The Prometheus Trap (The New Prometheus Book 3) Page 10

  ‘Well, I did wonder, given how recently you’d lost your wife,’ she answered him. ‘Did you used to have a thing with Veronica?’

  ‘Yeah, she was one of the women I had a thing with during the bad times with Camille. It was only casual and it never really got in the way of our work on the police force, but yeah, we did.’

  ‘You work well together, you know that? You look good with her,’ she said.

  ‘Are you sure?’ Gibson asked.

  ‘Yeah, I’m sure,’ she said.

  ‘Well, maybe, but I’m not ready for anything yet,’ he said.

  ‘Of course, not. Come one, let’s get back to the basement,’ she said.

  3.12

  ‘Guys, it’s great to see you,’ Cole said. Frankie saw the relief and happiness evident on his face as he shook Gibson’s hand and hugged Veronica. ‘I feared the worst.’

  ‘Aaah, you should have a little more faith in us,’ Gibson smiled. ‘It’s good to be back, though, and to know you and Frankie are alive and well. That was a pretty messed up situation.’

  ‘And one we still need to get out of. It’s good that we’ve regrouped, but this isn’t over yet,’ Frankie said, reminding them of the trouble they were still in.

  ‘Agreed. So, what's the plan?’ Gibson asked.

  ‘Not sure. We don’t know enough. I’d love to know where they are, how many we’re dealing with, and try to get Dion back, do some reconnaissance maybe, find out where we stand, you know?’

  ‘Absolutely. Do you think Spider knows where they might be?’ Veronica asked.

  ‘I don’t know; I’ve not asked him,’ Frankie said, realising that it was a question she had not broached, and yet, seemed such an obvious one now.

  Frankie turned to see Spider standing with some of his gang, including Jude, talking about something.

  ‘Let’s go and find out, shall we?’ Frankie said.

  Everyone agreed and turned to follow her. Frankie led the way across the room and walked up to where Spider was talking. He looked up as they approached.

  ‘This mission was a success, then,’ Spider said to her as she took the last few steps up to his group.

  Jude smiled at her warmly. Frankie smiled back as she shared a knowing look with him.

  ‘That’s right. This is Gibson and Veronica, barring the one that the Corporation forces have kidnapped, that’s everyone,’ she said.

  ‘Congratulations,’ Spider said, but with little cheer in his voice. In fact, it sounded kind of sarcastic. ‘So, now what?’

  ‘Now we need to end this,’ Frankie said.

  ‘Big words, little lady. How do you propose to do that?’

  ‘We need some information. We need to know where they are and how many they are so we can plan our counterattack. We were wondering if you knew anything?’ she asked.

  Spider looked at her, raising his chin and apparently thinking something over. Out the corner of her eye, Frankie saw Jude looking at Spider, and then back to her, and then at Spider again.

  Frankie looked at Jude; it appeared as though he knew something.

  Jude turned to look back at her. ‘Yes, we know where they are. I tracked them when they first arrived and have been keeping abreast of their movements. It’s difficult, they keep locking me out, but I know this system better than they do,’ Jude said.

  ‘So, you know where they are?’

  ‘Sure,’ he said.

  ‘Jude,’ Spider growled in a warning tone.

  ‘What? We’re meant to be working together; we’re meant to be helping each other to take these Corporation bastards on. How else did you think this was going to work?’ Jude asked.

  Spider’s expression was dark, but he didn’t seem to have an answer for him. After a moment, Spider nodded to Jude.

  Jude nodded back and turned back to Frankie.

  ‘They’re up near the top of the building. There’s a level up there, it’s reserved as a service floor. No one lives there. It’s well protected and acts as a buffer zone between the Undercity and the start of the mid-levels above. It’s designed to keep us down here and away from the city above while still allowing the building to act as the pillar that it is.’

  ‘So, what level is this?’ Frankie asked.

  ‘Level eighteen,’ Jude said.

  ‘And you say it’s protected? There’s plenty of security there?’ Frankie asked.

  ‘That’s right, and with the Corporations there, it will only be that much tougher to get into without help from the inside.’

