Day Zero

by James Swallow

  She came after him, but not quick enough. He scooped the pistol up and rolled over, aiming at her face. She froze, eyes wide.

  Coyle smiled. “Goodbye, whoever you are–”

  There was a ding from the lifts. They both turned, startled.

  The lifts opened and canister grenades rolled out, spewing smoke. Coyle and his attacker dove for cover, even as the first Albion operatives stormed the floor.

  30: Free Fire

  When the first of his boobytraps went off, Danny didn’t flinch. He glanced at the lifts, and then back at Olly. “How’s it coming?” They sat on an empty floor, surrounded by glazed windows, looking out over the city. Dozens of free-standing cubicle partition walls were stacked in piles around them. Directly above them, Ro was facing off against Coyle on her own. Danny tried not to think about it.

  “I need more time.” Olly was sweating, fingers flickering over the screen of the Optik, ribbons of code unspooling across the screen.

  “We might not have it. We’ve got company.”

  “Albion?”

  “Who else?” Danny rose and went to the lifts. The thought of facing Faulkner wasn’t a pleasant one. Especially with nowhere to go. “Any way you can lock these down?”

  “Not right now,” Olly said, not looking up from his screen.

  Danny grunted. “Guess it’s up to me, then.” Setting his ACR aside, he started moving the partition walls around, arranging them into improvised entry control points.

  As he worked, he became aware of a faint clicking sound emanating from the lift shaft. He considered asking Olly about it, but didn’t want to distract him. Instead, he pried open the lift doors with his survival knife. As he did so, he could hear the whine of the shaft motor as the car rose from the lower floors. Someone was coming up.

  A flash of movement above him caught his attention. He looked up – and nearly lost his head. The shot was deafening in the confines of the shaft and he jerked back, ears ringing. A small scuttling shape leapt down from within the shaft and clattered towards him, weapon firing. “Olly – get down!” Danny cried, as he threw himself backwards over one of his improvised berms.

  He scrambled towards his weapon, snatching it up even as the spiderbot crested the berm. The pistol attached to its chassis barked, shattering a window behind him. Danny took aim and returned fire. The machine came apart in a spray of sparks and metal shards. He didn’t have time to celebrate however – another one leapt out of the shaft, weapon firing. Danny ducked down, and glanced back to check on Olly, who was lying flat nearby. “You okay?” Danny called out.

  “Yeah, but I think we got trouble.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.” Danny fired, but the spiderbot was moving too fast, scuttling for cover. He could hear gunfire from the floors below, and wondered how many of the sodding things there were.

  “Not those. I think Coyle figured out what we were up to. He just sent the drone out.”

  Danny felt a brief flare of panic. If Coyle knew where they were, what had happened to Ro? “Where?”

  Olly looked at him. “Here.”

  Danny made to speak, when he saw a black shape sweep past the windows. He swung his weapon up and fired, stitching the windows. Olly covered his head as Danny fired. The drone kept moving, banking. There was a crack of thunder and a window exploded, filling the air with glass. Danny staggered back, still firing. Another crack, another window exploded. He concentrated on the drone, trying to predict where it would go, firing as he moved.

  “We’ve got to find some cover,” he shouted, as the drone veered away. He heard the clicking of the spiderbot behind him and spun, driving the stock of his ACR down on top of it with a crunch. The machine tried to move away and he fired down at it, destroying it. He turned, looking for Olly. He spotted him crouching behind a berm. “Olly? Up. Let’s move!”

  Olly climbed to his feet, eyes on the windows. “If I can just get it in range…”

  “It’ll blow a hole in you the size of a football. Come on.”

  “Where to?”

  “Upstairs,” Danny said. “If he’s figured things out, Ro is in trouble.” He hit the door to the stairs, slamming it open. Olly hurried after him, and Danny kicked it shut. There was a boom even as it closed and the door was all but torn off its hinges, the metal dented inwards by the shot. “Go!” Danny said. Olly nodded and started up, taking the steps two at a time. Danny hesitated. Shouts from below warned him that someone was coming up. He braced himself against the rail and pulled out his last booby trap – a stun grenade.

