The Hunt for Pierre Jnr (43 page)

Peter, where are you? We are down near the courtyard, but we’re not alone.

Arthur?
 Pete answered. 
I can feel Risom now. Risom, can you hear me?

I’m here, Lazarus. What’s the plan?

Keep hidden. Tamsin Grey is
 —

‘The choice is yours, Pete.’ Tamsin’s voice echoed around them, amplified to maximum. ‘Join us or die.’

Ignore them. You don’t want to join them.

Don’t I?
 Risom thought back.

Pete crept toward the hole in the wall and watched as Tamsin welcomed Risom. ‘That’s the spirit. What about you, Arthur?’

Arthur didn’t respond. He was rocking back and forth, his symbiot fighting to control the fear that was building.

That just leaves you, Pete. Don’t you want to come and play with us?

This is not the way.

I think it is.
 She smiled up at him and he stood to look straight at her. She knew where he was; there was no point hiding.

Tamsin, I’m begging you. You are under Pierre’s control. You have to fight him.

I really don’t, Pete.

Behind her the rebels gathered, looking up to where Pete stood. Some of them trained their weapons on his position.

‘It is done, Grey,’ a young man rushed up to her to report.

Time’s up,
 she projected to Pete.

‘Let’s shake it to the ground and get running!’ Tamsin shouted to her group. Those with their weapons raised pressed the triggers. Pete swore and dived out of the way. The corridor was rocked by multiple hits. Daylight streamed in through new holes in the walls.

Arthur?
 ... No response.

Pete’s symb told him the only way left to go was up and he had no choice but to trust it. There was less damage above and lots of holes to get out from.

He sprinted up the stairwell, making himself breathless. The building rattled and cracked a little bit more with each explosion. His symb stretched to cover his ears and protect him somewhat from the sound while feeding tactical information of the scene, looking for an opening in the offensive line.

An alert blazed into his symbiot in flashing red across his visual overlay. The chemical reactor below the embassy had been ruptured and was out of control. If everyone didn’t get out of there soon, they could look forward to a purifying shower of acids.

The explosions stopped. Pete crept to one of the holes in the wall to look out. Ammunition spent, the psis left as they came; with movements like a blink they retreated into the holes in the street.

For the first time in a long time Pete had a decision to make. 
Tamsin.
 He pushed out. She was still waiting.

Don’t follow me, Pete.

You’ve started a war.

I didn’t start it. Can’t you see that?

I’ll stop you.

You try it. I’m pointing six rounds at your position that will blow your house down.

He’s controlling you, Tamsin. This isn’t the way.

No, Pete. This is me. And we’re the same, you just haven’t decided whose team you are on.

She raised her block and Pete lost her.

Without warning, communications came back online. A message queue came up before he could respond.

Geof: Pete? What’s happening?

Prime: Report in.

Geof: Report. We are sending in backup.

Geof: Tick?

Pete: Tock.

‘Pete, you’re okay?’ Geof’s voice came in through his ears, quickly followed by the Prime’s demanding him to report.

‘Only just. The reactor has been destroyed. You have to get us out of here.’

‘Evac is already underway. Are you all that’s left?’ Ryu asked.

‘Arthur is here, but he’s catatonic. The ten have been tripped, but they are unharmed. I don’t know about the rest of the compound. They were pretty thorough.’

‘I’ll get the suits cleared, but there’s a command log to get through. What happened?’ Geof asked.

‘Tamsin.’

Geof cursed.

‘Did they attack the South?’ Pete asked.

‘Confirmed. South too.’

Pete looked down at the hole to the basement, a gaping mouth. His sense of the rebels was fading and Pete waited. He had a hunch Tamsin would lower her block once she thought she was out of his range. He waited and waited, feeling nothing. Then at a hundred paces she dropped her guard and he sprung from his position. He would have to be fast to keep her in his field, and he would have to hold his block the whole time to avoid detection.

‘Where are you going, Lazarus?’ the Prime asked.

‘I’m going after them.’

‘Not by yourself you’re not.’

‘Don’t, Pete. You can’t fight that many,’ Geof added.

‘I said, no,’ Ryu’s voice came in slow and cold. Pete felt his symb shrink into his arm and he gasped.

‘Please, Prime. Just let me go after her.’ He stopped running and dropped to his knees, holding his arm close to his chest as if it would lessen the pain. ‘Let me go after them. I won’t betray you.’ He felt like the symb had grown teeth, tiny spikes that were pushing through toward his bone.

‘If you do, this is how you will die.’ The pain disappeared; his symb once again became a friendly second skin. ‘Go hunt,’ Ryu commanded and switched off.

‘The twins are en route. They will be right behind you,’ Geof said.

Pete rose to his feet and shook his head clear before running into the void.

Tamsin, this time I am coming for you.

~ * ~

The way to the basement floor was a scramble down the rubble ramp of the explosion. The light from the hole above came down in a shaft and spilt only a little way inside. Pete could feel the psis faintly, and disappearing east toward the coast.

He ran as fast and quietly as he could. His symb boosted his eyes and the scene was washed with heavy colour and total black shadows. As he made it past the Services zone, the ancient city streets began to distinguish themselves.

The basement was patchy darkness that stank of stale ocean, with a mud floor and crabs that rushed from his steps. Dennies camped around barrel fires and looked over at the sound of him running past, chasing the footsteps in the mud.