  ‘Do you know how many people are up there?’

  ‘Not really,’ Jude admitted. ‘The camera’s there have been locked out; I have no idea what’s going on up there now. I know that there is a small army of operators in the building, and they seem to be being led by a small group of augmented agents,’ he said.

  ‘Hellion,’ Frankie muttered.

  ‘Excuse me?’ Jude asked.

  ‘The group you just mentioned - the ones leading the operators - they’re a small group of private contractors, mercenaries, led by a woman called Hellion. She confronted me earlier,’ Frankie explained.

  ‘Is she the blonde in the stealth suit?’

  ‘That’s the one. We’ve met a few of her team now. The guy with the six arms you found me with in the elevator shaft was someone called Venal. There’s another called Frak, a sniper woman I’ve seen twice now who I think is called Wildkat, a cyber ninja called Spectre, and whoever it was who was driving that mech in the garage.’

  ‘And so far we’ve only taken out one of them, this Venal guy, right? Spider asked.

  ‘Seems that way, yes,’ Frankie said. ‘This group have kidnapped one of my team, and it seems like we really need some more information about who and what we’re up against. Before we launch an all-out attack on them, I’d very much like to head up there alone to try and get Dion out of harm's way, I don’t want him being used as leverage or as a bargaining chip. Also, I can look around and report back.’

  ‘You heard what he said about the security up there; how do you plan on getting inside?’ Veronica asked.

  ‘I can get her in,’ Jude said. ‘I know of a back way in. It’s a little tricky to get to, but it’s the most secret of them, too,’ he said.

  ‘Them?’ Gibson asked.

  ‘We have a few ways to get up there,’ Jude said.

  ‘Any of them suitable for a large group?’ Gibson continued.

  ‘A few of them, yes,’ Jude said. ‘But I suspect they will be guarded by now.’

  ‘Then I suggest that while Frankie infiltrates the floor, we move up, and once she has Dion, she lets us in from the inside,’ Gibson suggested.

  Frankie nodded. ‘I like it,’ she said.

  ‘Hopefully, they won’t have a chance to find out Dion is gone before we strike,’ Gibson said.

  ‘That’ll be a nice little surprise for them,’ Frankie said. ‘What do you say, Spider?’

  He’d stood there listening, not really joining in, considering what had been said. Now, he looked over at Frankie and started to nod, a smile growing over his lips.

  ‘Fuck yeah, that sounds good. Any day I get to kick some corporate arse is a good day,’ he said.

  ‘Excellent,’ Frankie said. ‘I suggest we gear up.’

  ‘All right guys, get yourself kitted out. Take what you need. We’re heading out soon,’ Spider called out to the assembled crowd of Jackers.

  Frankie turned to her team. ‘You guys, too,’ she said. ‘Get what you need.’

  ‘Can I just say, I know this infiltration you’re doing is a good idea, and you’re probably the best person for the job, but I don’t like it. I would love to go with you,’ Gibson said.

  ‘I understand, but this needs to be done quietly, and I’m much less likely to be noticed on my own than if I were with anyone,’ she said.

  ‘Sure, I understand that, but I don’t like us splitting the team up again, we’ve only just brought it back together.’

  ‘Not quite
,’ Frankie corrected him, referring to Dion.

  ‘She’ll be fine,’ Cole cut in. ‘I was worried when she went to get you guys on her own, but all was well in the end,’ he said.

  ‘Hey, I don’t have to like it,’ he said to Frankie, ‘but I know you’ll be fine. Just be careful out there, won’t you?’ Gibson asked.

  ‘Don’t worry, I will,’ she said before excusing herself. ‘I just need to get a few things.’

  Frankie walked over to a nearby weapons rack that was carrying a number of swords. She looked them over and soon chose the one she liked the look of the most and turned it over in her hand. It was a long straight single edged blade in a scabbard that strapped to her back. Next time she came face to face with either Hellion of Spectre, she would be suitably equipped to fight them on their own terms rather than using her gun as a melee weapon and getting it all cut up.

  ‘So, are you ready,’ asked a voice from behind her.

