Doomsday Hunter 2, page 8
part #2 of Doomsday Hunter Series
“I might be able to help you there,” Rick muttered. “But, ya know… It ain’t gonna come free. Another thousand. Actually, make it another fifteen hundred, for damages and whatnot.”
“Damages?” I scoffed. “Dude, you are not in the position to be making demands.”
I pointed the pistol at the man’s chest.
He gasped… and then went into a full meltdown mode.
“I’m sorry, man!” Rick pleaded. “I shouldn’t have done that!”
“No,” I agreed as I raised the gun to his head, “you shouldn’t have. Now, tell us everything you know about Deltacorp, and we’ll let you go without breaking any more bones. Okay?”
The dealer was practically blubbering as he nodded and hung his head in defeat.
That was more like it.
“Where do you want me to start?” he sighed.
“I suppose from the beginning,” Natalie prompted. “Where is the Deltacorp building, and how do we get inside undetected?”
“It’s hard to miss,” Rick grumbled. “It’s the giant tower at the center of the city with the giant-ass logo on it. As for how you get in? That ain’t so simple… ”
“Could we steal a key card?” I questioned.
“No way,” the dealer continued as he nodded to his tattoo. “Unless you plan on cutting somebody’s skin off.”
“That can be arranged,” Natalie threatened. “In fact, I think I have a knife in my pocket here--”
“The tourists!” Rick blurted out as his eyes practically bulged out from his head. “Deltacorp takes a buncha tourist groups through their facilities every single day. If you wanna get in without being an employee or having their QR code, that’s probably your best shot.”
“How would that even work?” I mused. “Surely they don’t just let anyone waltz into their building.”
“They take groups in by the dozens,” the man noted, “they ain’t gonna notice two more, if the rest of your group doesn’t rat ya out. All you’ll need is one of the tourist badges. Maybe that’s where all that green of yours could do the talkin’?”
“What about security?” Natalie asked as she completely ignored his previous question. “Once we’re inside, will we have to deal with armed guards?”
Rick began to chuckle maniacally. “A few. But they’re not what you should be most worried about. The Doctor’s the one who will fuck you up.”
The Doctor…
“The AI?” I gasped.
“Is that what you guys are gonna do?” Rick questioned. “Destroy the AI before the military contract becomes official and your brotherhood gets bombers shoved up its ass?”
At this point, I wanted to correct the dealer and tell him the real reason we were in this dimension. However, it was probably much easier to just stick with plan A.
“That’s none of your business,” I reminded the man on his knees. “So, we’ll have to worry about armed guards and the AI. Got it. Where is the AI’s server?”
Rick looked at me like I had gone mad.
“Server?” he mumbled. “The higher ups always told us he was in the cloud…”
“That’s impossible,” Natalie noted. “Our… sources have told us there is a physical server somewhere in this city.”
“Look.” Rick shrugged. “You wanted me to tell you what I knew, right? That’s what I know. There’s some room all the way up on the fifty-eighth floor where all the coders and scientists hang out all the time. That’s probably the room you’re looking for.”
“Anything else we should know?” I asked one last time.
“Unless you wanna know about the placements of dumpsters and garbage routes, probably not.”
“Actually… I do want to know,” I admitted, “I told you to tell us everything.”
I didn’t know how exactly the garbage routes and janitorial schedules would help us out on this mission, but I figured more information about the Deltacorp building couldn’t hurt.
We sat there and listened as Rick explained how there was a trash can in every room, connected to a giant furnace down in the basement. He also told us the garbage trucks came by three times a day at noon, five pm, and midnight to collect the ashes of whatever was left over. Rick told us the locations of all the janitorial closets, electrical panels, and even the best spots to hide out of sight from the cameras.
Maybe the information would be useful, after all.
“That’s all I know,” Rick finished as sweat slid down his grimy face, “I swear.”
“You sure?” Natalie growled.
“Yeah!” the man promised. “You’ve got me in a fucking vice grip with a gun pointed at my head. You really think I’d be stupid enough to lie?”
