Killswitch (35 page)

"Anil," said Ari, leading the way over. Sandy detoured slightly to the "crime scene," vision-shifting through multiple spectrums in the vain hope of seeing something the wands couldn't. Agent Chandaram turned to greet them, eyes refocusing from distant thought. "That where it happened?"

"We lined up all the holes in the apartment," Chandaram said wearily, "and the trajectory points straight back to there." Pointing at the crime scene. Sandy stopped behind the sweeping wands, gazing out through the gap between bush and wall. Her eyes found the residential building in question, then zoomed upon the target windowtwenty-five storeys, second from the left. Her visual zoom was impressive, but she still couldn't see the bullet hole, fifteen hundred metres away. "There's no apparent platform upon which to rest a tripod or other support. Just the railing."

The railing around the rooftop perimeter was wet and narrow. Sandy shook her head. "No use if the shooter was a straight."

"Our trajectory matches aren't entirely perfect over this distance," Chandaram continued, "but they appear to indicate the shot was fired by someone standing upright."

"With no brace support with a heavy sniper rifle," Ari murmured. "Hell of a shot." And he raised an eyebrow in Sandy's direction, questioningly. Sandy looked for a moment longer at the trajectory. Considered the weapon in question from Investigations' initial ballistics report, and the prevailing conditions. And nodded, once.

"There's four people in Tanusha I know of who could make that shot," she said. "Me, Ramoja, Rhian and Jane."

"You have an alibi," Chandaram said drily. Sandy gathered from his expression that he was not about to leap to conclusions. Plenty in the CSA, it seemed, didn't trust Major Ramoja and the League Embassy contingent either. "Not the other League GIs in the embassy?"

"No." Sandy shook her head. "Not high-des enough."

Chandaram frowned. "A GI's designation affects accuracy? I didn't think intellect and physical capability were linked?"

Sandy shrugged. "Just does. I'm not a psych, I couldn't tell you why."

"There are root strands of lateral processing capability that meld with basic motor functions," said Ari. Sandy gave him a blank look ... she should have known Ari would know more about GI neuroscience than she did herself. "You see it in straights too-most of the great athletes are smart. Great soldiers too, look at Major Rice. Physical performance is partly a function of spatial processing-the, um, awareness of a body's position and motion within a three-dimensional space. The broader an intellect, in terms of raw neuroprocessing capability, the broader the perimeter field and thus the, um, more minuscule, precision adjustments required to shoot or run or ... or whatever."

"The Parliament massacre," said Chandaram, nodding slowly.

Ari nodded. "Yeah, sure ... Sandy versus forty lower-des GIs is really a little unfair on the regs, they never had much of a chance."

"I knew their patterns," Sandy said quietly, gazing out at the view. "I helped write some of their patterns. It wasn't raw ability, it was knowledge and memory. If the League had trusted lower-des GIs enough to impart a bit more knowledge upon them, they'd be that much more effective. But then, maybe my defection proves that they're right not to."

"Hang on," said Chandaram, "it's still a static sniper shot. Surely a lower-designation GI can hit a still target just as well as a higher-des?"

"This is the eighth storey," said Sandy. "The target's on the twentyfifth. It's a rising trajectory, the windows were waist-height, that means there was no chance to hit the target sitting down. He'd have been standing, and with Kalaji being so jumpy, standing means moving, or pacing, more likely. The windows were reflective, the air's humid, and the shot had to be a head shot to make certain. Too many variables. The real difference between a high- and low-des GI is the ability to process multiple strands of information. The rest is minorthat's the big difference."

"But Rhian Chu has the right designation?" Chandaram asked.

"Rhian's not a sniper," said Sandy. Lying through her teeth as she said it. Ari would know. Chandaram wouldn't. She hoped. "She could do it, but it was never a specialty or preference, and her spatial processing isn't as good as mine. At this range, in the dark, she might miss. Ramoja's a perfectionist, he'd never have taken that chance with her. He'd do it himself." If the League had a cause to execute Enrico Kalaji, that was. Recent experience in these matters had taught all concerned never to rule anything out. To Chandaram's side, Ari's expression never altered. "And besides, we had a deal. If anything strange went down, she was going to contact me. She'd never have taken an order like this without telling me first."

