Activated Page 19

  Dick, thought Joel for the second time that day.

  Joel resisted the urge to bait him and kept his tone neutral. “You’d have to kill me?” he asked, shooting for humor more than sarcasm.

  “Something like that.” Sean dropped his eyes back to the screen, and Joel continued to watch his microexpressions. Something about this guy wasn’t adding up. If he really was working for Garet, then how come The Syndicate wasn’t all over his ass?

  Spire Central Water Facility, Hlidargata

  “Okay, this is it.” Joel pulled the car up in the same spot where he had parked only hours before.

  Sean reached for the door release to get out, but then stopped, hand still on the handle. He hesitated a moment. “How long have you known Molly?”

  Joel looked at him. He took a second to process the question.

  “A while,” he replied. He paused. “Why?”

  Sean pulled the release and opened the door. “Just wondering.”

  He got out.

  Joel followed suit, turning quickly to continue the conversation outside. Sean had exited, but then reached back in to pick up the device he’d wedged in the door pocket.

  Joel wanted to push the issue, but instead closed the car door and started walking in the direction of the piping intersection they were guarding. Glancing around, his instincts kept him alert and focused on the job… despite the obvious distraction.

  Sean jogged to catch up, his muscular weight pounding into the semi-firm sandy grit. “So you and she… you’re not a thing?”

  Joel kept his eyes straight ahead. “No, sir. We’re not a thing.” His jaw was stiff again.

  Sean strode along a little more relaxed now, scanning the area for signs of movement. He carefully folded the antidote device into a pouch in his trouser leg.

  He wasn’t done with the Molly subject. “So, does she have anyone… special?”

  I’m special to her, you dick! Joel thought - along with a vision of punching the guy into the next ‘realm.

  “Nope. Not really,” he replied, as casually as he could manage.

  “No one in orbit?” Sean asked, either digging, or making sure.

  Joel shook his head again. “She doesn’t tend to get into relationships.”

  Sean raised one eyebrow, and looked over at him. “Why’s that?”

  Joel shrugged, really not wanting to have this conversation with Sean Royale, the super soldier. “She just doesn’t. People make her uncomfort-”

  Movement caught Joel’s eye over to the right, around behind the structure where Sean had jumped him earlier that day. He put his hand up to signal to Sean, who stopped dead in his tracks. Sean quietly reached for his weapon.

  Joel did the same half a heartbeat later.

  Stalking forward, knees bent, guns trained on the ground ahead of them, both were on high alert, being careful not to make any sudden movements that would alert anyone to their presence.

  Sean signaled he was going to go around the back of the main structure where they had fitted the camera. Joel nodded, and continued around the front.

  Step after step, they drew closer.

  Sean could hear a heartbeat, projected through his auditory implant. It was Estarian. Male. His tension levers were elevated. He was hiding. Sean realized he had no way to communicate this intel to Joel, but it was okay. He had it handled. This was probably their guy.

  Deftly, barely moving a muscle, he flicked his gun to stun. He wanted him alive.

  Simultaneously, Joel moved around the corner, gun outstretched in front of him.

  There, sweating, hands already in the air, was the missing scientist.

  Joel reacted first. “Stay right where you are!” he ordered.

  Sean’s eyes widened. “Don’t kill him. Stun only!” he blurted.

  The Estarian, gray, fatigued, and in poor physical condition, stood there shaking. Joel looked up and spotted the device in his hand.

  A screech of tires tore through the air, pulling his attention away for a second. He quickly fixed his eyes back on the toxin-wielding Estarian.

  Sean yelled out “Hold him! It’s the missing scientist. I’m going after the car.”

  He shot off, pounding on the rough terrain far faster than Joel could have done, even on a good day, following the sound of the vehicle’s engine.

  Joel, with the scientist in his sights, removed the toxin deployment device from his hand, and secured his wrists in restraints. The Estarian didn’t resist.

  Then he asked the question they had all been mulling since the crisis began. “Who sent you?”

  The scientist, already petrified, started blubbering. “Please… please, they have my family.”

  Joel looked around, making sure there weren’t any other hostiles lurking. “What’s your name?” he asked.

