‘Our car’s fairly easy to spot, though.’ With its mangled back end and bullet-pocked nose and windscreen, the Elantra was no longer anonymous.
‘That’s why we’re not staying with it.’
‘Oh, so we’re going to steal some other poor sod’s car?’
‘I’ll pick something that looks like the owner can afford theft insurance.’ He drove along the garage until he spotted a space and slewed the steaming vehicle into it. ‘Follow me.’
‘Like I have much of a choice,’ she said as she got out, fumbling with her baggage.
Adam pulled the other case from the back seat, then hurried along the row of cars until he reached the end wall. ‘This’ll have to do,’ he said, crouching behind the last parked vehicle. ‘Give me the bag.’
Bianca handed it to him, looking fearfully back towards the ramp. ‘How long do you think we’ll have before they get here?’
‘Not long. You’ll have to work fast.’ He opened the holdall, extracting an emergency surgical kit he had taken from STS. ‘Okay, here’s what I need you to do,’ he said, handing it to her and then untucking his clothing to expose his lower back. ‘Just above the base of my spine there’s a thing like a large coin under my skin. That’s the kinetic power pack. You’ll have to find it by feel.’
‘So — so you actually want me to do this?’ she said. ‘You want me to cut you open?’
‘It’s the only way. Find the power pack.’
Bianca hesitantly touched him, fingertips moving down his backbone. She felt something under the skin, hard and unnatural, a circular object about four centimetres in diameter. ‘Okay, got it. What now?’
‘You’re going to cut through the skin just above it. Use a sterile wipe to clean it.’ She found one in the surgical kit and did so. ‘Now take the scalpel and make a horizontal incision across the top.’
There was a scalpel inside a plastic tube. She took the instrument out. Even in the gloomy half-light of the parking garage, the razor edge of the stainless-steel blade still glinted. ‘Oh God, I can’t stop my hands from shaking,’ she warned him.
‘You’ll be okay,’ Adam replied. He knelt down, leaning forward. ‘Find the pack again — use your left hand.’
She tried to control her breathing as she relocated the disc beneath his skin. ‘Okay.’
‘Now, put the tip of the scalpel just above it, about half an inch to the left of its top.’
Bianca brought the blade into position, but hesitated before the metal touched him, her hand trembling more than ever. ‘Adam, I’m scared. If I do something wrong…’
‘You won’t. I know you can do it. I trust you, Doctor Childs.’
That didn’t stop her from shaking, but at least it gave her the courage to press the scalpel’s tip against his flesh. ‘What about anaesthetic?’
‘There isn’t time.’ He tensed, taking a deep breath. ‘Make the incision.’
Another hesitation — then, wincing, she pressed the blade down.
Adam flinched at the pain, drawing in air sharply through his nostrils. Blood swelled from the cut, rising like a tar bubble before trickling down his back in a crimson stream.
Bianca gasped. It was not so much the sight itself that caused her alarm, rather that she was responsible for it. ‘Oh God. The blood’s coming out really fast!’
‘You’ll have to be fast too,’ said Adam through gritted teeth. ‘Make the cut — left to right, about an inch.’
She tried to slide the scalpel sideways, but the blade refused to move. ‘I can’t, it’s stuck!’
‘You have to — push harder. Like cutting a steak.’
‘Is this a bad time to tell you I’m a vegetarian?’ But she applied more pressure — and the scalpel shifted, slicing through the skin and the thin layer of fat beneath. A sudden gush of blood made her jerk in shock. ‘It’s bleeding, a lot!’
‘Keep cutting,’ Adam told her, voice strained. ‘You’re almost done.’
Wincing, Bianca edged the scalpel across until the incision was the size he had demanded. ‘Okay, okay! Now what do I do?’
‘Don’t put down the scalpel, you’ll still need it — but you’re going to have to use your other hand to open the incision. There’s a wire coming out of the top of the pack — the earwig’s power line and antenna. Use the scalpel to cut it.’
‘Oh God, oh my God…’ Bianca whispered as she moved her quivering left hand to the gory opening. Blood oozed out as she touched it. She probed deeper, feeling the curved edge of the implant against her fingertips. ‘I’ve found the power pack — but I can’t feel the wire.’ Desperation rose as she kept searching without result. Another bloody rivulet rushed down Adam’s back. ‘Oh God, I can’t find it!’
‘Stay calm,’ Adam rasped, muscles and tendons drawn tight. ‘It’s there. Right at the top. Just keep feeling…’
Her right hand was shaking so much she almost dropped the scalpel. She clamped her hand tightly around its handle, then slid her fingertips deeper into the incision. Still nothing but the smooth plastic curve of the power pack and the awful warm softness under his skin — then suddenly she felt something else that did not belong. It was much thinner than she had expected, more like a hair drawn taut than an electrical wire. ‘I’ve got it!’
‘Okay,’ said Adam. ‘Now put the scalpel blade under it, and pull outwards.’
She did so. There was resistance, the edges of the cut rising upwards as the wire pulled against them — then with an almost musical tink it broke. Bianca gasped. ‘It’s gone!’
Adam’s own relief was less vocal, but just as heartfelt. ‘Okay,’ he said, exhaling sharply. ‘There’s some gauze in the kit. Put a piece over the cut, then stick a bandage over it.’
‘What about cleaning it?’
‘No time. We need to get out of here.’ As she covered the wound, he rummaged in the bag, producing something the size of a smartphone.
‘What’s that?’ Bianca asked.
‘Something that would have every auto manufacturer in the world suing STS if they ever found out about it.’ He tapped at the buttons on the device’s face. A line of tiny LEDs along the top of the gadget flickered — then the garage echoed with the chirps of dozens of remote locking systems, indicators flashing.
Bianca looked up from her nursing work in amazement. ‘How did you do that?’
‘It’s an override — it’s got the lock and alarm codes for just about every car on the market.’ He pocketed the remote. ‘Are you done?’
She finished pressing the bandage into place. ‘Yes. Does it hurt?’
‘Yeah, but there isn’t time to worry about it. Get the gear, we need to find a car.’ He stood, pulling his clothing back into place as he turned to survey the garage. ‘Something fast, but not too showy…’ He managed a smile. ‘There we go.’
Bianca collected the PERSONA, then turned to see what he was looking at. Not knowing anything about American automobiles, all she could tell was that the vehicle in question was some sort of glossy black muscle car. ‘Is that good?’
‘Hell yes, it’s good,’ Adam replied. ‘And I guess I just found out something else about myself.’
‘What’s that?’
‘I’m a Ford man.’ Suppressing a wince at the pain in his lower back, he picked up the other case and the bag and hurried down the row to the waiting Mustang.
Bianca followed. ‘I used to have a Ford Ka. One-point-two litre. I’m guessing this is a bit more powerful.’
‘Just a bit. Get in.’ He opened the driver’s door, dropping the case on to the back seat, then took out the override and climbed inside.
She saw his face twist with pain as he sat, putting pressure on the wound. ‘Are you sure you’re all right?’