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Twenty minutes later, Vincent finally arrived at the rally point. He was wearing the face mask. The inner layer scanned his face using microsensors. The outer layer took the data and randomly changed some elements, presenting a different face to the world.<\/p>\n
The other killers were already there. Thunder grumbled across the sky. Rain fell in thick sleets, drenching his face but sliding off the nanofibres in his clothes and shoes.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry!\u201d Bobby said. \u201cI got lost! I\u2019m so sorry!\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019m at the rally point. Everybody\u2019s here. Where\u2019s the SDU?<\/em><\/p>\n Max snorted. \u201cDon\u2019t you have a map app?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt kept sending me round and round in circles,\u201d Bobby groused.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t a total lie. Vincent was searching for signs of the SDU. He saw nothing.<\/p>\n 5 minutes.<\/em><\/p>\n Max shook his head. His eyes were still glassy. He must have taken another snort. \u201cCome on, let\u2019s go,\u201d Max said.<\/p>\n Vincent blinked three times and followed Mad Max. The automatic doors opened for the seven gangsters and sole cop. They turned right, passed through another set of automatic doors. They entered a lobby with genuine marble floors, lit in the warm yellow glow of electric chandeliers. A concierge in a sharp grey-and-white suit saw them coming, and glanced nervously at the two security guards behind their desk.<\/p>\n Max\u2019s hand moved to his gun.<\/p>\n Vincent cut in front of Max, marching up to the rent-a-cops.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you\u2014?\u201d one on the left ventured.<\/p>\n In one smooth motion, Vincent drew his pistol and pointed it at the guards.<\/p>\n \u201cOn your knees!\u201d he shouted. \u201cDo it now! Hands on your head!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2014\u201d the same guard said.<\/p>\n Vincent aligned his SIG with the infinite darkness in the idiot\u2019s eye. \u201cYou blind, deaf or stupid?! ON YOUR KNEES!\u201d<\/p>\n Both men knelt, reaching to the sky. Bobby trooped around the desk, gun still on the guards.<\/p>\n \u201cGive me the keycard to the lift!\u201d Bobby shouted. \u201cDo it or I\u2019ll shoot!\u201d<\/p>\n A guard shakily lifted the identity card around his lanyard. \u201cHere! This works as a keycard! Don\u2019t shoot us, please!\u201d<\/p>\n Bobby snatched the card away and returned to his boss. Max had a gun in his right hand. He took the card in his left.<\/p>\n \u201cGood work, Bobby.\u201d<\/p>\n Max raised the pistol. Shot the guards in the face. Turned and shot the concierge.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the fuck?!\u201d Vincent shouted.<\/p>\n Max shrugged. \u201cThey could have called the police.\u201d<\/p>\n Mad Max is killing people! Where\u2019s the SDU???<\/em><\/p>\n Crap. SDU is coming. 3 minutes.<\/em><\/p>\n Max marched up to the second of four elevator tubes at the end of the room. He waved the card over the reader. It blinked green, and the doors opened. The gangsters crammed themselves into the car. Bobby hit the button for the tenth floor.<\/p>\n \u201cHey Bobby,\u201d Max said. \u201cIn honour of your initiation, I want you to kick down the door and be the first man in. The rest of us will come support you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou got it,\u00a0dailo.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The lift arrived a few minutes later. The men spewed out, checked the signs, and quietly walked to the target. The seven gangsters took up positions on both sides of the door. The cop stood in front of the door, gun in hand, and flicked the safety off. He tried the knob. Locked.<\/p>\n Bobby took a deep breath. Then he charged the door and kicked just below the doorknob.<\/p>\n Nothing happened.<\/p>\n He tried again.<\/p>\n And again.<\/p>\n On the fourth time, Vincent stopped pretending and the door yielded.<\/p>\n He staggered through the door. Loud Cantopop music blasted his ears. There were five men and seven women around him, spread across tables and chairs and sofas in different states of undress. None of the men were Jiang. Bobby pointed his gun at a massive stereo set and fired three times. The music died.<\/p>\n \u201cPARTY\u2019S OVER!\u201d he shouted.<\/p>\n Everybody froze. There was a 60-inch holovision set built into the wall, showing undulating flesh and sweaty skin. Bobby pumped three more shots into the machine, blowing it apart.<\/p>\n \u201cWHERE IS BIG NOSE JIANG?!\u201d<\/p>\n A woman pointed down a hall. Mad Max stormed off. Bobby turned to follow him. Then a half-naked man leapt up at him, left hand reaching out, right hand digging into his waistband.