Part 20 (1/2)

”There're dozens of Cardinals, Cates,” he rumbled. ”You got lucky. They're coming.”

With no conscious thought, I brought my gun up and aimed it at Dawson's face.

”f.u.c.k you,” I hissed.

Dawson's mouth twisted. I pulled the trigger twice.

x.x.xIII.

Otherwise Known As the King Worm 10011.

Belling struggled to his feet and leaned against the wall, reloading. Kieth still knelt next to me on the floor, moaning and hugging himself.

”Shut up, for G.o.d's sake. You aren't dead,” I snapped.

”Ty isn't made for this s.h.i.+t, G.o.ddammit,” he wheezed petulantly. ”I think you punctured a lung.”

I reached down with my free hand and pulled him up roughly. ”Inconvenient, but survivable,” I advised him, and Belling let out a snicker of amus.e.m.e.nt.

Kieth squawked. ”Survivable, Mr. Cates? Look around: Your team hasn't Mr. Cates? Look around: Your team hasn't survived survived all that well lately.” all that well lately.”

I nodded. There was no force in the universe that would keep me from completing this job. I'd paid too dearly for it. Maybe nothing mattered, maybe you lived and died and unless you had the wisdom to get Monked and live forever that was it, a great yawning darkness that nothing ever escaped from. Maybe. But I was going to make make this matter, by brute force if necessary. this matter, by brute force if necessary.

”We got set up, Mr. Cates,” Belling said without looking up from his guns. ”We were herded here, and pinned down, and then flanked. What I don't understand is why only two of those-what did he call them? Cardinals?-those Cardinals showed up. We were pinned down. A few more coming through that door would have cooked our geese for sure.”

I didn't care anymore. My whole existence the past few weeks had been at the whim of some power beyond me, and I'd finally accepted that whatever it was could kick my a.s.s any time it wanted. It was time to just pull my arms and legs inside the safety cage and enjoy the ride.

”There's been a lot of packet traffic in the air,” Kieth panted, wincing as he brought his handheld up for a look. ”Then, suddenly, nothing. It's like the whole EC just went quiet, all of a sudden.”

”I don't much like the sound of that,” Belling said, racking the chambers of his guns and holstering them. ”We should all be dead right now. I think I'll be nervous until something starts shooting at me again.” He looked up at me, and our eyes locked. Belling was back to his old self: cool, unconcerned, projecting the impression that he was going to live through it all even if you you weren't. ”I a.s.sume I've earned a full share of your payday, should we walk out of here alive?” weren't. ”I a.s.sume I've earned a full share of your payday, should we walk out of here alive?”

I gritted my teeth. A sudden rage flashed through me; if I'd released my limbs to it I had no doubt I would have tried to kill a member of the Dunmharu.

”I've shares to spare, all of a sudden,” I said instead. ”You can have two, you f.u.c.king a.s.shole.”

He almost smiled at me-a faint turning-up at the corners of his mouth. ”While I admit that I find myself in a poor position for negotiation, I have to ask you if you really expect to be paid for this job. Where will the paycheck come from? Who, exactly, is going to pay us?”

I stared at him. ”You're f.u.c.king worried about money? About f.u.c.king money money?”

”Don't get all saintly on me, son,” he snapped back. ”We all got into this mess because of money. You can p.i.s.s and moan about it-oh, poor me, my team f.u.c.ked up and got killed, poor me, poor me.” He waved his hands. ”We caught a break here. Let's go put a bullet in Squalor's brain, by all means. But before I take a step, before I somehow decide to not not save my a.s.s, I need to know that there is actually a f.u.c.king save my a.s.s, I need to know that there is actually a f.u.c.king fortune fortune out there as you've suggested. Because, as I'm sure my old friend Mr. Kieth would agree, this has turned out to be slightly more work than expected.” out there as you've suggested. Because, as I'm sure my old friend Mr. Kieth would agree, this has turned out to be slightly more work than expected.”

I glanced at Kieth. He looked like he'd just remembered that Belling had survived and was just a few feet away-his long nose quivering, his face pale. Our eyes met but I had no time for him. I had no time, period. But I still had just one card, just one a.s.set: I was the cash. As long as Belling couldn't touch the cash, he needed me, and that just might keep him from killing me when I needed him to watch my back.

”You'll get paid, Cainnic,” I said carefully.

”How do I know that?”

”Because I intend to get paid myself, myself,” I growled. ”Why the h.e.l.l else am I still standing here?”

Belling shook his head and pushed off from the wall, approaching me slowly. ”Because you're a f.u.c.king crusader, Cates. You think there's justice, somewhere. You think if you just keep pus.h.i.+ng, you can put a bullet in the System's head and make everything like it was when you were five f.u.c.king years old and your daddy bounced you on his knee, right? f.u.c.k f.u.c.k that. Look around you. Me and the wonderful Mr. Kieth are all that's left. I can't speak for Mr. Kieth-whose debt I have already forgiven in a soft moment of affection for anything not made of silicon and t.i.tanium-but I am not taking one more step deeper into this f.u.c.king mausoleum unless I have a better idea of my reward. I need a that. Look around you. Me and the wonderful Mr. Kieth are all that's left. I can't speak for Mr. Kieth-whose debt I have already forgiven in a soft moment of affection for anything not made of silicon and t.i.tanium-but I am not taking one more step deeper into this f.u.c.king mausoleum unless I have a better idea of my reward. I need a reason, reason, Mr. Cates. Who's going to pay me?” Mr. Cates. Who's going to pay me?”

