Fallen Angels Page 13
And if Kellan ever became a problem . . . Lothan didn’t allow himself to complete the thought. It was a fact of life in the shadows. Never trust anyone completely, or you were setting yourself up for a fall. Lothan found it hard to believe that Kellan would betray him, but how many betrayals were expected?
Lothan set charcoal burning in the tiny portable brazier and sprinkled a few grains of incense on it. Sweet, pungent smoke circled up around him, symbolic of the element of air, the element suited to the work he had in mind. Speaking the initial words of the spell, Lothan cast the hairs onto the burning coals, adding an acrid scent to the rising smoke. Inhaling deeply of the scent, he chanted in a low and sonorous tone.
The repetition of the spell began to induce a trance, and Lothan focused on Kellan: the image of her face, the sound of her voice, the impression of her presence, strengthening his connection to her into a bond that transcended space and time. To his astral senses, a faint silvery thread spun outward from his circle, drifting and floating in the ether, reaching out farther and farther.
Then, like a fisherman sensing a tug on the line, Lothan felt it. There was a faint psychic vibration, a shiver across his skin. He grabbed hold of it with his thoughts, anchored it with his will. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly and, like a swimmer slipping silently into a pool, the mage’s spirit slid into the astral plane.
First came the feeling of weightlessness, of freedom from the bonds of the mundane world. Though it was something Lothan had experienced countless times, it was still a heady feeling, this power to fly free of flesh and blood. The troll’s unbound spirit rose up from where his body sat, composed in meditation, and he fixed upon the shimmering thread, stretching off into the distance.
"Now then," Lothan murmured. "Let’s see where you go." Up he rose, through the ceiling of the basement, through the walls of the building, out into the air. Arcing high over the Seattle metroplex, Lothan followed the astral thread—his connection to Kellan Colt—as it led him south.
* * *
When G-Dogg returned to Lothan’s place, he found Jackie Ozone already waiting there. The decker acknowledged him with a nod as the ork came into the kitchen. G-Dogg wasn’t too surprised to see Jackie in the flesh; few people got to meet Jackie face-to-face, but he knew Lothan and Jackie went back quite a ways. When the old mage needed her, Jackie was there.
"He still working?" G-Dogg asked with a glance toward the basement door, and Jackie nodded.
"Looks like," she said. "You find out anything more?"
"Just that Akimura’s story checks out as far as I can follow it, but nobody really knows much. He’s good at covering his tracks, so he might have been telling the truth, or he might still be trying to set Kellan up."
"Long way to go to set up a small-time shadowrunner, don’t you think?" Jackie asked, and G-Dogg shrugged.
"How the frag do I know why people do anything? Did you find out anything?"
"I’d rather just tell it once," Jackie said with a glance toward the door.
G-Dogg went to the fridge to grab himself a drink as the basement door opened and a somewhat weary-looking Lothan emerged. G-Dogg could hardly remember a time when he’d seen the mage look so grim.
"Tir Tairngire," Lothan said with a note of resignation in his voice. "She’s gone to Tir Tairngire. G-Dogg, we need to arrange another meeting. This time, I think Kellan has gotten in well and truly over her head."
* * *
Eve proved less reluctant to meet Jackie in the virtual bar at Shadowland when the decker contacted her and said she had additional information about Toshi Akimura. In fact, Eve was already there waiting when Jackie arrived for the meeting, which told her what she already suspected. Whatever Cross Corp’s interest in Akimura, it was worthwhile for a corporate ladder-climber like Eve to drop everything to meet with her about it.
Jackie’s persona slid into the booth opposite Eve’s more photorealistic one. Privacy and encryption software ran automatically on the deck sitting in Jackie’s lap in the real world, helping to safeguard their conversation and protect their identities from anyone who might take undue interest.
"What do you have?" the company woman asked without preamble. The impatience in her voice was noticeable, even if it didn’t show in her persona’s presentation.