“You never know,” the Scavenger mused.
I took a step back and lowered the pistol. “Alright, then. Let him go.”
“That’s it?” Natalie raised an eyebrow. “What if he goes to the police?”
“And tells them he sold a bunch of illegal firearms to terrorists?” I chuckled. “They’ll toss him in jail before he can even finish his sentence. Besides, I can clearly tell what this guy’s motivation is… He wouldn’t rat out a client, or else nobody will ever want to do business with him ever again. Right?”
“I swear I won’t tell another soul,” Rick promised. “Like you said, it ain’t gonna be good for business if I’m locked up or if nobody trusts me no more.”
I gave Natalie another nod, and she released her grip on Rick’s arm.
The man’s eyes went wide as he fell forward onto all fours, looked around skittishly, and let out a laugh of relief. Then he went deadly silent, and without another word, Rick propelled himself up onto his feet and took off into the darkness like a bat out of hell.
“You really think that was the right call?” Natalie questioned as we watched the scraggly man run away.
“He may have been an asshole,” I admitted, “but he didn’t deserve to die. He gave us guns and information, after all.”
“So, then it’s settled?” the Scavenger asked. “We’re going to sneak into Deltacorp as tourists?”
“Well, we aren’t from here, after all,” I joked, “so it’s not like it would be a total stretch… But for now, let’s go back to the hotel. I don’t know about you, but I really, really could use a few more hours of sleep. We’ll hit up Deltacorp in the morning.”
Natalie picked up the sack with the other pistol, slid it into her waistband, and then tossed the bag nonchalantly to the side.
I tucked away my weapon as well before I wrapped my arm around the woman, and we headed off toward the street so we could hail another cab.
We had a long day ahead of us.
Chapter 6
Natalie and I woke up early the next morning, showered in a hurry, and then promptly made our way down to the hotel lobby. We’d been exhausted after our midnight rendezvous with Rick, and I was halfway worried we were going to miss our chance to get into a Deltacorp tour group.
“Damn.” Natalie whistled as we walked past the area with the complimentary breakfast. “Now, I kinda wish we got up earlier.”
“It’s always a bit of a predicament,” I chuckled. “The damn things always close so early, so you kinda have to pick between two things you should never have to… Food, or sleep?”
“I’m going with sleep every single time,” the blonde Scavenger noted firmly. “Before coming to your dimension and experiencing the softness of an actual bed, I didn’t even know I could sleep so soundly. And yet… I could really go for some eggs right now. Little Hunter, too.”
I glanced up at the clock, which now read nine forty-five.
“You’ve still got fifteen minutes,” I said. “Plus, I still have to check out, so you’ve got some time.”
A wide grin spread across Natalie’s face. “You don’t have to tell me twice!”
The Scavenger spun around on her heels and then made a mad dash toward the dining area.
“Bring me back a bagel and a banana!” I called out after her, though I wasn’t sure if she’d heard me in her rush to the buffet.
Natalie’s pregnancy was nowhere near showing yet, but she definitely was starting to get the constant hunger and the strange cravings that signaled her gestation. I just hoped she didn’t come back with an egg and jelly sandwich or anything like that.
I made my way to the front desk, rang the bell, and then waited for assistance. Over on the wall-sized television, a news program was showing off a live stream of a press conference of some sort.
The man on the television was dressed to the nines, with a tailored black suit over a crisp white shirt that was complimented by a baby blue necktie. His short hair was combed over in an amber-colored wave across his head, and light stubble dotted his face. The man looked like he couldn’t have been any older than thirty-five, but I nearly choked on my tongue when I saw the name underneath.
David Troski - CEO of Deltacorp.
This was David Troski? I figured he’d be some middle-aged, turtleneck-and-chain-wearing douchebag who looked like he was about to start lecturing me on workplace synergy. Instead, this dude looked like a hip young guy who was trying to make a good first impression during an interview.
