Cabal of Lies

by Michael Anderle

  “Might be a bit worse than a brawl,” Erik muttered.

  “Why fire at us?” Jia frowned. “We weren’t running our lights.”

  Erik laughed. “If a random fancy Uptown MX 60 shows up in the Shadow Zone at Alicia’s place, who is it likely to belong to?” His smile vanished. “But so much for there not being trouble in the Zone. Just because it’s cleaner than it used to be, it doesn’t mean it’s not a rough place.”

  Jia reached into the hidden storage compartment beneath her seat to retrieve the TR-7. “Hey, there is a lot more space in here. A lot more magazines, too, and not just for your toy.”

  “You hadn’t noticed?”

  Jia nodded. “I haven’t had a reason to look since you got your flitter out of the shop.”

  “See? A few mods here and there add up.” Erik grinned.

  Another thug popped out of the open door with an assault rifle, half-hiding behind the wall. He sprayed bullets at the flitter. They pelted the vehicle like angry hail before falling to the ground.

  “Should I call for local backup?” Emma asked.

  Erik looked at his camera displays. “I’m not seeing any dead bodies. That’s a good sign.”

  An unarmed man rushed out the door, ducking under the shooter. After a few meters, he stood up and sprinted parallel to the thug, his eyes wide with fear.

  “The criminal let him run right past him,” Jia observed.

  “Yeah. This isn’t terrorism.” Erik twisted the yoke and tapped a thruster grip. “Then again, what idiot terrorists kill people in the Zone, where the media would barely care?”

  “They cared about the yaoguai,” Jia protested.

  “Because genetically engineered monsters hiding at the bases of towers scare people.”

  Jia snorted. “Good point.”

  The MX 60 coasted on its side away from the front door and toward the far end of the parking lot, narrowly missing a few other flitters.

  “Go ahead and call the locals, Emma,” Erik ordered. “But we’re going in. If this isn’t terrorism, it’s probably about taking down the most important person in the building.”

  “A hit on Alicia.” Jia finished stuffing her pockets with magazines before pulling the TR-7 out of storage. “Where’s the laser rifle?”

  “You can access it from the back seat, but we won’t need it, and we have to be able to move fast. We need to get in there yesterday. She might already be dead.”

  Erik tapped some yoke buttons to activate counterthrust, and the MX 60 jerked to a halt. Another thug joined the rifleman. Both men rushed away from the exit and knelt behind a parked flitter close to the building. They continued to fire at the MX 60, but other than scratching the exterior, which was an easy repair for the automated systems, they weren’t accomplishing much.

  “They definitely recognize the MX 60,” Jia grumbled.

  “Seems like it.” Erik grabbed the TR-7, shoved a magazine in, and selected four-barrel mode. Nothing like a man using his preferred tools. Multiple red silhouettes popped up in his lenses. In several cases, lighter-colored outlines revealed pistols or rifles.

  “That’s a composite based on several different sensors,” Emma explained, “but I can’t access the internal systems of the building, other than the emergency door controls. I don’t believe I’m blocked. I think they’re all disabled through internal systems efforts.”

  “Alicia was killing any chance at hacking,” Jia concluded.

  “Shall I deploy the drones?”

  “Nope,” Erik responded. “Just keep an eye on things and an open line when backup arrives.”

  Erik threw open his door and crouched behind it. The thugs continued their withering rain of lead, the bullets bouncing off the armored vehicle and clattering to the ground.

  Jia pulled out her slug-thrower and shot a few rounds toward the riflemen, forcing them down. “You could have parked closer.”

  “Didn’t have the most time in the world to figure it out.”

  Emma’s targeting aid proved its worth a few seconds later when it revealed two men rushing across the roof of the building in Erik’s and Jia’s direction. Erik whipped up his TR-7 and shredded one poor bastard before the thug could even bring up his gun. His friend tried to get off a shot but fell back screaming as four bullets pierced his chest.