  It was Jude, and she turned to face him with a brief smile. ‘I am now,’ she said, picking up a few extra rounds of ammunition.

  She nodded her goodbyes to her team and moved towards the door where Gus, the Jacker with the ridiculous cybernetic arm, stood.

  ‘I’ll be coming with ya,’ he said. ‘Spider’s orders.’

  ‘Of course,’ Jude said, not looking at all bothered by Gus’ presence.

  All three walked out of the armoury and moved carefully and quietly towards the elevators and stairwell.

  ‘So, what’s the plan for getting up there? Frankie asked.

  ‘Oh, that’s easy, isn’t it, Gus,’ Jude said.

  ‘Sure is,’ Gus said. ‘We ride the elevator.’

  ‘Oh, well that is easy,’ Frankie said as Jude walked over to the same service elevator that Frankie had used just a few minutes ago and pressed the call button. It didn’t take long, and before she knew it, she was boarding the lift. Gus stood in the doorway, keeping them open when Jude spoke up.

  ‘When Gus says, “ride the lift”, he literally means it, too,’ he said as he used the armature that connected him to this tracks to raise him up, and with one swift movement, open up the hatch in the lift’s roof.

  ‘We’re going up there?’ Frankie asked.

  Jude reached up, took hold of the sides of the hatch and hauled himself up.

  ‘Here, let me help you,’ Frankie said and pushed him up from the underside of his tracks. A few seconds later he was up, and after a second his face appeared back at the hatch.

  ‘You coming up?’ he asked.

  ‘Sure,’ she said. ‘Move back.’

  She positioned herself under the hole and bent her legs. With a small degree of effort, she leapt straight up, just enough to be able to move her feet apart and land gently above the access hatch with her feet on either side of it. She stepped away and looked back down.

  ‘You coming up, Gus?’ she asked.

  Suddenly, his large cybernetic hand gripped the side of the access hatch, and he hauled himself up just as she heard the elevator cars door close, and the lift started to move up through the building.

  ‘Whoa, do we have any control over this?’ Frankie asked.

  ‘I do, yes. Everything is under control,’ Jude said with a smile. Frankie guessed that Jude likely hacked in using his cyberbrain and controlled the lift that way.

  Gus replaced the hatch door and circled around the top of the lift to give himself a little more space.

  ‘So, where are we heading to?’ Frankie asked.

  ‘The gang needed a way to sneak up into the service floor. A way in that entirely avoided the security so they could get in there when they needed to, so I hunted through the plans for the building and found a way that it could be done. It means going through some crawl spaces, so it’s not great for quick access or for large teams, but it is a sneaky way in that hopefully will have been missed by Psytech’s guys,’ Jude said.

  ‘Are you okay to do this with your tracks?’ Frankie asked.

  ‘It’s a bit of a squeeze, but I can get through most of the way yes. I shouldn’t need to today, though. You can do this alone, it’s not complicated,’ he said.

  ‘Oh, okay, sure,’ she said with a smile.

  The lift ascended the rest of the way, coming to a stop at what looked to be the top floor as the shaft ended just above them. It was dark with just a few work and warning lights clinging to the walls here and there.

  ‘So, what floor are we on now?’ Frankie asked.

  ‘This is floor seventeen, the highest the main elevators go,’ he said as he moved over the top of the elevator and approached a vent on the wall.

  ‘We’re going through there?’ Frankie asked. It looked like it was going to be something of a squeeze.

  The vent cover came away easily in Jude’s hand, revealing a dark passage behind it.

  ‘This is it. You have to crawl down there until you find the first vertical branch, and then climb up. You’ll then reach another vent cover that’s held in place only loosely. You should have no trouble passing through it, and that’s floor eighteen.

  ‘Okay, this is going to be a squeeze. I hope I can fit my bum in there,’ Frankie joked.

  ‘Well…’

  ‘Don’t comment on that! Jeez,’ she said, rolling her eyes and smiling. ‘So, what's on the other side of that far vent?’

  ‘It’s a storage room, very much out of the way and not really used. You shouldn’t have any trouble in there.’

