World War 97 Part 2 Read online

  That first drink would last me around two seconds, of course. I would need at least a second or third to get back onto an even keel, and after that, I would check on Christina. We needed to talk about what had happened and decide what we should do. My thoughts drifted back to the man I had just passed. I couldn’t think of anyone I knew with a beard like that. I thought about the rest of his face. The beard wasn’t the feature that had drawn my attention—it had been the… eyes, those gray oval eyes. But it couldn’t be. Those eyes belonged to—

  I stood so quickly, the stool fell over. The barman had finished pouring the whiskey. I hesitated for a moment then rushed for the door. “I’ll be back in just a moment for that drink,” I shouted over my shoulder. “Hold it for me.”

  Outside, I saw no sign of the bearded man. I instinctively chose the shortest section of corridor, racing for the closest junction. I reached that just in time to see a person disappear around the next corner. I sprinted after him—not sure that I was after the right man. At the next turn, I was much closer. “Hey, you,” I called out.

  A head turned enough that I could see a bearded cheek, then he took off at a run. I cursed under my breath as I took after him. He took a left, another left, then a right. At each junction, I gained a little more, but I was tiring quickly. My breath came in ragged gasps, and my stomach clenched up into a knot. Finally, I managed to grab hold of his upper arm, and he slowed to a stop.

  I kept a grip on him as I bent double and sucked in long rasping breaths. With my free hand, I pounded on my chest. My stomach spasmed, but there was nothing inside it to puke up—it’d been too long since I’d eaten.

  “You used to be a fine physical specimen. Look at what you’ve become.” The voice confirmed what I’d suspected. The bearded man wasn’t a man at all—it was Arianne.

  “I caught you, didn’t I?” The words were chopped out between gulps of air.

  “Maybe I wanted to get caught. Like many a woman before me.”

  I released her arm and took a step back. I exhaled long, deep breaths as my heartbeat returned to normal. “How is it possible that you’re back here in the undercity?” Arianne had been my girlfriend before she’d disappeared just over a year ago. When I’d looked her up on the system, she was listed as having gone rogue. That meant she had left Under Nyork and gone to the surface. Those who went rogue weren’t allowed to return. Even if they survived, they were dead to the rest of civilization. And yet, here she was, alive and healthy.

  She peeled off the fake beard, exposing skin that was reddish and blotchy from the adhesive. Despite that and the men’s clothing, she was as sexy as hell. I couldn’t believe I’d mistaken her for a man, even for a moment.

  “You recognized me despite this beard? Or do you chase every broad with a hairy face?”

  “Your eyes,” I said.

  “You looked into my eyes and saw my soul. Is that it? You old romantic, Jordi. How’s your wife, by the way? You didn’t wait long after I left.”

  “I never would have married her if you hadn’t left me. It was you I lo—” I spluttered to a stop and swallowed. What am I saying? I hadn’t seen Arianne in over a year.

  “Loved.” Arianne gave me a smirk that I knew so well. “Is that the word that caught in your gullet like a hairball?” She moved her face closer to mine. The year apart melted away as the familiar, intense desire swelled within me. She affected me like no woman I’d known before or since. “You thought you and I were about love?” she asked. “We must have spent too much time fucking in missionary position. Eye-locking combined with dick-pumping can have a strange effect on some men. Some long-term chemical reaction in the brain that they mistake for love.” Arianne reached down between my legs. It was only then that I realized I was rock hard. “That’s my kind of love.” As she cupped my testicles, my dick wanted to explode out through the foreskin.

  I took a step backward, away from Arianne and her wandering hand. I needed to figure out what the hell was going on; it was important that some of that blood flow was diverted to my brain. I’d spent the last few days inside a nightmare of some kind. In a dream, things that make sense at the time were actually ridiculous when scrutinized the following morning. Lately, everything about my life seemed like that. And now I was getting to the sex part of the dream where I was getting seduced by a femme-fatale Bureau director and by my kind-of-dead old flame. This can’t be real life.