  Danny popped the pin and dropped the grenade straight down. “Grenade out!” He turned away as the charge went off – light and noise filled the stairwell. Danny hurried after Olly, ears ringing.

  Olly was waiting on him at the next landing. “I heard shooting,” he said.

  Danny shouldered the door open without replying, his thoughts only for Ro. He flinched back as bullets marched up the wall beside the door, filling the air with plastic dust. He fired back blind, and jerked his head towards one of the cubicles that filled the floor. “Go – I’ll cover you.” Without waiting for Olly to reply, he stepped out of the stairwell, still firing. A quick glance told him everything he needed to know – six men, in fatigues and armour opposite him, another man – Coyle – caught in between. And near him, Ro. Hunkered down, trying to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

  When the magazine ran dry, he ejected it and slapped in a fresh one without lowering the weapon or slowing down. He only released the trigger when he joined Olly behind a cubicle partition. “Ro’s still in one piece.”

  “More than I can say for us,” Olly hissed. “Look!”

  Danny looked up and saw a familiar black shape hovering before the windows. “Shit on it,” he growled, and raised the assault rifle.

  “Wait,” Olly said. He had his Optik out, aimed at the drone. Danny looked back and forth between them.

  “You get it?” he asked.

  “Not yet.” Olly hunched forward, engaged in a code-war with the drone. If he slacked up, or mistyped even one number, the drone would follow through with its current programming and blow both him and Danny into a fine red mist. “I need time,” he hissed.

  Danny looked at him, and then at the drone. He took a breath and shouted, “Cease! Fire!”

  The gunfire stuttered to a drawn-out halt. Silence fell. Torn papers and dust sifted through the air. Danny peered around the edge of the partition. “That you, Sarge?”

  No reply. Danny cleared his throat. “I just want to talk.”

  “Is that you, Danny?” Faulkner called. “You disappoint me, lad. Thought you had more sense. There’s a good lad, I said–”

  “Oh, piss off, Sarge,” Danny replied.

  Olly watched Faulkner’s face through the split-screen CCTV feed as he worked. The Albion operative looked angry – more, he looked worried. “That’s no way to talk to your superior officer, Danny.”

  “You’re not my superior any more, Sarge. I’m out.”

  “You with them DedSec lot now, Danny? Is that the path you want to follow?”

  “Better them than you, Sarge.”

  Faulkner looked at his men and gestured. Olly showed the feed to Danny, who frowned and nodded. “You’re not planning to try and flank me out are you, Sarge? Because I’ll hear that donkey Mueller coming a click away.”

  Faulkner hesitated. Looked up and saw the cameras. Danny laughed at his expression. Faulkner raised his weapon. Olly switched to a secondary view as the shot took out the camera. “I can still see you, Sarge,” Danny taunted.

  “As can I,” Coyle called out.

  “That you, Coyle?” Faulkner said. “It’s been some time. Croatia, wasn’t it?”

  “Zadar. I wondered if you remembered.”

  “Hard to forget. Whatever you’re being paid, Albion will double it.”

  “In return for what?”

  “Kill these DedSec pricks with that fancy toy out there.”

&nbs
p; “I have been trying. They’re quite obstreperous.”

  “Try harder,” Faulkner said. “Danny – I’m giving you until Coyle here figures out where his interests lie. First one to choose the winning side gets amnesty. The other gets a shallow grave.”

  “What about my sister, Sarge? What about Olly here?”

  “Sacrifices must be made, Danny. DedSec are terrorists. Can’t let that sort run free.” Faulkner paused. “And your sister is a criminal. But I’ll show some kindness… you lot surrender, you might walk out of here alive.”

  Danny looked at Olly, who shook his head. “What about the drone?” Danny murmured. Olly shook his head.

  “Need more time,” he grunted. The drone had been designed to resist hacking attempts. Worse, it could enact proactive defence protocols – such as targeting the hacker. Which it was now trying to do. But if he could just – “Ha!”

  The drone waggled its fans and veered off, repositioning itself. Danny breathed a sigh of relief. “You have control?”

