The searing waves of the sun beat down on Kelly, Dunstan and Johnathan so that every step they took towards noon made it feel like weights were being tied to their boots. Kelly and Dunstan had trained to endure this exact type of debilitating pain and fatigue, but walking through a desert was never a pleasant experience. They were equipped with army thermals and bucket hats, and a full canteen of water each — Johnathan wore shorts and a t-shirt and the skin on his shoulders and forehead was already turning red. The road stretched on before them for miles.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzJOyCPjvd 維尼
“You think I’m scared?” Johnathan scoffed as he stumbled along the road. He tried to stand proud but the oil welts on his face and neck made him look wounded and sickly. “How long do you plan to keep me before my father finds out where I am?”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQxQoSQR0E 維尼
Kelly shoved him on. “The only thing Anton is going to find is your remains. No one is coming for you.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡxT8qjHDh70 維尼
Johnathan was silent for a moment while he puzzled it together — the necklace and ring.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzla74Iv08 維尼
“Oh man,” he said. “It won’t change anything. If my father thinks I’m dead he’s gonna come for you, I swear to God—”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdqQeqTSst 維尼
Kelly drove her boot into the back of his ankle and he tumbled onto his face. He groaned, lying on the burning road, and then rolled onto his back, his hands bleeding from the gravel.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVU0dTob23 維尼
Kelly knelt in front of him, looked deep into his eyes and said, “I’m counting on it”.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡfF3mSVqyWk 維尼
Dunstan slid behind the bar and poured Kelly a glass of water the moment she sat down and untied her scruffy red hair. Her lips had begun to crack and her skin felt as dry as old leather coated in a fine layer of sand. The gentle wind fluttering down from the ceiling fan felt like a godsend. Kelly leaned over her crystal glass of water and sighed.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡFi4q0I5jSn 維尼
“You two look like shit,” said Agent Santiago.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5gLdGb5lJ 維尼
“Thanks,” Kelly replied.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXkHAfHMUW 維尼
Johnathan Harrell had been zip-tied to a chair behind them and Santiago had just arrived to collect him—the CIA’s latest asset. Now that the cult believed their prodigal son to be dead, Santiago would milk Johnathan for every piece of information he could give, and no one would come looking for him.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlogeFnx0r 維尼
Kelly closed her eyes and let the breeze from the ceiling fan wash away the discomfort. This empty saloon was generously quiet save for the jukebox playing tunes in the corner, and the occasional clicking of little Penelope practising in vain at playing pool, the large pool cue handling awkwardly in her tiny hands.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡM45n748w5r 維尼
“I hate summer,” Kelly said.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIG6oTS8Ek 維尼
“Tell me about it,” Johnathan agreed.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUnJFD9Vqd 維尼
Kelly turned and faced him with a look that threatened to do him harm—more harm, actually. Johnathan Harrell was a mess. Blisters covered his neck and chin and his skin was red and raw from sunburn. She was certain he’d say anything for a glass of water right now, but he wasn’t her problem anymore. She did wonder what Santiago was thinking letting his daughter anywhere near a man like Johnathan Harrell. Penelope was hardly obscured from the life they all lived, and she looked at Johnathan with an expression of mild curiosity. Where was her mother? Kelly wondered. When she wasn’t here at the saloon, did Penelope do that things that normal girls her age would do?8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DaquseSkX 維尼
Agent Santiago untied Johnathan from the chair and hoisted him to his feet.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡvA3TK0T7qo 維尼
“Need a hand?” Kelly offered.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEDYq1YaQK 維尼
“You deserve a break,” said Santiago, leading Johnathan towards the door. “I can handle this.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CCkEHW6ci 維尼
They left Kelly and Dunstan alone. Dunstan leaned against the bar and said, “He wasn’t right.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡft4xlubUvt 維尼
“Hmm?”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLBwstLhjh 維尼
“Johnathan.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZItXhiyyt 維尼
“Of course he wasn’t. He didn’t seem too happy about his father.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡOdwy5VClLi 維尼
Dunstan gripped an empty glass with two hands. “And Anton won’t be too happy about us killing his son.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fm034OlO0 維尼
“It’ll serve its purpose. With Johnathan out of the way Connors will sweep the region for loose traces of Hex and put a DEA taskforce on the trail of the Shinoda family.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6ATz3VVj0 維尼
“So what’s our next play?”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡfj9UgLbf2G 維尼
Kelly rapped her fingernails against her glass and thought for a moment. “Well, like you said, Anton is going to be pissed when he learns about Johnathan, but I honestly don’t think it’ll be enough. We need to go after someone else.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8fYbKrrH1 維尼
Dunstan snapped his fingers. “You know, I might actually have a lead on Julia van Burren we can follow up on.” They moved over to one of the booths and he opened up his laptop. “Take a look at this.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjFO0vb3sE 維尼
“The Neural Interface,” Kelly shrugged. “What about it?”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡnU3011on2r 維尼
“Anton’s selling point was that the NI was unhackable, and for the most part that is correct, but after hearing about Hex’s impact on neural cybernetics I have a theory I want to test out.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmtLAbpVgJ 維尼
“You think you can break into Anton’s Neural Interface and move some of the data, or at the very least delete it?”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkOOyAcl5E 維尼