How the hell was he so successful at such a young age?
I guess that was one of the questions I needed to ask during the tour.
“Can I help you?” an older woman’s voice suddenly tore me away from the TV.
I turned around to see a kind-looking lady who must have been in her seventies, at least, and she smiled at me with her false teeth as she hobbled over to the desk and rested against it like it was her only form of support.
“I just wanted to check out, that’s all,” I explained. “The reservation was under ‘Jackson.’”
The old woman squinted as she sluggishly typed the name into the computer. Then she peered out over her coke-bottle glasses and started to click her tongue.
“Heading out early?” she questioned. “Your reservations are good for twenty-four hours after check in.”
“Really?” I raised an eyebrow. “Every hotel I’ve ever stayed in makes you leave by eleven the next day.”
The woman simply clicked her tongue again. “It was like that when I was your age, too. You haven’t stayed at a hotel in a while, have you, sonny?”
“This is the first time I’ve ever been to The Loft before,” I admitted. “And the first time I’ve been in a hotel altogether in years.”
“If I may ask, are you heading out of Utopolis?”
“I’m not sure,” I sighed. “We’re just kind of playing it by ear as we go. Even if we’re not, I don’t think we can afford to stay here for another night, so we’ll need to check out anyway.”
Behind the desk, the woman simply smiled mischievously and shook her head.
“Well, that just won’t do,” she mused, and then she began to type into her computer. “Oh, would you look at that! Since this is your first time here, it looks like the system has given you a ‘two nights for the price of one’ deal.”
“That’s a thing?” I smiled as gratitude bubbled up from my core.
“It is for you, sweetie.” The old lady winked. “You and your lady friend there go out and enjoy your day, and we’ll hold your room for you until tomorrow evening. Come back and check out at any time.”
I couldn’t help but grin like a maniac as I ran my fingers through my hair.
“Thank you, Darlene,” I squinted as I read the woman’s name tag. “You have no idea how grateful we are for this.”
“Don’t mention it.” She winked once more. “I remember what it was like to be young and in love. And poorer than a hobo’s left sock, too. You two lovebirds go have fun.”
I thanked Darlene again before I headed back to the dining area of the hotel.
There, I found Natalie sitting at one of the speckled, white faux marble tables. Three empty plates laid before her, each one covered with the remnants of her devoured meal. She leaned back in the chair as she stared up at the ceiling and rested her hand on her tummy, and there was a miserable look on her face as she groaned and stared into nothingness.
“Ah,” I chuckled, “I wondered when you’d experience a food coma for the first time.”
Natalie slowly moved her head back into the upright position. “There was just… so much food. And it was all you can eat!”
“Don’t apologize.” I shook my head. “It happens to the best of us every now and then. Or… you know… every Taco Tuesday.”
The Scavenger raised her hand and pointed to a fourth plate she’d placed on the opposite side of the table. It was covered with bacon, some scrambled eggs, an apple, and a bagel.
“That one’s for you,” she groaned. “It isn’t much, but I wanted to grab something for you before they closed it down.”
“Thanks, Natalie.” I smiled at the blonde bombshell as I pulled out my chair and sat down.
I wolfed down the food like a shop vac until there was nothing on my plate but a few greasy spots of butter and an apple core that was browning by the minute.
“How did it go with the check out?” Natalie asked curiously, though her eyes were still off in a distant land.
“Good news,” I explained as I wiped the grease away from my mouth with a napkin. “We don’t have to check out until tomorrow night now! That sweet old woman at the front desk extended our stay, free of charge.”
Natalie leaned back in her chair and nodded her head slightly. “Too bad she’s not the Wayfarer of this dimension. We could use a sweet old lady on our team… She could be our unofficial cheerleader, and she would make soooo much good food for us.”
“Ehhhh…” I chuckled, “there’d come a point where I’d have to impregnate her, and naawww.”
“Awwww, why not?” Natalie snickered. “I bet she’d be pretty experienced.”
