BABYLON BLACK: Moreno Samurai Chapter 22

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Exodus of the Damned

It had been a long night. The men were exhausted. But there was still much more to be done.

The presence of TBCs at the chapter house was a smoking gun. It didn’t take long for Clark to secure a warrant from a sympathetic judge. Once the casualties were evacuated to hospital and the chapter house handed over to secular deputies, the SRT rolled out.

The Moreno shard of the Singularity Network was a cold monolith of glass and steel. A testimony to the power of the Network, a declaration of commitment to the Deus Ex Machina, a stronghold for all who believed in the vision of birthing a god from silicon and code.

It was empty.

The lights were out, the doors locked, the parking lots empty. The SRT-STS combined element smashed in the doors and swept the building. Floor by floor, room by room, they found the detritus of a hastily abandoned operation.

Ultramodern furniture sat forlornly in their corners, either pushed out of the way or left behind for the next group of occupants. Dusty outlines on walls and floors suggested computers and servers, now missing. File cabinets stood empty, their drawers fully extended like mocking tongues. What few machines that could not be evacuated were forever mute, bricked by weapons-grade encryption software.

The team moved slowly, carefully, wary of booby traps and automated defenses. It took the team the better part of three hours before they were certain the shard was secure.

Once reinforcements arrived on the scene, the SRT rolled out again.

This time they hit the hotel. They demanded the names and rooms of every known Guild and Singularity Network who had booked a room. The hotel staff immediately complied, compiling a list. The SRT went from door to door, raiding every room.

Dry hole.

Over and over and over again.

Everyone was gone. Some rooms showed signs of recent habitation. Unmade bedsheets, used glasses, water in the shower cubicle and sink. But there was no luggage, nor any sign of occupants.

In towns across the island, the scene repeated itself. The SRT dropped in at the local inn, motel or hotel. They breached the rooms of guests affiliated with the New Gods. They found nothing.

They returned to MISD HQ in the morning. Inside the conference room, Sheriff Clark dropped another bombshell.

“The deputies who belong to the Singularity Network have upped and vanished.”

Yuri blinked through a haze of fatigue. The adrenaline of combat had burnt out long ago. His body wanted to shut down, to recover, to restore the strength he had expended. His head still hurt, his lungs still ached, but it didn’t matter. He was still on the clock.

“What happened?” he asked.

“The Sinners on the night watch didn’t answer my radio hails. When their supervisors went to check on them, they found that their homes were empty. They’d just packed their things and left. The Sinners on the morning watch didn’t show up for roll call either. I’ve sent deputies to look for them, but I suspect we’ll see the same result.”

“Have the New Gods conceded Moreno?” Kayla wondered.

“Only one way to find out,” Clark said.

All through the day, the MISD prioritized cleaning house. Deputies dropped in on homes and known haunts of the Sinners among their ranks, finding no trace of them. Detectives scoured security camera footage, trying to crack the mystery.

Clark visited the homes of the dead.

Every Guildsman who had assaulted the chapter house had a family. Parents, siblings, wives, children. Every one of them deserved to know the fate of their men. Though they might be sworn to a nominally hostile power, they were still human. That much she could address.

She delivered the bad news herself. There was a major operation the previous night. Unfortunately, their men were killed in action. They had displayed remarkable bravery and integrity. She was proud to have served alongside them. Until the investigation was complete, she could not provide more details.

Every visit ended in a detonation of grief, sorrow, pain, shock, disbelief, rage. Clark took it all in, comforting everyone she could while still maintaining her professional mien. Two trusted deputies, both seculars, provided support—and, if necessary, backup.

No one tried to kill her.

The SRT and the cadre spent a few precious hours recovering from the exertions of the previous night. They cleaned their gear and topped off their magazines. They showered off the blood and dirt and filth. They ate and drank. Some even managed to sleep.

In the late afternoon, they were operational again.

A dragnet descended on Moreno. Every key member of the Guild and the Singularity Network was on the MISD’s target deck. The SRT went after the most dangerous among them. The criminals, the civil servants, the wolves in sheep’s clothing.

They were all gone.

