"I don't want revenge. I want a way out of this crazy Haven. He's got a Transit pass with my name on it. All I need is to get it from him."
I experience a rare dash of hope as Mick Trubble seems to consider it for a moment. Then he dashes it to pieces by shaking his head.
"Wish I could help you, kid. But I got a heap of trouble on my plate already. Adding your problems will only slow me down. Keep your head down and find a hole to hide in until this blows over, La Fox. Maybe then I can see what I can do about your little transit problem."
He nodded to his partners. "C'mon, fellas. We got a lot of work to do."
I can only watch them slide into their vehicles and rumble off down the street. I'm left behind in the drizzling rain with no options and even less hope. I'm a marked woman in an unforgiving city, and it's only a matter of time before my number gets punched. I can't imagine how my night could possibly get any worse.
"Jinx La Fox."
I look in the direction of the person calling my name. Turns out it's not a person at all. It's a towering android in a long, rain-drenched coat and a wide-brimmed hat that shadows its gunmetal face. Its eyes glow from the darkness like yellow lamps.
Gesturing to a nearby car, it speaks with a voice like distant thunder. "My boss would like a word with you."
I fold my arms and try to look as nonchalant as possible. "And if I don't feel like going for a drive?"
The android pulls the biggest handgun I've ever seen from its jacket and points it at me.
"He insists."
4
The android slams the door but remains outside after I slide into the back seat. The car rumbles to life and peels off. I take a look behind. The android dwindles away, lost in a potent mix of rain, fog, and shadows. Dark buildings reduce to murky blurs as the vehicle races down the rain-slicked street at speeds I know can't be legal.
The dash monitor fizzles on, morphing into a familiar face. Newman, my contact for the job. He is a quirky man with looks that border on handsomeness. His dark hair is neatly combed, and he's dressed in what appears to be a lab coat for some reason.
"You failed me."
My eyes practically pop out the sockets. "What are you talking about? I did everything you asked me to do."
"No. You did everything Tommy Tsunami asked you to do."
"Wait… what?"
He shakes his head. "I thought you were smart, Jinx. Did it ever occur to second guess his story? To ask a few more questions? You were reputed to be resourceful. I suppose both of us were wrong to trust each other."
The windshield is useless, marred by beads of rain whirring across the glass. Fog rolls across the surface, further obscuring the view. Wherever we are, it's dark as death. The car hurtles forward like a demon into hell.
I swallow, trying not to let my nervousness show. "If Tommy Tsunami isn't working for you then how—"
"I don't know how he found out. Probably scanned the Dark Logs and figured it out. I sent an operator to pick you up. He disappeared. Tommy inserted Sandman in his place. Can't say the man isn't ambitious. And unusually smart when he's not unusually stupid. This whole cutting off Selene's leg debacle is proof of that. Both of you are dead; you know that? I would have simply scanned the tattoos and left her limbs in place. Now the city is on fire, and you're partially to blame. You and that imbecile Mick Trubble."
The last part was spat with venom, letting me know Newman has a history with the Troubleshooter. It doesn’t matter to me, though.
"If you're the one who was supposed to get me in, it means you can get me out."
"That's right. If I were so inclined."
"I need an out badly. I’m willing to pay what it takes."
A tiny, knowing smile touches his lips. "Really? With what funds?"
Alarms blare in my head. "What do you mean? Tommy Tsunami paid in full. The dibs are good."
"Check again."
With a sinking heart, I open my holoband and pull up my accounts. My heart nearly stops.
I've been wiped clean. My funds are drier than a desert crag.
"It's called a reverse deposit. Tommy probably used a hidden operative. Overrode your security, inserted a back door with the deposit. Funneled the funds back to its source of origin after a brief period."
I barely hear him over the sound of my furiously pounding heart. "I know what a reverse deposit is. But that's impossible. My security is the best there is."
"There's always someone better. A fact everyone learns sooner or later."
His words hit me like a punch to the gut. Everything I've sacrificed to get into New Haven. Everything I worked for. Gone in a bad combination of naivety and recklessness. I played myself, and now I was paying the price.
"What do you want me to do?"
His eyes told me the whole story before the words came out of his mouth. "What do you think this is? You're in a coffin, Jinx. A coffin hurtling at two hundred miles heading for the West River. It's cleanup time, sweetheart. You're a loose end I can't leave around to unravel my plans. Don't bother trying to hack the system. This vehicle is purposefully low-tech, and you're out of time. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with Tommy Tsunami. If it's any consolation, I don't think he's going to come away from it alive."
The dash monitor clicks off. I squint at the windshield just in time to see a guardrail gleam dully in the dark.
The impact barely registers. A slight jolt, the screech of shredded metal, and I'm airborne. I float for an agonizing second, body suspended above the seat. Then the car slams into the black waters of the West River with a bone-crunching jolt. I rebound off of every side of the vehicle like a pinball before my head cracks against something and the lights go out.
I wake up coughing liquid from my lungs. The car is submerged, the interior nearly filled with dark, rank water that smells like every dead body in the city is in the car with me. Only the faintest light is visible from the surface. I panic and try the doors, but of course they're locked. It takes a few frantic seconds to remember my KA-blade.
Switching it to gun mode, I aim at the window and pull the trigger. The sound mutes as the window explodes and more water rushes in. I escape the vehicle and swim to the surface, where I use my limited swim skills to paddle my way to the shore. I lay on the scummy surface, coughing until my lungs burn. My entire body aches from the impact, and my shoulder bleeds from the earlier slice-and-dice with the Wildcats, but that's not nearly the worst part.
The worst part is being broke. I gambled everything on this score and lost. Now I have no money, no way of getting out of the city, and a price on my head. I roll over on my back, staring at the overhead traffic with tears glistening in my eyes. The city lights turn into shimmering jewels, a multifaceted treasure beckoning to anyone stupid enough to buy into its golden lies.
Welcome to New Haven.
I'm finished. I can almost see Selene's black-clad assassins emerging from the shadows to sink their blades into my body, sever my arms and legs off as trophies for their mistress. It's only a matter of time.
No.
Gritting my teeth, I sit up. If I'm going down, it won't be without a fight. I got too much pride to do otherwise. And I've been down before. Plenty of times. Somehow, I always find a way back up. This time won't be any different. It's just a momentary setback. After all, there isn't a problem I can't solve if I study it long enough. There's always a weak spot to exploit, a back door to enter or exit. All I have to do is live long enough to find it.