We arrived with an hour to spare. I found a car with black tinted windows, pulled out its two inhabitants, and observed the area around us from the front seat. A large flock of birds flew across the broken Manhattan skyline, through tunnels of smoke rising from the ruined buildings. Lack of maintenance and violent acts must have triggered the fires.
A city dying in front of my eyes, along with its inhabitants.
9
For the next hour, the only sign of life was a couple of dogs. The first skulked over the bridge, stopped to lick the face of a corpse, then ran as if startled by something. The other trotted around in the distance for a few minutes before disappearing down a side street. At least the twisted minds of Genesis Alliance hadn’t made animals part of their program.
“Would’ve helped if she put a date on that note,” Jack said.
“I’ve been thinking about it. We left Lea in Monroe and pretty much came straight here.”
“We could always come back tomorrow if she doesn’t show.”
Something moved in the rearview mirror. I slipped between the front seats and scanned the area.
“Problem?” Jack asked.
“Dunno. Might be.”
Moments later, a woman darted from behind one car to another, moving in our direction.
“Problem,” I said. “And she’s coming this way.”
“She seen us?”
She crouched by the side of an SUV, paused, and advanced to the cover of a red and white ambulance with FDNY plastered on the side. Nobody would ever forget the bravery of New York’s firemen after the previous terrorist attack on this great city.
The woman reached a position within twenty yards, but she wasn’t concentrating on our vehicle. She pressed herself against the side of cars and kept advancing, clasping a carving knife in her right hand. We aimed our rifles and tracked her movement. She glanced around and continued along the bridge, stalking her prey.
Before the activation, I’d disliked tinted windows and thought they were used by show-offs and wannabe gangsters. Today, they helped us avoid a dangerous confrontation.
“How many do you think are still about?” Jack said.
“Not many. The second activation’ll probably flush out most of the survivors.”
A single gunshot rang out. The woman’s head snapped back, and she dropped to the ground. A woman stood in front of her, dressed in black with her hair in a tight black ponytail and her gun extended forward. Lea.
Jack went to pull open the door.
I grabbed his arm. “Not so fast. Let’s make sure she’s on her own first. Look at her clothes.”
Lea advanced to within thirty yards and looked around before ducking into an abandoned gold Lexus. We waited for ten minutes but saw no other signs of movement.
“It’s eleven,” Jack said. “Let’s go.”
I slipped out, crept to the Lexus, and gently tapped on the back window.
She sprang out and pointed her pistol at me in one movement before lowering it to her side. I resisted the urge to hug her but couldn’t hold back my smile.
“Put the rifle down, Jack,” she said over my shoulder.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said, “before any interested parties turn up to check out the source of your shot.”
She returned my smile. “No ‘Hello, how are you?’ ”
“That woman you shot walked right past us,” Jack said. “Might be others around here.”
“Okay, I know a place. We’ve got lots to talk about and very little time.”
“We could always go back to Bernie’s apartment,” I said. “Like the good old days.”
She smiled again, although this time it looked false. “They know about that place. It was compromised just before I left this morning.”
Jack raised his eyebrows. “What? How?”
“We can talk while we walk. Come on.”
This was the Lea I loved. Abrupt and to the point. She headed across Queens Boulevard. Jack and I flanked her and covered each side.
“How did you know we’d go back there?” I asked. “And why has it been compromised?”
“I didn’t know. I posted the note yesterday and planned on coming here for the next few days. You said you were headed back to New York, and I thought you might return to Bernie’s apartment. Where else do you know to go around here?”
“That was a bit of a long shot,” Jack said. “Although it’s our nearest thing to home, I suppose.”
“You’re more predictable than you think, Jack.”
He frowned, but I knew what she meant. I would have done the same thing in her shoes.
“What’s with the black gear?” I said. “You back with Genesis Alliance?”
“It’s complicated. I have my life thanks to Martina. I had to make compromises.” She quickened her pace and headed for a side street. “GA have boots on the ground here, and we need to be careful.”
“We know about their boots on the ground, boats in the water, and planes in the air,” Jack said, anger rising in his voice. “Why has Bernie’s apartment been compromised?”
“Early this morning, just before I set off, Morgan arrived on Hart Island in a small boat. He told the guard he wanted to talk to the boss and was taken to see Anthony.”
“That bastard. I knew it,” Jack said.
The revelation didn’t surprise me either. Morgan probably thought he could persuade his way in with the dominant force and worm his way to the top. I should have suspected after his questions a few hours ago.
“Anthony’s the boss?” I said. “I thought he broke away to track us down?”
“Anthony runs most of it through radio comms. He’s got a real hard-on for you—”
“Hold on; back up a minute,” Jack said. “What exactly did Morgan tell him?”
“He didn’t have time to say much.”
“Why?”
“Morgan told Anthony that you two were in an apartment in Elmhurst and gave Bernie’s address. He said that he’d lead them back and make sure you were in when they arrived.”
“That sneaky bastard! What else did he say?” Jack asked.
“Nothing else. Anthony called him a treacherous piece of shit, dragged him to the shore by his ear, and blew out his brains. They dumped him in the sea.”
“Anthony got that one right,” I said.
Jack grunted. “Serves him right.”
Lea dropped to one knee and swept her pistol across the street. A tin can bounced off the curb and rolled in front of us.
She rose to her feet and shook her head. “I left straight away to find you. Anthony was preparing his boat when I left on mine.”
“Did Anthony come on a boat yesterday?” I asked.
“When the second activation hit, he took a squad to Flushing Bay. His plan was to have a quick scout around the stadium. Ever since he found out that they’re in deep shit with Headquarters, he’s become more erratic and doesn’t give a shit about their plan.”
Lea doubled back and led us along 43rd Avenue. Drab brick industrial units and garages were packed together on either side of the road.
“What’s the story with HQ?” I said. “We hear they’re coming, but that’s about it.”
“Headquarters wants to meet the whole team today in Boston. Anthony told them on Saturday that he moved the control unit to Massachusetts. He’s doing it to buy some time in his hunt for you. A lot of people are getting nervous about lying to HQ. He executed a guy yesterday morning who asked to leave.”