  “David Rek. I’m a scientist at Venture Research. They made me mix the toxin. They were making me put it into the water. They still have my family… My wife and little girl. Please… please help them.”

  Joel saw Sean jogging back, empty-handed. Sean shook his head.

  Joel pulled Rek around, holding one of his upper arms. “Okay, let’s get you out of here. We need some answers.” He turned and started steering the prisoner off the car.

  “You wanna stay here and keep an eye out, in case this isn’t the only attack?” he called across to Sean as they started moving out.

  Sean stood still when he reached the point where Joel had arrested David. “Sure thing. Again, only use the server to contact me, though. Keep me posted.”

  “Roger that,” Joel called back to him, without even turning around. Rek stumbled, and Joel, distracted, had to catch him to take his weight, and keep him on his feet.

  He took the scientist back to the car, carefully making sure the toxin was secured in a pocket in the back, out of the reach of any suicidal crazies.

  He didn’t notice the figure hidden by the undergrowth, peeking from behind the floodlight structure. The figure pulled back quietly, just as Joel straightened up to get into the drivers’ seat.

  She watched him pull away.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Spire Central Water Facility, Hlidargata

  As the sun went down, Maya realized that hanging around the location was probably a waste of time. She’d seen the two ex-military-looking guys take the kidnapped scientist away - along with what she could only assume was the toxin. She’d heard his protests, that they were holding his family, and forcing him to poison the city… They had it in-hand.

  Hanging around, watching super-soldier number two guard the location, wasn’t going to give her any more answers.

  And heck knows how he isn’t exhausted, she wondered. She’d been staking out the place for a good eight hours before anyone even showed up. And she’d been sitting in her car. He’d been standing out in the dust and radiation for hours.

  Nope, it was time to call it a day. She had pictures of the two guys and the scientist on her holo. She just needed to connect back up to the XtraNET, and she could find out who these people were.

  She started the car and pulled away.

  She didn’t notice the space marine turn his head and clock her car registration number as she drove off.

  It didn’t take much driving to find a mocha shop that had XtraNET she could tap into. Reopening the port on her holo, she hijacked the signal to continue her investigation.

  First the marines: who were they? she asked herself, clipping their faces and running the images through facial rec. She left it running; she needed to be sure. Full scan. And time for a mocha and some food.

  She got out of the car and stretched her legs, then arched her back. Locking up the car, she ambled towards the mocha shop. Suddenly, she had a funny feeling she was being watched. She looked around her. There was no one there.

  Keep your eyes peeled, Maya, she told herself. You’re onto something here. Can’t be too careful.

  Her father had taught her how to recognize if someone was tailing
her. Even as a child, she knew to take note of all the cars in a parking lot, and things like the number of people around a building like this.

  She made her way into the mocha shop through the sliding atmos door. At the counter, she placed her order. Ten minutes later, she was sitting in the window, watching out for anything unusual while searching what she could access from a normal XtraNET connection.

  At least I know who the good guys are, now, she mused to herself. They didn’t kill the scientist, but they stopped him from hurting anyone. She pulled up the pictures of the two men again. Something caused her to stop and look at them more closely.

  One of them looked familiar. She couldn’t make the connection at first but then… Yes! She scrambled for her company’s newsfeed, and searched the video clips.

  Yes! That was where she’d seen him.

  It was way too grainy to do a facial rec match, but that was very likely the guy with Molly Bates on the Dewitt footage.

  Great! she thought. Now we’re getting somewhere, baby.

  Just as soon as the facial rec came back, she’d have an ID, and a break in the case.

  It took another two mochas for the facial software to return a result.

  Joel Dunham. Honorably discharged, but his file was sealed. Something fishy went down there. But that was several years ago.

  She kept searching in the usual databases. Transport, housing, financial, and holo records. Nothing gave her any insight. But then… flight plans. He’d spent the last few months off-world. No fixed address.

  Interesting.

  She tried digging. All that would come up was his association with Molly Bates in the police records to do with Dewitt. Nothing about in what capacity.

  Shit. If only I could get into those files.

  She flicked up the facial rec software that was returning a result.

  **NO MATCH**

  That was for the guy with Dunham.

