Pandemonium

by Christian Kallias

  Yeah, I answer simply, not feeling in the mood to give any details.

  Cole, says Tanya. Are you back in the game? We can’t do this if you second-guess every one of your moves today.

  I know that. There will be time to worry about this afterward, and if there is no after, if this is somehow my last day, then I’ll leave this world with questions unanswered like we all do. But that’s the price every human has to pay for the privilege of being alive. In this, at least I’m no different from anyone else. But right now I have to put all of this on the back burner and concentrate on achieving my goal.

  “About your nightmare,” says Eleanor.

  “Yeah? What about it?”

  “I don’t know what it is, Cole . . . whether or not it’s just a premonition, a dream, or a subconscious remainder of a previous time jump, but I think you should concentrate on the one thing it might be: a gift, a second chance. We both get one of those today, so let’s not waste it, okay?”

  I smile. Yeah, obsessing over it will bring nothing but chaos.

  “Agreed.”

  Tanya stays silent, and I mentally thank her for doing so. Right now I’m not in the mood to talk about anything anymore, and she probably senses that. I’ve talked and thought about all of this enough for one day, and it brought me nothing but grief. An emotion I can’t afford to feel, not if I want to survive this day, not if I want to prevent Eleanor, myself, and the rest of New Geneva from being consumed by nuclear fire.

  We land on top of the twenty-story high-rise building where Rasul lives. According to the intel we have, he will be spotted in a turbo tube near this location in thirty-six minutes. I’m hopeful he hasn’t left his apartment yet. As we get off the jet bike, Eleanor looks at me.

  “What?” I say.

  “Nothing, but I wondered, how is it you have all that info?”

  “When a terror attack occurs, the central AI for New Geneva compiles all the actionable data it can find. It analyzes the logs of the day, surveillance, online chatter, and gathers that info so I can use it during my missions.”

  “I?” says Tanya using the jet bike’s speakers to make sure Eleanor hears her objection.

  “I’m sorry, Tanya, we,” I correct myself.

  “That’s your augmented AI? Tanya, huh?” Eleanor asks.

  I nod. She knows about my first girlfriend, of course. She made the connection immediately.

  “You two must have some interesting discussions in the middle of the night,” Eleanor adds.

  I sigh. “In fact, we do have some really good conversations, but I can also disable her when I need some me time.”

  She looks at my crotch and gives me a look. “I see.”

  “Hey, those are not the only moments I need to be on my own.”

  “I try not to interfere with Cole’s privacy when it’s not needed,” says Tanya. “But for us to perform better today, I think we all need to be networked. Eleanor, do you mind if I hack into your communication’s augment and install a direct link so we can also talk directly?”

  Eleanor shrugs. “Yeah, why the hell not.”

  “Done,” says Tanya.

  “That’s weird but somehow an interesting feeling,” says Eleanor. “Yeah, you’re welcome, Tanya.”

  “You can tell her everything you want with your mind. Just think of her, and she’ll hear the words,” I add.

  She flashes me a thumbs-up.

  “What’s the plan guys?” she adds.

  “We go in, interrogate him, and hopefully get a twenty on the bomb’s location.”

  “In my experience, fanatics are difficult to break hours before they strike,” she answers.

  That brings back the fresh memory of Samir’s failed interrogation. “What do you propose?”

  “Follow my lead. Just make sure you discretely plant a bug on him the first chance you get.”

  “Very well.”

  “I like her already,” says Tanya cheerfully.

  “Well, thank you, Tanya,” says Eleanor, beaming.

  It doesn’t take long for us to arrive in front of Rasul’s apartment door. The second drone is in position hovering stealthily outside, providing real-time video of the inside of the apartment through the windows, feeding it directly to my neural HUD.

  I’m not going in guns blazing without doing my homework this time. Rasul is sleeping on his couch. I signal Eleanor to go for the door but, instead of kicking it down, she takes a small hacking device from her pocket and quietly opens the door with it, in under three seconds. That’s another approach for sure, but probably the right one. I gave her the lead after all.

