She placed a warm hand over his smooth, cold metal one. "So you came here."
"Yeah. Wanted to see myself. My real self. They hooked my brain up to the machine. Allowed me to remotely operate this robotic body. But I'm not alive anymore. I'm…a zombie. An abomination, like the other officers call me when they think I can't hear them."
"Don't say that."
"A man should be able to admit the truth. What they did was a warning. A lesson from the Dens not to interfere with their business."
"We don't know that."
"You know it just like I do. And tonight, you went and did it again."
She dropped her head. "I didn't have a choice. You didn't know what they did, Isaac."
"I heard everything over the wire. They're monsters. Always were."
For a moment they didn't say anything. The oxygen system continued, the noises almost melodic as it fed life into a deadened body.
"I'm glad you were there," Isaac said.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I mean it. You're one of the only ones with the guts to do something. It had to be you. You've sacrificed so much because of those bastards."
"Me? You're the one who paid the price. If anyone's made a sacrifice, it's you."
He shook his head. "I got pegged because I didn't stay alert like you told me. Let my guard down. It wasn't your fault, Ronnie. You gotta get past it."
"I...don't know how to get past it."
"I know. And you're suffering because of it. Distancing yourself from everyone. It's not healthy."
"I don't want to put anyone else in the crosshairs because they made the mistake of getting close to me. I've lost more partners than any Agent currently active. At some point, I have to take a look in the mirror and realize the fault is mine."
"You kick ass because no one else will. Don't ever be sorry for that." His polymorphic lips curved into a stiff smile. "I take it the Commissioner wasn't your biggest fan tonight."
She managed a weak laugh. "Nope. The press was too much in his face to do anything about it by the time we got to the precinct. He was still in the headlights when I booked the Dens."
"How long do you think we'll hold them before someone from HC shows up?"
"I don't know. Not long, I'd guess. This is a stain on the Haven's reputation. Someone will come for them, if only to clean up the mess. I don't really know if arresting them will even matter. All I'm doing is painting a target on my back."
"I don't think they're going to focus on you this time."
"No? Why not?"
"Because you weren't the person that took down those Dens."
She slowly nodded. "I've been thinking about that."
"I know you have."
"I'm just wondering if this is connected to the hit on the warehouse in the Grindbox District."
"Don't forget about the attack on the toughs in the alley."
She stared at him. "You really think it's all connected? Some random person goes from jumping thugs to attacking gang-controlled weapon caches, then decides to graduate to taking down corrupt Dens?" She shook her head. "That sounds a bit much."
Isaac stood up, pacing back and forth like he did when still made of flesh and blood. "First of all, I don't think anything is random. You taught me that. And I don't think this is a regular person. I think it's Vigil."
Ronnie groaned. "Not that again."
"I'm serious, Ronnie. Three different incidents where someone targets criminals. But he doesn't kill the like a rival organization would. He's careful not to kill needlessly."
"That doesn't mean some sixty-year-old vigilante suddenly decided to get back in the game either, Isaac."
"Not saying he has. But what if he passed the mantle? Vigil had a sidekick back in the day, right? What did the press call him? Wonder Boy or something like that?"
Ronnie frowned. "I thought his sidekick was a girl."
"Either way, he or she would be in their prime right now. Think about it. Someone who worked with the original Vigil. Learned from him. Has access to his data, his tech. Wouldn't take much to strap on the gear and be the next Vigil."
"Yeah, maybe." She toyed with her curls, considering. "But say you're right. Former sidekick takes on the silver helmet. Whoever this person is, he's stirred up the natives and got the Haven's attention."
"Taking the heat off us."
"Doesn't matter. He's breaking the law."
"He's taking out the trash."
"What, you support this guy? Think he's a hero?"
Isaac's eyes glimmered. "He saved those kids, Ronnie. We didn't even catch a whisper of that operation."
She folded her arms. "Doesn't mean we wouldn't have in time."
"Don't get that stubborn look, Ronnie. I'm not proposing you work with the guy."
"That's good, because you know the department doesn't support vigilantism. We have enough on our hands dealing with Nimrods tearing up the city looking for bounties."
"Yeah, I get it. But like I said, if this guy takes the heat off us, then we can get back to some unresolved business, if you know what I mean."
"Yeah." She glanced down at his shriveled, nearly unrecognizable face inside the capsule. "I know what you mean."
Chapter 16
Arthur gave Jett an incredulous look. "A cape?"
Jett fingered the shape-memory polymer fabric. "Yeah. I took this from the slave den when we left. They used it to disguise the entrance, but I think it'll come in handy for stakeouts and avoiding detection. Like an invisibility cloak."
"Sounds like something from a fantasy novel. I think you might be getting too caught up in this 'knight in cyber armor' role you've adopted." Arthur directed his chair over for a closer look at the material. Shadows of the basement lair pressed in from all around, warded away by a single ceiling light over the work table. A line of Vigil suits in enclosed chambers stood by like silent sentinels, barely visible in the gloom.
"A cape isn't practical, Jett. They snag, get tangled, and inhibit movement."
"We make it retractable, then. Able to engage when I need it and retracted back into its housing when I don't. Can you do it?"