Jackie settled into the seat, feeling the sensation of the leather cool against her skin. It wasn’t real, of course, but it felt real, and it was soothing nonetheless.
"Akimura underwent long-term treatment at a cyberclinic called Nightengale’s in downtown Seattle, not far from the Space Needle," she began. "Someone hired somebody to delete his records from the clinic’s files, but I managed to obtain a copy."
"From where?"
"An outside source," she supplied. "It’s reliable." The company woman nodded for her to continue.
"The records show that Akimura underwent some pretty major treatment for a series of injuries that should have killed him—did kill him, technically. There was some reconstructive work, replacement organs, gene therapy, the works."
"Someone tried to kill him," Eve observed and Jackie nodded.
"Looks like, and they came damn close to succeeding."
"Do you know who arranged to have the records wiped? Was it him?"
"I don’t know yet, but I don’t think it was."
"Why?"
"That’s where it gets interesting. Akimura is definitely out of the clinic and back on the streets, and none the worse for wear from what I’ve been able to find out. He arranged his release from the clinic a little while before the records were wiped. As I told you last time, he’s looking for the shadowrunner named Kellan Colt."
"Have you figured out why he’s looking for her?"
"Well, she’s the one who wiped the records. She obviously believed that Akimura had hired her, but he claims he didn’t."
Eve shrugged. "So? Maybe he’s just tying up loose ends."
"Maybe," Jackie mused, "but I don’t think so. For one thing, it doesn’t fit Akimura’s rep at all. From everything I’ve heard, he deals fairly with any shadow talent. A hire-and-burn arrangement doesn’t sound like him."
"Or he’s good enough that nobody ever found that out before."
"Like I said, that may be, but there’s more to it. He’s interested in this girl."
"Do you know why?"
Jackie paused. The question struck her as particularly . . . eager, like Eve was expecting a particular answer. She shook her head.
"No, not yet, but he’s convinced some local talent to help him find her."
"Has she gone into hiding?"
"That," the decker said, "or she simply left town for a while when things got hot. But she’s not in the metroplex any more."
"Where, then?"
"Tir Tairngire," Jackie said. Eve’s persona leaned forward slightly, tense with a decidedly unvirtual excitement.
"Akimura is going after her, isn’t he?"
"It looks that way," Jackie replied.
When the slow smile spread across the prefab face of the fixer’s persona, Jackie knew it was in response to a deeply satisfied smile in the real world.
"Tell me everything," the company woman purred, "starting with who Akimura is taking with him, and I’ll see that it’s well worth your while . .
Chapter 13
They went into the Telestrian Habitat late in the afternoon, when most employees would be looking forward to finishing up their work day and returning to their homes in the upper levels of the complex.
Kellan was concerned that, as a human, she would draw undue attention. However, despite Orion’s statements condemning the exclusivity of Tir Tairngire’s immigration policy, there were plenty of humans on the streets of Portland, and even within the habitat. Though elves were certainly in the majority, they were by no means the only citizens of the Land of Promise.
This must be what it’s like to be a metahuman in a place like Seattle, Kellan thought. She felt as if she should offer so
me explanation for her presence. She felt distinctly out of place and edgy, and did her best to remember that no one they passed even suspected that she or her companions were anything other than what they appeared: corporate employees on their way to do a job.
Her clothes didn’t really help Kellan’s comfort level. They had picked up what Midnight considered a suitable wardrobe for each of them that fit their cover story of being troubleshooters from NeuroTech. Kellan wore a light sweater that succeeded in concealing the slight bulk of the ballistic cloth tee-shirt she layered underneath it. Her dark jeans had several pockets, and she wore her own boots, now polished to a dull glow. An artificially distressed synthleather shoulder bag held her cyberdeck and other essential equipment—it even featured a NeuroTech logo subtly stamped into the strap.
Orion looked equally uncomfortable in a pullover and sport coat combination, his long hair pulled back in the ponytail favored by most young elven corporate types, bound with a Celtic knot-work clasp. He wore dark sunglasses, which had the added bonus of allowing him to easily avoid eye contact with anyone.