Chandaram looked at her curiously. Rhian, it occurred to Sandy, hadn't killed anyone for quite some time. Not since Dark Star, anyhow. As always with Rhian, it was difficult to know exactly how these things affected her. Possibly Rhian wasn't aware herself. Sandy suspected personally that that absence of death from her old friend's life had done wonders for her new growth and depth as a person. Death required justifications. Rationalisations of why it was all proper and necessary. Rationalisations that held a person back, forcing them to believe things that weren't necessarily true, for the sake of continued mental stability. She doubted, now, that Rhian could even do something like this, whatever her orders. Surely she would flinch. Surely she would ask questions, and wonder at the morality of what she was being ordered to do. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking, and Rhian's morality continued to revolve around the old soldiers' creed that all morality came from following orders, and nothing else mattered.

Damn, she hated leaving Rhian in their hands. They could destroy her, or corrupt her irreparably. Force her to do something that her new, awakening conscience would punish her for, for the rest of her life. And if they hurt her, or otherwise damaged her with their Machiavellian bullshit ... well, Jane was not going to be the only high-des GI in Tanusha with cause to fear for her safety.

"We've been monitoring the League Embassy around the clock," said Chandaram. "Ramoja hasn't left ... but then, he's snuck out before without us knowing, he might not have even been there in the first place."

His expression remained curiously unreadable. Most senior CSA types tended to swagger. Particularly the Indians, who maintained the very cool, suave demeanour at large in that subculture at the timealong with breezy sports jackets, open-necked shirts, swept-back hair and glossy moustaches. Even Sandy's old buddy Naidu went for that Director of CSA Intelligence and more than a hundred years old, so it wasn't something sparkling new and Tanushan, evidently. Chandaram wore a plain, grey suit (none of the popular cream or even bananayellow that had come recently into style), displayed no showy silver chain beneath his open collar, and disdained even the moustache. To the best of Sandy's knowledge, he remained single at the age of fortyseven. Rumour had it that his last steady partner had left him two years ago, during the last major crisis, when he hadn't come home for a week without calling. Rumour also had it that he didn't sleep. Sandy didn't believe that. Even she had to sleep ... if just for a few hours.

"The one person who did leave," Chandaram continued, "was Rhian Chu. Unaccompanied. She walked, she seems to like public transport." Of course she did, thought Sandy-more colour and movement to enjoy. Fresh air to smell and shop windows to look in along the way. And the other reason of course ... "We lost her after about fifteen minutes," Chandaram continued. A faint smile appeared at his lips for the first time. "We always lose her. You'll have to show me how you guys do that."

"I will," said Sandy. "Rhian's been getting a lot of jobs lately. She's a less recognisable courier for one thing, and she likes being loose in the city."

"And you haven't mentioned the person who actually did it," Ari said pointedly.

"The key suspect, Ariel," Chandaram replied, with a raised eyebrow in his direction. "I discount no possibilities. League activity both in the Embassy and connected to it has been intense of late, as you know. We can't rule out some involvement in the whole Kalaji affair."

Sandy frowned at him. "What the hell would they have to gain by setting the Fleet at our throats? They've wanted Federation power out of the hands of Earth for as long as the League's existed."

"Or maybe they simply wish to sow disharmony," Chandaram replied coolly. "A Federation civil war could finish the job they started, without costing them anything. Anyhow, it's not my job to speculate, only to join the dots."

"I think they're looking for Jane," said Ari, lips pursed as he gazed out at the lights with faint frustration. "It fits the search pattern." Chandaram's look was questioning. "I, um, had some of their seeker functions intercepted and analysed by some friends," Ari explained. Anita and Pushpa, Sandy was willing to bet that meant. "It's the kind of pattern that they'd use if ... well, I'll explain later."

"We found one of Kalaji's safehouses an hour back," Sandy added for Chandaram's benefit. "It'd been broken into ... maybe League codes were used, I couldn't be sure, they're better at disguising how they penetrate the databases now they know I'm around to analyse whatever you guys pick up. Ari thinks Ramoja was trying to find Kalaji just as we were."

"Maybe he did," said Chandaram. Nodding toward the Mananakorn towers.

"Or maybe he was just hoping to get Jane's whereabouts from him," Ari added. "If Kalaji was Jane's coordinator."

Chandaram shrugged. "And maybe he did that too." Find Kalaji, and wait for Jane to kill him, Sandy realised he meant. Thus finding Jane. Or would he?

