Freedom
Chapter 25
All hell was about to break loose. Either Velvet or the Biker was going to shoot this guy. The Duty men would open fire, and we'd scramble for what meager cover there was, but it wouldn't do any good. Bunched up, with nothing but low ground, caught in a crossfire, we'd be lucky to take even one of the Duty shooters with us. Like that movie – the one where Ed Harris is the sympathetic bad guy, and the special forces guys are in that, like, prison shower? And they get gunned down in there? It was going to be like that. I was going to die in this foul-smelling bog, and there was nothing I could do about it. I could keep my own finger off the trigger, but I couldn't speak for anyone else.
The man from Duty lifted Purple's hood perhaps an inch, and stopped. No one moved. After a long moment, he let go and turned away, his demeanor noticeably different. If I had to put it into words, I'd say he went from scary to very scary. He turned to the Biker.
"Is work really so hard to find?"
"It's not what you think."
The Duty man searched the Biker's face for a long time, then turned back to the girls. For the better part of a minute, he seemed deep in thought. Finally, he faced the Biker again.
"I intend to pay Kevorich a visit soon. When I do, if she's there – or you are – you won't have time to give your side of the story."
"I thought Duty didn't interfere."
"Duty doesn't. I know we aren't on good terms, but I'd hate to have to kill you." He said all this very flatly, sounding almost disinterested. "I like to think there's someone out here with some sense." He clapped the Biker on the shoulder and stepped past him, but turned back. "Oh," he said. "You haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary in these parts, have you?"
"Take a look in the drains under the plant west of here," the Biker replied, utterly deadpan.
The Duty man departed. No one relaxed until he reached the top of the hill, and his men could be seen pulling back. Sagaris let out a long breath.
"You know that arrogant bastard?"
The Biker nodded, staring after the Duty men. "This is not good," he said finally.
"What are you talking about?" Velvet pulled off her mask. "We got by, didn't we?"
"Don't think he didn't recognize you," the Biker said, shaking his head. "Because he did."
"Impossible. He'd never have let us go."
He shook his head again. "You don't know him."
"Well, if there's someone in Duty who doesn't have a problem with me, I don't have a problem with him."
"He doesn't have a problem today." Frank looked grim. "I was hoping he wouldn't stay with them this long."
"What was he doing out here, anyway? Seven is an awful lot for a patrol – and I thought they were shorthanded."
The Biker rubbed his eyes and shrugged. "They wouldn't waste him on patrol. They're out here looking for something."
As we moved on, I wasn't thinking too hard about what the others were saying, I was just relieved to have gotten out of that situation alive. The Zone is a big place, but it's a small community. Even smaller, now that the whole Railgun debacle had decimated the Stalker population so severely. Of course there were new idiots coming in every day, and just as many idiots dying every day. It would be a while before the Zone felt full again. So of course you were going to meet people you knew. It wasn't clear to me what kind of relationship the Biker had with the man from Duty, but it didn't seem entirely friendly.
The girls were shaken by the incident; they probably didn't understand it, but they'd been able to feel the tension in the air, and subsequent relief. Sagaris was looking at his PDA.
"How are we doing?"
"We're just south of the forest. We might want to cut south just a little."
"No, stay on course or we won't make it by nightfall." Velvet looked north. "Shouldn't be much to worry about here."
"Except Duty patrols," Sagaris snapped.
"They weren't supposed to be here," the Biker countered. "They're on a special op. There won't be any more patrols."
"Then we're clear to the channel?"
"Of course not."
"But they say the mutants are mellow here," I said.
"Anomalies," Velvet cut in. "Some of the most powerful in the Zone. Also some of the best hunting."
"Isn't there a safer way?"
"Six in one, half dozen in the other. This gets us there the fastest. Watch your step, kid." The Biker caught Purple's arm and kept her upright. "What the hell is that?" He was looking south, toward the plateau. I turned to look. They were a long way off, but the sight was unmistakable. A thousand crows circled.
"That's what you expect to see over the forest," Velvet said, sounding curious. "I wonder what's going on up there."
I wondered whether or not I should share my thoughts on crows. They were far off, and we were moving in the opposite direction. I didn't think it would be a problem – but I felt a chill all the same.
"Have you ever been on the plateau?" the Biker asked.
She shook her head. "Up until Railgun, the Military had a big lab, one of the last ones still running. Nobody ever got up there."
"You thinking about it?"
"Not really. No land access."
"What are you guys talking about?" I asked.
"Where to set up shop," the Biker said. "There used to be a Freedom stronghold not far from here."
"It's going to be somewhere on the Western frontier," Velvet promised. "We need that land access, and we can't give Duty too many options."
"I thought the plan was not to fight Duty."
"Things don't always go according to plan." Velvet paused and adjusted her beret. "That Duty man back there, what's his story?"
"He used to be BKA. He killed somebody and came here. His partner followed him to bring him in, but got killed. He's a mess. Name's Dieter."
"I've heard of him," Sagaris said. "He went by a lot of names. I think it's Ever these days. Not what I pictured."
"Why Duty?"
"The Zone is changing because of Railgun. Maybe he wants a front-row seat."
"He'll have it," Velvet promised. "We all will."
Yes, the much-discussed changes. The Zone's ever-growing borders, the worsening mutants and anomalies, the more frequent emissions, the mystery of the statuettes and the bodies that went with them. Would Duty finally solidify its reign, or would someone stand up to them before it was too late? Would that someone be Velvet and Freedom? The bandits? The mercs? Would Clear Sky return from their self-imposed exile? What of the alliance, all of whose leaders had mysteriously disappeared after Railgun? I didn't want to think about any of it.
Guesses and predictions. None of us had a clue what was coming. Velvet didn't realize that the Zone she knew – or thought she knew – wouldn't be around much longer. Neither would Duty, and neither would I. My hand twinged, and I slowed down to get to the back of the party. Once no one was looking, I took off my glove and rubbed my palm. The spot hadn't changed. I knew it wasn't doing any good, but I used an alcohol wipe on it anyway.
"You all right?" It was the older sister. It was the first time she'd actually spoken to me. I had my mask up, so all she could see were my eyes.
"I'll live," I answered, and sped up. Where had we met? This was getting frustrating. I dropped back and fell in beside her. She seemed taken aback, but didn't flinch, or move away. I eyed Purple's back for a moment, then pulled down my mask and spoke very quietly. "Where did we meet?"
She looked over at me with a thoughtful expression, then took down her hood. "You don't remember?"
"I guess not."
"Benefit in LA. You were presenting."
I thought back. "Because my old man couldn't," I said after a moment. "Right?" She nodded. "And you were there to make a donation?"
She smiled. "My father couldn't make it."
"One brat to another, did I catch your name?"
"No, we just shook hands. I smiled. You didn't."
"I didn't want to be there."
"Neither did I."
"You're more dutiful than I am."
"I guess so." She gave me a very small smile, and pulled her hood back up.
"Jesus Christ, when was that?"
"Last November."
I rubbed at my eyes. "Jesus Christ," I repeated. This was only day five.