"He's right, Nina," Sam said, slipping an arm around her trembling shoulders. "If you hadn't, he'd have shot at least one of us."
For several minutes no one spoke. Nina stared intently at the corpse. Then she shook off Sam's comforting arm, stepped forward and picked up Cody's gun.
"We'll probably need this," she said. "Now, what are these activation codes he was talking about. How do we get hold of them?"
They strode swiftly through the empty mall, or at least as swiftly as Nina could manage, considering her injury. As they walked, Purdue told them of the three keys that could be used to activate the backup servers. They were essentially USB devices, each containing part of an encrypted access code that would not unlock unless all three parts were plugged into the same terminal. When used together, the three keys would reveal the passwords for the backup servers.
"If we have all three in our possession," said Purdue," we can take the whole thing offline once and for all. I can disable the most dangerous parts of FireStorm so completely that it would need to rebuild the code almost from scratch — and without me, that would take them years. The first will be easy enough to acquire, since it belongs to me. It is in my safe deposit box at the Verbena. The second belongs to Sara. I do not know who currently holds the third, but let us take care of the first two."
They found themselves back in Target, passing the long aisles full of half-stocked shelves. "Should we maybe take a few things before we go?" Sam asked. "I can't imagine the Verbena will be happy if we show up like this, and the last thing we want is for the staff not to let us in. Between the sand, water, bits of plastic, sweat, and blood, we could all do with a change of clothes."
"Good idea," said Purdue. "It's a pity the running water was cut off when the place fell out of active use, but you're right. Being presentable will help us considerably when we reach Las Vegas. Come on. We must be quick — if Sara is aware that I am no longer on her side, and she must be by now, she will surely try to take back possession of my key."
Swiftly they plundered the shop. Sam rummaged in a box until he found a pack of white T-shirts that looked about the right size, then searched for the most lightweight trousers he could find. He slipped on a pair, aware of how odd it felt to be changing in the middle of an aisle. Assured that they fit, he grabbed another pair for luck. Purdue reappeared in linen trousers and a black shirt, marveling at the sensation of polyester in a garment that was not intended as sportswear. Nina had chosen long, flowing yoga pants to cover her ankle, but she was carrying a smarter pair of slacks and a blouse for when they reached LA. She had also found a first-aid kit and raided it for a proper ace bandage, which she now wore in place of the makeshift one.
"Wait there a second," Sam told her, and he dashed madly through the aisles. When he came back, he held a folding cane in his hands. It was neon pink with splashes of lime green. Under normal circumstances she would have thought it the tackiest thing she had ever seen. Now she accepted it gladly, leaning heavily on it as she hobbled out to the parking lot. Sam glanced at her as they stepped out into the sunshine and she shot him the most heartfelt smile he had seen in a long time.
It was Cody's car that got them back to Las Vegas, another of the 4 x 4s from the FireStorm hangar. They found the keys still in the ignition. Cody must have been really confident that no one would find their way out here, Sam thought. This is a nice car. You don't just leave a car like this waiting to be stolen.
They drove hell-for-leather, Sam and Purdue alternating between driving and sleeping, while Nina kept a lookout for police speed traps. By 10:00 PM they had the lights of Vegas in their sights. They abandoned the 4 x 4 several blocks from the Verbena and hailed a cab for the rest of the journey, using the last of the cash from the minivan owner's wallet.
"So what's the plan?" Sam asked, as they entered the lobby of the hotel. "We get your key, and then head back—"
He was cut off by the approach of a tall, smartly dressed man with a businesslike smile on his face. "Mr. Purdue," the man said, extending a hand. "Welcome back."
"Thank you, Tyrone," Purdue replied, shaking the man's hand before dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I must ask for a little discretion on this occasion. My friends and I need a room, but I would prefer if it was not my usual suite. And if you could charge it to Mr. Brodie's account, it would be much appreciated. And could someone please bring my safe deposit box to my room? "
"No problem, sir," Tyrone's professional smile was unwavering. He gestured to a bellhop who skipped straight to his side. "Show these guests to 414," he said, and then melted back into the crowds.
"Oh, my god." Nina collapsed onto the massive bed, sprawling out like a starfish. "Please tell me we don't have to do anything else today. I just want to lie here and never move again. Well, not quite. I just want to have a bath, and then lie here and never move again."
"That sounds like an admirable plan," said Purdue, dropping into an armchair to pull off his boots. "Should we order room service while you bathe?"
"Mmm. That would be great, thanks." She dragged herself onto her feet, and then disappeared into the bathroom. Sam and Purdue heard the click of the lock, followed by the muffled sound of rushing water.
"There is a second bathroom in the suite," Purdue said. He opened his safe deposit box and took out the only thing inside, which was a small USB stick on a chain. "It adjoins the other bedroom. Do you want to bathe too?"
Sam, slumped in the chair opposite Purdue's, shook his head. "I'll wait until after we've eaten, I think. I'm not much of a one for soaking, and I don't think I've got the energy to stand under the shower just now. Just a little rest and some food, then I can worry about getting myself clean."
He sat with his eyes shut, half-listening while Purdue called room service and ordered steaks, fries, green salads with balsamic vinegar, dinner rolls, sparkling water, and a bottle of robust burgundy. Even the sound of the word "steak" set his mouth watering. It would be a welcome change from the lentil-heavy diet offered at the campsite. "So what's the plan?" he asked Purdue. "We're staying here tonight, we're picking up your key… and then what? Do we destroy it before we go after the others?"
"It might be best if we do not," Purdue mused. "There are alternative methods in place in the event of anything happening to the keys. As long as the backup servers remain operational, destroying the keys alone will not be sufficient. First, we must get hold of all three so that I can wipe the backup servers. Then we will destroy the keys and leave FireStorm to pick up the pieces. I propose that in the morning, once we are rested, we collect Julia Rose's car from the valet service here and make our way back to Parashant, where I believe we will find Sara's key — and perhaps a little information on where to find the third."
A pang of guilt shot through Sam as he remembered Julia Rose, trapped in Nina's old cell beneath the campsite. To his shame, he had barely thought about her since their escape. "We need to find a way to get her out," he said. "I don't just mean if she's still in the cell. I'm really sure she won't be — I mean, she was really cozy with Sara, so I'm sure they'd have got her out. But I don't like the way they sucked her in. She's young, and they shouldn't be preying on vulnerable young women. We need to get her way from Sara, if we can."
Purdue nodded. "I am surprised that she became quite so caught up in FireStorm," he said. "My initial impression of her was one of resilience, not vulnerability."