Hostiles

by Ethan Johnson

  “Poisoning will do that.”

  “Well, but it wasn’t really about the poison. I mean, you’re on the move, Diane. Look at this place! You’ve got this totally kick-ass apartment, and now you’ve got an amazing hairdo, and you’re even wearing makeup… I’m pissed, by the way, that you never asked me to teach you anything. I don’t think I want to know where you picked this up from.”

  “The Style shows,” Diane lied.

  Lyssa gasped. “You watch Style? Since when?”

  “Well, like you said, I thought about who I was and where I was going, then I took a long hard look in the mirror, and I decided something had to change. I didn’t like who I was.”

  Lyssa nodded. “That’s totally what happened to me! We’re like, peas in a pod.”

  Diane made a sweeping arm motion. “It’s a kick-ass pod, I think.”

  Lyssa’s eyes widened and she gasped again. “Oh my God, Diane, we should totally live together. Wouldn’t that be stupid? Sleeping here each night and waking up each morning in the same bed? That’s stupid, isn’t it? Shut up, Lyss. That idea is stupid.”

  Diane kissed the tip of Lyssa’s nose again. “You could take care of me.”

  “Oh, my God, I would. I totally would. I could, like, make you pancakes for breakfast every day. Wouldn’t that be awesome?”

  “Well, I like other stuff too, but, yeah. That sounds awesome.” A grin spread across Diane’s face.

  Lyssa’s expression changed. She cast her eyes downward and bit her lip pensively. “No, it’s stupid. My parents would have a moo-cow if I moved here. I could still come over, and see you as much as I could, but it would kill them.” She wiped her eyes with her pudgy fingers. “This sucks. But like you always say, it is what it is.” She looked up at Diane imploringly. “Do you totally hate me now?”

  Diane smiled and shook her head. “I don’t hate you.” As for the Delaneys, that was a different story. Everything Diane ever wanted was here, now, and they were keeping it from her. The situation was, in a word, unacceptable. Diane sucked in a breath and chose her words carefully. “A wise woman taught me that if you want something more than anything in the whole world, you’ve got to take it. Nobody ever gives it to you.”

  Lyssa cocked her head. “Who said that, Alexa?”

  “No. It’s nobody you know. The point is, if you want to live with me, I want it too. More than anything in the whole world.”

  “Oh my God, baby, I want it too. I want it so much. But… I can’t. I mean, they’re my parents, you know? I can’t just crap on them and do whatever I feel like.”

  Diane’s eyes narrowed. “Why not? You’re a grown-ass woman, aren’t you?”

  Lyssa rolled onto her right side and huffed. “Forget it, it’s stupid. Let’s get some sleep. You’ve got work tomorrow.”

  Diane switched off the light and laid on her back. She clasped her hands across her waist and stared up into the darkness. “Yes,” she said softly. “I’ve got work tomorrow.”

  Three days later, Diane sat down in her cruiser beside her partner. Hathaway took a long pull of coffee and rubbed his abdomen absent-mindedly. Diane gave him a wistful smile.

  “How was the meeting last night?”

  Hathaway wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Pretty crazy, Pembrook. I probably shouldn’t be telling stories out of school, but the ACTF is a hot mess right now. I’m thinking about leaving.”

  Diane was taken aback. “Leaving? Back to Buffalo?”

  “No, I mean the ACTF. I’m not sure it’s a good fit for me anymore, and…” His voice trailed off and he took another sip of coffee.

  Diane tried to reestablish eye contact with him. “But you love that thing. You said it was there for you when you needed it. I can’t believe you’d turn your back on them after one meeting.”

  “New facts have come to light. I can’t support an organization that—” Hathaway caught himself and shook his head. “Let me ask you a question: have you ever believed in something with all your heart, only to find out that thing was a lie?”

  Diane nodded. “Abso-freaking-lutely.” She thought of Lyssa, back home with her parents, and their next planned time together.

  Hathaway cocked his head. “Really? What?”

  “Well, there was this time when you told me we were going out on patrol, and instead I sat in the garage listening to you not tell me about your get-together last night.” Diane gave him a playful wink.

