Obsidian's War The Winter City
Chapter Six

The end of the shipping container contained three empty sleeping pods with Perspex lids still in place, surrounded by tangles of cables and pipes. To one side was a panel with a screen for monitoring the vital signs of the people who were to use the pods.

“Stasis pods,” said Gel. “Older models, but still effective for the short hop to Lighthold. These guys aren’t smuggling arms in, they’re smuggling people out. You can’t just stick them in a container like you use to smuggle people between countries on Earth. You need stasis pods connected to power.”

“Lot of trouble to get three people to Lighthold,” said Squad Leader Dawlish. “Maybe it’s a better option than Outpost-3 but who’d have the money here to pay for this.”

Spotting a speck of colour in one corner of the compartment, Gel bent down to pick up what turned out to be a brightly coloured hair comb.

“A woman’s comb,” he said.

“Girls for the sex trade?” said Dawlish. “That makes a lot more sense.”

“Time to bring this Bradley and Karimov in for a talk,” said Grier.

“If I may make a suggestion, Lieutenant,” said Gel. “Wait until they front up to the container with whoever and grab them in the act of putting the girls into the pods. At the moment they can still simply deny everything. We didn’t see them actually go into the concealed section of the container. If you catch them in the act you’ll be able to search their quarters and phones – the whole works – and offer deals for confessions. Close up the container, without the girls, send it back and inform the Lighthold Police. They can watch to see who turns up at the other end. There’s even a Lighthold detective on base at the moment who would, at least, know who to contact at his end.

“Hmmm!” said Grier.

“It’s not arms,” said Gel, “but catching people smugglers looks good on reports, and on service records.”

“Ahhh!” said the Lieutenant and smiled for the first time since Gel had known him.

***

Two days after searching the container, Gel was summoned to Colonel Lee’s office.

“The container lead turned out to be a bust,” she said.

“As far as arms smuggling goes, yes, ma’am. We turned up some people smuggling, which shows that we’re trying, but not arms.”

“And you had that very strange incident with a firefight underground, well inside the perimeter.”

“Yes, ma’am, also a bust, but we learned something – I’m not sure what we learned but we sort-of know more than when we started.”

As a senior officer Colonel Lee could not giggle, but she could snort in amusement which she did.

“When General McMahon recommended you he said stuff was sure to happen and it has, but I have a more serious matter to discuss, namely replaceing out where your commanding officer got to.”

“I haven’t spoken to Captain Edge for some days, ma’am,” said Gel. “If anyone asks I tell them to try the entertainment area. An announcement over the PA replaces him.”

“I know all that,” she snapped. “The trouble is he’s not on base any more. Two squads of the Guards regiment got here and, just as I was thinking I could do something useful with the reinforcements, I replace that they have come here at the request of Imperial Intelligence to go with Dr Addanc to somewhere in Jasper City itself. I’m not told where; I’m not told anything. Dr Addanc takes Captain Edge as commander of the detachment plus that Lighthold detective – no loss there - and a valuable air transport and vanishes.”

“Detective Lewandowski, ma’am? What business do the Lighthold Police have in Jasper?”

“I have no idea,” the colonel said. “But the scouts on the perimeter say they heard gunfire last night, both our weapons and the Hoodies and we’ve had no communication from this party. Now I’m worried. If two squads of Guardsmen are lost then that’s a stain on the Fort’s record, as well as on mine, and a propaganda victory for the Hoodies.”

“Are you going to send anyone in after this group, ma’am?”

“I don’t have any large formations to send. But even if we did have the bodies to break through the Hoodie lines we still don’t know where those idiots have got to, or even if they’re still alive.”

“Pardon me, ma’am, but a small group wearing the white coats and hoods the Hoodies use could move around the city looking for this group,” said Gel. “It’s my understanding that there aren’t many people left in the city itself - just occasional Hoodie patrols, which a small party could evade, or just pass as a Hoodie group at a distance.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” said the colonel smiling. “Now that the people smuggling ring has been cleared up and the docks are better organised, I think the basic operations can be left with Squad Leader Addison for a few days.”

