Chapter 64 – Separated
Sunday, August 2, 2308
Von Kalt had returned to the canyon residence across from the Fox home. Using the Metachron, he created scanning daemons to read every camera and wired public service employee in the entire metropolitan area of Angel City. Sure enough, one of them finally scored a hit.
The Deputy Director rose from his lounge chair and called the west coast director of the FBI. He explained the situation and was assured, he would have the bureau’s full and complete cooperation.
Von Kalt explained that he needed at least seventy experienced field agents. He had no idea how many agents he needed or wanted. However, since the director agreed so easily, he felt compelled to say, “Double that if you can.”
“Done,” came the reply. “Vehicles?”
“Three men to a vehicle. Small arms will be sufficient.”
“Yessir.”
“You have a bright future.” Von Kalt smiled.
The director nodded humbly.
Bright indeed? Von Kalt knew he would be well served to copy a trick or two from this young man, if only his pride didn’t prohibit it.
Ash and Geoff walked toward the restrooms a few campsites away.
Behind them, a group of uniformed boys in their late teens patrolled the park. A few were walking and a few more sat on the companion golf cart, floating along the path.
They grinned at Ash. She didn't like it. Despite their slow pace and non-threatening behavior, they were following them, and they looked malicious, dangerous.
"Can we go out for breakfast, please," Geoff asked, ignoring the escalating situation as they reached the toilets.
"You know what? Sure, no problem," Ashley folded. "Just hurry up."
Geoff smiled and disappeared behind the door with the male symbol.
Without looking at them, Ashley kept a close eye on the trailing young safety officers. They slowed, and the driver of the cart stopped their advance.
The three uniforms continued their walk toward Ash.
One of the cart's riders climbed off to tie his shoe.
The three boys drifted past, ignoring Ashley, highly unusual behavior for boys at or even close to her age. Ashley considered the possibility that she must really look like a mess if these clowns were ignoring her.
"After this were going into the mountains, I mean it," Ashley said to the bathroom wall.
"Okay, I hear you," Geoff answered from inside.
Ash watched the walking boys continue, but they moved with exaggerated slowness as they reached the bend up ahead. It was as if they didn't want to lose sight of her. The boys on the cart were talking, not paying any attention to her, but not leaving either.
Ashley waited for Geoff. She'd heard the toilet flush, but that was at least a couple of minutes ago. It was too long ago.
Ash turned around and looked at the structure. The bathrooms were attached to a much larger building, a Parks' Services building. The back half of the structure was arched and curved downward into the hovering facility. Ashley recognized it as a train access tunnel, leading into the city.
"Geoff?" she said.
"In here," he answered.
Confused by the waiting game with the boys, Ashley decided to call their bluff and went into the boy's bathroom.
In addition to the sinks, stall and urinals, there was a half-open door to the structure beyond. The massive garage was filled with landscaping equipment, two more golf carts, as well as a locker area and a couple of desks.
Geoff waved to her from the back of the hall. He stood beside an open panel in the huge hatch, sealing the maglev tube. Although there were no train cars present, it was obvious enough that the garage had been built to repair the hover trains that ferried people throughout Angel City.
"Come on," he yelled, ducking back behind the panel. "Whoooo!" Geoff's voice slid away from her far quicker than his ability to run.
Ash sprinted across the hall, jumping down into the tunnel after her brother. Like Geoff, she slid with one leg stretched out and the other curled beneath her, flying down the terillium-laced tube.
When Ashley reached the place where the pipe flattened out again, she found herself standing. Geoff was ahead of her, making his way past a couple of gates leading into a hub of maintenance corridors. Ashley followed silently.
"Ha!" A barred gate slammed shut behind Geoff. "We got another one!" a young truant officer shouted.
A group of boys materialized from deeper in the tunnels.
"Hey, there sewer rat.”
“Looks like we got us one more for the stew!"
Geoff spun.
Older boys, their uniforms identifying them as members of the civil services, had surrounded him. Several of them held long electric prongs. Geoff saw handcuffs in several hands, as well.
"Our job is locking up stray dogs, and you are about as homeless as I've ever seen," one boy taunted.
Another leapt and pinned Geoff's arms behind his back.
"No orphans in our tunnels," one yelled.
Handcuffs were snapped over the struggling Geoff’s wrists.
Ashley charged the gates, kicking the iron cross bars. "Let him go!!"
"Oh, hey, we got us another one! Someone trip the lock."
The boy jabbed his electric staff through the bars, grazing Ash.
Ashley grabbed the staff, jerking it away from him.
The boy reached through the grate and grabbed Ashley by her shirt.
She grabbed the offending hand and twisted it back on itself, using the bars of the grate as leverage. He fought her, but she had an unbeatable position, he was already over extended.
Ashley heard the ligaments of his shoulder begin to rip and tear.
The older boy screamed.
"Let him go!" Ashley yelled.
The other dogcatchers looked up from their struggle with Geoff.
Ashley twisted the boy's wrist, he howled in agony.
She released the tension just enough for him to catch his breath and stop screaming.
"I said LET HIM GO!" she yelled.
One of the boys stepped forward to say something.
Ashley gave her captive's wrist a quarter turn and his screams drown out the words of his comrade.
Ashley released the tension and let the pain subside. He became quiet again. In the silence, Ashley spoke, "Let him go or I will cut his arm off."
For emphasis, she held up the Micronix and pressed the button. Six inches of razor-sharp steel jumped into her hand.
Geoff struggled with his captors, “You heard her, let me go!”
The forward soldier spoke, "We... We uh... We don't have a key for that gate. We couldn't even take you with us if we wanted to."
Ashley wrenched the boy's shoulder from its socket, the screaming and ripping sounds magnified by the tunnel walls. A moment later his screams ceased as he had passed out from the pain.
“Did you kill him?” one of the teens asked.
Geoffrey broke loose and ran. “Ashley!”
Acting on instinct, one of the kids pulled his stun gun and fired.
Geoffrey went down, out cold.
The teens rushed over to him and checked his vitals.
Ashley watched and listened, helpless.
“He’s still breathing.”
“Pick him up. Let’s get him in the cart.”
“I’ll get his legs, okay, yeah.”
The older boys carried Geoff back of their segmented cart.
“If you’re not orphans, just have your guardian come down to the pound and pick up the little mongrel,” one of the boys said.
Ashley’s reply caught in her throat.
Lights approached from the distance. Three men appeared; feds, in suits, carrying guns and flashlights.
Ashley turned and ran from the gate, leaving her prisoner hanging, unconscious and broken.
Reid was standing his post, the invisible over-watch, his tank tethered above, a hundred feet overhead. After the
children failed to exit the restroom, he began to panic and called Ross.
“Major Ross, I think we’ve got a problem here,” he said.
“What’s going on?” Captain Snow cut in.
“Ma’am, Good to hear you up and about.”
“What’s going on, Chief?”
“They got away from me ma’am. They went down inside this terra-formed structure, and I’m picking up radio chatter. There was some kind of incident. The Feds are here and there’s like thirty of them all of a sudden.”
“Armored Feds?” Ross asked.
“No, sir. Suits. They’re everywhere. What do you want me to do?”
Captain Snow answered, “Stay put, I’ll be there in five.”