{"id":6019,"date":"2020-11-03T21:21:46","date_gmt":"2020-11-03T13:21:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.benjamincheah.com\/?p=6019"},"modified":"2020-11-03T21:21:46","modified_gmt":"2020-11-03T13:21:46","slug":"sheriff-of-the-swamps-chapter-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/?p=6019","title":{"rendered":"Sheriff of the Swamps Chapter 8"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our Own Special Way<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMotherfucker<\/em>,\u201d Clark whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know these people?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSheriff Joshua Smith. Moreno Island Sysadmin Superuser Nu Theta Eight-Nine-One. Guild Branch Director Caleb Anderson.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverybody who\u2019s somebody in Moreno,\u201d James said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James and Clark were gathered in the Woods\u2019 den, clustered around his desktop. Kayla\u2019s face dominated the video call window. Outside, the Clark children giggled and laughed and played. Nearby, the grandparents watched television. Whenever the children tried to look for Janet, their parents shooed them away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got proof of a conspiracy, but not proof we can send to court,\u201d James said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got proof of a meeting<\/em>. We don\u2019t know what they said,\u201d Clark corrected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a mission brief,\u201d Kayla said. \u201cThe VIPs describe the mission, promise support, and ensure the shooters play nice. The shooters stay in their rooms until they get intel, then roll heavy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe still don\u2019t have anything we can use to pin them down,\u201d Clark insisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have an idea,\u201d Kayla said, \u201cthough you might not like it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe give them a reason to leave their rooms. Send a message to Smith or Holt or both, tell them that you\u2019re going to be at a certain place. We set up nearby and we take photos of the kill team as they arrive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow will that help?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJames, you\u2019ve got a black bag kit?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right. B&E kit, trojan exfiltrator, audio visual surveillance devices\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow the hell did you get bugs?\u201d Clark interrupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can buy anything off the Internet these days, if you know where to look.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clark shook her head and muttered something dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile the shooters are away, penetrate and search their rooms,\u201d Kayla said. \u201cPhotograph documents, compromise their computers, but leave no trace behind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a rush job,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust do what you can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat if you\u2019re caught?\u201d Clark asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clark shook her head. \u201cOverconfidence gets people killed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce the shooters leave the site, you leave too,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRoger that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clark held up a hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWait a second. What are we going to do with this information? Even if we tell the PSB that ten suspicious-looking people descended on a location after I told Holt where I was, they\u2019re not going to act on it. They\u2019ll need more information.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can also tell them about how the first wave of shooters showed up after you informed Holt that you hired me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStill a bit of a stretch. It won\u2019t necessarily trigger a Temple Commission investigation. We need to prove that the shooters are soldiers of the New Gods.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnly way to do that is to get them to unmask themselves. And they\u2019ll only do that if we\u2019re in their sights,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s three of us and ten of them. We are not going to fight them if we can help it,\u201d James said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat more can we do? Photos won\u2019t be enough, and whatever you find in their rooms won\u2019t be admissible in court.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll worry about it when we get to it. For now, we need proof to confirm your suspicions,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd after that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe develop the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James had a gravcar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His personally owned vehicle from his STS days, he had taken measures to erase it from notice. He\u2019d accessed the transponder and changed its identity, then slapped on a set of license plate sticker and applied a silver vinyl wrap. Highly illegal, but they had left legality behind long ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James flew. Clark rode, composing an email on a tablet loaned from Mrs. Wood. A half hour later, five blocks from the Gold Star Hotel, he landed the car, programmed the autopilot and got out. The second he shut the door, the vehicle lifted off again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It flew nap of the earth, low enough it wouldn\u2019t show up on air traffic control, high enough it didn\u2019t have to obey ground rules. It zipped through the streets, dodged buildings and streetlights, and landed at the edge of Downtown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla was waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She climbed into the driver\u2019s seat. Set her bags down. And fanned herself off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hot outside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll get used to it,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The car sat by the curb of a six-lane boulevard, the only such boulevard on the island, slashing through Saint Lucile on a north-south axis. It was a pork project. There weren\u2019t anywhere enough people here to justify the expense. Even in the build up to rush hour, only half of its lanes were in use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the bright side, they had a clear line of sight to the terminal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clark brought out a digital camera. This one was borrowed from Ed, fitted with a humongous telephoto lens. She took a few test shots and nodded to herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re good to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s light them up,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clark brought out the tablet. Turned on the VPN and opened a secure browser. Logged into her MISD email account. Copied over the draft message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sheriff,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In light of the deteriorating security situation on Moreno Island, I will be moving my family to Babylon.