This choice: Continue as Will Prescott • Go Back...Chapter #14Spoiler--3 by: Seuzz   The ringing of the phone brings you out of one darkness and into another. "So, what's the latest excitement," Joe asks before you can even say a word. There's a note of suppressed laughter in his voice.
"Who is this," you bark after a moment's silence, and take advantage of Joe's own silence to rub some of the sleepiness from your eyes.
"Uh—"
"I should nail your tongue to a wall," you say. "Except you waggle it around so much I'd never catch it. Didn't I tell you last night to listen to for the fucking pass phrase like you're supposed to? Sulva."
"Hardass. Okay, so what's the latest excitement?"
* * * * *
While dressing you give him a fast briefing him on the day's events: the news of Chernov's "death" hitting the Diana team; the kidnapping and replacement of two policemen; Cox's "Scotty" sighting. "Son of a bitch Davenport came real close to queering that for us. It was his errand boy that Cox saw."
"What did you call Davenport? A zampo? What's that?"
"The OIC. Officer in charge."
"Yeah, but what's it mean?"
"It's the ops' private name for them. I don't remember who coined it." Now dressed and changed into an anonymous male face, you exit the apartment and head down to the street. "It's short for 'zampolit'. That's the—"
"Right, the old Soviet political commissars. Makes sense, but I kept hearing you say 'sampo', and was wondering what an old Finnish legend had to do with—"
"What does any of this have to do with anything? Just because you get to sleep all day doesn't mean I can chat all night. I'm looking for a cab now. We actually have a real problem. They're getting ready to roll out the shadow mind."
"Aw, that sucks. I mean, that I didn't get to spring that news on you. Yeah, Hal intercepted some internal chatter. They're testing it on a policeman."
"I know, one of those cops I told you about, the detective. Tell Hal I need to pick up the virus from him."
"He's already outside Diana with a memory stick. That's why I called you, to arrange that pick up."
"I thought this was a regular check in. We got another job to do anyway. I'm putting a second hole in my celebrity photo."
"This dartboard business is a dangerous sideshow, Will. Scatterbrain told you 'no' when you proposed it."
"Since when do you listen to Patterson?"
"I ignore him because I'm smart enough to know when I'm smarter than him, which is always. But this business— You don't need to be creeping in and out of that place just so you can—"
"Paige Knotts is smart, Joe. She needs the mind screw. She found the hole I made in it yesterday, and I can tell it gave her a real bad turn." You're finally able to flag down a taxi.
"Anyway, why do you need to put another hole in it? Hang on, are you saying we got another target for tonight?"
"Yeah, and if this one comes off, I think we can roll up a bunch more. I'll explain when I see you after leaving Diana."
* * * * *
A light rain is falling and you've got a newspaper over your head when you run up the steps to the building where Stanfill is staying. Inside you shake the wet from your hair and rub it off your dress. This is the same face you used yesterday to trap Chernov: it goes with the story you've concocted for the target. First you have to find him, though, and naturally go down the wrong corridor before finding the correct flat.
"Cox?" the girl says quietly when after she's answered your knocks.
"Yeah, it's me," you say. "Is that Kips on the phone? Give it here." She hands it over. "I'm just making the pick up now," you tell Joe, who was imitating Kipper's voice for you on the phone. "See you around the corner." You hand it back to her. "Got your badge and uniform?"
"In my bag. Can't I change here?"
"Do it in the van, we're on a schedule." She grabs an umbrella as you pull her into the hall.
"How did you find the girl?" She looks you up and down.
"You like her?" you ask, for despite his being in a female form, Stanfill is scoping you out close. "It was sheer chance. Kips and I were checking out her apartment building from the outside and saw her. We didn't recognize her, exactly, but her shape looked familiar. We followed, she noticed, ran, we chased. Got her bundled close in an alley, and she spilled everything. Then we got her into a van with a Mavis."
Stanfill opens the umbrella at the front door, and you step into the rain. "Should I tell my zampo where I'm going? He's just across the street."
Fuck. "Sure, if you want him spoiling it for us. You don't, right? Come on." You hustle her down the street.
"What about Lamb? Is he going to join us?"
"He's tied up with the DC. But the girl says there's only five guys in the gang. You and Kips will be enough to represent the police force, and I'll be on the inside too. We'll take 'em down, then you two can transport 'em backstage for Knotts's pleasure."
"I hope it gets her off my back. She was pissed at me."
Shit, Knotts was talking to Stanfill earlier? "Don't worry about Knotts, just worry about the job. Here we go, then."
You open the passenger-side front door to the car and take the umbrella as she gets in. But it's a different girl sitting next to you after you've gone around to slide in behind the wheel: Joe—crouching in the back seat—didn't waste any time getting a "travel mask" onto her, and apparently he's told the new golem to keep quiet, since she says nothing.
Hal is also in the car, and it's to him you speak. "We're gonna have pursuit—there he goes, probably," you say as a dark car rumbles past. "Just tie him up until we're away, if you can."
"I'll see what's available." Swann has already got out his trusty miracle pad.
You dig Stanfill's cell phone from his bag and pass it to Joe. "Try roping in Carerro, Liu, Gallion, or White first when you make those calls. They're all green enough they might fall for a spoof. After that, maybe you can try for one of the higher ups. If you want to be sure of getting Diana's attention, drop 'Greystoke' into the conversation."
"That's their codename for Frank, right?"
Hal glances up from his pad. "They got a codename for Frank?" he asks with a grin.
"They got codenames for all of us," you retort. "You've read their files."
"Actually, I haven't. Not those."
"Stars, Hal, what if it was important? But yeah, they got codenames for all of us. Well, those of us they know about."
"Ace! So what's my codename? They know about me?"
"Yeah, you're Crazy Ivan," you reply. Hal laughs at that. "And Joe—"
"Don't say it, Prescott," warns Joe. "I swear I'll—"
"His is—"
"Shut up!"
"—Cupcake. Oh, fuck! That was my nose, Joe!"
"Shake it off, fucker. You got plenty of faces with noses that aren't broken."
"I'm bleeding, you—!"
"Hal, you done something about our tail yet?" Joe asks, then pokes you in the shoulder. "Switch with me, and I don't mean 'Put on my face'! I'll drive. You gotta change back anyway. Might as well do it now before you get blood all over everything."
"It never sticks to anything, you know that," you grumble, but make change places anyway.
Continue as Terry Kipper: "The Girl, Most Likely"   | Members who added to this interactive story also contributed to these: |
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