This Girl Who Was A Ghost, page 30
part #2 of Near Future Series
“Yes, my sentiments exactly.”
Sammy guided him along the edge of the field running parallel to the street. They cut in through the back of an abandoned gas station. She and Uncle Danny had stayed in one uptown. Sammy thought it was the funniest thing when he told her it was a gas station, thinking it was a place where people went to fart. Uncle Danny told her they’d get a can of beans for the occasion.
She stopped Leo from walking into the street and called for a transporter. “It’ll be here in about four and a half minutes. Don’t usually wait that long.”
“Nothing is as usual tonight.”
“Dmitri blew up a power substation. I saw it on video.”
“Should I know that person?”
“He is…was Bernie’s driver.”
“I don’t believe I know that one either.”
“He used to be known as Bernardo.” Sammy wondered why he’d changed his name. She used to think of him as Golden Boy. “The police think he’s the slasher.”
“Who? This Dmitri character?”
“No, Bernie, formerly known as Bernardo.”
Leo pursed his lips, shaking his head.
“He was the one who supplied the getaway car for both Xanadu and that Bushwick place where we got the gene editor.”
“You’re referring to the Bushwick and Halsey Research facility?”
“You remember the name of that stupid place but couldn’t remember the name of the guy who drove us there?”
“I recall a woman drove.”
“That was Tatiana.” Sammy felt a chill, thinking back about her last moments with her. “Bernie was in the back seat with us.”
“I don’t believe I was introduced to him.”
“Sorry I didn’t make the introductions.”
“As I recall he was rather flaky.”
“And goofy and funny and a lot of other stuff I can’t think of, but not a murderer.”
“It is surprising, but then again I’m not well versed in that particular pathology.”
“Tatiana was a psycho. Is there some kind of psycho club you can join?”
“Perhaps they met at a mental health facility.”
“Tatiana said she went to a few of those places. I bet she met him there and made him into a bigger psycho.”
Leo let out a tired breath. “I don’t believe it works that way, but she might’ve exaggerated his condition.”
“You haven’t seen her work,” Sammy said. “She could twist a normal person into a pretzel, even you.” She gazed up at the low-light gray version of him. “What am I saying? You’re not normal.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You would.”
“I’m not afraid to be different. In fact, I relish it.”
“At least you’re human. I’m part octopus.”
“We should have another go at the scanner and check for any other changes. Have you experienced anything unusual lately? Felt different?”
“Feel stronger. Picked up one of those hospital bed tables like it was nothing.”
“Another reason not to involve yourself in these escapades. Did anyone see you?”
“The masked psycho and a hundred-year-old guy. Neither one will be talking about it.”
“Consider yourself lucky.”
“Last night, I almost broke Johnny’s wrist when he grabbed me. He called me a freak.”
“We should leave the area. There’s too much police activity here, anyway.”
“We?”
“Who else is going to help you?”
“You’ve been such a big help so far.”
“This is virgin territory, Sam. We’re both on an exploration.”
“Yeah, but I’m the one with the pickaxe.”
“We all have our roles to play.”
Sammy wondered what Leo’s true role was in all of this. She knew he’d never tell her.
“Your animosity toward Johnny could escalate, which could prove hazardous to both of you. You should avoid him.”
“No more nerve stimulation training?”
“I believe that was a mistake. Perhaps what you’re going through is similar to a child learning to walk, and when the time is right, you’ll be able to extend and retract the fingers at will.”
“Or I could be crawling around in diapers for years.”
Leo let out a breathy chuckle, looking toward her but not quite lining up. “How well can you see in this soup of darkness?”
“I can see everything, except it’s in a yellowish gray. I don’t see colors as good as I used to.”
Leo nodded. “There’s always a trade-off.”
The transporter rolled quietly toward them. When it stopped in front, the interior lights glowed, startling Leo.
Sammy opened the door for him. “Should’ve warned you.”
Chapter Sixty
________________________________________
Sammy sat in the transporter next to Leo, reading her account of what happened at the hospital and the club. She’d taken a few pictures at the club, but they seemed too dark as if shot in a cave.
Leo glanced over. “I hope that’s not a diary. Nothing is as secure as you might think.”
“It’s not a diary.”
“What is it then?”
“It’s for Grunge News, telling them what happened today.”
“You’re deliberately exposing yourself to a news agency?”
“You sound like I’m doing something perverted.”
Leo huffed. “If anything, you should be hiding.”
“Like you?”
“It might be best if I moved on with or without you.”
“You’re going to break up the band?”
“Before I go, I’ll secure a medical imaging facility for a final scan.”
“You mean a place I have to break into.”
“No place allows guest technicians, and I can’t risk anyone else viewing the scans.”
Yeah, the freak scans.
“Once I’m confident you’re stable, I can move on.”
Sammy didn’t like the sound of that. “Are you saying I might turn into a psycho?”
Leo shook his head. “Stable in a morphogenic sense.”
“Try English, Leo.”
“Your physiology stops changing,” Leo said, glancing over at her. “I’d like to be around to assist you in your development, but it’s proving too risky, especially with your penchant for heroism.”
