The Vastalimi Gambit (21 page)

It was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to him. And would remain so for, well, forever . . . so far . . .

_ _ _ _ _ _

“What happened to Yeng?”

He shook himself. “He had a concussion. He didn’t remember anything that happened that day once he woke up. He never knew what or who hit him. As far as Yeng was concerned, he had fallen and hit his head while walking alone in the woods going home.”

“And the fem?”

“She didn’t report the assault. She and I were a one-time deal. We never did it again.”

“That must have been disappointing.”

“I can’t tell you how much, but I was happy for the experience. More than happy. Ecstatic.”

“Ah. That explains much.”

He looked at her.

In that moment, it
did
explain much.

It was not as if he had forgotten it, that wasn’t ever going to happen, but he hadn’t made that connection to the adrenaline and testosterone in quite the same way before.

Huh. How could he have missed that?

That the intensity of one was so wrapped around the other? It was so obvious.

Man.
There
was a big fucking blind spot . . .

_ _ _ _ _ _

“Well, that was easy,” Gramps said.

They were in the vehicle Em had gotten for them, a freight van large enough to carry a dozen people, with room left over for cargo. Not the most comfortable thing Cutter had ever ridden in, but sealed and air recycled so as not to be leaking their scent, and hiding them from curious eyes.

“The second vehicle is twenty minutes away,” Em said. “Our driver will take this one for a long drive in the country after we switch. We will operate the second one ourselves.”

Cutter nodded. “Good job. Formentara?”

Zhe held up the tracker. “Looks like Wink has stopped for the night, and we are assuming that Kay is still with him. Out in the middle of nowhere. Given our location and likely speed, we won’t be able to get there before dawn tomorrow at the earliest.”

“Why would they be there?” Jo asked Em.

She shrugged. “Who can say? There doesn’t appear to be anything there where they are save fields. Stopped to rest? The vehicle malfunctioned? Maybe they’ve been captured again? We won’t know unless we go see.”

“What I’m wondering, Colonel,” Formentara said, “is why Leeth didn’t give us their local com numbers. Surely, she has those.”

“I think maybe she doesn’t want us involved with any of this. Might be worried we’d try to sneak off and meet up with them if we knew where to meet.”

Gunny shook her head. “She didn’t trust us? Ah can’t imagine that.”

“So we head that way, and see what’s what,” Cutter said. “If you can sleep, once we switch rides would be good. You good to drive, Gramps?”

“Always. I can sleep, too. These damn things can drive themselves—just program in a destination and lean back.”

“If it’s all the same, I’d rather you keep an eye on the road,” Cutter said. “Just in case.”

“No problem. I slept last week.”

_ _ _ _ _ _

Kay waded back through the grass, a morning breeze waving the greenery as Wink watched.

He needed to go pee, and even though it was not the most comfortable night he had ever had, he was more rested than he would have been trying to sleep in the cart.

When he got back, Kay had broken out a couple of ration packs. They weren’t anything he recognized immediately, but the heat package worked, and the goop inside warmed to something he could keep down even though it had the consistency of white paste . . .

“So, off to see another rich person?”

“Yes. I have spoken to Jak and to Shan. Neither knows I talked to the other, but both named this Vastalimi, who owns a goodly section of a small town eighty klicks north of the town an hour ahead of us. He made a sudden profit trading in hospital supplies used in treatment of the disease. It could be a coincidence, but . . .”

“Probably we should ask him about that,” he finished.

_ _ _ _ _ _

Cutter awoke, aware that Jo was leaning in his direction in the seat across from his. She didn’t say anything, but his proximity detector usually stayed on when he was asleep. “What?”

“They are on the move,” she said. She looked at Formentara.

“They started out in our direction a little over an hour ago,” zhe said, “then veered north. There is a town up that way, just south of some fairly tall mountains, and that’s pretty much all there is for several hundred kilometers past. If they stop there, it will be a couple of hours before we catch them.”

Cutter nodded. “Okay. Can we get that far without refueling?”

“Yes,” Em said. “And we have food and water. Probably best if we stop to stretch and make scat somewhere where you won’t be seen.”

“Find a spot, Gramps. My kidneys seem to be working just fine. Though these are not the most comfortable seats I’ve ever used.”

“Probably the designer never expected human asses to perch on them,” Formentara said.

Em said, “They aren’t particularly comfortable for us, either. The People tend to walk or run when they can, and being reminded that mode is a better way is probably part of the design.”

“The cart’s computer says the population is 1457, and according to the map, our guy lives in the biggest house in the village.”

Kay nodded.