  One of the ground-based riflemen popped up, and Jia ripped a new hole in the center of his head. His buddy leapt over the back of the flitter they were using for cover, yelling at the top of his lungs and holding down his trigger. Jia hissed and ducked before jumping to her side past the door and opening fire. Three quick trigger pulls dropped the charging thug to the ground in a growing pool of his own blood. There were still a decent number of men inside, but the door remained closed.

  Erik glanced her way. Blood covered the side of her face, and a deep, jagged abrasion ran across the side of her head.

  “You’re hit.” He clenched his teeth. If the shooters weren’t already dead, he would have put rounds in them right then. Jia could take care of herself, but that didn’t quell the protective instincts raging inside of him.

  “A scratch doesn’t count as a hit.” Jia hopped up, keeping her gun pointed at the door. She grimaced before smoothing out her features.

  Erik nodded and took a deep breath. They might not have much time. Even the best medicine in the UTC couldn’t do much if the shooters blew Alicia’s head off. Getting shot was part of the risk.

  Unfortunately, although Emma’s information confirmed there were several people inside with guns, they had no way of knowing if they were Alicia’s people or with the now-dead welcome brigade. Erik didn’t want to waste time flying drones in or wait for the locals.

  “Ready?” Erik asked.

  Jia nodded. “Let’s move.”

  Erik was about to rush forward when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye.

  “Incomi—” Emma began.

  “I see her,” Erik interrupted. He didn’t point his gun. It was one of Alicia’s waitresses running at him from across the street, her cheeks puffy with tears.

  Jia nodded toward the building. “I’ll shoot anyone who comes out and tries to shoot us.”

  “That works.” Erik waited for the waitress to get close to the MX 60. “You okay?”

  She wiped some tears away. “Those assholes just came in and pulled their guns. They said anyone who didn’t want to die better leave, then demanded Alicia come out.”

  “Is she still in there?”

  The waitress nodded. “She locked herself in her office.”

  “You get to safety and wait until the local cops show up,” Erik suggested. “We’ll clear out the trash.” He reloaded the TR-7.

  Jia crept toward the building. “Remember your promise.”

  “What promise?” Erik asked.

  “I just want to make sure we don’t get shot by any bikini babes.”

  Erik snickered. “Don’t worry.” He patted the TR-7 as he sprinted toward the bar. “Big chests won’t save them now. Looks like it was a good day to check in with Alicia after all.”

  The waitress looked at the two cops like they were insane before slowly backing away.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Jia matched Erik’s pace, not dropping her gun.

  Another shooter popped out of the bar, this time aiming two pistols like some idiot gangster from a movie. Erik and Jia fired at the same time and at almost the same spot. Their combined volley knocked him back and left a large hole in his chest. The door slid closed behind him.

  Based on Emma’s sensor feed, it was obvious the men were concentrating on defending the main door. One man was banging on something; judging by his positioning, it was probably the door to Alicia’s office.

  “Wait a second.” Erik frowned. “I know these are all sensor feeds, but I think I could tell a woman like Alicia apart from a man based on the silhouette.”

  “Yes, so?” Jia asked.

  “I don’t see anyone female in there.” E
rik stopped in front of the door. “If Alicia was already dead, would you still be detecting her, Emma?”

  “Of course,” Emma insisted. “It takes hours for the human body to cool to the surrounding temperature, and besides that, her corpse would be visible across different sensor spectra. This building isn’t shielded like most we’re used to dealing with. There are no dead bodies in there.”

  “But she’s not there.”

  “I’m… Annoying.”

  Erik laughed. “I agree, but now’s not the time to work on your jokes.”

  “That’s not what I mean,” Emma explained. “The building isn’t shielded, but there are indications that something underneath is. There are abrupt discontinuities in the sensor data. I narrowed the scope of my sensor analysis earlier, so it escaped my notice.”

  “That makes sense,” Jia suggested. “A woman like Alicia’s going to give herself a way out, just in case something like this happens.”

  “So she’s in a panic room,” Erik concluded. “It still might be a race against time. We need to clear out the rest of these assholes. Can you access the emergency door controls?”

