Electric Church

XXVI

WE DON’T GO EASY, DO WE?

I stared down at my coat as Dick Marin talked, mesmerized by the clean bullet hole that had appeared in the fabric near the hem. I hadn’t even noticed.

“You have a very strange attitude toward your subordinates, Director Marin,” I said, my voice sounding far away. I wanted to just curl up on the rubble and take a nap.

He nodded without looking up. “I’m director of Internal Affairs, Mr. Cates, and I have full discretionary powers to investigate officers of the SSF and to take appropriate action once evidence of malfeasance is acquired.” He looked up at me, a sudden, snapshot motion. “Once that evidence has been acquired, logged, and digitized, Mr. Cates, from that moment onward, the officer in question is completely under my authority. Understand? Once I have legally classified them as having committed a crime while working as an SSF officer, they are forfeit to me and my office. This man,” he gestured casually at the body he was leaning over, “is guilty of several felonies, including murder. I chose this moment to remove him from the force with predjudice. All very legal and completely within my powers.”

I considered this. I considered what percentage of the SSF must be guilty of crimes, and were walking around with those smug, well-fed smiles, not knowing that if it served Dick Marin’s purpose he would snuff them out-legally-in a moment. The thought cheered me.

Marin looked back down at the body.

“Elias Moje, may I someday get that cocksucker in my sights, named you as the main suspect in the Harper kidnapping. He didn’t give a shit whether you actually did it: He knew you were in London, temporarily beyond his reach, so he threw your name out there in order to bring you back within his influence. He did this so he could mobilize the SSF against you.” He cleaned his gun with a portable kit, moving with fast, efficient movements, not even looking at it as he worked. “You moved out of his sphere of influence and then you did the dumbest thing you could have done, taking that woman.”

I blinked. “How-?”

Marin cocked his head as if listening to someone very far away, whispering his name. “We are the police, Mr. Cates. Contrary to your experience, we do more than accept bribes, murder i

I shrugged. We were sitting in the ruined building with three dead cops around us, having a chat. Marin said the hover wouldn’t bother us, and I saw no reason to not believe him. “I didn’t have a choice,” I said.

“Doesn’t matter. Bad idea. Anyway, he names you, and suddenly every System Cop in the world is looking for you-sure, you’re wanted for fifteen unsolved murders back in New York, Cates, but let’s be honest for a moment. Kill all the nobodies you want, and the SSF files your name for future reference. Bump a person of quality on the sidewalk and the SSF will spare no expense in bringing you to justice.”

I scrubbed my grimy face with my bloody, torn-up hands. “Are you watching out for me, Marin?”

He gri

“What’s going on?”

He racked a shell into the chamber and stood up, gathering his kit. “Just move.” He looked around at the semicollapsed room. “Impressive, Mr. Cates. I have to admit I didn’t think you’d still be alive. See if you can manage to stay alive for a few more days.”

With a brilliant, snapshot grin vaguely in my direction, he began walking for one of the sunlit doorways. I just stared at him.

“Goddammit, what’s going on!?” I finally managed to shout.

He didn’t turn back, and in a moment he’d escaped into the sunlight. The King Worm had come to personally shoot one of his own subjects and urge me into action. I slumped back against the wall and sat for a moment, speechless.

To a ti

“What’s your real name?” I asked. I didn’t really expect an answer. He just smiled.

“We don’t go easy, do we?” he said.

I nodded. “Like roaches. How’d our shopping go?”

Ca

Milton and Ta

Beside her, her twin mimicked her grim nod perfectly.

“Doesn’t matter,” I said, looking at Ty. “We won’t need it long. Mr. Kieth?”

He smiled. “Success, Mr. Cates. We’re in business.”

I sighed. “All right. I’m going to get cleaned up. Don’t go anywhere. We’re moving tomorrow, so it’s time for a briefing.”

There was a rustle of commotion at this. As I turned for the kitchen area, Orel’s manicured hand snaked out and slowed me.

“Can I accompany you?”

I shrugged. He fell in beside me and walked with his hands in his pockets, head bowed, studying the floor.

“I am impressed, Mr. Cates, with the fact that you returned alive this evening. I distinctly recall at least two System Police breaking from the rest and pursuing you.”

“Three,” I said, wincing every time I put weight on my left knee. I hesitated for a second. “Whoever you really are, were you really a member of the Dъnmharъ? Without answering either way about your actual identity.”

“Without answering either way,” he said without looking at me, “yes, I was.”

The Dъnmharъ; if the organization had still existed, I had no doubt that they would have been on Dick Marin’s short list. I was no starfucker, but there was a thrill to the thought that I was so close to something like that.

This was just a preamble. In the kitchen, I peeled off my sweaty, ruined coat and shirt. I let some brown water run from the spigot and began splashing it everywhere, trying to scrub the grime off. The endless number of cuts and scrapes and abrasions stung, several reopening and oozing blood.

“What’s on your mind, Mr. Orel?”

I heard him pull himself up onto the large crate and imagined him sitting there, legs crossed, the perfect gentleman, complete with faux-English accent on top of his Philly brogue. I was acutely aware of having turned my back on someone who might have been trained by Cai

For a moment, he sat there and said nothing.

“I am a tired man, Mr. Cates,” he finally said. “I do not enjoy this life-I do not enjoy fighting for every breath, or living in a world without rules. Those are the choices we’re given-live under the boot of the System, or live in a world where every other man is trying to kill you. I would have it otherwise.” He looked up at me. “That is why I chose to deal with you, as a man, instead of simply eliminating you.”