Book 3: 3rd World Products, Inc (34 page)

"Just don't bump into the air-bear on the way in, Dragonfly. I'll have some kind of a gun for you by then."

Her calling me Dragonfly had made it unofficially official that my plan had been accepted pending revisions and adaptations.

"Good deal, Fearless Leader. No blanks. Shell casings have to look right later. I'll put a few rounds in something that will stop them."

"Good enough. Is that everything?"

"If it isn't, I'll say so on the way. We can rendezvous above the Thompson exit of I-29 and we'll go in low and slow so we'll look like ground cars if anyone is watching. Assume the bad guys are listening on all freqs and make sure the cops and fire guys keep quiet and on standby only. Steph?"

Her image appeared beside me. She said, “In the driveway, Ed."

"Thank you, miLady. We have ourselves a Dragonfly Run. We may pick up, deliver, or just have a good look around, but we'll be doing it about an hour from now. Gimme a minute or two to saddle up and we're out of here."

I made a fresh mug of coffee and filled a thermos as well, patted Tiger and apologized for leaving him behind, took a leak, swapped my golf shoes for a pair of LA Gear knobby-tread semi-sneaks, dug a plastic butane lighter from my backpack, and then hopped aboard the flitter.

The ratty, rusty charcoal grill I'd spotted in a local creekbed the week before was the first thing we loaded. Steph swished it in the stream, then cleaned it somewhat more with her field and dried it before bringing it aboard. Not far from US-19 and S.R.-50 a partly-crumpled
'one-way'
sign that had been lying in the ditch for a week was brought aboard.

I held the end that had the state and county ID info on it over the side of the flitter and Stephie sheared it off with her field. It fit inside the grill well enough to replace the rusted-out bottom. I then flipped my seat back and napped until Steph woke me in North Dakota.

Stephie knew how to wake me up quickly. She had her semisolid image tiptoe to within a yard of my seat. I snapped awake staring up at her with my hand on my folding knife.

"We'll be at the Thompson exit in five minutes, Ed. I'm pretending to be a small plane at the moment, following the highway into Grand Forks. Linda brought both flitters and twelve security guards and Elkor is here with the generator."

"Thank you, Steph. Hi, Elkor. Thanks for bringing the generator."

"You're welcome, Ed."

"Hi, Linda. All set?"

"Good to go, Ed. Got all the stuff."

I stood up and stretched, took another leak, then swilled coffee as we approached Linda's party. When we were close enough, I hopped across the gap between our flitters. Everybody aboard hers was wearing black outfits and carrying Hi-Point 9mm carbines and other gear. At Linda's direction, two of the guys tossed the cooking stuff over to Stephie's deck while I checked the gun Linda had brought me. It was a 9mm Beretta model 92 with a standard magazine, a very nice gun for our purposes.

On general principles, I told Stephie, “Two rounds at you, ma'am. Ammo check."

"Okay, Ed."

I fired twice, startling the hell out of some of the guys who hadn't heard me talk to Steph. She zapped both rounds out of existence with bright little fireballs. The Beretta's action was smooth and the trigger weight was about five pounds.

As I replaced the rounds, I said, “Thank you, Steph. You know you're one of only two machines in the whole world that I really trust, don't you?"

"Of course I know that, Ed, and I don't let just anyone shoot at me."

Linda snickered as she handed me a butane fireplace lighter.

"Thought you might need this,” she said.

"Heh. I brought a lighter, too, Linda. Would have been major dumb to forget to bring a lighter, wouldn't it? Are the roof guards keeping a real schedule or just wandering around up there?"

"We've seen one change of guards on the hour and a walker on the half-hour."

"Good. Organized routine is always easier to beat. I'll go in right after the next change and set up the grill and the generator, then have a look downstairs."

"You didn't say anything about going downstairs, Ed. We can secure the building's roof and call in..."

"I have a five suit and option four. I'll also have a stunner and this 9mm. If I can find and neutralize the target zone, so much the better for everyone. You'll be seeing whatever I see on your screens ‘cause there'll be a probe up by my briefcase. What are the locals providing for this venture?"

"The cops and fire department special units are standing by a few blocks away. If the info turns out to be good, they'll cut phone service, scramble radio and satellite links, and surround the warehouse."

