Zero echo shadow prime, p.16
Zero Echo Shadow Prime, page 16
{Charlie: You magnetized the Polly?
Alan: Clever, huh?
Charlie: Alan…I…
Alan: Don’t mention it.
Charlie: I’m sorry I doubted you.}
Charlie swung loosely as Alan’s Polly weaved between buildings and over the streetlights below. Just when she thought she was out of harm’s way, she spotted another Polly reflected in the window of a nearby building. She turned her head and discovered not one but several resident Pollys rocketing toward her.
{Charlie: We’re being followed.
Alan: If we can get to the bay, your fall survival rate will increase to near one hundred percent. The Pollys won’t follow you under the water.
Charlie: And then what? We need to rescue my sister. ZERO.
Alan: We are in agreement. But you’re in no condition to help her right now. And we can’t outrun these Pollys.}
The Pollys were indeed gaining ground, probably because they were not burdened by dangling, injured robots.
{Charlie: How long do I have to stay underwater, then?
Alan: Your damage is extensive. It will take a long time for your body to repair itself. I’m thinking days.
Charlie: Days! She could be dead in days!
Alan: I’m sorry. There’s no other way.}
Charlie looked down as the urban grid gave way to the dark and foreboding water of the San Francisco Bay. The enemy Pollys would overtake her in less than ten seconds, so she had to make the plunge.
{Alan: The water will be icy at first. But don’t worry—I’ll dope you.
Charlie: We have no other recourse?}
Alan didn’t respond. The Polly’s magnetic grasp evaporated. Charlie entered free fall. She crashed against the surface of the bay and instantly started sinking.
III - INFILTRATION
9
ZERO
As the adrenaline wore off, Charlie slipped into a daze, too exhausted to stay awake, but too nervous and uncomfortable to fall asleep. She was thrown into the back of a car and shuttled from one rendezvous point to the next—a seedy bridge underpass, an abandoned gas station, and finally, a department store in an abandoned mall.
The store was a relic. The parking lot had long been reclaimed by saplings, the lights no longer received electricity, and a pile of mannequins sat in the corner like a mass grave, placing the store’s closure date well before the advent of Shadows. The Sapiens exhumed a thick layer of dust as they shuffled through the dark space. Charlie’s pupils expanded to take in the pale light, which drifted through the windows from distant street lamps.
Yuri set up a mini-clinic in the front of the store. He cut through Liam’s tattered pant leg and exposed the wound underneath. Charlie cringed at the sight. Thick chunks of flesh splayed open, creating a gash that was almost as wide as it was long. Yuri applied a large needle to the area. “It’s not that bad,” he said, despite the evidence to the contrary. “Nothing broken, at least.”
Liam was less concerned about the wound than his missing sister. Nicola was presumably combing the suburbs for a new getaway vehicle, but no one had heard from her in hours. As soon as Liam’s leg was cleaned and bandaged, he headed toward the loading dock to wait for her return. Charlie had to squash her objection—Liam was the only one in this weird cult group she semitrusted—but she didn’t want to display any fear or bias.
Next on Yuri’s agenda was the cut on Charlie’s arm, which required stitches. The motorcycle accident had been relatively kind to her—only a few bruises, some surface scrapes on her palms and forearms, and a long gash under her right elbow—the damage not substantial enough to distract her from the nausea and fatigue produced by the cancer. To her relief Yuri didn’t bring up the subject of coffee enemas again.
Jesse remained oblivious to the medical proceedings. He kept his nose pressed against the store display window and announced, “There’s another one!” every few minutes as a Polly sailed over the tree line. “We are being hunted down, like General George Washington after the Battle of Long Island.”
“Uh-huh.” Yuri kept his focus on the suture needle and made another pass along Charlie’s arm.
“Do you think they told my parents yet?” Jesse’s eyes glistened in the pale light. Only the thinnest scaffold of bravery held his composure together.
Yuri huffed. “It shouldn’t matter what your parents think. They’ve been brainwashed by the oligarchy.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Charlie snapped. “You’re not the one who was marked.”
