The Johnson Run

by Kai O'Connal

 

  She knew Lance wouldn’t be able to respond if he was driving—like her, he didn’t have the implanted hardware—but he should be able to see the message. With luck they had captured most of the attention, and security probably wouldn’t pay much attention to a single elf on a motorbike who had never entered the terminal. If not, Lance could take care of himself.

  Paz merged with traffic, trying to keep her speed as high as possible without attracting undue attention as she changed lanes, swerving around cars. She slowed down after they’d passed a several vehicles, providing a buffer between them and the terminal. Keandra looked through the rear window. Flashing lights approached with haste. Hopefully they wouldn’t know which car to look for, now that they weren’t in the van.

  The two security cars racing up behind them, one behind each corner of their back bumper squashed that hope before it could give her any false comfort. Paz gave up trying to be subtle, taking the shoulder to swerve around the truck in front of her. One of the cars pursued them directly, the other swerved around traffic to cut them off.

 

 

 

  As if to accentuate her point, the car behind them accelerated and clipped their rear bumper. Paz had to frantically twist the wheel to avoid spinning out. Growling, she jerked to the side, cutting across four lanes to catch the exit ramp before they zoomed past it. Even so, she collided with the guardrail while straightening out on the ramp, scraping paint off the body panels as she wrestled for control.

  The ramp ended in a T-intersection, which currently had a green light. Paz drove into it, jerking the wheel to the left and engaging the emergency brake. The car slid through the intersection until it pointed down the road, and then shot forward again. What they saw made Keandra nervous: a long line of lights, with a fair amount of traffic.

 

 

  As she watched, the light ahead of them turned green, with just enough time for the other cars to clear the intersection before they passed through it. Paz swerved around the waiting vehicles and rushed through. Looking back, Keandra saw the light go from yellow to red in short succession, jamming up the intersection before the security vehicles could get through. By the time they untangled themselves, Keandra and her team had put another two lights between them.

 

 

  Paz took the indicated turn, and got back on the highway north to Seattle. Much to everyone’s relief, they spotted no flashing lights or cars racing across the road in pursuit. Once again, Paz merged with traffic, and Keandra hoped this time they would get lost in the herd of drivers going north.

  They reached the city without further incident, and took the exit for downtown that would get them near the train station. Paz drove to a parking structure a few blocks away, going all the way up to the roof before choosing a space.

  Keandra got out of the car and was amazed at how much the simple movements hurt. Her shoulder ached whenever it shifted in its socket, and she still had a soft throbbing at the back of her skull. At least it had diminished, shrinking from a pain-pounding, distracting jackhammer to a soft tapping that wouldn’t go away. Her gelatinous knees had trouble supporting her weight. Taking a few steps helped reaffirm their stability.

  E-jekt climbed out after her, looking almost as rough as she did. He let out a hiss and had to grab the car’s roof for support when he put his weight on his left leg. He hopped a little when he walked, but he could pick up his leg and flex it so nothing was broken. They were beaten and bruised, but still intact.

  For her part, Paz wore the grin of a young boxer who’d just finished her first fight and knocked out her opponent in the second round. She bled from a few small scrapes where the bullets grazed her, but they didn’t slow her movements or her enthusiasm. She grinned at the other two and almost pranced to the edge of the rooftop parking lot.

  “Train station is three blocks in that direction. I figured it might be better to go on foot in case they got a description of the car or something.”

  “The ‘or something’ being noticing bullet holes in the hood and the crumpled back bumper?”

  “Yeah, something like that.”

  Keandra joined Paz, offering an arm to E-jekt as way of support. He waved her off and walked next to her, grunting with each step as he hobbled to keep his weight off his left leg. By the time they reached the edge, Keandra felt significantly better. The movement helped stimulate the blood and get the muscles moving, reminding her she wasn’t crippled, just sore.

  “Think the suit’ll be waiting for us?” Paz asked.

  “There’s a good chance of it. He knows we want to get out of the city. By now I guarantee he knows what happened at the airport. This or the docks would be the most obvious next choices.”

  “Well, we do have one thing going for us.”

  Paz and Keandra both turned to face E-jekt, questioning looks on their faces.

  “Trains don’t shut down if there’s an incident. They’re automated.”

  19

  Keandra hunched down in her jacket, pulling the hood up over her head. She hoped that with the rain, the hood wouldn’t attract undue attention. Several other travelers heading to the station had hoods or carried umbrellas to shield them from the rain that had now progressed from a mist to a steady drizzle. She’d paid far more for the jacket than she’d have liked, but it was the only one in her size at the tourist shop. If it got her through the station without incident, it would be well worth the price several times over.