“We speak of one
Okloo
masc, and the scat according to the rumor mill is that he likes wine, fems, wine, and fems, not necessarily in that order. His net worth seems to be as much as the last two to whom we spoke. He buys and sells things.”

Kay didn’t say anything.

“Want to bet against the notion that he knows we are coming?”

“No.”

He caught the sharp tone in her reply. “Something?”

“Everyone to whom we have spoken of late has known we were coming.”

“Yeah, the criminal comnet seems to work as well as others.”

“Perhaps, but that’s not enough.”

He thought about it for a second.
Yeah.
“How did Rill know?”

“Precisely. The others might have been warned by Rill though that seems unlikely. If Shan did not tell him—and I believe that he would not, after we spoke of it—then who told Rill? Because he knew who we were, and he was expecting us.”

Wink nodded. “I just assumed he’d heard about us investigating. Human and a Vastalimi Healer, can’t be whole lot of folks like us around.”

“Possible. Yet it bothers me.”

“Because . . . ?”

“Shan gave us the list of names. If Shan didn’t warn them, who else could have known about Rill?”

“Maybe he told somebody.”

She nodded.

“So it has got to be Shan, one way or another.”

“Maybe.”

“What are you thinking here?”

“I am not sure. Perhaps it will become clear after we talk to Okloo.”

“Be the first thing that did become clear if it does.”

_ _ _ _ _ _

“Are we there yet?” Gunny said, approximating the whine of a child.

“No. And don’t make me stop this vehicle,” Gramps said. “Sit there and watch the grass wave. Don’t bother your siblings.”

Cutter smiled.

“Another hour,” Gramps said.

“Ah’m bored, Ah’m tired, Ah’m hungry, Ah have to go pee!” Gunny said. But she grinned, too.

_ _ _ _ _ _

Kay stopped the cart. “There is the gate.”

It was a hundred meters ahead and formidable-looking, especially for a private residence.

“Let’s go and—hold up,” Wink said. “How many guards do you see?”

“Four.”

“Does that seem like a lot?”

“Three-meter-tall electric fence, a fortified kiosk, a heavy gate. Two guards are twice what is needed.”

“Turn around. I think we might be in trouble.”

Kay nodded. He was right. She put the cart into reverse, wheeled it to the side, made the beginning of a three-point turn.

“Hello,” Wink said.

The gate opened. There were two four-person vehicles that appeared behind the guards and headed toward the portal, gaining speed.

“Shit! Go!”

Kay finished the turn and accelerated, but the cart was not exactly built for speed.

“Hurry up.”

The two carts cleared the gate.

“The accelerator is fully engaged.”

“Then better weave and find cover, because—”

As if on cue, the carts behind them sprouted Vastalimi from the side widows, and they started shooting. A couple of the rounds from carbines blew past, and a few more smacked into the cart, punching holes through the back window, thumping into the body, and sending shards of plastic every which way.

“Dammit!”

Kay slewed the cart to the left, made a skidding turn into a narrow walkway not designed for such vehicles. The ride got bumpier, but there was nobody visible behind them at the moment.

“Guess our guy Okloo knew we were coming, too, and he doesn’t want to talk to us. Good thing they can’t shoot that well.”

An alley loomed ahead. Kay applied the brake, slowed, turned into the alley to the right, banged the rear of the cart into something.

“Hey!”

“Would you like to pilot?”

“I would, but I don’t think we have time to switch seats.”

Wink had his pistol out, but it was designed for soft targets and wouldn’t do much to the carts behind them.

“We need a Plan B,” he said.

“Offer one.”

“I’m working on it.”

He tapped the cart’s computer and pulled up a map.

_ _ _ _ _ _

“Hmm,” Formentara said.

“What does that mean?” Jo asked. There was nothing to be seen past the polarized windows to the sides save waist-high, bluish green grass, waving in a gentle breeze, stretching to the horizon. Or at least as far as Jo’s opticals could scan, which was pretty much to the horizon . . .

“Well, if you narrow the PPS view and zoom in, you can see that Wink’s implant is moving along at a good speed, much faster than it has been. And changing direction frequently.”

“He’s chasing somebody,” Gramps offered.

“Or somebody is chasing him,” Gunny said. “Pick it up, old man. Something is going on, and we don’t want to miss it.”

“Out of the mouths of babes.”

_ _ _ _ _ _

“There’s a turn ahead, two streets, take it to the left.”

“Why?”

“Because it crosses a narrow bridge five hundred meters past. If we park the cart there and disable it, it stops them from following in their carts.”

“They will continue pursuit on foot.”

“Yeah, and my pistol becomes useful. Once we get a couple, we can take their weapons and level the playing field some.”

“A simple plan. I don’t see great odds in our favor.”

