The Burn Zone (35 page)

“
But all those people ...
”

“
Sam, look around. You know how this is going to end. How easy was it for you to imagine they
’
d launched this biological attack against us? Even though it was Dragan, didn
’
t you wonder, just for a minute?
”

I gritted my teeth, not wanting to admit I had.

“
The way things are going, how long do you really think it will be before they do something like it, or worse? We can
’
t just sit back and hope it won
’
t happen—
”

“
But all those people, Kang. That
’
s kids, babies ...
”

“
I know.
”
He leaned close, looking about ready to crack.
“
That
’
s why we have to get that kid back. Do you get it now? None of that matters anymore. We can
’
t stop it. It
’
s happening. Now it
’
s just us or them. That
’
s the only choice we
’
ve got left.
”

“
And what about Dragan?
”

“
He saw everything, Sam. He
’
s not coming back.
”

“
Then I
’
m going to get him.
”

“
This is bigger than him. I know how much he means to you, but he
’
s just one guy. He
’
d tell you the same if he were here.
”

“
I
’
m going to get him.
”

“
You
’
ll never get in there, Sam, and you
’
d never get out alive if you did.
”

“
I
’
ll find the kid, and trade him.
”

“
There
’
s not going to be any trade. You have to give it up.
”

“
No! I want Dragan back, and I want my life back!
”

I yelled that last part loud enough that people looked over again.

Kang slammed his fist down on the table, causing butts and ash to jump out of the ashtray.

“
I
’
m through playing games,
”
he snapped.
“
I
’
m a dead
man, do you hear me? Sillith doesn
’
t think we can stop it, so she
’
s going to make damned sure no one finds out what she did before it blows up right in the middle of Hangfei, but I
’
m not going to let that happen, goddamn
it
...
I sacrificed everything to save this country, and this
is all I
’
ve got left. Forget about Dragan. He
’
s gone, but you can still do the right thing. Where the hell is that Pan-Slav brat?
”

There was desperation in his red eyes and I realized then that this was why he
’
d called me out there. This was why he
’
d made contact again. Dragan either wouldn
’
t or still couldn
’
t talk, and they didn
’
t have any way to find the boy. Sillith had given up on finding him and was trying to distance the haan, but Kang hadn
’
t given up. Not yet.

“
I don
’
t know where he is.
”

“
Bullshit! Tell me where he is!
”

“
I don
’
t know!
”

“
Please,
”
he said, changing his tone suddenly.
“
Do you know where he is?
If you do, tell me, please.
”

“
I don
’
t—
”
Kang reached across the table and grabbed a fistful of my tank top, dragging me halfway over.

“
Hey!
”
the bartender snapped finally.
“
Easy, over there!
”
Kang didn
’
t let go.

“
Get off,
”
I said, tugging loose. I pushed away from him, but he held on to my wrist.
“
Let go of me, asshole!
”

“
He
’
s dead already, Sam,
”
he pleaded.
“
I thought I could get him back, but I can
’
t. I can
’
t even save myself. You can
’
t
let this happen
...
The burn will start the night of the
festival
...
Our country will be left in ruins! We
’
re the only
hope left for this damned world and we
’
ll be wiped out! We deserve to live, more than them. You have to—
”

I jerked my arm away and started back toward the door, Kang knocking his stool over as he got to his feet and followed after me.

“
Sam,
”
he said.
“
I swear if you walk out that door you
’
re dead. You can still do the right thing and walk away from this. Let me help you.
”

“
Screw you, Kang,
”
I muttered. There was a lump in my throat as I pushed open the bar door and stepped back out onto the sidewalk.

He was right behind me, swinging the door a little too hard in his drunkenness. He grabbed my arm and pulled.

“
Hey!
”

Before I could stop him he
’
d hauled me right up off the ground and pulled me into the narrow alley next to the bar. He slammed me up against the rough brick face, and held me there.

“
Let me go!
”

I kicked his shin, and stomped one heel down on his foot, but he held me fast, leaning against me and pressing his stubbly chin into my neck as he spoke in my ear.