<\/p>\n Vincent side-stepped, left hand snatching at the man\u2019s right arm, and pressed his SIG into his gut. The gangster squashed Vincent\u2019s shoulder in a vice-like grip, snarling. Vincent fired. The gangster shuddered. Vincent mashed the trigger again, but it refused to budge. The gangster headbutted Vincent. Vincent fell on his back. The gangster had a switchblade in his hand. He perched over Vincent, knife raised. Then he danced to the tune of bullets slamming into his face and torso, and dropped.<\/p>\n Vincent blinked. One of Max\u2019s men offered a hand.<\/p>\n \u201cC\u2019mon brother. We got you.\u201d<\/p>\n Bobby grabbed his hand.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Bobby said, pulling himself up. \u201cI owe you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, no biggie.\u201d<\/p>\n SDU?<\/em><\/p>\n 8th floor. Coming.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBobby!\u201d Max called. \u201cCome! Come here!\u201d<\/p>\n Bobby did. He entered the master bedroom. Max was standing at the foot of a bloodsoaked bed, training his gun on two naked, bloodsoaked figures. Jiang and a girl. The girl\u2019s head was destroyed. Jiang\u2019s shoulders and knees had been blown apart, and his face was a picture of agony.<\/p>\n \u201cBobby!\u201d Max said, smiling. \u201cThis is your initiation. Kill this\u00a0tsat tao<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n How long until SDU comes?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI shot a guy outside,\u201d Bobby said. \u201cDoesn\u2019t that count?\u201d<\/p>\n Max shook his head. \u201cNah. I saw it through the interceptor. It was self-defence. It doesn\u2019t count. Only murder.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLook,\u201d Jiang whispered. \u201cMaybe we can\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShut up\u00a0tsat tao<\/em>,\u201d Max said, his voice calm.<\/p>\n SDU is on the 9th floor. 2 minutes.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cLook\u00a0dailo<\/em>, no offence, but Jiang is your rival, right? I thought you\u2019ll want the honour of killing him yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Max laughed. \u201cHim? This\u00a0tsat tao<\/em>\u00a0is way out of my league. He\u2019s not a rival. Just some nose shit to be wiped off. You can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMax, please\u2014\u201d Jiang uttered, squirming.<\/p>\n \u201cShut up\u00a0tsat tao<\/em>,\u201d Max said, and shot him in the crotch.<\/p>\n Jiang screamed. Bobby flinched.<\/p>\n Where is the SDU?!<\/em><\/p>\n Mad Max laughed. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong\u00a0tsat tao?<\/em>\u00a0No more\u00a0tsat<\/em>, ah? That makes you a\u00a0yeem tao<\/em>!\u201d Max cackled. He turned to Bobby. \u201cGo on, finish him. He\u2019s not even a man anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n 10 seconds. Hold on.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u00a0dailo<\/em>. Just one problem.\u201d Bobby raised his pistol. \u201cMy gun is jammed.\u201d<\/p>\n Max squinted at the SIG. The slide was locked back. The chamber was stuffed with a partially-ejected shell, jammed in place with scorched bits of clothing and flesh. Max shrugged. \u201cIt\u2019s okay. You can use mine.\u201d<\/p>\n Max flipped his pistol around, holding it by the frame, the offering the butt to the undercover cop. Vincent noticed the muzzle was pointed directly at Max\u2019s gut.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks\u00a0dailo<\/em>,\u201d Vincent said. He took the gun in his left hand. Kept it pointed at Max.<\/p>\n Then Bobby dropped the gun to his side. Turned. Looked at Jiang in the eye.<\/p>\n \u201cGoodbye Jiang,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He raised the gun.<\/p>\n Placed his finger on the trigger.<\/p>\n There was an explosion. Gunfire.<\/p>\n Vincent snapped away.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the fuck?!\u201d Max shouted.<\/p>\n Two black-clad men burst through the door, training their carbines on the men. \u201cPOLICE! DROP THE WEAPON!\u201d<\/p>\n Bobby complied.<\/p>\n Three days later, Vincent found himself in Loke\u2019s office.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a good shoot,\u201d Detective Sergeant Eugene Loke said. \u201cYou\u2019ll be cleared pretty soon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Detective Constable Vincent Lam said. His face was drawn and tight.<\/p>\n \u201cCouldn\u2019t sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n Lam looked into the eyes of the bland man in the bland suit across the bland table. He sighed. He nodded. \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n Loke smiled. \u201cNightmares? Insomnia?\u201d<\/p>\n Lam bit his lip. \u201cYeah. Something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you\u2019re on administrative leave now. Take it easy. Talk to the psychiatrist. It\u2019ll do you good.\u201d<\/p>\n Lam nodded. \u201cYeah. I\u2019ll do that.\u201d He sighed again. Looked away.