  She went back to the original pictures of them. The second guy looked more heavily-built, especially for a human. She wondered… Maybe he’s off-grid. Working for the military. Which would explain the abilities I’ve seen; he moved faster than a human could.

  She pulled up the footage and ran the high res image, taking the spectrum down to the infrared. Zooming in, she selected the images and then blew them up.

  Was that-?

  Just behind his ear, she could see an implant; but bigger than a normal auditory one.

  She zoomed to another part of his body. There were low temperature lines, like cables, or implants, or something, running the length of his legs. She tried to get a better angle, but it was too fiddly on her device.

  But it got her thinking. A few years ago there were rumors of cyborgs - half men, half machine, being created for a secret war. She’d dismissed it as conspiracy theory. Speculative fiction. But now, seeing this untraceable man, knee-deep in a conspiracy to wipe out half the city, she had to wonder.

  She lifted her mocha cup, to take another comforting sip, only to find it empty. Feeling hollow and exhausted, her mind somewhat foggy now, she tried to refocus on Joel. He was traceable. And if he was living off-world, sooner or later she knew exactly where he’d show up.

  She plunked the empty mug down on the table and gathered up her belongings. She looked at the counter, contemplating taking another mocha with her, but then decided against it.

  She really needed sleep at some point.

  She just had one more stop to make…

  Ventus Research Facility, downtown Spire

  Joel was on high alert.

  Transporting a prisoner solo was one of the highest-risk operations a person could take on. And that was despite the low level threat the scientist physically posed.

  He whipped through all the strategies he would teach his cadets.

  Know your route.

  Check your route.

  Be aware of your enemies and know who might ambush you.

  Fail. Fail. Fail. Fail.

  He felt like he had held his breath the entire journey.

  Every car was suspicious.

  Every holo device active on the street from passersby was a potential weapon.

  Not to mention the fact that he was carrying the deadly toxin.

  He had no idea if it might explode right there in the car. Maybe it was on a timer. He couldn’t totally trust everything the scientist had been telling him as he drove, quizzing him incessantly.

  After all, he was under duress from the kidnappers, and now from Joel himself.

  Fuck!

  At least when he got there, he’d be able to hand the scientist over to the police. Detective Indius had been most accommodating and grateful on the holo call, as he’d set off from the Hlidargata site.

  Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime since leaving Sean at the drop point, he pulled up at Ventus. He got out of the car and went around to the other side. Carefully, he opened the door and helped the prisoner out.

  He glanced towards the back pocket where the toxin was. Safer to leave it there and get the scientist inside and handed over, he decided. Even if it did mean that he was leaving it unattended.

  Can’t be helped. He locked the car and frog-marched Rek into the facility.

  Everything was quiet.

  Since bringing Molly on board, the directors had concluded that she could do far more than all their scientists combined. Something about her attitude had persuaded them. That’s what he’d heard from Eugene, anyway.

  Their footsteps resounded through the dark, empty corridors. Emergency, low-level lighting guided their way through the building, as if low light was a mark of shame. Joel’s boots were heavy on the ground. Ordered in a solid, regular beat. David’s were scattered. He stumbled every now and again, off-balance, despite Joel only lightly holding his arm now.

  Eventually they arrived in the lab. Without acknowledging any of the many bodies standing around the main workstations, Joel grabbed a swivel chair and sat David into it. Then he tied his middle and legs to the chair, immobilizing him.

  Finally he looked up and acknowledged the people in the room.

  “Mr. Dunham. Thank you for your call.” Detective Indius stepped away from the group, moving towards Joel, her hand outstretched. He shook her hand and then glanced over at the others. Eugene was at his station, and Pieter had been working away at something… the camera screens monitoring the three original sites still.

  Joel nodded to the others before turning back to Indius. “You’re welcome. I’m glad to have him off my hands, if anything.”

  He hesitated, not really knowing if he should hand over the toxin.

  “We retrieved the toxin,” he told her. “Except, I don’t think that taking it to the precinct is a good idea.”

  Eugene practically jumped out of his chair. “You’re kidding! It’s totally NOT a good idea! Do you have any idea-”

  Pieter had stood up and was about to chime in too.