“I’m sure you’ll get a chance soon.”
“That will be good for our relationship,” she said brightly.
He took another turn and found the way blocked. There was heavy construction here.
“I can’t turn, going through,” he said, as he swerved around a small crane. It looked as if they were doing sub-road drainage repair.
He hit the trench at speed and bounced over, causing slumps and collapses along that width. The excavated fill slowed them slightly, and he felt the vehicle rise, then flatten the pipe section awaiting installation.
Beyond that was a man with a multiwindow camera setup, leaning against his car and shooting video of the scene. The ARPAC was unmarked, so it wouldn’t immediately tag to Ms. Highland, which was a good thing, because he slammed into the man, smashed him into a broken bag of cold cuts against the car, which he crushed under the wheels in a popping, rolling, bumping, grinding crunch. Well, if you stood in traffic, you were liable to get hurt. Jason told himself he didn’t care, but didn’t believe it. Stupid or not, the man had been a human being, and not actively hostile.
His introspection stopped when Bart quipped, “I believe it’s crush hour.”
He stifled a response, and instead asked, “Where to?”
Aramis shouted, “Take any left, three squares lateral, then north again.”
“Left three, resume north, roger.”
It was easy to tell who was who in traffic. Extreme Muslims didn’t dodge. Insh Allah-as God wills. Sufis swerved, then cursed and threatened. There weren’t many Baha’i or Christians in this neighborhood, but they cleared the way and pulled back afterward, shrugging it off without public commentary. Local police dodged faster than anyone, and might even go onto the sidewalk. Mercenaries went over any obstacle or threat, and if it came down to it, might back up for a second try.
Highland was not only well-tranked, she was weeping. He assumed it was for her career, not from any real compassion. Still, alive she might pull it off. Dead she’d be only a footnote.
Alex said, “You have alarmed the locals. There are gathering groups and I predict armed response.”
“Yeah, that was not my intent.” He thought for a moment and added, “But I guess it was inevitable. Do we FIDO, unass or split up to do more damage?”
Alex said, “Right now, FIDO. Follow Aramis’ directions.”
“Fuck It, Drive On,” he muttered loudly. They might get that fight Aramis suggested, right now.
He reported, “The road is getting clogged. They’re less willing and able to clear a hole.”
Highland was functional enough to bawl, “How many poor people do you plan to kill?”
At least one more, he thought. JessieM’s transmissions were completely squelched, he hoped. Otherwise there’d be military force en route to them as well.
“Aramis, advise me.”
“Keep going north. How far out do we want to abandon ship?”
“How hot is it?”
Elke said, “Very. Milnet full of talk. Local police being brought in.”
Alex said, “They probably won’t shoot us with Ms. Highland in the vehicle, but mistakes happen. We need to unass soon.”
Aramis said, “Ms. Jessie, are you agreeable to churping some misdirection? Which can also leak out the intel we need known?”
“I can. You’ll… have to tell me what to say.” She flushed and blushed at that.
Alex said, “Damn, what do we say?”
Aramis said, “I have an idea. Jessie, churp that we’re heading west to seek shelter with the Right Baptists.”
“Okay. Just like that?”
“Yes.”
“Jason, where’s your safehouse? We’ll divert there.”
“It’s a safe room. Northwest.”
“‘Safe room’?” Highland asked. “As in an emergency retreat?”
“Not very secure, but no one should know it exists and we can keep jamming against scans. We can gear up there. I have some extra funds stashed.”
Jessie asked, “What are you going to do?”
“You’ll see. In the meantime, we’re heading through an area controlled by the Pure Shia. They’re looking at our lone vehicle rather angrily.”
Alex said, “I think it’s more hungrily. They have quite a few veterans who know how to operate one.”
“Good point. In either case, there’s no way around and I expect some trouble.”
“How’s the traffic?”
“Starting to get very tight. I can plow or crush light scooters. Actual cars will stop me.”
“Detour as needed, keep moving. We’ll need to swap out and abandon this. Elke, we don’t want them to get hold of it.”
“Fireworks it is,” she said, clearly cheerful.
Jason said, “It’s going to be soon. I’m on a secondary now, if I have to turn again we’re going to be hosed.”
“Roads aren’t wide enough?”
“No, they seem not to have taken advantage of the modern grid layout other than the main thoroughfares. They balkanized their neighborhoods on arrival and made a mess.”
Alex called, “Everyone ready for transfer?”
There were nods and rattles.
“Ms. Highland, Jessie, we are about to abandon this vehicle and commandeer another. It will be noisy. It may be a bit rough. Grab onto Elke’s pack, and Jessie, you onto Aramis’s. Keep hold as much as possible. There could be some bruising. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“What do you have, Jason?”
He took in the surroundings and reported. “I think we have a half a block. I see several good Mercedes we can use. I have a coder that should work on most of them. They’re common enough to get us farther out before another swap.”
“Sounds good. Do it.”
“They’re in front of a hotel. Elke, you’ll need to distract people.”
Elke stood swaying and took broad steps to the rear. “I have smoke, squibs and mild irritant.” It was about time she got to do her job. She gestured to Highland, who nodded a bit vacantly but did grab Elke’s harness.
He braked hard and she clutched a rail to avoid sliding forward.
“In five, four, three, two, one. Drop the ramp.”
Aramis hit the ramp release; it clanged to the ground. Shaman went first. Elke followed, skipping down the angle with Highland hanging on through a near stumble. Once in sunlight, she took station still half on the ramp, her body and the side armor protecting the principal.
Bart was right behind her, and went past at a brisk walk.
Shaman knew his stuff. He casually opened the car’s gullwing door, reached in before the driver could respond coherently, and dragged the man out by his collar. Bart slid into the driver’s seat and dropped the door. Elke shoved Highland loose, next to the passenger door.
The driver’s expression went from confused to irritated to angry, and he started jabbering in Arabic or Turkish or something, as Shaman zapped him with a stun baton. It was all still relatively quiet, but some bystanders had passed the surprise stage and were in the alarm stage. That was her cue. She thumbed a code, slid a package tab into it, then tossed it on the sidewalk. It whuffed into a cloud of smoke that obscured them from anyone on that side. She followed with a second thrown behind the car and in the middle of traffic.
Aramis came through with Jessie clinging to his back, bent over and making meep ing noises. Aramis dove in the back easily, Shaman helped shove Jessie in. Jason made a quick check, assumed the package in the ARPAC was Elke’s parting gift, and rolled in himself.
Alex grunted, “Elke, go.”
“Moving,” she announced for Highland’s benefit. At least the woman was trained well at this aspect. She moved well enough.
The crowd was starting to panic and point, though. Elke tossed squibs in two directions as Shaman steered Highland into the rear. She waited a moment for the squibs to start cracking in loud, echoey reports, and slid in, using her arse to shove Highland further back.
Alex came last. He rolled rather nimbly for a man of his age, over the quarter panel, and slid into the shotgun seat. He hadn’t finished closing the door before Bart had them in traffic with the throttle nailed.