Page 79 of The Lost Zone (Dark Water #3)

At the last moment, it swerved, coming to an elegant halt beside the landing port, and the hatch opened to reveal Reed’s face, looking as relieved as Josiah felt. Josiah wasted no time in jumping in beside him.

“Where’s your duck?” Reed asked, glancing sideways at him. “We looked all over for it.”

“Long gone, I suspect. I asked a bunch of kids to look after it, but it’s probably been broken down into parts and sold on the black market by now.

” Josiah shrugged, which hurt both his head and his shoulder, making him grimace.

“What the hell am I sitting in?” he demanded. “This isn’t an Inquisitus duck.”

“Nope. She’s mine. I was at home when you called, given it was gone midnight, and thought I’d take my own duck as she’s faster.”

“Since when do you own one of these?” Josiah raised an eyebrow.

“I wasn’t going to tell you.” Reed looked desperately embarrassed. “But after I saw Alex’s duck, I had to have one, so I splashed out and treated myself. She’s fast – much faster than a regular duck.”

“Good, we’re going to need some speed.” Josiah filled him in rapidly. “I managed to slip Alex’s chip into his pocket, so we can follow them. Request emergency access to the IS tracker database and let’s get moving.”

“Fuck it, that’s good,” Reed said admiringly. Then he barked out an order to his holopad. Within seconds, a holomap was hovering in front of them, Alex’s chip winking on it, showing his location a few miles away, crossing the lost zone at high speed. Reed swung his duck around to give chase.

“You said ‘we’ back there,” Josiah said.

“Yeah, I brought backup from Inquisitus. They’re behind us. Some of us aren’t stupid enough to go into the Canary Quarter alone.”

“If I’d taken someone with me I’d never have got in, still less found out where Neil was.”

“It was dangerous, and stupid.”

“True.” Josiah grinned. He was high on adrenaline and still in the zone, relishing every second of it.

The Destiny duck was like no vehicle Josiah had ever been in. She sliced across the water like scissors through silk, making short work of the journey, and soon they were gaining on Neil.

“Where the hell is he heading?” Reed asked, glancing at the screen.

“There’s a heliport a few miles down the river, so I’m guessing there, but nothing will be taking off in this weather, and he’s a sitting duck if he waits, so maybe he has another plan.”

“He won’t be expecting you to catch up with him.”

“No. He really should have killed me when he had the chance.” Josiah slid his hand under his jacket and felt the warm blood on his fingers. “Sorry, Cam. I’m bleeding on your fancy upholstery,” he murmured.

“What the hell…? Are you injured? Do we need to go to the hospital?” Reed demanded, looking panicked.

“No. Keep following that chip.”

“Okay, but if you bleed out on me, I’ll be furious, and not just because of the upholstery.”

“Understood.”

Josiah had to hand it to Alex. The Destiny duck was fantastic, skimming across the water with effortless ease.

“Why the hell aren’t we all driving these?” he demanded.

“Well, it was kinda pricey. Sarah gave me hell for wasting money on it, but…” Reed looked sheepish. “I just had to have it.”

“Did you know Alex designed it?”

Reed looked startled. “What? No, I didn’t.”

“Yeah. This machine almost destroyed him. Now, hopefully, it can save him.”

The duck was so fast that it soon caught up with Neil’s more sedate AV, despite his head start.

“Draw up alongside him,” Josiah ordered. “Let’s see if we can bounce him into giving up.”

Reed did as instructed, and soon they were driving neck and neck with Neil’s AV, so close that Josiah could see into it.

He opened the window and aimed his gun, but at that moment, Neil saw him and swerved in shock.

Reed swerved after him, but Neil started zigzagging across the water, weaving in and out of the busy lost zone traffic, making it almost impossible to keep abreast of him.

They lost visibility for a moment but were still able to follow the chip.

The Shard, one of London’s pre-Rising landmarks, suddenly loomed into view ahead, a huge, jagged ruin staggering up out of the water.

“He’s there.” Josiah pointed, but it was too late – Neil was coming straight at them. His AV went full force into the side of the Destiny duck, making a vicious crunching sound. Her engine cut out, and she came to a halt, a sitting duck – literally – in the water.

Neil turned his AV and chugged away, while Josiah and Reed could only sit and watch.

“Fuck it!” Reed roared, slamming his hands on the steering wheel.