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will depart on the evening ferry, but I will stay in Moreno Island to continue my election campaign. I respectfully request your assistance to liaise with the Babylon PD to ensure that my family will be protected when they arrive.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sincerely,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Detective Sergeant Janet Clark<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clark had no intention of sending her family away. There were some lines she could not, would not, cross. She would not use them as bait. If even half of what she\u2019d heard about the New Gods were true, there was no telling what they would do. She was only doing this to lure out the shooters and hammer another nail in Smith\u2019s coffin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She felt herself poised on a precipice. Never before had she lied to a brother officer. Never before had she even contemplated doing so. Yet here she was now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, Smith had betrayed the oath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs it good?\u201d Clark asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She clicked the send button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And exhaled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019d expected relief. Instead she only felt invisible sandbags piling on her shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow comes the easy part,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watching. Waiting. Most people would be bored to tears, but both women had spent countless hours on stakeouts. And they wouldn\u2019t have to wait for long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People streamed out of offices. Cars took to the streets. Kayla watched them all, logging every detail. A few people glanced at the car. Even fewer looked at the women within. Kayla paid special attention to the lookers, watching for signs of recognition. Of aggression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A faint whirring filled the air. The whirring of a gravcar. Four of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou hear that?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sound grew louder, faster, angrier. It came from behind, skimming above roofs and trees. Kayla reached under her shirt, placing her hand on the grip of the pistol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four black blurs passed over their vehicles, one after the other, a column of flying cars. The second the last one was past, Clark lifted her camera to her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gravcars landed by the terminal. Four men stepped out of each vehicle, dressed in light jackets and sweaters. Two pairs entered the terminal proper. The other two pairs spread out across the parking lot, checking every vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clark snapped away, the camera clicking as fast as a machine gun. Kayla maintained overwatch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A message flashed across Kayla\u2019s eyeshields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m in.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were many ways to surreptitiously access a hotel room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fastest was to talk your way in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across the street from the Gold Star Hotel, James enjoyed a cup of coffee in a cafe. He sipped at the hot beverage, pretending to people-watch. One eye on the sidewalk, the other on the entrance to the underground parking garage, he took in the world around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watching. Waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gravcars burst out the garage. Four of them. The second they rolled out onto the asphalt, they took to the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James sat a minute longer, sipping down more coffee. He wasn\u2019t too concerned that they would make him. He had changed his face dramatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With eye liner he had thickened his eyebrows and drew crow\u2019s feet around his eyes, with a salt-and-pepper wig he added volume and age to his hair, with lip liner he slimmed his lips and added a huge fake mole, with blusher and foundation he made his cheeks fuller and larger. With the rest of his outfit, he was practically a whole new man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After exactly sixty seconds he got up, tossed his coffee and crossed the street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The doorman hustled to open the door. The air conditioning was a welcome relief from the hot and muggy evening. He crossed the lobby with long, purposeful strides, making a beeline for the front desk, yet dipped his head low and away from the cameras. The receptionist looked up as he approached and greeted him with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWelcome! How can we help you?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He smiled bashfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI, uh, have a problem. I accidentally locked myself out of my room. Could you help me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure. May I have your name and room number?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJason Carter. Room 601.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She turned to her screen. Her keyboard clattered. Her eyes widened a fraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you, Mr. Carter. Could I see your ID please?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lips curling upwards, he shrugged and rubbed the back of his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, um, this is a bit embarrassing, but I left my wallet in my room too. My card and my ID is in it. Sorry about that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The receptionist pursed her lips. James leaned in, placing his left arm on his counter, whispering conspiratorially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cListen, miss, I\u2019d consider it a personal favor if you could help me with this. There\u2019s no harm in letting a guest back into his room, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The receptionist blinked. And looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He allowed her to see what he wanted her to see. Tall, clean-shaven black man, polished and urbane accent. He wore the uniform of the successful businessman, a dark blue suit with matching tie. His thick-soled dress shoes added inches to his formidable frame. His eyeshields were sleek and futuristic, and his sleeve pulled back to reveal a chromed cufflink and chunky gold watch. A rich and powerful man, the kind of guest hotels dreamed to serve, the kind that could do a lot of favors for someone who helped him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure. I\u2019ll go get the manager.