"That's an EMP cannon. He's going to take out our electronics," Maximillian screamed. "Evasive maneuvers!"
"Stop panicking," Hessler said as he engaged the controls. The missile struck the RGA despite his efforts. The vehicle lurched as the controls went haywire. Lights blinked on the consoles and the RGA dropped back to the ground. The emergency thrusters fired just before the vehicle struck, saving them from what would have been an injurious landing. It settled in a cloud of dust before the fusion motor went dead, leaving them stranded.
Hessler blinked through the grainy haze. Kilgore strode toward them like a stalking panther, no visible weapons in his hand.
Hessler yanked his handgun from its holster. "Guess we're getting out the car now."
"Thanks to your terrible flying skills." Maximillian tapped a sequence on his holoband. A glossy sheath spread from the device, oozing over his body like liquid until it covered him completely and hardened into segmented body armor. "Let's go."
"I'd prefer if you stayed here. My job is to protect you."
"My job is to protect me. I've been trained in combat skills superior to yours, Agent. No offense."
Hessler shook his head and exited the car. "Suit yourself."
When he stepped out, Kilgore was already there. His fist snapped forward, connecting with Hessler's chest. Hessler flew backward, confused about how Kilgore moved so quickly. His contemplation was interrupted when he hit the ground fifteen yards away, chest flaring in fiery agony as if his sternum shattered.
Gasping, he tried to stand but failed miserably. He settled for looking over where Maximillian did his best to engage in combat with Kilgore. The armor appeared to enhance Maximillian's strength and reflexes, allowing him to defend and counterattack, while he tried to keep Kilgore at bay with concussive blasts from his gauntlets.
It didn't work.
Kilgore evaded the blasts, streaked in and seized Maximilian by the armored collar. Slamming him into the ground, he held a flickering hand up. A circular device appeared in his palm that he planted against Maximillian's chest. It whirred, green lights flickering as it transmuted the armor back into its molten state, literally dripping from Maximillian's body.
Maximillian sat up, staring. "How are you doing this? What's the source of your—"
Kilgore punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious.
Hessler forced himself to stand, teeth gritted in pain from the injury to his chest. I had a gun earlier. Where is my gun?
"Agent Hessler."
Hessler looked up. Kilgore had Maximillian's unconscious body slung over his shoulder. A gun was in his hand, pointed at Hessler.
"Stand down, Agent. I'll only tell you once."
Hessler stood down. Or fell, he couldn't tell. Either way, he watched as Kilgore loaded Maximillian into the RGA and slipped into the cockpit. The previously dead vehicle hummed to life and shot upward in a cloud of whirling dust before streaking toward the Haven.
Groaning, Hessler stood back up. His datcom exploded in his ear, Director Lynch's voice ranting as if he'd been talking all along.
"— I said can you hear me, Agent Hessler? What happened? My surveillance was taken out like someone set off an electromagnetic—"
Hessler removed the com, wincing as it unclicked from his inner ear. Tossing it to the ground, he made his way slowly toward the Haven, which shimmered in the distance like a desert illusion.
Probably die of thirst before I get there.
A rumbling sound made him turn around. An old cargo transport skimmed on gyro thrusters, bearing down his direction. Hessler stepped to the side and stuck his thumb out. Ten to one odds I get passed by, but what the hell. Worth a shot.
To his surprise, the transport slowed down to a halt. On second glance it didn't appear to be hauling cargo after all. The hull was retrofitted armor, and an insignia of a tiger in a pilot helmet was emblazoned on the side.
The driver's side window slid open, revealing a dark-haired man with a goatee and a thin cigar clenched between his teeth. "Need a ride, bud?"
"Yeah."
"Name's Cash. I'm headed for Los Nuevos if you wanna hop in."
"Los Nuevos is completely locked out. A rogue military unit has taken over. It's a disaster."
Cash exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Yeah, that's why we're here. Plan on doing something about all that."
Chapter 11
Happy folded her arms and glared. "He's a spook."
Mateo's eyes widened. "What's a spook? He doesn't look that scary to me."
Cash grinned. "He'd a suit, kid. That's what she's trying to say."
"How can he be a suit? He's wearing one."
Jinx sighed, rubbing her temples. "He's an Agent for the Haven Secret Service Corp. Get a clue, carajito."
"Oh. Why didn't you just say so?"
They crowded around Agent Hessler, who was stripped bare to the waist while Jinx used a medimech to examine his injury. The machine hummed, applying a quick-healing salve to the damaged flesh.
"Your chest is badly bruised, and you have a hairline fracture on your sternum. Lucky you had your armored vest on, or it would be broken. I didn't see any bullet punctures. What hit you?"
Hessler pulled his undershirt on, wincing. "A fist."
Her eyebrows rose. "A fist? Like someone punched you?"
"Yeah. General Hamilton's attack dog. Kilgore."
"Kilgore?" Happy looked shaken at the news. "He did that with one punch?"
Hessler eyed her gleaming bionic arm. "Yeah. And he didn't have one of those, either. This guy… has abilities. Either that or some kind of superior technology. He's far more than an enhanced soldier. You might as well turn back and save yourselves the trouble. Kilgore is on another level. He'll kill you all."
Jinx looked at the others. "Maybe he's right. We don't know what we're up against here."
Cash gave her a sidelong glance. "You do know if that happens, we're back to cashing in on your bounty, right?"
"Oh, yeah. Never mind, then."
Happy glared at Hessler as if insulted by his presence. "We need to dump this guy ASAP."
Cash frowned. "Why? We just brought him on board. This guy has info I'm sure he doesn't mind sharing. Right, Agent?"
"This spook's job is recovering information, not sharing it," Happy said, still trying to murder Hessler with her glare. "His very presence is compromising our mission."
"You're a little paranoid right now, Happy. Why don't you cool off and let me talk to Agent Hessler here?"
"Oh, like you can trust him over me? You don't know how they work, Cash. I do. This guy's been tracking me for years. He's the epitome of a company man. Why don't you tell him, Hessler?"
"Tell him what?"
"That they're listening in right now? That your holoband is always relaying info? That your superiors are seeing everything you see? Who's on the other end? Is it that bastard Lynch? It's always Lynch. Where is he?"
She lurched forward, seizing Hessler by the collar. "Where the hell is Lynch? Tell me, Hessler. Tell me right now!"
Cash grabbed her arm. "What the hell? You're out of line, Happy. Let the man go."
She shook him off; teeth clenched so tightly that her jaw trembled. "Not until he tells me what I want to know." Her other hand snatched a tactical knife from its sheath and held the blade a hair's breadth from his eye. "I'm not playing, Agent. Tell me where to find Lynch."
He met her gaze without flinching. "No one knows Director Lynch's location."
"Liar!"
"You seem to know him better than I do. If that's true, then you know how he operates. We're kept in the dark. He gives us our orders remotely. I've never met him in person. That's the honest truth, Maxine."