The Hunt for Pierre Jnr

by David M Henley

  ‘Where are you going, Lazarus?’ the Prime asked.

  ‘I’m going after them.’

  ‘Not by yourself you’re not.’

  ‘Don’t, Pete. You can’t fight that many,’ Geof added.

  ‘I said, no,’ Ryu’s voice came in slow and cold. Pete felt his symb shrink into his arm and he gasped.

  ‘Please, Prime. Just let me go after her.’ He stopped running and dropped to his knees, holding his arm close to his chest as if it would lessen the pain. ‘Let me go after them. I won’t betray you.’ He felt like the symb had grown teeth, tiny spikes that were pushing through toward his bone.

  ‘If you do, this is how you will die.’ The pain disappeared; his symb once again became a friendly second skin. ‘Go hunt,’ Ryu commanded and switched off.

  ‘The twins are en route. They will be right behind you,’ Geof said.

  Pete rose to his feet and shook his head clear before running into the void.

  Tamsin, this time I am coming for you.

  ~ * ~

  The way to the basement floor was a scramble down the rubble ramp of the explosion. The light from the hole above came down in a shaft and spilt only a little way inside. Pete could feel the psis faintly, and disappearing east toward the coast.

  He ran as fast and quietly as he could. His symb boosted his eyes and the scene was washed with heavy colour and total black shadows. As he made it past the Services zone, the ancient city streets began to distinguish themselves.

  The basement was patchy darkness that stank of stale ocean, with a mud floor and crabs that rushed from his steps. Dennies camped around barrel fires and looked over at the sound of him running past, chasing the footsteps in the mud.

  Out of nowhere a blow struck him across his chest, knocking him flat on his back. He probed outward. He was sure he hadn’t run into anything ... Then he was lifted from the ground and held upside-down by his feet.

  ‘What are you doing down here, tapper? This is bender territory,’ a voice scraped out from the darkness. Pete couldn’t sense where the mind was that was holding him up.

  ‘I’m after the group that just ran through here. It’s no business of yours.’

  ‘It’s all my business down here, tapper. And you don’t have a pass.’

  ‘Oh yes he does,’ a cheerful voice called out. There was the sound of something hard hitting something soft. Pete dropped back to the ground. ‘One point, Endo.’

  Aiko’s bot came and lifted Peter up. ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘I’m okay. Just a bit winded.’

  ‘Which way are we chasing?’

  ‘You’re with me?’

  ‘Just following the command, psi-man.’

  ‘East. But they’re splitting up.’

  ‘Then we better run. Jump on my back.’

  The twins moved at pace. Their long strides covered tens of metres at a time, small jets on their feet flaring to add lift to each stride. ‘Which way, psi-man?’

  Pete held his arm forward, pointing with each change of direction that Tamsin took. Now they were gaining fast.

  ‘She’s close.’

  ‘Flash it up, Endo.’

  ‘Boomboom.’ Her bot levelled a spray of flash and the basement lit up and thunder rocked the underworld.

  ‘Well, that might get their attention.’

  ‘I see five on my sensors. Endo?’

  ‘Concur.’

  ‘No time for a plan, glue and goo until they take us out. Jump off, Pete. Do what you can.’

  They fired off another barrage of flash and Pete covered his ears and twisted away. When he turned back, he could see the twinbots moving faster than his eyes could follow, round after round of glowing goo launching at the fleeing figures.

  ‘Bappity bap bap, that’s three for me.’

  ‘You have to mask them for full points. Wah?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’m being pushed. Psi-man, help me out here.’

  He turned to where Aiko was sliding toward the deep water. She’d locked her legs in position, but there was a kinetic standing a few metres away, forcing her backward.

  You don’t want to do that, my friend.

  The man looked at Pete and stopped. He just stood limply and blinked. Aiko dove in and masked him, then leapt away before he dropped to the ground.

  ‘Umm, Aiko? I’m in trouble,’ Endo patched.

  ‘They got you?’

  ‘Yeah. They’re trying to drown my poor bot.’

  ‘Can’t help you, Endo. I got my own problems. Pete, where are they?’

  ‘I see them. Give me a sec —’

  A block of wood swung across the back of his head and he collapsed into the mud of the shallow water.

  ‘I told you not to follow me,’ he heard and passed out.

  ~ * ~

  Tamsin knelt down beside Peter Lazarus, placing her fingers to his wrist. Her makeshift club had opened a jagged wound on the side of his head, blood making half of his face black in this dismal light. She unwrapped her headscarf and pressed it against his skull.