“It was his choice to join us.” Yuri pulled tight on Charlie’s suture to punctuate his point. “He’s here because he believes in the wisdom of Bob Sapio.”
“He’s just a kid!”
“He knows the stakes—”
“The stakes? You mean the delusional ramblings of a paranoid schizophrenic—”
“Charlie…” Jesse interjected. He got up from the display window and approached her. “Yuri’s right. I’m being selfish. I may be marked, but none of us are truly free. Not my parents. Not you. The Pollys watch everyone. They need to go.”
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” Charlie said, “but the Pollys aren’t going anywhere.”
“Don’t worry, we have a plan.”
“Jesse!” Yuri yanked Charlie’s final stitch almost to the point of ripping the skin.
“Owww!” She swiped the pair of scissors from Yuri’s hand and cut the loose thread herself. Then she turned to Jesse and asked, “What plan?”
The boy’s face hardened under Yuri’s threatening stare. “I don’t know,” he mumbled. “They don’t tell me much.”
Charlie was about to press him further when a door banged open, drawing everyone’s attention to the back of the store. “You fucking bitch!” Nicola’s shadowy figure barreled toward Charlie at alarming speed.
Liam limped after her, hollering, “It was my call! I gave her the launcher!”
Charlie held out her hand in defense, but Nicola’s impact was brutal. Charlie’s head slapped against the floor as Nicola fell on top of her. “You almost killed him!” Nicola spat. She clawed for Charlie’s jugular, and the two became a tangle of limbs. Charlie didn’t realize she was still holding the suture scissors until after she’d drawn blood. She jabbed Nicola between the ribs. The instrument was short and blunt, but it still caused Nicola to arch her back and yelp.
Liam swooped over Nicola, grabbed her by the shoulders, and tore her away from Charlie. She skidded several feet across the dusty floor.
Charlie scrambled backward, eager to increase the distance between herself and Nicola. She rubbed her head, which throbbed with adrenaline. After a few hard wheezes, she realized she was the only one in the room making a sound.
Yuri and Jesse both sat with their mouths agape, hanging on Nicola’s next move. Liam’s posture stiffened. He stared at his own hands, befuddled, as if they had acted without his authorization. “I…I’m so sorry.”
Nicola slowly climbed to her feet and brushed the dust from her clothes. “Bring me the scissors,” she instructed Liam in a low, measured tone. She had swallowed most of her rage, though it was still visible through the whites of her eyes.
“Why?” Liam asked, as if afraid of the answer.
“Because she fucking stabbed me,” she said, massaging the small red splotch on the side of her T-shirt.
Liam gave his sister a hesitant nod. He walked over to Charlie and opened his palm.
Charlie tightened her grip on the scissors and stole a glance at Nicola. Her face was full of nicks and scars, as well as two deep grooves that extended diagonally across her cheek, over her lip, and under her jaw. A person with such wounds would probably have less compunction about inflicting them on others.
“It’s okay,” Liam said. “I won’t let her hurt you.”
Charlie took another look at the scissors. A trace amount of blood coated the tip. She quickly wiped it on her shirt—a fatuous attempt to hide the evidence. She knew this was a battle she couldn’t win. To delay the exchange would only incur more of Nicola’s wrath. She steadied her hand and placed the weapon onto Liam’s open palm.
He pocketed the scissors.
“Give them to me,” Nicola ordered.
“She’s unarmed, just like you wanted.”
“I wanted you to give them to me.” Nicola punctuated each acid-tipped syllable.
Liam planted his feet on the floor and glared at his sister. The other two Sapiens observed the standoff in frozen silence, afraid to venture the slightest movement. Charlie’s hard swallow was louder than she would have liked.
“You’re out,” Nicola finally said.
Liam’s face drained of resolve. His brow turned up and he pleaded, “You can’t. I’m your only pilot.”
“Yuri—”
“Yuri has, what? Six weeks of training?”
“He can follow a fucking order.”
“Nicky…don’t do this. Please.” For the first time, Charlie detected fear in his voice.