“Yeah, it’s a tragic flaw.”
Leo nodded. “Now that you’re aware of it, perhaps you’ll learn to address it.”
“Then we can sit around in a hole-in-the-wall place and watch each other grow fat.”
Leo gazed out the window. They were a couple of blocks from the apartment. Sammy filed her report to Jack and slipped the phone into her pocket.
“Looks like our Russian friends are out for a late-night stroll.”
Mama stood at the corner, wearing a bathrobe with the sash tied tightly around her large frame. Igor was behind her looking back at his two sisters, who were shuffling behind him. The transporter pulled up in front. Smoke billowed from a second-floor window. The building was on fire!
Sammy leaped from the transporter. “You see Cindy?”
“She is not working?” Igor asked.
Sammy shook her head. “She’s here!”
“I bang pot,” Mama said, raising a cast-iron skillet. “Yell fire.”
Sammy looked back at the building, heat radiating like an open oven. “Must be sleeping.”
Leo grabbed her arm as she went for the door. “It’s too late.”
Sammy pulled her arm free, almost knocking Leo down. “It’s Cindy.” She raced to the door. Smoke stung her eyes as she lingered inside the doorway. Orange-and-yellow columns climbed the walls like fingers reaching up to the ceiling. She sprinted up the steps, dodging flames snaking along the edges.
The second floor seemed untouched except for the smoke trailing up the stairs. Sammy rushed down the hall, lingering by Leo’s apartment’s opened door. She burst into her apartment and went straight for Cindy’s bedroom. Cindy wasn’t in her bed. She checked the closet and under the bed, then called out to her. Sammy went from room to room and still no Cindy.
The hallway was filling up with smoke. Sammy buried her mouth and nose into the crook of her elbow and nudged open Leo’s apartment door. “Cindy, you in here?”
Bernie leaned over the counter. “Sugar, do you know where the marshmallows are?”
Sammy marched up to him. “What are you doing here?”
Bernie opened a cabinet door, searching. “Can you imagine not one marshmallow in this whole place?”
“I know who you are. You can’t fool me.”
Bernie lifted a package from the cabinet. “Dried seaweed. Who eats that?”
Sammy bounded for the bedrooms, calling out to Cindy.
Bernie stood at the entrance of the hallway. “You think she knows where they are?”
Sammy grabbed Bernie by his jacket and shoved him against the wall. “What did you do to her?”
“If you don’t want marshmallows, just say so. You don’t have to get all huffy about it.”
Sammy eased her grip. “Just tell me where she is, and I’ll get you help. I’m sure they can undo whatever damage Tatiana caused.”
“Now there was a girl who could find things. I’d be roasting marshmallows right now if she were here.”
“Focus, Bernie. Where is she?”
Bernie huffed, seemingly resigned. “On a beach somewhere, thumbing her nose at me. I’d hate to admit it, but I’m just lost without her.”
“Forget about Tatiana. She’s dead.”
Bernie crinkled his brow, gazing down at Sammy. A smile slowly emerged. “You want to be my driver, Sugar?”
“Forget about the driver; forget about everything except Cindy. Got that?”
“We used to call her Cin.”
“That’s right. Where is she?”
“If you find her, ask her about the marshmallows,” Bernie said, head tilted up. “Can you smell the smoke? It’s a crime that we’re not roasting marshmallows.”
The room was filling up with smoke. She coughed, calling out to Cindy.
“We used to also call her Chocolate Cake.”
Sammy shoved him. “Don’t call her that.”
Bernie looked all indignant. “You don’t like chocolate cake either? What do you like? Don’t tell me that seaweed’s yours?”
Sammy slammed him hard against the wall. “Stupid psycho.”
She stormed out of the apartment, calling for Cindy, eyes tearing, a coughing fit racking her chest.
The sound of a cat meowing came from behind her.
Sammy turned, calling out for Cat. She listened by the door of her apartment, another meow.
Sammy dashed in, searching for him. “Now’s not a good time to be hiding, Cat.”
The apartment door closed. Bernie leaned back against the door, pointing a gun at her.
Chapter Sixty-One
________________________________________
Bernie stepped away from the door, holding the gun by his side. His gaze was steady as if he was measuring her.
Sammy stared at the gun. She’d been careless thinking Bernie was harmless.
He gave her a side view of the gun. “It’s Dmitri’s. I don’t think he’ll miss it.”
“You killed him.”
“He served his purpose.”
“You don’t need a driver anymore?”
He chuckled.
“Something funny?”
“I was just thinking we have something in common. We both killed one of my drivers.”
“The difference was Tatiana was trying to kill me.”
He laughed. “I would’ve given anything to see that manipulative bitch have her little bird turn on her. Did you get her to tweet? That was her thing, the sick bitch.”
Yeah, and you’re normal?
“The funny thing is she was the one who sprang me from the padded walls.”
“How’d she do that?”
“When Uncle Sam wants you, who’s going to say no?”
“She worked for the feds?”