“It’s what I have.”

“Very well.”

She made the turn. The bridge was visible. The river wasn’t that wide, and the bridge was old, a single-lane, stressed-plast arch, gone pale gray with age, probably there for a couple of hundred years. Not a lot of vehicular traffic using it, she’d guess.

“Okay, so we go to the other end, turn the cart sideways to block the road, and find a spot to hide. They get out, I plink a couple of them, then we haul ass.”

“That won’t get us new weapons.”

“Don’t be picky; we’ll get those later.”

_ _ _ _ _ _

“Fifteen minutes,” Gramps said.

“They appear to have stopped moving at the moment,” Formentara said. “That could be good or bad.”

“Best we hurry and go see.”

“Wait—he’s moving again.”

_ _ _ _ _ _

“I will draw their attention,” Kay said. “Shoot while they are distracted.”

They were off the bridge and behind a plastcrete abutment. “You can hit them at this distance?”

“Twenty meters? All day long and twice on Seventh Day.”

“Pardon?”

“An old expression. I’ll hit them.”

The first of the pursuing vehicles skidded to a halt on the bridge, where it was blocked by the abandoned vehicle. Three Vastalimi males piled out and ran for the obstruction.

Kay yelled. Wink didn’t recognize all the terms, but he was pretty sure one of them was “Fatherfuckers!”

She stepped out into the clear.

The trio of chasers brought their weapons up—

The second vehicle slewed to a stop behind them—

Wink edged around the corner of the abutment, lined up on the first one.

One dart each, he decided.

He fired, shifted his aim, fired again, and the third one realized he was in trouble and danced to the side, but too late.

Three seconds, three shots, Three hits for three. Gunny would be proud.

The remaining Vastalimi ducked for cover.

“Let’s go,” Wink said.

_ _ _ _ _ _

Kay ran slow, to allow Wink to keep up. They were in a residential area, cubes and multiunits, good terrain in which to hide.

“There are five of them left,” she said. “We can’t outrun them. We need to circle behind them. They won’t expect that.”

“Really?”

“They are in hunt lust. Fleeing prey runs or goes to ground, sometimes climbs, but it seldom comes around behind to attack.”

“Okay.”

“To the left, that alley.”

They ran.

_ _ _ _ _ _

“Not far now,” Gramps said. “Ten minutes.”

“They are moving again,” Formentara said. “But slowly, and in an area that looks to be housing. Out of the cart, on foot. Changing direction a lot.”

“Chasing somebody or being chased,” Gunny said. “Broken-field running.”

_ _ _ _ _ _

“Stay low,” Kay said.

Wink nodded, crouched behind a refuse can full of something that smelled rotten.

The pursuing Vastalimi ran past their hiding place and never glanced in their direction.

Kay bolted so fast, Wink felt as if he were mired in the mud as he ran to follow her.

He cleared the edge of the alley in time to see Kay spring and land on the straggler bringing up the rear, taking him to the street. They hit hard, made some impact noise, and her claws were almost a blur they moved so fast. She ripped out his throat—

Wink stopped, took a deep breath, let half of it out, and raised his pistol.

The nearest of the four still on foot was twenty-five meters away, slowing and trying to turn at the sound of his fallen comrade. The farthest was five meters past that. Getting to be a long shot for this weapon.

Wink aimed. Fired. Retargeted and fired again.

Two of them went down.

The third shot missed.
Fuck!

His fourth shot connected, but there was still one left, and that one had spun all the way around to face them.

He brought his carbine to bear on Wink . . .

Wink realized he wasn’t going to be able to get lined up in time—

Shit—

The last of their chasers curled in a sudden spasm, as if hit in the belly, and fell facedown.

What . . . ?

Wink saw Kay, lying prone next to the one she’d clawed down. She had collected his carbine and fired it, taking out the fifth Vastalimi.

He sometimes forgot she knew how to shoot pretty well.

Just like that, they were done.

Eight up. Eight down. Missed one shot, but damn. That’s a big win.

He changed magazines in his pistol and walked over to where Kay was coming to her feet.

“Well, that wasn’t as hard as I expected,” he said. “They weren’t very good, were they?”

“Obviously not,” she said. “Good would have killed us at the gate.”

There weren’t any locals sticking their heads out to see what was going on, but Wink expected there would be soon. He hurried up to the first one he had shot, collected the dead Vastalimi’s carbine and spare ammo magazines. Kay already had one. “We better move,” he said.

Kay nodded.

“Back to the rich man’s house, I take it?”

“We haven’t gotten what we came for yet,” she said. “Nothing has changed.”

“You mean other than a bunch of bodies littering the local streets?”