patted her white ribbon. “We keep the arcology pure. No shitty little demon gets in past us.”
Louise glanced across at the police. There were a couple more of them now, but they showed no sign of intervening. “I’m not possessed,” she said indignantly. “None of us are.”
“Prove it, babe.”
“How?”
The gang girls both took small sensors from their pockets.
“Show us you contain only one soul, that you’re pure.”
Ivanov turned to Louise. “Humour them,” he said in a clear voice. “I can’t be bothered to shoot them; I’d have to pay the judge far too much to bounce us out of jail before breakfast.”
“Fuck you,” the second gang girl shouted.
“Just get on with it,” Louise said wearily. She held out her left arm, the right was curled protectively round Gen. The gang girl slapped the sensor on the top of her hand.
“No static,” she barked. “This is a pure babe.” Her followup grin was weird, showing teeth that were too long to be natural.
“Check the sprog.”
“Come on, Gen,” Louise coaxed. “Hold out your hand.” A scowling Genevieve did as she was told.
“Clean,” the gang girl reported.
“Then you must be what I can smell,” Genevieve scoffed.
The gang girl drew her hand back for a slap.
“Don’t even dream it,” Ivanov purred.
Genevieve’s face slowly broke into a wide smirk. She looked straight at the girl with the silver eyes. “Are they lesbians, Louise?”
The gang girl had trouble controlling her temper. “Come with us, little girl. Find out what we do to freshmeat like you.”
“That’s enough.” Ivanov stepped forward and proffered his hand. “Genevieve, behave, or I’ll smack you.” The gang girl put her sensor to his skin, taking care to do it softly.
“I’ve met a possessed,” Genevieve said. “The nastiest one there’s ever been.”
Both gang girls gave her an uncertain look.
“If a possessed does ever comes out of a train, you know what you should do? Just run. Nothing you can do will stop them.”
“Wrong, titchy bitch.” The gang girl patted a pocket; there was something heavy bulging the fabric. “We just pump them with ten thousand volts and watch the firework display. I’ve heard it’s real pretty. Be good to me, I’ll let you watch, too.”
“Seen it already.”
“Huh!” The girl turned her silver eyes on Banneth. “You too. I want to know you’re pure.”
Banneth laughed gently. “Let’s hope your sensor can’t probe my heart.”
“What the hell are you all doing here?” Ivanov asked. “The only time I’ve seen the Blairs and the Benns in the same place before was a morgue. And I can see a couple of MoHawks over there as well.”
“Looking after our turf, brother. These possessed, they’re part of the sect. You don’t see none of those bastards down here, do you? We’re not going to let them crunch us like they done New York and Edmonton.”
“I think the police will do that, don’t you?”
“No fucking way. They’re Govcentral. And those shits let the possessed down here in the first place. This planet’s got the greatest defences in the galaxy, and the possessed just breezed through them like they weren’t even there. You want to tell me how come that happened?”
“Good point,” Banneth drawled. “I’m still waiting to hear on that one myself.”
“And why haven’t they shut down the vac-trains properly?” the girl continued. “They’re still running to Edmonton where we know the possessed are. I accessed that sensevise of the fight, it was only a couple of hours ago for Christ’s sake.”
“Criminal,” Banneth agreed. “They were probably bribed by big business.”
“You taking the piss, bitch?”
“Who, me?”
The gang girl gave her a disgusted stare, not knowing what to make of her attitude. She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “Go on, get the fuck out of here, all of you. I hate you rich kinks.” She watched them walk through the exit archway with a vague sense of unease scratching away at her mind. There was something badly wrong about the group, the four of them were a complete mismatch. But screw that, as long as they weren’t possessed who cared what kind of orgy they were heading off to. She shivered suddenly as a cold breeze swept along the platform. It must have been caused by the carriage airlocks swinging shut.
“That was awful,” Genevieve exclaimed when they reached the big sub-level hall above the station’s platforms. “Why didn’t the police stop them doing that to people?”
“Because it’s way too much trouble at three o’clock in the morning,” Ivanov said. “Besides, I expect most of the officers down there are quite happy to let the vigilantes take the heat if a possessed did step out of a train. They act as a buffer.”
“Is Govcentral being stupid allowing the vac-trains to continue?” Louise asked.
“Not stupid, just slow. It is the universe’s largest bureaucracy, after all.” He waved a hand at the informationals flittering overhead. “See? They’ve shut a few routes down already. And public pressure will close a lot more before long. It’ll snowball once everyone’s had time to access the Edmonton fight. This time tomorrow you’ll have trouble getting a taxi to take you further than a couple of streets.”
“Do you think we’ll be able to leave London again?”
“Probably not.”
The way he said it sounded so final: a pronouncement rather than an opinion. As always, an authority in knowledge he had no business knowing.
“All right,” Louise said. “I suppose we’d better go back to the hotel, then.”
“I’ll come with you,” Ivanov said. “There might be a few more of these nutters around. It wouldn’t do for the natives to learn you’re from Norfolk right now. These are paranoid times.”
For some reason, Andy Behoo popped into Louise’s mind; his offer to sponsor her for Govcentral citizenship. “Thank you.”
“What about you?” Ivanov asked Banneth. “Do you need to share a cab?”
“No thank you. I know where I’m going.” She walked off towards the lifts around the rim of the hemispherical cavern.
“Don’t mention it,” Louise muttered grumpily at her back.
“I expect she’s grateful, really,” Ivanov said. “Probably just doesn’t know how to express it.”
“She could try harder.”
“Come along, let’s get you two home to bed. It’s been a long day.”
Quinn watched the lift doors close on Banneth. He didn’t bother to rush after her. Finding her again would be relatively simple. Bait was never hidden. Oh, it wouldn’t be obvious. He would need time, and resources, and have to make an effort. But her location would be filtered through the arcology’s downtowners, the sect covens and gangs would be informed. That was why he’d been lured here, after all. London was the largest, most elaborate trap ever assembled for one man. In a strange way, he felt rather flattered. That the supercops were prepared to sacrifice the whole arcology just to nail him was a mark of extreme respect. They feared God’s Brother exactly as He should be feared.
He trailed after Louise as she walked over to the lifts with her brat sister and the huge private eye. She was very drowsy, which relaxed her face. It left her delicate features unguarded and natural; a state which served only to amplify her beauty. He wanted to put out a hand and stroke her exquisite cheeks, to see her smile gently at his touch. Welcome him.
She frowned, and rubbed her arms. “It’s cold down here.” The moment broke.
Quinn rode up to the surface with the trio, then left them as they went off to the taxi garage. He took a subwalk under the busy road and hurried along one of the main streets radiating out from the station. There would
