Subtle Weapon, page 5
part #2 of ShadowTech Series
Kaiahive. Had to be.
Deva pulled off her pack, grabbed a couple of flasks, took long pulls from one, handed the other to Keelin.
Keelin took it, didn’t open it.
“You want to talk about it?” Deva asked.
Keelin didn’t respond.
“You reckon they were definitely Kaiahive, by the Proteus?”
Keelin nodded.
“You think Ryann and the others avoided them? She’d have spotted them, wouldn’t she? Would have guided Brice and Piran away from danger.”
“She knows what she’s doing.”
Which wasn’t an answer at all.
Deva looked along the crater’s ridge. Where they stood it was a couple of metres wide, but further round it spread, enough that some kind of stone structure blocked half of it. She squinted—up here, the sun was bright—and shapes moved in front of it.
She pointed. “Any ideas?”
Keelin, her eyes far more powerful than Deva’s would ever be, peered into the distance. “Couple of people. Small building. There’s an antenna.”
“So they’re in communication with others.”
“Looks that way. Another set-up, bit further along.”
“Have to take your word for that.”
Keelin turned. “More in the other direction. Ring of observers.”
“Could be rescue posts. In case anyone gets into difficulty climbing, or looks like they’re going to slip from the top.”
“Doubt they’d need the guns for that.”
“Guns?”
“Tychons. Sniper weapons. And it looks like everyone’s got a Preben on their hip, too.”
“So they’re to stop people.”
“Yep.”
Deva frowned. “Stop them getting into the crater, or stop them getting out?”
“Good question.”
Keelin stared off, eyes narrow, face serious. Deva looked to the closest building—the only one she could see. The shapes in front did look like figures now.
“If we can see them,” she said, “then they can see us. Right?”
“Makes sense.”
“So they know we’re here.”
“Yep.”
“And they’ve got long-range weapons.” She shuddered. “Are we in range?”
“Definitely.”
“Do they have their weapons aimed at us?”
“Not yet.”
Deva looked down, the way they’d climbed. The Proteus was there, but so was Kaiahive.
“What do we do?” she asked.
Keelin’s chest rose and fell. She looked along the ridge, one way then the other. She looked down the cliff, then across to the rest of the island. Eventually, she turned to Deva.
“What do you reckon?” she asked.
There was only one sensible option. “They know we’re here,” Deva said. “Might as well say hello.”
Keelin
There was, Keelin thought, a comfort in knowing the guards could take them down at any moment. It was outside her control. A decent shot to the head, and it would be over.
“They haven’t raised their weapons yet, have they?” Deva said.
“Not yet. Watching us, though. And talking.”
“You reckon they’re talking to others?”
“Maybe. They’re using comms.” The ear-pieces were hard to see, even with a hard zoom, but not impossible.
“So there’s no chance of us running.”
“No.”
Deva’s breath was drawn-out and loud. “How do we play this?” she asked.
“Not sure. Depends on them.”
“Would be good to have some kind of game-plan.”
She was right. But planning wasn’t Keelin’s speciality.
She stopped, turned. “Any ideas?”
Deva sucked on her lower lip as she peered around Keelin, at the guard-post. “Could try saying we’re lost.”
“In a guarded volcano crater?”
“We managed to get in without being spotted. And who’s to say the tunnels we used are the only ones? What if we…I don’t know, used a submersible to approach the island, surfaced in a cave, then walked the rest.”
“Without any gear?”
“We can say we left it in a safe place. Then climbed up here to get the lay of the land.”
“And when they ask why we came to the island in the first place?”
“Sight-seeing.”
“Sight-seeing?”
Deva shrugged. “It’s an impressive view.”
“You think they’ll buy that?”
Another shrug. “Suppose they’re pretty jaded about the view by now.”
“And how do we explain me?”
“You?”
“I have to spell it out? Or do you reckon they’re used to seeing huge grey snout-faced monsters around here?”
Deva’s mouth opened, then closed. Her eyes narrowed. She looked at the guard-post ahead, then turned, looked to the one behind them.
“They’ve already seen you,” she said slowly. “No point hiding. So we say you’ve…had alterations.”
“Alterations.”
“Yeah. Don’t have to be specific. Could make out they went…I don’t know, a bit wrong? That’s why we got the submersible, why we came here—wanted to get away from awkward questions. Haven’t saved up enough for correctional surgery yet, or something.”
“Bit close to the truth.”
“Which’ll make it easier to bluff. Unless you’ve got a better idea. Only other thing that comes to mind is I say you’re some kind of pet.”
She stared straight at Keelin when she said that, the gaze a taunt. And Keelin felt her arms tighten, felt her teeth push together.
Deva nodded. “Yeah. Didn’t think that would go down too well. So we say it’s surgery gone wrong. Some arsehole who conned us into believing he was legit, never let on he was into experimentation. Could say you ripped his head off, but it might be better to down-play the whole strength thing. How about we say the guy disappeared, stopped responding to messages? And it was a back-street job, so we couldn’t get the authorities involved.”