  Hathaway groaned and started the cruiser. “Fine, Pembrook. I thought I could be serious with you about something, but if you’d rather be out there cruising for hostiles, who am I to argue?”

  “I mean, it’s just our jobs,” Diane said.

  “Point taken, jerk.” Hathaway put the cruiser in gear and tapped too hard on the accelerator. The cruiser’s tires squealed angrily as they sped out of the garage. Diane braced herself as they took a sharp right turn into traffic.

  “What’s your problem? Is there a reason you’re driving like a psycho maniac?”

  Hathaway huffed and pulled over. “Look, I really need your support right now, okay? I know you’re hot to trot and shoot at anything that moves, but I’ve been through some rough stuff. I just need a minute to unload. Can you bear with me for a sec?”

  Diane read the signs in her partner’s eyes and body language and nodded somberly. She felt badly for making smart remarks when he was obviously hurting. Unlike Hendricks, Diane knew she had a committed partner in Hathaway, and she didn’t want to lose him. She wished she could tell him what she did to prevent it when he laid dying of a gunshot wound in Trauma One.

  Diane reached over and gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Okay, sorry, Noah. What happened?”

  “Well, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I owe whoever killed Assistant Director Stiller a cold one. When his personal effects were being packed up to send to next of kin, a trove of documents was found in an encrypted section of his server. Our Crypto guys were able to hack in, and Stiller had some messed-up plans all laid out. It was crazy; there was all this stuff in there about deposing the chief, demoting Lieutenant Kenner to, like, detective, or whatever, and installing a new figurehead. It was all for show, though. The real decisions would be made by some other outfit. Special Neighborhood… something something. Honestly, I was so shocked I couldn’t process everything they told us.”

  Diane cocked her head. “I’m sorry, Special Neighborhood Operations, did you say?”

  “Yeah, something like that. Some super-secret black ops division that wouldn’t answer to anybody. The next step was to implement martial law and suspend habeus corpus. I mean, Arbor wasn’t yesterday. I can kinda understand it if someone pulled this move the next day because they were scared shitless, but, I mean, come on, we’re working through it. We don’t need to get all Gestapo around here.”

  Diane stroked her chin and nodded. The Masked Man, for all his faults, did seem to have the city’s best interests at heart… if he had one. In a flash, her mind was at ease about serving him. She had killed a bad guy. She felt foolish for thinking otherwise.

  “Yeah, no… law and order, all the way. That’s messed up.”

  Hathaway chuckled bitterly. “Yeah, that’s one way to put it. Anyway, I’m done with the ACTF. The whole thing is a lie. I didn’t join the force to destroy everything America stands for. They can find another lackey, if that’s all they want.”

  Diane closed her eyes and recalled her bargain with the Masked Man. Her forehead burned as she re-played the scene in her head. One passage repeated itself: You will report on Officer Hathaway’s activities with the Anti-Corruption Task Force. We must be apprised of their ongoing efforts to destabilize the city and surrounding vicinity.

  Diane nodded and opened her eyes. “Hey, you know, maybe it’s not the whole ACTF. Maybe Stiller was a bad apple, or something. And since you believed in everything they stood for before this… mess happened, maybe you can clean them up by working on the inside, rather than quitting and losing yo
ur edge.”

  Hathaway’s eyes widened. “Huh, I hadn’t thought of that.” He mulled over her suggestion while Diane scanned the street for hostiles. After a long pause, he nodded and smacked his fingers on his steering wheel. “Dammit, Pembrook, I’m going to do it. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get the ACTF back on track.” He reached over and gave Diane’s shoulder a squeeze. “You’re a good woman, Diane.”

  “Thanks, partner. Now, can we clean up the streets today? Or do you still have more to unload?”

  “No, I’m good.” Hathaway put the cruiser in gear and merged into traffic. “Thanks for working through this with me.”

  Diane smiled and nodded. He must never know, she affirmed to herself, as the screams of Chief Technician Zelnik filled her ears once more. “Anytime. Look sharp.”