Every important personage was gone. They weren’t at their homes, they weren’t at their workplaces, they weren’t anywhere to be found. Witnesses reported seeing them hustle their families into vehicles and driving off. Whether into the unmapped interior of the island or towards the ports of exits, they couldn’t tell.

As dusk fell, a crowd gathered at the ferry terminal. For the first time in living memory, there were more people than available seats on the evening ferry. A second ferry, a private charter, pulled up in the pier to pick up everybody else.

With so few deputies left and so much to do, the MISD nearly missed it.

Only an enterprising deputy, whose patrol route happened to take him past the terminal, saw what happened. After making some discreet inquiries, he learned that the passengers were all members of the Guild, setting sail for Babylon.

All of them were connected to the Guildsmen wanted by the MISD.

It was an exodus of the damned. And there was nothing the MISD could do about it. There were no criminals in the crowd, no legal justification to prevent the free flow of people between the island and the mainland. The best the MISD could do was crowd control, to ensure the evacuation occurred smoothly.

The following morning, what was left of the MISD reported at the secure parking lot of MISD HQ. Thirty-two sworn deputies and detectives. Less than one-third of the force Clark had inherited when she stepped up to the plate.

She gave them the once-over. They were all exhausted, confused, uncertain of the future of the department. She saw the weariness in their eyes, the tension in their shoulders, the hard looks they gave each other. And her.

And the cadre standing off to the side.

This wasn’t something Yuri Yamamoto and his crew could help her with. This was something she had to handle herself. Either she rallied her deputies—or the MISD would collapse.

“Deputies, I’m sure y’all know by now what happened over the past two days. There was a dust-up between the Guild and the Singularity Network. We put a stop to it, then raided their houses of worship to find those responsible for the violence.

“Very few law enforcement agencies can say they’ve stopped a conflict between the New Gods, and even fewer have followed up to address the roots of the problem. We did. We took an oath to serve and protect the people, and that is exactly what we did.

“The followers of the New Gods did not.

“I’m sure you noticed that there’s a lot fewer people today. The Sinners among us have disappeared. They took their families with them and fled. They chose to abandon their oath. I don’t expect them to return to duty. Therefore, effective immediately, they are all terminated from the MISD.

“We used to have a number of Guildsmen too. Against my express orders, they responded to the raid on the chapter house. After the SRT secured the scene, they moved in. They intended to reclaim the chapter house and obstruct the course of justice. I ordered them to stand down. They refused. The SRT ordered them to stay back. They attacked.

“The SRT was forced to defend itself with everything they had at their disposal. In the end, they killed every offender at the scene.

“It brings me no joy to state any of this. The MISD is supposed to serve all people. Instead, the New Gods prioritized their own. The Sinners abandoned us. The Guildsmen attacked us. They left us with no choice. We had to do what we had to do.

“Betrayal is the only truth that sticks. No one wants to see a law enforcement officer fire on another, especially in anger. Never before have we seen a betrayal like this of such magnitude. We will do everything in our power to ensure this will never happen again.

“When I was elected, I promised that change would come. The winds of change have arrived, though I don’t think any of us wanted this kind of change. This is a tough time for all of us. But I believe we are stronger than this. We will close this dark chapter in our history and move forward. We will persevere. We will continue to uphold the law. We will continue to carry out our duty.

“We will rebuild. We will recruit more personnel to make up the numbers. We will do everything it takes to protect our homes and loved ones. We will pull through.

“All of you are the finest deputies I’ve ever served with. It’s been my great honor to serve alongside you. I know we are up to the challenge ahead. Together, we will create a better future for all of us.”

Someone clapped.

Then another.

A third.

Then a torrent of applause washed over her.

She exhaled softly, releasing the tension within, soaking in their approval. She had garnished the truth a little, but not too much. Just enough to achieve the desired effect.

God. I’m already thinking like a politician!

She was becoming the kind of person she had railed against. The liars and manipulators who had rotated through the office of the sheriff. The only difference between her and them was that they sought only to serve themselves and their gods, while she sought to serve the people and God. She was doing this not because she wanted to, but because she saw no other choice.

She hoped it was enough.

