The Rise of Io (34 page)

With a roar, Cameron kneed one in the face, dodged what might as well have been slow-motion punches from the second, and swept the guy's leg. He turned to face the first again just as the man stuck him with the barrel, clocking him on the chin with the butt of his rifle. Another blow came from the other side and hit him square in the nose. Cameron crumpled to the ground.

Your nose is broken. Your lung is bruised. Take slow, deep breaths. Roll left, roll left!

Vision blurry, he saw the faint outline of a rifle pointing directly at his face, and then K2 appeared, grabbing the man by the shirt and pulling him off his feet. Cameron gathered his wits and stood just in time to dodge another slow punch from the second soldier. He grabbed the slow puncher by the collar, shifted his weight and threw him into the nearby pit. He turned and managed to catch a kick as it nailed him in the gut. He shattered the man's knee with his forearm and then helped K2 finish the last soldier.

Chest heaving, Cameron fell onto a knee and studied his handiwork. There were a lot of bodies lying on the ground, unmoving. Shockingly, none of the casualties were his people. A sharp pain shot up his back and he stiffened.

“Are you all right, Cameron?” K2 asked.

“Give me a second to catch my breath.” Cameron clutched his chest. “Argh, getting shot is the worst.”

That is why most people try to avoid it. You, on the other hand…

“Ten guys in a minute will do that to a man. Your legend grows.”

Cameron harrumphed and staggered to Nabin. “You all right there, buddy?”

Nabin grimaced and sat up. He was breathing heavily and bleeding all over the place.

“This could be the first time I've ever been glad for being short. An inch taller and it would've gone right through my heart.”

“What did I tell you? Short people live longer.”

Nabin grunted in response.

Cameron looked to the other end of the room and called out, “Lam, you all right?”

“You threw me into the pit, Cameron, you jerk. I broke my arm.”

“I was saving you from getting shot.”

“You still broke my arm.”

Everyone is a critic.

“No kidding, right?”

Cameron helped Bijan to his feet. “Well, that's all of them. Let's get out of here before more show up.”

He gathered his sad little flock, and together, they limped their way to the exit. Fortunately, all of them could walk on their own, to varying degrees. However, Lam and Nabin had two good arms between them, and the three former prisoners were so weak they couldn't move too fast. Cameron had taken a beating and a couple of bullets, so he only had a little left in the tank. He opened the door and nearly walked into someone.

Shura smirked and punched him in the face.

E
lla had
the protest in her binoculars' sights and frankly was getting bored. It was still going on, but nothing much was happening. Men were shouting and marching and waving their arms. On the other side of the fence, the guards just stood around with their big guns. They weren't even pointing them at anyone. The whole thing had been entertaining for a little while, but now it was just monotonous. All that yelling and stomping wasn't getting anyone anywhere, other than creating a diversion for Cameron and his team. That was the deal with Mogg's people. Still, this was the worst television ever.

You think this is bad? Wait until you work for the Prophus. It is a snoozefest.

“Isn't being a secret agent supposed to be fun, or at least exciting?”

Are you excited or having fun? The Prophus have a way of removing the joy from things. Trust me, I have had to put up with it for eons.

“As opposed to the Genjix, who have a way of just removing the life from things?”

She trained her focus on the soldiers and police watching over Mogg's people. Those guys looked like they were just lounging around. She scanned the crowd. Some of the police were smoking with Mogg's people. What was going on?

Then she saw Mogg, who, with her hands on her hips, was having an animated discussion with Minister Kapoor and one of the police. It was times like this that Ella wished she had a gun. Just put one of those tiny little ones in her hand and bang. “Pow,” she murmured. “Compliments of Burglar Alarm.”

You are over three hundred meters away. I would be impressed if you could even hit the side of a building, let alone Surrett.

“I thought shooting a gun is just pointing and pulling the trigger.”

How little you know. Keep bringing knives to gunfights. See how that ends.

“Ella,” Cameron's voice crackled in her ear piece. “We found what we're looking for. There's someone here you'll be happy to see.”

She perked up. It could only mean one person, unless the Genjix had been holding her amma prisoner all these years. Had they actually found Bijan? Some of the guilt she had been carrying washed away. “Is he all right?”

No answer.

In the distance, a figure ran to Surrett and interrupted his conversation with Mogg. The minister looked alarmed, signaled to the military people around him, and led them away from the front gates. They were making a beeline toward Cameron.

“Cameron,” said Ella urgently. “The minister just left the perimeter. You there? Cameron?”

No response.

A little bell in Ella's head began to ring. Her gut was making a ruckus again, and she felt an itch to do something other than just sit here, but what? She probably should stay put at this lookout like she had been told. She would only get in the way. Yeah, staying put was the smart thing to do. Or maybe she could warn Cameron that Surrett was heading his way with more soldiers.

You should go to them. You should be able to reach them first if you hurry.

“You're just trying to trick me. I'm going to stay right here.”

