Deep Black Road: The Head of the Snake

Chapter 18

Standing away from the window to avoid being spotted, Ricky hacked into the spy-bot drifting outside, quickly found its video channel, and watched as the 'bot scanned the neighbourhood streets in infrared, ultraviolet, and visible light.

Suddenly there was motion off to one side-a girl running towards a building on the neighbouring street-and the spy-bot sent an alert to its master.

"Bill!" Ricky cried out. "The spy-bot saw somebody!"

"What?! Who?"

"A child, one street over."

"Oh bother!" Bill yanked the device from his shirt pocket again and poked it; and the urgent cry of a jay echoed outside. He then grabbed his lantern, lit it, and said grimly to Ricky, "Come with me."

He led him down into the basement and over to an old sheet of plywood lying on the floor. Dragging the plywood aside, he revealed a rough metre-wide hole.

"Where's that go?" Ricky asked as Bill sat and dropped his feet into it.

"It's an access we made some years ago into an abandoned subway train tunnel. All the buildings around here have one. Oh, and would you mind pulling the plywood back over the hole when you come?" He disappeared below; and Ricky quickly followed.

The only light in the tunnel came from large vent grates above at street level. Ricky switched to his infrared vision, and said to Bill, "Let me lead. I can see in the dark."

"Really? Well, don't get too far ahead of me. This is pretty rough going."

As they worked their way along through the debris, Ricky asked, "Where are we going exactly?"

"To a station, where we'll meet up with everyone else."

Soon Ricky could see others up ahead, also with lanterns; and he followed them, picking up the pace as much as his companion could manage until they caught up. Shortly after, they arrived at the station, a cavernous room littered with old trash.

"What's this about?" asked a man on Ricky's left, once everyone had arrived. "Who was caught outside?"

"A child," said Bill. "Ricky was eavesdropping on the spy-bot."

"Well, it's nice we got some warning this time," said a woman; "but now we're going to have to relocate again."

"I don't think so," said an older man who pushed his way into the centre of the small crowd. "The Berringers were the last family we've had in some time, and that was two months ago. I'd say our work's done; and we'd better get out of here for our own safety."

"I agree," said Bill. "Ricky, since you've got abilities we don't, would you go back and keep an eye out for the CDA? When they're gone, come and tell us, so we can get prepared to leave." He turned to the crowd. "We'll wait here; and Ricky'll tell us when it's safe."

He nodded to Ricky, who jogged back down the tunnel.

#

Ricky peeked out through the drawn curtain at the assemblage of robots-flying and otherwise-and heavily armed soldiers who were scouring the entire area, trying to account for the presence of a child now safely hidden below ground.

He realized how ironic this was. He was protecting from the CDA the very people he'd been sent to investigate-definitely not a robotic thing to do-but circumstances had proved that it was his best destiny, wherever it was taking him.

Besides, he thought, who do these guys think they're looking for, armed to the teeth against people whose worst crime is believing in the Anointed One? What am I missing?