  “You practically rise from the dead then rush out of one of my favorite bars in front of me—wearing a fake beard and men’s clothing, no less. I need some answers, or I’ll go crazy.”

  “The beard was so you wouldn’t recognize me. I was keeping an eye out for you, but didn’t want to be seen. I figured you might go to that bar, but I panicked when you came in, and I left a little quickly.” She shrugged. “Maybe it’s for the best.”

  Now making even less sense. She was spying on me? “I demand you tell me what’s going on.”

  “Demand, is it?” The corners of Arianne’s lips quirked up. “Am I your prisoner?” She squeezed my biceps, and I flexed it unconsciously. “I’ve been subdued by a big strong man—who wasn’t at all out of breath after a short sprint—and I better answer his questions. Or else! Is that the way of it?”

  I just held her gaze and waited. I wasn’t sure whether I was staring her down or I just wanted to soak her in again after all this time.

  Either way, she blinked first.

  “Darius asked me to look out for you.”

  “What?” I threw my hands in the air. Explanations were supposed to make the situation simpler to understand. “How did you even meet Darius? I never introduced you two or even talked about him.”

  “I knew him before I ever met you.”

  “He set us two up? You were some kind of honey trap?”

  “No, silly. He found out after. There was nothing manufactured about us. You and I were all about the animal passion, baby. Forces are in motion, and Darius suspected you would be at the center of them. So just before he left for the Eisenhower, he asked me to keep an eye on you when you returned.”

  “That’s ridiculous. How am I at the center of anything?”

  “You’ve just been inside Bureau headquarters for over twenty-four hours. Interrogated by the Bureau director herself, if I’m not mistaken.”

  “How could you know that?”

  Arianne sniffed the air. “Though from that smell, you’ve been partying inside there. Your favorite brand of whiskey, if I’m not mistaken.”

  “I haven’t been…” I shook my head. There was no point getting into what happened with Larsen. “Is Darius a member of Celeste?” I blurted out the question that had been at the forefront of my mind ever since I’d seen the message.

  “Yes,” Arianne said.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Certain. He knew it would be hard for you to accept. Repeat after me: My brother, Darius Roberts, is a member of Celeste.”

  I had expected a final confirmation to hurt, but I felt as though a weight had been lifted. Deciding what to do would be easier now I knew for sure. “According to the message he left me, he expected a trap. Why would he get on that transport?”

  “Darius was willing to give his life for a cause he believed in. There’s a larger plan at work here. I don’t know any of the details, but you have to admire Darius’s ability to walk to his death with a smile on his face.”

  “And you know all this, how?” I thought I knew the answer but still I hoped I was wrong.

  “Yes, you guessed right.” She smiled. “Repeat after me: Arianne, your fucktastic ex-girlfriend, is a member of Celeste.”

  “And you can just tell me that you’re a terrorist, with a smile on your face?”

  “Not a terrorist—a rebel. But you’ll have to open your eyes to tell the difference.”

  “Open my eyes? You sound like one of those conspiracy freaks.”

  Arianne shook her head. “There’s so much you don’t know. If you are willing to look
—to really look—the world is a much different place than it seems. Most people muddle along, content to see only what is presented to them as the truth.”

  “I won’t listen to this shit.” That had to be why the Bureau was watching me. If they suspected both my brother and ex-girlfriend, then I could have been involved, too. “Celeste is a cult, and they have brainwashed you. And my brother, too. They are traitors and murderers, killing brave soldiers who risk their lives every day.” It was hard to put the same venom into the words that I had when Celeste had been faceless.

  When we were in the old tunnels, Christina had asked me if I was on Darius’s side, and I’d told her I wasn’t if he was part of Celeste, but I needed to be sure. I now had my confirmation. My spine straightened, and my mind felt clear for the first time in a long while. Darius had betrayed the entire country, but I had brothers forged in bonds stronger than blood—brothers like Will Saunders, who pulled me from the burning wreckage after my crash. When Darius joined an organization that killed my true brothers, he’d lost my allegiance. And the same went for my ex-girlfriend, no matter how much of a pull she still held over me.