  We step in carefully, stun-set blasters pointing forward as we enter the modest apartment. The place has a foul odor. I’m hoping he isn’t dead. When we reach the living room, we see fast-food wrappers scattered around. A rat is eating food scrapings and doesn’t seem bothered or startled as we pass nearby. When we reach the couch, we can see Rasul is sleeping, and he’s snoring loudly.

  “I’m surprised he isn’t preparing himself for this day,” I whisper.

  “Yeah, maybe his orders have changed,” answers Eleanor. “It’s possible Ahmed Al’Hasi decided to change his plan because of your earlier encounter.”

  “Let’s hope not, or we’re wasting our time.”

  “No matter what the deal is, I’m sure this guy can be of some use.”

  “Why are we still whispering?” I ask.

  “I don’t know,” she thunders.

  That does it, and Rasul is startled out of his slumber. He jumps awake, but Eleanor clocks him in the face and sends him crashing back to the couch.

  “Who—who are you people?” says Rasul with a strong, Middle Eastern accent.

  I take a few steps toward him, which gets his attention, but Eleanor asks me to back off via our link. I freeze and shoot Rasul a cold stare.

  “Okay, I don’t know who the both of you are, but there’s obviously been some sort of mistake. You two look like officials. I’m a legal renter in this building.”

  Seriously? I say to Eleanor via the link.

  Let him blabber whatever he wants and trust me, she answers.

  “Look, mister,” she says loudly. “I’m Samir’s friend. He owes me money, and when he failed to pay earlier today, well, let’s just say that he had an unfortunate accident with a sonic grenade.”

  Rasul’s look changes immediately at the mention of Samir’s name.

  “But before the grenade accidentally blew his head off,” adds Eleanor, “he said something about coming and getting what he owes me from you.”

  Rasul nervously looks at Eleanor, then at me, and then somewhere behind us. To not tick him off, I use the drone’s long-range cam to zoom where he was looking and see a small cupboard behind us where a crappy holo-TV is running, its sound muted. Eleanor pushes on. I’m still not sure what she’s playing at but decide to trust her.

  “Give us the money now, and we’ll be on our way,” she says, her tone hard as steel.

  “I don’t have any money, and I don’t know any Samir! Please leave. You have made a terrible mistake,” Rasul repeats, clearly not intimidated by us so far.

  That’s when I hear her in my mind. Go apeshit on him, and remember to put a tracker on him. To make sure he can run, leave his legs alone.

  We could have put a tracker on him while he was sleeping, I complain.

  Oops.

  I take two more steps and clock Rasul in the face with a sharp jab that nearly knocks him out in one blow.

  Okay, says Eleanor, maybe apeshit wasn’t the right operative word. Scare the shit out of him, but we need him operational.

  I think I understand what she has in mind. Rasul is so disoriented I easily inject him with tracer nanites after grabbing him by the collar and dragging his ass off the couch.

  “What are you doing, Cole?” she shouts.

  I know it’s for show.

  “I’m wasting this sucker. He’s not going to give us the money, so let’s spill his
guts on the carpet and go grab some lunch. The sight of fresh blood always opens up my appetite.”

  Rasul’s eyes grow wide and he looks terrified now. I put my foot on his chest and push him to the ground. I have to be careful not to hurt him too much but need to apply enough force to make it believable; not the easiest balance to find while improvising something for the first time. I point my blaster at his head and see sweat beads gliding off his forehead like passengers abandoning a sinking ship.

  “We’ll get the money from someone else,” I say, looking at Eleanor. “Right?”

  Rasul speaks. “Please, don’t kill me. I don’t know you. I haven’t done anything. Please. I’ll give you all the money I have.”

  “Hear that, partner? He’s gonna give us some,” I shout.

  I’m fully aware I’m overacting, but I’m not exactly in my comfort zone here. Tell me to rip someone’s head off and I’ll probably find ten ways to do it, but pretending to be a thug, that’s new for me.

