Before climbing out the window, Crypto hastily double-checked his gear. Drone, data cards, laptop, ID cards- everything he needed was on him. Wattson made her way out onto the fire escape, and he followed behind her. Revenant was last to leave the shabby motel room.
On the sidewalk below, Mauser ran ahead. He was awkwardly hunched with his arms stiff at his sides in a rather counterintuitive effort to make himself less noticeable, but was able to keep up a quick and steady pace regardless. An old gray cargo van with rust and graffiti on its sides was parked ahead, one side of it up on the curb- the radio operator scurried over to it and unlocked the rear door.
"Get in!"
He shouted over his shoulder as he flung the doors open, then ran around to the driver's side. Crypto gave Wattson a hand up before climbing in himself; Revenant followed and slammed the doors shut behind them. The van peeled out of its parking space with a squeal of tires. Within seconds, Mauser had passed the speed limit.
"We'll draw less attention," Revenant growled, "if you aren't driving like a reckless idiot."
Mauser replied in a mildly annoyed manner: "You want to drive, boss?"
"No," snarled the assassin. "I want you to do your job."
"I'm not a delivery boy, dude. I build radio equipment. Driving isn't my job."
Despite the verbal argument, he did slow down to a less conspicuous speed. Revenant looked out the rear window as they drove, constantly assessing their surroundings for potential threats. Crypto huddled in the corner behind the driver's seat, one arm wrapped around Wattson. What had he been thinking, the hacker repeated over and over in his mind, pulling her into his mess? Wasn't it bad enough that he and Mila had to lose their freedom and safety in all of this?
"Why does the Syndicate want to hurt you- hurt us?"
The hacker let out a heavy sigh. It was like she'd read his mind. There was an awkward delay before he spoke- where should he even begin to explain everything that had happened?
"I was a software developer," he said finally. "I was working for the Syndicate, and I found something they didn't want anyone to see- an algorithm… But we're way beyond that now."
He took a slow, shaky breath while Wattson regarded him with a puzzled look.
"They took my sister," he continued. "I created a false identity and used it to join the Apex Games, so I could hide out somewhere close to their operations. I've spent the past six months looking for her. That's where I went when I disappeared from the Games yesterday- I found a way into one of their facilities. But I found something else there…"
The hacker hesitated, trying to think of the right words to describe what he'd seen. He didn't know how to begin to describe it… Sorting through what was relevant and what was simply overwhelming took some effort. It had only been a day since he'd broken into the corporation's biomedical facility, but he already found it impossible to remember the relative calm of his life before that moment.
"The competitors in the Games - most of them, at least - are kept there by the Syndicate for the gain of the corporate network. Bloodhound knew about it before I did, I think… The corporation waged war on their people, took them away to 'save their life' for media attention, made a deal to get their cooperation in the Apex Games in exchange for their tribe's safety- but the corporation is going to go back on their word. The corporation is going to destroy their entire planet for its geothermal energy- I have proof."
His breathing was unsteady and his hands were shaking. Talking about it out loud felt strange… It was a relief, and simultaneously, it made Crypto nervous. Wattson was the kindest person he'd ever met, always driven to fix anything, solve any problem… He knew, though, that loyalty was important to her, and the Syndicate had done something to earn hers. The programmer wasn't sure how she'd react to all of this.
Her expression was thoughtful and otherwise neutral. She had her arms and legs tucked up near her body, yet relaxed- a somewhat guarded posture, but not an unfriendly one…
Faster than either of them could blink, Revenant had the back door of the van open as it barreled down the highway. The pistol that Crypto had given him was at the ready- Wattson's hands flew to cover her ears as he fired. Tires screeched behind them. The crunch of metal rang out like thunder as a car spun out of control and hit the K-rails.
Revenant lowered his weapon and pulled the back door of the van closed.
"That car was following us," he growled.
"It's a freeway," said Crypto. "They may have needed to go the same direction that we are. Did you kill them?"
"Yes."
"Next time," the hacker grumbled, "save that for a last resort."
He felt like he should be more concerned about the simulacrum's careless murder of what may well have been an innocent bystander- but he couldn't find the energy. Maybe that should worry him, he thought… Maybe he was becoming corrupted by the cruelty of the world around him. That wasn't how he wanted to be when he finally found his sister.
"No, I think he's right," Mauser spoke up. "They were following us. We're going to have to take some weird detours before we head to Cade's rendezvous point."
He took a hard right turn onto the nearest exit ramp. The van lurched- Wattson gasped loudly.
"You can't say anything about my driving blowing our cover if you're going to shoot at cars out the back of the van," he pointed out before Revenant could criticize him again. The assassin ignored him, instead looking silently out the window for further potential threats.