Lieutenant Grier had followed Gel’s advice and caught Bradley and Karimov in the act. Both men had opted to reduce their sentences by co-operating. The container had been closed up and sent on its way, with the Lighthold police now waiting to see who would turn up to open the secret compartment. Gel did not expect to see Bradley or Karimov again, but their arrest had scared the other military dock workers into keeping their heads down and doing their jobs, even if only to prove that they had not been involved in the smuggling.

“Pick your team,” the Colonel continued. “We can grab individuals from existing units without upsetting things too much. There is also that MP ready squad we have.”

“Oh right,” said Gel, suddenly aware he was about to leave the warm base in favour of a freezing city full of hostiles. “Thank you, ma’am,” he added weakly. The colonel smiled. Then Gel thought that the fastest way out of the mess he had landed himself in was to do the job and for that he needed a good team.

“The Squad Leader on that MP squad seems to know what she’s doing,” said Gel. “I’ll take her.”

“I know who you’re talking about,” said Colonel Lee. “I can fix that.”

“Then I want Squad Leader Theodore Turgenev, he’s out on the perimeter at the moment, along with Private Parkinson in the same platoon. Then there is medic Alyssa Sampson at the base hospital.”

“I know Private Sampson,” said the colonel, smiling. “This is a quality team you’re asking for.”

“Then there is Private Cliffe who’s somewhere on the base I’m told.”

The Colonel’s smile vanished.

“The MPs have been pestering me about that soldier. Something about wanting to take him for trial over assaulting an officer on Outpost-3.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m just hoping he won’t hit me.”

“It’s your party,” said the Colonel. “Just stay in touch and I’d say try and keep warm, but I don’t think that’ll be easy.”

***

Gel pushed aside the plastic curtain and stepped inside the refugee shelter, which had been set up for a business as old as humanity. A woman sat at a desk on his left. There were waiting chairs on his right, all empty. A heavy, black, plastic sheet screened off one end of the establishment. A fan heater besides the chairs fought the cold, with only moderate success.

“One of the girls will be with you in a moment, Lieutenant,” the woman at the desk said. “You’re welcome to take a seat while you wait. Our rates are here.” She gestured at a large, plastic-covered list propped up on the desk.

“Thanks, but I’m not stopping,” said Gel. “I was after two of my guys, Theo Turgenev and Arvin Parkinson. I thought I might replace them in one of the Flower Houses” (the local euphemism for such establishments). “It’s not about getting them into trouble but getting them back to their jobs.”

“Theo is with Alexia,” said the woman. “I don’t know the other name but a young man, broad shoulders, dark hair came in with him.”

“That’s him. Sorry, but I need to roust them out or our colonel will be displeased.”

“Well, I don’t want to displease Colonel Lee,” the woman said, “but I’ve got no-one to send just now… Ah, here’s Monique.”

A slim dark-haired girl pushed aside a flap that served as a door in the plastic sheet.

“My guy went out the back, Marta,” she said to the woman, then eyed Gel curiously. “You my next?”

“Can’t stop, sorry,” said Gel.

“This gentleman is after Theo,” said Marta. “Can you go and tell him and Alexia that he and the man that came in with him are wanted at reception.”

The girl sighed. “Always the way. Anyone interesting can’t stop.” She smiled at Gel. Although Gel thought her comments were part of the act, he smiled back. She went back through the flap. A few minutes later Theo and Parkinson came out to finish dressing in the reception area.

“I didn’t get all that I paid for… sir,” grumbled Theo, putting on his boots. “How did you know where to replace us.”

“The perimeter shuttle guys said you went this way, and I took a wild guess. Asked at two other places before I got here. They all knew you. You were meant to come straight to the admin briefing room so never mind your unused benefits, and now you’re leading Parkinson here astray.”

“Lieutenant,” said Parkinson. “Why have we been pulled off the perimeter, sir? Am I allowed to know?”

“We’ll discuss it at the briefing room. I’ll wait outside. Thanks, ma’am.”

“Happy to oblige the colonel,” said Marta, handing over a business card. “Give her my regards and come back when you’re not on the job.”

