"I'm working for a mutual friend."
"Who?"
"Castle."
"Again: who?"
Rook looked around, lowering his voice. "Abraham Clarke. Good enough for you?"
Her eyebrows lifted. "Yeah, man. Good enough."
"Think we can get you into a wheelchair?"
"To save my life? You better believe it."
Rook wheeled her through the hospital wing at a hurried pace, wheels whirring across the tiled floor. Her heart pounded, unused to the feeling of helplessness. Her fate was out of her control, at the mercy of a stranger whose eyes looked scared to death as he scanned the hallways. Every little bump sent a jolt of pain flaring across her entire body. Finally, they made it to an elevator, where he exhaled a shuddering breath, placing a hand against his sweaty forehead.
She glanced up. "Not used to this sort of thing, are you?"
He shook his head. "A bit of high-stakes gig for me. Can you tell?"
"Yeah, but you're doing great. Just relax, Rook. Don't draw attention to yourself."
He straightened, lifting his head up. "Yeah, okay. Thanks."
"No problem."
The doors opened, and he pushed her out at a leisurely pace, nodding greetings to the hospital personnel they passed. Passing through the lobby, they exited the building and approached a nearby ambulance. The rear doors opened, revealing a familiar metal-skinned individual inside. Isaac's alloy frame was scorched, scraped, and dented, but he was still in one piece.
A relieved smile spread across her face. "Looks like both of us have seen better days."
"Tell me about it." He stepped down, carefully lifted her from the wheelchair like a child, and set her inside the ambulance. Another man waited inside. He was familiar as well, though he looked a lot tougher in his tactical outfit than the last time she saw him.
"Abe? Your partner told me you were behind this. I didn't expect to see you in person."
"I'm sure you didn't. And it's Castle when we're on duty, if you please. Protocols and all that." When Isaac jumped inside, Castle pounded the wall at Rook, who had entered the driver's seat. The ambulance squealed off, joining traffic on the gritty Brickland streets.
Isaac jabbed Ronnie in the shoulder with a massive syringe. "Sorry."
"I can't be in more pain than I'm already in. What is that?"
"Painkillers, healing accelerants, energy boosters. You know the deal."
"Yeah. Like the good ol' days after getting creamed by a bad bust."
"Exactly."
She looked over at Castle. "Mind telling me why the former Commissioner is pulling a dangerous heist like this? Retirement get that boring?"
His thick white mustache curved with his smile. "My partner and I are loosely affiliated with the collective known as the Vigilant."
Closing her eyes, she groaned. "You know there's a task force dedicated to shutting you guys down, right?"
"I saw the news conference. Poor choice on picking Sergeant Brooks to head that unit, by the way."
"You don't think she's good enough?"
"On the contrary, I think she'll be too good. Our work will definitely be harder to accomplish under her watch."
"Your work? Geez, Abe. Castle, I mean. You're former RCE, for God's sake. How can you just up and decide to take up vigilantism in your pasture years?"
"From where I'm sitting, the reason is obvious. You were minutes away from being assassinated, Captain. By all accounts, that suggests compliance between the syndicates and your own precinct. The law didn't step up and protect you — we did. After picking up your partner too, by the way. I don't expect thanks, but a little gratitude might be warranted."
She sighed and glanced at Isaac, who shrugged in response.
"The man has a point, Ronnie."
"I know, I know." Leaning forward, she massaged her temples. "God, how did everything get so twisted up?"
"It's been that way for a long time," Castle said. "Since the days when I ran the RCE. All the red tape, the interference from Haven Core made the work of problem-solving impossible. The best police work is surgical, as you know. You identify the source of the illness and get rid of it, or else the sickness continues to spread. Well, the illness has spread unchecked for a while. If drastic action isn't taken, this city will be too corrupted to save. Desperate measures for desperate times, Captain Banks."
"I get that. But there's no way I explain this at my trial hearing. I was a disgraced officer. Now I'm a straight-up fugitive."
"Not if you can prove your superiors are corrupt."
"My superiors? I'm taking it you mean Commissioner Miller. I've had a feeling about him for a long time."
"Miller is definitely suspect, but who's holding his leash? We have to get to the source of the corruption, or you're right — your career and freedom will be over. Let us help you, Captain Banks."
"Call me Ronnie, please. And how? You and your amateur partner don't seem to be enough to take on a handful of Crimson Kings, much less a Diabolis corruption ring. No offense."
"None taken. And the answer is one word: Vigil."
She sighed. "It always comes back to him."
"His war on the syndicates has proved fruitful. Our role is to assist his efforts. So, we remain vigilant and contribute where we can. Like now, for instance."
"What does helping me have to do with Vigil?"
"You're an ally, or at least a potential one."
"I'm an ally of the law, not vigilantes."
Castle chuckled. "Come one, Ronnie. We both know your interpretation of the law isn't exactly black and white."
Her cheeks flushed. "I might bend the rules sometimes, but I don't break them. We have to draw the line somewhere."
"At last, we agree."
She glanced around, but with no windows, it was impossible to know where they were going. "So, what's the grand plan, Castle? Where exactly are you taking me?"
"Safehouse on Freshkills Island. Right under the nose of the Warmongers."
"Nice. At least no one will be looking for me there."
"That's the point."
"And then…?"
"One thing at a time, Ronnie. I'm making this up as I go."
Isaac glanced down at her. "I've got an incoming call from Chief Moore. I can make the line secure if you want to take it."
She hesitated, glancing over at Abe. He responded with an offhand gesture.
"Gotta trust someone, I guess."
She turned to Isaac. "Take the call. Make sure he can't see Castle."
Isaac raised his palm, activating sensors that projected a holographic profile of Chief Moore above his hand. The Chief looked at her with a concern-stricken face.
"Ronnie? Thank God — I heard the news about the attack. What the hell were you thinking? I thought you'd been—"
"I'm okay, Chief. Been better, and that was before someone sent hitters to finish me off at the hospital."
His eyes widened. "How did they find you so fast? I had to dig deep before I zeroed in on your location. I should be able to track Isaac, but he's off the radar."
"Yeah, we took care of that a while ago."
"Why?"
"Just in case. You never know when you're gonna be on the run for your life, after all."
"You wouldn't be if I'd been able to track you down. Unfortunately, by the time I found the hospital, you'd already pulled a ghost act."
"Makes you wonder, doesn't it? It's almost like somebody didn't want me to be found. Speaking of, Commissioner Miller just happened to drop by right before the assassins did."
"Miller? Why the hell would he pay you a personal visit without informing me of your—" He paused, eyes narrowing.
She nodded. "Exactly. Not hard to connect the dots and see the whole picture."
"I need you to come in right now, Captain. I'll have a security detail waiting to protect you until we get to the bottom of this."