Part 14 (2/2)

I swallowed thickly. The suggestion itself didn't bother me. I'd killed almost thirty people on contract, and at least that many in the course of things. I was a killer. I wasn't an animal. animal. I was prepared to argue my case to G.o.d or the Cosmos or whatever-I played by rules. I lived by them. I was prepared to argue my case to G.o.d or the Cosmos or whatever-I played by rules. I lived by them.

I leaned forward slightly, until my lips were very near his ear. ”I do not,” I whispered, ”simply kill obstacles, Mr. Orel, or whoever the f.u.c.k you are. It is not her fault that she is here. She should not be punished for it.”

”That is a mistake, Mr. Cates.”

I straightened up. ”Mine to make. You know your options.”

He straightened up and studied me, and I stared back at him. I didn't know if he was used to being ignored, but I wasn't a starf.u.c.ker. Reputations had to be maintained, and one bad night could end it. If I had to, I knew I could be Cainnic Orel's bad night. After a few moments, he smiled.

”Yes, Mr. Cates. I know my options.”

I watched him disappear into the guts of the factory, followed by one of the nervous Droids, which had been programmed to stay close to us in case we got lost. I walked over to sit next to Gatz, letting out an explosive sigh.

”Bad day, huh?” he asked without raising his head.

”I didn't tip anyone with Harper,” I said without preamble. ”f.u.c.k, you were there, Kev. We didn't do anything stupid. How'd they get my name? A million f.u.c.king London crooks not half a mile away, and they fish me me out of the hat? It was our f.u.c.king friend Moje. Colonel Moje. He probably doesn't even know I really did grab her. He knows I'm in London, somehow, and he's just pinning this on me to flush me out.” out of the hat? It was our f.u.c.king friend Moje. Colonel Moje. He probably doesn't even know I really did grab her. He knows I'm in London, somehow, and he's just pinning this on me to flush me out.”

”How do you know that?”

I grimaced. I'd gone from exhausted and hollow to impatient with sudden restless energy. I wanted to attack something and was frightened of the urge. ”Because I know what everyone else who wants to kill me is up to.”

For a few moments, I just sat there. Gatz was the one person I was pretty sure didn't want to hurt me. He maybe didn't care much if I lived, but he wasn't actively pursuing my death, either, and as sad as that was, it was the best I could do. We sat there side by side, both dirty, disheveled, and tired. We came from the same place. I felt comfortable next to him.

My eyes slid to the right, and Marilyn Harper was staring at me, eyes watery, drool pooling under her mouth from the ruthless gag. I looked away. I was amazed at how complicated everything had become. It had only been a few days. And amazingly, it would probably all be over, one way or another, in a few more.

Footsteps behind me, and I turned to find Milton and Tanner, looking clean but just as leathery.

”Come on, then,” Milton snapped.

”The surgery's open. No hard feelings, brother.” Tanner grinned.

”Can't have you goin' septic on us, can we?”

I blinked. ”What?”

They looked at each other simultaneously, and my head ached from watching them. ”Your cheek, a.s.shole,” Milton said. ”Let's get you fixed up.”

I sat on the crate we used as a table in the corroded kitchen while Milton and Tanner fussed over me. One of the Droids sat silently between them, bearing our meager medical supplies. When Tanner lifted a thick needle attached to coa.r.s.e black thread, my hand whipped up and grabbed her wrist.

”You are not pulling that f.u.c.king cable cable through my tortured flesh, right?” through my tortured flesh, right?”

She raised an eyebrow. ”Don't be a baby, sonny. You see any plastic skin grafts here? You see any laser scalpels? A Med Droid? We have,” she held the needle and thread in front of my nose, ”good old-fas.h.i.+oned needle and thread.”

Milton chuckled. ”You'll never be pretty again, Cates,” she said. ”But you'll heal. We were running on the streets when you were just bad news on the horizon. I've st.i.tched up more people and set more bones than you could count.”

I looked at her closely, the faint lines around her eyes and mouth, the lean, taut look of her. ”Tell me, how'd you manage to retire?”

She laughed. ”You mean, retire alive alive?”

I shrugged.

”It's like anything else in this f.u.c.king world. We got lucky.”

I grimaced as her sister leaned in and began shoving the needle through the flaps of my wound. It hurt so intensely that moments after she started I was numb. I ground my teeth as the sisters stared at me, Tanner's nose still red and angry.

”What?” I grunted.

Milton folded her arms across her chest as Tanner sewed me back together. I realized with a start that as her sister leaned in and out, working on me, she moved just a bit forward and back, in rhythm. ”We're here, Cates. We're at each other's throats and getting bullets thrown our way. And I have yet to hear a plan from you for getting into into this f.u.c.king place.” this f.u.c.king place.”

I looked at her and then down at my hands, dirty and covered in scabs, some of which had been torn off and leaked blood wearily. ”I've got an idea.”

Tanner snorted. ”Glory be.”

”The bad news is, it isn't something Kieth can wiggle his nose at and make happen with geek power and a few batteries.”

Tanner snorted again. ”So there's-”

”-good news?” Milton finished.

I paused for a second or two. ”Not really.”

Tanner paused, the needle buried in my flesh and burning. ”Do tell, mistuh boss.”

I sighed. ”Well, to start with, we're going to need some stuff.”

XXIV.

Making Everyone Seem Faded and Watery 01110.

I wasn't used to wearing dark gla.s.ses; anything that reduced a Gunner's vision was a bad idea. But with my face now linked to Harper's it was a necessary precaution. Everything felt wrong: I was wearing someone else's clothes, someone else's sungla.s.ses, in someone else's city. All day, I watched every Vid we pa.s.sed, looking for my face, and saw eyes on me everywhere.

”Calm down,” Canny Orel said quietly, as we climbed over a huge shattered column that had toppled over and crashed into a building, making a show of studying the list I had laboriously written out for us as if climbing over rubble required just a tiny amount of his amazing brain. ”You're like a f.u.c.king Paranoia Broadcaster. I'm getting itchy just standing next to you.” He squinted at the list. ”Who the f.u.c.k came up with this? What the h.e.l.l are we going to do with two digital video cameras?” He glanced at Gatz on the other side of me. ”We prerecording our confessions to avoid the standard SSF beating?”

Gatz didn't say anything. After a moment Orel leaned in close to me.

”I have a strong urge to pinch your friend, just to make sure he still has a pulse.”

”Be careful,” I replied easily. ”He's getting better every day. One of these days he'll pop a vessel in your brain from across the room.”

Orel chuckled. ”Your bunch is entertaining, Cates, I'll give you that.” He sighed, scratching behind his ear. ”This is a lunatic's laundry list. You're not going to give me a hint?”

I shook my head. ”Need-to-know basis, Mr. Orel.”

He squinted down at the list again. ”You're not going to tell me what we need,” he paused, licking a finger, ”tetrodotoxin for? Not to mention what the f.u.c.k it is and where we're going to get it.”

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