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She went into a back room. James turned around, casually looking about the lobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone knew the cyborgs were rich and powerful\u2014but they also lacked human warmth. He could put up a more convincing performance if he had to, but he saw no point in antagonizing the staff that way. He wasn\u2019t here to be remembered. Better to empathize with them, give them a nudge, help them help him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was something the Sinners would never understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In moments, the manager returned, the very picture of obsequiousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI heard sir is locked out of his room?\u201d he wheedled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnfortunately.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA small matter. Please come with me. I\u2019ll take care of the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a fake smile and overly-exaggerated hand gestures, the manager led James to the elevator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up on the sixth floor, they headed to the suite. The manager produced his master key, worn on a loop around his neck, and touched it to the reader. The LED flashed green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James stepped aside and behind the manager. The manager turned the knob and opened the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere you go!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you very much,\u201d James said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stepped in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Took the door knob.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gently pushed the door closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still smiling, the manager closed the door shut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James waited for a moment. Two. Three. Turning around, he saw a piece of cardboard taped to the door, covering the peephole. Clever. Someone on the outside couldn\u2019t see if someone on the inside was looking out. He lifted the cardboard and looked through the lens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The manager was gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James had expected the manager to ask for ID, had prepared excuses for it, but he had simply assumed James to be who he said he was. Always trust humans to be the weakest link in the security chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He turned to regard the room. The late afternoon sun streamed in through the closed balcony windows, highlighting an assembly of sofas and couches. The air was still cool, still fresh, carrying the scent of citrus and lint. To his left, a marble bathroom stood, completely pristine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He composed a message on his eyeshields and fired it off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m in<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James cautiously moved through the room. There were\u2014probably\u2014no tripwires in the room. That the manager had safely opened it was a good sign. Still, with the New Gods in play, it couldn\u2019t hurt to be safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Past the sitting area was a dining room. All six chairs were neatly tucked in under the table. A door opened into the bedroom, where he discovered four single beds, placed side by side. A fifth lay by the window. A second bathroom awaited inside the bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The room was too neat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The beds were immaculate. The bathrooms were practically untouched. The dining table had been left alone. The chairs were slightly out of alignment, and the cushions had been randomly scattered across the sofas, but otherwise there was no sign anyone had even lived in the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Singularity Network had brought their A-team. It was how James had operated in his old life. Keep all your gear close to hand, never leave anything lying around, put stuff back as soon as you took it out. When the order came in, you grabbed your gear and moved out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His heart sank. Already he knew that there was no point searching the room. But since he was here\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A message flashed across the lenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re rushing for the cars. Exfil now.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSomething\u2019s wrong,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla looked up. She\u2019d been so preoccupied watching the streets, she hadn\u2019t had time to monitor the terminal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re running back to the cars. All of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla\u2019s blood ran cold. Had they been discovered?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou got the photos?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlenty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to the rally point. Warn James.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRoger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla gunned the engine. The gravity mirror hummed to life. She lifted off the ground, turned the vehicle around and glided through the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She fought down the instinct to panic, to hit the gas, to rush at full speed. She was now just another rich kid with more money than time. She flew as a sedate velocity, matching the ground traffic. No hurry, no rush, nothing to look at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the rear view camera, she saw the four gravcars rocket off in the direction of the hotel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three blocks away, she set the gravcar down by the curb. Kept the gravity mirror humming. And breathed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThink he\u2019ll be all right?\u201d Clark asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d Kayla replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And rested her hand on her weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019d been compromised. He could worry about the hows or whys later. It was time to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He grabbed an alcohol wipe from his inner coat pocket and cleaned down the door handle. Still holding on to the cloth, he opened the door, careful to avoid touching anything with his bare hands, and stepped out. He wiped down the handle on the other side too and stuffed the wet cloth into his pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He strolled down the hall, just another satisfied guest, keeping his head low and away from the overhead cameras. He stopped at a fire alarm call point. Looked both ways for witnesses. Wrapped the wipe around his right hand. Breathed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smashed the glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alarms screamed. Doors unlocked. James ran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of a hall, a maid poked her head out a room and stared quizzically at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFire! Fire! Run!