Nicola blurted a laugh, though her eyes still smoldered. “After all this time, I finally see where your priorities lie. You obviously have no concern for my well-being. Didn’t matter that I got fucking stabbed. But as soon as I take your precious piloting away—”
“It’s not like that. I just—”
“And I defended you!” Nicola approached her brother. “And you threw me on the floor like I was some piece-of-shit rag doll.”
Liam lowered his gaze. His shoulders slumped like a scolded child.
“Then you told her”—she pointed to Charlie and mocked Liam’s deep voice—“‘Oh, don’t worry, I won’t let her hurt you.’ What the fuck do you think I was gonna do!?”
Liam’s eyes dodged her imploring glare, even as she stepped within a few inches of his face. “I…nothing. I’m sorry.”
“Great! So give me the fucking scissors!”
Liam paused a beat. Then he fished the scissors out of his pocket.
Nicola swatted them out of his hand, and they flew across the floor. With a huff, she turned and marched toward Charlie.
Charlie flinched, but Nicola wasn’t interested in resuming her assault. She dived into Yuri’s medicine bag and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. “My brother doesn’t think this is necessary,” she said, more to Liam than to Charlie.
Liam’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched, but he made no move to stop his sister.
Charlie was too frightened to resist. She winced as Nicola grabbed her tender arms and slapped on the cuffs. The metal bit into her wrists.
“He expects you’ll just gleefully join our movement once you learn the truth,” Nicola hissed into Charlie’s ear. “For whatever reason, he thinks you’re a moral person—not like all the other Ivy League trust fundies who believe they could simply refashion the world after their own perverse fantasies. This will be your one and only chance to prove him right.” She smacked Charlie’s scalp and stood up. “We’re leaving for your father’s estate in five.”
* * *
The drive to the Nobunaga estate was far from linear. Nicola made several U-turns and retraced a lot of ground to avoid Polly flight paths and traffic-cam checkpoints. Charlie was pinned in the backseat between Jesse and Liam, both of whom wore thick nanoweave vests. No one said a word the entire trip, and Charlie had to consciously steady her hands to keep them from rattling the cuffs. What did they want from her father? Were they going to hurt him? And the most vexing question of all: Would she learn something about her father she wished she hadn’t?
Halfway down the street from the estate entrance, they rendezvoused with a dark van. “The flight team,” Jesse informed Charlie. Four people spilled out of the rear door—two men and two women. Like most of the Sapiens Charlie had encountered, they were young and looked as though they hadn’t eaten a decent meal or bought new clothes in years.
Nicola talked to the flight team for a few minutes. Then she walked back to the car and opened Yuri’s door. Her manner was sharp and direct. “According to the satellite feed, Nobunaga has two security guards on the grounds. Making their sweep now. Can you go with Maurice?”
Yuri nodded. He pulled a handgun from the glove compartment and left the vehicle.
“They’re gonna kill ’em?” Charlie asked.
Nicola ignored her and addressed Jesse, “You’re coming with us. I want you to carry Charlie. Liam, you’re staying here with the flight team.”
“What?” Liam protested. “I’m fine. Jesse’ll get hurt out there.”
“I don’t want any added weight on your leg.” She turned and left before Liam could object further.
Liam hooked one hand behind Charlie’s back and held Jesse off with the other.
Jesse’s brow scrunched in confusion. “But Nicola—”
“I’ll handle Nicola,” Liam said.
“But your leg.”
“My leg’s fine.” Liam reached behind his back and pulled out a handgun. “Here. Hang on to this and try to look tough.”
Jesse reached for the gun as if it were a live scorpion. Before exiting the car, he whispered to Charlie, “Don’t worry, it’ll be okay,” clearly trying to convince himself as much as her.
* * *
The quiet residential street was well illuminated, though the Sapien crew kept to the shadows as much as they could. Nicola shot her brother a dirty look when she discovered his quiet defiance, but she didn’t pursue the issue.