A familiar voice said, “Hey, there, Dragonfly. Nice outfit, even without the golf shoes. Kinda clashes with ours, though."

Navy Captain Emory Wallace stood among the men on Linda's flitter. He was wearing basic black and carrying a Hi-Point 9mm carbine, just like everybody else, and he was remarking on my fatigue shirt and jeans. My surprise had amused him. I looked at Linda questioningly.

"He's qualified,” she said. “He became a Seal in ‘78 and passed our course in ‘99, and I run his ass off every morning."

"Well, then, I'm suitably impressed, I guess. How about a just-in-case goodbye kiss, sweetie? You never know how things will go."

As Linda shook her head resignedly, then gave me a peck on the cheek, she muttered, “You're going to die giving somebody the finger, aren't you, Ed?"

I glanced at Wallace with a quick wave and a grin that he seemed to take as camaraderie or acknowledgement of some sort.

Still wearing the grin, I said, “Maybe it'll even be him. See ya."

I jumped back aboard Stephie and dropped the charcoal bag into the grill, then ripped it open, tossed the lighter fluid can and lighter in, and closed the lid.

"Steph, open a link to Linda's pad, please."

"Ready,” she said.

Linda said, “Ready."

I couldn't help it. I said, “Mercy sakes, it looks like we got us a convoy. Wagons, ho, and stuff like that. All ahead road speed, Steph, a foot off the ground until we're five blocks away and covered, then up and over."

Wallace's voice said, “The guy's a goddamned clown, Linda. Listen to that shit."

Linda snickered and said in a stewardess tone, “
Please
take your seat for your own safety, sir, or I'll have to have the flight crew
help
you to your seat."

I could imagine Wallace's expression. I could also imagine him doing as he was told. The more serious types are known for doing that.

Thirteen minutes later we were all in position to use a building for cover as we rose to its roof height and surveyed the roof of the somewhat shorter target building. Steph and I moved as far forward on an adjoining roof as possible and Steph put her findings on a field screen.

There were two guys in the middle of the roof and one on each corner, all dressed in the expected biker and redneck rags and armed with rifles and pistols. Four minutes to the hour.

"Four minutes to shift change. Six guys on the roof,” I said, “Guess we were right about the place. Steph and I will go in fast and use stun pulses to drop the new guys, then I'll back that with a hard stun each."

Linda said, “Got it."

The shift change brought an extra set of guards. I knew Linda was watching the target roof as closely as Steph and I were as I said, “Confirm
eight
on the roof, now."

"Copy eight."

"Confirm option five on."

"Copy option fi..."

"Heh. Gotcha."

"Not nice, Dragonfly. Hurt my feelings and I'll tell my boyfriend."

When the stairwell door closed behind the last of the old guard shift, Steph flew close above the building and emitted a pulse. The guys on the roof dropped instantly, as did we. I zapped each of the guys again for luck, then Steph let me off near the center of the tarpaper roof and I hauled the grill off her deck. She rose about twenty feet and taxied to join the other flitters, one of which moved to bring our people to the target roof. It was Linda's.

"Get your prisoners and get off this roof,” I told them.

"Oh, aye, aye, sir,” said Wallace. He went to the two bad guys by the grill, cuffed them, and hauled them back to Linda's flitter quickly enough, though. He then went to help one of the other guys drag a really fat baddy to the flitter.

Elkor descended near the grill and offloaded the field generator to the top of an air conditioning enclosure, then lifted away from the roof.

As I headed back to the grill, I said, “Thanks, Elkor. Putting it there will leave air for the grill fire inside the field. Good of you to lend us your stuff, guy."

"You're welcome, Ed, but if you break it, you buy it. Did I say that right?"

I laughed softly and said, “Sure you did, Elkor. Who suggested that line?"

"I found it in some reference data. It seemed appropriate."

Giving the charcoal a very heavy dose of lighter fluid, I said, “Very appropriate, Elkor. That was a good one for the event at hand. Linda, is everybody off the roof?"

"All clear, Ed."

"Wallace, too? Better check. He looked like a wannabe hero to me, ma'am."

"I'm here,” said Wallace. “And I've already
been
a hero, Dragonfly. I thought I'd let you take a shot at it this time, so don't fuck up."

