Hurt World One and the Zombie Rats (11 page)

‘Yes,’ said Hopital, looking up from beside
him. ‘He would have come in a very fast plane that will be out of
Switzerland before he even lands.’

‘They are bringing me a bear soon too. That
must be in a slower plane and I assume it is actually going to
land.’

‘His presence will make
you a target, for his enemy will know it is only a matter of time
before Blast is moved to a more secure location.’

‘Who is this enemy?’

‘A poacher. She is good with a rifle, so she
might be selective in who she shoots. But the time she shot at me
she used a missile.’ He looked around. ‘This is a great spot for a
missile.’

‘No one has come to my practice by parachute
before. I wonder if these are the kind of people you can really say
no to.’

‘You don’t have to worry about long lasting
grudges. The life expectancy of Hurt World technicians is brief. I
hear that their insurance premiums are higher even than for the
Arctic armies. And the technicians of the Hurt World One are worst
of all. Young, inexperienced and desperate to prove themselves. It
is not a recipe conducive to clear heads and smart decisions.’ As
Kaptu began to sway in the swirling winds bouncing off the
mountain, Hopital sneered derisively. ‘I don’t mean to sound
callous, but that leaf up there is all that stands between you and
the person coming to kill Blast before its sense of smell
returns.’

‘And who is that?’ The voice was edgy.
Hopital could feel he was causing the hands of a world renowned
surgeon to tremble. ‘Mas,’ he said bluntly.

‘Yes,’ murmured Leanov. ‘I have heard of her.
An assassin of animals.’

‘An assassin of people too.’ He patted the
doctor on the shoulder. ‘You have a good practice here and a lot of
animals would be sorry the day it is lost. Take care of
yourself.’

Leanov swung around as he headed off the
terrace. ‘Where are you going?’

‘It’s not safe for me here, either.
Especially not standing in open view like this. For all I know
Mas’s sniper rifle is trained on me right now. I’ve had my run-ins
with her before and the only thing that would be holding her back
from pulling the trigger would be keeping her presence concealed.
She’s a particularly disciplined hunter in that regard but I
wouldn’t want to push my luck. And besides, visual contact has been
made with the Hurt World technician. Legally, that is sufficient to
constitute a handover.’ He stretched his neck in an effort to
update himself on Kaptu’s progress but the roof overhang was
blocking his view. ‘He could break his neck for all I care.’

Leanov left him to find his own way out of
the practice. He returned to the operating theatre, where the nurse
was still at work applying the anti-bacterial treatment to Blast’s
wounds. ‘Prepare the cocoon, Nurse Nell,’ he said in his most
formal voice. ‘The patient will be travelling very soon.’

*

Renaissance was sighing in ecstasy. Or was it
more of a purr? Devita, a young man who worked in the Hurt World in
the capacity of a cleaner, assured himself that what he was
conjuring with his lips and tongue were real. Sure women could fake
an orgasm - out of politeness or to get some extra sleep - but
could a woman really fake this? How could someone turn melting into
a sound? And how could someone so effortlessly drop ten years from
their face if there was even a smidgen of resistance? The couple
were sharing the hotel bathroom’s shower recess with the nozzle on
steam mode. The luxuriously silky vapour was moistening skin,
loosening tension from mind and body, clearing aside the mundane
for the heavenly touch.

The bathroom was exquisitely clean. The best
cleaner robots money could buy had ensured there was barely a speck
of dust in the air and the slightest trace of grime on any of the
bathroom’s brass, gold and porcelain surfaces. The shower recess’s
tinted window was made of the finest diamond glass. Its
anti-fogging properties maintained the spectacular view of the San
Francisco skyline with colours and contrasts superbly sharp.

Devita was on his knees; he dipped his tongue
in the mood salts he had close to hand and tortured her just a
little more before bringing her to climax. She gasped and quivered
with the moment. He was satisfied that he had done well. But he
could have brought her up to climax a fraction slower, brought her
to a scream. The time for that simply wasn’t available. The Hurt
World needed her.

Renaissance turned the nozzle into cold water
mode to confirm that the moment was over. Devita knew better than
to pursue her there.

‘You still haven’t lost your touch,’
Renaissance said as she washed herself with soap.