  “No, but I managed to change its attack parameters.” Olly shifted his display, looking through the drone’s sensors. It was moving away from the building, looking for targets that didn’t exist. It didn’t solve the problem, but it had bought them some time. “And I locked our pal Coyle out. At least for the moment.”

  Danny nodded. “Coyle?” he called out.

  “Where is my drone going?” Coyle replied.

  “Away,” Danny said. “That means the odds are tipping.”

  “Not in your favour, Danny,” Faulkner interjected. “Unless you’ve forgotten how to count. Five of us, one of you.”

  “Three, fuckstick,” Ro called out, from somewhere across the room.

  “Four, technically,” Coyle added. “I have no interest in your kind offer, Faulkner. I only want to get out of here. London has lost its lustre for me.”

  “Sounds like the odds are about even, Sarge,” Danny said. He gestured and Olly nodded, and began to crawl towards the next set of partitions. He wished he had a weapon, even a stun gun – something. He was the only unarmed person in the room.

  Except he wasn’t unarmed. He slid into a cubicle and lifted his Optik. Though the sniper-drone was proving obstinate, there were other, easier targets to be had. If he could nab one or two of them, it might make the difference. Through his display he could see the Albion goons shifting position, spreading out. Faulkner was remaining where he was, still talking. They were all trying to buy time. But what was he waiting for – ah.

  Olly picked up a piece of paper, crumpled it, and tossed it at Danny. Danny looked at him. Olly pointed to the partition between them and the lifts, and mimed knocking it over. Danny frowned, but nodded. He scooted behind another and gave it a kick.

  The partitions toppled like dominos. The way was clear moments later, and Olly took aim. The lifts gave a squealing chime as Olly locked down the panels. Danny cleared his throat. “No one is coming up the lifts, Sarge. And I’m covering the stairs.”

  “It seems we’re at an impasse,” Faulkner said. “We’ll get reinforcements up here eventually. One way or another. How many spare magazines you got, lad? One maybe two? Three at most, I expect.”

  “Got my rifle, Sarge.”

  “So do we, Danny. No matter how you slice it, lad, you’re outgunned. All we have to do is keep you penned up and wait.” Faulkner raised his voice. “That goes for you too, Coyle. There’s no way out. Be sensible.”

  “Tell me, Faulkner – did you murder Holden?” Coyle called.

  Faulkner didn’t reply. Coyle laughed. “I thought so. Must have come as quite a shock, him selling Project LIBRA out from under you. No wonder you’re here, looking to add my head to the pile. Cass won’t be satisfied with anything less, from what I remember of him.”

  Danny looked at Olly and mouthed a question. Olly shrugged. It didn’t surprise him that Coyle and Faulkner knew each other in some way. Coyle had to have had some familiarity with Albion to know about the drone in the first place – he might even be working for them. That would explain why Faulkner was here – to make sure Coyle didn’t talk.

  Olly cycled through the camera feeds, watching the Albion operatives spread and draw closer. One was creeping towards Ro. Olly leaned back. “Ro – look left!”

  On his display, he saw Ro pivot, the pistol in her hand rising. He heard it bark, saw the flash on the feed. The Albion goon retreated hastily. Danny nodded to him in thanks. “I’d stop moving around, Sarge. It’s only going to get somebody killed.”

  “Cost of doing business, Danny. We all know what we’re getting into when we sign the contract.” Faulkner was signalling again. Olly didn’t know what the gestures meant, but he could guess. An alert chimed on his display – he’d caught a signal. A passing riot drone. He motioned frantically to Danny as he called the drone and gave its programming a tweak.

  It crashed through the window a moment later, popping smoke and blaring underground hip-hop from its loudspeakers. Danny rose and fired smoothly. Someone cried out, and Danny started advancing, loosing quick bursts as he went. Olly scrambled after him. The drone circled the floor, the air from its fans knocking over partitions and sending Faulkner’s men scuttling for cover as smoke filled the space. Danny pivoted and one fell, clutching at his leg. Olly realised Danny was shooting to wound.