"Of course I can do it." Arthur studied Jett, who appeared completely absorbed in his new idea. "You want to talk about what happened?"
Jett looked up. "You mean the mission? Everything went well, all things considered. Complete success. Even the RCE did their job."
"I'm talking about what you found out. The Denizens."
"What about them?"
"You plan on going to war with the residents of Haven Core? You'll lose."
"I'm not planning on taking on the Haven, Arthur. I didn't even know I'd find Denizens down there. I was just trying to rescue some kids."
"Yeah, well you definitely kicked the hornet's nest. You're going to have to lay low for a while."
Jett scoffed. "You think Haven watchdogs are going to come at me for the sake of some child molesters?"
"You're looking at the situation the wrong way. HC doesn't care about the Dens you captured. They'll probably leave them to rot. But no matter how you look at it, the Haven was exposed in ways they can't just ignore. They were humiliated."
"By their own citizens."
"By an outsider. Someone who decided to take things into his own hands. Someone who dared to lay hands on a group of Denizens, who everyone knows are untouchable. There will be repercussions, Jett. Not openly, of course. They don't want to acknowledge you as an enemy publicly. It would make them appear weak. But it wouldn't be beyond them to put a contract out through private channels."
"I'll be careful."
"You'll be dead." Arthur handed Jett a small, pyramid-shaped mechanism.
"What's this?"
"ECM."
"Electronic countermeasure? This a personal version?"
"That's right. Powered by light, propelled by tiny fusion motors to hover in your vicinity. Deploy several of those around you and surveillance won't be able to record you. You'll be a ghost in
the system. More practical than your invisibility cloak."
"Sure, for surveillance. But the cape will hide me from the naked eye when I need it. No harm in getting the best of both worlds." Jett paused in front of a stack of equipment crates. He leaned closer. "What's this?"
"What's what?"
Jett pointed. "Golding Enterprises. Are we using his tech?"
"Of course we are. You know William Golding?"
Jett's jaw clenched as he appeared to combat some internal struggle. "Barely. The day of the Cataclysm, my team infiltrated his stasis station. There was a battle with a gang of Deviants. My team died in the fight. Golding…saved my life. Put me in a spare stasis pod. That's how I survived. That's how I'm here right now. It was Golding."
His fist slammed into the metal tabletop. "But he left me there. He was awakened on schedule, resuscitated, and abandoned me in there. Asleep in some high-tech tomb with no explanation. If I wasn't discovered by those scavengers, I would still be there right now."
"Maybe he considered it punishment," Arthur said. "From what I know of Golding, he certainly appears the imperial sort. Believing others beneath him because they don't share his genius and vision. You fought to enter his refuge, to steal away his immortality if you will."
"If my team hadn't arrived, the Deviants would have found a way inside. His precious immortality wouldn't have amounted to much then."
"And thus, your reward. You survived. Your awakening was left to chance, but you survived."
Jett nodded. "That makes us even, I guess. Have you met him?"
"Golding? No. The tale is he wormed his way into Haven Core shortly after awakening."
"How did he do that?"
"I don't know. I'd guess he had something they wanted. Shortly after his induction, the razing stopped."
"Razing?"
"Haven Core would periodically destroy parts of Neo York, particularly when people built residences too close to the Haven. Like we're infectious or something. They were careful not to outright slaughter anyone." He shrugged. "A few deaths here and there. The point was that they didn't want us around. We weren't welcome."
Jett ran his fingers across the DNA strand logo on the crates. "Until Golding showed up."
"Right. That was nearly fifty years ago. I wasn't even born. But everyone knows. He made a deal with Haven Core. The razing stopped. But surveillance increased a hundredfold. Drones, hidden cameras on every street and buildings. Rumors of artificial insects used to spy on us. Then Holovisors became so cheap even scabs could afford them. Haze parlors on every corner, offering cheap thrills via Sensync memory immersion."
"And you think Golding is behind all of that? What's his endgame?"
"Isn't it obvious? Power isn't measured by money anymore."
"The hell it isn't. You might not have noticed in your little museum here, but poor people are still treated like garbage out there."
"Perhaps I misspoke. I meant to say that true power is information. And what greater information is there than direct access to the human mind?"
Jett frowned in thought. "Makes sense, I guess. Everyone just volunteers to surrender their privacy whenever new tech comes out. It's been that way before the Cataclysm."
"Exactly. There was never any prophetic revolution of the machines because humanity sacrificed their freedom to technology without protest. If true artificial consciousness ever existed, it would have no problem taking over the world. Instead, we're left with what we've always had: other human beings using technology to harness any and all relevant information to control the masses. And most give it to them willingly."
"So what do we do about it? I don't exactly see any diabolical scheme here, Arthur. Just the same old power moves. Faces change, stay the same, doesn't matter. If Golding is in the Haven, I can't touch him anyway."
"Just letting you know the structure of things, Jett. You're focused on single termite mound when the entire building is infested. Someone has to keep their eye on the big picture."
"And that's what you're doing?"