The sun beat down on the back of Keelin’s neck, and the breeze did nothing to cool her down. She looked at the guards. Both male, one with a beard, the other clean-shaven, but beyond that there was little to tell them apart. Black trousers, black long-sleeved jackets, black caps on their heads. Rugged boots. Both wore ear-pieces and wire-mics.
And their weapons were ready. There was a rest-position on the Tychon, behind the trigger, and it was off on both weapons. The bearded man held his gun aimed to the ground, but his companion had his raised—not trained on Keelin and Deva yet, but definitely moving that way.
They didn’t look in the mood for stories. But what other option did they have?
“Fine,” Keelin said. “You okay doing the talking?”
Deva shrugged. “Thought you might say that. Yeah. You hang back, though.”
“Until things head south.”
“Unless things head south.”
“You’re that confident?”
She flashed a smile, and her eyes widened—not in shock, but in…anticipation? Excitement?
“You’re going to flirt with them, aren’t you?”
“Only if I have to. Depends on them.”
“And if they’re not into you?”
“Then I’ll try something else.” Deva sighed. “Dealt with people like this my whole life—officious, reckon they’re better than me just because they’ve got a lattice that works. You hang back, play along with whatever I say, and let me do what I’m good at. Yes?”
Keelin nodded.
“Good. Reckon I should lead, then.”
Keelin shuffled to the edge of the ridge and let Deva slide past. She briefly grabbed Keelin’s arm. That might’ve been to steady herself, but the squeeze said something else.
Keelin hunched over, tried to make herself less imposing. Uncomfortable, but it might help.
As they drew closer, both guards raised their guns.
“Halt!” The bearded one stepped forward.
Keelin shuffled to a stop. But Deva took another step, and let out a long sigh.
“Hey,” she said, so breezy Keelin thought for a moment she actually knew the guard. “Good to see a friendly face. Knew this place wasn’t heavy with people, but we haven’t seen anyone for hours, you know?” She looked beyond the guard. “Strange place for a hut. This an observation post or something?”
“Who are you?”
“Oh, right—introductions. Yeah. Makes sense. I’m Cara, and this is Brienne.” Deva swung an arm vaguely toward Keelin.
Keelin nodded, and met Beardy’s gaze. His eyes were narrow and untrusting, and the finger resting on his gun’s trigger tightened.
“This thing’s got a name?” he said.
Keelin took in a breath, let it out slowly, quelled the rising anger.
Deva frowned, and Keelin wasn’t sure if the confusion was real or an act. But then her face uncreased. “Oh. Right. Guess I’m kind of used to how she looks. Yeah. Botched surgery. Long story. People keep staring. That’s why we came out here—somewhere quiet.”
“Is it safe?”
“It? Oh. Her. Don’t know. I mean, am I safe? Those guns you’ve got look very powerful. We’re not after trouble or anything.”
The guard’s eyes narrowed, and his gaze flicked between Keelin and Deva. And Keelin concentrated on the situation.
She noticed how Beardy paid more attention to Deva, but the other guard kept his eyes on Keelin. She noticed how their lattices were brilliant with activity, how both guards were ready for action.
And she also noticed the other two traces—two more guards, in the hut.
Calling it a hut did it a disservice. The structure was a concrete block, with a heavy door. There were no windows, but there were—anomalies. A couple of protrusions, either side of the door, with objects moving inside.
They didn’t look like sensors.
“What are you doing here?” Beardy said eventually.
“Here?” Deva’s voice was breezy, almost hypnotic. And she tilted her head back and forth, shifted her hips. Every so often the guard’s eyes would drop to her waist. “Well, once we’d climbed, we thought we’d come see you. Seemed only polite, right?”
“What were you doing in the crater? Why are you on this island.”
“Ah. Getcha. Yeah, long story. Don’t want to bore you with it. Submersible, tunnels, through the forest. Looking for somewhere quiet. You know how it is.”
Beardy’s eyes narrowed. Deva flinched. Keelin readied herself.
“No,” the guard said. “I don’t know how it is. Tell me. In detail.”
Deva raised her hands, patted the air in front of her—as if that would calm the guard down. But he did relax, even if only fractionally. Must’ve been something in her face.
She told her story, but Keelin let the words wash over her. It was nothing more than an expansion of the tale she’d made up earlier.
Keelin studied the building, studied the guards. She mapped the terrain. She noted where Deva stood. She concentrated on the weapons the guards held.
Tychons, both modified, both in ready mode. Prebens on their hips, holsters unfastened for quick release. Beardy’s jacket was bulky to the left side, and there was a bulge by the other guard’s ankle—concealed weapons.
No knowing what weapons the guards in the hut had.
Keelin focused on the door. It was metal, tight in the frame. There was a small terminal fitted in it, but there was no obvious handle, no physical way to open it from this side.
Deva talked on, her voice rising and falling like a song, her body swaying to the rhythm. It even drew the eyes of the clean-shaven guard.
Then his eyes narrowed and his head jerked in an almost imperceptible nod. A message, through his comms. His stance stiffened. He aimed his Tychon at Keelin’s head.
Beardy took a step back, brought his gun in line with Deva’s chest. It was a subtle move—she carried on talking, oblivious to the way he positioned himself.