  I grab him by the hair and lift his entire body off the ground. His legs are flailing uncontrollably. When I bring his face near to mine, I regret it. His breath stinks like a long day spent swimming in a swamp.

  “No funny business, okay?” I hiss at him.

  “I—I promise. Just put me down, and I’ll give you all I have.”

  I place his feet back onto the floor and release his hair.

  Nice performance, Cole, says Eleanor on the link.

  If you say so, I answer.

  Rasul goes to the cupboard he’s been eyeballing. I warn Eleanor.

  He looked there when we first woke him up. He could be hiding a weapon inside, so stay frosty.

  Roger that, Cole.

  He opens the top cupboard and takes a wallet from it as well as something else, but I can’t see what. Must be important though.

  What if he holds a necessary piece that’s needed to make the bomb work? Can we really afford to let him go? I ask Eleanor.

  That’s when Tanya decides to chime in.

  There is a good chance he will lead you to where the bomb is, which is why letting him go is the smart thing to do.

  Well, I’m glad you agree, Tanya, says Eleanor.

  You two are enjoying this too much. But okay, I’ll follow your lead. Brute force hasn’t been very helpful with his friend Samir, so let’s play this round your way. How do we make his escape look believable?

  Rasul comes with his wallet, takes a money card from it, and gives it to me. “There are more than ten thousand credits on here. It’s untraceable and all yours if you let me go.”

  “And what stops me from shooting you between your eyes and grabbing that from your corpse exactly?” I retort.

  “Right now it’s set to only work on my DNA imprint. I can unlock it remotely, but you’re gonna have to trust me.”

  “Not big on trust I’m afraid, so it ain’t happening, pal. You unlock it now, or you’re dead meat.”

  Easy there, Cole, says Eleanor. He’s presenting us with an easy way to let him go. I understand you want to stay in character, but . . .

  Right.

  He continues, “You and I both know that if I unlock this now, you’ll kill me right away. I have no need for this card, and I value my life. If it’s not unlocked later today, you can always come back and kill me then. But if you let me go now, you’ll get your money.”

  “What do you think, partner?” I say loudly. “Does that cover Samir’s tab?”

  “Not even close, but it will have to do. We need to get going anyway. You,” she shouts at Rasul. “We’ll be back next week. Make sure you have another one of these but with twenty Ks on it, or you’re history. Are we clear?”

  Rasul nods his head up and down nervously. “Yes, yes. I will get you what you need.”

  “Okay then, get the feck out of here before we change our minds.”

  Rasul runs out of his apartment like an athlete running the Olympic one-hundred-meter dash.

  “Now what?” I ask.

  “Now, we follow the bee back to the hive,” says Eleanor.

  Five

  Mission completion time: T minus 339 minutes

  Rasul takes more than a few precautions to get where he’s going, and I’m nervously looking at the reverse-counter mission clock while my patience is running out.

  “I could have gotten the information out of him faster than this. He’s been going all over town for more than an hour,” I say in frustration from the jet bike hovering atop one of the towering skyscrapers not too far from where Rasul is at the moment.

  “He probably suspects we’re trying to follow him, so he’s making sure he doesn’t have a tail,” says Eleanor, mildly annoyed at my complaining. “If you had failed to acquire the info from him, we wouldn’t have had any leads whatsoever to intercept the weapon before it reaches its intended target.”

  “We don’t even know if he’s getting anywhere we need him to. What if he got spooked and changed his mind? I don’t like this.”

  “Look, Cole, I understand waiting is not your strong suit, but trust me, this guy will lead us to the bomb.”

  “And how exactly do you know?”

  “Call it female intuition.”

  I want to argue more, but then I decide against it. I know Eleanor is a difficult gal to argue with. Better spare myself from the possible fallout. I am, however, feeling something I haven’t felt in a long time. Friendship with a flesh-and-bone partner. It’s been so long since we last were together on an op that I had forgotten the feeling of that bond. I love having Tanya with me at all times, but this is something else.