Midnight looked every inch the confident corporate businesswoman in a charcoal pantsuit and low-cut black pullover that showed just the right amount of cleavage when she buttoned her blazer. Her black hair was likewise pulled back, giving her features a chilly severity that should make anyone think twice before questioning her. Like Orion, she wore dark glasses with fashionable frames. She carried a shoulder bag much like Kellan’s that contained a pocket secretary and some office props along with her real gear. Kellan also knew Midnight wore a form-fitting layer of body armor, just in case.
While Midnight wore corporate drag like she was born to it, Kellan just did her best not to look out of place, wishing they could have taken Orion’s suggestion and gone in after hours. At least then she’d know how to act. Fortunately, she also understood that people were supposed to feel a little uncomfortable approaching the Telestrian Habitat, so her reaction would seem pretty normal.
The only other arcology Kellan had ever seen was the Renraku Arcology in downtown Seattle, which was older and had been severely damaged by the actions of a rogue artificial intelligence in 2059. The Telestrian Habitat wasn’t quite as large, but it was still impressive. The complex covered seven city blocks and soared upward, level upon level. Unlike the nearperfect geometry of the Renraku Arcology, however, this one was designed with an eye toward nature. The rising levels of the habitat were terraced with broad stretches of greenery: grass, flowers and even neatly manicured trees. The walls weren't cold steel and glass; they were warm adobe and woodland colors, with a texture almost like natural stone. It was like the habitat had been carved from a mountain, retaining some of its native life in the bargain.
It also retained the awe-inspiring quality of a mountain. Kellan couldn’t help but gape a bit at the size and presence of it. The schematics Midnight had made them memorize didn’t do it justice close up, and Kellan thought about the thousands of people who called this place home, all employees or dependents of Telestrian Industries, living together in one big, happy corporate community, with high, thick walls to protect them from the outside world. Did that make them feel safer, being apart from the rest of the world’s problems? She wondered what it would be like.
Kellan stopped wondering as they approached one of the habitat’s entrances and she saw the armed guards on duty. They looked smart in their crisp, dark green uniforms, but Kellan’s eyes were drawn to the machine pistols they carried. They affected a bored air as Midnight slotted a credstick into the reader by the door and they checked her identification. They were all right, sa long as the intel their employer provided was legit.
The guard nodded, Midnight removed her credstick, and he waved Kellan to approach. She slotted her credstick, then Orion did the same. The guards passed them through the doors with a wave and a slight nod of acknowledgment.
Midnight led the way into the habitat. Kellan glanced sidelong at the entryway, fully aware from the plans they’d studied of the kinds of scanners that were no doubt checking them out down to their fillings. Fortunately, none of them had any enhancements likely to trip alarms. Kellan and Orion, both Awakened, had no cyberware or other implants, and Midnight’s were commonplace for a corporate troubleshooter, especially one working with computer systems.
Orion complained bitterly about having to leave his sword and other weapons behind, but Midnight said there was no way around it.
"Any weapons will set off the scanners, and there will be a dozen guards on us before we can blink," she said. "We’d never get inside, and even if we did, we wouldn’t get far."
"What if something goes wrong?" Orion countered.
"If it does," Midnight replied, "we’ll be inside a corporate habitat that has a huge, well-trained security staff. Do you really think a couple of guns and a sword will make any difference at all if we screw this up?"
Kellan thought about that as they made their way through one of the main lobbies of the complex. From the entrance, the Telestrian Habitat certainly didn’t look dangerous, but she knew that looks were often deceiving—especially in Tir Tairngire.
The lower levels of the habitat were semipublic, designed for shopping and recreation for the inhabitants and any visitors, thus laid out like a sprawling mall. The two floors above had numerous balconies overlooking the public spaces, where a riot of greenery grew in flagstone-bordered beds. Entire trees reached to the upper floors, while flowers bloomed underneath them. Many of the doorways were framed in broad timbers, carved with designs that seemed vaguely Native American, Celtic and something else all at once.