Gel looked at the card. “Marta of the Paradise Room sends her regards, gotit.” He waited outside until Theo and Parkinson joined him.

“Speaking of people sending their regards,” Gel said to Theo as they walked to the admin block. “The Lighthold Police Authority also says hi. They seem to think they’ll catch up with you one of these days.”

“Not if I can help it,” said Theo. “How come you know this? Since when do Lighthold narcs get out this way?”

“A detective turned up here and took the trouble to speak to me about this and that.” Gel waved a hand to indicate ephemeral issues. “He also said they were interested in me in part because we shared an apartment.”

“Yeah? You happen to mention that I was helping guard the place?”

“Oh no. I don’t think there’s any need to excite their interest. I’m sure they’ve many other matters on their mind.”

“Yeah, right,” said Theo. “That’s what I tried to tell the guys who arrested me last time. But it’s a long way to come to ask about us sharing traps.”

“Wasn’t the only thing on his mind, but I now think that even talking to me was just a side show. The detective was after something else in Jasper and now we’ve lost contact and have to go and get him.”

“In Jasper, sir?” said Parkinson. “We’re supposed to walk into a Hoodie-controlled area and ask for this guy back?”

“We don’t know if the Hoodies have him and, if it was just this detective who I found to be personally unpleasant, I’d vote to leave him. But two squads of Guards went in with him and, oh yes, Dr Addanc and Captain Edge. Now Colonel Lee hasn’t heard from any of them, and she wants to replace out what’s happened before high command asks. Our job is to go in and replace out what’s happened, rescue if possible.”

“Two squads of Guards?” said Theo. “There was talk of a fire fight in Jasper last night. Some of our guys heard it.”

“Yep. That’s also got the Colonel worried. Battles and casualties are all stuff that should be reported, and she’s heard nothing.”

“What about that girlfriend of the Captain, sir,” said Theo. “Did she go with them?”

Gel stopped. “Squad Leader Turgenev, that’s brilliant. Parkinson, go on and tell the others we’ll be there in a moment.”

A few minutes later Gel knocked on the door of Captain Edge’s private room and the person he and Theo only knew as Edge’s girlfriend opened the door, clad in a dressing gown.

“Oh hi!” she said. “Sergeant Obsidian isn’t it? It such a pleasure to speak to you at last. But the captain is not here at the moment.”

“I’m a Lieutenant now,” said Gel. “The problem is that Captain Edge seems to be missing and the Colonel wants to replace him.”

“The Colonel, oh that nice lady,” she said, then smiled at them.

“Can we come in to talk about where he might have gone,” prompted Gel.

“Oh yeah, come in,” she said and waved them inside.

Alyssa, who had spoken to this woman back on Outpost-3, had described her as an “airhead”. Gel now thought that the medic might be right.

“Did he say where he might be going?” he asked as they sat around a small table in Edge’s quarters, declining an offer of coffee. The table, three chairs and a double bed took up almost all the room. “What is your name, incidentally?”

“Charise Clairemont,” she said, smiling.

“Do you hold a military rank, Charise?”

“I’m a squad leader and Captain Edge’s administrative assistant.”

“Okay, Squad Leader, where has your boss got to? The colonel is anxious to know.”

“I’m not supposed to say.”

“For star’s sake, Charise, do you want me to march you in front of the colonel, in that charming dressing gown, and get her to give you a direct order? We have to go and get him and don’t want to have to look in every building in Jasper to do so.”

“Is he in trouble?” she asked.

“He certainly is from the Colonel, if she sees him,” said Gel. “She’s mad because she wasn’t told anything about this expedition, which used a fort transport as well as two squads that could have come in real handy doing other stuff. But the real question at the moment is whether he and those with him are in danger, and we can’t contact the group.”

“Ohhhhh,” she said. “They could be just out of range. I heard them say they had to go deep.”

“Well, that’s something,” said Gel who had been looking at a map of the city. “That rules out a lot of areas where they just have one or two levels of basements.”

“An old part,” she said, after a moment’s thought, brow creased. “…A temple.”

“The temple district? That also helps. It’s the main business district. Did they say why they wanted to go to Jasper?”