“I-I really don’t wanna think about it.” I shuddered. “Besides, didn’t Dr. Nash say the Wayfarer was at Deltacorp? Two birds with one stone, remember?”
“I know, I know,” Natalie laughed as she forced herself back up to her feet. “We’d better be on our way, then. We don’t want to keep our future teammate waiting.”
The Scavenger was right. It was now five after ten, and the first tours at Deltacorp would be starting in about an hour. There was still a decent drive ahead of us, so we needed to get a move on.
We picked up our plates, took them to the constantly-running dish rack on the far wall, and then headed for the exit. The air of Utopolis was crisp and clean as we stepped out into the dewy metropolis morning, and I took a deep, bracing breath.
Boxy, geometric-shaped cars flew past us on the street, which indicated it was now rush hour. Luckily, this worked in our favor. Between the use of proper hand signals and the fact there were dozens of them out and about, I had no trouble flagging down a taxi. Natalie and I hopped into the back of the vehicle and ordered the driver to take us to Deltacorp, and then we were off.
“Deltacorp, huh?” the man asked through a thick accent. “Seems like a busy place. Busier than usual, that is. The computer shows me many of our drivers are heading there this wonderful morning. Do they have something special planned?”
“We’re just going on a tour.” I shrugged. “I guess everyone in the city wants to check out Deltacorp today.”
“Doubtful,” the driver chuckled, “I’m not sure if you’re from around here or not, but Deltacorp is the main employer of the city. Seventy percent, I believe the news said the other day.”
Holy crap… Seventy percent of the people in this city worked for the evil corporate overlords in some capacity. No wonder it felt like Deltacorp literally owned the place.
“Karla?” I whispered to myself as softly as I could. “Do you have any clue why there would be a bunch of people around Deltacorp today?”
Think about the timeline, Karla shot back without missing a beat. You’re only a few days out from Doomsday at best. If I had to guess, I’d say it has something to do with the military contract? Maybe there are a bunch of soldiers and political dignitaries flying in from out of town to check out the AI?
That’s just what we needed. A bunch of highly-trained soldiers headed to the exact same place we were. And, to make things worse, I was sure they weren’t going to be happy once they figured out why we were there.
“It’s the military,” I whispered to Natalie, and her face grew stern.
“What are they doing here?” the blonde woman hissed back. “I thought they didn’t have the AI until later?”
“They don’t,” I explained, “but I’m sure they’ll want to see their prized possession before they make a final commitment. We’ve just got to get to it before they do.”
“Ohhhhh.” Natalie grinned. “Now this mission’s an infiltration and a race against time? I gotta admit, I’m loving this new life you introduced me to, Hunter.”
“And to think,” I laughed, “you were torn about staying in your dimension or coming back with me.”
“That was the old Natalie,” she promised. “The one who didn’t know what a warm shower or a cell phone or Chipotle even was. I’ve definitely turned over a new leaf since then.”
“Chipotle was the game changer.” I winked at the blonde woman, but she just rolled her eyes and laughed.
The Deltacorp building was located at the very center of the city, which made it about a fifteen-minute drive away from where we were staying. The traffic was pretty bad, but thankfully our driver knew the roads well enough. Before long, we arrived at the tower known as Deltacorp Headquarters, and I tipped the driver before I slipped out of the vehicle with Natalie right behind me.
As the blocky car sped off, the two of us couldn’t help but stand there and marvel at the structure in front of us. Much like the rest of the skyscrapers of Utopolis, the Deltacorp building had a pure white frame accented with chrome and darkened windows that essentially turned it into a giant mirror. The only stark difference between this place and any other large building was the fact that this one had the company’s “D” logo attached to the very top of the skyscraper.
The main parking lot was completely full of buses that, much like the cars and trucks of this timeline, looked like they were designed by somebody who was afraid of curves. Their noses were short and flat, while the roofs came up into a triangular point. Blacked-out windows dotted the vehicle every few feet, and the rest of the body was covered by the sheen of chrome.