“We both did until the beast got a little out of hand on a village sweep.” He chuckled. “That village was never a problem after the beast got through with it.”
“The beast?”
Bernie nodded. “Saved my ass more than I can count.” His gaze drifted for a moment, then found her. “Couldn’t kill a little girl, though.”
“You’re the beast?”
“The beast is the beast.”
Was this one of those multiple-personality things?
He studied her. “What kind of freak are you?”
Sammy looked away.
“There were whispers of genetic enhancements, but you don’t fit the profile.”
Was that what she was? Enhanced?
“Who did it?”
“Nobody did nothing.”
He stared at her for a spell, eyes stone cold. “One last time, who did the enhancements?”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I believe there’s a mismatch of intentions.” He aimed the gun and fired, hitting her in the thigh just above the knee.
Sammy screamed, tumbling to the floor. “You shot me!”
Bernie raised the muzzle up to his nose and took a whiff. “So much simpler than a knife.”
Sammy shifted her weight. The floor was heating up and her leg felt as if on fire.
He paced, tapping the gun’s muzzle. “You know, I should just kill you for getting in the way of finishing that job earlier today at the Palace.”
“Job?”
“Xanadu put a hit on the Palace. Tatiana set that up. She was going to use you to sneak in the guns.”
“Me?”
“You could get in the back unchecked. She never stopped talking about how she’d stand on the stage and mow down the crowd with a machine gun you’d bring in. The kicker was that she’d end it with a pole dance.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “That bitch could plan.”
Sammy swallowed. Would she have just taken it without checking?
“But you weren’t the little bird she was expecting. It drove her nuts. We were supposed to have the job finished and be out of town a week ago. I’ve been carrying those goggles for weeks. Every time I come here to finish the job, silly Bernardo pops up and spends my money with both hands.”
“You’re not Bernardo?”
“I’m Bernard. It was Tatiana’s idea to give Bernardo more face time, said it was a good cover.”
“Guess you hated that.”
“I’m the one who controls the face time, not her.”
“I can tell you’re in control now.”
“That’s right,” he said, pounding his chest. “Things will be different. No more Bernardo or Bernie or whatever he calls himself these days. I could make a list of things he screwed up. He kept trying to fire Dmitri, my scapegoat. You know how long it took to find someone like that?”
“Yeah, everybody thought it was Dmitri.”
“I set that up, not Tatiana. All Bernardo knew how to do was spend money. The asshole thought it was from a trust fund. Can you imagine that?”
“I know I’d be pissed if somebody spent my money.”
“Damn right I am.”
“I could help you get rid of him just like I got rid of Tatiana.”
He stopped and stared as if taking a measure of her. “How?”
“Bring him out, and I’ll tell him how it is. You said he likes me, right? He’ll listen to me.”
“I know what you’re trying to do,” he said, waving the gun at her. “You’re just like that bitch.” He fired the gun; the bullet grazed off her other leg.
Sammy groaned, clutching the wound. “I’m nothing like her.”
“All bitches are the same, bouncing their tits so you’ll come running. Then they can get their fangs into you.”
The grazing shot burned. “Do you see boobs here?”
He paced. “Focus, focus.”
Sammy shifted sideways. The floor was hot enough to where she’d be cooking in a few minutes.
“I know enhancements.” He spun toward her, aiming the gun. “Where did you get the enhancements? No more bullshit.”
He was close enough where if she could extend the fingers, she’d be able to grab the gun.
“Tick-tock.” He grinned. “Nothing like a deadline to keep you focused.”
If she talked low, maybe he’d come closer, and she’d have a chance.
He scanned the room now engulfed in a dense fog of smoke. Smoke whistled through the floorboards. The door was buckling and crackling. The handle had an orange glow. “You have ten seconds before I put a bullet in your head, and then I’m going to release the beast on Cindy. The thought of spending a few days with her keeps the beast happy.”
Sammy pushed off the floor. “You have her?”
“She’ll be easy enough to find.”
He didn’t have Cindy. Where was she?
“He wants her for three days. I told him they never last more than two.”
The door caught fire and smoke poured in.
“Five seconds.”
A thud came from behind her. It was the dining room table collapsing as one leg gave way to the fire. She was next.
Cat hissed, jumping to the counter. She’d forgotten about him.
Bernard grinned, raising the gun. His eyes lit up as fire rolled across the ceiling. “Target practice.”
Sammy’s fingers shot out, looped around his gun, and jerked it free. She stood and flung the gun behind her.
Bernard spun with a wide sweep of his foot aimed at her head. She snatched his foot, whirled him around, and let go, hurling him against the wall to the right of the door.
Sammy hobbled to the counter and grabbed Cat. The window frame to the fire escape was in flames. Sammy tossed one of the dining room chairs through the window. The chair’s back was wedged in. She pulled it out, clearing the loose glass around the frame.
“I’m hurt. Help me, please.” It was in the high pitch of Bernie’s voice.
Sammy turned back.
Bernie rolled onto his side, hand outstretched to her. “Sugar? Don’t leave me here.”
