Heavenfall: Genviants Book 1 (3 page)

"Why isn't he working for Palisade? I thought they snatched anyone who was a halfway decent hacker. The geek types make great controllers. Present company excepted, of course." No one would ever describe the man sitting next to her as a geek.

"Of course." Dex smiled at her, and not the usual "I'm humoring you" kind. "Palisade tried to recruit him, a little too hard and a little too enthusiastically. I think that's when he started putting the pieces together. The A, the rumors. A lot of his former clients are on the verge of total brainwave transformation."

On the street, the mech gangs called a failed transformation a "brain blast." Probably a good description. She'd seen it once while in training. Palisade had upped the wattage on the Sentinel energy web early in the morning, and by the afternoon a pink cast coated the sky. The poor guy had spent about thirty minutes on the firing range, hitting the death shot every time. She was a couple of spots down from him, about ten or fifteen yards, and had just fired her last round when she'd heard him scream. It took only seconds before he collapsed in a puddle of his own blood. It had gushed out of his nose, ears, eyes.

"On the verge myself. You almost blasted, didn't you? Averted it with controller mech?"

"You're not going to blast." Dex said it with such certainty, she almost believed it.

"Niko turned Palisade down," He continued. "And because of their tactics, it was easy to convince him to join us. Niko doesn't know anything about our plan, yet. And no names. I'm fairly certain he's figured some of it out, though, because he didn't ask any questions. Even when we supplied him with the doctored A for Mary. However, we needed a legitimate excuse to go after Niko and get him out. I generated the report and fed the Commander false intel." He smirked. "The man is too much of a hot head and easily manipulated. He still needs his mother." Dex relaxed into the seat and closed his eyes. "Wake me when we get to the city."

Watching the scenery slide by, Ursula tried to remember her mother, and if she was pretty, but couldn't bring any childhood memories to the surface. Didn't remember her mother at all. Not because of the Wave, or the riots. No, one morning dear mom had taken a look at her three-bedroom rancher with its beige carpets, neutral counter tops, white appliances, nondescript furniture, and artist prints of serene landscapes on eggshell colored walls and decided she needed more zest in her life. More color. Apparently, the greens and yellows of baby shit and snot didn't fit the bill, and the blue of her husband's blue-collar job wasn't quite royal enough. So, she packed a few precious items, her credit cards, and left her husband to raise their only child.

Not that her father ever uttered an angry word against her mother. No, she'd heard the story in whispered snippets all her life from sympathetic neighbors, teachers, and even the pastor's wife at First Baptist where Dad took her to Sunday school.

No one had ever said her mother was pretty.

But sometimes she wondered, and how could she help but wonder, if the lack of motherly affection during the formative years had somehow contributed to the killer she'd become. Dad had done the best he could, but Sunday school and silly faces charred onto grilled cheese sandwiches didn't fill the void. Didn't ease the heartache of her mother not wanting her.

And sometimes she wondered if her mother ever found the color she craved.

Ursula remembered the power boost earlier in the afternoon and the hideously abundant color which turned the sky more reddish purple by the hour, and thought she'd had about as much color as she could take.

The car slowed to a stop and a spotlight shown through the windshield. Even if the driver wanted to evade the checkpoint, the glaring light made it impossible to see. The speakers on the tower crackled and overlaid the guard's voice with static. "Please exit the vehicle."

Ursula nudged Dex into motion. He opened the door and Ursula followed him out of the car.

"ID and destination."

"Municipal garage," the driver answered and held his ID in front of the scanner. Dex stepped up to the scanner and produced his ID, followed by Ursula.

"Identification and destination cleared," the disembodied voice announced. When they re-entered the car, Ursula heard the click, click, click of the electronic locks disengaging over the sound of the engine, then the weighty groan of the metal gates as they opened.

"The municipal garage?" Ursula asked as the car rolled through the checkpoint.

"Another part of the intel I didn't gave the commander. One of my dealers was picked up. He'll never make it to the detention center, though. The security team is mine. Unfortunately, a second team, not mine, joined them, and an old friend got caught in the middle. She took off when the second team arrived and is hiding in the garage. She's okay, but there's someone else we need to acquire first."