Positioned himself to fire.
Keelin took a breath, held it as she focused.
Time slowed. Perception increased.
Rock beneath her boots, uneven ground. Muscles tightening. Heart rate increasing.
Both guns held firm. Fingers tightening around triggers.
Beardy glanced at his companion. His companion swallowed.
And Keelin leapt into action.
Deva
Deva staggered, shoved aside as Keelin barrelled past. There was a crack, a rush of warm air, and stone shattered behind her.
“Stay down!”
Deva flattened herself to the ground as much as she could.
Keelin slammed into the bearded guard, ripping the gun from his hands. The guard fell back. Keelin spun, punched the second guard.
No. Punching didn’t lead to so much blood.
The guard jerked as Keelin pulled her arm back. Gore erupted from the hole in his stomach. He collapsed.
Keelin kicked, sending the first guard over the edge of the ridge. She raised the guard’s weapon.
The barrel spat. The door to the hut dented. Twice, a third time, a fourth.
Keelin threw herself at the door. It burst open. She disappeared inside.
Gunfire. Shouts. Flashes from the darkness within.
Then silence.
Deva lifted her head and spat some of the dust from her mouth. She stood on wobbly legs, brushed herself down. She looked into the crater. There was no sign of the bearded guard. He’d be amongst the trees, his body broken.
The second guard lay in a pool of blood, stomach glistening in the sun’s glare. Deva covered her mouth with her hand and turned away.
Sounds of movement from the building. Nobody emerged. So Deva took a step closer, then another. She stuck her head inside.
Dull lighting came from thin strips across the ceiling, enough to show a table and four chairs, three overturned. There were terminals on the walls, half of them showing views—the ridge, the crater, and the slope that led to the rest of the island.
And there were two bodies.
One lay in the corner, his weight propping open a door to a toilet. Half his head was missing. The other body lay by the table, next to one of the upturned chairs. Deva thought that one might be female. There was nothing left of her chest, though—blown away by a high-powered shot, or ripped open by a monster.
And Keelin stood at the back of the room, hunched over a palm-terminal.
“Kee?”
Keelin’s eyes were small and glassy. She looked up for a moment, then returned her attention to the terminal.
“Need to move,” she said, her voice as cold as her eyes. She threw the terminal to the floor.
In a flash, Deva understood.
“Others are coming?”
“Will be.” Keelin bounded to the door, grabbing Deva on the way.
Deva didn’t argue. She let herself be carried.
It wasn’t comfortable, or elegant. Keelin had her under one arm, like she was a rug or something. Deva did what she could to wrap herself around Keelin’s body as her friend ran.
Not along the ridge, but down the slope. Away from the crater.
Dust billowed from the scree. Blood pounded in Deva’s ears, almost drowning out the rush of falling stones. Keelin bounded, slid, stumbled. Never fell.
She was in control. Deva had to trust that.
The slope levelled out. Keelin ran on. Deva bounced, nausea rising. The blur of ground turned from grey to green. Dust settled, replaced by the smell of mud and leaves.
Keelin only slowed when branches once more blocked out the sun.
Keelin
Keelin set Deva down. She wobbled, needed support until she found her feet. Keelin leaned her against a tree.
Then she focused.
“Traces,” she said. “Recent.”
Deva’s eyes widened. “Who?”
“Can’t detect lattices.”
“That’s good, right?”
Keelin shrugged.
“So what now?” Deva pushed onto her feet, didn’t stumble.
“We walk.”
“Just that?”
“We stay in one spot, we make ourselves targets. This way.”
Keelin set off, through a thinning of the undergrowth. It could’ve been made by people or by animals, and she became extremely aware that she had no idea what this forest—what this whole island—held.
Deva followed, didn’t complain. Tough kid. Small, treated with contempt by others, yet she stood tall and held her own. She put those armed, trained guards to shame.
The traces along the path ranged from old to new. And there were other traces, deeper under the trees. Traces that were fresh. Current.
Adrenaline spiked. Keelin’s NeoGen training kicked in to tighten her senses.
They were being tracked. Three people on either side, sliding through the undergrowth. Weren’t silent, but they were good, didn’t move rhythmically.
“You know where we’re going?” Deva asked.
“Downhill. More likely to be others downhill.”
“And we want to find them?”
“Need information.”
There was a pause, then Deva said, “You think they’ll be friendly?”
“Won’t know until we find them.”
Keelin concentrated on the figures tracking them. They stayed back—cautious, sensible.
No lattices, though.
“Thanks for earlier,” Deva said.
“Earlier?”
“Back on the ridge. Saving me. Never got a chance to say it.”
Keelin felt her shoulders tense, and hoped it came off as a shrug. “Did what I needed to.”
“And without that, I’d be dead. They were going to shoot, right? You saw it. Think I did too. I mean, could be my imagination, but there was a moment when they tensed. Right? And you knew about the two in the building. You felt them, through concrete. You say you’re not as good as Ryann, but you sell yourself short. And the way you moved! I’ve never seen anything like that. I mean, I think every other time I’ve had a chance to see you in operation I’ve been further away. So this was the first time up close. Talk about intense!”
