His words were soft, full of regret. But they echoed through me like a gunshot.
My heart sank like a stone. “Moses,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “He got to Moses.”
We hit the street running.
• • •
Liam got us through the gate, and we ran without stopping toward Moses’s store in clothes still streaked with dirt and sweat from the last battle.
A fire truck was parked in the middle of the street, firefighters still pouring water onto the smoldering ruins of what had once been “Moses Mech.”
The store was gone. There was nothing left but a heap of bricks and twisted bits of metal and wire in a pile. Shards of electronics were everywhere, plastic snapping underfoot or melted into big globs and piles. Water ran in little rivers through the debris, collected in the gutter and poured down the street.
“Oh, Liam.” It was all I could think so say. Nothing else seemed appropriate. And even that didn’t come close to being enough.
I didn’t know what had happened, what had turned Moses’s store into rubble, but he couldn’t have survived this. Not if he was inside.
I knelt down, picked up an “M” key from an old gray keyboard, rubbed my thumb over the faded letter, and put it in my pocket. It would be my memory of him, this man I hadn’t known very long, but who’d been nicer to me than a human deserved.
“They did this because of us,” I said, rising again. “Because he helped us.”
“They didn’t do anything,” Liam said. “Rutledge did this. Rutledge arranged this. That piece of shit must have found out Moses accessed their file, decided he was the easiest person to hit. He’s in Devil’s Isle, after all. Less than human.” He swallowed hard. “I will see that asshole in the ground if it’s the last thing I do.”
“Containment wouldn’t have blown up the building, would they?” I asked quietly. “Not when it would have endangered the neighborhood, the grid, whatever.”
“Containment didn’t.”
We turned back. Hawkins stood behind us, hands stuffed into his pockets.
He seemed shorter than I remembered, probably because he wasn’t standing in his security station.
“They didn’t?” Liam asked.
“Agents came for him—but it was ones who work for ComTac.”
Liam frowned. “Did they take him out of the building?”
“Don’t think so. I mean, I didn’t see anything.”
I looked at Liam. There was a strange look on his face. “Thanks, Hawkins. I’m gonna get her home.”
I was completely confused but let Liam take my arm, guide me away from the rubble. “All right,” I whispered. “I know you know something, but I don’t get it. You’re going to need to fill me in.”
“Moses didn’t want anyone else to get his toys, so he rigged it to blow.”
“Fuck yeah, I did.”
We stopped, glanced around, but saw nothing but darkness.
“Mos?” Liam whispered. “Where are you?”
“I’m in heaven, genius. Where do you think I am?” A thick hand poked out of a narrow gap between the two buildings. Not big enough to be a full alley. Just big enough for him to squeeze into. He moved forward into the light, still hidden from view from the rest of the street. “I’m right here. Bastards got to my shop, so I blew it.”
Liam looked utterly relieved. “You scared the shit out of us.”
“You’re not the only one. I didn’t survive war to get taken out by some assholes with a death wish.”
“It was ComTac?” I asked.
My heart sank like a stone. “Moses,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “He got to Moses.”
We hit the street running.
• • •
Liam got us through the gate, and we ran without stopping toward Moses’s store in clothes still streaked with dirt and sweat from the last battle.
A fire truck was parked in the middle of the street, firefighters still pouring water onto the smoldering ruins of what had once been “Moses Mech.”
The store was gone. There was nothing left but a heap of bricks and twisted bits of metal and wire in a pile. Shards of electronics were everywhere, plastic snapping underfoot or melted into big globs and piles. Water ran in little rivers through the debris, collected in the gutter and poured down the street.
“Oh, Liam.” It was all I could think so say. Nothing else seemed appropriate. And even that didn’t come close to being enough.
I didn’t know what had happened, what had turned Moses’s store into rubble, but he couldn’t have survived this. Not if he was inside.
I knelt down, picked up an “M” key from an old gray keyboard, rubbed my thumb over the faded letter, and put it in my pocket. It would be my memory of him, this man I hadn’t known very long, but who’d been nicer to me than a human deserved.
“They did this because of us,” I said, rising again. “Because he helped us.”
“They didn’t do anything,” Liam said. “Rutledge did this. Rutledge arranged this. That piece of shit must have found out Moses accessed their file, decided he was the easiest person to hit. He’s in Devil’s Isle, after all. Less than human.” He swallowed hard. “I will see that asshole in the ground if it’s the last thing I do.”
“Containment wouldn’t have blown up the building, would they?” I asked quietly. “Not when it would have endangered the neighborhood, the grid, whatever.”
“Containment didn’t.”
We turned back. Hawkins stood behind us, hands stuffed into his pockets.
He seemed shorter than I remembered, probably because he wasn’t standing in his security station.
“They didn’t?” Liam asked.
“Agents came for him—but it was ones who work for ComTac.”
Liam frowned. “Did they take him out of the building?”
“Don’t think so. I mean, I didn’t see anything.”
I looked at Liam. There was a strange look on his face. “Thanks, Hawkins. I’m gonna get her home.”
I was completely confused but let Liam take my arm, guide me away from the rubble. “All right,” I whispered. “I know you know something, but I don’t get it. You’re going to need to fill me in.”
“Moses didn’t want anyone else to get his toys, so he rigged it to blow.”
“Fuck yeah, I did.”
We stopped, glanced around, but saw nothing but darkness.
“Mos?” Liam whispered. “Where are you?”
“I’m in heaven, genius. Where do you think I am?” A thick hand poked out of a narrow gap between the two buildings. Not big enough to be a full alley. Just big enough for him to squeeze into. He moved forward into the light, still hidden from view from the rest of the street. “I’m right here. Bastards got to my shop, so I blew it.”
Liam looked utterly relieved. “You scared the shit out of us.”
“You’re not the only one. I didn’t survive war to get taken out by some assholes with a death wish.”
“It was ComTac?” I asked.