Dex opened the file. "Niko is meeting with a special customer at the Downtown Diner on
Market Square."

"That's not in the file. You wouldn't give the commander any pertinent info on Niko. Where'd you get the intel?"

"I'll explain later. You've missed a lot of meetings while you were on the wall."

"Yeah, well I was busy letting people over who are better at all the meeting stuff. I'm better at shooting than planning."

"No shooting tonight, no matter how tempting." He checked the display. "Good, they're still there. We'll wait outside until she leaves. Once she's outside, you go in and get Niko while I go after the girl."

"Who is she?"

Dex never took his gaze away from the screen. "Nathan Sullivan's daughter."

Ursula let out a low whistle. "Does she know?"

CHAPTER THREE

"That she's his daughter? Yeah, I'm pretty sure she does."

She hit his shoulder, just above the biomechanics, but not with enough force to cause the fluid to react. The stuff hardened like steel under pressure, and she didn't want to damage her trigger hand. "Asshole. You know what I meant. The nanite project?"

He looked at her fist, then dead into her eyes. "Don't push it, Ursula. And no, she's oblivious."

Under his hard stare, she forced her hand open and willed herself to relax. In that moment, he showed her a glimpse of the legendary mech gang leader, Danger Extreme, stupid nickname, but the look in his eyes frightened her more than she wanted to admit. She'd forgotten, for a little while, that his easy smiles, the camaraderie, the emotions, were all affectations. And a slight lapse in memory could get you slightly dead.

The car stopped in front of a boarded up shop on a narrow side street. Dex pocketed the locater and opened the car door. "She's on the move. I've got to find her before mech security does. We'll split up. You need to stick with Niko, get him into the car. I'll join you soon."

Ursula exited the vehicle and walked across the square and into the diner, but her casual strides didn't stop the customers from tensing. And with good reason. The only people who wore guns inside the wall were either a member of Hadrian's Security Force, or a member of a retrieval team. Hell, the guards at the checkpoints only had electroshock weapons and batons. Of course, they didn't need more than that to take down a mech. Nasty stuff, electrical currents, when they arced through a mech body. Stunk, too. Although, not a whole lot more than the food in this place.

Just for the hell of it, she rested her hand, palm open, on the butt of her gun. Nobody pissed their pants, but one guy shook so violently food spilled off his plate. She gave him a grin. "Hey, a girl's gotta eat, and I heard the burgers here are to
die
for."

He flinched. A few others signaled for their checks, one girl never even looked up from the book she was reading, and Niko sat low in a booth munching on fries.

"Niko!" She crossed the floor and slid onto the seat across from him. "Fancy meeting you here. Man, it's been years."

"Yeah, seems like forever since we last saw each other." He stayed relaxed, just two old friends, but his pupils contracted and a cocky grin broke across his face.

She snitched a fry from his plate. "So, how's the burger?"

"Great, made with fifteen percent real reconstituted beef product. Smother it with enough mustard, and you can almost pretend you're eating the real thing."

He had to be confused, wary of the little game they played, but it didn't show. Dex made a good choice in Niko. He wouldn't give them up if he got caught. At least not right away.

The waitresses stayed on the other side of the diner, behind the protection of the long counter. Ursula waved at them and yelled her order. "Burger, loaded, fries. To go." She reached across the table and took Niko's hands in hers. "Why don't we go somewhere and catch up on old times?"

Damned if a twinkle didn't light his eyes. "Sounds good."

"To go order's up!" A waitress tossed a flimsy cardboard box by the register, clearly anxious for the pair, and any trouble they might cause, to leave.

Ursula stood, walked to the counter, and threw some bills next to the box. "Keep the change." The tip was generous enough to lend credibility to the scenario—happy to see an old friend. It might have been a little too much, too memorable. People with guns didn't leave tips. Hell, they didn't pay. If the commander had doubts and decided to do a little checking of his own, the waitresses could tell him every detail of her meeting Niko.