Ella's resolve to stay put lasted for another minute. She noticed Mogg leaning against the wall and having a smoke. One of the union workers strolled right through the gate to speak with her. They exchanged a few words, and then the guy casually walked back outside.

Ella frowned. The guards at the gate weren't doing a very good job. She looked closer. In fact, they were barely paying attention to the dockworkers. One of the police went up to Mogg and she offered him a cigarette. They were acting awfully nice to each other for a supposed protest. Wait, that policeman over there was Inspector Manu. What was he doing being so friendly with the union boss? Shouldn't Mogg be putting on a better act? This was the worst union protest ever.

Ella swept her gaze across the line of dockworkers. Her guys were still making a bunch of noise, chanting and waving their arms, but it all looked lackadaisical and half-hearted. Mogg's people were not trying very hard. She should tell Cameron to ask for a refund if they were going to put such little effort into this. It was almost as if they were just passing time…

“Oh crap,” Ella muttered.

The union boss must have sold her services to both sides. That's why everyone was just lounging around. It had to be a trap.

“I can't believe it,” she growled. “They're conning my con.”

Impressive. This Mogg is a resourceful woman.

Damn it, if Mogg had sold them out, then that probably meant the Genjix knew Cameron's team was here. If this was a trap, then it was all her fault. She was the one who had arranged to use the union boss's people. That meant she had led more Prophus to their deaths. No, not again. She had to do something. She had to warn Cameron.

Now you want to warn them. Maybe you should have listened to me in the first place.

“Shut up, shut up, alien!”

Ella scrambled from her perch and sprinted toward the building with the prisoners, not bothering to stay hidden in the shadows. Several more attempts to call up Cameron, Nabin, or Lam came up empty. Something must have happened. With Io's help, throwing caution to the wind, she reached the building with the prisoners in only a few minutes.

She slowed down just in time to see a group of five or six soldiers enter the building from the front. One of them looked like that pretty scary woman, Shura. Ella hid behind the car nearest to the building and scanned the area. She could hear muffled shouts coming from inside. There were also three cones of light shining from the back out into the water.

Going through the front is probably a bad idea. See if there is another way in.

Ella pulled out her long knife in one hand and one of the throwing knives in the other, and then she sprinted to the side wall. She stayed low and crept toward the rear of the building where the commotion was getting louder. Something big was happening inside. She looked down at the two blades in her hands. Neither looked particularly sufficient for the task ahead.

You think?

“If you can't be constructive, don't say anything.”

When I say constructive things, you ignore me.

“That's true. Can you be constructive now?”

If things get rough in there, I want you to listen to me carefully, especially when it comes to breathing. Inhale through your nose. Hold your breath for four beats, and then exhale out of your mouth for four beats.

“What are you talking about?”

Just trust me on this. It will help you stay in control so you do not miss your shots so often.

“OK, I'll give it a try. This better not be a prank.” Ella took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and then slowly exhaled. Her heart was still hammering in her chest, but it kind of calmed her down a bit.

Also, you do not know what is in that room. Your smoke grenades make a great equalizer. Initiate with them.

“Oh yeah.” She had forgotten about those.

Ella took out one of the big canisters and hooked her finger through the pin. She rounded the corner of the building, peeked inside one of three double-doors, and pulled the pins.

C
ameron took
Shura's second punch pretty well, but the third on his nose knocked him onto his back. She didn't think she had hit him hard enough to collapse him like that. It must have been broken already.

The prisoner – Lee – tried to shoot her with his rifle. Shura stepped past the barrel and sent him tumbling backward with a kick to the chest. One of Cameron's agents, the Asian woman, attacked her, throwing wide looping punches. Shura noticed the woman keeping one arm close to her body, so she stepped to the side and struck it. The woman cried out and fell back.

Cameron was on his feet again and attacked. She was surprised at his speed, even in his weakened state. The punch clipped her chin, spinning her head to the side, but she recovered immediately and lashed out, striking him on the side of the head and tumbling him to the ground. She drew her pistol and shot one of the prisoners, Navah. She aimed the pistol at the next prisoner and turned to him.

“Do you really want to keep doing this, Cameron?”

“You waited at the door until I dealt with that first group of soldiers, didn't you? That's mighty brave of you.” He wiped the blood spilling out of his nose with his sleeve.

“Oh, are you upset you didn't get a fair fight with me, Cameron? How positively antiquated.” She chuckled and gestured at the bodies on the ground. “The objective here is not to prove who the better fighter is. The objective here is to prove who the better operative is. Now, stay down.”

Cameron tried to stand.

Shura shot him in the leg, and he fell, clutching his thigh.

Shaking her head, she walked around his body and knelt near his face. She looked around the room. “Be proud of what you've accomplished today. That was a beautiful display.” She tapped him twice on the forehead with the end of her pistol. “I'm bringing you back to China. Zoras would love to have some words with Tao. It won't end well for you, but we'll have some time to catch up on the way back. Our business has always felt… unfinished.”

