Part 30 (1/2)
Aaron looked around for a good place to start exploring. There were dozens of trucks, trailers, and mobile homes to choose from. The carnival was a big operation.
He spotted one trailer that looked particularly interesting. It was separated from the rest and painted black. Perforated metal screens covered all the windows.
He pointed. ”Let's take a look.”
He and Marina dashed from cover to cover, but the last twenty yards were open s.p.a.ce. Reaching the trailer unseen seemed impossible.
”We need another distraction,” she said.
He looked up at a panel of floodlights, which illuminated the area. ”Or darkness.”
”Can you knock down those lights from here?”
The lights were placed at the top of a steel truss anch.o.r.ed by four cables. Aaron started spitting. At this range he had a hard time hitting the narrow bars, but he kept trying. Whenever his saliva struck metal, it burned clean through. Finally, he did enough damage that the structure toppled over. The shattering bulbs flashed and sparked impressively.
It was much darker now, and the carnival workers were all looking at the destroyed light panel. Aaron and Marina ran to the black trailer.
The door was locked but his mouth was a universal key. A well placed gob of spit disintegrated the lock mechanism.
He cracked open the door and saw that the interior was very dark and quiet. ”It looks like n.o.body is home,” he whispered.
The two of them slipped inside. Aaron had no flashlight, so after making sure the door was closed, he hit the light switch. When the lights came on, he gasped.
The trailer was a medieval torture chamber. Whips, tongs, clamps, and knives hung on one wall. A wheel and a rack occupied the middle of the room. There were also bizarre mechanical contraptions made of chains, straps, and steel bars. He didn't want to imagine how they might be used.
Three cages were near the door, and one was occupied. A naked man with a black hood over his head lay on the bare metal floor. His hands and feet were tied with rope in an uncomfortable hogtie. He had b.l.o.o.d.y whip marks on his thighs.
Marina quickly reached into the cage and used her venom to put him to sleep. Then she pulled off the hood. He was a skinny, young man with short hair.
”He looks like an Eternal,” she said. ”I think he's being punished.”
”This goes beyond punishment,” Aaron said.
”They're a gang of professional a.s.sa.s.sins. Maintaining strict discipline is essential.”
”Then I essentially want to kill them all. This is wrong.”
They explored the torture chamber. Some of the equipment looked worn down, but everything was very clean and tidy. There wasn't a speck of dried blood or a follicle of hair anywhere.
A door led to a side chamber, which seemed to be a tiny museum of peculiar weapons. There was a sword with a thin, flexible blade like a tape measure. Aaron recognized another cla.s.sic weapon as the j.a.panese tekko-kagi or ”hand claws.” These could block swords or slash an opponent. There was also a glove with a spring-loaded knife built into the wrist.
”Nice collection,” Marina said. ”The traditional tools of the a.s.sa.s.sin's trade.”
”Nice or not, we're not learning anything useful here.”
The door of the trailer opened. Aaron and Marina immediately put their backs against the wall so they wouldn't be seen from the other room. He pulled out his OTs-33, and she drew a long serrated dagger from a scabbard inside her sleeve.
”Hey!” a man called out from the other room. ”What the h.e.l.l?”
Aaron realized he and Marina were in a lot of trouble. He stepped into the open and put three bullets in the man's forehead with a burst of automatic fire. The suppressor reduced the noise to soft hisses and pops. Aaron ran across the room and closed the door.
Marina walked over to the body. ”Beautiful shot placement.”
”I had to kill him before he made too much noise.”
”Ethel won't be happy. She ordered us not to engage, interfere, or kill. I'm pretty sure you just did all those things.”
Aaron swallowed nervously. ”We'd better go.”
He cracked open the door and peeked outside. The way was clear. It seemed none of the workers had heard the commotion over the noise from the carnival. Distant police sirens added to the cacophony. He and Marina ran to the nearest shadow and crouched down.
”I think we should leave,” he said.
”So soon?” she said.
”If we keep wandering around, we'll have more engagements.”
She made a sour face. ”I hate quitting, but you're right. This was a bad idea. We should've come in here with a real plan in mind.”
He heard men calling out in loud, clear voices. The carnival workers quickly gathered into groups to receive orders. The atmosphere changed from civilian in tone to military in a heartbeat.
”They must've found the unconscious sentry,” Aaron said. ”They know we're here.”
”Hide or run?” Marina said.
The workers were forming into teams of three and fanning out in a systematic search pattern.
”Run,” he answered.
He took off without waiting for her acknowledgement. They sprinted across the huge parking lot, moving directly away from the carnival. He expected to be seen, and a glance backwards confirmed that prediction. Several men were already in pursuit.
Marina ran beside Aaron. ”How far are we going?”
”Until we get away,” he said.
”Maybe we should fight these chumps instead.”
”Two against six? Risky. Besides, Ethel told us not to engage. I won't violate her orders twice.”
”Then maybe Ethel should deal with them.”
”Good idea.” He nodded and pushed himself to run even faster.
They turned south, towards the avenue that pa.s.sed in front of the carnival. Two more pursuers joined the chase, bringing the total up to eight.
Several fire trucks and police cars were parked out front. Their flas.h.i.+ng red and blue lights added to the general excitement. Aaron glimpsed the dumpster that had been bombed, and its walls were bowed out.
He stopped when he came to the street because it was too busy to just run across. He glanced back. His pursuers were about fifty yards back and closing fast. He and Marina had to move, so they took advantage of a brief gap in the traffic. Cars skidded and tires squealed, but they made it across unharmed.