The Burn Zone (17 page)

“
If I—
”

“
Go!
”
I snapped, a fleck of spit landing on the shoulder of his coat. It was all catching up with me finally. I clamped my hands down over my head
li
ke it was an eggshell I was trying to hold together. My stomach was full of bile, and the pressure building up behind my eyes was horrible. The shine had been a mistake. I put one hand on the wall to steady myself, using the back of the other to wipe my eyes.

“
These are your government
’
s rules,
”
I heard Nix say.

“
You guys are so cute when you
’
re little,
”
I said.
“
What happens?
”

Nix just stared at me, unblinking.
“
We grow up.
”

I pressed my palms to my eyes and watched spastic, electric spots swim in the darkness behind my eyelids.

“
I suggest you do the same.
”
He stepped through the gate and it closed, leaving me alone.

~ * ~

Chapter Six

23:22:02 BC

I stormed back to the bed and grabbed my pack so violently that stuff came spilling out of it. A tube of lipstick and an empty glass perfume bottle bounced onto the floor while the stun gun clattered across the end table and almost broke the lamp.

“
Damn it....
”

I grabbed the stun gun and tossed it back into the pack, then snatched the stuff back up from off the floor. When I stuffed the tube of lipstick in my
pants pocket, a piece of paper crunched and I pulled out a black slip of paper covered in several haan stamps. It was the receipt they
’
d given me for
Tānchi
.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I crumpled it and threw it in the trash. I went to drop the bottle in the pack too when something rattled inside. I held it up where I could see, and found a stray tetraz tablet stashed inside that I
’
d forgotten about.

“
Oh, thank Gonzo.
”

I shook it into my palm and popped it in my mouth, crushing the bitter pill piece between my back teeth,
then
using a swallow of shine to wash it down.

Tears welled up again, and I forced them back. I couldn
’
t think about
Tānchi
right now. On top of everything else, it would push me over the edge. I had to focus on what I could fix.

I
’
m downstairs.
The message appeared in the chat window. It was Vamp.

Sam?

I
’
m on my way. Meet me out back.

I tossed the gun in the pack, zipped it up, then headed out and took the elevator back down to the ground floor. I signed out at the desk, then crossed the lobby and made my way down through the first-floor hallway to the exit that went out into the rear lot. It was already hot outside, and the humidity hit me like a wave when I pushed open the warm metal door. Vehicles streamed by in a line past the mouth of the alley, where colorful graffiti covered the sweaty brick face. A miasma hung over the little pocket of blacktop and metal outside the door that smelled like chemical fumes and smoke. I didn
’
t see any blues flashing out on the street anymore. The way was clear, for now.

Vamp leaned against the wall by the stairs, his white tank top plastered to his wiry but chiseled brown body. His thumbs danced over the screen of his phone, the muscles in his forearms causing his ornate jiangshi tattoo to ripple. Most of Vamp was tattooed, all of it expensive, detailed work I never got tired of looking at. Braided lanyards, one black, one white, dangled from the wet drives embedded behind each ear, swaying in the gentle breeze. When he saw me, his eyes widened.

Something clunked behind me and I spun around to see a chunk of rust fall from the fire escape above. It pinged off the wall and skittered off into a drift of city grit that had collected in a shallow pavement sink. I shielded my
face against the glare from the hotel
’
s mirrored face, but I didn
’
t see anything. High above, the sleek shadow of an airship cruised past.

“
Sam, are you okay?
”

“
Huh?
”
I turned back toward him.
“
Yeah.
”

A scowl formed on his face, and anger flashed in his eyes.
“
No, you
’
re not. What the hell did they do to you?
”

“
I
’
m okay.
”

He put his phone away and reached out, angling my face so he could see the other side. I squirmed away.

“
The soldiers did this?
”
His voice had turned serious. I nodded, leaving it at that for now. He
’
d gone into protective mode, which sometimes felt like an inconvenience, but not now. Right now it made me feel a little better, but I needed him to focus.

