Upgrade (74 page)

“Bet you didn’t.”

“What is it?”

“What is what?”

“You said, ‘huh,’ just before.”
 
Mason flexed his neck.
 
These damn machines aren’t build for comfort
.

“Yeah.”

“So what is it?”

Sadie looked out the windscreen.
 
“Out there.”
 
The traffic was thinning, fewer other vehicles around them, most just automated transports.

“Late night.
 
No traffic.”

“Not that.”
 
Sadie leaned forward.
 
“Just where the hell is everybody?”

“I’m more worried about…”
 
Mason swallowed, thinking of a teenage girl out there somewhere.
 
“About the others.”

“Mike can take care of himself,” said Carter.

“Didn’t think you were still there,” said Sadie.

“I’m always here,” said Carter.
 
“I won’t…
 
Never mind.”

Mason caught the softening of Sadie’s face as she leaned back from the windshield.
 
“I’m not worried about Mike,” she said.

“Me neither,” said Mason.

“I know where they are,” said Carter.

“You…
 
What?
 
Why didn’t you say?”
 
Mason swallowed.

“Because you’re so intent on killing yourself.”
 
Carter’s voice was harsh.
 
“I can tell you where they are.
 
But you’ve got to know.
 
You can only be at one place at one time.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” said Sadie.

“She wants me to choose,” said Mason.
 
“Carter or Laia.”

“That’s right,” said Carter.
 
“He’s been in this place before.
 
Tried to save two people at once, didn’t you Mason?
 
And I know.
 
You’ll never choose me over her.
 
She’s just a kid, Mason.
 
She’s all alone out there.
 
She needs you.”

Mason didn’t say anything, gripping the yoke like he was going to tear it in half.

“Mason?” said Sadie.
 
She reached a hand out, cautious as the flutter of a moth’s wings.
 
“Where…
 
Where do we go?”

You’ve got to trust someone
.
 
“I don’t know.”

“They’re at Reed,” said Carter.
 
“Big building.
 
You can’t miss it.
 
Big eyeball painted on the outside.
 
Looks like a five dollar marketing company came up with it.”

“Shut up, Carter.
 
Just shut up.”
 
Mason looked out the windscreen.
 
He could see the Apsel building against the skyline, lights playing up the outside as it reached up to breach the cloud.
 
And to the left, the hint of Reed’s building, dark against the night.

“It’s ok,” said Carter.
 
“I’m dead either way.
 
I’ve done the math.
 
Go get the kid.”

Mason ran a gloved hand through his hair.
 
He tapped against the link.
 
There was a burst of static.

“Mason?”
 
Harry’s voice came out of the console and through the link at the same time.

“Who the fuck’s that?” said Sadie.

“Who the fuck’s that?” said Harry.

“Sadie, Harry.
 
Harry, Sadie.”

“Who’s Harry?”

“Guy who tried to kill me,” said Mason.

“I don’t understand you at all,” she said, leaning back into her chair and looking out the window.

“Mason,” said Harry, “I’m with her.
 
Why are you calling me?
 
Shit’ll get you killed.”

“Harry?”

“Yeah.”

“Harry, I need…
 
I need a favor.”

“I don’t work for the company anymore,” said Harry.

“You what?”

“It’s complicated.”

“S’okay,” said Mason.
 
“Neither do I.
 
Took up a contract with Metatech.”

“Those Nazi gun running war merchants?”

“Yeah.”

“Nice work,” said Harry.
 
“They got any positions open for a slightly-used total conversion?”

“That’s what I’m calling about,” said Mason.

“No shit,” said Harry.

“Got a bit of a situation,” said Mason.
 
“And if I’m being really honest?
 
I’m pretty sure you…
 
Well, I don’t know why you’d help, but you’re the last number on my speed dial.”

“Thanks,” said Harry.
 
“What kind of situation?”

“It’s complicated, but it’s basically like this.
 
I need you to bust into Reed Interactive and extract two civilians, a Metatech operative, and…
 
And Jenni Haraway.”
 
Mason looked at the console.
 
“Hello?”

“I heard you,” said Harry.
 
“I was thinking.”

“You?”

“Have you been told to get fucked today?”
 
Harry sounded distracted.
 
“Look, I’m with Lace.
 
We’ll get in, grab your guy, your civilians.”

“Why?”

“Why?” said Harry.
 
“Because you just asked me to.
 
Got some ID?”

“Huh,” said Mason.
 
He flicked images of Zacharies, Laia, and Mike across the link.
 
“I didn’t figure this’d be that easy.”

“It’s not easy,” said Harry.
 
“I’m already an arm down.
 
I’m probably going to get torn up.”

“It’s a common theme,” said Mason.
 
“Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“Why are you—”

“Why am I doing this?
 
Because of the video,” said Harry.
 
“Because…
 
Because of that night.”

Mason looked at the console, the yoke held steady in his hand.
 
“What video?”

“Doesn’t matter,” said Harry.
 
“I’m not getting Haraway.”

“What?”

“Lace and I…
 
Well, Lace has found something out.
 
It’s…
 
Where are you?”

“I’m in an APC, heading into the city at about two hundred klicks.”
 
Mason looked out the windscreen.

“Carter there?”

“Yes,” said Carter.
 
She sounded subdued.

“Carter, I’m not getting Haraway out
because of what she did to you
,” said Harry.

“She didn’t do it,” said Carter.

“Do what?” said Mason.

“Doesn’t matter,” said Carter.

“Carter,” said Harry.
 
“I know about the words.”

“What words?”
 
Mason looked at Sadie.
 
“What the—”

“Don’t look at me,” said Sadie.
 