"I've been keeping tabs on Golding, yes. His enterprises, anyway. When I became aware of how entrenched he is in the technological infrastructure of the city, I worked hard at infiltrating his organization." Arthur gave his hoverchair a rueful glance. "Wasn't like I had anything better to do. Golding can do a lot from inside the Haven, but he needs people on the outside. I oversee the maintenance and oversight of his surveillance division."
Jett grinned. "That's how you can make me a ghost in the system."
"Precisely. And even more important, I get to funnel a flood of raw data into caches I can examine later. In time I will be able to ascertain better what his ultimate goal is. I've been working on this for the better part of a decade. With your help, I might actually have a chance."
Jett thrust his hands in his pockets and strode toward the door. "Keep at it. I'll keep shaking things up on the streets. See what falls. Maybe we can put two and two together."
"Where are you going?"
"Have something to check on."
"Use the auto cab. It will take you wherever you need to go. Transit monitors register it as a regular city vehicle, so you won't arouse suspicion."
"Will do, thanks. You'll work on that cape, won't you?"
"I'll work on it. Be careful out there, Jett. And remember—they're always watching."
Ⓥ
Mistress O' Mercy hospital was nearly a ruin. Only one of the wards had electricity, flickering though it was. The floors were stained some unrecognizable shade of yuck, the halls were dim and reeked of noxious disinfectant, and the graffiti on the walls looked better than the blistering paint.
Jett stood in the corner of a cramped room because there were no chairs. Two hospital beds took up much of the room. He watched Mira, who sat perched on the edge of her bed like a scrawny little bird. She watched her sister, who was curled in the fetal position in her bed, fast asleep.
"How is she?"
Mira shrugged. "Broken. Don't know if she'll ever be okay."
"How are you?"
Her jaw stiffened. "Fine."
"Bruises are healing up."
"It's nothing. Been hurt worse, yo."
Jett nodded. "Yeah, I bet. You're a tough cookie."
A fierce grin spread across her face. "I eat tough cookies."
They laughed.
"Well, this is a change." Agent Ronnie Banks walked in, a bemused smile on her face. "You get a laugh. I get nothing but surly stares and streetspeak. Getting this one to talk is like pulling teeth."
Mira's smile vanished, replaced by a smoldering glower. "Got no spill, pig."
"Whoa, whoa." Jett held up a hand. "She's one of the good guys."
Mira folded her arms. "Only good pig is bacon."
"Nice." Ronnie smiled at Jett. "How do you know this charmer?"
"She's a…neighbor. Her sister was one of the caged girls." His fist clenched at the thought. "Mira was captured looking for her."
Ronnie tilted her head. "Doesn't explain why you're here."
Damn it. Gotta be careful. "Neighborly concern isn't a crime, Agent. Is it?"
She hesitated, studying him. Finally, her stance relaxed. "No. Not enough of that around here, in fact. Look, since you're here, you got a minute?"
"Sure."
"Somewhere where evil little girls aren't trying to kill me with their stares." She eyed Mira, jerking her thumb at the door.
Mira's grin was wicked. "Yeah, go. Smell like ham in here."
Jett wagged a finger at her. "Be good. I'll be back to check on you."
She gave a nonchalant shrug as he followed Ronnie out the door, but he caught the small smile that flashed across her face.
Ronnie led a fast pace down the hallway, boot heels clomping in time with her stride. "What are you up to, Jett?"
"I don’t know what you mean."
"We keep running into each other. I don't believe in coincidence."
"Maybe I'm just trying to do som
e good, Agent. Same as you."
She stopped mid-stride and turned around. "Stop calling me Agent, please."
He paused. "What should I call you, then?"
"How about my name? Ronnie. Since we're going to be friends and all."
He raised an eyebrow. "Are we?"
"I hope so." She gave him an assessing gaze. "I'm going out on a limb and hoping I can trust you."
"You can."
"Good. Then I have something to show you."
Ⓥ
Jett glanced around. "I didn't think this place could get any worse, but thanks for proving me wrong."
The hallway was a horror movie special, complete with dank, moldy walls and empty rooms missing only the ghosts to haunt them. Dust motes drifted in the air like wandering snowflakes.
"Love your optimism." Ronnie handed him a holovisor. "Now, look again."
The surroundings transformed when he slipped the glasses over his eyes. The wing of the hospital was clean and bright. The rooms were converted into dorms where children laughed and played together. The scene was so palpable that he almost reached out when a boy ran past, beckoning for him to follow.
"Not bad, huh?" Ronnie smiled.
"What am I looking at?"
"The future. The incident with the kids stirred up a lot of emotion. I worked with the mayor on a campaign to provide a safe haven for orphans and underprivileged children."
Jett nodded. "Boys and Girls Club."
"You had something like that in your time?"
"Yeah. A valuable commodity that went largely unappreciated by the majority. But it did a lot of good when implemented correctly."
"Well, that's what we're trying to do here. We're calling it the Youth Haven. The funds will be used to renovate both the medical wing of the hospital and this section for the support and care of the kids."
Jett removed the visor, returning to the grime and gloom of the hallway. "Sounds like a great project, Ronnie. I'm sure it will do a lot of good."
"Wanna help?"
Knight in Cyber Armor Page 15