Jai gazed at the disappearing Heal scars, tracing where the bomb blast had tried to rip Jackson apart. They were only on his back and legs, nothing on his front. Had he been facing the other way? Running away? Had he hit the ground before it went off? Was she the reason that he had got so close? Had she sent him to his death? She had never asked him, and she never would. It was too intertwined with Maddy, guilt, sorrow, and death. Things she didn't want to remember, but that were constantly being pressed on her here in the Zone.
She didn't want to remember who she was here, who she had been, who she had been forced to be. She wanted to move on, make a clean break. She didn't want to be a criminal anymore. Jackson could never be with a criminal, and she wanted more than anything to stay with him. He slept so deeply, as if her turmoil couldn't touch him.
She turned on her back to stare at the stars, always so much clearer out here where electricity was fitful and precious. She would do this one thing for him, find Blackheath, and then they would never have to return. Just one last job, acting one last part. One last betrayal. Then the future was clear.
She thought of it like a swap. Her life for his. He was undoubtedly the guiltier party. The sacrifice would be well accepted, Jackson would overlook anything he found out about her for this. Blackheath would die, but she would be free. It was not a task she felt any pleasure doing, and like so many unpleasant tasks in her life before, she just wanted to get it over with.
***
The next day she got her break. The man at the bar was Chet Diaz, despite the attempt at disguise. He was also on Jackson's wanted list, but Jai did not want to mess with Chet. She had seen firsthand what happened to people that messed with Chet. Then there was Maddy, of course, but she didn't think Chet had blown her up. It was not Chet's style to waste precious explosives blowing things up so far away from any Souls.
She sat beside him, knowing he would recognize her, and waited for him to finish his beer. He gave the signal as he left, and when she finished her beer, she met him out the back.
"You get away too, huh?" he muttered, his eyes flicking constantly.
She nodded.
"Well don't look at me. You're on your own, kid." But his eyes were flicking more and more to her, and she knew he was considering taking her. She stiffened, suppressing the sickened feeling. She did not want this. He'd taken her before, and she had no desire to go anywhere near him again.
"Is it true?" she asked, frowning into the distance as he grabbed her arm and rubbed his thumb into her muscle, hard, like cleaning a spot on an apple, "did Blackheath rat us out?"
Chet spat. It was obviously news to him, but he covered well. "Wouldn't put it past him."
"I want him dead."
"He'd kill you quicker than you could look at him."
"I don't care."
His hand dropped from her body. He wasn't interested in stiff little bitches that didn't care. He liked ones that cared a lot, one way or the other.
"What are you planning on doing about it?" he asked uninterestedly.
"Find that bitch of his."
"Dorsey."
"Yeah. He won't stay away from her for long."
"You'd be better off killing her, I reckon. Kick him where it hurts."
She looked thoughtful, like she was liking his idea. "She'd be a push over."
"She's no puppy, but you'd have a chance. Especially now. They say she's at the new Clinic. Caught up in her lover's own mischief." He smiled at the justice of it. Blackheath hadn't used the explosive they'd sent. He claimed they'd been sabotaged. Chet loved that he'd been bitten when trying to go it alone. Served him right. Of course, if the explosive had worked, neither him nor his bitch would have lived to tell the tale, but Chet would take what he could get.
He decided he'd take Jai after all. Stupid cow was just about begging for a cowboy: might as well be him. But she was gone. Randy little bitch really had it in for that Blackheath, Chet thought, and decided he would let her take care of it. He had enough on his plate as it was.
***
Jackson had parked by the side of the Healing Centre, avoiding any windows. Jai sat back in the car breathless with adrenaline after the forcedly casual walk from the building.
"He's there. 3rd room on the right, 2nd floor. Ask for Dorsey Blackheath if you get lost."
"Dorsey!" Jackson exclaimed. Now Flame's reticence was starting to make sense. Dorsey. What a bloody waste.
He marched into the Healing Centre, shabbier somehow than the ones in the city, but shiningly clean compared to the rest of the Zone buildings. He found the room easily and stared at her. Dorsey. And Blackheath. And Alex. Alex was the only one that seemed to know what his coming meant, and stood up carefully.
"Who's this?" Blackheath asked, his hand curled around something small. Jackson guessed a knife.
"Jackson," Dorsey said, sounding surprised, and he realized it was not Dorsey; it was a Soul. What was Blackheath doing sitting passively by while his girl got implanted? He tossed the thought away. Irrelevant.
"What are you doing here, Jackson?" Alex asked cautiously, and Jackson realized he was moving in front of Blackheath, protecting him.