They were no longer downtown- the exit had taken them into a quaint little neighborhood full of colorful plant life and cozy houses in neat rows. The citizens who lived here were noticeably better off than those in the crowded sectors nearer to the city center- though it was unlikely that they had enough power for the corporation to be concerned about them. They were the unnoticed people, as Crypto thought of them: not desperate enough to be easily exploited; not wealthy enough to be of interest.
The sight of their tranquil and well-decorated neighborhood made the hacker feel- well, he wouldn't have known how to describe it. Irrationally angry, for some reason, and hurt… They got to live in the pleasant illusion that the corporation perpetuated throughout society: mind your business, stay out of our way, and we'll protect you. You'll have a good life, a few nice things…
It was a lie. Crypto had kept his head down, studied hard, gotten himself a good job at which he performed to the best of his ability every day… He'd done everything he was supposed to, according to the unwritten rules of society, only for the Syndicate to take his entire life and throw it away because he stumbled across the wrong computer program by accident. Now he resented the images of that illusion.
"I… believe you," said Wattson, in a voice that was barely above a whisper. The hacker gave her a quizzical look.
"I… owe a lot to the Syndicate," she continued. "They protected my family - protected me - when we needed it. They saw the same things I saw, when no one else could, and they made sure I succeeded… But I know that they are not always kind. I'm not indifferent to their cruelty."
Crypto nodded.
"You don't need to get involved in this," he replied. "I'll ask Cade to give you a new identity. You can take it and run, start over, have a real life…"
The engineer shook her head. "No, no- I'd like to see this through. It's been… fascinating!"
She glanced at Revenant. He glared back, and she quickly looked away. To think that Milutin's hypothesis on the interface of a human brain with an artificial neural network had been proven true in her lifetime..!
"They won't kill me, you know- not permanently. No matter what I do, they'll use my syncording to bring me back," she assured Crypto. "They need me to keep the Ring working."
Neither of them spoke for the next several minutes. Mauser could be heard muttering under his breath- first about the flaws of Solace's civil engineering, then about the incompetent parking jobs of whoever's cars lined the side of the street. Revenant's claws scraped across the metal interior of the van here and there, as he made slight adjustments to his position to better assess threats from multiple angles. They were away from the neighborhood, now- they drove past some shops with wooden and brick storefronts, a refueling station, a train station, and then out of town, onto a stretch of road built into a wooded hillside.
"I don't think anyone's following us anymore," said Mauser. "What about you, Revenant?"
"We're alone," the assassin confirmed.
"All right, then; we can get back on track."
Mauser took a hard left onto another street. Tires squealed, and the van lurched again. Reflexively, Wattson grabbed onto Crypto to keep herself steady. He made a startled noise.
"Sorry," the engineer said quickly. She pulled her arms close to her body and folded them neatly in her lap.
"Geogjeong mal-ayo- it's fine," Crypto muttered. He stuck a hand in his pocket to check, once again, that his data card was still secure. Wattson's attention shifted to Revenant- he was still up on one knee at the back of the van, keeping watch for anything out of place behind them. Her mind wandered deep in the marvels of engineering and technology: Milutin's theory, the simplicity and brilliance of control system designs from centuries past, what the future of robotics might hold…
"What are you staring at, skinbag?"
She had thoroughly failed to realize that her face was pointing at another conscious being, at whom she'd appeared to be gawking, while her thoughts ran off. The engineer quickly looked away.
"You want to take me apart and study me," Revenant snarled. "Not going to happen."
"No! No, I- I don't!"
She buried her face in her hands.
"Leave her alone," Crypto snapped.
"I'm not the one who got her involved," the assassin retorted.
"They're looking for us on the security cameras, but their resources are spread too thin," Mauser cut in as they re-entered the familiar, crowded city sector. "Too many beat-up panel vans just like this one on the road."
"Monitoring their communications?"
In response to the hacker, Mauser nodded. "You betcha!"
Wattson raised her head to look around the enclosed space in confusion. "With what? Where is the receiver?"
"Right here."
The radio operator tapped one of the silver discs implanted in the side of his head. "This neural interface lets me see and hear all the waves that are floating around. Radio, television… I get a live feed in my head. Comes in handy for pretending to study in school!"
"Heh. When have you ever been to school, Mauser?" Crypto smiled for the briefest of moments.
Wattson's expression of fascination quickly changed to reflect concern. "You're not watching TV while you're driving, are you?"
"Fuck's sake," replied Mauser. "I get to hang out with three of the top competitors of the Apex Games, and all they want to do is critique my driving. It's like Corrupt-A-Wish."