“C’mon, Alex designed this duck. She won’t let us down. Turn her off and on again.” Josiah grinned at him. “That’s what you always say when I can’t get the tech working, isn’t it?”

Reed gave him a sideways look. “Don’t quote my words back to me,” he growled, but he turned her off anyway. “My poor baby. I’ve only had her a few weeks.”

“She’s insured.”

“Sure, for regular stuff. Not for high-speed chases across lost zones in the course of my work.” He pressed the ignition, and a second later, the duck hummed into life again.

“See, works every time. Now let’s get moving.”

It was impossible to see Neil’s vehicle in the gloom ahead, so they were totally reliant on following the microchip. Reed’s duck listed to one side and was making a nasty chugging sound, but at least it wasn’t letting in water – yet.

“He’s stopped…” Josiah pointed at the winking red dot, which was suddenly stationary.

“Or he’s figured out you put the chip in Alex’s pocket.”

“Shit, I hope not.”

They reached the chip’s location and found Neil’s duck abandoned outside The Shard.

It used to be the tallest building in Old London, but now half its triangular structure was buried under water, and what had once been a sharp-edged, angular top had long since fallen away, leaving an ugly, gaping wound at its pinnacle.

“Shard Quarter,” Reed muttered. “Looks like he’s holed up in there hiding. It’s huge inside.”

“Pull up by the entrance.” Josiah pointed at the huge dark hole in the side of the dull, damaged building. It had once been a shining jewel in Old London’s crown, all sharp lines and elegant features, but now it was dangerous as parts of it crumbled into the water on a daily basis.

“It’ll be like looking for a needle in a haystack,” Reed yelled.

“The chip is still moving.” Josiah pointed at the screen. “He hasn’t figured it out. I can follow them.”

“You’re not going in there without me,” Reed told him firmly.

“Fine, but your duck might not be here when we get back.”

“You mean what’s left of her.” Reed sighed.

“Fuck it, if she’s stolen, she’s stolen.

I’m not letting you go in alone. The other agents aren’t far behind.

I’ll send them our location.” Reed barked some instructions into his holopad while Josiah climbed out of the hatch.

He jumped onto the landing port and nearly passed out.

Damn it, he was still losing blood. He crouched for a moment until the dizziness passed and then stood up cautiously.

“You really should go to the hospital,” Reed said, grabbing his elbow to steady him. “But I know that’s not going to happen.”

He was right. Josiah drew his gun and took off, following the chip on Reed’s holopad hovering in front of him.

The Shard Quarter was dangerous and desperate. Most of the windows were smashed in, and nobody lived here by choice. The hopeless, pathetic people squatting here were mostly drug addicts. It wasn’t an organised little city like the Canary Quarter, it was more like a zombie town.

It stank to high heaven and bodies littered the place, both alive and dead. The croc-heads were sobbing, lost in their own little worlds, but those on the harder drugs, like sable, lay with their eyes open, gazing at nothing. It was hard to tell the living from the dead.

No drug gangs ran this place – nobody ran it. It was too shattered, too broken, for anyone to care, and the down and outs who inhabited it were too far gone to organise themselves.

Josiah followed the chip up endless dark, damp stairwells filled with broken glass, human waste, and huddled bodies. The elevators had long since stopped working, and it was a long climb up.

“Where the hell is he going?” Reed panted, pausing to hang on to the wall and get his breath back.

Josiah was glad he was in good shape. His shoulder wound was slowing him down, but he was running on pure adrenaline and his body never let him down in a crisis.

“The chip has stopped again.” He paused to gaze at the holomap floating in the air in front of him, trying to figure out the direction. “According to this, it’s right here, but…” He looked around, but there was no sign of Neil or Alex.

“It is here,” Reed said grimly, pointing to a winking red button on the filthy floor. “Looks like he finally figured it out.”

“You search the floors. I’ll keep going up,” Josiah ordered, and then he set off, without waiting for Reed’s inevitable objection.

There were fewer people up here, and with good reason. It was cold and inhospitable and there were no lights, although dawn was breaking, the watery winter sun sending tiny tendrils through the broken glass.

Josiah kept on climbing, some instinct forcing him on.

He was breathing heavily, his shirt stiff with his own blood by the time he reached the top floor.

It was a dark, open space, surrounded by the jagged remains of what had once been glass walls.

The wind had dropped now but it was still raining.

The water lashed the open structure, and nobody was stupid enough to be up here.

Even the worst drug addict knew they’d be better off in the lower levels of this godforsaken building.