Devita stood up and let her see his muscular
torso. He put away the moods salts quickly for they were
technically illegal, something she might mind now that the cold
water was running. ‘You’ve picked a nice bathroom,’ he
muttered.

‘Designed by Folitane. This is the only hotel
in the world she has outfitted.’

Devita stepped away from the shower recess
and began to towel himself down. He wasn’t particularly wet but the
touch of the soft white towel was heavenly. He looked over
Renaissance’s body. It didn’t look as good from afar as it had felt
up close, but that was not surprising. Someone as important as
Renaissance could be forgiven some sagging and wrinkles. In fact,
just the thought of how important she was caused Devita to feel
inadequate and his deep gravelly voice to weaken. ‘Although no one
would deny you such luxuries as these,’ he murmured, ‘I fear
bringing your own personal cleaner to San Francisco may be one
extravagance too many.’

Renaissance joined him at the towel rack and
dried herself with a lot more purpose. She kicked him on the cheek
and smiled. ‘But you have special security clearance. You have
access to restricted areas.’ She moved into the bedroom and got
dressed quickly, her clothes neatly laid out on the bed in their
proper order. She glanced back at her tall, handsome companion in
the bathroom. ‘Now put your professional talents to use and give
the suite a thorough clean, would you, darling? Having you here
really does increase the need to ensure there are no hidden
surveillance devices.’ She smirked. ‘It’s a good thing you’re the
man for the job.’

Stepping out of the suite she was immediately
confronted with an ashen faced Spiros Pardos standing in the richly
carpeted passageway with his fingers busily twitching at his sides.
‘Have you been unpacking?’ he said. ‘That might prove to be a waste
of time.’

Renaissance stared. ‘Why is that?’

Pardos’s Adam’s Apple popped out as he
swallowed anxiously. ‘The Government Insurance Agents are already
here. They’re waiting for you in the conference room. They look
particularly pissed.’

‘Why doesn’t that surprise me,’ murmured
Renaissance as she marched down the passageway.

The San Francisco Tower Hotel’s twentieth
floor was a hive of activity with the hasty setting up of a
temporary Hurt World headquarters. Enough equipment to monitor the
whole globe. Spyware and anti-spyware in equal measure. And setting
up the living spaces for all the analysts and consultants that
would be coming in with the task of identifying locations where
Blast might pick up Mas’s scent or perhaps even track down where
she was in the flesh. Living spaces that were a nightmare to get
right, for the best analysts and consultants seemed to have
eccentricities up to their eyeballs and endless lists of
requirements from the temperature of the water in their glasses to
the brightness of their desk lamps. The mood, however, became even
more somber inside the conference room. The two Government
Insurance Agents were sitting at the oakwood table in pinstripe
suits. A male and female, both with shoulder length hair and
briefcases open to virtual documents. Renaissance made a point of
knowing all Government Insurance Agents who were at a level to
bother her and these two were near the top: Chezel and Gift.
Renaissance was surprised. She would never have thought there was
an insurance premium high enough to bring them into the same room
together. She greeted them with handshakes and pleasantries, all
the while wondering how they could have gotten wind of the
operation so quickly. If it was a snitch, she could understand.
Insurance agents decided which treatments and drugs a patient could
have access to. When someone was sick, the insurance agent was more
important than the doctor.

‘I imagine you were just about to contact us
regarding your latest enterprise,’ said Chezel, her harelip
becoming more noticeable. ‘Fortunately, we were able to find out
for ourselves.’

Renaissance shrugged. She knew they were too
smart for her to lie, but she didn’t think telling the truth would
help her much either.

‘Not everyone wishes to see an end to the
Hurt World experiment,’ continued Chezel. ‘Those that do, however,
would be well pleased with the choices you are making.’

Gift quickly added, ‘Our job is not to judge
those choices, it’s to put a price on them. You can be sure that is
a far more important role.’

‘The United Nations defines civilisation as
any region or state in which there is insurance. That is why Asylum
City is probably the most uncivilised place on earth. That explains
my own personal disapproval of your appointment of Kaptu Z. He has
grown up without any concept of insurance. In other words,
completely uncivilised. And that is why the policy you need to take
out is well above your budget.’

‘Did your calculations factor in what the
mission is all about? It is precisely the reason why the likes of
Kaptu Z is needed.’

