by Keri Arthur
Meaning the mercenary business, no doubt. “He works with you?”
“On occasion.” He picked up the pack from under the table and slung it over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
I gathered my coffee and followed him outside. The truck we’d appropriated wasn’t one of the hulking haulers that often carted goods between Central and other major cities, and I guessed that was no surprise, given the truck needed to fit inside a freight elevator. It was still larger than any I’d ever driven, and nerves briefly ran through me. I shoved them aside and climbed into the cabin. It wasn’t like I hadn’t been trained to drive all sorts of vehicles, be they ground-bound or flighted. The vehicles and onboard instruments might have changed over the many years since then, but surely the basic principles hadn’t.
Jonas had already climbed into the passenger side and was in the process of scanning a notebook. Whether it had come from the backpack or the truck, I had no idea. I studied the truck’s console for several minutes, familiarizing myself with the layout, then found and pressed the start button. Nothing happened.
“You’ll need one of these before this beast will go anywhere.” He put the notebook aside and plucked two clear containers from the pack. Inside each was a small electronic chip.
“What are they? RFID chips?”
“No. They’re basically day passes. They’re inserted into the nondominant hand of everyone working for the freight companies, and reprogrammed daily to confirm access into whatever company the truck’s freight has been allocated to. The truck won’t start unless you’re wearing the correct chip.”
“So I take it these two were removed from the hands of the driver and his partner?”
Jonas nodded. “It’s the only way we’ll have any hope of getting in and out of Winter Halo without raising suspicion.”
If we managed to do that, I’d be surprised. Rhea might be smiling on our quest, but there were so many variables I couldn’t help thinking something was bound to go wrong.
“I’m gathering there’s also something to insert them into our hands in that bag of yours?”
“No, because it’s not necessary thanks to the recent production of artificial skin. Those in charge believe mercenaries haven’t been able to get their hands on it. They’re wrong.”
“But I thought the RFID chips only worked when inserted inside your flesh?”
“The original ones did. The newer versions are still powered by the heat emanating from your body, but it doesn’t really matter whether they’re in your flesh or simply touching it—something we discovered by chance.” He motioned toward my arm. “Hold out your hand, palm up.”
I did so. He placed one of the chips in the middle, then pulled out a small can and sprayed a clear liquid over both my palm and my fingers. Within seconds, the chip had disappeared under a layer of what looked like real skin. I prodded it gently. It even felt like real skin. “How long will this stuff last?”
He placed the second chip on his palm then repeated the process. “Until we physically remove it.”
“Which will be when we get back here?”
He nodded, placed the bag at his feet, and then said, “Let’s go. We have children to rescue.”
I pressed the starter key again, and this time the engine roared to life. I carefully backed the truck out of its spot and headed for the highway into Central.
And crossed mental fingers that the inner whispers stating something would go awry were wrong.
Even if they often weren’t.
Chapter 10
We made it into Central without mishap. There were only a couple of cross streets big enough to give trucks this size passage, so it took a bit of time to reach Seventh Street and the building that hid Winter Halo’s freight elevator.
I turned the truck into the parking area, and sent several pedestrians scattering.
“Easy,” Jonas murmured. “The last thing we need is to attract attention by mowing down innocent citizens.”
“If said citizens are too stupid to get out of the way of a truck this size, they deserve to be mowed down.”
I could feel his gaze on me, but kept mine strictly front and center. The entrance was tight; there were only a couple of inches between the sides of the truck and that of the building. If I so much as twitched the steering the wrong way, we’d be wedged. And that would be just as inconvenient as running someone over.
“This is the first time I’ve felt any tension emanating from you,” he said eventually.
“Then you haven’t been around me enough.”
“I’ve been around enough to know this is different.” He continued to study me. “Is intuition hitting you?”
“Like a bitch.”
He reached into the backpack and drew out a couple of guns, tucking one beside his seat and the other beside mine. “Just in case the bitch is right.”
A smile tugged my lips. Guns might not help if everything went to hell, but it was nevertheless comforting to have one within reach. I guided the truck into the gloom of the parking area—not that it was anywhere near dark. It just wasn’t quite as bright as the street.
A guard appeared out of a booth to Jonas’s left and motioned us to stop. I did so.
Jonas wound down the window and flashed the guard a smile. “Frankie,” he said cheerfully, “that wife of yours had her kid yet?”
“Could happen any time now.” He glanced past Jonas and gave me a nod. “I’m sure as hell hoping it’s a boy this time. Manifest?”
Jonas handed him the electronic list. “The scans didn’t reveal anything?”
The guard snorted as he flicked through the various screens. “If it did, the wife isn’t telling me.”
“Meaning it might be another girl?”
“Possibly.” He handed the list back to Jonas. “These no-inspection clauses are going to come back and bite them in the ass one of these days. Hand?”
Jonas pressed his hand against the scanner the guard produced. “Hopefully, not on my damn shift, they won’t.”
“Amen to that, brother.” Blue light flashed the screen’s length; then the guard stepped back. “Righto, you’re clear.”
