Why you think I ran?' Kolosev spoke in terse Grid English, truncated and peppered with invogue leetspeak, smeared over with a thick Slavic accent.
'I'm not with them, Kolosev, they're with me. We're not here to bust you. I only need some information, the usual.'
'Yeah?' Kolosev's fat face pulled an unconvincing hardman sneer. 'Your kind 'ways does. You loot me, Klein, it upset me.'
'I am looking for Waldo, Oleg.'
Kolosev snorted and slapped the railings of the catwalk. 'You know he and I do no see eye to eye no more. I no run with him, I work free.'
'Solo?' said Otto.
'I never said that.'
'But you're alone now.'
Kolosev glared, trapped. 'Yeah, I'm alone now,' he said, his English losing its posture, wandering closer to standard.
'I'll pay,' said Otto. 'I'll pay a lot.'
'How much?' said Kolosev.
'A million, Euro.'
'You need him bad, huh? Two million. And you broke my springer, you can buy me a new one. I want that as extra.'
'I'll buy you an aircar if that's what you want.'
'Thanks. I'm trying shed some kilos.'
'And springers aren't tracked.'
Kolosev shrugged.
'Fine, Oleg, just tell me where he is.'
Kolosev fished a phone from a pocket on his sleeve. 'Money first.'
Otto sent a coded transfer instruction out through his adjutant. Kolosev's phone binged, filled with the VIA's money. EuPol had given him unlimited funds for this expedition. Otto figured they'd find a way to claw it back later.
'Heh,' Kolosev said, licking his lips. 'You do need him. Why?'
'Where is he, Kolosev? I'm losing my patience,' said Otto, and stepped nearer.
The fat man held up his hand. His eyes were screwed tight against the sun; he really didn't get outside much. 'Relax, Klein, I tell you. What's the big deal? Let me guess — ' a triumphant grin flickered across the Ukrainian's face '- k52's small adventure in the RealWorlds, yes? Am I close?'
The likes of Kolosev always dug out what others tried to hide. No harm in letting him know; if Otto didn't succeed, then everyone would know anyhow. Otto nodded.
'Damn fucking bastards! I am good, no, Klein? Huh? Huh? Every Class A gold hacker know about that. Me, I one of. We the future, you big mob, Klein. Fuck me!'
'Big talk, Oleg.'
'You look at me, Klein, you see fat man. I look at you, I see an extinct species. You are needing Waldo to get you in, in past the security. Only he can do it, no?'
'You are a genuine genius, Oleg,' said Otto flatly.
'Ah, now you flatter. Well — ' the Ukrainian gave an extravagant shrug '- what if I tell you that it no matter? You no hear?'
'Where is he, Oleg?' growled Otto. He pulled his gun out again. 'Or that money is coming right back out of your account, and I'll deposit a bullet in your face instead.'
'I tell you! Calm, calm, big mob, you Germans so serious.' Kolosev was giggling, he was still high. 'He's in Sinosiberia, man, hiding out in an old Soviet army base from way back when.'
Otto put his gun up. 'That wasn't so hard.'
'Yeah, won't do you no good. I'm working for some big fishes now, big fishes! They're not going to like you roughing me one bit, cyborg man.' Kolosev laughed. 'You want to get in to the Realms? You have no idea! I tried it 'cyborg' — ' he hooked his fingers round the word, mocking it '- I try it and 'ffft'.' He held his hand to his head like a gun, thumb falling like a hammer. 'I no do it, so you no do it. I found him, my old buddy Waldo. I had so much I want to say to him, right before I smack him in the mouth. But you have no idea what's going on, big mob, you so…'
Kolosev's right temple exploded, taking most of his face with it. He slumped, last breath gurgling in his throat, and pitched over the railing into the teeth of the harvester.
For a second, the chaff blew red.
A bullet stung Otto's cheek, gouging flesh as it ricocheted off his reinforced skull, knocking his head round. It hurt like hell, but its momentum was too spent to do him real harm. Otto dropped, pressing himself as far as he could into the grill of the catwalk, making the most of the low lip running along its base. A further bullet thunked into the carbon body of the harvester a few centimetres from his head. No report from the weapon; the shooter was far off, the harvester too loud, his gun probably silenced. Otto crawled backward, trailing blood, seeking the shelter of the hopper humped up behind the harvester. By the time he was in its cover, his healthtech had staunched the blood. His wound itched as it healed.
Otto called up an aerial view. Grain silos to the west. The shooter had to be there. His adjutant reported a minor viral attack on his systems, easily fought off.
In the satellite view, Otto saw a bike rising into the air.
The silos were four kilometres away. Whoever had shot at him had been good, Ky-tech good.
An unused squad icon in his iHUD flickered briefly and guttered out.
'Kaplinski,' growled Otto.
Otto ran back to the village, his face numb. He ordered Lehmann to keep watch from the office block, just in case.
'What happened to you?' said Chures. Valdaire looked up from her work at the desk and gave a small gasp.
'I got shot. We have to leave here, now. Kaplinski is here.'
'How do you know?'
'I know,' said Otto. 'He's taken out Kolosev. Come on! We have to go. He probably won't chance a close approach with me and Lehmann here, but he is unpredictable, and he is not working alone.'
'Just a minute!' said Valdaire.
'We do not have a minute,' said Otto, and he made to grab Valdaire.
'Lay off for a moment, Klein! Chloe, is there anyone here that should not be?' asked Valdaire.
'We're the only sentients for ten kilometres,' chirruped Chloe. 'Brainless things elsewise.'
Chures stared at Otto, an open challenge. 'Finish your data rip,' he said. 'We need this information.'
Otto stared back, and shrugged. He went to the door and checked the yard right to left and back again. He seemed nervous, and that worried Valdaire.
Five seconds passed. 'Download complete,' said Chloe.
'Now we can go,' said Valdaire. She picked Chloe up off the desk.
'Veronique,' said Chloe. 'I have access to Kolosev's network, including the other source of EM activity. There is something you should see there, in the office block. Six more humans.'
'What are they doing?' asked Valdaire.
'They are inactive.'
Otto looked out over the yard. No movement or noise, just corn crake and combines rattling over the plain. He tapped Lehmann's feed, looking out through his eyes, something he'd not done for many years, and it brought a rush of unwelcome memories. 'OK, but we are leaving as soon as we can.'
'You're lucky Kaplinski shot Kolosev first,' said Chures.
'Luck has nothing to do with it. He killed Kolosev because Kolosev knew something. If Oleg had known nothing he would have shot me first. Kaplinski is insane, but he is not stupid,' said Otto.
'What is his problem?' asked Valdaire.
'All of the Ky-tech had neurosurgery,' said Chures. 'One of the things done as routine was an empathetic
