Her eyes quivered; the bionic one whirring, the real one glistening. "What did you call me?"
"Maxine. As in Maxine Winters, former Agent in the HSSC. Master marksman and sniper. Veteran of the Brat Pack, the nickname for the Youth Recruitment Program, the now-disbanded operation that enlisted promising juveniles into black ops missions and eventually Agent status. AKA Mad Maxine, a nickname used by your closest friends. AKA Trigger Happy, a codename you adopted upon taking on your new occupation of gun for hire. Or Happy, for short. You're right about me tracking you for years. In that time, I learned everything I could about you."
It didn't seem possible, but Happy appeared even more furious. "You read some words on a screen, Agent. You don't know me. You don't know the first thing about who I am."
His face remained neutral, his voice without expression. "I know what your former associates did to you. How you got that arm, the scars on your face. Why you have their names on a personal hit list. I know the names you haven't scratched off yet. Beowulf Kilgore. Franklin Newman. Blake Jackson. Natalie Whitman. Michael Trudo."
Happy's face flinched with every name, but she kept her death grip on his collar. "You forgot the last name on the list. Deacon Lynch."
"I can't help you with that, Maxine. And even if I could, I wouldn't. You know the protocol. You've been there. You know how much it takes to break a trained Agent. I don't think you have the time."
"I'll make the time."
"And it will be for nothing. I can't give you Lynch. Like I said, he makes sure no one can give him up. Deep inside I think you know that."
She stood frozen for a few moments, studying his face. Muscles tensed, jaw set, knife hovering over his eye. Finally, she lowered the blade and released him, whirling away and placing both hands over her face.
"Goddamnit. Son of a bitch!"
Mateo offered her a paper towel. "You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, just peachy. Just… give me second, okay?"
Jinx lifted Hessler's wrist, examining his holoband. She snapped a small, circular device into one of the ports. "That should do it."
He pulled his arm back, glancing at the device suspiciously. "What did you just do?"
"Ensured our privacy. That prevents your band from transmitting info. Don't worry; you can remove it when we're done here. Comprende?"
"Yeah, I got it."
Cash uttered a sigh of relief. "Okay, now that we all know each other, why don't you tell us why you're hanging in Slum Alley hitchhiking instead of engaged with negotiating with the rebel soldiers currently holding Los Nuevos hostage?"
"I was meeting with Jude Maximillian about possible entry points into the Haven."
"Maximillian? As in the de facto overlord of Los Nuevos, richer than the world Maximillian?"
"Yeah. Our meeting was interrupted by Kilgore appearing literally from thin air and conjuring weapons from the same place."
Mateo leaned forward. "You mean like teleporting?"
"Exactly like teleporting." Hessler fastened the buttons on his dusty shirt, looking slightly dazed. "I'd call it impossible if I hadn’t seen it myself. The man is unstoppable."
Mateo folded his arms with a confident grin. "No one is unstoppable."
"That's the spirit, kid." Cash fiddled with his lighter, snapping the lid back and forth. "Look, Hessler. You boys put this bounty out, right? Happy says it's a setup and all, but I think we all want the same thing: for this to be over. Clean and quiet. I know you've studied the place. There's gotta be a weak spot somewhere."
"I've got to get back to my men. I have orders."
Happy stepped forward. Her face was composed, showing no signs of her earlier breakdown. "You just lost the most important man in the country outside of the President. I'd think your orders allow for some improvisation. That's what you do, isn't it? Why you achieved Agent status. Your superiors trust you to make decisions in a state of flux. Make hard choices when no one is there to give orders. So, make a decision, Agent Hessler. If you're capable."
His head snapped up, staring her in the eye. Finally, he nodded.
"Fine. I'll work with you Nimrods. I'll even share my intel. But get one thing clear: if it's you or the mission I'm choosing the mission. I'll gladly leave any one of you to die if that's what it takes to put an end to this."
Happy nodded, a bitter smile on her lips. "I'd expect no less from an Agent."
Mateo raised a hand. "I would."
Jinx guided her Cayenne toward the old, dusty charging station just a mile outside of the Haven, which glimmered in her rearview like a half-submerged sun. Parking her ride, she plugged into the rusty, battered charging station and walked toward the convenience store. When she entered, she noticed the cashier eyeing her up and down. But unlike most times, it wasn't the leering gaze of someone with kinky thoughts on his mind. The young man assessed clinically, checking her demeanor, the possibility of her being armed or otherwise a problem.
Bingo.
"Can I help you?"
"No, I'm good, gracias. Just looking for a limón soda. And the entrance to your top-secret tech center, of course."
The fake cashier was good. She didn't even see him hit the silent alarm. But within seconds the rear door banged open, admitting three crimson-clad soldiers, all of them pointing rifles at her.
"On your knees!"
"Get down, now. Do it!"
"We will shoot you if you don't comply!"
She raised her hands, lips curved in a smug smile. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Down, now!"
"I have a better idea," she said from behind them, firing her stun blaster in quick succession. The soldiers slumped to the floor, followed by the man behind the counter. Jinx pulled the hooded mask from her head, materializing from her place in the corner as her cloaking suit shut down. Fluffing out her fro, she glanced at her hologram, still holding her hands up in front of the unconscious bodies. Winking at herself, she shut the program down.
"Don't mind if I do," she said, helping herself to a bag of Platanitos and a Red Fool energy drink before traipsing to the door the soldiers exited from. Inside was a small warehouse packed with supplies. Jinx slid her goggles over her eyes and tracked for heat signatures. The thermal mode revealed a hidden door in the floor that had to be the hidden tech room. Stepping to the side of the hatch, she cautiously opened it.
"Better speak up if you don't wanna be shot, muchachos. Last warning."
A frantic voice drifted up. "Don't shoot! I'm just a tech, man. I don't wanna get killed for this."
"You sure you're alone?"
"Yeah. Look — you're scaring me, man. Just… don't shoot me in the face, okay?'
Jinx dropped a mapping sensor down just in case, verifying the guy's testimony as it scanned the interior and sent the results to her holoband.
She dropped inside, pointing her blaster at a teen with dyed blond spiky hair and a terrified expression on his face. She almost felt sorry for him.
"Sorry about this."
"About what?"
She shot him with a stun blast. Dropping into a wheeled office chair, she rolled over to the command center where an array of consoles and monitors were set up. Popping a plantain chip in her mouth, she tapped the datcom in her ear.
"Looks like Hessler's intel was right on the money. The place has a hidden tech center. I'm in."
Deejay's voice buzzed in her ear. "Okay. Patch me through."
Jinx plugged a wireless adapter into the main console, linking it to Deejay. The screens immediately scrolled with data as Deejay began active reconnaissance, sending packets to the security system and evaluating responses.
Jinx collaborated, downloading an encrypted payload directly into the system. "Careful, Deejay. Maximillian's security is nasty. It will send automated attacks to brute-force credentials in your system. I'm doing what I can to slow it down. Wouldn't be possible if I didn't have direct access."