“Thanks, Frank.” Jonas wound up the window.
I threw the truck into gear and continued on to the rear wall. “How did you know all that stuff about him? The notebook?”
He nodded. “Not only did we arrange a basic background check on the guards here, but Jarren scanned the thoughts of the two drivers so we knew what sort of interaction was expected.”
Meaning it was possible his grandson had read my thoughts. It was a good thing I hadn’t been thinking about Jonas in any way, shape, or form, or that could have been embarrassing.
Up ahead, the solid-looking wall began to slide to one side, revealing the metal doors of a freight elevator. Once they’d also opened, I carefully drove inside, then stopped and pulled on the hand brake.
“And this,” Jonas said softly, “is where we both cross our fingers and pray to Rhea I’ve installed the sensor right.”
He’d barely finished speaking when the sensor beeped; behind us, the doors closed and then the elevator began to move slowly upward. Five floors, ten, then fifteen. My breath caught as the elevator seemed to slow, but it didn’t stop and the floors continued to roll by. Neither of us spoke; there wasn’t much to say now and certainly nothing either of us could do. Not until we reached the top floor anyway. Besides, it was possible that the sensors inside the elevator shaft would pick up any conversation.
We finally came to a somewhat bouncy stop. For several seconds, nothing happened, and then the elevator doors at the rear of the truck began to open.
A stout, ruddy-faced man with a receding hairline hustled over to my door. I wound down my window and glanced at his name badge. Nevel Williams himself.
“Manifest?”
Thoug
h his voice was curt, sweat was beginning to bead his forehead. I hoped like hell he could hold it together.
Jonas handed me the manifest and I gave it to Williams. He grunted, then glanced at the two men waiting near the end of the truck. “Get those crates out stat, and take them to lab 29-5.” As the men obeyed, the stout man handed me back the manifest. “The return cargo is ready. Please turn off all external cameras and remain in the truck.”
I obeyed. This was obviously a routine process, but it was one that made me nervous simply because we couldn’t see what was being loaded. I doubted Williams would betray us, given Nuri had his family, but I also wasn’t about to trust someone who could even contemplate using children as guinea pigs. Williams scurried away—something I heard rather than saw. I glanced at Jonas. If he was in any way tense, it wasn’t showing.
“It shouldn’t be too long. They’re usually pretty efficient here.”
I didn’t reply. I couldn’t, really, given I had no idea what the woman whose image I was wearing sounded like. I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel as the minutes began to tick by. The cargo was soon emptied, but for altogether too long, nothing else happened. Then footsteps approached; three sets were heavy, the other two light. Hope ran through me. The latter had to be the children. Those steps definitely weren’t those of an adult.
Williams reappeared at my door. “Right,” he said, holding up a scanner. “You’ll need to confirm receipt.”
I pressed my left hand against it. Light swept my palm and the light on top of the screen flashed from red to green. Williams grunted, then glanced back at his two companions. “Those doors secured?”
“And locked.”
“Unusual code?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Right, then, see you in twenty.” Williams opened the truck’s rear cabin door and climbed in. The sting of his sweat was so strong and sour I couldn’t help wrinkling my nose. “You can drop me off at the gates as usual.”
I glanced at Jonas. This wasn’t in the plan as far as I was aware, and Jonas’s grim expression suggested he hadn’t been expecting this development, either. The doors behind us closed and the elevator began its slow descent. With every floor we dropped, Williams’s fear got stronger.
We finally made it to ground level. As the elevator doors opened, the guard once again came out. Williams opened the window and handed Frank another manifest. The guard checked it, nodded, then stepped back and waved us on.
I shoved the truck into gear and resisted the temptation to flatten my foot. Once we were on the street and heading for Central’s gatehouse, Jonas turned to Williams and said, “What in Rhea is going on? Why are you in the damn truck?”
“Because I’m not taking a fucking chance of being stranded,” Williams bit back. “So suck it up and get us out of here.”
“Your absence will be noticed, and that is going to cause problems.”
“I won’t be missed immediately,” Williams said. “It’s not unusual for divisional heads to accompany cargo past the main gate, just in case anyone decides to do a full inspection.”
“They could provide a regular guard with the correct paperwork to prevent that.” I stopped at a cross street and waited for several airbikes to scoot past.
“Regular guards don’t have the authority to override random goods inspections. I do. Now shut your fucking trap and get us out of here.”
“Say anything like that to her again,” Jonas said, voice mild, “and I will knock you out, tie you up, and dump you somewhere nice and convenient for the vampires.”
The scent of Williams’s fear got stronger, and I hadn’t thought that possible. But the threat achieved the desired result—he shut up. I flashed Jonas a smile and concentrated on getting the hell out of Central without drawing any attention to either the truck or us.
Williams relaxed once we got through the gate, but I wasn’t sure why. We weren’t exactly out of the woods yet.
“You’d better get off the main road,” Jonas said, voice flat and annoyed. “Alarms will be raised once our passenger is missed.”
“Going off-road won’t exactly help,” I said, even as I swung the truck onto a track that would eventually join what had once been a secondary arterial road into old Central. “A truck this size will be easy enough to spot, especially if they send out aerial.”