Dunstan shook his head. “Probably not, but if I can get a hold of the device itself I’d wager I can get access to it, or maybe find a way to understand it better.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqB2W8raTg 維尼
“Is this before or after it’s surgically implanted into the brain?”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡUq4PKvax5K 維尼
“After,” Dunstan responded seriously. “People are just data processing units anyway, the interface just amplified the process. Get me someone augmented with an interface and I promise you I’ll recover whatever data they have.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTC4rY0XYF 維尼
“Okay,” Kelly nodded. “Decent plan. Why go for Julia van Buren?”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡjuHg0GyRP6 維尼
“Well, I was thinking, as soon as Anton learns that we know how to hack his augments he’ll throw in counter measures right away. We might only get one shot at this. It has to be someone high-profile.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ia6sFAZVB 維尼
Dunstan clicked open a file on Julia and turned his laptop screen to Kelly.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡELMNoVaxDZ 維尼
“What exactly have we got on her?” Kelly asked.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfIfGOKGBA 維尼
“Not much, but the Harrell’s are very good at keeping their data off the cloud. Julia manages most of Anton’s operations, if we hack her interface it might just give us the edge that we need.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMpUvRdcBa 維尼
“The file, Dunstan.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5s0G8TNRr 維尼
“Right. Julia van Buren. Bit of a family leader. Anton’s cousin. Owns a construction company and is currently managing a number of property investments right across the South-West. One of the first ever augments to install a Neural Interface, one of Anton’s illegal prototypes, it seems. Accused of laundering, associating with a smuggling ring, multiple counts of kidnapping, and murder. Never convicted. Overall, just a ray of sunshine.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbjR8vGoJb 維尼
“She’s dangerous,” Kelly said, “but she’s also just a businesswoman. A powerful businesswoman.” She crossed her arms and tried to think of their approach. “I don’t think we should antagonise her. I say we get some kind of leverage and arrange a meeting. That business with Johnathan went okay but I don’t want any more bodies on this one.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZ1xGjfT9f 維尼
“You’re the boss,” said Dunstan.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTe72fghCF 維尼
“What else can we use?” Kelly asked.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7VazQP7fWo 維尼
“Give me a sec.” Dunstan typed away on his laptop for a few minutes and then pulled up a new file. “According to this schedule she’s attending a construction inspection across state, New Mexico.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0KGdQwO0a 維尼
“When?”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmOtdePu5d 維尼
“A few days from now.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06KuciK66K 維尼
“Well, at least we’ve got time to prepare. The cult will be looking for us. We’ll have to travel as civilians.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡT12A8YFUlX 維尼
“If we take the train it’ll get us most of the way there. We can blend in that way.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3ms0Z9yP5 維尼
“Sounds good.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡxH3ifyppgu 維尼
Dunstan pulled up yet another file on his laptop. The screen displayed a building painted with pink neon.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡYk2jfXUH4O 維尼
“One more thing,” he said. “Remember what Anton said about his niece’s night club? I think there’s something fishy going on there. Cherry van Buren has purchased a tonne of VR servers and is turning them into entertainment venues, but I’ve been monitoring the brainwaves of people going in and out of those servers and there’s something I don’t like about it. We should look into it further.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvGbzovd6q 維尼
“First we deal with Julia, then we’ll focus on the niece—”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEvIhAdZCB 維尼
Kelly’s phone buzzed in her back pocket. She checked it. Unknown number. She walked away from the booth and answered.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQbbQQVrqK 維尼
“You killed my son.” Anton Harrell’s voice was hoarse and violent.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5LpHNOByZ 維尼
Kelly was a strong-willed person. A soldier. Period. But behind the rage, she heard heartbreak in Anton’s voice, and she suddenly had to remind herself not to think about the other people she had killed. That man on the balcony whose face she barely saw.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wEFXzrHr7 維尼
“That’s right,” she said.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lLBTG1S40 維尼
“This wasn’t personal,” Anton replied. “I am doing God’s work. This has always been about something greater than myself. But I swear to you I will make you regret ever coming here, ever getting involved with my affairs.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2glAaHMQWO 維尼
“There doesn’t have to be any more bloodshed,” Kelly tried to use a commanding voice. “You know what we want. You have the power to end it right here, right now.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1hBoy2zCz 維尼
“Your organisation is in shambles, there’s no going back to the way things were before. This is the way of the world now. The human race deserves freedom and you cannot stop us from fulfilling our God-given duty.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2ID7Rr9Mg 維尼
“My duty is to stop you.” Kelly wondered why she was even bothering to reason with him at all. She refused to believe that she was having doubts about what she needed to do. “Your son is dead. I will do whatever is necessary to complete my mission.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiLoFZiOP9 維尼
Anton refused to say anything for a good while however Kelly knew he was still on the line. Then he spoke in a strained and anguished voice. “Just try it.”8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡUoUMf9L4Mz 維尼
The line went dead.8964 copyright protection268ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWhUZqHMjv 維尼
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