Chapter 11
Ben paced back and forth on a street corner in the Old Town Triangle. It was going to be one hell of a day, he thought. This unknown leaper was planning something—but what? When? And where?
Relief came as a hologram appeared beside him.
“Hey Ben. It’s good to see you.”
“Jenn,” he said, shoulders relaxing a little, “welcome to the nightmare. What have you got for me? Please tell me it’s something. I don’t even know what the City Clerk’s wife looks like.”
Jenn puffed her cheeks, letting out a breath. “Oh, Ben. This one’s really got Ziggy stumped, I gotta tell ya.”
“Yeah, I know—Sam told me already. But is there any data that could help track down this lady? I’m kind of flying blind here, you know?”
“Well, we’ve got a photo for you—so that’s a start.” Jenn peered down at the handlink, making gestures on it. An image projected from the centre, showing a smiling blond woman of around forty to fifty years of age. Her teeth were perfectly straight and bright white. She certainly looked like a politician’s wife, Ben thought.
Jenn closed the image and continued to swipe at the surface of the handlink. “Let’s see… oh! We just picked up an anomalous transaction at a convenience store, due south. Looks like our leaper… bought a bottle of Diet Coke and a sandwich about five minutes ago. That’s weird; she steals a gun from a pawn shop but she’ll pay for food from a different store?”
“Guns have waiting periods, right?” Ben shrugged—it wasn’t exactly useful to speculate on the logistics of thievery when he had to get moving. “Now, which way do I go?”
Jenn pointed in a direction down the street. “That way, six blocks. Better hurry, huh?”
Ben nodded and broke into a run.
Four blocks later, Jenn was waiting for him on another corner. He slowed down, wheezing. He felt a dull pain in his chest, and stopped as he began to worry about James’s heart.
“Okay, I think I’d better walk the rest of the way,” he said, still puffing. “I don’t like the way that run made me feel.”
Jenn nodded. “Yeah, your heart rate’s gone a little erratic… take it easy for now.”
Ben began walking again, spotting the convenience store. “Okay, so she was there some minutes ago—where do you think she might have gone next?”
He dropped the volume of his voice as he neared a few people sitting on a bus stop bench by the road, next to a home appliance store. In the window was a large screen television with a familiar face on it.
“Hey, that’s Ross Kennedy,” Ben said in a voice just above a whisper. “He slapped me on the back this morning.”
“Fascinating,” Jenn said without enthusiasm, her attention directed at the handlink.
Ben was about to ask her for an update when a familiar face appeared on the television, sitting at the end of the news desk. Blond hair, perfect teeth…
“Jenn,” he whispered fiercely. “It’s her. She’s at the station getting interviewed right now!”
“Oh, crap…” Jenn said, grimacing. “Wait, was Ziggy wrong about the sandwich? She can’t possibly have got to the station that fast.” She smacked the handlink. “Ian!” she called out, “Ziggy’s all screwy!”
Ignoring her, Ben burst into the store, turning up the volume of the TV so he could listen.
“Welcome to the news desk, Missus Cartwright,” Ross said in a cordial tone, much more professional than his banter with Ben earlier.
“It’s lovely to be here with you, Ross,” Margaret Cartwright said smoothly, smiling with her sparkling, perfect set of teeth.
“Now I understand you have some sort of an announcement,” Ross said, turning to the camera. “Exclusive to CMFTV Action News—you’re hearing it here first.”
“I sure do, Ross,” she said as the camera switched to a front-on shot of her. She looked down the barrel of the camera. “I have a vitally important message for the people of this city.”
She drew the gun, cocking it. “And I’d like not to have to use this, but it all depends on one thing.”
“Oh my god...” Ben croaked.
Ben’s urgent turning up of the television had attracted a few people towards the store window, each staring at the scene playing out with dropped jaws.
The leaper was still looking sweetly into the camera, running a finger over the gun barrel, which was now pointed at Ross.