“
I don
’
t give a shit about them, you hear me?
”
he said.
“
Those barbarians deserve to die. All they contribute to this planet is violence. They suck up food, water, and air that other people, better people could be using. The world would be better off without them. Then the haan would have enough. Don
’
t you get it? They wouldn
’
t have to take so much from us. We could eat again. We could breathe again, and they
’
d be in our debt. The world would be better off without the PSE. You know it
’
s true.
”

“
I never said—
”

“
Just take me to wherever you
’
re hiding and give me what you
’
ve got. We
’
ll take it from there. You don
’
t have to ever know the details. Lijuan is on her way to Duongroi already, and I
’
ll make sure you get over the border in the morning, just in case. I—
”

I blasted him with my knee. He twisted his leg at the last second, but I clipped his groin hard enough to make him let go. He staggered back, trying to stand up straight as I grabbed his suit jacket and pulled it down back over
his shoulders until his elbows were pinned. While he was off balance, I shoved him forward as hard as I could and he went face-first into the wall.

“
Goddamn it!
”
he grunted. He wasn
’
t carrying his gun, but there was a stunner clipped to his belt. I snatched it and squeezed the grip as he tried to push away, jamming the business end into his ribs. His eyes bugged out as the prongs made a rapid-fire popping sound, and then he pitched over on his side and went limp. Breathing hard, I tossed the stun gun down on the blacktop next to him where his cigarette pack had fallen from his shirt pocket. I took it and backed out of the alley. The people up and down the street were still
boozing
it up, laughing, and talking. None of them even looked over.

“
Sorry, Kang.
”

I stuffed the smokes into my pocket and headed back out to the street. A bottle rocket whistled high into the air and then popped as I pulled the mask back down and sprinted back to where they were working on the parade float.

Overhead, the silhouette of an aircar drifted past as I approached the gate, a cone of light shining down and sweeping the sidewalk back behind me on the lookout for trouble it had just missed.

~ * ~

Chapter Thirteen

09:53:21 BC

By the time I got back to Wei
’
s, dawn had begun to peter down through the neon haze, and the streets had thinned out as much as they ever did. Most of the derelicts from the night before had abandoned their spots on the old stoops and left behind bottles, butts, and crumpled paper bags. The sign for Wei
’
s buzzed, casting a feeble red glow onto the grungy landing as I climbed down to the heavy door.

Just as I grabbed the handle, the door flew open and some big dude knocked me back as he barged through. I went down on the concrete steps but he just blew right past, not even looking back as he hustled down the sidewalk.

“
Excuse you, asshole!
”
I yelled after him.

I got back up and brushed off, then pulled open the door and headed inside. The lobby was empty, but I could hear voices down the hall, anxious voices that put me on edge. Something was up, a fight maybe. I wondered if the guy I
’
d just passed hadn
’
t just robbed the place or something.

When I got to the corner, a woman in a miniskirt and heavy lipstick came scooting around to squeeze past me. Her eyes were streaked with mascara, and she carried her heels in one hand.

“
Hey,
”
I called.
“
What
’
s going on?
”
She didn
’
t answer. She shoved open the door and took off.

Something was up. No cops yet, but they probably weren
’
t far off. We were going to have to make ourselves scarce before they got here or
else ...

I rounded the corner and saw Wei
’
s foyer. The force field was down and the window on the other side had been blown in, the heavy glass splintered around a fist-sized hole. The metal mesh sandwiched between the layers had been pushed through the crater, and wire bristles ringed the hole.

I rushed over to Wei
’
s door, which hung open, the jamb splintered. Wei lay inside on his back next to a toppled stool.

“
Wei!
”

I kicked through the trash that had spilled from a waste bin and knelt down next to him, pushing the jiangshi mask back to hang behind my head. His right leg was snapped at the shin, and his nose was smashed flat. Blood had run down his neck and stained the collar of his shirt.

“
Wei,
”
I whispered, leaning close to him. One of his eyes was swollen shut, but the other opened a slit and I caught a gleam there. He was still breathing. The cords in his neck twitched as he swallowed.