For her and for God.

It took the detectives three more days to figure out what had happened during and after the raid on the chapter house. After they had submitted their report to Clark, she summoned the SRT and the cadre to MISD HQ for an impromptu conference.

In the hours leading up to the raid on the Guild chapter house, eight Superusers of the Singularity Network departed the hotel and ensconced themselves in the shard. The Sinner deputies abandoned their patrol routes and returned home to their families.

The second the cyborg hacker shot himself, the Sinners swung into action. The Superusers evacuated the shard, along with the night staff and the sysadmin formerly known as Nat Byron. All of them carted out machines, computers, and other strange devices, packing them into gravtrucks. Once everyone was aboard, the vehicles took off for Babylon.

Meanwhile, the Sinner deputies gathered their families, then congregated at the beaches east of Saint Lucille. Detectives found scores of abandoned ground cars at parking lots and curb sides. Despite the winds and weather, they found a few shoeprints leading to the shore. Their best guess was that they had evacuated over the waters, either by boat or gravity vehicle.

The entire operation was superbly coordinated. As expected of a hive mind. Every member of the Network was linked to everybody else. Everyone on the Net would know when someone dies or drops off the grid. Once the Will of the Net determined that the raid had failed, it swiftly repivoted to bring their people to Babylon.

The Guild couldn’t match their level of organization. But they came close.

When word began to leak from the chapter house, the Guild mobilized. In complete secrecy, they organized two waves of evacuations. Every senior member of the Guild who could be connected to unlawful activity reported to the ferry terminal in time to catch the morning ferry. The rest stayed behind to coordinate the remaining members and their families. By the time Clark finished her house visits, the Guild was already completing its final preparations. When night fell, every member of the Guild was gone.

The speed and level of organization spoke of long preparation, possibly even rehearsals. The New Gods had plans for everything, including the possibility of failure. When the Sinners and the Guild arrived at Moreno, conflict between them became inevitable. The only question was who would come to dominate the island.

The result: neither.

Why they chose to evacuate was something else entirely.

The raid on the Guild chapter house was a high risk move. If they had succeeded, the Singularity Network would break the back of the Guild in Saint Lucille, and in turn the island. This would justify the greater risk in moving more forces from the mainland to solidify their grasp.

The failure of the raid would invite massive retaliation from the Guild. The Sinners would have to consolidate their forces and prepare for the backlash. They couldn’t abandon their members—and most importantly, their machines—in Moreno. Evacuation was the least worst option available to the Moreno shard.

It was also the worst move they could have made.

The Sinners could have dominated the island. The Guild couldn’t resist them now. All they had to do was stay. Instead, they had chosen to flee. A rare mistake, one that Clark and the MISD would exploit to the fullest.

As for the Guild, committing their forces to the counterattack was an equally high risk move. But it was the only move they could play. Assembling and flying in forces from the mainland would take too long, especially since the Sinners had compromised their data center. They had to take back control of the chapter house and keep everyone—including the MISD—from breaching their secure data.

With all their deputies dead, they had lost a significant portion of their combat power, and all their influence in the MISD. Any retaliation from the Sinners would come in the form of a massed cyberattack, with a physical raid hot on its heels. The Sinners might even make a bid to take the island by force.

And there was the SRT.

They had proven they would take on anyone. Led by a cadre of ex-STS operators, they had fought back against the New Gods and inflicted grievous wounds on them. It wasn’t impossible for the New Gods to wipe them out—but doing so would take more resources than they could spare.

It was why the Sinners and the Guild had committed so few shooters. It was all they could spare for Moreno Island. The rest of their soldiers, especially their top-flight operators, were all needed for the shadow wars on the mainland.

It was the only reason the team had survived.

The next big question was why the soldiers of the New Gods hadn’t simply melted into the swamps to conduct an insurgency. Or, rather, how many had.

The possibility could not be discounted. The Sinners had evacuated their people at a remote beach, far from prying eyes. The only evidence were the abandoned vehicles. Perhaps the noncombatants had fled for Babylon, while the combatants headed to the swamps. Or perhaps it was a misdirection, and everyone except the senior leadership was lying low in the dark heart of Moreno.

