Freedom

Chapter 14

I knew it was coming. I just wasn't sure how. I needn't have worried; Velvet and the Biker played it just right. Maybe they had Sagaris figured out, or maybe they were just being cautious – but they were ready for us when we reached the farmstead.

The Biker stepped out from behind a tree, Pernach outstretched. It wasn't the sort of thing you argued with. He ordered Sagaris to throw down his weapons, which he did, looking resigned. I didn't have to point out the Makarov; he gave it up willingly, which I thought was interesting. The Biker was keeping a wary eye on me, and it took me a moment to understand why. He didn't know where my loyalties were; I might have gotten wise and changed my view toward Velvet while I'd been away. He was too polite to disarm me, but I knew he'd gun me down in a heartbeat if I gave him an excuse.

I wasn't sure how to feel about this. Not being used – that part I understood and forgave. The problem was that though our acquaintance had been brief, Sagaris had grown on me, and things didn't look good for him. I'd suspected before; now I knew. Sagaris didn't look at me.

Velvet was waiting inside. She sat on the hearth, one knee drawn up, her elbow resting on it. She still looked battered, tired, slightly mad, and entirely breathtaking. Perhaps even more so, now that I knew who she was. Her MPL leaned against the fireplace within easy reach.

The Biker set down Sagaris' HK91 and dropped the Makarov, kicking it across the floor to Velvet, whose eyes flicked toward it only briefly. I quietly joined the Biker, leaning against the wall and leaving Sagaris alone in the middle of the room. I folded my arms, keeping my hands away from my Glock. I thought I knew what tension was before I came to the Zone. That day I learned different.

"Where did you get them?" Velvet spoke in a very neutral tone.

"From a flash drive I found on a dead stalker." Sagaris' reply was equally mild. He had guts.

"What did he look like?"

"Green fatigues, Duty armor re-painted. Freedom patch on his right shoulder. I don't know what he looked like; he'd been dead a while. He was missing a finger."

Velvet's eyes narrowed. "When did you find him? Where?"

"Altok. In a ditch. Almost a month ago."

"Why the wait?"

"I only just now got around to checking the drive."

"And you thought you'd collect the bounty on me."

"No," Sagaris replied firmly. "I didn't. I thought you were dead at Chernobyl like everyone else. I thought the last of Freedom had died with you. I thought whoever was on the band using these old codes had to be setting a trap."

Velvet didn't look impressed. It was a likely story.

"You don't remember me, do you?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Should I?"

"I came through your rookie camp. I didn't pledge, obviously."

"Obviously."

"I don't suppose you remember when those infected hit the camp at dawn, and your sentries were sleeping?" Velvet's eyes narrowed further. "Maybe you also remember one of them got into the barracks before your people got it under control." He dropped to one knee, and the Biker tensed. Sagaris wasn't going for a weapon. He simply rolled up the leg of his trousers, revealing a set of gruesome bite marks on his calf. "Good thing I'd had my shots," he said, scowling.

Velvet looked thoughtful. Sagaris got back to his feet. "Do you remember what I was wearing that day?" she asked finally. "A simple yes or no will do."

Sagaris snorted. "Yes," he replied.

"What's your name, stalker?"

"Sagaris."

"The same Sagaris that did the mutants under Valiman?"

"That was a simple job."

"So simple that Duty wasn't able to do it."

"Duty refused to do anything but send men in. I got chemicals at Yantar, and used them to convince the creatures I was going to gas them – then just shot them when they came out. Just getting here from Rostov today was more of a challenge."

Velvet said nothing to that, she just looked at him. The intensity of her gaze was intimidating. My admiration for Sagaris was growing. I wasn't sure what to make of the story – between my own guesswork and what was said, I thought I understood – but one question remained.

"The mercs are actively destabilizing the Zone, maintaining the need for their services. Clear Sky refuses to come out of the bogs. The Alliance has dissolved. The Military won't come inside again, not for a while. The bandits are loving every minute of this. They don't want anything to change. Duty is recovering fast. If this goes on, in a year they'll be calling the shots from here to the channel. Loners will cease to exist. The Zone will be," Velvet paused, "…regulated." She spoke the word so flatly that her distaste was conveyed more strongly than if she'd shouted.

There was silence. Even Sagaris was starting to wilt.

"Join my unit," she said.

Sagaris swallowed. "The alternative?"

Velvet put her hand on her 9mm Steyr.

"You really think you can bring it back?"

"I don't see anyone else trying."

"Duty has its hands full, but the minute they find out about this, they'll be after you with everything they've got. The guy they've got in charge – he does not like competition."

"I know."

Sagaris put his hands on his hips, chewing his lip. He turned and looked toward the Biker and me. His gaze lingered on me for a moment; I tried to look neutral. Maybe he felt betrayed. Maybe he thought I'd been in on this. I'd been wise to it, not in on it. I reminded myself that he was the one who had really been doing the deceiving – even if he had been doing it for the right reasons. Which still wasn't clear. I wanted to believe him, but I knew better than to give out my trust lightly.

He turned back to Velvet. "You want things to go back to the way they were."

"There's no going back."

"You want to eradicate Duty."

"No. They have a right to be here."

Sagaris appeared to mull that over. "I guess you wouldn't still be alive if you didn't know what you were doing. You must have a plan. And even if you didn't, it'd beat the alternative." He shrugged. "I don't want to die here. How many men have you got?"

"Counting you, one."

He swallowed again. "Maybe I should just let you shoot me."

"It would be quicker. But think of the carpet." We all looked down at the rotting wooden boards we stood on.

Sagaris sighed, shaking his head. "I came out here for bandit bounties. I just want it on record I don't think this is fair."

"Noted."

"All right." He straightened. "I'll pledge."

"Wise."

"Hardly."

"Too right. This isn't about open war with Duty. That isn't going to happen. It's about restoring balance."

"If you think you can do that without going to war, I'd like to see what you have up your sleeve. And if you do go to war, don't do it until you've got more than one man."

"We'll see."

Sagaris became serious. "Since we're all friends now," he turned to include me and the Biker. "Have you seen anything strange out here?"

"What do you mean? It's pretty tame this far out," the Biker replied.

"Tell them."

I frowned, but acquiesced. "We got ambushed at the yard and had to cut through one of the larger buildings. There were – a lot of strange things in there, but one in particular. It looked like a bigger, meaner blood drinker."

That got the Biker's attention. "How much bigger?"

"Twice normal size at least. It's not a blood drinker anymore," Sagaris said. "It's a Blood Demon." Melodramatic, but I had to admit, fitting.

Brows high, the Biker turned to Velvet, who looked equally troubled. "That would not be something to run into on a dark knight," she said.

"No. It's getting bad out there. Did you have any trouble with it?"

"It was already dead, or we would not be here," Sagaris said.

Velvet said something in a language I wasn't familiar with, but I got the gist of it.

"I can see why you set up out here," he continued.

"It's not all roses." Velvet sighed, reaching into her pocket. She took out a small wooden statuette. It was crude, probably carved by hand with a combat knife. The artistry was pretty bad, but that didn't make the vision any less awful. It was some kind of creature with tentacles. Beyond that I didn't know what to make of it.

"I found this less than a kilometer from here. They're turning up everywhere. We've got more than just Duty to worry about."