  Paz was ahead, purchasing a ticket at the counter. They decided to split up, thinking it would be more difficult to notice each of them individually than to see all three clumped together. She had no idea where E-jekt was. Hopefully he was boarding the train by now. Keandra huddled with a group of other people waiting for a bus under a rain shelter and pulled out her commlink.

 

 

  Keandra tucked her commlink away, looking around the terminal to see anyone suspicious who might be following her. When she didn’t see anyone, she joined the line in front of the counter. Several kiosks were set up to enable customers to review schedules and purchase their fare. A couple agents stood behind the counter, leaning against the wall and either talking to each other or engrossed in their own AR worlds. When someone had a question, one of them came over to provide assistance. Each time, the unlucky soul made no attempt to hide their impatience and frustration at being pulled back into reality.

  Reaching the front of the line, Keandra clenched her fists as she waited for the next kiosk to open. Nervous energy filled her; she wanted to bounce up and down on the balls of her feet, but restrained herself. It seemed like half the people directly in front of her had questions requiring technical assistance. It’s not that hard. Look at the schedule, find the train you want, and buy the ticket.

  After what felt like an eternity, one of the kiosks opened up. Keandra scuffed her feet as she approached it, but she came to a sudden stop when two security guards emerged from the doorway leading into the station proper. They made a direct line for the bank of kiosks, and Keandra froze as her brain hiccuped. She forced herself to star
t moving again, opening the display and paging through the different routes available until she found the one for Sacramento. The entire time, she remained focused on the guards getting closer.

  When they reached the counter, one of the guards called to a technician. The tech walked over and began talking to the guard, her hand brushing his sleeve. With a sigh, Keandra turned away and finished buying the ticket. She entered her payment information and was immediately rewarded with a one-way passage to Sacramento.

  Keandra navigated through the station, keeping her hood up and looking around without swiveling her head. It was a fine line between being constantly aware of your surroundings and looking as if you expected every shadow to jump out at you. She reached the train without seeing anyone unusual, and that made her nervous as well. Mr. Johnson had to know they would come here. Especially if he knew about the lab, either this station or the docks would be the most logical places to trap them. Was a trap waiting for them on the train?

  You’re being paranoid. Shaking her head, Keandra stepped onto the last car. She paused in the doorway, taking one last look at the rest of the station before going inside. It looked to be filled with normal travelers all going about their regular business. Traffic was a little light, but that wasn’t surprising, considering that this was one of the last trains leaving this evening.

  Keandra swung inside, walked down the aisle, and took a window seat in an empty row. She sat crooked across both seats, stretching out her legs and positioning herself so she could both watch her commlink and glance out the window without moving.

 

 

 

  Keandra jumped in before they could continue. While she normally appreciated the banter, it could get out of hand and she wanted her team to stay vigilant, at least until they were out of the UCAS.

 

  Keandra pulled up a pointless game on her commlink to give the illusion she was killing time. She gave it less than half her attention, going through the motions of playing to hopefully convince others she was engrossed in the computerized world. She tracked every person who walked by her window and listened whenever she heard the tromp of feet behind her as someone else boarded the car. She didn’t see any security staff asking questions, nor anyone walking with the sure tread of someone with combat training.

  When the train bell sounded, signaling the closing of the doors, Keandra relaxed. She sat up and slid over to the window, looking out from a better vantage point. Other than a few people rushing to catch the train, nothing caught her eye. The doors slid shut, and the train pulled forward, gently picking up speed. The station drifted out of view, replaced by the Seattle skyline. The buildings and lights went by faster and faster until they became a steady blur of color, lines of light dancing across the glass. In the space of a blink, the view went mostly dark, with small specks of light in the distance moving like shooting stars across her view. They were out of Seattle, and on their way to Sacramento.

  Keandra stood up and stretched her legs. They were still sore, but it felt better to move than to be crammed into a seat, especially considering her tension. Now that they were out of immediate danger, it would be good to see the others. She walked up the aisle to the door connecting the train car to the next one.

  There was an airlock system on each end of the car. Keandra opened the first door and stood in the waiting area while she closed it behind her. The door to the next car wouldn’t open until the first one shut. The public theory claimed it was a safety precaution, but Keandra figured the truth had more to do with the noise and air currents. The former would make for complaining customers, and the latter meant it would cost more to run the train. Angry customers meant lower ticket prices. Everything came back to money.

  Each of the cars was identical. This was a commuter train, so it didn’t have any frills such as sleeping rooms or a dining car. There was no need, since the trip would only take a few hours. Even if you’d taken the route from the southernmost point to the northernmost, you’d only be on the train for a total of eight hours. It was far more economical, and made more sense, to create a simple vehicle capable of holding more people.

