"Do not doubt or test our resolve. We will not bargain or engage in negotiation talks. You have twenty-four hours to see if you can do what we did on Mars: follow orders. If you don’t, there will be no further warnings."
The transmission ended, leaving the populace of the Territories in mass confusion.
Kirk Hamilton stared at the wall console, where the massive screen divided into hundreds of sections, all showing reactions to his announcement. News reporters scrambled, trying to verify information. Haven residents responded with their opinions. Stony-faced HSSC reps tried to offer rebuttals and orchestrate damage control. It didn't matter. The truth was spreading.
He turned to Sergeant Chen. "The analysis shows ninety-seven percent broadcast delivery. Good work, Sergeant."
She responded with a modest shrug. "I'm working with the best tools on the planet. Almost kills the fun, actually."
"Even with Maximillian's interference?"
"He's tied in remotely, but he's vulnerable without his command center. I can stop his attempts to jam or shut down the system."
"And what about the attempted break-ins from outside?"
"Mercs and bounty hunters. The auto-defense system has been cutting them down. I checked the posts on the dark web. You're worth fifty mil, sir." She smiled as if proud of his criminal status.
Kirk looked out the window at the dead streets of Los Nuevos. "Something about this just isn't right."
"It's okay to have doubts, sir. But we can't stop now. Not when we're so close."
"I'm not talking about the mission." He turned from the window, frowning. "It's… something else. Almost as if this has been too easy. I just don’t believe Maximillian would allow his defenses to be penetrated so effortlessly. I smell a trap."
"Easy? The Legion has been fighting his remaining security since we've been here. We're down to a few last pockets of resistance, but it hasn't been easy. A few dozen men will be coming home in boxes. I lost two good friends taking this Haven. It hasn’t been easy, sir."
"I'm sorry for your loss, Sergeant. One man down is too many. But I'm afraid more losses will be imminent if we don't find the master of this maze of a city. We have his command center. Or what he wants us to believe is his command center. But he still has all of his secrets. He still might be able to disarm the explosives before they detonate."
"Not all of them at once. We made sure of that."
"You can't be sure. You still don't understand the man. You see his physicality, his arrogance, and think him some rich buffoon. He is much more than that. His intelligence is off the charts, matched only by his ruthlessness. Without him in custody, our plan is doomed to fail."
"You sent Kilgore to track him down. If anyone can find Maximillian, he can."
Kirk smiled sadly. "Yes. Kilgore can. But what will he choose to do when he finds him?"
"I'm taking a huge risk coming here in person."
Special Agent Hessler glanced at the old Syrian man in the passenger seat of his RGA. Cruel runes furrowed the leathery skin of the man's sunbaked skin. He was dressed in tattered, oversized clothes that looked as if they had never been washed.
They were parked in one of the slums outside the Haven. Battered neighborhoods from Vegas' heyday were reduced to relics inhabited by squatters and other misfortunates; former romantics and idealists who once dared to dream of life in the Haven only to be flatly ignored by its inhabitants. Those who remained were survivalists. Predators and prey, scratching out whatever life they could in the heat and sand of the unforgiving desert.
"You look a little ridiculous in that disguise if you don't mind my saying so."
Jude Maximillian yanked the skin mesh from his face, transforming into his perfect looks once more. He fixed Hessler with a haughty stare. "Well, the point was not to attract attention, wasn't it? You sure no one can see in here? There are mercs and bounty hunter crews prowling all around out here."
"The windows are mirrored, the vehicle armored. You should know how well it works — you built it, after all."
"My corporation built it. I designed it." Maximillian took an imperious glance at the interior. "This model is ten years old. Why aren't you piloting the 5th gen model?"
"Budgets."
"Oh, for God's sake." Maximillian's lip curled in contempt. "The UH approaches the negotiating table like barefoot beggars every time. They forget I know exactly how much crypto they have amassed in their accounts."
"I'm surprised you would meet me outside of the Haven, Mr. Maximillian. Especially… out here."
"You think I should be afraid to walk on the other side of the energy shield, Agent Hessler? I often take unsupervised jaunts into the Territories while my carbon copy handles the redundant duties in my place. Havens were never supposed to be permanent, you know. This strange and uncivilized land is our home, our birthright. We'll never properly reclaim it while huddling in our beautiful, glittering prisons."
"Director Lynch would agree with you."
"I'm sure he does, which is the only reason why I agreed to this meeting. He still won't reveal how he's going to rid my Haven of those rebels, but I'm willing to allow him his secrecy. After all, he's come through in the past. My father told me he was a useful tool. He assisted my father, you know. Many times."
"I've… heard."
"So, you want to know how I get in and out of the Haven."
"Yes. If you can get out, then you can get me and my men in. We can take General Hamilton's New Legion soldiers out and disarm the bombs. We can save the Haven."
"You don't have the time."
"Why not?"
"Because a secret portal isn't any good if anyone can use it. I'm able to transport myself out the Haven using revived CDR technology. But it's attuned to my distinct biological signature. To reconfigure it would take more time than General Hamilton is allowing us."
"CDR?" Hessler sat back in his seat, stunned. "Carbon Disassemble/Reassemble tech? You're talking about teleportation."
Maximillian waved an impatient hand. "Yes, yes. It's not as if it's something new. They used the process pre-Cataclysm, you know."
"Yeah, but didn't that require the use of aberrant energy? Surely you haven't tried to tap into any remaining energy wells, have you?"
Maximillian never got the chance to answer, because the impossible occurred only yards away from the vehicle. One moment nothing was visible except the desolate view of ruined buildings and faded cactus plants. Then Kilgore appeared from nowhere in a flash of crackling blue energy, crouched with one fist planted against the scorched ground. He slowly straightened and looked at them. A wolfish smile spread across his face.
Maximillian's jaw dropped open. "That's impossible."
"Didn't you just say you could do that?"
"Yes. But not anyone else. I'm the only one with access to the technology."
"Stay here," Hessler said, finger hovering over the DOOR OPEN button. He was stopped by Maximillian's insistent hand on his arm.
"What are you doing? You don't leave the car, you fool. You never leave the car. Get us off the ground and use the vehicle's weapons. That's why they were installed."
Hessler suppressed a stab of irritation at Maximillian's superior tone, but he had to admit the man was right. He hit the thrusters, taking the RGA into LIFT mode. Arming threat detectors and auto-tracking guns, he wheeled the vehicle around for an offensive position.
Kilgore stood in a defiant stance on the ground. And although he was unarmed when he appeared, he now held what appeared to be a highly advanced pulse cannon mounted on his shoulder.