Rogue-ARC (12 page)

“This was supposed to be low key. That aside then, where do we go?”

“Much of the interest is on the east side of the city, in these three burbs.”

“Let’s go. You drive.”

I felt so-so for the drive. No severe pain, but I still had trouble concentrating through the haze. I’ve always been able to sleep easily. I had to learn to fight it on duty. After all this time, I’d have to relearn.

I was feeling better, though. Modern medical care was something I always appreciated.

She asked, “Are you allright?” She did look a bit worried.

“No, but better than I should be.”

“Good. I managed some additional supplies, and I brought the pistol.”

“Well done. May I?”

She reached under the seat, shifted something, and handed me the pistol.

It was even in reasonable condition. I checked it over again. CanTech brand, which I’d heard of and seen in manuals but never fired, 10mm Alesis, not very concealable, but not overly large. Standard shape frame, typical controls, fifteen rounds in it. I could do a lot worse.

I said, “This is one of the easiest systems to get weapons in, laws aside. There are too many people in the outerland, too many businesspeople wanting self-defense, and a few criminals willing to cash in.”

“Are you complaining?”

“No, just amused. This is a decent piece, just like last time I did an exercise here.”

“Do you have a plan?” she asked, with a faint look of exasperation.

“Not really,” I said. “We find his whereabouts, I go try to kick him up, if I manage, I shoot him, at once, in the back, very ungentlemanly. Then either I E and E and we depart, call the embassy, or I get arrested and Naumann makes some discreet calls. I’m agreeable to more of a plan once I know what we’re dealing with.”

She had earbuds in, and it occurred to me I should, too. I grabbed for my bag, stuck them in, and let her program the channels.

She said, “They found the car from yesterday. So they’ll have DNA on us eventually, though there’s bound to be several others in there. I did give it a spritz with solvent.”

“I assume that stuff’s still illegal here,” I said.

“Yes. We’ll dispose of it before we leave planet.”

“We’ll need to change deodorant and shampoo regularly to help spoof chemical trackers.”

“Got several,” she said. Good. Very good at her job.

She paid attention to the road, and I watched for tails, anything interesting, and the scenery. There wasn’t much. We were heading into the outskirts. As with most settled worlds, expansion followed coasts and river courses due to ease of cheap transport. Progress inland went slower. This wasn’t far from the coast, but was rather quiet. Nonindustrial firms were based here, and a greenbelt, then wealthy estates, but there were also some hotels, eateries and shopping centers. Visitors needed recreation, and it was common to bring the family as one of the perks.

The chatter I heard was largely about traffic control and a couple of accidents causing diversions. If they started channeling traffic here, we’d need to evade. I wished I could drive. She was good enough, but not a trained combat driver.

A bit later she said, “They think they’ve found a bolt hole, as they call it. Industrial space in one of the parks.”

“We need to check it out, then. Much as I want to keep out of sight, we need whatever intel we can get. That also is very much something he’d look for. We spent a lot of the Earth mission using industrial space. I’m not sure he went anywhere else.” I wasn’t sure I remembered the details. That bothered me. He’d stayed at our facilities. Deni and I had reconned and set the safe houses. I think.

“I want a scrap of chameleon,” she said. “I’ve narrowed it down to three. Knowing who he acquired that from will help a lot.”

“Which three?”

“Ours are licensed from Chersonessus. It could be ours or theirs, or Novaja Rossia.”

“Interesting. Yes, that would narrow things a lot.”

Right then I heard a warning. “Be advised of traffic diversion around Parke West. Civilians should be dissuaded from the area by traffic warnings and zone management. Local traffic may proceed. Report, investigate, and be prepared to detain any subject evading zone restrictions if instructed.”

That was interesting. Whatever they were doing, they planned to move in a bit, and wanted to do so quietly. Useful intel for me, and of course, for him if he were listening, which he should be. So I needed to watch for him exfiltrating in case I could get a shot, and then for any intel.

“Any way to narrow down the location?” I asked.

She said, “It’s in Parke West. I’ve got locations on the response units and can estimate an area.”