  E-jekt sat cross-legged a few rows ahead of her, in one of the larger rows specifically designed to give taller metahumans more leg- and headroom. A female troll sat across the aisle from him, snoring so loudly Keandra heard it at the back of the cabin.

  Paz sat near the front, her face plastered to the glass as she watched the distant landscape fly by. Her gun must be tucked underneath her or stored in the baggage area overhead. Knowing Paz, Keandra would bet on the former. The dwarf was not one to let her weapons get more than an arm’s reach away.

  Other than her team and the snoring troll, three other passengers occupied the car. Two were a dwarf couple, so engrossed in each other they weren’t paying any attention to their surroundings. They couldn’t be older than fifteen, whispering and giggling to each other. The other passenger sat with perfect posture, his back to Keandra. He still wore a heavy coat and hat, looking like something out of an earlier era. He had a briefcase on his lap, both hands resting flat on top it.

  Keandra slid into the seat next to E-jekt. He had the distant stare she knew meant he was engaged in the Matrix. He briefly waved a greeting when she sat down, but then went back to his private world.

  Keandra took a deep breath and let her eyes droop a bit. She was exhausted, and knew why: she was crashing now that the massive amount of adrenaline had left her system. That, combined with her injuries, urged her to close her eyes and sleep, allowing sweet oblivion to take her. She’d wake up in a few hours and deal with the world then. She loved the rush, but hated this aspect of it.

  Before she could nod off completely, she heard the hiss of one of the airlock doors opening. She bolted upright, pushing herself up from her slump, then relaxed as Lance entered from the front of the car. He noticed her and came over, perching on the edge of the seat next to the troll, making sure not to nudge her even though she took up a seat and a half.

  “I’ve checked the train, and I don’t see anyone who might have an interest in us. It seems to consist only of passengers.”

  A yawn escaped Keandra’s lips and she covered her mouth. Lance raised an eyebrow, but she ignored it, shaking her head to jostle herself back into wakefulness.

  “I appreciate you checking. I still think this is too easy, that Mr. Johnson did something. But I trust your judgment, especially right now. I can barely hold my head up.”

  “Get some rest. I’ll keep an eye on things. I feel the same way—this is too simple. Considering the force waiting for us at the airport, I can’t imagine they didn’t have agents looking for us in every station and port in Seattle.”

  “Actually, I think I might know why they were at the airport en masse.”

  Keandra turned her head back to look at E-jekt, who’d pushed himself forward so he see both her and Lance. He scratched his cheek before he began. When he spoke, his words were slow and measured, as if he choose each one carefully.

  “I did some poking around. How did you get our tickets for the airport?”

  “I bought them at a terminal from a café…” Keandra’s words trailed off as elements clicked into place.

  “Exactly. I’m guessing the elf you had me check on saw what you were doing and used the same terminal as you. If you have the right sprites, it would be easy to piece together what you did and discover any purchases you made or messages you sent. I think that’s how they knew to look for us at the airport.”

  Keandra’s shoulders slumped as the wave of guilt crashed down. She’d been sloppy. She knew the elf
was probably spying on her, and yet she hadn’t taken the necessary precautions to make sure their tracks were covered. And all because she still had Freyr on lockdown at the time and couldn’t use her commlink for the transactions. It was a stupid mistake—and a rookie one at that.

  “If only I hadn’t used that terminal. Or if I’d bothered to wait and use my commlink. I just wanted to set everything up immediately, get everything moving.”

  She felt a hand on hers—rough, calloused, and easily dwarfing her own. She looked up into E-jekt’s face and he offered a sad smile. That was why he was picky about the words he used. He didn’t want to come out and say it was her fault, even though they both knew it. He also knew how she felt; she could see it in his eyes as he patted her hand. She squeezed his hand with her free one.

  “We’ve been through worse.”

  “He’s right, you know,” Lance said. “We’ve all made errors in judgment from time to time. That’s why we have each other’s back, and why we work well as a team. Well, why most of us work well as a team.”

  He added the last sentence as Paz jumped onto the seats in front of E-jekt and Keandra, kneeling so she could drape her elbows over the back. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, but didn’t offer a rebuttal.

  Keandra felt the weight ease just a bit from her shoulders. “Thanks. I appreciate it. You’re right—we’ve been through worse and we’ll get through this. We’ll get down to Sacramento, and then figure out what we need to do from there. But for now, I think we should get some rest while we can.” She winced as she shifted in her seat. “I don’t know about you, but my body’s been put through a wringer and needs some time to recover.”

  Lance stood and looked up and down the length of the car.

  “You get some rest. I’m going to make another sweep and make sure I don’t see anything I don’t like.”