As for the Guild, the detectives were still trying to figure out the true extent of the evacuation. The ferry terminal kept no records of the identities of passengers, and there were no facial recognition cameras anywhere near the terminal. Other Guild members might have taken a boat or a gravcar elsewhere. Still others could have vanished into the swamps too.

The MISD would only know the true extent of the flight in the coming days and weeks, as the deputies checked in on abandoned homes, businesses and properties. But they were stretched extremely thin, and would stay that way until Clark managed to beef up their numbers once more.

If there were holdouts hiding out in the swamps, preparing to launch a guerrilla campaign, then at any moment the island could erupt into a second conflagration.

“Which is why we have to leave,” Yuri said.

“Leave? Why?” Clark demanded.

“We had an agreement with the New Gods. We leave them alone, they leave us alone. That agreement is gone. And this time, we have no plausible deniability. The Sinners and the Guild know we hit them. They know we supported the SRT. There’s no hiding what we did this time.”

“They attacked you first, didn’t they?” Clark said.

“Doesn’t matter who attacked who. As far as the New Gods are concerned, the agreement is off. We are back on their blacklist. The Sinners, the Guild, or both might make another run at us. At me. And this time, they’ll come in force.”

“All the more reason for you to stay. We can back you up.”

“They won’t come here if they know I’m not in Moreno,” Yuri replied.

The best way to do that was to pop up on their radar somewhere else on the mainland. But once he did that, they’d never stop hunting him.

“We have families, too,” Kayla said. “They’ll go after them. We have to make sure they’re safe.”

“I understand. You can bring your folks here. We’ve got plenty of vacancies now.”

“Appreciate your offer,” Kayla said.

“I’ll talk to my parents but…” Yuri sighed and shook his head. “They’re as stubborn as goats.”

“They’ll have friends in my folks,” James said.

“I’ll let them know. For what good that’ll do.”

“They might invade us anyway if you’re not around,” Lucas said.

He’d gotten off lightly. The second grenade had given him a hell of a concussion, but that was all. Technically he was still on medical leave. He didn’t have to be here. He had to pop painkillers just to remain functional. His team needed him—but he wasn’t fit to fight.

Cortez wasn’t so lucky. He was still warded. The hospital had stabilized him, but they couldn’t save his leg. Too much damage. His next best hope was to undergo cybernetic augmentation surgery in Babylon. Preferably at a private hospital, free from the influence of the New Gods.

If the call came right now, the SRT needed a leader who was combat-ready.

“Which is why I’m staying,” James said.

“You’re signing up as a deputy?” Yuri asked.

“MISD is going to need a few good men. Here I am.”

“More than a few,” Kayla said.

“A guerrilla war could break out at any moment,” Clark said. “We need to prepare the MISD for that. I want to bring him aboard as an instructor, to bring our recruits up to speed and to pass on advanced skills to our deputies.”

And, no doubt, to lead the MISD in combat should the worst come to pass.

“We’d love to have him on the SRT too,” Lucas said.

“That can be arranged,” Clark said, “if you’re agreeable to it.”

“I’d like that,” James said.

“The two of you are welcome to join us,” Clark said, now turning to Yuri and Kayla. “It doesn’t have to be right now. You can come back after you sort out your affairs.”

“Maybe,” Yuri said. “Maybe. But for now… I hear Babylon calling. Of course, if the New Gods make a move on Moreno again, call me.”

“Understood. What about you, Kayla?”

She smiled, turning to Yuri.

“Where he goes, I’m going.”

The ferry terminal was deserted.

The bustle of the evacuation had long passed, all traces so thoroughly removed it was like a dream that had burned away in the first rays of the sun. Now it was just him and her, sitting at a bench waiting for the ferry.

The setting sun painted the waters in sheets of gold. At the horizon, light touched the skyscrapers of distant Babylon, the edifices joining the heavens and waters in pillars of reflected fire. From this far away, it was so easy to miss the shadows that riddled the underbelly of the megapolis.