“Drop me, find a place to lurk, come back when I call. I may need emergency exfil.”

“Be careful,” she said.

“Will do. Turn fast at that intersection, cruise behind the market. Drop me, park in front, shop for a bit, then go elsewhere. I’ll walk it.”

She turned fast enough to seem she’d forgotten an errand, but not fast enough to be remarkable. The access behind the shop was rutted and worn, with a portable chiller trailer, dumpster and waste tanks. The side was fenced against a broad expanse that looked like it might be a golf course or trotting field.

Silver slowed over the ruts and potholes, and I popped the door, hopped out and flipped it closed again. I felt decent enough, except for the stench of garbage. She powered gently forward and around, and I was alone.

CHAPTER 7

It was a bit chill
but I found it rather refreshing, actually, and the evening damp was pleasant rather than the type that sucks the heat out of you. I turned and walked the other way, across the inlet she’d taken. There was no sidewalk, but there was a well-worn path through the grass along the verge, that occasionally dipped onto that lot, which was the rear of some commercial campus. That was good. Pedestrians weren’t unexpected here.

Just past there was the business park. I needed to get into his space before the cops did, accomplish either his execution or an intel sweep, and get out. For the former, exfil was less critical.

My pocket phone had unit numbers on screen. Those were probable locations.

Dressed as I was in a pullover shirt and slacks in gray, I wouldn’t be out of place. Still, I was exposed and would have limited time before I did get questioned, and at the least asked to depart the area.

This was an active evasion scenario. I could most likely get questioned safely, but once I did, I was done with the recon. So I’d be skulking around while pretending I wasn’t.

I could see two police cars from here, so they might be able to locate me if they had multispectra imaging. There was a rising fog from the well-watered growth, and some evergreens and local flat-leafed bushes that would disperse my image somewhat. I kept walking, and angled across the “park” aspect of the facility toward hard cover—other buildings.

Shortly I slipped into visual shadow, then into real shadow, with building and treeline to mask my presence. I took a glance at the comm on its dimmest setting. Silver had eliminated one building, leaving four, and changed two. The new one was the one closest to me. I bet it wasn’t the right one, but of course I would check it. I walked over the lumpy ground to it, then onto the pavement alongside.

This one was officially vacant, which made it a worthwhile hide. There was a rear emergency exit. I gave good odds to it not being alarmed, and possibly not even locked. I was half right. The door moved slightly at a pull, and I slipped a flexitool in to shim the catch. It opened and nothing happened.

Inside was dark, creepy and had some odd shadows from the windows, trees and distant lights. Some few bits of litter decorated the tiles, and it took seconds to determine it was well-vacant. I slid back out the way I’d come in.

My choices were across the street or three doors down. Down was also vacant. Across was a recent rental for a packaging company. That fit his MO better, but the vacant was easier to check. Cops were closing in as fast as Silver and I, and I had to get results, not be safe. I decided to cross.

A few buildings farther down still had lights and vehicles. Some of them likely ran three shifts. This back end, though, was largely vacant, less modern and cheaper. Perfect for needs such as ours, but harder to be invisible in at the moment. I crossed at an angle away from my current position, and oblique to the next target. There was a car at each end of the street, and if they were paying attention at all they could see me even through the rising fog, but neither made a response. Either they didn’t consider me worthwhile, or they had me under surveillance and were watching.

I strode between two other buildings, the southern of which was occupied, and disappeared from their view again. I glanced for an update.

Patrols on foot
, it said. Yeah, there was that, and the risk of boobytraps if he wanted to protect something critical. That wouldn’t be logical, since it would definitely trigger a response. However, he was plenty willing to kill, and depending on what he had hidden, he might.

I’d just have to watch for triggers. To that end, I pulled on my own spectral glasses and looked for anything out of place. I started back north behind the building, toward the fence that separated me from the target. I’d have to clear that somehow.