He looked around at the shattered remains of a huge room covered in glass and dirt.

Damn it, he’d come too far. Neil must be further down.

Turning to go back, he heard a muffled gasp and spun around, raising his gun.

“I know you’re here, Neil,” he yelled across the open expanse. It was still too dark and the storm too vicious for him to see properly, but it was getting lighter with each passing second. “Give up. You must see it’s hopeless.”

A shot suddenly rang out, going way over his head. It was pointless to try firing in these conditions without clear sight, but Neil was desperate.

Josiah ducked behind a pillar and waited, crouching, his gun still raised. “Let Alex go,” he ordered. “If you do, it’ll count in your favour in court. I’ll make sure of that.”

“I’m never letting him go again.” Neil’s voice rang out, wild and shrieking above the sound of the storm.

“Come out and let’s discuss this in the open,” Josiah yelled. “Look, I’ll come out first.” He held his gun in the air in a gesture of surrender and edged out slowly from behind his pillar.

In the corner, he saw movement, and then suddenly, Neil appeared, dragging Alex with him, his gun pressed to Alex’s head.

“Come on now, you won’t kill him. You love him,” Josiah said, moving a little closer.

“Stand back.” Neil fired off another wild shot, which pinged off the pillar behind Josiah.

“Let him go, Neil. Look at him. He’s dead on his feet.”

Alex’s face was pinched and white, his head wound bleeding freely and his left eye bruised and bulging. He was barely able to stand.

“He’ll be fine when I get him out of here. I’ll take him to a doctor.”

“There’s no way of getting him out of here. If you kill me, there are several other Inquisitus agents behind me,” Josiah told him firmly. “Be sensible, Neil. It’s over.”

“No! Stand still .”

Gesturing with his gun, Neil grabbed Alex and pulled him backwards towards the shattered edge of the building. Then he glanced down at the dark water below.

“Don’t be a fool, man. You can’t jump,” Josiah shouted, lurching forward.

Neil pressed his gun against Alex’s temple, stopping Josiah in his tracks. His arm was pressed so tightly over Alex’s windpipe that he looked about to pass out. His arms were still tied behind his back and he was helpless, totally at Neil’s mercy.

“Stop!” Josiah put his gun on the floor. “Look, I’m not going to hurt you. I just want you to free Alex. Let’s talk about this, Neil.”

“There’s nothing left to say.” Neil looked bemused, as if he was surprised that it had turned out this way.

But then his expression hardened. He glanced over the side of the building again.

“If I can’t have him, nobody can,” he said.

He took a step backwards, and then another, and now he and Alex were right next to the shattered window.

The wind whistled around them, rustling through Neil’s hair.

“Let me go,” Alex muttered weakly, and Josiah wasn’t sure if he was talking to him or Neil.

Josiah smiled at Alex. “Trust me,” he said, and then he lunged forward, picked up his gun and fired off one shot, straight at Neil’s head.

The air cracked and there was a long, hideous pause.

Neil began falling backwards, taking Alex with him.

Josiah lurched forward, storming across the short distance that separated them.

He saw Alex, with every last inch of his strength, ram his elbow into Neil’s ribs, and Neil finally let go of him as he fell out of the window, arms thrashing.

Alex tried to fight the momentum, flailing at the edge, but he couldn’t right himself and went over, too.

Josiah reached the window just as he fell, threw out his hand and felt it latch on to the collar of Alex’s shirt. He stood there for a moment, bracing himself against the edge, fearing he’d go over as well, and then a strange calm came over him.

“Come on, soldier. It doesn’t end like this.

” He wasn’t sure if he was talking to himself or if he was hearing Peter again.

It didn’t matter. Somehow, from somewhere, he found the strength to reel Alex back in, dragging him over the jagged edge and landing him gasping on the floor, like a fish out of water.

Glancing over the side, he saw Neil had hit the water, taking the Quarterlands Splash.

He wouldn’t survive that, even if his bullet hadn’t already killed him.

Exhausted, he crouched down beside Alex.

“Hey, you.” He gently touched Alex’s face. He was soaking wet and freezing cold, shivering and in shock.

“You should have let me fall.” He sounded bone-weary and defeated.

“Never.”

He hoisted Alex up, ignoring the shooting pain in his shoulder, and carried him towards the stairwell. Alex closed his eyes, resting his head against Josiah’s blood-drenched shoulder, and passed out.