MF1.0 - 68 - A Little Lie

‘Question,’ Stef said as she looked up at Ryan. ‘Are you still sure this is such a brilliant idea?’ He gave a vague nod, beckoned for her to follow. He pointed at the other side of the intersection. There didn’t look to be anything unusual about it. ’That’s Solstice territory.’ She smirked. ‘So be careful when crossing the street?’ ‘Don’t cross the street. Avoid Solstice territory at all costs.’ She stared across the street, then squinted, then tilted her head to the side. There wasn’t anything different about it. Nothing that indicated that it was a death trap. ’Can’t you paint it red or something? My brain’s big, but I don’t think I can remember everywhere that I’m not supposed to walk.’ He opened his hand and the Bluetooth-like headset appeared. ’You really are supposed to be wearing this.’ She slipped it over her right ear. It was beeping. ‘Oh. Ok. Sonar.’ ‘Walk closer.’ She did, but looked back to him. ’Why aren’t you wearing one?’ He shrugged. ’I don’t need to.’ She pressed the button on it. ’So you can hear me right now.’ ‘Yes.’ She took another step closer and the beeping got louder. ‘Don’t get too close.’ She turned and looked back at him. ‘But it’s not anymore dangerous for me, right? It’s just another part of the street.’ ‘It’s more dangerous because of the uniform you wear.’ She remembered what Dorian had said and fought the urge to require herself into casual clothes. ‘So why not go incognito? Wouldn’t you lose a lot less recruits that way?’ A hurt look crossed his face before he schooled it away. ‘Sorry, didn’t mean…you know what I mean.’ ‘All uniforms mean something. They identify who you’re affiliated with, what you stand for-’ ‘Unless you’re a traitor,’ she muttered. ‘What?’ ‘Nothing, continue.’ ‘The Solstice don’t wear uniforms. They could be anyone. Unless we’ve fought them before they are hard to identify. That always puts us at a disadvantage. In that way, they’re cowards, but that cowardice makes them dangerous.’ ‘Great, so we trade a big yellow streak down our backs for a target on our chests.’ ‘The first time you rescue someone from the Solstice, some who is being targeted simply for being alive, who has hope of survival because they see your uniform, you’ll understand it.’ ‘So we’re paranormal safety houses.’ He chuckled. ‘The thing humans will never understand is that of all the world, you’re the least natural thing in it. The world the civilians fail to notice isn’t paranormal, or supernatural, it’s more natural than they are.’ ‘Why’s that?’ He opened his mouth to reply, but was silenced by a gunshot. His head snapped up in the direction of the shot, but another two bullets slammed into his body. He fell and faded away. She was running before she realised it. Something metallic clinked beside her feet. A grenade. It exploded with a bright green light and knocked her to the ground. A strong hand dragged her to feet and pulled her toward the darkened buildings. ‘How many did you see?’ Ryan asked as he shouldered in the door of a shop undergoing work. The moved behind the plastic-covered counter, the only thing large enough to provide some cover. ‘Didn’t see anyone. Aren’t we…like in the bad part?’ ‘That bomb has blocked off four blocks, clearest path out doesn’t have sufficient cover. Such a large area…it will only last ten minutes. This isn’t-’ He fell silent when he heard a laugh. ‘Only sounds like one.’ The shadow of a man appeared in the doorway, Ryan lifted his gun and emptied the clip into him. The bullets went into the man, but he didn’t fall. There was another laugh. The man disappeared, then a hand reached around the corner and fired into the shop. She instinctively ducked, but Ryan took one to the shoulder. He sank down behind the counter. They didn’t- Spyder, don’t be an idiot. Don’t have a damn choice.

She turned to Ryan and ripped the empty gun from his hands. ‘Stay quiet,’ she whispered, ‘please.’ She stood and laid the gun on the counter in time for the cultist to enter the store. ‘Hiding’s not going to do you-’ he stopped talking as he approached. ‘Don’t I know you?’ Kane. Wonderful. ‘If you can see your way through your deluded fog, you’ll probably recognise me.’ It took him a moment, then he nodded. ‘One of the hackers.’ Give the guy a prize. You’re still an idiot. ‘A traitor.’ ‘Can’t betray something you never believed in.’ ‘True enough, recruit bitch.’ He fired. She felt the bullet impact, the heat and the slow trickle of blood on her skin. Somehow, she’d forgotten to scream. She looked down at the hole in her stomach, then back up at Kane. Oh wait, there was the pain. She focussed on it for a moment, then pushed it away. She quirked an eyebrow at him. ‘You were saying?’ His confusion pleased her. It might be enough to buy a couple of minutes. A couple of minutes then she could collapse and scream. ‘Agent?’ She curled a lip in disgust. ‘No shit.’ ‘But you’re…’ Gonna contribute something here? You already know what to say, just concentrate on not collapsing. ‘The new one. New model, new kind, upgrade, got the idea?’ ‘Where’s the other one?’ ‘You shot him before the bomb went off, mistake on your part, he didn’t get back in time to enjoy your wonderful company.’ The sticky sensation of the blood was beginning to get itchy, so she lifted a hand to scratch it and immediately regretted it. ‘So you gonna shoot me or what, you piece of shit?’ Ryan’s hand grabbed her ankle, but she didn’t react. Kane’s eyes drifted to his gun. ‘Aww, out of bullets. You didn’t really come prepared, did you?’

Stalemate. Just keep him in a stalemate and hope he didn’t bring a knife. That’s your brilliant plan? Stop the brain, I want off! Kane gave her an incredulous look. ‘You aren’t a proxy. They don’t talk like you.’ What now, hotshot? ‘Spyder, the hacker, was a real person. Least real enough. She got caught in the crossfire and died.’ She let a maniacal grin slip onto her face. ‘We picked apart her brain for the useful parts and I slipped into her life like a changeling. It’s useful to see things from the street level. It was an opportunity, we took it. And it worked out.’ She could see the wheels turning in his mind. Else, the small rodent running on the wheel that controlled his actions. Panic grew in his eyes. ‘So the equipment we liberated…’ ‘Enjoy the viruses.’ ‘You bitch!’ She looked up to a clock on the wall. ‘They’re time delay. Done that way so they can affect as much as possible. You might be able to salvage something besides melted RAM if you hurry.’ ‘How much time?’ ‘Thirty-two minutes.’ ‘How do I know you’re telling the truth?’ ‘Would you rather take the chance I’m lying. The mirror falls tomorrow, you can astound me with your wit then.’ He took a step forward. ‘Thirty-one minutes.’ He scowled, then turned and ran from the shop. She waited until she was sure he was gone. ‘If it’s ok,’ she said, ‘I’m going to collapse now.’