I paused frequently, in short halts that let me check around for police, under the guise of sorting messages on my phone. Tension built, but I felt calm and secure enough. The fence wouldn’t be a problem. I could see a hole from here. Apparently, other travelers came through here, whether laborers or inquisitive youths I couldn’t tell. The tear was big enough for me to climb through, and the mesh crushed down enough to act as a step about a half meter up. That indicated regular traffic. The mesh they used for fences here was tough stuff.

I looked around and through and down before I stepped. This would be a good place for a trap. Clear. I tested it with my foot, rose, over and down.

That put me in the lot proper, and I could see a police car cruising slowly along, lights off, just a wraithlike outline in the street. They were very close, very cautious, and this was now a race.

I sprinted across a drive and into the car’s visual shadow, though there was little real shadow here. A light post stood between this and the next unit, throwing lengthy dark shapes. I hugged the building and stepped foot over foot along the wall. I dropped down below the frame of a window, and reached up to check it as I went past. Latched.

Then I was past, and into the alcove of the emergency exit. It had a code pad, a scanner, a handle and a key box for admittance.

That suggested an approach. I held my breath and listened. Car engine, a faint hum over the delicate rumble of traffic a kilometer away, which brought back memories of the distant sound of destroyed Minneapolis as I’d departed it on Earth, after inflicting ten million casualties. A flush ran through my brain and guts, and I shook it off. The now mattered. The past was gone.

I tapped a message to Silver.
Need emergency response override code for building.
If she could get me that, I’d be inside with much better chance of silence. Randall wouldn’t want alarm bells any more than I would, though I’d expect it would instantly light on a board. But, would the police be told at once, or would the fire team be sent first? I should have a few minutes. He might have alarms of his own, or boobytraps, but those would be silent, hopefully.

I’d set the buzzer and felt it tingle. Silver had replied, and yes, she had a code. I reached up, tapped it into the pad except for the last letter, then stood as far back as I could. I was almost out of the alcove, stretched out a finger and tapped, and swung around to the outside fast.

There was a puff, and I saw and smelled a bare whiff of gas. I held my breath and counted ten, leaned far along the wall for a deep draft of fresh, damp air, then swung back around and through the haze, pulled the door and slipped inside. I had seconds to clear this building before the police came in.

Inside the entryway was clear. Doors ahead on each side were open. Beyond them the space opened into the main bay, with offices far up front. I saw no indication of sonar sensors, nor of any frequency of laser, nor of IR. A passive thermal sensor was possible, but awkward. With hyperaware senses I heard and felt nothing, so I stepped forward while drawing weapons and leaned into the left side room, left arm presented ready to block with knife, pistol refused in the right.

Sleeping pad, blankets on the floor. Small box of clothes. Dark curtains pinned in place. It was vacant of people and tools, so I ducked, twirled and went for the other room.

Tools. Boxes. Clothing. Printer for ID. Pocket coordinate machine on a table. Cut scraps of several materials in a box in one corner. No Randall. I swept and cleared and checked under a cabinet to be sure, then pocketed the pistol and went for evidence. No comm, no coder, no high tech tools, but I did grab a handful of scraps and pocket them, along with a sheet that might be an invoice, though he should have burned that if so. It was worth the checking.

A buzz of message tingled me. I took a quick glance. It read,
Incoming.

That’s when I heard the front door being worked.

I assumed front and rear entrance, coordinated.

I made it back across to the sleeping room, quickly determined nothing was of note, and leaned to glance behind the curtain. I couldn’t see anyone holding an overwatch, so they had men front and rear but I could clear the window.

I Boosted.

They yanked the outer door and jumped through. I had a long, leisurely second to reach through the curtain, pop the latch, place my fingers on the window lip, and snap my arm. The pressure tossed it open a good fifteen centimeters, I flicked it with the other hand, stepped up, out and down, pulled to reclose it, turned and ran as I heard them rustle and shift into the room I’d just vacated. I cleared the drive, hopped the hole in the fence, and moved for more shadow.

The area was quickly filling with a lot of cops, and someone would question me at length if they saw me now. I had what I hoped was good intel, figured he would be leaving system, and had to plan ahead for that. He wouldn’t rush. He’d arrange three routes if he could, switch between at least two of them and possibly improv another.