  As the cruiser headed into the morning sun, Diane felt ready for anything. She raised her chin confidently and watched for hostiles. To the people passing by on the sidewalks, today seemed like any other day, she noted. They walked briskly back and forth, wrapped up in their own problems and concerns. To Diane, today felt like being reborn. She had everything she ever wanted: a great job, a luxurious apartment, a competent and supportive partner, and… well, almost everything. She wanted a life with Lyssa too, and until something changed, they were doomed to make time for each other but never fully commit.

  Green liquid passed through a clear tube into an oversized plastic bin containing the lead technician responsible for her conditioning. His screams echoed through her mind on a horrific loop. Diane injected a dose of Lady Diamond into her thoughts. Go out and happen to things, she’d say. Take what you want.

  Diane looked over at Hathaway and caught him stealing a glance at her. He looked away, feigning interest in a passing street sign.

  Diane laughed drily and shook her head. No, she was committed to Lyssa. Things would change.

  But it felt good to know she had options.

  EPILOGUE

  Darkness blanketed the city as Diane stepped out of a black sedan. She was dressed in black from the neck down. She slung her rifle across her back and slammed the door. She patted the roof twice, sending the driverless vehicle off into the night.

  Diane looked around to get her bearings, then walked briskly toward a construction site. She pulled a section of chain-link fence aside and slipped inside. She dodged various machines and materials as she proceeded to a large mound of dirt. She scrambled up the side quickly, taking care to keep her balance as she made her way to the summit. Once she reached the top, she removed her rifle and laid down flat.

  Diane peered through the scope of her rifle and surveyed a stretch of road lined with office buildings. Few cars traveled this way, which made her target easy to spot as a lone vehicle approached from the left. She watched intently as the car passed by, and as it glided under a streetlamp, she confirmed her target. She shifted her aim and a moment later, pulled her trigger.

  Sparks sprayed under the car as the rear passenger-side tire was stripped down to its rim. The car careened toward the side of the road and skidded onto the shoulder. Once it reached the edge, Diane heard the sickening crunch of metal meeting concrete. Diane remained flat on the top of the dirt pile and observed the patch of road where the car had left the pavement.

  Diane wasn’t sure how long it took for the first police cruiser to arrive after receiving a distress call issued by a nearby traffic camera, but her neck ached as she peered through her scope once more to get a close look at the responding officers. They were from Sable Division, she noted, spotting their antelope-themed insignia on their shoulder patches. Diane snorted at this. As division names went, Panther was stronger. Antelopes were prey. That much she knew.

  An ambulance and fire truck arrived shortly thereafter, and Diane watched with interest as the occupants of the vehicle were extricated from the steaming wreck. As the first body was exhumed, Diane pointed her scope at the driver’s face. She smiled with satisfaction as she made out the twisted visage of Mr. Delaney.

  Mrs. Delaney hadn’t fared much better. Blood ran down the center of her forehead. Diane shook her head and made a tch sound. Mrs. Delaney hadn’t been wearing her seat belt.

  Once the pair were covered with sheets and loaded into the ambulance, Diane crawled backward until she slid down the side of the dirt mound. She slung her rifle across her back and hurried to the fence. Once she was through, she removed her comm unit from a black pouch and checked for new messages. Diane smiled as she punched up a new video message from Lyssa.

  “Hey, baby. Mom and Dad are out visiting the Hendersons tonight. Want to fool around? Hit me back. Love you.”

  Diane shook her head as she walked steadily toward her pre-arranged extraction point. She saved the message and holstered her device. No, I don’t want to fool around, she thought with an air of grim determination.

  I’m ready to get serious.

  While you’re waiting for the next Diane Pembrook novel, check out the Ana Lode series. Set 13 years after the devastating attacks on Arbor Day, CROSSED OUT tells the story of a rookie police officer with a bright future who is forced to murder an unarmed civilian. When Ana is betrayed by her fellow officers and left for dead, she receives help from an unlikely ally... but can she trust him with her life? Or will she finally be CROSSED OUT? Click here to find out!