Midnight led them past the shopping areas toward a bank of elevators. Telestrian employees moved past and around them, hardly giving them a glance. Kellan noticed there were fewer humans inside the habitat than out on the streets, and virtually no other metahumans in sight, but there were still enough humans to keep her from standing out. She even spotted a couple of dwarf technicians ambling off an elevator, chatting about some technical problem they were trying to solve.
They were alone in the elevator car. As the doors closed, Midnight threw a glance at Kellan and Orion, and then at the corner of the ceiling before looking back at the doors.
Cameras, Kellan thought. It wasn’t safe here for them to speak openly, just in case someone was watching and listening. The same was probably true of most of the complex, at least in the public areas. Kellan leaned against the back wall and tried to look bored.
They exited the elevator on the fourth floor, and Midnight led them down the hall like she had walked the route many times before. Windows on one side looked out over the street below and the vista of the city of Portland beyond. People were just getting out of work and the streets were filled with traffic and pedestrians, either headed home or on their way out for the evening.
The guard sitting in front of the double doors at the foyer where the hall ended glanced up as they approached. Midnight produced her credstick once again with a smile.
"We’ve got a work! order," she said casually, and the guard took the stick and slotted it into the reader on the desk.
"I don’t have anything scheduled," he said, looking at the display.
"Last-minute call," Midnight replied. "A problem with one of the intranet hubs. Mr. Telestrian wanted it looked at on the off-shift so it would be up and running again for tomorrow."
The guard’s eye flicked down to the display once again, reading the confirmation code, then back up at Midnight, who stood, cool and confident, like a loyal company employee without a concern in the world, certain of her place and her duty.
"Okay," he said, removing the stick and handing it back to her. "You know the drill: if you need to leave the floor for any reason, you need to check out and check back in at this station." He glanced at his desktop. "I’m going off duty in a few minutes, but somebody will still be here."
"Lucky you," Midnight replied lightly. "Hopefully we won’t be here all night."
"All right, kids," she said, unslinging her bag. "Let’s get to work."
"Is it just me," Orion asked, "or was that way too easy?"
Midnight shrugged. "It helps when you have the boss countersigning your permission to get inside," she said.
"Would you prefer it to be a little harder?" The elf shook his head. "Good. Then watch the door."
Orion stayed by the door, flattened against the wall, while Midnight and Kellan went over to the desk and examined the workstation there. It was the standard setup: a flatscreen display with a manual keyboard and jacks for direct neural access, all connected to the complex’s main host system. Midnight slipped under the desk and pulled the plug on the terminal’s connector, while Kellan took out her cyberdeck and sat down in the chair behind the desk.
She unreeled the deck’s connector cable, passing it to Midnight, who plugged it into the system. Kellan took the electrode net and settled it across her forehead, making sure the connections were in place. She did an initial power-up on the deck, feeling the familiar tingle of the trodes that told her everything was functioning correctly. Midnight slipped out from under the desk and crouched next to Kellan’s chair.
"The file we’re looking for is named Morningstar," she said. "Don’t worry about decoding it; we can take care of that once we’re out of here. Just find the file and copy it . . . and keep it quiet. If there’s any noise or any trouble, get out of the system and we’ll clear out of here, okay?"
Kellan nodded, and Midnight gave her a smile that spoke of complete confidence in her abilities. "Okay then," she said. "Get to it. We’ll keep watch."
Taking a deep breath, Kellan tapped the go button on her deck, and the real world faded away in a shower of gray static, replaced by the sleek digital virtual reality of the Matrix. She was inside the representation of her deck, an almost featureless white room. The Telestrian terminal port looked like a stone gateway, carved with curving runes and covered in creeping ivy, in stark contrast to the sterile surroundings. Beyond it was a path deep into a primeval forest, a virtual representation of the Telestrian host system.