She took the box and headed to the door, not bothering to check and see if Niko followed. Once outside, she slowed her pace and allowed him to catch up.

He grabbed at her shoulder. "Hey, hold up a sec."

She stopped, but only because she didn't want Niko's attention on her while Dex headed into an alley down the street. She dropped the box, shoved Niko against the brick wall behind them, and pressed against him. "No questions. Not here. And, damn it, put your arms around me. Act like we're lovers."

His hold was tentative at best, but from a distance it probably looked like the intimate scene she wanted to project. Still entwined, Ursula pulled Niko to the car and pinned him against the fender until the driver opened the door for them. They tumbled in, and as soon as the driver closed the door, she rolled off Niko and moved to the opposite seat.

"You did good in the diner, but out there," she pointed to where her burger and fries littered the sidewalk, "not so much. Are you into guys or what?"

"How about scared shitless."

"And smart. I don't usually like that in a guy, but you're kind of cute, and I'd hate to have to kill you."

"Yeah, my number one rule of survival is 'Don't piss off people who can hurt me.' But hey, under different circumstances..." He let the words trail off and leaned forward.

"Save that attitude." She pushed him back. "You'll need it. Dex will be joining us in a few minutes."

"Dex? Holy shit."

Most people, most sane people anyway, blanched at the mention of Dex. "Who did you think you were working for?"

Niko's eyes lit with anticipation. "Didn't ask, and didn't care. Take Hadrian down? I'm in. Besides, everything was arranged online. Serious encryption. Didn't expect it to be Dex, though." He stared out the window. "Kinda makes sense with all the buzz."

With practiced speed and precision, she whipped both hands out, grabbed his shirt, and pulled him forward. "What buzz?"

Niko gulped. "Buzz is Hadrian's been a busy boy. Got some super secret plan in the works for, you know, after the wave hits."

Ursula released his shirt; smoothed out the creases. "Go on."

"See, most people don't believe the web is going to completely stop the wave. The odds makers are giving the win to Hadrian, but the spread is tight. Something like thirty percent of the wave will make it through and wreak all kinds of damage."

Apparently, Niko had a generous bookie. The last she'd heard, they expected about forty-five percent of the wave to breach the web.

"Then the buzz starts. Hadrian's got to know the odds, and for now, he's got the world by the 'nads. But after the fireworks? Him and his technology are garbage, 'cause everyone's expecting, you know, sticks and stones."

"Sticks and stones?"

"Yeah, Einstein's prediction for world war four?"

What the hell happened to world war three? And what did Einstein have to do with any of it? She'd heard of Einstein, of course, but not in this context, and didn't need the full dissertation now. "Right."

"So, anyway, Earth's gotta rebuild, and Hadrian's got no skills without his technology. Wave hits, and he's obsolete." Niko crossed his arms over his chest and stared out the window. "Can't allow that to happen, though, can he? Gotta make sure he's at the top, even if it's the top of a pile of rubble."

Damn. Despite the teasing with Dex, she hated missing the meetings. Niko, a freakin' street dealer, knew more than she did. "Do you think he has some kind of plan?"

"Oh, yeah. The controllers."

"The controllers? Fill me in here, because I must be missing something. I don't see how the controllers can help without the technology."

"Without emotion. Hadrian's got what amounts to a drone army at his disposal."

"There's not enough controllers to constitute an army, and a good portion of them spend more time at
Sensations
than at the control boards."

Niko snorted and let out a little bark of a laugh. "The stim junkies? Front line material. Totally expendable. Plus, word is, Hadrian's recruiting hard and heavy in oth
er countries. Building ‘training facilities’ to house the dumb shits who think they're gonna come here and save the world."

***

Mary quickened her pace to escape the anemic street lamps of
Market Square, slipped in and out of the shadows to get around the security patrols, and ducked into an alley. The dark t-shirt and jeans she wore blended into the wall behind her. Lots of activity on the Square tonight, and not just mech security. From her vantage point, she watched a wallflower get out of a black sedan and walk into the diner, and hoped the woman wasn't after Niko. Those hopes didn't keep her on the street, though. She still needed to get out, and even though Niko liked her, it wouldn't stop him from sending the wallflower after her if he thought it'd save his skin.

