“Another time,” Heavener said. She strode purposefully down the hall, putting a hand to one ear as if she was listening. The two men followed.
Another minute and they were gone around the corner. On the ground floor the way they were, Maj knew Heavener and her people would have a choice of escapes. And there was nothing she could do about it.
Maj ran back to the doors where Leif was getting to his feet. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“Missed me,” Leif said in surprise, running his hands over his body in disbelief.
Megan stepped through the shattered door, her foilpack in her hand. “I called the front desk and notified them, but they say the security cams aren’t picking up anything. They set the alarm off manually.” She stared at the fallen guards. “I also called Matt. He’s on his way.”
Two of the guards were unconscious from the effects of the tranquilizer darts that had hit them. The other man was delirious from the drug.
Running footsteps caught Maj’s attention. She turned around just as a young, slim man in a bronze turtleneck and khaki slacks sprinted up with a 9mm Beretta naked in his fist. Wheat-colored hair stuck up in spikes and wraparound dark sunglasses hid his eyes. He swept the hallway with his gaze as hotel security guards in regular suits fell in behind him.
“Madeline Green?” the man asked in a polite voice.
“Yes.”
“I’m Special Agent Jon Roarke,” the man said, flipping open an ID case. “Net Force. Captain Winters sent me.”
Maj faced him and took out her foilpack. “You don’t mind if I check on that, do you?”
“No. But maybe you want to bring me up to speed really quick.”
“You’re looking for a blond woman,” Maj said to Agent Roarke as well as the security team behind him, then gave a quick description of Heavener. The men moved out at once, but Maj knew they weren’t going to find her.
“Can you penetrate the masking utility he wore?”
Gaspar Latke sat in his cluttered workspace and replayed the vid captures of his meeting with Maj Green. He hadn’t planned on becoming one of the star interests in Heavener’s investigation, but then Matt Hunter was supposed to have been a safe bet. Heavener’s people hadn’t been able to put buttoncams in the Net Force Explorers’ room because Mark Gridley had beefed up security. With Matt logged on to the Net, it made sense that he might have visited Maj briefly.
“Not without more time,” he answered. The masking utility he used was proof against anything D’Arnot Industries had on-site at the moment. He’d designed it himself.
“We don’t have more time,” Heavener called over the com-link connection. Irritation reached an all-time high in her voice. “The time is now.”
“All we have to do is get through Friday and we’re home free.”
“No, we’re not,” she said coldly. “That got blown out of the water when Peter Griffen’s game bled over into that girl’s veeyar.”
“I told you that the revision he had wasn’t stable,” Gaspar said desperately. “The game engine is too huge and complex. And if I plugged up too much of the coding, it wouldn’t have performed.” It wasn’t his fault. But he knew that didn’t matter. If Heavener wanted to blame him for it, she could. And she would. “Peter’s not a fool. That’s why he opened one of the release packs at the booth instead of using the rev he’d been playing with. All of those should have been the modified rev he’s been working with the last couple months.”
“Shut up,” Heavener ordered.
Gaspar fell silent. He hoped what he’d given Maj Green would keep her active and on Peter Griffen’s trail.
“We have another problem,” Heavener said. “Matt Hunter found Oscar Raitt. I’m sending a team over to his hotel now. I want you to make sure they get in and out without being seen or heard.”
So they’d found Raitt. Excitement flared through Gaspar as he realized the Explorer team was closer to the truth than he’d thought. Then the feeling quickly dimmed when he realized he was being ordered to take that lead away. He hesitated only a moment, knowing he had no choice.
“All right,” he said, and prepared to hack into the Mohammed Arms, hoping he was too late.
Something stank. Matt Hunter shook his head, trying to get away from the stench, but it was impossible. Every time he tried, the stench returned, stronger than ever.
“Easy,” a woman said gently. A strong hand clasped Matt around his upper left arm, steadying him. “You’re probably going to feel woozy for a bit. You took a couple nasty raps on the head.”
Matt glanced around the small room. It had shelves of medicines and bandaging supplies, a small sink, and the hospital bed he was lying on. “Where am I?”
“The hotel first-aid station. Can you tell me what hotel?” The speaker was a small woman in her forties with graying red hair and a pinched face. She threw away bloody swabs and sanitized the medical tray she’d used. The instruments went into a specially marked biohazard holder.
“Bessel Midtown.” Matt found that speaking caused his jaw to hurt.
“Can you tell me what happened? It’s for the official report.”
“I was attacked.”
“By a mugger?”
Matt felt in his back pocket, finding his wallet and his foilpack. “A mugger would have robbed me. This was someone else.”
“Do you know who?”
“No.”
The woman continued putting things away. “Do you feel up to answering some questions?”
“I thought I already had been.”
“From the police. There’s an LAPD detective outside. Your friends are out there, too.” The woman returned with a small hand mirror. “I had to put a couple stitches in your temple. Whatever hit you split the skin. You may have a slight concussion. Do you know what to look for?”
Matt nodded and regretted it instantly. His head pounded unmercifully. “Double vision. Nausea. Dizziness. Headaches.”
“Oh, you’re going to have a headache, no doubt about that. I’ll give you some analgesics.” She handed him a small plastic vial. “As soon as you can, you need to get to bed. Are you staying here at the hotel with anyone?”
“A couple friends.”
“Have them keep an eye on you.” She looked at him carefully. “Personally, I think the authorities should ship you to the nearest ER and maybe even schedule you for a CAT scan. Whoever hit you knew what they were doing.”
“Why am I here, rather than getting that CAT scan?”
“I was told the hospital might be too dangerous for you. I’d feel better if you’d go see a doctor the first chance you get. The hotel set up the triage station here for the convention. Things get crazy here when the gamers are in town. I’ve worked here during for the past three years, but I’ve never seen anything like the day we’ve had today.”
Matt stood carefully, feeling light-headed. “Do I owe you anything?”
“No. The hotel takes care of my bills.”
“So I can go?”
“If you think you’re ready.”
Matt thanked her, then showed himself to the door. Maj, Megan, and Leif waited out in the hall, looking worse for the wear themselves. Matt checked the time and discovered he’d lost nearly an hour while he’d been out. Then he noticed the guy leaning against the wall to the right talking to a Hispanic woman in a plain gray business suit.
“How are you feeling?” Maj asked, looking concerned.
“Like I got hit by an autobus,” Matt admitted. “Someone’s supposed to be waiting at the front counter for me. We’ll talk on the way.”