He coughed and sat up, shaking his head. “Alexandra. I always wondered where you went. You just fell off the face of the Earth. I never in a million years thought you'd be Shura the Scalpel. Why the name change?” He held his hand out. She took it and pulled him to his feet.

Careful. You are playing with your prey again.

“Please, Tabs. This means a lot to him.”

“After our little adventure in Oregon, and the unfortunate death of my father, I wanted to start over. I was reentering the Hatchery and my family name had so recently been tarnished. I thought a new name would help give me that fresh start.”

Cameron studied her. “You look stunning, just like I remember you.”

She smiled. “Thank you. I wish I could say the same for you. I would have been in touch sooner, but I was busy fighting a war. My religion keeps me occupied.”

He sniffed and then spat out blood. “When I saw you at that factory, I knew it was you right away. All the memories came flooding back. I was a teenager again, you were by my side, and we were running from the Genjix. It was us against the world. I remember thinking how great it was to finally meet someone who knew what it was like to be a host. I thought I had found a kindred spirit. You were my first crush.”

“How precious,” she smiled. “Now–”

“Then you betrayed my trust. You shot and killed your father, and you led the Genjix right to our house after we took you in and saved you from the ones hunting you. That's what I remember most. I don't think you changed your name to get a fresh start, Alex. You changed your name because you didn't want to be the girl who assassinated her own father who loved her more than anything else.”

It took all of Shura's discipline to keep her face still. A silence passed between them. Finally, she spoke. “How long did you play that little monologue in your head? How long did you practice pretending to say that to me?” She leaned in. “Was it everything you hoped it'd be?”

He shrugged. “No, I actually thought it would mean more. I guess the fantasy of you is much more appealing than the reality.” He glanced down at Navah. “She's dead, isn't she?”

She followed his gaze to the dead Prophus agent. “Your people should know when to quit. You're going to ask me to release the rest of them now that I have you, aren't you? Oh Cameron, always so soft. I may not need them, but they're Prophus, and if I don't kill them now, they'll just come back, like rats. They will all die in the next few minutes. You should all just accept the inevitable.”

“Monster,” he growled.

“Now, shall we?” She motioned toward the door.

Shura turned to see a group of soldiers come in through the front door and spread out across the room. The last to walk in was Surrett. He looked her straight in the eyes. The man had somehow grown quite a spine since she arrived.

Be wary. His men are focused on you, not the Prophus.

“A little late, Minister. You're not needed. I'm done here.”

Surrett glanced at the prisoners and settled on Cameron. His eyes glinted. “Of course, Adonis. I'm sure Adonis Rurik will be pleased with this development. Now, please transfer the prisoners to me.”

“I'm taking Cameron Tan to the Council personally.” Shura took a step forward. Surrett continued to block her way. “Step aside, Minister.”

“I'm afraid not, Adonis. Adonis Rurik's orders were explicit.”

“That fool is on the other side of town chasing the wrong thing. These are my prisoners.”

Surrett motioned to the guards, who trained their guns on her.

“You dare,” Shura seethed. “Do you realize who you are threatening? I am an Adonis vessel.”

“We all serve the Holy Ones,” he replied. “I just happen to serve a more important one.” He turned to the soldiers around him. “Take the prisoners. Adonis Rurik should be back soon. We'll hold them all until he returns.”

Something in the back began to hiss. A second later, a round gray canister bounced once on the floor and rolled toward them. The hissing became louder, and the canister started spewing purple smoke. Two more canisters followed.

A black object spun in the air and struck the soldier nearest to Cameron. The soldier stiffened as a blade stuck into his eye. A policeman near the back of the room clutched his lower back and fell forward. Cameron disappeared as purple and yellow smoke mixed and enveloped the room. Another soldier fell, and then another. Chaos unfolded as the room filled with colored smoke and panicked screams.

There was a flash of a shadow and then a small figure streaked by, slashing another soldier in the back of the leg. The figure stopped long enough to streak another knife out, narrowly missing Surrett.

The minister tried to flee, but Shura grabbed him by the arm. “You forgot your prisoners.”

Surrett cringed. He turned to her, his face pale. “Adonis, stop them! What are you doing standing there?”

You probably should.

“Probably, but I don't think I will. I believe it is against the Holy Ones' interests for Rurik to control India and gain a seat on the Council. I also believe this man is not worthy of a Quasing.”

You are a hair's breadth from heresy.

Shura pointed at the little girl popping in and out of the shadows. “Who was that girl again? Ah yes, Ella Patel. Minister, you want a Holy One? Why don't you take hers? If you can. I would be careful. She has teeth.” She shoved Surrett into the thick smoke. There was a high-pitched scream, and then a thump as his body disappeared into one of the holes.

Alexandra Mengsk, known to the world as Shura the Scalpel, turned, walked out of the room and closed the door behind her as more men began to scream.