Zero Sum (43 page)

“A what?”

“A means of teleportation. Sorta like on
Star Trek
. Again, I don’t understand the details.”

“Is that how you’re getting out? Are you going to…to…beam out?”

“Not possible. Neither Ms. B nor I can set up the circle without some guidance—and I just lost radio contact.”

Footsteps sounded outside our cramped closet. Ms. Curray tensed.

“Easy,” I whispered. “These guys are brainwashed idiots. Just sit still.” I readied a transmutation just in case, but didn’t dare spend any mana on it. Only the slightest bit of light leaked into the cabinet, so I relied on my ears instead. The guard crept into the room, did a single sweep, found nothing of interest, and left. That was the downside of wiping people into submission. Creative thinking went out the window.
 

Ms. Curray let out the breath she’d been holding for the past minute. “Who’s Ms. B?”

“My vampire sidekick. We’re the only one’s left that can keep the building from coming down.”

“I’m sorry, but did you just say vampire?”

“Yep. fangs and all—but they’re tiny. You can hardly tell. It’s not like she’s got giant snaggleteeth.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“She doesn’t think so. He resurrected at daybreak and didn’t kill everything in sight. Ms. B thinks he must have been something else.”
 

Ms. Curry blinked hard, twice. I think a little bit of brain oozed out of her ear.
 

“What was that other part? The part about the building?”

“Oh. Right. Yea, a petite, elfish-looking girl who’s parents were murdered by Carrera is going to bring the whole thing down.”

“When?”

“Five minutes after midnight. We’ve gotta make sure the revelers down on the Strip don’t get culled. The greater good and whatnot.”

“Aren’t you being a bit glib about all this?”

I opened my mouth. Closed it. Frowned. Ms. Curray was right. I was excited—giddy. It occurred to me that there might be a very good explanation why. “Sorry,” I managed. “Nervous energy.”

Crouching low, we snuck out and hid behind the bar. The people were in two distinct groups now. The wait staff, some very confused dignitaries, and the Talmax goons’ dates (did they really think it was proper to invite a date to a massacre?) were all huddled together. I recognized one of my senators among them. In the middle of it all was Rei. She was on her knees, hair scattered across her face. Her make-up was running, and she looked and sounded petrified. Three women were huddled around Rei, trying to calm her. I smirked. It was pretty good cover. No one ever pays attention to the hysterical chick.
 

Carrera stood in conference with eight other men in tuxedoes. His mages, I presumed. He was tapping his foot impatiently when two more men came running up from downstairs.

“Report,” Carrera demanded in Spanish.

“Some sort of raiding party, general. We caught them chipping away at the core. They translocated before we could capture them.”

“ICE?” he asked.

“No, sir. It was the strangest thing. They all looked…young.”

Carrera rubbed his brow. “Was anything damaged?”

“The core was hit by some gunfire, but it remains intact. It will function as intended.”

Carrera turned to another mage. “Carlos, how goes Salt Lake?”

Carlos was the one Jules had talked to. We were pretty sure he was Carrera’s lieutenant. He smiled and put down his cell phone. “Wonderfully, general. We’re still sending waves of mercenaries at them. The defenders have barricaded themselves in the temple. We are still decoding the messages, but it appears the Nortes’ hierarchy is preparing to evacuate.”

I tensed. Did Carlos just say they were decoding our messages?

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Applause erupted from one of the observatory windows. Anna rose from her perch on the windowsill.
 

Crud. She was just like Rei. I hadn’t even sensed her presence.

“Fabulous work, general,” Anna said. “Congratulations to you all. The Treaty is nearing its end.”

“This was not done for your benefit, sucia.” Carrera didn’t bother to mask his disgust. “It is to right a wrong, to correct an abomination in our shared history. I don’t give a damn about the treaty you signed with the Nortes. It wasn’t their territory to begin with. Now, I’ve permitted you to observe, but you shall stand aside and remain silent.”

Anna grinned. “But of course, general. I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Carrera checked his watch. “Let’s move to the deck. We need to get started.” He turned to the two from before. “And I don’t want any more interruptions. Tell Olaph to close the stairs.”
 