“The detective talked about criminal records.”

“Really, the records the police would hold?”

“Talked about the need to solve a case, but the police guys on Lighthold didn’t have access to the right stuff or something. But that Dr Addanc – I didn’t like him at all – was talking about some old place holding brains…?”

“Brains?” said Gel, thinking of the crystal slabs on Outpost-3 that held the personalities of the Gagrim, ready to be transferred into a new body.

“Or bodies…” continued Charise. “That’s all I really know. I saw them look at maps, but I didn’t pay much attention.”

“Okay, well, you’ve given us something to go on,” said Gel. “Thanks for your help, Squad Leader.”

“Not at all, and please call me Charise,” she bubbled. “Come back and see me, any time.”

“That was an invitation, man,” said Theo as they walked away.

“My hold on sanity is precarious enough. If I have anything to do with Charise, I might slide off the deep end.”

“Equipment’s the same when it comes down to it, man. One of those old Kings on earth said that, in the dark, its all the same.”

“One of the French Louies – I think the one before the one that got chopped. His mum was chiding him about humping almost every woman he could replace and never mind who they were or what they looked like. His response was that ‘in the dark all cats are grey’. That’s hardly an enlightened attitude Squad Leader.”

“Knew you’d know nerdy shit like that, and it’s the only attitude I’ve got, Lieutenant.”

“Trouble is some fool always turns the lights on.”

“Athena seemed smart enough,” said Theo. “And smoking, burning hot. But if you want a hottie that’s also whip smart, try Even.”

“Oh sure, Even is smart,” said Gel. “Smart and dangerous.”

***

A week or so after the condemned mansion party on Lighthold Even called Gel, who could not keep the alarm out of his voice when he realised who his caller was.

“Don’t sound so surprised,” she said. “I got your number from Theo, because I need advice.”

“I’m not surprised,” said Gel, “I’m alarmed. What trouble am I going to get into with your tests?”

“Don’t be like that,” she said, exasperated. “I was high at the time, and I thought Boris was somewhere else, with someone else.”

“Seemed to me you were setting me up so that you’d have fun watching Boris defend your honour, as they say. I mentioned your tests to Theo who said that Boris had damaged a couple of guys over you.”

“That wasn’t over any test,” she said. “Those guys were being painful without any help from me, and I’ve told Boris to warn off guys who get ideas, not beat them up. It causes problems. Anyway, you passed my test so quit complaining.”

“Okay, I passed. I’ll stay on the line long enough to ask what advice you want.”

“My little sister has been arrested for possession.”

“What drug and how much?”

“It’s a lot but it’s some sort of designer drug thing. The idiot was holding the stuff for a friend who’s a chemist. Cops say it’s a hard drug and that it’s serious. The thing is I remembered you had a law degree and Theo said you knew about criminal stuff. I have no idea who to call.”

“Wouldn’t Boris know someone?”

“It’s sort of a rival gang thing. I don’t dare ask him.”

Gel thought for a moment, and then thought how well Even looked in that club dress. Okay, he was a stupid male. “I’ll get a friend of mine, Gillian Messenger, to give you a call,” he said. “She does criminal stuff and she’s pretty good. As always, I want my name kept out of it.”

Gel then rang Gillian, who had helped Athena’s mother with the charge of stabbing her partner. She was amused to get the call.

“Another woman in distress, Gel,” she said. “You need to concentrate on one woman in distress with whom you might get serious.”

“I can’t help it,” said Gel. “Women in distress seem to think I’m their go to guy. In the meantime you’re earning fees, so I don’t see that we have a problem here.”

She sighed. “I suppose even male egos can generate fees.”

“Speaking of dumb males how is Arch?” Arch was Gel’s law school friend who managed his personal affairs. He sold a Bugatti bequeathed directly to him by his father to finance the redevelopment of an old factory left to him by his grandfather. Gel lived in one of the resulting apartments and the rest had been let. Now Arch was developing other properties. He was also Gillian’s partner.

“I’m engaged to him and pregnant by him,” she said.

“Oh wow! Congratulations on both counts! Am I allowed to ask in what order these events occurred?”