“Yes, but we won’t be staying in this. In about twenty kilometers we’ll hit a crossroad. Turn right, and after another ten you’ll see a series of abandoned factories. Head into building ten.”
“Seriously,” Williams said, “you’re going to extreme lengths for very little reason. They’re not going to miss me until I fail to show up for the meeting at three. That gives us plenty of time to get away.”
“You overestimate the speed of this truck and underestimate the determination of those behind the experiments,” Jonas growled. “You should have followed the plan you were given. By joining us, you’ve endangered everyone.”
Williams snorted. “I’ve worked too fucking long for Winter Halo to trust anyone. Which is why I came equipped with a backup plan.”
Something inside me went cold. “What sort of backup plan?”
“Each kid has a pellet containing a variation of VX inserted into him. Get me to my family, and ensure that we’re safe, or I’ll kill them.” Williams’s voice was smug. “And don’t think you can wrench the control from my grip before I have a chance of setting it off, either.”
VX was an old-school, man-made poison, and one of the deadliest to ever have been developed. All stocks had supposedly been destroyed long before the war, which meant the only way Williams—and Winter Halo—could have gotten hold of it was if they were now making it. And that, alongside whatever else they were trying to achieve in that place, was a scary development.
The urge to reach back and throttle the smug bastard was so strong my body shook. It took every ounce of control I had to keep my hands on the wheel and the truck headed in the right direction.
“How much of that stuff has Winter got stored?” Jonas’s voice remained flat, but his fury was so strong the force of it filled every breath.
“Enough to wipe out Central,” Williams said. “But it’s not stored or even created on-site. They wouldn’t risk that sort of exposure.”
“Then where is it created?” Jonas said. “And how did you get your hands on it?”
“That information,” Williams said, again in that smug tone, “can wait until I’m safe.”
I didn’t look at Jonas. I didn’t need to. Williams was a dead man walking. He just didn’t know it yet.
I reached the crossroad and swung right. A series of scarred, broken buildings soon began to dot the horizon. At first it was hard to distinguish their size and shape thanks to the vegetation that had begun to reclaim this area, but after another couple of kilometers, the green growth gave way to reveal a series of interconnected metal and concrete buildings. This area had been one of the first hit in the war, as it had been a main manufacturing hub for old Central. That so many of the buildings remained relatively intact despite the ravages of time was no doubt due to the fact that this entire area had been hit by more conventional weapons rather than the bombs that had ended the war and brought the rifts and the Others to our world.
I spotted building 10 and swung the truck toward it. Part of the structure had collapsed, and the exposed roof struts looked like rusting metal fingers reaching for the sky. There were a number of open loading bays along the still-standing portion of the building, but only one was free of debris. I dropped the truck’s speed and carefully drove inside.
Despite the brightness of the day, it was surprisingly shadowed in this portion of the building. There were no windows, and while there were skylights, time and bird shit had opaqued their surface. Odd bits of metal machines dotted the floor, all of them covered by rust and grime, but there was lit
tle else to be seen . . . I frowned, my gaze narrowing as I spotted an odd lump in the far corner. That, I suspected, was our next mode of transport.
I stopped the truck and glanced at Jonas. “What now?”
“Now we change vehicles.” He dug into the pack and tossed me a starting disk. “You’ll find an ATV under camouflage netting over in the corner. Williams, you get the children. I’ll let the others know we’re switching to plan B.”
I didn’t ask him what that was. I had a feeling he didn’t want to give Williams too much information. I glanced back at him. He didn’t look happy at this turn of events, even though the change of plans was entirely due to his refusal to follow orders.
I grabbed the gun, tucked it onto one of the coverall’s clips, then got out of the truck and strode across to the other side of the building. The air held the taint of grease and oil, even though the machine remnants hadn’t been in use for a very long time. An odd rustling noise caught my attention, and I looked up to see a couple of black-and-white magpies watching me from the safety of the rafters. I couldn’t help smiling. The birdlife in the parks and forests around Central and Carleen had basically been wiped out thanks to hunting by both the vampires and those in Chaos, but it was nice to know they still existed elsewhere. And magpies were a favorite of mine; their calls always seemed so joyous.
Once I found the ATV—the same ATV that Jonas and I had used to escape the Broken Mountains vampires, if the repairs and patches to its bodywork and roof were anything to go by—I pulled off and stored the camouflage net, then climbed in and started it up.
Williams had the two kids out of the truck by the time I pulled up. Though Cat and Bear had warned me about what had been done to them, seeing their tiny mouths so roughly sewn shut made me want to grab the gun and fire every last bullet into the smug little bastard holding them. He might not be directly responsible for this atrocity, but it didn’t matter; he was here, and he didn’t seem to see anything wrong in what they were doing. How that was even possible given that he had children of his own I had no idea. Maybe he really did see these kids as guinea pigs—or perhaps even a more evolved form of lab rats. Those who’d been responsible for the déchet program had certainly held that sort of mentality when it came to any life created in a tube.