  ‘Okay, great. So, hey, you said you could get in there. How can you do that with those tracks?’

  ‘I can flatten myself and my tracks out quite a lot,’ he said, giving her a bit of a demonstration and moving his armature into a more slender configuration.

  ‘Oh, I see. Well, that’s impressive,’ she said.

  ‘Stop messing about and get in there,’ Gus said. He looked a little frustrated by their banter.

  ‘Sorry, yeah, you’re right,’ she said and moved over to the vent.

  ‘Here, I’m sending you over the plans for the building,’ Jude said. ‘I’ve marked the places where the attack is likely to break through, so head there once you’ve freed Dion.’

  ‘Excellent, thanks,’ she said, noticing the message that popped up in her vision confirmed that she had received the file before turning back to the vent. She looked down it and thought she could see some light filtering through from a vertical section further in. She thought the best way to do this would be for her to slide in on her back so that once she reached the vertical section, she could just sit up.

  It was a little awkward climbing in, and not very dignified, but she managed it and was soon pulling and pushing herself along the passageway, with its exposed pipes and access hatches, before a vertical section of passage came into view. She sat up and started to pull herself up, twisting around to bring her legs in beneath her before she was able to start climbing up towards the light that she could see through the holes in the vent above.

  A few moments later, she reached the vent itself and went still, doing her best to listen for any movement or signs of trouble on the other side. There were holes in the cover, but they weren’t great to look through. You could only really look up, but not to the sides.

  Still, after about forty seconds, she felt sure there was no one there and lifted the vent, which came away quite easily in her hand.

  She pulled herself up and placed the cover to one side as quietly as she could before turning on the spot to look around her.

  She turned and ended up with a gun in her face where a man had approached from right behind her. She looked up at him, along the length of the gun, and he smiled back before squeezing the trigger.

  BOOM!

  3.13

  Red warning icons flashed up in her vision as the bullet from the gun ripped into her cheek, tearing away her synth skin and the ballistic polymer beneath before ricocheting off of her carbon nanorod endoskeleton and flying away.

  Frankie didn’t really think too hard about wh
at had just happened. Instead, she knew that she needed to act as quickly as she could before she was killed or the whole floor alerted to her presence. Luckily, this operator’s gun had been fitted with a suppressor, so she hoped that no one had heard the gun shot.

  Frankie leapt out of the vent and slammed her knee into the man’s face, knocking him onto his back, making him drop his gun in the process. Frankie landed on her feet, stood above him. The operator went to sit up and scramble away, but Frankie punched him hard in the face, dropping him to the floor once more where he groaned and rolled onto his side.

  Frankie stepped away from him to where his suppressed gun lay on the ground and picked it up. She checked the breach and noted the chambered round before she aimed at the operator, who had sat up, and was bleeding heavily from his nose and mouth.

  ‘Fuck you, bitch…’ he said before she squeezed the trigger and put a hole through his head.

  Frankie sighed and checked the red flashing icons in her vision. There was nothing in there to worry her, they spoke of stress fractures in the cheek of her skull that were now being repaired, but that was all. She wasn’t worried about the injury, but she was a little annoyed about the very visible wound she now had on her face. She brought her hand up and touched it lightly, feeling around the ragged edges of the deep hole. She didn’t have a mirror in here, but there were some glass windows, so she walked over and peered at her reflection.

  She could see the cheek section of her artificial skull revealed beneath the remains of the ballistic polymer, and even hints of her upper back teeth. It wasn’t pretty, but there was little she could do for now. She would have to live with it.

  She looked around, seeing the room properly for the first time, and saw that Jude’s description had been accurate. It was a dusty back room or storage room with building materials or replacement parts piled on pallets, and it was otherwise empty of any more people. Looking for a hint as to why this operator was in here, she suddenly noticed a few E-Cig’s on the floor a short distance away. He’d been smoking.

  Well, she thought, serves him right for being in her way.

  Frankie moved over to the body and dragged him more fully behind a couple of piles of canvas covered parts to hide him from casual searching, and dropped his gun on the floor before she moved towards the door across the room.