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething you want to tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll those people killed…\u201d Lam sighed. Looked up. \u201cTheir deaths were preventable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t know that at that time.\u201d<\/p>\n Lam frowned. \u201cYou read my reports. You know how Mad Max got his nickname.\u201d<\/p>\n Loke nodded. \u201cYeah. Look, for what it\u2019s worth, I told the other guys the same thing. I told them Mad Max was going to go on a rampage. They didn\u2019t believe me.\u201d<\/p>\n Vincent spat a long and colourful curse. \u201cMad Max is a triad. That means he\u2019s OCTB\u2019s business. Not Cybercrime or Commercial Crime. How the fuck did they get so much control over our operations?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not the problem. I talked them around. The real problem is Inspector Sin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHead of OCTB? What about him?\u201d<\/p>\n Loke\u2019s voice dropped into a conspiratorial whisper. \u201cThis doesn\u2019t go any further than you and me, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Vincent said. He blinked once. Hard. His retina reported the reappearance of REC. The one function he installed without telling the HKPF.<\/p>\n \u201cInspector Sin is…a frustrated man,\u201d Loke said. \u201cHe\u2019s tired of triads being arrested and bailed a few days later. He\u2019s sick of gangsters getting their hands on guns and malware and illegal cybernetics and printers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody on the Force is,\u201d Vincent said.<\/p>\n \u201cThing is…well, he\u2019s been micromanaging undercover operations lately. This one too. When I told him I was calling the SDU, Sin told me to hold off until both gangs were at Jiang\u2019s place.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe said, previously, we could only convict Mad Max and his gang with possession of illegal printers, wetware and cybercrime. Chickenfeed stuff. They\u2019ll get ten years max. They\u2019ll be allowed bail, so they\u2019ll pay up and just disappear. On the other hand, if they\u2019re caught carrying guns, it\u2019s twenty years and no bail. At least.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey were planning to kill people!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, when I told Sin that, he said, \u2018Good. Let them kill each other. When they\u2019re done, we can sweep up the survivors, then lock them up and throw away the key.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSon of a bitch!\u201d Vincent said. \u201cDid you bypass him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did.\u201d Loke sighed. \u201cThe SDU team leader said the same damn thing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the…\u201d Vincent shook his head. \u201cWHAT THE FUCK?! I knew a lot of cops were jaded, but…\u201d<\/p>\n Loke buried his face in his hands. Shook his head. \u201cSome cops think the law just isn\u2019t enough anymore. More and more of them are filling the upper echelons these days.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not pawns in a game of cops and robbers!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell Sin that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave you told Internal Affairs?\u201d<\/p>\n Loke chuckled bitterly. \u201cWhat\u2019s the point? Sin\u2019s a politician. He\u2019s very tight with the head of IA. Sin can kill any complaint against him with just a few words.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGoddamn,\u201d Vincent said. He sighed. \u201cWhat can we do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat can we do?\u201d Loke repeated. \u201cOur jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n “That’s bullshit and\u2014”<\/p>\n \u201cLook, we\u2019re both frustrated, but there\u2019s nothing we can do for now. Go take a break. You earned it.\u201d<\/p>\n Vincent sighed. \u201cAll right.\u201d He stood. Blinked hard and made for the door.<\/p>\n \u201cHey Vincent.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned. \u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne last question. It\u2019s okay if you don\u2019t want to answer, but I want to know: If the SDU didn\u2019t arrive in time, would you have shot Jiang?\u201d<\/p>\n Vincent frowned. Pursed his lip, scrunched his eyebrows. Then he said, \u201cYou know what\u2019s the one law every undercover cop can\u2019t break?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThou shalt not murder?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Thou shalt not break cover,\u201d Bobby Song said.<\/p>\n Detective Vincent Lam left the office.<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n If you’ve enjoyed this short story, check out my latest novel HAMMER OF THE WITCHES! It’s got black operatives, cybernetics, demons, magic and gods galore! You can find it on Amazon\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/h1>\n
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