Out of nowhere a blow struck him across his chest, knocking him flat on his back. He probed outward. He was sure he hadn’t run into anything ... Then he was lifted from the ground and held upside-down by his feet.

‘What are you doing down here, tapper? This is bender territory,’ a voice scraped out from the darkness. Pete couldn’t sense where the mind was that was holding him up.

‘I’m after the group that just ran through here. It’s no business of yours.’

‘It’s all my business down here, tapper. And you don’t have a pass.’

‘Oh yes he does,’ a cheerful voice called out. There was the sound of something hard hitting something soft. Pete dropped back to the ground. ‘One point, Endo.’

Aiko’s bot came and lifted Peter up. ‘Are you okay?’

‘I’m okay. Just a bit winded.’

‘Which way are we chasing?’

‘You’re with me?’

‘Just following the command, psi-man.’

‘East. But they’re splitting up.’

‘Then we better run. Jump on my back.’

The twins moved at pace. Their long strides covered tens of metres at a time, small jets on their feet flaring to add lift to each stride. ‘Which way, psi-man?’

Pete held his arm forward, pointing with each change of direction that Tamsin took. Now they were gaining fast.

‘She’s close.’

‘Flash it up, Endo.’

‘Boomboom.’ Her bot levelled a spray of flash and the basement lit up and thunder rocked the underworld.

‘Well, that might get their attention.’

‘I see five on my sensors. Endo?’

‘Concur.’

‘No time for a plan, glue and goo until they take us out. Jump off, Pete. Do what you can.’

They fired off another barrage of flash and Pete covered his ears and twisted away. When he turned back, he could see the twinbots moving faster than his eyes could follow, round after round of glowing goo launching at the fleeing figures.

‘Bappity bap bap, that’s three for me.’

‘You have to mask them for full points. Wah?’

‘What?’

‘I’m being pushed. Psi-man, help me out here.’

He turned to where Aiko was sliding toward the deep water. She’d locked her legs in position, but there was a kinetic standing a few metres away, forcing her backward.

You don’t want to do that, my friend.

The man looked at Pete and stopped. He just stood limply and blinked. Aiko dove in and masked him, then leapt away before he dropped to the ground.

‘Umm, Aiko? I’m in trouble,’ Endo patched.

‘They got you?’

‘Yeah. They’re trying to drown my poor bot.’

‘Can’t help you, Endo. I got my own problems. Pete, where are they?’

‘I see them. Give me a sec —’

A block of wood swung across the back of his head and he collapsed into the mud of the shallow water.

‘I told you not to follow me,’ he heard and passed out.

~ * ~

Tamsin knelt down beside Peter Lazarus, placing her fingers to his wrist. Her makeshift club had opened a jagged wound on the side of his head, blood making half of his face black in this dismal light. She unwrapped her headscarf and pressed it against his skull.

The two robots that had come with him were drowning in the silt, held down by Okonta and his kinetics while they pummelled them into the mud with invisible punches. She could feel La Grêle sliding closer as she arrived with skiffs for them to escape.

You succeeded.

Yes, but my fool chased us down here.

Leave him. We must go.

Tamsin lifted his symbiot arm and used its weight to hold the scarf in place. It was active still and should keep his vitals steady until help could arrive. She met La Grêle at the tide line as the boats ploughed into the shore.

‘Let’s go.’

‘I’ll catch up with you.’

‘Tamsin,’ she admonished.

‘Just to make sure he wakes up. I don’t want the dennies to tear him apart for supper.’

‘You’re too soft, Grey.’ La Grêle stroked the other woman’s face and Tamsin returned the gesture. 
You know what you have to do.

We both do.

The psis loaded onto the boats and pulled away. Okonta and Piri waited to one side for Tamsin.

She was worried for Pete. She took off another of her wrappings, wet it in the water and began cleaning off his face.

‘Anchali?’ he whispered. Tamsin saw another woman in Pete’s memory, a beautiful dark-skinned nurse.

‘Pete,’ she cooed. ‘Wake up.’

He blinked his eyes open and was alarmed to discover it was Tamsin hovering above him. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘I just wanted to make sure you were going to make it.’

He tried to sit up but woozed back down to lie flat. His symbiot told him the ten squad was approaching. She tapped her nail on its shell.

I can get this off you if you want.

I thought it couldn’t be done.

Easy when you know how.

Did Pierre teach you that?

Don’t be jealous, Pete. You could join us.

Join your killing spree? You murdered innocent people back there.

Innocent.
 She slapped him across the face. 
We are the innocent ones.

The slap wasn’t hard, but his head felt fractured already and he entered another swoon. Through Pete, she could feel the squad approaching, the symb’s signal directing them to him.

‘Don’t chase me,’ she said, trying to stand up but finding her limbs couldn’t move. She felt too heavy to budge. The weight was pushing her knees into the ground and her muscles were paper-thin.

‘Stop it.’

Tamsin.

Let go of me.

No.

I knew you were getting stronger, Pete, but this really is impressive. You’re actually exercising control over my mind. I thought you weren’t into that kind of thing.

I can’t let you go.

From what I see, you already have.

It’s not as simple as that.

Nothing is. Now let me go.

Where is Pierre?

I don’t know.

Tell me.

I wouldn’t, even if I knew. For your sake.

How can you follow him?

Because he is strong, Pete, and that is enough. There will be a second manifestation and he will decide who survives. He will free us.

He is not a god.

He
 is 
a god. If only you knew.

Tamsin, no. He’s a monster. He’s out of control.