“Mind your own business,” said Gillian, sharply. “You need to concentrate on getting your personal affairs in order. Never mind about mine.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Gel.

***

The scratch rescue squad was in a Fort Bravo transport on its way to Jasper being briefed by its commander, Second Lieutenant Gellibrand Obsidian.

“Okay, people,” said Gel. “We’ve got Hoodie jackets and snow shoes. Keep the hoods over the combat helmets and heads down and we’ll look like any hoodie detachment marching around.”

Besides transport pilots Flight Lieutenant Brigit Nielsen and an offsider she had been assigned, the transport contained Theo, Parkinson with his storm cannon, medic Alyssa, the MP squad leader, Emily Dawlish, and the MP squad’s mule-synth. This was a short, squat, humanoid figure which followed the squad around, loaded with baggage such as the spare ammunition and rations. As it rarely spoke while trailing around after the squad, the Salts occasionally forgot it was there.

Gel had opted to be the ad-hoc squad’s Dart-Gun operator. This was the light infantry support weapon that fired darts capable of messing up droid tanks or blowing away a whole squad of humans, if they happen to arrange themselves nicely in one place. It looked something like an oversized assault rifle complete with a curved magazine at the top and was fired while resting on the operator’s shoulder. Gel had trained with the Dart Gun and thought it would help him win any battlefield arguments.

Another welcome addition to the squad was Private Cliffe who still had the large calibre sniper rifle he had picked up on Outpost-3 and remained just as taciturn.

“I’m an officer now, Cliffe,” said Gel. “Are you going to hit me?”

“No reason, yet,” said the big man. He smiled slightly.

“Well, that’s nice,” said Gel. “I’ll get belted just for being an officer.”

“What happens if we’re challenged?” said Alyssa.

“You do not respond. You do not look at them,” said Gel. “The moment they get up close they’ll realise we’re not their side and all hell will break loose. If that happens then we start shooting and make for the nearest cover. The city is mostly underground, so if we can get to a building, we can go anywhere we want. We also have Hartmann online, provided he doesn’t sneak off to see my subordinate.”

“Gotta date tomorrow,” said Hartmann who had been listening on the comms link. He had been relocated from his usual desk in admin to a desk outside the Colonel’s office, his injured leg up on a chair. “Colonel’s also been asking for an update.”

“Tell the Colonel we believe the group went to the city’s main business district and may have gone deep. We’ll set down on the South West Edge where we know there’s very little Hoodie activity and walk from there.”

“Down behind that group of buildings, just as you asked,” said Flight from the pilot seat. “We don’t want to linger.”

“Visors down and move guys,” said Gel. He slapped his own visor down, the displays projected on the inside of the visor coming to life. One of these showed the direction of Jasper City’s Temple District. “No chatter with others or with Hartmann, unless necessary. Gotit?”

They yessired.

“Keep low and move fast when the ramp goes down. Spread out into a perimeter and wait.”

They landed with a thump in the snow, the ramp went down to let in more snow driven by a howling wind, and they ran out.

***

A few days after the first call, Even rang again. “Gillian seems great. She’s looking at what she can do, but I asked her about fees and she said that was taken care off.”

“She did?” said Gel, in alarm. In fact, he hadn’t said anything specifically about fees. In the previous job Gillian had done for him, that of Athena’s mother stabbing her partner, the fees had been paid out of funds held for him by Arch. Gillian had assumed the same arrangement applied.

“Well, yes, I don’t know what you expected would happen…” Even trailed off.

“Oh right,” said Gel, realising what she was hinting at. “I wasn’t expecting anything, as I didn’t tell Gillian I was paying, but you know what, now that it’s done leave it done. Gillian needs the money so I’m happy to pay – she’s pregnant.”

“Ohhhh, okay, she wasn’t showing when I met her at the court hearing,” said Even, sounding relieved. “Does she have a partner?”

“Engaged to a law school friend of mine. That’s how I know her. Have you been to her offices yet?”

“We go tomorrow.”

“If you see a harassed looking guy with red hair in another office that’s Arch.”

