chAPTER 18

I recognized Dr. Kinsley the moment I laid eyes on him. He was the DUP doctor working on the Ray Sphere. I was ready to fry him then and there, maybe drag him to the warehouse to interrogate him on the Ray Sphere's whereabouts. But a small part of me wanted to hear what he had to say. If it turned out to be a trap, or I didn't like what came out of his mouth, then I'd fry him.

He looked surprisingly calm to see me. I guess even a Conduit could be met with a total amount of indifference sometimes. Who knew? "I assume your friends at DARPA are somewhere around here as well?" he demanded.

I frowned. How did this guy know about that? Shrugging it off, I folded my arms. "You said you had information about the Ray Sphere?" I returned.

"I may, but I won't tell you if you were followed."

I rolled my eyes. "Relax. I always run by myself."

He eyed me warily, but continued anyway. "General Heller recruited me to develop a new Ray Sphere. After you destroyed the first one, he needed another."

"You expect me to believe that you were drafted into the DUP just for R&D?"

"It actually wasn't the DUP," he replied. "Not yet. This was weeks ago. Just when Empire City was destroyed by the Beast. And when I say 'recruited', I really mean 'forced to work or my family would be killed'."

My expression softened, if only a little. The guy seemed to be in a tough situation. If he was telling the truth. I honestly couldn't tell, and I had no idea how to find out, but to play along and see where it got me. If it led me to the Ray Sphere, I was willing to risk it. But there was something else that wasn't clear to me. "Why would a guy looking to torture and kill every Conduit he gets his hands on want to make the very device that makes them?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious? The general has the plague." I straightened, realization dawning on me. "He made the connection that all who are Conduits do not get infected," Kinsley continued. "So he ordered me to recreate the Ray Sphere, to turn him into a Conduit."

"He wants to be a Conduit? But he can't, not unless he has the gene."

"His test came back inconclusive. He could very well have it."

"Even if he does, you're talking about killing hundreds, maybe thousands, for one person."

"And what was it you were doing for that friend of yours, Nix?"

That stopped me. Of course he would believe that. Why wouldn't he? He was one of them. Snarling, I fired back, "I attacked those people because they had kidnapped and tortured my friend. What you're talking about is the murder of innocent people, civilians, just for the possibility of saving one person."

He nodded. "Which is why I have come to you," he replied. "I've been delaying the construction of the Ray Sphere for as long as I could, but General Heller is growing impatient. We both know his madness cannot continue. You must stop him and destroy the Ray Sphere."

I groaned slightly. "And how in the hell am I going to do that?" I demanded. "I can't just waltz in there and take the damned thing."

"No," Kinsley agreed. "Which is why you'll need to hit it when it comes through here in ten minutes."

"Are you kidding me?" I demanded. But he was already leaving, making his way down the ladder. "Hey, hang on a sec!"

I heard the sound of a diesel engine, as did Kinsley. "They're ahead of schedule," he muttered. Then, to me, "Quickly! Take down the guards and take the Ray Sphere! I'll contact you after you have it."

Then he ducked into the building, leaving me to take on the Ray Sphere and its escort. "Great," I muttered. I turned to face the convoy, planning my next move. It looked a bit tougher than some of the other convoys I'd gone up against, but that was understandable, given its cargo. There were four trucks in all, and a humvee in the front, along with a solid amount of ground units to deal with, a good fifteen or so. The Ray Sphere had to be in one of them. Best guess was I'd have a few minutes to take down all four trucks before they split up and I lost them. One of them had to be the one with the Ray Sphere, so I'd have to be careful around them. One wrong move or misplaced attack, and we'd have another Blast on our hands, and I really didn't feel like explaining that one to Heller.

Dropping off the rooftop and landing silently on the ground behind the convoy, I crept along the shadows as I caught up with them. The first guy fell easily. A nice shock to the sides of his head, and he was down. Only fourteen left. I snuck up behind the next guy and dropped him, then drug him behind a nearby phone booth and propped him against it. Then I ran to the first truck and took a look inside. It was empty, other than a few ordinary-looking crates. Slipping back to the ground, I continued to follow the convoy quietly and silently took down a few more guards as I approached the second truck, trying to stay in the driver's blind spot. I got to the second truck and looked inside, only to find the same sight greeting me. I moved to go toward the next truck when I heard a guard speaking into his radio. "Echo Seven, come in. We do not see you on detail, over."

I gulped. Echo Seven must've been one of the guys I took down. If they weren't onto me yet, they soon would be. Trying to keep up stealth, I jogged alongside the third truck and reached for the flap. "It's him!" someone shouted, just a moment before a loud crack! was heard and a bullet whizzed by me. I ducked instinctively, then jumped into the fray, pulling the Amp from its sling and batting down the DUP soldier who shot at me. But I wasn't fast enough. The others had already reached the spot where I was and was taking aim at me. I quickly called a lightning strike that brought down a few in the group, then sprinted to the next truck in the confusion. That one was empty as well. What the hell? I thought. This whole thing was starting to feel like a setup.

I moved over to the last truck before it could speed away. Throwing stealth to the wind, I tore away the back flap from the back of the truck, but that was empty, too. My mind went numb at the sight. "Shit," I muttered, annoyed for falling for Kinsley's crap story. I should've known better than to trust the word of a guy working for the people trying to kill me. As I went to run back to the warehouse, I noticed the humvee at the front speeding away. It hit me like a sack of bricks. The Humvee had the Sphere. They had the freakin' Ray Sphere. I tethered up to the nearest building and started running after the retreating vehicle.

My phone beeped and Heller's voice came up. "Hey, MacGrath," he said. "Look, head back to the warehouse soon, we-." He stopped when he heard the gunfire in the background, then his voice became more stern. "What the hell is that?!"

"Uh," I replied, trying to keep the Humvee in sight. "Nothing, call you back later, bye."

"Cole!"

I hung up quickly and jumped off the building, using my static thrusters to glide to the vehicle and landed on top. Throwing open the top hatch, I zapped the two guys waiting for me and grabbed the Ray Sphere, jumping off the Humvee and landing on the ground with a thud. The car stopped and the driver jumped out, aiming his pistol at me. I held up my arm to fire a bolt, but a gunshot rang out before I got the chance. He hit the ground, dead, and I crouched lower, hoping to make myself a harder target. Unfortunately, it didn't work, and the next thing I remember, I was on a building adjacent to the street where I had taken the Ray Sphere, watching a vehicle drive away with it, too weak to follow them. I drained a fuse box nearby, but I'd already lost the vehicle, and the Sphere.

My phone beeped again, and Heller barked into my ear. "MacGrath, what the hell is going on out there?!" he demanded.

"The DUP," I said breathlessly. "They were working on a Ray Sphere."

The line was quiet for a few moments. "When were you planning on telling us this?" Heller demanded angrily.

"After I got it and destroyed it."

"And do you have it?"

I paused. "No," I admitted. "Someone else got to it before I could split. Whoever it is, they've got some heavy gear."

Heller cursed. "Get back to the warehouse. We need to talk."

"I have to find-," I began.

"Now, MacGrath."

The line suddenly went dead, and I hung my head. Could this day get any worse?