Port Casper

Chapter Thirty-Three

Grace's heart raced as she looked at the pulse gun. The metarm dove under the skin of her right forearm, presumably anchored to her bones. Another gleaming piece of metal encircled her wrist and provided a pivot for aiming. She remembered her revulsion to Raj's mechflesh hand, but looking at her own implant was somehow different. She couldn't feel the metarm as a foreign object: it was more like an image of a weapon projected onto her body.

Raj had obviously cherished it: the metarm was smooth to the touch and showed no sign of neglect, just honest wear. It was disconcerting to have an implant, but comforting to have a weapon again. As she practiced aiming the gun, she recalled many sessions of target practice with her father. They hadn't the time since her training at Red Fox. She wondered if she'd be as fast with this weapon as she had been with Ronnie.

She named the pulse gun Daddy, for luck.

About an hour into her practice, her ptenda lit up with the briefest of messages. The one she was waiting for.

"She's home," Grace said, reading Martin's message aloud.

"What about Raj?" Tim asked.

"Martin's going to scoop up Raj at ITB," she said. "Assuming they haven't moved Raj since Martin got the room number. I'm going to stay nearby and cover his escape. Then I'll pay a visit to Maud--"

The expression on Tim's face made her stop short. She marveled that she'd recognize human feelings playing out on a dog's face.

"Don't go, Grace," he said in his usual voice, yet it sounded more like pleading. "Let Martin extract Raj and then we can lay low."

"No way, doggy. Maud's illegal activities at ITB have to be exposed. Look what they did to Raj. And what happened to Rendilon Gobi. Flora." Grace's voice cracked. "Look what they did to me," she said, pointing at the medical pod.

"You should wait until Raj is back," Tim said, but his head drooped.

"I'm going," she said firmly.

Grace headed out of the loft, closing the door and hoping the PodPooch stayed behind, as agreed. Tim had told her that only Raj's brothers knew about the loft, so he would be safe.

The night air refreshed her as she left the building. She'd been in one medical pod or another for too long. The loft was comfortable, but it lacked windows. Her legs felt stiff. She decided to run toward ITB. After her experience at the blind bang, Grace remained on alert as she passed people and movers on the street.

Halfway there, she realized what she was wearing. Orange and red? They screamed target. She located a clothing shop with her ptenda and purchased a simple black mimic. Her new clothes partially concealed Daddy under a long sleeve.

• • •

Martin escorted Chanho by the arm as they walked from the lift. He'd released the restraints, but the inventor kept his arms folded behind his back. Martin's next move would be to check in with the concierge and exit the building. They would get a transport for Bod Town and contact Grace with an all clear.

Instead, Martin saw Maud walking toward him. His body tensed and he involuntarily gasped, but his mind raced ahead.

"Chanho, when I tap you on the back, run toward the redhead in black. Straight toward her," he whispered. "Then, when I yell 'freeze,' spin around and take the lift. Don't stop no matter what." He avoided telling Chanho that it was Maud. It would only frighten him.

The inventor started to stammer. No! Martin tapped him on the back, hard, pressing a tracking dot into Chanho's shirt.

Martin was relieved when he started running toward Maud.

"Chanho!" shouted Martin, raising his phasewave and aiming ostensibly at the inventor, though more at Maud. "Freeze!"

As if they had practiced it, Chanho turned in the opposite direction and Martin unleashed his phasewave. Martin saw Raj's curly hair fly to one side as the static bolt swept past.

• • •

Randgarten's blast hit just to her right. Maud tumbled in the opposite direction, stunned but still conscious. That man has been a hotel manager for too long, she thought angrily.

Maud fingered her ptenda, cancelling the blind bang that would automatically be called by a weapons discharge in ITB. She watched Chanho disappear behind lift doors. Shaft Three. Maud put the building on lockdown. She would take care of this herself.

"Van Decker, are you alright?" Randgarten stood over her, offering a hand.

"What the hell is going on here, Randgarten?"

The phasewave had left her queasy. She rose unsteadily, squeezing Randgarten's hand harder than she needed.

"Chanho attacked Wilmer and attempted an escape," Randgarten said. "I was in the lobby."

Maud rubbed the sides of her head, trying to ease the disorientation.

"He's headed up the lift," Randgarten said unnecessarily.

• • •

Grace waited until the lift doors closed on Martin and Maud. She walked over to the revolving door and gave it a hard push. Nothing happened. The door was locked.

"Think, Grace," she whispered to herself. She raised her ptenda. There would be a floorplan in her manual.

"Problem?" came a voice from behind.

She spun. Tim! She thought about getting angry, but there wasn't time.

"Yeah, I've got a problem. The building is in lockdown."

Tim walked over to the wall of glass, inspecting it with his nose.

"I can help," he said, "but you'd better stand back."