  “I can access them via your PNIU given your current proximity and use the emergency override,” Emma explained. “But I should point out there are multiple men waiting for you on the other side, and you’re not wearing protective gear.”

  “We didn’t have time to fiddle around with vests. But I’ve got an idea. If you can access this door, can you also access the side door on the other side of the building?”

  “Yes.”

  Jia gestured toward the other end of the building. “You’re thinking a pincer?”

  “Nope.” Erik shook his head. “I’m thinking about a little trick. Emma, get ready to open the side door, then one second later, open this one.” He moved away from the door and nodded to the wall beside him. “Get behind me. I don’t want to bump into you when I do this.”

  Jia eyed him. “Bump into me?” She shook her head and went behind him. “Why do I have a feeling you’re about to do something stupid?”

  “It doesn’t matter if something’s stupid as long as it gets the job done.” Erik grinned. “Emma, on three, two, one.”

  Something hissed in the distance, and several gunshots sounded. A second later, the main door opened.

  Erik jumped across it, looking for targets. A few men inside turned his way. They wore the same rifles and the same kind of clothes as the other shooters. It was good enough for him. They spun toward him as he raked them with the TR-7. One man managed to get a shot off as he fell back. His bullet hit Erik’s left arm, stinging as it ripped through the thin layer of flesh and struck the cybernetics. He landed and rolled back to his feet, the force of hitting the ground popping the blood-covered bullet out.

  Jia kept her gun aimed at the door. They both knew the final shooter’s exact position, thanks to Emma.

  “Come out with your hands up!” she bellowed. “Or we will use lethal force.”

  “Fuck your mother, pigs!” yelled the man from inside. He reached into his pocket, and Erik didn’t need a direct view to know he was going for a grenade.

  Jia anticipated the move. She bolted into the doorway and fired at the man’s hand, but the bullet struck the grenade, which exploded. She threw up her arm and covered her face. Stray shrapnel tore her clothes and drew blood but caused no serious wounds. The would-be grenadier wasn’t so lucky. His body was reduced to a bloody shredded mess surrounded by scorched metal fragments and smoke.

  She frowned at the holes in her suit, wincing. “I don’t know which of us was stupider.”

  “We’d both be a lot bloodier if you hadn’t done that.”

  Jia approached the bar with caution, moving to the end with her gun pointed down. “No one behind here.”

  “Of course, there isn’t,” Emma insisted. “I would have noticed them.”

  Jia scoffed. “For all we know, Alicia might have set up some sort of jammer around the bar.”

  “Highly unlikely.”

  “You’re just mad you overlooked something before. Don’t worry. It’s very human to make a mistake.”

  “I don’t make mistakes.” Emma huffed. “I simply become aware of new variables to consider in future analyses.”

  Jia smirked, but the blood on her face gave it a sinister cast.

  Erik joined her at the bar. He nodded toward the back room. “If there’s a panic room, it’s probably linked to there.” He headed toward the door and tapped the access panel, to no effect. He lifted his TR-7 and pointed it at the door. “Open it, Emma. Let’s see if we need to kill anyone else.”

  The door slid open. There were crushed bullets on the floor, and a few bullet holes in the back, but no Alicia. A thug was sprawled on the floor in a pool of his own blood. There was a dark square hole connected to a ladder in the back of the room.

  “Alicia,” Erik called. “You there?”

  There was no response.

  Jia crept toward the passage, her gun pointed at it and a slight frown on her face. “They must have come in here really fast if she ran without covering her tracks, and one even managed to get in here.” She gestured to some bloodstains near the edge of the hole. “Looks like droplets. She might have been hit.”

  “Or it could be from someone else following her who she shot.” Erik nodded and looked over his shoulder. “Either way, she made it inside.”

  Jia peeked into the hole. She spotted more bloodstains, but no bodies. The ladder led down to a passageway dimly lit by red emergency lighting.

  “Huh. I don’t think this is a panic room. I think it’s an escape tunnel.”

  Erik scoffed. “Underground passages in the Shadow Zone? This is probably going to end with some four-mouthed yaoguai trying to bite my balls off.”