\u201d James shouted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James sprinted past her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She yelled at his back. He ignored her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He blasted through the fire escape door. He charged down the stairs. On the third floor, he heard footsteps above him. He slowed down, enough to silence the thundering of his shoes. On the ground floor, he took a moment to regain his composure, to smoothen down his clothes and adjust his hair, and stepped out into the lobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guests streamed out of the elevators and stairs. Staff gathered in the lobby in a confused knot. The doorman held the door open, waving everyone other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlease leave the building in an orderly fashion!\u201d he shouted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James hung back, falling in behind a group of suited businessmen, far enough away that they wouldn\u2019t register him, close enough their mass obscured his body. As he stepped through the door, he heard the humming of gravity mirrors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four gravcars descended from the heavens, forming up in single file, landing right in front of the entrance. Men leapt out, carbines in their hands, plate carriers strapped to their torsos. Among them was a tall, slender man with a roving eyeball in the middle of his forehead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A cyborg. A Superuser of the Singularity Network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The businessmen stopped to gawk. James stepped aside and activated the cameras on his eyeshields, snapping photos of their faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMove! Make way!\u201d the cyborg shouted, his voice drowned out by the ear-splitting alarms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shooters scanned the crowd, weapons at the compressed ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To James\u2019 right, people streamed past. He shuffle-stepped back, sliding into the gaps between people. He hunched over, wearing an expression of fear and panic, turning his face from them, following the crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s the fire?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t see any smoke!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on out there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abruptly the group lost its momentum. People slowed. Others stopped. They turned to look up at the hotel, at the shooters, at the cars. James eased his way past them, shuffling around bystanders. The soldiers of the New Gods yelled orders, demanded compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James kept walking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla saw James first. He\u2019d disguised himself well, but he walked with purpose, with energy, with single-minded intent. He cut across the road, making his way to his gravcar, scanning both sides of the street as he walked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere he is,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla looked around him, past him, looking for signs of pursuit. The street was clear, though in the distance, sirens howled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James clambered into the back seat and belted himself in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s get out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBack to the farm?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla worked the controls. The gravcar rose steadily into the air. She input the destination into its computer and the car took over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat happened out there?\u201d James asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. One minute they were setting up for an ambush. The next they were running like all the devils in Hell were after them,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDid you trip an alarm?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James swore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMust have. But I didn\u2019t see anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the Singularity Network. They\u2019ve got microsensors. Smart dust. They\u2019re so tiny, you can\u2019t see them with the naked eye. They could have sprinkled the room with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James swore again, louder and more ferociously this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought you fought the New Gods often. Why didn\u2019t you think of it?\u201d Clark asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven if I did, there wouldn\u2019t be anything I could do about it,\u201d Wood said. \u201cWe don\u2019t have the kind of tech that can defeat that. Not anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDid you get anything from the room?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing. It was completely clean. They\u2019d taken everything with them when they\u2019d left.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clark cursed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat was the point of going through all this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe took a chance. It didn\u2019t pay off. But we can still use this to our advantage,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe New Gods know we\u2019re acting against them. They\u2019ll have to react. So do MISD. They\u2019ll come knocking on our door soon,\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd when they do, we greet them in our own special way,\u201d Kayla finished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2026 you\u2019re planning on killing cops?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnly if they plan to kill us first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCount on it,\u201d James said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clark buried her face in her hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe this but\u2026 but after what we\u2019ve seen of the New Gods\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBelieve. It makes life a lot easier,\u201d James advised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do you two even live like this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSimple. We do, or we die.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd if anyone has to do the dying, we make sure it\u2019s them,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Want to know how Kayla and James made the soldiers of the New Gods do the dying? Check out Babylon Blues here<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our Own Special Way \u201cMotherfucker,\u201d Clark whispered. \u201cYou know these people?\u201d Kayla asked. \u201cSheriff Joshua Smith. Moreno Island Sysadmin Superuser Nu Theta Eight-Nine-One. Guild Branch Director Caleb Anderson.\u201d \u201cEverybody who\u2019s somebody in Moreno,\u201d James said. James and Clark were gathered in the Woods\u2019 den, clustered around his desktop. Kayla\u2019s face dominated the video call window. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[68,106,143,168,216,253,277,278,284,289],"class_list":["post-6019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","tag-babylon-red","tag-cyberpunk","tag-free-story","tag-horror","tag-military-science-fiction","tag-pulprev","tag-science-fantasy","tag-science-fiction","tag-sheriff-of-the-swamps","tag-singlit"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6019"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6019"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6019\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}