘Yes, thank you.’

  ‘Okay, we’ll call this session closed. The next period will be trying for us, especially our squads. While we may have personal doubts, we cannot afford to forget the greater mission ...’ Gock trailed off. The voice of Ryu Shima had stopped transmitting.

  The screen with Geof on it changed to static before defaulting to a bouncing moire pattern. ‘Gock? What is happening?’

  Arthur?

  My arm isn’t talking to me.

  Pete rubbed his symb. It responded, but its connection to the Weave was gone.

  Pete: Geof? Can you read me?

  Nothing.

  The room shook as if nudged from outside. The lighting faded from normal to the uncanny red of alarm. The building was under attack.

  ~ * ~

  It was a co-ordinated assault. Two blasts detonated close to the walls, forming gaping rents that led to the subterranean level. One on the east side, the other at the west.

  Dark figures in the bound-up rag uniform of the psi resistance leapt from the holes and scattered like jumping insects. They zipped from position to position, using kinetics to accelerate their every movement. Each time they paused they launched projectiles that stuck to the walls and exploded as they zipped away.

  There seemed to be no aim other than to breach the walls. Services were quick to respond: marauders poured out to meet the attacks from the corner towers and from the gate, and squibs leapt into the air to drop a rain of lasers on the attackers.

  Expecting the counterattack, half the psis jumped and flew straight at the squibs like bullets, splattering their hulls with their sticky explosives. They dropped back to Earth lightly while the squibs burst into flames and crashed to the ground.

  The marauders fared no better. As they entered firing range, their interference switches activated as telepaths wrestled control from the controllers, leaving them as useless as statues in the defence of the building.

  This left only bots and droids to engage, pumping the vicinity with beam weapons. They were fast, but the rebels moved erratically and the kinetics amongst them crushed the machines’ shells until sparks burst from their insides.

  Services North was defeated within five minutes. A humiliating defeat for the World Union.

  ~ * ~

  Arthur — are you alright? What’s happening? Pete sent out.

  They’re outside. They’re moving so fast.

  We are cut off from the above. Just like last time.

  It’s not him, Peter, Arthur reassured him. Pierre is not out there.

  Who is it then?

  There are over a dozen of them.

  Ten burst in through the door. Two of his squad were at his heels, panning their weapons around the room.

  ‘Asset secured,’ Ten reported.

  ‘You have a connection? Who are you talking to?’ Peter asked.

  ‘Negative. Just recording. The entire embassy has gone into grey. We don’t know what’s happening.’

  ‘Arthur says there are about a dozen psis outside.’

  ‘How many tappers and benders?’

  Pete relayed the question to Arthur.

  ‘He says eight benders, two crossovers and two straight tappers.’

  ‘Looks like they have brought the fight to us after all.’ Ten grimaced and flicked hand signals to his men. They covered the entrance and swarmed the room.

  ‘The rebellion is attacking a Services compound?’

  ‘We have to assume they are coming for you and your team. I need to know if you are with us, Pete. Man to man.’

  He felt their targeters locking onto his body. ‘I’m with you, Ten.’

  ‘Good.’ The squad kept him programmed, but turned their attentions elsewhere. ‘I would have hoped we’d do better against a dozen.’

  ‘So what do we do?’ Pete asked.

  ‘We try to
hold out and get to a launch point. Where’s Arthur?’

  ‘On the other side of the building.’

  ‘And Risom?’

  ‘I don’t know ... Give me a moment.’

  Pete pushed his mind out. Arthur, we’re looking for Risom. He’s out of my range.

  I’ll find him.

  Ten gathered his men together. ‘Okay, squad, here’s the sitch. There are approximately twelve psi targets who have broken through the walls. They are armed with explosives and acting as a co-ordinated group. We have trained for this. Let’s stay tight, pick up who we can and fall back.’

  I’ve got him.

  ‘Arthur’s found Risom,’ Pete reported. ‘They are on the south side.’

  ‘Okay. Let’s get somewhere we can see what’s happening. For now you and Arthur are our eyes. Do it just like we practised in Yantz, Lazarus. Understood?’

  ‘Let me go first,’ Pete said.

  ‘We will be one step behind.’

  Pete tuned in around him, pinpointing the ten and Gock in his mind before letting himself range out. Just like in Yantz, but with the floor vibrating from explosions and the ground cracking around him.

  ‘Where to, Ten?’

  ‘Where does Arthur say they are?’

  Arthur, where are the attackers?

  They came from two sides, east and west. They’re inside the building now.

  Is Risom with you?

  No, but he’s close.

  Get to him. Let him know we’re coming.

  ‘Arthur says they came from east and west and are through the defences.’

  ‘The psis have never attacked such a large target before. What are they up to? Nine, any ideas?’ Ten asked.

  ‘They might be after the assets, but this doesn’t seem like the best approach.’

  ‘What if they’re just escalating?’ Seven suggested.

  Pete caught a slither of something from Gock’s mind. ‘What was that? Say it out loud, Gock.’

  Gock was surprised and fearful of his mind being read like that, but answered without waiting, ‘They will want to destroy it completely. If they clear Services out of Atlantic, then they establish a psi territory.’

  ‘He’s right,’ Nine whispered.