After her experience in the arch earlier, no way was she going to chance taking the A through, even if it was coated. Her hiding place wasn't far, just down the next alley. The Dragons had managed to chisel one of the cinder blocks out of the wall, and they used it to pass contraband through. Her A would be safe in the hollow space of the block until she made it out of the city. The brain blast ruse she usually used to keep people away was too risky to try with the car parked about fifty yards away and mech security patrolling the streets. Only official vehicles made it through to the city, and she didn't want the driver to notice her. Sticking to the shadows, she made her way down the street and forced herself to throw up at the mouth of the alley – wasn't hard with the crap from the diner – and stumbled out of the driver's line of sight.

Just another junkie, he'd think. And close to the truth. The pills weighed heavy wrapped in her jacket. Not so much the physical weight, but the emotional one. Not an addiction. Worse. So much worse, because most DTs didn't kill you if you couldn't get the drugs or alcohol. And the only mind blowing experience you got from A was the kind that had blood gushing out of your eyes if you didn't get enough of the drug.

Sight adjusted to the darkness, she walked the length of the alley to the wall, hunched down, and pulled the block out. She hated the scraping sound it made, always gave her the shivers, and she cursed under her breath when the sharp edges of the surrounding blocks nicked her fingers.

"You sure your stash will still be there when you go to get it?" His voice came out of the shadows, smooth, low, and a little amused.

"Yeah." She wasn't alarmed, even though she couldn't see him. If he'd wanted the A, he'd have taken it before now.

"Good plan."

"It
was
a good plan."

"Still is. I'm not interested in the A. I'm interested in you."

She stood, turned, and hooked her hands in her back pockets. "
Not
a good plan. My brother and his mech gang will tear you to pieces."

He stepped close enough for her to recognize him and gave her a knowing smile. "I don't think so."

Feigning unfamiliarity, she snapped her fingers a few times. "It's Dex, right?"

"Mary. It's been a while."

"Not long enough. Why are you here? Nobody gives a damn about your
legend
status anymore. Go play with your friends in Hadrian's dog pen. We don't want you here. We're not recruitable." She sidestepped and tried to go around him, but he moved with her, blocked her way.

"That's where you're wrong. Everyone's recruitable. The recruiter just has to find the right job."

"I'd rather have a brain blast. Your boss left us with nothing, less than nothing when he killed my parents."

"It was an accident. You know that."

"No, I don't. And even if it was, he's still a killer for refusing to lift the ban of A for non-mechs. I'd rather watch Hadrian die a slow, painful death, a hundred times worse than any brain blast, than work for him. Because of the ban, he made me a criminal, so either arrest me or let me leave."

"I'm not here to arrest you, but I can't let you leave. I need you, Mary. I'm not here for Hadrian, and definitely not for a quick screw in a dirty alley. But I can't discuss it here. Give me an hour, please? Afterward, if you still feel the same, I'll go away."

Sometimes fear hit fast and hot, and sometimes it spread like ice under the skin. Mary glanced over her shoulder and wished she hadn't left her jacket on the other side of the fence. "You're almost believable. The ‘please’ was a nice touch, sounded sincere. Anybody who didn't know you traded your street cred for a controller's bennies and some freaky enhanced mechs might think you still had emotions."

He shrugged out of his suit coat and held it out to her. "I don't need enhanced vision to see you're freezing. Why the hell did you wear a t-shirt in this weather?"

"I wouldn't be standing out here in the cold if you hadn't stopped me. I don't need your jacket, or an hour. I'm not interested in anything you have to offer."

In a mocking gesture, Dex bowed, made a sweeping motion with his arm, and stepped to the side. "Your call, but don't expect the aspirin to be there when, or if, you make it out of the city. You probably won't make it without my help. Most of Hadrian's security force is looking for you right now." He flipped his jacket over his forearm, turned, and walked toward the waiting car.

Why would mech security be looking for her? They wouldn't be. Dex was trying to scare her into submission.