A few days later Gillian rang him.

“Have you had anything to do with Hestia?” she said without preamble. Gel had the impression that the pregnancy was wearing at her temper.

“I don’t know any Hestias, unless of course you mean the Greek goddess of home and family and the like…”

“I’m talking about the girl whose legal defence you’re paying for,” she snapped.

“Oh right – I only know her as Even’s sister. I’ve never met her. Why, what’s so important about my knowing her?”

“Because I’ve just worked out she’s underaged – sixteen – and she’s model, drop-dead gorgeous,” said Gillian. “I’ve had to clear most of Lighthold’s male police out of the interview room a couple of times in order to speak with her. I had assumed that because she was ultra-gorgeous that was why a male was paying her legal fees.”

“Well, no, her sister is real cute in an off-the-shoulder club outfit…”

“Men,” snorted Gillian.

“But I’ve only met the sister once and didn’t get close.”

“And you’re still paying legal fees?”

Gel decided not to explain the misunderstanding. “Well, yes, because I’m a gentleman and paying for the very best of advice, I might add.”

“Ha!” said Gillian. “Well, this legal advisor is taking some additional fees to call to tell you to keep your sweaty male paws off Hesta.”

“Sweaty paws, okay. Good advice,” said Gel. “Were you able to do much for her?”

“As it happens, they mistakenly charged her as an adult, the search warrant they used is dodgy and the prosecutors will have to prove the designer drugs seized are, in fact, illegal. A little co-operation and she should avoid jail.”

“Like I said, top legal advice,” said Gel.

“That’s right, and this advisor is getting out ahead of the problems by telling you to behave yourself, even if Hestia expresses gratitude. If you must take advantage of the situation, then go with the sister.”

“The sister is also dangerous just in a different way. Like I said, she asked and I’m just being a gentleman.”

“Right!” snorted Gillian. “The ‘gentleman’ excuse won’t go far in court. You need to either get married or go back out on deployment, away from the temptations of Lighthold.”

“Which would be safer?” asked Gel, “marriage or deployment?”

“Try deployment,” said Gillian

***

Lying flat around the rim of a natural depression in a waste area, behind a group of ruined buildings, Gel’s patrol scanned their surroundings with infrared. As snow driven by a freezing wind blanketed everything and with clouds blotting out the stars, nothing much showed on any scanning frequency. If anyone left in the ruined city heard the transport come and go they did not show it, but then it was unlikely that anyone would be wandering around or staring out of windows. After a few minutes, Gel thought it was time to move before his tiny command turned into blocks of ice and he led them to the ruined buildings, climbing into one through a window where the pane had long been blown out.

The two storey buildings had all once been a swank, residential development but as the structures had been built of the local stone for better insulation, they had served as a fortress in the battles which had destroyed the rest of the city. Now wind whistled through gaps in the walls, there was snow on the ruined carpets and even the occasional frozen body.

“This is why my husband has been complaining about the cold,” said Alyssa.

“Easy street compared to the perimeter,” said Theo.

“We’re not stopping guys,” said Gel. “But we can at least keep out of the wind in the buildings for a while till we get to the main road. They’re all connected.”

“We’re taking main roads, Lieutenant?” said MP Dawlish. “Side roads are less likely to have patrols, and underground would be a lot warmer.”

“True,” said Gel. “But most of the activity is underground. If we go down to the sub basement here and go North we’ll eventually end up in a major passage, but that passage may well contain people who will be curious about why we have Assault Infantry equipment.”

“Inconvenient,” agreed Dawlish.

“For now, we’ll move around on the surface, trust to our disguise as a Hoodie patrol, such as it is, and move on main roads as it’ll be quicker. In the mean-time patrol discipline, people. No talking out of turn.”

They moved on in silence, hearing nothing but wind whistling through gaps in the walls. At the end of the series of ruins was what once might have been a grand curved driveway complete with barred gates. Now only the top half of the gate posts and wall showed above the snow. Beyond that was a space which might have been a major road, also now covered in snow. There was no sign of life.

“Hartmann, you got anything?”