"Sit down and shut up, Alex," Jackson muttered, and watched Blackheath closely as he edged closer to the Soul. Blackheath didn't like it. So she was still useful.
"Hey there, sweetheart," Jackson said to her, smiling, "How're you doing?"
"'I'm fine," the Soul said, repaying his politeness as her genes dictated, but nervous as to why Alex and Blackheath were sitting so still.
"Can you come for a little walk with me for a moment?" Jackson asked, and only the others could see the gun he held.
"Sure," she said, hopping off the bed, eager to please. He didn't want to scare her, if he could help it, but Blackheath needed to know he was serious. Blackheath got the message and left his knife on the chair as he followed quietly. Jackson waited, and Blackheath collected and disposed of another three onto the bed.
"Where are we going?" the Soul asked, as they descended the stairs.
"How about a cup of coffee. There's a nice little place just downstairs. Have these guys taken you there yet?"
"No."
"Oh, that's mean of them. You'll love it."
"You're Flame's partner aren't you?" she said after a minute, and Jackson was surprised that she sounded so unsure. Surely she had Dorsey's memories?
"Yeah, that's right." He opened the door for her and they all walked outside.
"What are you doing here then? Is Flame ok?"
He saw Alex look up quickly. Great bloody husband you are, Jackson thought, don't even think to ask yourself.
"Flame's fine," he said, "Oh. She wanted me to remind you, Alex, that you made a promise." He could feel Alex's glare burning the back of his neck, but didn't react.
They drew up to the car. Jackson shoved Blackheath onto the bonnet and cuffed him, Jai staring at his furious eyes from inches away through the windscreen.
"What are you doing?" the Soul asked, horrified.
"Arresting him."
"For what??"
He glanced at her in disbelief then shoved Blackheath into the backseat and cuffed him to it tightly.
"No!" she said, pulling gently but insistently on his arm, but Alex pulled her back and held her in his.
"It's alright," Blackheath told her, having lost his persecuted look and sounding calm, "Go back inside."
But they stood on the footpath, Dorsey straining against Alex, staring at them til he drove out of sight.
***
Jackson glanced at him in the rear vision mirror every half hour or so, and couldn't quite work out why Blackheath still seemed defiant. Confidently defiant, even. Either he didn't fear death, or… he was missing something. He didn't like that feeling. Blackheath was wanted for any number of crimes. All he needed was to be caught, and he was gone. So he was caught. Why wasn't he acting gone?
He glanced at Jai, sleeping on in the front seat. Obviously she had no worries about the situation. Rat bag. Blackheath's eyes watched him, almost amused. Jackson swore he would not be the first one to break.
"Figured it out yet?" Blackheath asked finally.
"What."
"Why you're not going to turn me in."
"You're already turned in. Forget about it."
But Blackheath only smiled out the window. It was infuriating.
"She's real sweet, isn't she?" he said, and Jackson's eyes snapped at him, knowing instantly he meant Jai.
"Leave her out of this."
"Oh I don't think so."
"She's got nothing to do with this."
"She's got everything to do with this."
Jackson pulled over and waited, hands crushing the steering wheel. Blackheath leaned forward, making sure he got every word.
"That's Jai Brown. I know all about her. You turn me in, I turn her in. That's fair isn't it?"
Jackson had hauled Blackheath out of the car and hit him before he had even thought about it.
"You're not going to say a word," Jackson hissed.
"You can't bully me, Seeker," Blackheath said, spitting blood. "Break my jaw and I can write. Break my hands and they'll implant me. Then they'll see firsthand what she got up to. Nothing like an implanted Soul witness."
Jackson hit him again and walked away, trying to think while Blackheath got up from his knees awkwardly, his hands still tied behind his back.
It was tempting to kill him. It would sort the problem. But Jackson was actually averse to killing people illegally. He liked there to be some distinction between him and the criminals, and due process was one of them. But Blackheath could not be allowed to do what he threatened. So kill him or let him go.
Then Jai got out of the car, sleep still slowing her movements.
"Jackson? What's going on?" she looked between Jackson; furious, hands still bunched into fists, and Blackheath; cuffed and bleeding. "What are you doing?"
He hated the fear in her voice. He couldn't kill him in front of her. He Iiked that she looked up to him. Fuck.
"Letting the fucker go," he said, teeth clenched, spinning Blackheath around and pulling the handcuffs off him roughly. Blackheath had socked him before he'd even relocked the cuffs. He was incredibly fast. But Jai was suddenly standing between them.
"He let you go," she was saying, real low and quiet, "So you're quits. So go."