  The two robots that had come with him were drowning in the silt, held down by Okonta and his kinetics while they pummelled them into the mud with invisible punches. She could feel La Grêle sliding closer as she arrived with skiffs for them to escape.

  You succeeded.

  Yes, but my fool chased us down here.

  Leave him. We must go.

  Tamsin lifted his symbiot arm and used its weight to hold the scarf in place. It was active still and should keep his vitals steady until help could arrive. She met La Grêle at the tide line as the boats ploughed into the shore.

  ‘Let’s go.’

  ‘I’ll catch up with you.’

  ‘Tamsin,’ she admonished.

  ‘Just to make sure he wakes up. I don’t want the dennies to tear him apart for supper.’

  ‘You’re too soft, Grey.’ La Grêle stroked the other woman’s face and Tamsin returned the gesture. You know what you have to do.

  We both do.

  The psis loaded onto the boats and pulled away. Okonta and Piri waited to one side for Tamsin.

  She was worried for Pete. She took off another of her wrappings, wet it in the water and began cleaning off his face.

  ‘Anchali?’ he whispered. Tamsin saw another woman in Pete’s memory, a beautiful dark-skinned nurse.

  ‘Pete,’ she cooed. ‘Wake up.’

  He blinked his eyes open and was alarmed to discover it was Tamsin hovering above him. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘I just wanted to make sure you were going to make it.’

  He tried to sit up but woozed back down to lie flat. His symbiot told him the ten squad was approaching. She tapped her nail on its shell.

  I can get this off you if you want.

  I thought it couldn’t be done.

  Easy when you know how.

  Did Pierre teach you that?

  Don’t be jealous, Pete. You could join us.

  Join your killing spree? You murdered innocent people back there.

  Innocent. She slapped him across the face. We are the innocent ones.

  The slap wasn’t hard, but his head felt fractured already and he entered another swoon. Through Pete, she could feel the squad approaching, the symb’s signal directing them to him.

  ‘Don’t chase me,’ she said, trying to stand up but finding her limbs couldn’t move. She felt too heavy to budge. The weight was pushing her knees into the ground and her muscles were paper-thin.

  ‘Stop it.’

  Tamsin.

  Let go of me.

  No.

  I knew you were getting stronger, Pete, but this really is impressive. You’re actually exercising control over my mind. I thought you weren’t into that kind of thing.

  I can’t let you go.

  From what I see, you already have.

  It’s not as simple as that.


  Nothing is. Now let me go.

  Where is Pierre?

  I don’t know.

  Tell me.

  I wouldn’t, even if I knew. For your sake.

  How can you follow him?

  Because he is strong, Pete, and that is enough. There will be a second manifestation and he will decide who survives. He will free us.

  He is not a god.

  He is a god. If only you knew.

  Tamsin, no. He’s a monster. He’s out of control.

  I believe he will free us all. Just like he has freed me. Don’t you want to be free, Pete? ... Together?

  He’s controlling you.

  They’re controlling you.

  They know your disguise now. They’ll find you.

  No, they won’t. I’m very good at hiding.

  By now they could both hear the pounding of marauder footsteps.

  Please let me go. Pete dropped the hold he had on her mind. She kissed him quickly on the lips. Take care of yourself.

  Peter Lazarus lay very still in the slime, the cool tide pushing the water slowly up to his ears and then retreating again. The mud sucking at his clothes, drawing him deeper with every lap. He felt Tamsin and her psis pulling further away, pushing through the low water until it was deep enough for motors. He closed his eyes and felt the cool of the water as he slipped into unconsciousness, slipped into the pinpricks of pain and looked once more into the eyes of the child.

  ~ * ~

  Pierre Jnr will

  save us

  ~ * ~

  The moon was only a half, and cut again horizontally by a single thin cloud. It was set in faded orange tonight, but glowing enough that only the brightest of stars could be seen. Centauri stood out clearest, its promise still potent after all this time and all this failure. The stars of the Chameleon constellation were just beginning to show.

  He went through them one by one. By the time Ryu had named the visible stars the vapour of the clouds had diffused and the moon was an almost imperceptible smudge. Then it was gone.

  The skyline was a line of lights stretching along the low horizon. Homes, turrets, cranes and hoists. Squibs paced the resting skyways, fluorescent.

  The organism never sleeps, he thought.

  His mother was right. The family needed separation from the Prime. For just such reasons as this. On the other side of the world, clean-up squads were ferrying in Servicemen and ferrying out Citizens needing safe passage home. Negotiations with Atlantic had broken down.