  “Tanya, what’s your take on all of this?”

  “If Rasul doesn’t get where he needs to go in the next thirty minutes, we’ll have no other choice but to change tactics. Hang on a second, he’s making a call.”

  “How do you know that?” both Eleanor and I ask in sync.

  “I hacked his transmission augment and installed spyware while you two were doing your thing. Cole, something is happening.”

  “What?” I ask.

  “You’re not gonna believe this. He’s calling Ahmed.”

  “Bingo!” Eleanor pumps her fist in the air, and a triumphant smile spreads across her face.

  “What are they saying?” I ask impatiently.

  “Not much, but Ahmed gave him a rendezvous point not too far from his current location. He should be able to get there in less than twenty minutes.”

  “If they meet in person we can put them both to rest,” I say.

  “Yeah, let’s not jump the gun here,” says Eleanor. “He might just send someone else to recover whatever Rasul has in his possession.”

  “We’ve been working under the assumption that whatever this bozo is carrying is important, and I think Ahmed will want to make sure he gets that back from him. If it’s a part of the bomb, he can’t detonate without it. So we make sure Ahmed doesn’t get his hands on it, and, while we’re at it, if he shows up, we take him out.”

  “Their call has ended, and the bozo is already changing tubes,” says Tanya with a chuckle. “I sensed tension in Ahmed’s voice during the call. Whatever Rasul is carrying, it seems really important to him.”

  “Which means we shouldn’t have let him go,” I say dryly.

  “Look, Cole,” says Tanya, “what’s done is done. The important thing is we have another real lead to Ahmed now.”

  I don’t answer; she’s right, and there’s no need to assign blame. We have to play the cards we have been dealt.

  “We should have a second vehicle, you know, in case we need to split up. We could also use some additional firepower,” says Eleanor.

  “Tanya,” I answer simply.

  “I’m remote piloting the short-range fighter to rejoin our location. It’s already in the air. ETA eight minutes,” says Tanya.

  By the time Rasul arrives at his destination, we’re already in position. We can’t afford any more cockups today, so everything needs to go smoothly. No sign of
Ahmed yet, even though Rasul has arrived before their agreed upon time. Eleanor is providing sniper cover from higher up in the structure while I use my stealth augment to follow him inside a decrepit old factory. There are barely any lights in here besides the city lights casting chaotic shadows on the factory’s floor. They’re always in movement due to lights from flying vehicles passing outside at varying speeds.

  This is definitely not Ahmed’s base of operation, but I didn’t expect it to be. He’s far too crafty to rendezvous with Rasul at his base.

  I look around for booby traps and scanning devices and find none. Of course, it doesn’t mean anything. Ahmed is smart enough to have stealth tech of his own in position. This place could have its fair share of surprises, and I know I must stay on my toes the entire time. An incoming neural message from Eleanor interrupts my train of thought.

  How come you guys don’t have all the information needed to stop them? I’d expect you’d know their meeting places and just get there and scoop them.

  It’s not that simple. While we do get some valuable information after the fact, most of it is due to post-attack analysis. If terrorists were clumsy, we would simply catch them before they act, but they are very crafty, especially Ahmed. Somehow, he always seems to be one step ahead of us.

  That must be frustrating. But how can it be the case? Have you asked yourself that? I mean, you should have the upper hand knowing where and how he will strike. How come he still gets that upper hand unless someone on the inside helps him?

  The thought is legit and somehow echoes my previous concerns. Eleanor probably isn’t too far off here. Why is it that he is still able to anticipate our movements when things are clearly happening differently during a time jump? The very fact that I am in this timeline, running after him and trying to prevent any terror attack, makes it timeline different.

  How can Ahmed anticipate that? Unless he knows our tactics. But Project Rewind is the most top-secret operation in existence, and he shouldn’t know about it. And if he, indeed, does, can Eleanor be right? Could some mole be providing him a head’s up?