Seagulls called. Huge freighters plied the shipping routes that connected Babylon to the world. Tugboats and yachts wended between them. The scent of the sea, sharp and vivid, mingled with the odors of old rubber and motor fuel. Here, in this moment, peace filled his heart.

It wouldn’t last. But for now, it was enough.

“Where to next?” she asked.

“We can’t stay in Babylon. The New Gods would expect that. They may have watchers at the terminal. The second we arrive, we have to push off.”

“We could call Karim. Have him arrange for a diversion.”

“I’ll bet he’ll enjoy it.”

They exchanged a chuckle.

After leaving MISD HQ, the cadre returned to the Wood family farm. They sat down for a huge lunch, the first time Yuri had seen the Woods actually sit down for lunch. The food was superb, the conversation light, the mood cozy.

They weren’t in any hurry to finish, but farm work never waited. When the Woods returned to their chores, Yuri and Kayla packed up.

James saw them to the terminal. Yuri shook his hand. Kayla gave him a sisterly hug.

“Until next time,” Yuri said.

“We’ll be waiting,” James said.

James took off in his gravcar. Yuri and Kayla bought tickets to Babylon.

And now here they were, seated side by side, luggage close to hand, concealed handguns within easy reach.

Just in case.

“Are you going to meet your family?” she asked.

“I’ve warned my parents. That’s all I can do. I bet the Sinners and everybody else will be watching them.”

“Will they listen this time?”

“Doubtful. But I have to try.”

She laughed. “Well, at least my folks take the threat seriously. They’re squirreled away in a small town up in the mountains. If things get bad, though, they’re ready to evacuate.”

“To Moreno?”

“Yeah. We carved out a safe haven here. I can’t believe it, but… here we are.”

“It might not last. The New Gods don’t like ceding territory. If they feel they can come back, they will. In force.”

“It feels like we’re always on the run, always hiding.”

“And occasionally, we can strike back.”

Kayla exhaled.

“It’s been… almost three years of this. It gets exhausting.”

“The New Gods are on the back foot now. There’s time for a break.”

“You? A break? You’re serious?”

He chuckled.

“We’re not machines. We can take some time off now and then.”

“And how do you plan to spend your break?”

“I don’t think I’ve visited Zen and Marcie yet. Figured I should drop by, see how they’re doing.”

“They’ll appreciate it.”

“Want to come along too?”

A smile touched her lips.

“Why not?”

“While we’re at it, we could see your folks too.”

Her smile grew wider.

“Really? And why do you want to do that?”

“Might as well, right?”

They laughed.

“And what happens after that?” she asked.

Yuri exhaled.

“Then we go back to war.”

“Once a soldier, always a soldier.”

“That’s how it is.”

“I never thought I’d be swept up in a guerrilla war when I signed up for the STS. I mean, we were briefed on the possibility, but…”

“It’s too late to back out now.”

“Gee, maybe I shouldn’t have joined the STS after all.”

“But if you hadn’t, then you wouldn’t be here right now.”

Her eyes sparkled.

“That’s true.”

They sat in silence, watching the sunset. The ferrymen met up nearby. Yakking loudly, they sauntered to the pier, where their boat awaited.

“You know, this is the first time since you’re returned that we’re leaving a place without parting ways,” she said.

He pursed his lips.

“Yeah. How about that…”

“We finally have a chance to go somewhere together too.”

“That’s… nice.”

She pouted.

“‘Nice’? That’s it?”

He laughed.

“Sorry. I’ve been at war for so long, I… I guess it’s not easy to describe things like this.”

“I understand.”

The fading light kissed her bronzed skin. She looked at him, eyes wide open, taking in all of him. Her red hair cascaded down to her shoulders like a waterfall of living fire. Her lips were arched into an expression so subtle it could almost be called a smile.

“I’d appreciate having you tag along,” he said.

“Someone needs to keep an eye out for you.”

His gray eyes, normally as cold and piercing as the point of a spear, softened and sparkled like the sea.

“Wherever we’re going next, we go together,” he said.

“Together,” she affirmed.

His left hand closed on her right.

She blinked.

Flipped her hand around.

Laced his fingers in hers.

Squeezed.

“Shall we?” he said.

“Let’s go.”