Last Man Standing

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

Dahl stumbled from the wrecked hotel, Alicia at his side. Like Drake, the two of them bore the wounds and bruises of battle and were covered in dust and debris. Smoke had blackened their faces.

Dahl had been afraid the civilian they freed earlier might have decided to loiter in the kitchens rather than chancing the outside world, and had insisted they check. Luckily, he’d fled.

Now Alicia surveyed the scene around the town square.

“Crap. I didn’t expect that.”

The area around them was empty, save for several inert bodies, all mercs. Away toward the right, heading downhill, she made out the figures of Drake and Mai. Ahead of them was Coyote in full flight.

“What the hell? And where’s Beau?”

Dahl shrugged. “The assassin has shown her true colors,” he noted. “Cowardly to the core. They lurk, they hide, they kill, never manning up and joining the fight. This is our town now.”

Alicia set off. “I guess we should follow. Hey, what was all that about you dropping out of shiny school? Did Drake know?”

Dahl looked pained. “Nobody knew. It’s my business alone. Let it go.”

Alicia purposefully misunderstood. “That’s the new mega song, right? Let it go? Have you seen the marines singing it on YouTube? Put a tear in my eye it did.”

“No. I mean yes. I mean — that’s not what I meant.” Dahl sighed. “But you knew that, of course.”

“Torsty,” Alicia said. “Of all people, I get it. You should know that. If you don’t wanna talk about it that’s all right by me.”

“Thanks.” Dahl’s reply was a grumble.

“Drake’s observations are gonna be interesting though.”

Dahl nodded glumly. “And so sharply perceptive, I’m sure.”

Alicia laughed. “Yeah. That’s always been his Yorkshire way. Perceptive as fuck.”

Dahl sucked in his lips and said nothing. The decisions you made — simple or tough — they were the things that defined you. When faced with adversity you dug deep, finding the core to your heart and soul, and it was the choice you made at that time that changed you and turned you slowly and steadily into the person you would become. Dahl believed that was why hardships were visited upon men and women and their children.

To mold them.

If he’d chosen to leave and pursue an army career then it was that decision, among others, that had made him the man he was now. The craziness came from his rebellious side and he refused to reel that in. It was, after all, part of him.

The two were closing the gap now, the aftereffects of their tussle wearing off. Alicia even took a moment to untie the life sign monitor Coyote’s mercs had made her wear.

“Won’t be needing that anymore.”

Dahl’s face reverted to happy. “Oh yeah. Thank God for Karin Blake.”

Alicia nodded. The ‘battle to the death’ had been their plan all along, totally reliant on Karin’s ability to break through SaBo’s defenses without the hacker knowing about it. When Crouch initially left Sunnyvale to contact Karin, one of the things he’d related was that particular plan. It had been up to her to make it work, to take the SPEAR team’s monitors offline at the right time and fake their deaths, to fool one of the world’s greatest hackers without him ever knowing it.

Karin had told Crouch she had just the weapon — a virus stored away in some redundant system. She’d just hoped she had the smarts to pull it off.

Dahl ripped his own monitor away. The sounds of battle — the mercs holding off the main incursion team — intensified ahead.

“We’re walking into a war,” Alicia noted.

Dahl glanced sideways at her. “So what else is new?”