  From his needle Ryu could see Shima Palace and felt the pull of it upon his soul. He was glad that Takashi had agreed to join him in this artificial exile. So long as Ryu never demanded any changes in his behaviour or mode of living, he would be happy to stay and more than happy to get away from the guilt-inducing eyes of their parents. He was taking his time to arrive though. Insisting that none but he could touch his dolls; not even a surgical bot with rubberised hands would be gentle enough. He had spent the day carefully wrapping and boxing them.

  Today was a catastrophe. A calamity that nearly equalled the manifestation. Services had been deliberately and openly attacked. Atlantic, that cesspool of atavistic fetishists, no longer had even a token presence of the WU. The Weave was livid.

  There was no hiding the psi rebellion now. Not that he would want to. Their symbol was appearing in cities worldwide. Psi spotting and reporting was becoming an everyday activity that even children could play. The attack had escalated the fear amongst the general population. The manifestation was now assumed to be the work of the rebellion and the actions Services were taking to make the rest of the world safe were considered fair and justified.

  All had played out as Pinter had predicted, which was only cold comfort under the heat of inquisition.

  At least Ryu now had a small inner circle who knew his plans and could reassure the rest of the group in their own way. A small group but better than working alone. More of his mother’s advice he was following.

  There would be fresh tumult in the civics balance, but his position seemed secure and the Prime had dedicated the entirety of the next cycle to making personal calls to new and current members of the Primacy to build rapport and spread the word that while this attack was ‘unprovoked’ and ‘violent’, it was not unexpected. Above all he needed them to know that he was prepared.

  There was one call he was not looking forward to. He put her on the screens and paced slowly around the room.

  ‘Good evening, Prime.’

  ‘Representative Betts.’ For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. While the fear of the psi rebellion had increased the influence of Ryu and his immediates, so too had Charlotte Betts and her partner Max Angelo been reinforced. At the next count both the tolerants might be included in the Primacy council. ‘Congratulations on your rise.’

  ‘Thank you, Prime. I wish only that it was not a tragedy that contributed to it.’

  ‘It is the nature of the Will. Fear and crisis are key motivators.’

  ‘As are hope and opportunity — as I believe my constituency understands.’ The younger Betts was proving she had her mother’s tongue.

  ‘The reason for my contacting you is to pass on that while this violent attack was unprovoked, we have been preparing for such an event for a long time now.’

  ‘Unprovoked? Do you not consider the hunting and capture of every psionic you can detect to be provocation?’

  ‘We provide peaceful accommodations for those who are collected. Their lifestyle is maintained at an exceptionally high grade.’

  ‘An easy claim to make when access to the islands is so heavily restricted.’

  ‘It is for the people’s own safety. Both peoples.’

  ‘But you are breaking families apart. Taking children from parents. And then you don’t allow any access? I should be thankful your lack of basic decency is aiding our cause.’

  ‘I take it that this is the essence of your next campaign against our directives.’

  ‘You can be sure it will be.’

  ‘Then I thank you for the advance warning. I will make use of it. Now if you don’t mind, Representative Betts, I have many more calls to make.’

  ‘One more question if I may, Prime. When you have collected all the psis in the world, what will you do with them? Where will you put them?’

  ‘On the islands.’

  ‘And as more and more are born. You’ll put them on the islands too?’

  ‘Is this a question of capacity?’

  ‘This is about the long-term problem. If the world confines a continually growing population, then at some point the cost to resources will outweigh the benefits.’

  ‘I think that is a question that can wait.’

  ‘Is it? You and I may not be in power by then, but aren’t you creating the enemy you are now claiming to fight?’

  ‘Claim? Did you not see the damage that your friendly psionics did to two Services compounds? People died there, Representative Betts, and I’d expect someone in your position to be a bit more respectful of their sacrifice.’

  ‘That is not what I said.’

  ‘There are real threats at work here and you will forgive me if I work to defeat them. You may choose to create artificial problems to boost your standing, but don’t forget that by doing so you are also using fear as a tactic. That is all.’

  Ryu cut the connection before she could say anything more. That woman and her strange way of thinking was infuriating. No, it was the way the Will was supporting her that was infuriating. At least when Takashi arrived they could start trialling the simulator he had programmed. Then he might never have to talk directly with her again.

  ~ * ~

  Takashi took great care with his girls. He led them by the hand to flat boxes that were the length and width of a single bed, lined with satin, with horseshoe pillows for their heads and feet.