I laughed and said, “Tell him, Fearless Leader. Better yet, let him read for himself."

"He's already seen your ops files, Ed. You boys quit picking on each other, and that's an order. We have work to do."

Wallace said, “Aye, aye, ma'am. I'll just go sit on one of the prisoners for you."

I said, “I knew he'd be useful for something. Elkor, crank up the field, please."

"Yes, Ed. The field is now on. I would prefer that you proceed with caution."

Ready to light the charcoal, I said, “Thanks, Elkor. I'll be careful. Option four on."

All I could see of myself was the Beretta that I held in my right hand and the lighter that I held in my left. The rest of me had disappeared.

"System check. Can you see me, Linda?"

"You're on our screen, Ed."

"In that case, let's do it."

Half of a quart can of lighter fluid does wonderful job of starting a charcoal grill. There was a really hefty
'whoomp!'
that threw the grill's cover several feet during a good-sized fireball, and then the flames leaped ten feet into the air. Bits of burning charcoal were dislodged to fall around the grill. I tossed the fluid can down near the grill and turned to jog toward the stairwell door.

I had almost reached the door when it opened and a rifle-toting guy barreled out of the stairwell and onto the roof, heading straight at me as he tried to look in all directions at once. I raised the Beretta as I stepped aside and prepared to put a few rounds in him if he somehow noticed me, but at that moment, the fluid can exploded.

As the panicked moron unloaded his AK at the grill on full automatic, I stepped up behind him and swung hard to knock him cold with the barrel of the Beretta.

"One baddie bagged and tagged,” I said, moving to stand by the door. “Come and get it."

Linda said, “On the way, Ed. Cover the door while we're down, please."

"Done thunka that, ma'am. I'm right beside it and you're covered. That guy saved me a few rounds. You figure the cops heard all that racket?"

As they field-lifted the baddie aboard the flitter, Linda said, “Probably so, Ed. We can see them approaching the building. No lights or noise. They're just getting into position, now that they know they have an excuse to go in. I told them to hold off until our people check it out. They were only too happy to oblige."

"No damned doubt they were, with a possible virus inside. Stephie, can those other flitters zap incoming rounds like you do?"

"Yes, Ed. They're fully functional. I've told you that before."

"Yes'm, that you have. I may be a little tense at the moment. Tactical change, Linda. Keep an eye on my position on your screen. Let the baddies come up and occupy the roof. Give them clear, valid targets to either side of the door but don't bother shooting back right away. As soon as that stairwell's clear, I'm going in. Give me a thirty count to get clear, then you can shoot if you have to."

"Will thirty be enough, Ed? You don't know what you'll run into."

"Shoot on thirty if you have targets. If I have to, I'll use one of them for cover."

"Copy that."

I heard them coming up the stairs. The door burst open and the guy dropped prone to use the stairwell for cover. Seeing nothing ahead, he poked his head out for a quick look to either side. Seeing the flitters made him duck back inside and screechingly report his findings.

Wallace's unenhanced voice boomed, “
Come out with your hands up. You are surrounded.
"

He repeated the order a couple of times, then said, “
If you do not come out, we will be forced to use grenades. Do you understand?
"

Grenades? Oh, that was a good touch, for a Navy type.

Someone on the stairwell muttered, “
Oh, shit! We gotta get out of here!
"

One, then two more of the guys in the stairwell emerged onto the roof. One was empty-handed. The other two laid their rifles on the roof and stepped away from them. I heard a thumping and a fourth guy emerged to lay his rifle down and step back.

A quick peek showed me the stairway was empty and I quietly made my way down the stairs. The empty-handed guy had left his loaded AK propped against the wall with two full magazines taped back to back next to it. I stuffed the Beretta into my belt and grabbed the AK and its extra ammo.

"Control,” I whispered, “Is One Earth a highly segmented group?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I'm just trying to figure out why there aren't more guards or at least some very nosy paranoids coming up these stairs."

"No answer, Ed. Your thoughts?"

"Maybe that was the whole guard crew for this shift and we're dealing with an anthill.
I do my job, you do yours, and never the twain shall meet?
All I know for sure is that there's no indication that another herd of guards will be coming up."