  I grabbed Arianne by the shoulder. She twisted out of my grasp, so I got a firmer grip on her upper arm. Could Arianne have been involved with my plane’s malfunction? She’d disappeared shortly before that had happened. Coincidence? I didn’t dare ask her.

  “What are you doing?” She didn’t appear distressed by my manhandling of her.

  “I’m taking you in. I had nothing for the mibs when they questioned me earlier, but I do now. You’re a filthy terrorist who deserves nothing from me. Less than nothing.”

  Arianne raised an eyebrow. “I’ll admit to the filthy part. I thought that was what you liked about me?”

  “I’m not joking.”

  “Neither am I,” she said.

  A pain rippled up through my core. I gasped, doubling over. The bitch had kneed me in the balls, I realized once the immediate burst of agony faded enough for me to think. I cupped my groin in both hands and tilted my head to the side to watch Arianne walk away.

  At the end of the corridor, she turned. “Sometimes a girl wants to get caught; sometimes she doesn’t.” She gave a smile and waved with a twirl of her fingers, then she was gone.

  Chapter 3

  I hobbled after her for a few steps, hunched over and keeping a palm on the wall for support. By the time I reached the corner, she was out of sight, and I was in no state to even pretend to give chase. I let out a groan as another stab of pain penetrated my abdomen, and I slid back down to the floor.

  She got me good, I thought, a wry smile creeping across my lips. Typical Arianne. Being with her had been like battling through a thunderstorm. She was vibrant and destructive, a force of nature that shook me to the core and always had me going back for more. The only thing that ever made me feel as alive as being with her was flying.

  Shortly after Arianne’s disappearance, Christina had nursed me back to health after my crash. My hasty marriage to Christina seemed like such a mistake as I looked back on it now. I’d felt more raw desire in that short encounter with Arianne than I had during my entire marriage with Christina.

  My smile disappeared as I considered what Arianne had just told me. I almost preferred that she had remained rogue rather than return as a devil. Celeste, of all things. And there I was, reminiscing about the good old times with her. I had to stop thinking with my dick. Both my brother and the once love of my life were enemies of America. I had to do something.

  I stood. As long as I maintained a slight crouch, I could walk without discomfort. I needed that drink more than ever. So, stooped over, I retraced my steps back to the Fallen Tree. My gimpy walk attracted several strange looks. I scowled back at any who stared, and they hurried on.

  Unfortunately, the door to the Fallen Tree refused to open. Right then, I realized how late it was—after closing hours for bars in the respectable parts of the undercity. I pounded on the door. “Hey, I ordered a drink earlier. Let me in, and I’ll finish it quick.”

  “We’re closed,” the barman answered from the other side.

  “I can see that.” I slapped at the door again. “Remember me? I ordered an Invernes Red then had to run. I said I’d be back, and here I am. Have pity, man. I really, really need that drink. I’ve been through shit you wouldn’t believe the last few days.”

  “It’s never just one drink. You either don’t need any or you need a lot more than one.” Faint footsteps faded as the barman walked away.

  I pounded on the metal door again, out of frustration more than anything, skinning my knuckles. What now? I still had that bottle of whiskey hidden above the roof tile in my bathroom. I couldn’t get to that without going through Christina, though. She would surely want to talk about everything. I knew I should go to her, but I just couldn’t face her. If that made me a bad husband, well, it wasn’t the only thing.

  That left the Harlem district, which was off the grid. The conveyor system didn’t extend into it, and mibs left that one district to its own devices. Practically anything and everything was available there for a price, at any time of the day or night. I headed for the nearest conveyor station. The pod would get me close to one of the entrances to Harlem, and I could make my way from there.