“I have but one request,” she said evenly. “I’m looking for someone who doesn’t belong. All he has to do is come to the station, and Ross here gets to live.”
“Ma’am…” Ross said, hands raised. “Please reconsider…”
“You have thirty minutes to get here…” She leaned towards the camera with a stony glare, “…you know who you are.” As quickly as it had appeared, the serious expression vanished, becoming a bright, empty smile once again. “Oh, goodness me, I nearly forgot to mention the bomb at City Hall. If anyone but the man I'm looking for comes in this studio, well…” She winked. “I’ll leave that one to the imagination!”
The broadcast abruptly switched to coloured bars and a tone.
Ben felt ice in his veins as he looked at Jenn. “Do you think they’ve been noticing me the same way as we’ve been noticing them?”
Jenn was lost for words. “I don’t know, Ben. I… I don’t know. This is just… awful.”
“I need to get back to the station.”
He opened the door of the store, spotting a vacant taxi driving down the road, conveniently. He stepped to the kerb and—another man just in front of him waved his arms for the cab, which pulled over for him.
“Wait!” Ben cried, hurrying towards him. “You don’t understand, I need this taxi. Please.”
“I’m sorry, but this is an emergency,” the dark-skinned man said.
“I’ve got an emergency too,” Ben argued.
“Well I’m sorry, but I hailed this cab,” said the man just before jumping into the taxi. Ben grabbed the door before he could close it and jumped in beside him.
“What are you doing?” the man shouted. “This is my cab, okay? Get your own!” He pulled a Diet Coke bottle from his satchel bag and began batting it against Ben’s arm.
Ben ignored this and leaned toward the cab driver. “Sir, I need you to take me to the CMFTV station, please.”
This caused the man beside him to stop.
“That’s where I’m headed…” he said, eyeing Ben suspiciously.
Ben shut the cab door. “Okay then, we’ll go together.”
The cab driver shrugged at this development, and pulled into the street.
“So you… you saw the situation on the TV, didn’t you?” Ben asked. He realised that this man had been one of the people sitting on the bench when he’d arrived at the storefront. He was maybe thirty, and wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Ben couldn’t imagine why a guy who looked like this would be heading straight for a hostage situation.
“Yeah,” said the man. “So why would you want to go there?”
“I was about to ask you that same question,” Ben said. “But if you must know… I’m a reporter for that station. I know the anchor personally. My name is James Reed.”
“I see…” the man said, looking out the window with a pensive expression.
Ben narrowed his eyes, studying the man closely. “Well?”
The man turned his head. “Well what?”
“Why are you going to the station?”
He sighed. “I can’t explain. I just… need to go there.”
Ben frowned. That was possibly the most suspicious thing he could have said in response to that question.
At this point, Jenn appeared on the seat between them.
“Got a car pool going?” she said. “Listen, we’re trying to call Sam back in, but for now you’re stuck with me, so all I have to tell you is don’t confront her directly; you’ll get yourself killed real quick that way.”
“Did… you say something just now?” the man asked, squinting as he looked towards Ben.
“No…”
“Huh… I—I thought I heard my name,” the man said, rubbing his eyes as if he were trying to focus them.
Ben felt a strange sense of déjà vu at this.
“What is your name?” he asked.
“Nick…” he said. “Uh, Bowers.”
“Nice to meet you, Nick.”
“Okay,” Jenn said. “Kinda weird. I said the word ‘quick’ and he thought he heard his name. Ben, you don’t think…”
“Hey… listen, would you be able to get me into the station?” Nick continued. “If you really work there, you could smuggle me in, right?”
Ben pursed his lips. “Why would I want to do that? I don’t want to put you in any danger. That lady is armed!”
Nick ran a hand through his braided hair. “I know. But…” He shut his eyes. “I’m the only one who can put a stop to this, because…” He opened his eyes again, fixing his gaze on Ben. “I’m the one she wants.”
Ben and Jenn exchanged a confused look.
“Pardon?”