“
Vamp, I need help. I need to find out where they took Dragan, and how I
’
m going to get him back.
”

“
Sam ...
”
He looked uncomfortable.

“
First thing is we need to find out what detention center they took him to so we can—
”

“
Sam,
”
he said again, squeezing my arm gently.

“
What?
”

“
I have bad news,
”
he said.

“
What?
”

He shook his head.
“
It
’
s about Dragan.
”

My heart began to drop before he managed to get the words out. I
’
d never seen a look like that on Vamp
’
s face before, and as he struggled with how he was going to say what he had to say next, I realized what that was going to be.

“
Don
’
t,
”
I said. My legs went shaky.

“
Because of the weapons trafficking charge—
”

“
He wouldn
’
t do that.
”

“
I know, I
’
m just saying ... when you get flagged a dissident, they can treat you a lot different. He resisted, and during the fight—
”

“
No,
”
I said, holding up one hand.
“
It
’
s a mistake.
”

“
It
’
s on the feed already,
”
he said.
“
Sam, I
’
m sorry. I
’
m really sorry. They shot him—
”

“
Shut up!
”

My throat knotted, and I felt like I was going to bawl,
but it never came. It just stayed there, stuck in my throat like a bitter chunk of scalefly I couldn
’
t swallow. I couldn
’
t speak. Even the sounds of the city, the vehicles and the blanket of anonymous conversation, started to sound far away.

“
Sam, are you okay?
”
He went to take my arm again, but I pulled away. The ground felt like it had begun to move. It was true that he had resisted. The last thing I saw as I went out the window was him fighting the soldiers. By the time I got back up there, he was gone.

“
Sam?
”

“
There was no blood,
”
I said.

“
Huh?
”

“
When I went back, there was no blood.
”

Vamp just pressed his lips together while looking so sorry it made me sick. He knew it didn
’
t prove anything, and I knew it too.

“
He messaged me,
”
I said.
“
Late last night, he messaged me on the 3i. He
’
s alive.
”

Or he was.

Vamp didn
’
t say it. He was thinking it, but he didn
’
t say it.

“
Do you have any idea what he was up to?
”
Vamp asked carefully.
“
His e-mails made it sound like he
’
d gotten mixed up in something.
”

I shook my head.

Passage clear to Duongroi.
Meet me at my place in the Pink Bull,
Hăiy
á
ng-Gāodù
, to pick up passports. Bring payment, and come alone.

“
Eng,
”
I said softly.

The name started to pulse in my brain like a fire alarm klaxon. Whoever he was, he was one of the last people to see Dragan
before ...

I couldn
’
t finish the thought.

He
’
s not dead. He messaged me. They have him, somewhere.

“
Sam?
”

“
Did you get the eyebot logs?
”
I
asked,
my voice rough.

“
Yeah, but
—
”

“
Send them to me.
”

“
Sam
—
”

“
Just do it. Please.
”

He nodded.

“
I have to go.
”

“
Go where?
”

“
There
’
s someone I have to go see.
”

“
I
’
m coming with you.
”

“
Vamp, no, I
’
m sorry.
”

“
Sam, I
’
m coming with you.
”

Before he could push any further, I broke away and sprinted to the mouth of the alley.

“
Sam, wait!
”

I stopped and turned back, just for a minute.
“
Don
’
t follow me! Look ... I
’
ll call you in an hour.
”

“
You
’
re going to get pinched. They
’
re not coming out with it officially, but the buzz is the weapon they
’
re looking for is still here in the city. Security is through the roof, Sam.
”

“
I know. Wait for me?
”

He didn
’
t answer, but he
’
d wait. Once I was around the corner, I lost myself in the crowd and kept one eye on the main drag. When I saw a taxi approach, I darted out into the street from between two parked cars and tires chirped as the cabbie laid on his horn. Before he could squeeze by, I opened the back door and jumped in, slamming it behind me. A pair of tired-looking eyes in a wrinkled brown face glared back at me from the rearview mirror. I peeked out the window and saw a couple of cops waiting outside the apartment go back to talking.