"It's too easy to be a sniper in this city," Sandy disagreed. "Even GIs can't see sniper bullets. He wouldn't know where to look ..." She broke off, feeling suddenly cold. A red tinge descended upon her vision. Time slowed, and the dark landscape of sprawling city lights transformed to a mass of multispectrum colour and motionhighlighted traffic ...

"Sandy?" said Ari, recognising that look. Sandy stared at him, seeing only a humanoid, face-shaped blob of heat-colouring and fine textures. Blood thumping in his jugular as he became himself alarmed. Eyes darting in small, involuntary motions as minor muscles twitched -a most un-GI-like phenomenon, involuntary muscle spasms ... "Sandy, what's wrong?"

"Get off the roof," Sandy told him. "You too, Anil. Get off now. Don't hurry, just walk calmly."

Ari didn't question, but merely put a companionable hand on Chandaram's shoulder, and began walking. Sandy took up position on Chandaram's other side. From a distance, she hoped, it would look innocent enough. They walked to the upper entrance lobby, through the sliding doors that were being kept open for investigators, and inside. Only when they were down the stairs, and standing in the hallway of the eighth floor, did Sandy allow herself to feel safe. And furious.

"Goddamn fucking stupid," she muttered to herself, taking the pistol from her jacket pocket for the simple comfort of feeling its weight in her hand. "I should have thought."

"You ..." Ari looked puzzled. "You don't think ... ?"

"She's a goddamn ruthless bitch, Ari. We were standing right there, right where she'd have known we'd come to. And I just let us fucking stand there, in full view of any number of sniper-nests for several kilometres around ... Jesus!"

"That's a big risk," said Chandaram with a frown. "Even if she fires, we've got any number of airborne vehicles in the region ...even the mobile scanners can get some idea of trajectories on a moment's notice."

"I don't want to get into a chase with her, Anil." She stared at him from point-blank range. "No chases. She'll kill innocent people just to ward us off, I know her!"

"With all respect, you only met her once. You don't think you're maybe just mad at her?"

"Sure! Sure I'm fucking mad at her, I'm furious! And when she goes down, she'll go down in a nice, quiet little ambush somewhere. She won't know what hit her. That's the only way I'm prepared to do this because it's the only way that won't endanger countless innocent bystanders, do you get me?"

"Sure," said Chandaram, eyeing her cautiously. "I understand."

A bleep in Sandy's newly activated network receptor informed her of an incoming message. She held up a hand to forestall further conversation, indicating to her eardrum and taking several steps aside in the hall. "Kresnov," she said aloud.

"Hi, Cap," came a familiar, mild voice in her ear.

"Rhi," Sandy formulated silently. Depending upon the content of the conversation, she wasn't yet sure if she wanted Chandaram to know who she was talking to. "How's things?" Ari and Chandaram resumed conversation, in terse, low tones ... Ari insisting that Jane was the most likely culprit, and Chandaram agreeing, but refusing to rule out any possibilities. Sandy wished she could follow multiple conversations as easily as she could process multiple data-streams, but thanks to the vagaries of neurostructure, it didn't always work that way.

"Things are fine." Rhian certainly didn't sound very bothered by anything ... but then, with Rhian, that was as normal. "I suppose you know I went out from the Embassy? The CSA had several people following me ... or I assume they were CSA. "

"They were," said Sandy. "Where did you go?"

"I was given an errand to go and talk to some underground person. One of the old League network contacts here, one of the ones the CSA didn't catch yet. "

"Oh," said Sandy. Rhian's patience in getting to the point could test a less-patient person's nerves. "Was that an interesting errand?"

"No, actually. It was extremely boring. This person doesn't appear to be connected in any way to recent events. In fact, I can't see why I was sent on this trip at all." She paused. Sandy could feel it coming-she knew Rhian that well. "Which is why I didn't go on the trip. I followed Major Ramoja instead. "

"You tailed your superior?"

"Yes. "

"Um ... why?"

"Because he seemed to be going somewhere much more interesting, " said Rhian. "And because I suspected I was being sent on this other trip in order to keep me out of the way. I think Ramoja knows there's a limit on things where he can trust me, where Jane is concerned. So I guessed he must be going somewhere interesting, if he was trying to get rid of me. "