He stopped directly in front of me. I was in a killing mood, and I held his eyes as we stood almost chin to chin. He'd killed Marilyn Harper for no reason, and for no reason I was willing to blame him for Gatz, too. I considered just killing him, right there, one more for the tally, and not one I'd feel too badly about, either.

”I will,” a voice said clearly from behind.

I closed my eyes. I should have f.u.c.king expected it. Without opening them again, I slumped a little and said, ”Meet our backer. Meet Richard Marin, chief of the System Security Force Internal Affairs.”

”Otherwise known as the King Worm,” Marin said cheerfully. ”But you can call me d.i.c.k.”

I turned around and opened my eyes. There he was, dapper in a suit, gla.s.ses on, hair perfect. He was smiling.

”Mr. Cates, don't look at me so disagreeably! I got here as quickly as I could. You provided me with a distraction and an excuse, allowing me to slip in.”

I stared at him, the urge to murder returning. ”Distraction.”

He nodded and then stopped dead, c.o.c.king his head in a now-familiar pose, as if listening to distant sounds. We all waited through a few moments of still silence before he looked back at me. ”Yes, I'm afraid so. I couldn't get you you inside, you see. I could get inside, you see. I could get myself myself in if there was reasonable evidence of a crime to extend my jurisdiction under my Emergency Powers clause, and if there was sufficient noise on the EC network to cover my entry. You provided that. Excellent. Now that I am here, however, I am able to . . . influence things a little. If you'll follow me, you can finally earn your money.” in if there was reasonable evidence of a crime to extend my jurisdiction under my Emergency Powers clause, and if there was sufficient noise on the EC network to cover my entry. You provided that. Excellent. Now that I am here, however, I am able to . . . influence things a little. If you'll follow me, you can finally earn your money.”

”Follow you?” Belling demanded. ”Follow you where?”

d.i.c.k Marin nodded as if agreeing with something. ”To Dennis Squalor, of course. So you can kill him.”

We followed Marin's jaunty walk through the door and down an identical hallway. I had a thousand questions, but he ignored them all, and after a minute of trying I shut up. Kieth limped behind me, and Belling brought up the rear, guns in hands and alert despite Marin's a.s.surance that we were going to be unmolested, at least for a few minutes.

”Marin, where are we going?”

He didn't turn around. ”To meet some people.”

I swallowed the urge to just shoot him in the head. ”Marin, my people are dead. You waltz in here like you've got a f.u.c.king pa.s.skey, and my people are dead getting me this far.” He just kept walking. I reached out and shoved him, hard. ”Hey!” He didn't even miss a step.

”Mr. Cates, you'll be getting your answers soon enough. But believe me, I could not have gotten this far without your efforts.” He turned his head and looked over his shoulder at me, walking briskly forward and taking a sharp left turn without hesitation. ”I have my limitations, too, Mr. Cates. There are rules.”

”Rules?” I snapped. ”f.u.c.king rules? You're the f.u.c.king King of the f.u.c.king System Pigs, and you're telling me there are rules there are rules?” Somehow, my gun was in my hand, and I racked a sh.e.l.l into the chamber. ”I've seen System Pigs shoot people in the head for being in the way. being in the way. I've seen System Pigs shake people down for spare change because they're I've seen System Pigs shake people down for spare change because they're bored. bored. You've got You've got rules rules?” I stretched out my arm and put the muzzle of the gun against the back of his head. I'd been itching to murder someone for the past twenty minutes. Might as well come full circle.

Marin whipped around and walked backward, so fast I was startled. He reached up almost casually and pushed the gun aside, and I let him. ”Mr. Cates, I I have rules.” have rules.”

We walked like that for a moment, him backward, me just stunned, and then he whipped back around.

”I am forbidden by standing order 778 to enter a privately held religious compound without due cause. Due cause is variously defined, but one circ.u.mstance that pa.s.ses all requirements is a citizen of the System under mortal threat by members of that religious organization.” He waved at me over his shoulder. ”While a poor example of one, Mr. Cates, you are a citizen of the System. Members of the Electric Church were trying to kill you. I was thus duly authorized to enter the compound, under standing order 778. And under that order, I have complete authority and access to this compound. Any System Security Force officer does.”

”You're kidding.”

”Mr. Cates, I never kid.” He stopped and turned to face a door that erupted out of the featureless gray wall. ”We're here.”

I tightened my grip on my gun. ”You just needed a citizen citizen to get shot at in here?” to get shot at in here?”

He reached out and put a hand on my shoulder. ”A citizen equipped to find a way in and survive. A Gunner. Believe me, your work here is not done yet.”

He reached into his coat and produced an unmarked plastic card. He waved it at the door and it snicked snicked open. ”Come on in.” open. ”Come on in.”