  Coyle, however, wasn’t. Through his display, Olly saw him rise and fire. An Albion operative spun, the bullet catching him in the neck. Coyle vanished, already moving. “Fall back, fall back,” Faulkner roared. He fired, and the riot drone bucked, bleeding sparks. Albion regrouped, and Danny was forced to duck down. Olly slid to a halt beside him. Smoke was everywhere, and Olly blinked back tears.

  Someone crashed towards them – Ro. She dropped into a crouch nearby. “What now?” she shouted, trying to be heard over the loudspeakers. The music caught off with a strangled squawk as someone put a bullet into the drone’s CPU.

  “Good effort, lad,” Faulkner growled, from close by. “But we’re between you and the lifts, and if you try for the doors, we’ll put you down.” A radio crackled, and Danny looked to his own. A short burst of voices. Reinforcements, Olly knew. There’d be more drones, more guns. More than they could handle. Danny shook his head.

  Olly was about to speak, when Coyle beat him to it. “I’m out of patience, Faulkner. I think it’s time you left. Danny, or whatever your name is – unlock the lifts.”

  “Why would we do that?” Danny called.

  “See this?” Coyle looked up, towards one of the cameras, and held up something long and thin – like a cigar made of metal. “You think I don’t have contingencies in place?” He raised the device, indicating the red LED button on top. “A bit old fashioned, I know. But then, so am I.”

  “The fuck is that?” Ro asked.

  “Detonator of some kind,” Danny said. He raised his voice. “You’ve got this place wired, then?”

  “Someone recognises the classics,” Coyle said, keeping the cubicles between them. “I’ve secreted explosives throughout this building. I’ve now activated the timers. I let my thumb off the trigger, they go off early.” He raised his voice. “Can you hear me, Faulkner?”

  “I hear you,” Faulkner replied, loudly. “What do you want?”

  “I should have thought that would be obvious. I want you and your men to pull back. Immediately. Or we’ll see how much structural damage this delightful edifice can sustain without collapsing.” Coyle paused. “You have three minutes.”

  “I’ve got people all over the building,” Faulkner protested.

  “I’d hurry then.”

  Faulkner grimaced, and he glanced at the cameras. Then he gestured and his people began to pull back, heading for the lifts, carrying the wounded with them. Olly released the lock on the lifts as they reached them. Faulkner was the last to go. As the doors closed, he paused. “There’s no way out of here. You might as well surrender.” Olly wasn’t sure who he was talking to, Coyle or them.

  Coyl
e answered for them. “Two minutes.”

  Faulkner cursed, and was gone. Olly checked his display, watching the lifts descend. “They’re going,” he murmured. “Keep him talking while I figure us a route out of here.”

  Danny peered around the edge of the cubicle. “They’re gone. Just us now. May as well pack it in, because we ain’t going nowhere.”

  “You’re either brave or stupid,” Coyle said, out of sight.

  “Bit of both,” Danny said. He glanced at Olly. “Can’t get a bead on him,” he whispered. “We need to draw him out.”

  “I’ll go,” Ro hissed. Danny tried to grab her, but she was too quick. She slipped away, into the labyrinth of cubicles.

  “Keep him talking,” Olly said. He flicked through the CCTV feeds, trying to find a vantage point that would show them Coyle. Danny cleared his throat.

  “What was this all about, then?” he said. “If you weren’t working for Albion, then who? What was the point of all this?”

  A moment of silence. Then a laugh. “You really don’t know anything do you?” Coyle called out. “Not a damn thing.”

  “Enlighten us.”

  More laughter. “It won’t matter soon enough. Once I regain control of my partner, I’ll settle this affair for good.” Coyle paused. “You might even thank me for it, given what’s coming…”

  “Wh– what’s coming?” Danny asked.

  Silence. Danny looked at Olly. Olly could only shake his head. An alert flashed on his display and he stiffened. “Shit.”

  “What?”

  “I’ve lost control of the drone.” Olly made to stand. “He’s bringing it back!” He heard a shout and a crash, followed by a gunshot. Danny surged out into the open, yelling his sister’s name. Olly started to follow him when he heard the sound of glass shattering. The drone had returned. “Danny, look out!”