  Halfway to the conveyor station, I hesitated. If I went to Harlem, it would be the start of a drinking session that would last days. I turned on the nearest newscast monitor to check the latest headlines. There was nothing about Darius being part of Celeste; Larsen was still keeping that to herself, and I had no confidence that she had the best interests of the American Conference at heart. The war news was much worse than I’d expected. Nothing had gone right for our side or the European Union, and our enemies were pushing hard from all sides.

  A Latino devastator was bombing above Under Norleans, where the upper levels of the undercity had been evacuated. One of Europe’s devastators had been badly damaged and was out of commission. The Russian Federation had a devastator over Finland and another over Alaska, and Greater India controlled the airspace over the Balkans. The only bright news was that the Chinese Empire hadn’t joined its allies in their attack. It didn’t seem like that would be enough to save us, though. We were being pounded on all sides, and I couldn’t see any way that we would be able to turn it around. We could only hope that Burnett and Commissioner Schneider of the EU had some secret military plan.

  And all that was before Celeste decided to spring into action. I didn’t know what they were planning, but Darius had been president for several years—he wouldn’t sacrifice himself without the promise of a huge gain for the terrorists. Whatever Celeste’s master plan was, I doubted it boded well for whatever small chance we had to beat back the Latino, Russian, and Indian forces.

  I could no longer defend my country from the sky like I wanted to, but I could still help out by letting everyone know about the infiltration and treachery that went all the way to the top. It wasn’t the news that people wanted right then, but they needed to hear it.

  Since I didn’t trust Larsen, I needed to go straight to the top. Getting a meeting with Chief of Staff Sam Burnett didn’t seem impossible; we’d spoken at Darius’s funeral. That would have to wait until tomorrow, of course, and I would need to remain sober until then. My desire for alcohol increased at the thought of waiting another half day for the drink I needed. My nerves had been shredded to a razor edge when Larsen had left me to steep in the smell of whiskey. Arianne had distracted me for a short while, but the need was back, stronger than ever. I touched my hair then brought my fingers to my nose and sniffed deeply. That was a bad idea. My hand trembled.

  I turned off the news and continued to the conveyor pod. When the moment came to choose the destination, my fingers hesitated over Harlem before I forced them to key in the Waldorf district. I still didn’t want to face Christina, so I planned to stay in a hotel room for the night. After a visit to Burnett in the morning, I could finally have that drink
.

  I had to contact Christina first, though. I couldn’t leave her completely in the dark about where I was all night. I slid across the compartment that hid the advanced controls, keyed in a search for Christina, then dialed through to our home. Just as she was answering, I pressed the button to disconnect the video feed, leaving only sound.

  “Christina, it’s me,” I said.

  “Jordi, thank heavens they let you out. I’ve been so worried. I don’t know how many times I rang the Bureau, but they wouldn’t tell me anything. Are you just out?”

  “Just this minute.”

  “Where are you? I can’t see you. The picture isn’t coming through.”

  “The equipment in this pod is broken.”

  “Why did they keep you so long? What did they do to you? They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Come home to me, and we’ll figure out what to do. We’re in this together.”

  “I will. You’re right. Together. The thing is.” I hesitated. “The thing is that the direction controls on this conveyor pod are also broken. It won’t take me to Brooklyn District. I could find another pod, but I’m just too drained. So I’m going to find a hotel to crash for the night, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Oh.” The sound came out like a soft sigh and cut through me like a sharp knife. That single syllable full of disappointment and hurt was like a summary of our marriage. She knew I was lying, but she was going to accept it the way she’d accepted all the lies before. She likely assumed I was going drinking for the rest of the night. I still hoped that wasn’t going to be true, but the actual reason I wasn’t going back to my wife wasn’t much better: I’d seen an old girlfriend and still wanted her so hard that it hurt, even though I knew she was a terrorist. Christina would prefer to think that I wanted to get blackout drunk for three days straight.