  ‘We need to know what’s happening at Services South,’ Seven said. ‘I bet you anything the same thing is happening there.’

  ‘Right now we concentrate on keeping our assets secure,’ Ten took over. ‘Lazarus, tell Arthur to go toward the courtyard. We’ll rendezvous there and buzz out at the first opportunity. If South has been hit, the twins will be on their way to protect Lazarus. Until then he, Arthur and Risom must be secured. Get those suits to full power, men.’

  They prowled forward, weapons scanning back and forth, across and around in steady figure eights. The ground shook again and again, each blast halting the team as they fought to keep their balance.

  ‘They’re bombing their way to the sublevels.’

  ‘The reactor!’ Nine slapped his palm against his helmet.

  ‘Tell Arthur to hurry it up,’ Ten said.

  ‘What happens if they get to the reactor?’ Pete asked.

  ‘If they blast it open, then this whole site will become toxic.’

  Hello, Peter. He heard her greet him just as the wall broke into pieces and exploded toward them. Pete was knocked flat by the blast and his ears rang. He breathed in a lungful of dirty air and began coughing hysterically.

  Oops.

  Tamsin ...

  Time to pick a side, Peter.

  Pete looked around him. Gock was down, Ten was floored and the rest of the squad seemed to be locked up by their suit fail-safes. He found their frustrated minds and tried to calm them: Stay down.

  Peter, where are you? We are down near the courtyard, but we’re not alone.

  Arthur? Pete answered. I can feel Risom now. Risom, can you hear me?

  I’m here, Lazarus. What’s the plan?

  Keep hidden. Tamsin Grey is —

  ‘The choice is yours, Pete.’ Tamsin’s voice echoed around them, amplified to maximum. ‘Join us or die.’

  Ignore them. You don’t want to join them.

  Don’t I? Risom thought back.

  Pete crept toward the hole in the wall and watched as Tamsin welcomed Risom. ‘That’s the spirit. What about you, Arthur?’

  Arthur didn’t respond. He was rocking back and forth, his symbiot fighting to control the fear that was building.

  That just leaves you, Pete. Don’t you want to come and play with us?

  This is not the way.

  I think it is. She smiled up at him and he stood to look straight at her. She knew where he was; there was no point hiding.

  Tamsin, I’m begging you. You are under Pierre’s control. You have to fight him.

  I really don’t, Pete.

  Behind her the rebels gathered, looking up to where Pete stood. Some of them trained their weapons on his position.

  ‘It is done, Grey,’ a young man rushed up to her to report.

  Time’s up, she projected to Pete.

  ‘Let’s shake it to the ground and get running!’ Tamsin shouted to her group. Those with their weapons raised pressed the triggers. Pete swore and dived out of the way. The corridor was rocked by multiple hits. Daylight streamed in through new holes in the walls.

  Arthur? ... No response.

  Pete’s symb told him the only way left to go was up and he had no choice but to trust it. There was less damage above and lots of holes to get out from.

  He sprinted up the stairwell, making himself breathless. The building rattled and cracked a little bit more with each explosion. His symb stretched to cover his ears and protect him somewhat from the sound while feeding tactical information of the scene, looking for an opening in the offensive line.

  An alert blazed into his symbiot in flashing red across his visual overlay. The chemical reactor below the embassy had been ruptured and was out of control. If everyone didn’t get out of there soon, they could look forward to a purifying shower of acids.

  The explosions stopped. Pete crept to one of the holes in the wall to look out. Ammunition spent, the psis left as they came; with movements like a blink they retreated into the holes in the street.

  For the first time in a long time Pete had a decision to make. Tamsin. He pushed out. She was still waiting.

  Don’t follow me, Pete.

  You’ve started a war.

  I didn’t start it. Can’t you see that?

  I’ll stop you.

  You try it. I’m pointing six rounds at your position that will blow your house down.

  He’s controlling you, Tamsin. This isn’t the way.

  No, Pete. This is me. And we’re the same, you just haven’t decided whose team you are on.

  She raised her block and Pete lost her.

  Without warning, communications came back online. A message queue came up before he could respond.

  Geof: Pete? What’s happening?

  Prime: Report in.

  Geof: Report. We are sending in backup.

  Geof: Tick?

  Pete: Tock.

  ‘Pete, you’re okay?’ Geof’s voice came in through his ears, quickly followed by the Prime’s demanding him to report.

  ‘Only just. The reactor has been destroyed. You have to get us out of here.’

  ‘Evac is already underway. Are you all that’s left?’ Ryu asked.

  ‘Arthur is here, but he’s catatonic. The ten have been tripped, but they are unharmed. I don’t know about the rest of the compound. They were pretty thorough.’

  ‘I’ll get the suits cleared, but there’s a command log to get through. What happened?’ Geof asked.

  ‘Tamsin.’

  Geof cursed.

  ‘Did they attack the South?’ Pete asked.

  ‘Confirmed. South too.’

  Pete looked down at the hole to the basement, a ga
ping mouth. His sense of the rebels was fading and Pete waited. He had a hunch Tamsin would lower her block once she thought she was out of his range. He waited and waited, feeling nothing. Then at a hundred paces she dropped her guard and he sprung from his position. He would have to be fast to keep her in his field, and he would have to hold his block the whole time to avoid detection.