“Nothing on infrared, skipper,” said Hartmann. “But in the weather you guys have got that ain’t saying much.”

“Skipper?”

“Just slipped out, sir,” said Hartmann. “To do with a computer game I’ve been playing.”

“Like it,” said Theo, before Gel could say anything. “Beats sir or Lieutenant.”

“Yeah, Skip,” said Alyssa, “sounds good.”

After that, Gel’s little band called him Skip.

They walked East along the road, ruined buildings on either side, moving as if they were meant to be there. Someone yelled at them from one of the buildings but the squad pretended not to hear. Two Hoddies came from the other direction, but they were too concerned with getting out of the cold to do more than glance at Gel’s band. A little further on they saw the towers of Jasper CBD – a whole four storeys poking through the snow. Then Gel saw movement behind a wrecked car to his left.

***

A few days after Gillian’s warning, Even called again.

“Gillian was really great,” she said. “My sister will do community service but that’s it. The record will be sealed when she turns eighteen.”

“I’m glad for that – but you know Gillian rang me specifically to warn me not to grope Hestia with my ‘sweaty male paws’ as she put it.”

“Did she?” said Even. Laughter in her voice. “But you’ve never met her.”

“I didn’t even know who she was talking about at first. You didn’t tell me your sister’s name. Gillian assumed I was paying because of her and I got a lecture about keeping my hands off an underage girl who is also ‘model-pretty’.”

“Poor Hestia,” said Evan, now laughing outright. “She asked about you, you know. I showed her the items on the Easy Spice thing. “As for sweaty male paws, I’m the pawing target but you didn’t try anything.”

“That’s what Gillian now thinks is happening but how far would I have gotten if I tried anything? You didn’t sound all that enthusiastic. Anyway, with Boris around that could have been real dangerous.”

“Oh, I dunno,” said Even. “I would have told you ‘He’d never replace out’.”

“Right, didn’t I read that on a tombstone somewhere,” said Gel. “Pass. I did it because Gillian needs the experience and the money, but I don’t want her to know that’s the reason. It may seem like charity. Now she thinks it’s about you and you’ll just have to put up with her suspicions about why I’m paying.”

“Deal,” said Even.

“And I have one more demand - no more tests.”

“Okay, okay,” said Even. “Sheesh! I was just having a bit of fun. I didn’t know Boris was there.”

“Well, then, the business part of the conversation is over,” said Gel. “Theo says you’re a singer.”

“You’ve been asking about me?”

“To the extent of making a Boris threat assessment, sure,” said Gel.

“Humph! I sing at a place called Night Beats in the club district – mainly old, old favourites; quieter stuff – some jazz – songs like Smooth Operator and Fly Me to the Moon.”

“This is one of the talkie clubs I’ve heard about?” said Gel. These were clubs where the music was quiet enough for the patrons to talk if they chose to do so, as opposed to the dance clubs where talking was not an option.

“Yep, you should come and bring this gorgeous girlfriend I’m told you have.”

“Now it’s you who have been asking about me.”

“I can also do threat assessments,” said Even. “I dunno why you’re so worried about Boris. Theo says you’re a killer just like him.”

“I’m a soldier, and that’s different,” said Gel.

***

Two Hoodies unfolded themselves from the wrecked car where they had been sheltering and waved to the band. They were holding assault rifles but not as if they expected to use them. They also walked up to a group that had emerged out of the dark night as if they were fellow Hoodies. Gel knew then what he had to do.

“Dawlish, check out that vehicle for anyone else,” he said over comms, his head bowed. “The rest of you spread out and watch for anyone observing our little drama. Theo, you’re on me with knives. You reckon these guys have any armour?” All this he said as they walked towards the pair. He had earlier put his knife in his side pocket, and he took it out, without trying to be obvious. Both Gel and Theo still had their weapons slung.

“Don’t look like it Skip,” said Theo. “Thrust in on the side and up, between the ribs, like I told you. Aim for the heart.”

Their opponents stopped, suddenly uncertain. One watched Dawlish walking towards the car.

“Heart, gotit. Oh yeah, and laugh,” said Gel.

“Huh,” said Theo.