Charlie felt light in Liam’s arms, and she suddenly blushed for being so close to this very real—as in nonvirtual—human male. He smelled like sweat and motor oil, but underneath that, a trace of fabric softener. His eyelids twitched ever so slightly when he stepped on his bad leg, but he still tried to walk normally. He was putting on an act. Like his sister, he repressed aspects of his true self, but her eyes betrayed a bitter rage, whereas his brimmed with hope.
He stole a glance at Charlie, and she quickly turned away. She had been staring at him. Thankfully, the moment passed without comment. When she ventured another look, Liam had already fixed his gaze outward.
“What are you planning to do with my father?” she whispered. She had prodded him a few times before, but now he was truly stuck with her—no helmet to hide behind, no loading dock to retreat to.
Liam kept his head up, but his jaw clenched and his chest inflated. He didn’t do stoic nearly as well as his sister.
“That was you at the Rivir gala, wasn’t it? You knew what was gonna happen. You tried to warn me.” Charlie gave him a few seconds to respond. When he didn’t, she pressed further: “I know you want to do the right thing. You shouldn’t let your sister boss you around.”
“I am doing the right thing,” Liam snapped under his breath.
“You said you would take me to see my sister. Or sisters, as you claim.”
“I will. We just have to do this first.”
“And what exactly is this?”
Liam sealed his lips and looked up. They had reached the gate to her father’s estate, and Nicola was watching them. “Follow my lead,” she instructed Liam and Jesse. “Don’t deviate and this’ll go smoothly.”
A grin crept across Charlie’s face. The Sapiens obviously didn’t know her father well enough. Before he founded Lotus, he had been a member of the USAF Security Forces, and he liked to take care of security threats personally. Nicola had either overlooked that detail or underestimated it.
The gate was outfitted with a call box and a 3D security camera. Nicola pressed the intercom button and waited. Five seconds passed. Ten seconds. Jesse fidgeted with his gun and Liam took a few deep breaths. Twenty seconds passed. Charlie grew hopeful that her father wasn’t home—perhaps he was on an overseas trip. But then his familiar voice projected from the box. “I’m not expecting visitors at this hour.”
Nicola addressed the camera, “Hello, Mr. Nobunaga. We found your daughter by the side of the road. We’ve come to make a trade.”
“My daughter is dead.”
Nicola beckoned to Liam. He walked over to the camera and presented Charlie. For a moment, all they heard was static.
“What do you want?” Andrew finally said.
“First, don’t call the police. If you do, bad things will happen. The rest we can discuss when you let us in.”
The gate buzzed open.
The Sapiens crept up the cobblestone driveway. Nicola and Jesse huddled around Liam, forming a single unit. Jesse’s pistol darted erratically, while Nicola’s remained focused on the mansion’s front door.
Charlie tried to block the encroaching feelings of nostalgia. The Nobunaga grounds had once served as her playground. Most of its key features were real—the ancient sundial centerpiece, the fountains, the trees—great for hide-and-seek. Only the glowing butterflies were virtual. They were a memorial to Bridget—she had programmed their flight paths in grade school, and Andrew had reinstated them after she died.
Just as Charlie expected, her father’s Shadow, Johannes Kepler, with his voluminous neck ruff and salt-and-pepper beard, spun a few feet in front of the Sapiens. “You will place Charlie on the ground and walk away,” he said curtly.
“Andrew’s too afraid to come out himself?” Nicola quipped.
“Leave now and no actions will be taken against you.”
Footsteps approached from behind. The Sapiens turned to find a soldier aiming an assault rifle at them. Three more soldiers emerged from the trees. Andrew’s mercs.
Jesse pointed his trembling gun at one of them and slowly backed away from the huddle. Nicola kept her gun trained toward the mansion. “They’re not real,” she told Kepler with confidence. “They’re Shadows, just like you.”
“Do you really want to test that hypothesis?” Kepler asked.
“We only saw two guards on the heat scan, and my friends have already subdued them.”
Kepler paused, likely trying to contact the guards in question. “So you have,” he admitted. “But there’s still one more person in play.”