Ms. Curray and I watched silently as Carrera’s men headed up the stairwell to the deck above.
 

Anna paused. She walked over to the group of hostages.
 

I tensed. If Rei’s cover was blown, I was in no position to stop them.

“That one,” Anna cooed. She pointed to a woman standing on the fringe of the group. The woman let out a scream, but Hans snatched her by the hair. I flinched. Despite being so small, Hans handled the woman with ease. I watched as he dragged her up the stairs. Rei was safe—she was busy crying into the arms of my councilwoman—but what about the other hostage?

Before I could make up my mind, the spiral staircases began to move. With the humming sound of hidden machinery, the metal structures folded up on themselves. They were like airplane landing gear. A metallic clunking sound replaced the hum, and I watched in amazement as giant steel disks swiveled to cover the openings. The disks clinked into place like bank vault doors. I looked around desperately. It wasn’t much of a stretch to assume that the rest of the roof was similarly armored. Now, the only access point was the single bay of elevators at the building’s core, and I was willing to bet that there was some serious firepower waiting for anyone who decided to take a ride up. I shook my head. How much did a system like that cost?

“Okay,” Ms. Curray whispered, “your story is sounding a bit more plausible now.”

“What do you say I get you and those hostages down an elevator?”
 

She looked at me skeptically.
 

“You can call the cops once you get down.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Uh…you can call your editor?”
 

“Fine. I can’t file a story if I’m stuck in a tin can, anyways. But how are you going to manage that?”

“A diversion, of course. Just sit tight, okay?”

She nodded.

There were two men armed with snub-nosed machine guns guarding the thirty or so people left in the restaurant. I looked at the gunmen. They stood stiffly, and all their attention was focused on the hostages. So they’d been wiped too…wipes guaranteed their loyalty but cramped their initiative. I thought back to that stunt-double I created at Elliot. It was a majorly lame trick, but the gunman had been so focused on terminating his target (me) that he’d failed to consider subterfuge. I bit my thumbnail. Maybe I could exploit that same weakness now. If I became their target, they probably wouldn’t notice Rei’s movements. The only question was whether I could last long enough.
 

My father and his gun-nut friends used to debate the merits of the submachine guns those guys were toting. My dad said they lacked stopping power. A single round might not even bring a man down. That’s why my father and his friends preferred something in the .40 caliber range. A .40 caliber bullet would punch a fist-sized hole in you. In comparison, submachine gun bullets were relatively weak. Fortifying my clothing could probably shield the first few rounds—but Rei would have to act fast. Submachine guns made up for their lack of power by throwing out rounds by the dozen. Given enough time, those two would shred me like Parmesan cheese.
 

I peered around the corner of the bar. Rei had already maneuvered closer to the guards. Behind all the smeared mascara were two not-so-despondent eyes. I felt a tug at my core. The weft-link was calling out to me. I could sense the speeding pace of Rei’s heart, the tension rising up the length of her forearms, the need to hack and slash. She knew I was out there. She was just waiting for a sign. We were on the tip of a wave. Violence and death were tugging. The thoughtless Zen that came with them beckoned.

I shook my head.
Stupid.
I reminded myself of the hostages. I needed to stay focused. Ms. Curray and I were far from the windows. We were in the darkest part of the room. The goons were minding their prisoners, their backs turned to the bar. It was the perfect time to get Rei’s attention.

I wiggled my hand in the air.
 

Rei caught the motion in an instant. She grinned through her faux tears. I didn’t even need to explain what I had planned. She just sorta knew. I had to admit that—bloodlust aside—the link was kinda cool.

I took a deep breath. You’d think getting shot at once would toughen you up for the next time. Nope. Ignorance is bliss. This time was worse. Still, I couldn’t think of any other way. I told myself I had Rei. I told myself that I could trust her to be fast enough. And I casted an anti-kinetic fortification before my nerves got the best of me. From behind the bar, I grabbed a tray, put a bottle of seltzer on top, and snagged the bartender’s Walkman. I stuck the headphones in my ears, took a deep breath, and pumped up the volume.
 

