A savage punch smashed the man into the concrete, where he went limp. Vigil straightened and glanced over at Tina. Flakes of dirty snow whirled around him in the faint light.
"You should go."
She went. When she summoned enough courage to look behind, there was no sign of Vigil. Nothing was in the alley except four unconscious bodies in ridiculous wolf masks, barely visible in the billowing steam and flickering shadows.
Ronnie took the spinner high above the city. From that vantage point, she was able to see everything. The haphazard scrawl of the districts of Neo York, choked by smoke and steam. The riot area looked tiny down there, insignificant. Just a bloom of fire and fury, a winking firefly in a cavern of shadows.
Come on, Ronnie. You should be doing what you can to help out down there. Not risking everything for a glimpse of HC deceit.
But she didn't leave. She kept the spinner hovering in place until she saw it. High on the domed surface of Haven Core, an entranceway slid open, ejecting an armored floater. Its thrusters pulsed, taking it down into the darkness of the city.
Got you.
Ronnie waited until the floater was nearly lost to sight before following. She had the spinner in Phantom mode, but didn't kid herself. The HC tech was light years ahead of anything the RCE had, and she didn't want to give away her position. The element of surprise was all she had going for her if she was going to follow through on her insane plan.
Whatever that is. Doesn't matter. Follow your instincts, Agent. Don't mess yourself up by second-guessing.
Her monitor screen flicked on, morphing into Sergeant Mack's gruff face. "Got the IDs you wanted, Agent Banks. Used facial, gait and identifying mark identification to get positive hits on everyone that took part in the execution."
"Anyone not a wanted or suspected criminal?"
"Only two. One is Nora Brewers. Mother of one of the kids we pulled from the sleaze den. Get this, though — the other is a just a girl. Mira Jimenez."
"A girl?"
"Yeah. She got the last lick in. Electra was already dead at that point, but the girl lit her up with a bottle bomb anyway. Instant barbecue."
"Can you send pics of both?"
"Yeah."
The pics popped up on the screen. Nora Brewers was in her twenties. Heavy makeup on her face, hair styled in the popular cyberpunk dreadlocks and colored green and black. Mira Jimenez was instantly recognizable. She had the same angry stare in her photograph as she did when Ronnie last saw her in the hospital.
"Damnit. I gotta make a call, Mack. Can you track either one of them?"
"I'll run a holoband track. Getting a reliable signal is gonna be really hard in all the chaos, Agent."
"Just try, Mack. Get me a place to start, at least. I'll call you back in a minute."
She switched off, looking for the transport. It was nowhere in sight, but she knew the direction it was headed. With luck, she would catch up before it landed. She pulled up her contacts on screen and dialed Jett's number.
His faced popped up on the screen. "Hello, Ronnie. Didn't think I'd hear from you with all this going on."
She squinted at the screen. "Where are you? Don't tell me you're out in the riots."
"Yeah, trying to get out. Things are getting out of hand out here. What do you need?"
"Your young friend is in trouble."
"Mira?"
"Yeah. Listen, there's a Haven-approved hit squad out right now with a mark out for anyone that took part in the execution tonight."
"Seriously? What's that got to do with Mira?"
"She was there. Threw a firebomb at Electra at the end. Electra was already dead, but I don't think the assassins are going to make the distinction."
"Damnit."
"That's what I said. Look, this might be asking for too much but if you could—"
"I got it. Trying to find her in all this mess will be near impossible, though. Better chance of finding the hit squad."
"Yeah, I'm on that."
"Need help?"
"What? Jett, you're not authorized for this kind of engagement."
"From what I know, neither are you. If they're sanctioned by HC, then they outrank you."
Ronnie gritted her teeth. "Nice, smart guy. Just look out for Mira, okay? And stay out of trouble."
An explosive impact jarred her spinner, sending it careening in a spiral descent. Harsh red warning lights flashed as she fought to control the sputtering vehicle.
Warning. Rear left thruster damaged. Emergency landing recommended.
Jett's voice buzzed in her ear. "What was that, Ronnie?"
She grimaced as she grappled with the steering controls. "Something just fired on me. I'm trying to get this spinner back on track."
The armored floater rose from the fog, high-beam lights and turret guns focused on her wounded spinner. A voice crackled over her com.
"I'd follow the advice of your auto-nav, Agent Banks. That was a warning shot. You're interfering with a mission authorized by the Haven Core Ruling Order. Stand down or face the consequences."
For a second, she wavered. What's the point? This isn't a fight you can win, Ronnie.
Her jaw tightened. "You're a glorified kill squad with no respect for the law. You can have the criminals. Leave Nora Brewers and Mira Jimenez out of it."
"Have it your way, Banks. Can't say the Hellrazors didn't give you a chance."
The turret guns opened fire. Ronnie maneuvered the spinner so the bottom caught the barrage, but the damage was too much. Sparks exploded from the console; the cockpit lights went dark. Tapping her holoband, she activated the emergency transponder.
Isaac, I hope you're somewhere nearby.
She felt the ruthless pull of gravity as the spinner plummeted into the smothering shadows of the city ruins.
Chapter 19
"Ronnie?"
There was no answer. Vigil clicked his com off, glancing at the pile of unconscious bodies at his feet. Masked street gang looking to hurt people for kicks. He made sure to make them think better of it. He thought about tying them up but decided to leave them as they lay.
They'll spread the word. Let the stories get exaggerated. Make Vigil more than a man.
That was before the call. Before the warning about Mira, before Ronnie was shot down. And then there was the other thing.
Hellrazors? Could have sworn I heard that on the other end. Has to be a coincidence.
"Incognito?"
"I'm here, Vigil. I have a ping on Agent Banks. Looks like she went down somewhere over the Breaks. Get to the top of the buildings; I'll send a zip bike to pick you up."
"Great. I need to find Mira too. ASAP."
"I'll run scans from her last location in the square. Can't promise anything, though. She's a raindrop in a thunderstorm out there."
"I know. Just let me know if you get lucky."
"Try calling her. It'll be easier to track her holoband if it's active."
"I'll give it a shot." Vigil activated his boot repulsors, shakily lifting from the ground and soaring toward the top of the nearest building.
I just hope I'm not too late. For either of them.
Way to go, gas-brain.
Mira was surrounded by madness. Gas clouds were thick, half-obscuring the rampaging bodies that ran around shouting, fighting, breaking into buildings, setting stuff on fire. Her face was protected by a gas mask, but the visor was smeared with ash and dirt. Wiping it only made it worse.
A goon in a skull-shaped mask came out of nowhere, giggling like an animal. Mira sidestepped, slashed his leg with the makeshift dagger in her hand, and ran. His maddened howls followed, but he was easy to lose.