She circled a finger at her temple.
 
“All you company people are crazy.”

“What words?”
 
Mason leaned forward.
 
“Carter?
 
What did Haraway do
?”

The link crackled and popped.
 
“It’s not important,” said Carter.
 
“I’m tired of fighting, Mason.
 
I’m tired of fighting them all.”

“Tell me,” said Mason.
 
“Please.”

“Why?”

“Because,” said Mason, “I’ll fight for you.”

The link was quiet a long time.
 
“Hello?”
 
It was Harry.

“Harry, you need to roll.”
 
Mason looked at Sadie.
 
“There’s not a lot of time here.”

“Sure, Mason.
 
Sure.”
 
His link dropped.

“Carter?”
 
Mason looked at the console.
 
“Talk to me, Carter.”

“No,” she said, and the link dropped.

“That didn’t go as expected,” said Mason after a moment.

“Your girlfriend not…
 
She not giving it to you anymore?”
 
Sadie didn’t turn to look at him, still staring out into the rain.

“It’s not that,” he said.
 
“She’s usually more observant.”

Sadie turned at that.
 
“Mason?”

“Yeah.”
 
He tugged at the APC’s controls, the Federate tower getting closer in the night.
 
It was blurry through the rain, but still lit up, bright.
 
A beacon.

“She thinks she’s going to die.
 
That kind of shit?
 
It’ll mess you up.”

Mason nodded, the movement slow.
 
“Ok.”

“You don’t buy it?”

“No, I buy it.
 
But it still leaves one question.”

“I figure it leaves a hundred.
 
What’s top of your list?”

Mason threw her a look.
 
“Where’s Mike?”

Stupid, stupid, stupid
.
 
No bonus was worth this.

Sure.
 
They’d said if he signed up Floyd, there’d be a little something extra in it.
 
They’d even said that it might be a good opportunity to try actual
teamwork
.

What the hell did he need a team for?
 
He was doing
fine
.

The ground slid past below him, dead grass and trees giving way to the bright night scape of the city.
 
Rain lashed below him, but he stayed dry, wedged in the well of the gunship’s landing gear.

Amateur hour, that’s what it was.
 
He’d never have been able to stow away on a Metatech gunship.
 
Probably not an Apsel one either, but who knew with them.
 
They figured the real power was in electricity.

Guns were power.

He’d seen Floyd drop like a sack of puppies, going down under the combined effects of the gas and the taser effect arcing through it.
 
He’d played dead himself, his milspec upgrades coping just fine with whatever crap Reed had fired at them.
 
He’d cracked open an eye as Reed men stepped through the group of…
 
What?
 
The crowd had acted like zombies from a movie, then just stopped in their tracks.
 
About the same time as the orbital strikes had finished, but he figured that was coincidence.
 
Whoever was pulling the strings at Reed master control didn’t need ‘em anymore, just tossed the remote control back on the couch and moved on.

They’d grabbed the kid.
 
And his sister.
 
His stomach had soured at that, but he waited anyway.
 
Milspec upgrades or not, he wasn’t going toe to toe with a gunship and a bunch of Reed assholes.

They’d grabbed the doctor as well.
 
Haraway.
 
That had clinched the deal for him — the kid was personal, sure, he’d have gone after him anyway.
 
But Haraway was worth dollars on the line, big fat zeroes for an acquisitions contract.

Stupid.
 
Stupid, stupid, stupid shit
.

He’d turned off his link as he’d crawled through the gas, his overlay tugging at his vision as the electricity arced through the gas.
 
These Reed guys might be into porn in a big way, hand on the stick, but they had scanners same as anyone else.

And, seriously.
 
That gas was a good trick.
 
He’d have to get the boys in the lab to work on it.
 
Seemed pretty effective against upgrades and normals.

He’d waited for the Reed men to be focused on picking up the three bodies, then did a quick roadie run to the gunship, staying low.
 
He’d ducked to the left first, ramming a piece of shrapnel into the struts, making sure it was wedged in good.
 
Then he’d rolled like a whisper of shadow to the right, clambered up inside the landing gear, and held on.

They’d found the shrapnel.
 
They couldn’t fix the damage to the shocks, so had taken the flight with wheels down.
 
It was slower.
 
It kept him alive.

It was cold.
 
His hand slipped on the gear and he almost tumbled out.

Stupid
.

The kid was going to owe him after this.
 
More than a beer.

⚔ ⚛ ⚔

There was something wrong with the Reed tower.
 
Sure, the place was normally dark, a kind of grey black against a grey black city.
 
It rained a lot in Seattle.
 
Hard to keep things bright and festive, right?
 
It’s just — normally there were some lights on, a few guys doing the rounds.

It was a syndicate combine, after all.
 
He’d seen the sat images, and they all had intel on how the guard patterns worked.
 
A couple guys on the inside as well, people who fed them solid information about how things went down.

None of those people had talked about the bodies.
 
No bodies on the sat images either.

There were people staked around the edges of the roof, bodies arched back, dead eyes staring at the sky.
 
People in suits and lab coats —
civilians
.
 
Each of them had been supported by something, a strut of some kind, dotted around the edges of Reed’s rooftop.

It didn’t look like something Jay Montana would be into.
 
The head of Reed was known to be extreme, invested deep into anything that drove a dollar from pleasure.
 
One time he’d invested a cool million in stickers for kids — you licked one side and got a jot of something as a memory slid down your tongue.
 
Kids could paste ‘em on their jackets and schoolbags.
 
Collect a whole set.
 
It was a good investment right up until the black market versions came out.
 
Bunch of kids started getting porn memories.