  “That would be unfortunate.” Jia pulled a medpatch out of her pocket and slapped it on her face. “That stings.”

  Erik held up his wounded arm. “So does this, but at least I have metal inside, unlike your face. Should we wait for reinforcements?”

  “The locals are en route,” Emma reported. “They should be here very soon.”

  Jia moved toward the ladder. “They can clean up outside. If Alicia’s hit, she might need help.” She patted her pocket. “I’ve got a couple more medpatches in here.”

  Erik flipped to single-bullet mode. “This ought to be interesting.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Erik had expected a short tunnel leading behind the Big One, maybe to a flitter parked in the lot, not the long path that obviously continued well past the end of Alicia’s property.

  The tunnel had been prepared with heavy machinery, making Erik wonder how she’d pulled it off without anyone noticing. Then again, there were far fewer sensors, cameras, or next-door snitches in the Zone.

  It was the perfect place to hide and escape. The government didn’t care.

  They just didn’t want undesirables to come back out. Maybe that would change in the future with the cleanup of the area, but Erik suspected it’d be a few years at a minimum before gentrification would start in any noticeable way.

  The trail of blood had disappeared a few meters into the tunnel.

  Whatever Alicia had done to the tunnel had cut them off from Emma, but with the local cops on the way, the worst thing she might have to do is fly away and come back later.

  Erik trusted Emma, cankerous AI or not.

  The detectives jogged forward, ready to take down any thugs who’d made it past the door. Erik hadn’t been planning to shoot anyone that day, even when Emma informed him about the fleeing customers, but the criminals had made their position clear when they opened fire. Sometimes he wondered how much of his reputation was media hype.

  Nothing let a man know people worried about him like taking a few bullets.

  Erik shook his head. “It’s funny.”

  “What?” Jia asked. “This is an interesting situation, but I wouldn’t say it’s a funny situation. We’ve bo
th been shot.”

  He looked over. “I thought you said it was a scratch.”

  “A scratch caused by a bullet,” she clarified.

  “It’s just, when I was in the Army, my life was combat, but it’s not like I stumbled into it all that often by accident. Now I’m a cop on Earth, and I keep ending up in situations like this. The Lady just loves screwing with me.” Erik glanced over his shoulder. He didn’t want to be taken by surprise by some chameleon yaoguai in the shadows or a Tin Man who had optical camouflage. “It doesn’t bother me, but every once in a while, it gets me to thinking about the kind of life I’m leading.”

  “Trust me, I know the feeling, but I’m sure you’ve come to the same conclusion I have,” she hinted.

  “You can’t make an omelet without busting a few thugs?” Erik ventured.

  “I wouldn’t have put it like that,” Jia admitted. “But that does capture it in a colorful way.”

  The end of the tunnel came into view. A thin ladder led to a closed square door. A lever protruded from the side. Given the low-tech mechanical handle, Alicia had even thought about the risks of an EMP attack on her building. That preparation had served her well.

  Many people would have been easily killed by so many men launching an attack on them.

  Jia pointed her gun at the hatch. “I don’t know if there’s a good way to do this that doesn’t involve someone taking another potshot at us.”

  “There isn’t.” Erik shifted the TR-7 to his left arm and grabbed a rung to pull himself up. “They might be waiting for us up there, but they also might be shooting Alicia.” He scrambled up the ladder. “Damn. You don’t happen to have any blinders on you, do you?”

  “Sorry.” Jia shook her head. “I haven’t replaced the ones we used before.”

  Erik grinned. “Maybe the legend of the Obsidian Detective ends with a headshot. That would be rather anticlimactic.” His arm throbbed from the earlier wound, but he’d suffered a lot worse, and there weren’t a lot of pain nerves interfaced with the core cybernetic arm. “Three, two, one.”

  He pulled the handle. Metal groaned on metal and the door cracked open, allowing thin slices of light to pour in from outside the tunnel. Erik shoved the door back on its hinges, and its crash against the hard surface outside echoed in the tunnel.