‘He doesn’t just lack a concept of the value
of things,’ said Gift disparagingly, ‘he doesn’t work either.
Asylum City lacks modern forms of transport, dwellings and
technology. You have sent him into Europe without any supervision
or safeguards. He is likely to destroy or damage everything he
encounters. Without any parameters having been places on him, the
potential number of claimants is staggering. Kaptu Z is easily the
most uncivilised client we have had the duty to create a policy
for. I agree with my colleague that it is unlikely that the Hurt
World will be able to afford it. It is a shame that you let the
operation progress this far without first consulting us.
Blackballing is not something we do lightly.’

Renaissance wouldn’t let herself be fazed.
She knew Government Insurance Agents liked to rattle people like
they were maracas. ‘Perhaps the parametres could be found to make
this mission more insurable. Far from forgetting about you, I set
aside the best suite on the floor for your work. Stay as long as
you need. And my own personal assistant will be at your complete
disposal to ensure you get all that you need. That too can be
squeezed within our budget, I’m sure.’

Gift looked a little too excited. ‘From the
scale of the set up here, it’s clear the operation is of some
importance to you. We will try to accommodate it if we can.’

‘I don’t know why you’ve gone to the trouble
of coming to San Francisco,’ interjected Chezel, less impressed,
‘but the first parameter we’re going to set is that Kaptu Z doesn’t
get anywhere near here, anywhere at all on US soil. That would take
way too much insurance for you to handle.’

Renaissance nodded. ‘I get it. That won’t be
a problem.’

‘Europe isn’t much cheaper but there’s not a
lot we can do now that he’s there.’

‘At least, the UK can be made restricted,’
said Gift. ‘Tell Kaptu Z to stay away from there as well.’

‘Alright.’

‘Especially London. I couldn’t bear to
imagine the sort of costs involved if he went on a wrecking spree
there.’

Chezel stood up from the table. ‘I’m willing
to spend at least an evening seeing if the operation can be
salvaged. First, I would like a spa and some supper. Have your
assistant organise it. I would see my suite first.’

Renaissance stood up too. ‘As you wish.’

Gift remained seated, his business not yet
complete. ‘I’ll launch a 426 interim emergency policy. That will
provide enough cover for the mission to proceed. But you must
instruct your technician to refrain from doing a number of things
until more work can be done on the policy.’

‘Refrain from what?’

‘He is not to drive any kind of non-automated
transport, action any kind of weapon not directly issued to him by
the United Nations, or take any kind of performance enhancing
substances. He will have to accept those conditions over the Code
Whisperer and any violations will make the policy void.’

‘And possibly bankrupt him for life.’
Renaissance betrayed a flash of anger. ‘Kaptu Z is on the most
dangerous mission in the whole of Hurt World and all you’re
offering him is holiday insurance.’

Gift joined them on his feet with an
indifferent look. ‘Like all gamblers, you should only stake what
you can afford to lose. In this case you’ve staked Kaptu Z. You can
choose your player but you can’t make the rules. If you want to
turn them in your favour, you’d be well advised to find out what
you’re criminal, Mas, is actually up to. Insurance policies are all
about numbers and you need to demonstrate that it is more expensive
to leave a criminal alone than it is to catch her. It won’t be easy
when you’re criminal is a recluse poacher who spends years at a
time hiding away in jungles.’

Renaissance’s cheeks pinched in a harsh
smirk. ‘I’ll try. Meanwhile, I’ll have my assistant show you to the
public spa.’

‘Thank you,’ said Gift. ‘That would be
lovely.’

*

The Code Whisperer communications headset
always turned Kaptu Z hollow. The shrill hissing voice issuing
commands with cold finality carried an electronic signature
impossible to forge. It was rarely used in Asylum City and Kaptu
had only been on the receiving end when he was first recruited by
Renaissance. That had been bizarre in its delivery, but predictable
at least in its content, demanding pledges of loyalty and
assurances of sanity. On this occasion, however, it was nothing
short of disturbing. Hurt World had rushed him to the aid of Blast
with a murderous poacher in pursuit and at the bequest of insurance
agents was placing restrictions on transport and weapons. It was a
bad deal, but it was made clear if he did not agree to it, the
whole mission would be scrapped and he would be left stateless and
adrift in Europe. Trying to negotiate with the subhuman hiss that
was the Code Whisperer was in itself a criminal offense.