“Laugh.”

Gel flipped open his visor, turned towards Theo and laughed as if he had just made a joke. Realising what Gel was doing, Theo also flipped open his visor and laughed as both men continued to walk casually towards their opponents.

“What’s so funny in this weather,” said Gel’s opponent pulling down the scarf wrapped over mouth and chin. “And where did you guys get those combat helmets?”

Gel rushed the last few paces, grabbing his opponent in a bear hug with one arm, the man’s assault rifle between them, while stabbing hard, upwards on his opponent’s side with the other. The Hoodies’ eyes widened in surprise, he gasped, and the light went out. Gel let him fall. He thought about what Even had said. Maybe he was a killer but he took no pleasure in it. The killing had been a grim necessity. Beside him he was aware that Theo’s opponent had managed a yelp before joining his comrade in the snow. He heard a bang to his left and rushed to the wrecked car where he found Dawlish backing out slowly. Sitting in the back seat of what had once been a luxury car was the body of a female Hoodie, wearing a comms set, one hand still resting on what was the main control arm of the set. She had just been about to call in the incident when Dawlish shot her through the forehead.

Gel ripped the comm set off the body’s head, heard a female voice say “station three, report”, threw it on the floor of the rear passenger compartment and destroyed it with the butt of the woman’s assault rifle which had been on the seat beside her.

“She wouldn’t stop,” said Dawlish, as Gel came out of car to look around. He noticed she was shaking.

“First kill?” he asked.

She nodded.

“She was too far back to grab the comm set. Only thing to do.”

Dawlish nodded again, still shaking.

“But now someone in Hoodie command will send a patrol to check. We have to get out of here. Theo, take your guy over…” Gel looked around, “there.” He pointed to a bank of snow that had built up, probably against a low wall. “Dig him into the snow along with stuff he’s got on him. Dawlish, drag my guy over there and then go back and get rid of blood and traces. Turn over the snow.”

Gel lifted the woman out of the back of the car – after closing her eyes he tried not to look at the face - and took her to the snow bank. He, Theo and Alyssa scraped out holes in the snow, rolled the bodies in then covered them, spreading the snow around so that there were no visible bulges. Gel checked the car, taking away the broken comms set which he also stuck in a nearby bank of snow. The bodies would be uncovered, eventually but with any luck not until they were long gone.

No-one had seen anything, and Hartmann had nothing to report. They moved on.

“No hurrying,” said Gel over the comms link. “Remember we’re a Hoodie patrol. We’re meant to be here.”

After another kilometre of slogging on snow shoes, with broken stone buildings closing around them and becoming taller, they came to an open area. It was a small city park obviously designed for warmer times, with a fountain in which the water had frozen, snow covered benches and a large, snow covered chunk of wreckage which Gel thought looked familiar. On closer inspection the group realised that it was the missing transport from Fort Apache on its side with the back ramp down. Inside they found the frozen

body of a guardsman, weapons and combat helmet gone, a frosted pool of blood by the ramp, and what remained of the pilot in the ruins of his cockpit. The transport had taken a direct hit from what was, probably, a hand held rocket launcher at close range.

“Hoodies have got launchers, but we don’t seem ’em that much on the perimeter,” said Theo.

“Idiots shouldn’t have tried landing this close to the centre of town,” said Gel. “I’ll call it in.” He transmitted the bar code on the body tags of both the guardsman and pilot, then dictated a brief report for the Colonel. “Okay guys, let’s see if we can get any idea of where they went?”

“The snow would have covered all traces long ago,” protested Dawlish, who seemed to have stopped shaking.

“Out in the open, sure,” said Gel, “but the nearest cover is there.” He pointed to a doorway half filled with snow close to the exit ramp. “The snow seems lower around the doorway, as if someone has pushed snow aside or beaten it down to get in.”

“Huh!” said Dawlish, looking at the doorway. “Theo is right, sir.”

“I’m sure he is but about what, Squad Leader?”

“You know about blood trails, hiding evidence and bodies. You would have made a really good criminal.”

“Hanging around Theo’s friends is a good way to learn to be a criminal,” said Gel.