A Beetles tune blasted into my ears. I smirked. If God did exist, he had a sense of humor.
 

Clearing my throat, I set off to deliver some drinks.

“Help,” I sang, “I need somebody.”

The guards swung towards me.
 

“Help—not just anybody.”

The first round zipped by my forehead.

“Help—you know I need someone.”

People started screaming.

“Help me get my feet back on the ground.”
 

The seltzer bottle exploded in my face. Fizz sprayed everywhere.

“Rei, hurry the fuck up!” I screamed, my eyes agog.

Two flashes of heat cut into my side. The bullets were finding their marks. My fortification took the brunt of it, but the spell was already crumbling. Abandoning my tray, I dove to the ground.
 

“Rei!” I screamed.
 

A slashing burn ripped below my left ear. My flesh screamed in protest. Belatedly, I recalled that the fortification only worked on my clothes—my head was fair game. All pretenses of dignity gone, I curled up into a ball and pointed my butt at my foes. I went to scream, but my chest had constricted in fear. Two more rounds thudded into my rear. All I could do was shelter my skull as the carpet around me turned to confetti. I thought I was gonna void my bladder.

The barrage of gunfire was interrupted by two loud snaps.

“Dieter,” Rei said, “these days you are not so self-assured. It is most disappointing.” She cocked her head and peered at my upright ass. “Then again, your abject terror does have its…perks.”
 

I would have given Rei credit for her much-improved snark, but she was holding two men like rag dolls. Their heads were resting on their shoulders. My councilwoman started screaming. Rei turned to look at her.
 

“Come now, Maurine. These,” she shook the limp bodies, “are evildoers.”

The hostages were not encouraged by the mascara-smeared demon’s lecture. They scrambled away from Rei as fast as they could. Rei sighed and dropped the corpses to the ground.
 

“Well, I appreciate you being around,” I said, nursing the growing welts on my keister. “Although you could have done it a few bullets sooner.”

“Apologies, I broke a heel.”

I looked at my watch. We were running short on time. Pressing the elevator call button, I cupped my mouth: “Anyone who doesn’t want to be in the same room as the psychopath—this way now!”

The hostages scrambled over top of one another to reach the elevator.
 

Rei gave me a brutal look before turning her attention to the guards’ possessions.
 

Ms. Curray walked over to me in her soggy dress. She looked a bit pale, but was staring at Rei in fascination. She leaned over and whispered into my ear, “I can’t believe it. They
do
exist.”

“And they do have feelings,” Rei grumbled. She didn’t bother looking up. She was busy counting grenades.

Ms. Curray looked at me surprise. “How on earth did she hear me?”
 

“You ain’t getting any more quotes out of me, lady. Now skedaddle. And please set off some fire alarms on your way out. We don’t want anyone left below the tower after midnight.”

“No problem. But, Resnick, don’t you go dying on me. I expect an interview later.”

I sighed. Ms. Curray was going to get me torched.

“Resnick…” Ms. Curray scrunched up her nose in thought. “You’re not…undead, are you?”

I rolled my eyes.
 

She smiled. “Just wanted to make sure.” She leaned over and gave me a peck on the cheek. “Good luck, Resnick.”
 

“Ma’am,” I said, blushing.

Rei stomped her foot as the fleeing humans pushed onto the elevator. “Excuse me! What about me? I have silenced the bad men, have I not?”

Someone coughed.

“Hello?”
 

The elevator door shut on their very wide eyes.

“Rei, you’re just not a people person,” I said walking over to her. “And they’re gonna be wiped anyway, right?” I knelt down next to her and helped strip the ammo vest off one of the dead dudes.

“Dieter,” she said uneasily. “Could you back away, please?”

“Relax,” I said with a chuckle. “I’m not gonna pull a pin or anything.” I tugged at the straps. “Dang, this bandoleer is tangled. Haven’t these guys ever heard of Velcro?”
 

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Rei clench her fists. I looked up at her. Her whole body was shaking.

“Your neck,” she managed.

A wave of prickles danced down my spine. I felt below my ear. It was soaked with blood from the gunshot.