“So far, so good,” Cassidy blurted out before the Captain could continue. He noted that she had said it was against the code of conduct, suggesting that code had changed. Interesting.

  “You’re probably also wondering what happened to Captain Dorne. I’ll start there. She suffered real death last week in a roto accident on her way home from the Bureau.” Nevis didn’t show any emotion while reciting the news. She was all business.

  “Dead?” Cassidy said, the news causing his gut to clench. “That’s a real shame. I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Yes,” Nevis replied. “She was a valuable member of the UDF and she’ll be sorely missed.”

  “Why aren’t you here in person?” Cassidy asked before she could continue again.

  “We haven’t had time to install a new Captain in your branch,” she replied. “I’m filling in temporarily while a new official goes through the vetting process. I have my own caseload to handle.”

  “Understood.”

  “In that case—”

  “Hold up, Captain,” Cassidy said, putting up a hand and interrupting her this time.

  “What is it, Cassidy?”

  “You missed one of my burning questions.”

  She eyed him impatiently. “Which is?”

  “Why have I been on ice for the last twenty years? I have two jobs left in my contract, and—”

  “Your contract doesn’t stipulate a specific timeframe for the implementation of those jobs” Nevis said, jumping back in. “Nor does it have an expiration date. And as a Shade, your consciousness is essentially immortal.”

  “Yeah, I know. But my body—”

  “While your body is in cold storage, it’s also essentially immortal. Two years, twenty years, two thousand years. You aren’t aware of its passage while you’re in the Freezer. As far as you’re concerned, age really is just a number.”

  “Except the world doesn’t stop turning just because I’m not part of it,” Cassidy replied. “A lot can change in twenty years.”

  “A lot has changed. But nothing that should provide a barrier in your ability to carry out your duties as prescribed. I appreciate that you may be a little uneasy about the amount of time that’s passed since your last job, even though to your perception your last mission was yesterday. The fact is, before your last transfer Captain Dorne noted that you felt uncertain about your position within the Bureau. In order to maximize the return on investment for your final two transfers, it was decided to hold you in reserve until we had a job that required your extensive experience.”

  “For twenty years?”

  “You’re fortunate it wasn’t more.”

  “That’s bullshit. I never told Dorne I wouldn’t re-sign. I just told her…” He trailed off. He couldn’t remember. “I never said I wouldn’t re-sign.”

  “Are you suggesting Captain Dorne was intentionally misleading in her report?”

  Cassidy wrinkled his brow. “What? No. Why would she do that?”

  “Exactly. The bottom line is that without confirmation from you regarding your future we couldn’t risk wasting your talent.” She leveled her head, meeting his gaze with sharp eyes. “In other words, tough shit.”

  Cassidy smiled as he leaned back in his seat. “Right. I get it, Captain. It’s not like we can rewind the universe. But I still have one more job after this one. Are you going to hold me in reserve until the end of time?”

  She smirked back at him. “You’ll need to finish this mission to find that out, won’t you?”

  “Considering you’ve been keeping me on the sidelines to save me for a special occasion, I assume you think that’ll be easier said than done?”

  “It remains to be seen.”

  “Okay, Captain. You’ve still got me by the curlies for two more transfers. What’s the job?”

  Chapter 8

  A new hologram appeared between the projected version of Nevis and Cassidy. A full three-dimensional rendering of a man in UDF Marine fatigues, scaled down so he could stand on the table between them. With short brown hair, square jaw, and chiseled physique, he looked the part of one of the Defense Force’s finest combatants.

  “This is your target,” Nevis said. “His name is Mason Garrett.”

  “Can I interrupt here?” Cassidy asked.

  “What is it?”

  “This isn’t a recent photo, is it? Because comparing that guy with this guy,” he thrust his finger into his own chest. “You said you were saving me for something special. Not something impossible.”

  “In your last mission, you single handedly killed ten armed adults as a twelve year-old girl.”

  “To be fair, they were idiots.”

  Cassidy thought the statement might at least draw a small lip curl if not a full-fledged smile. Nevis didn’t offer either. “You also had a mission as a seven year-old where you killed two armed men with a pencil.”

  “It was a sharp pencil. My point, Captain, is that this Garrett is clearly a UDF Marine. Not only is he well-trained and in great shape, but at the very least he has a Sliver in his eye and a stim-chem pack in his ass. And he’s probably more augmented than that. I was a Marine before I joined the Bureau. I know what we’re capable of. Even with the same training, this repo isn’t going to hold up to that.”

  “Then I suggest not getting into a fistfight with him.”

  “Do you know how hard it is to sneak up on a guy with a Sliver? He has eyes in the back of his head.”

  “Yes, I’m aware of the capabilities of a Sliver. You’re disappointing me, Cassidy. Dorne’s file said you were hard-boiled. You seem more poached to me. Are you siphoning?”

  Cassidy froze, giving the question more thought than Nevis probably expected. “I might be. I pushed hard to get out here and get answers about Hall. I might be projecting too. There are reasons it’s illegal to shadow someone you know. And it really never came up because every other repo I’ve imprinted to has been either a nobody off the street or a criminal target of opportunity. Someone with access to the real mission objective. I don’t understand this.”

  “You haven’t given me a chance to explain.”

  Cassidy exhaled a laugh. “No, I guess I haven’t. My apologies, Captain.”

  “It isn’t necessary to apologize. I understand there’s a process to syncing a transfer, and yours hasn’t fully completed yet. May I continue?”

  Cassidy nodded, taking a deep breath and forcing himself to calm. “Please do.”

  “Mason Garrett,” she said, motioning to him with her hand. “Former UDF Marine turned mercenary turned fugitive. We’ve been tracking him for nearly four years now, through pretty much every city on the planet.”

  “What’s he wanted for?”

  “Treason. And murder. He was caught selling UDF firearms to known terrorists. When the MPs went to arrest him, he killed them both and took off. He’s been on the run since, but we got a hit on him last week. He’s in town. For how long, we don’t know. But Unity ranked him number one on our Most Valuable Target list. That’s why I thawed you.”

  “How many times have you tried to take him out already?”

  “Six times with conventional UDF resources. You’ll be the second Shade.”

  “What happened to the first?”

  “What do you think? Real death.”

  “Garrett knew the Shade was after him?”

  “We tried sending in a prostitute to get close to him. He sniffed her out like a bloodhound.”

  “He knew she was a Shade?” Cassidy asked, leaning forward, intrigued by the idea. There wasn’t a more clandestine unit in the universe than theirs. The Shades were like boogeymen, a terror that nobody believed existed until they had an encounter, and they never survived to tell the tale.

  “We don’t believe so. He didn’t take her out until she made a move on him. She was an experienced agent, but he was ready for her. Our assessment is that he considers everyone a threat, and he always treats them as such.”

  “That’s a hard way to live, to be so on edge all of the time.”

  “Maybe for a while. Sooner or later, it becomes second nature.”

  “That seems like something you should have known about him ahead of time.”

  “I agree. The SI agent in charge of intel gathering has been released as a result of his negligence. But that does lead us into why you’re imprinted to Detective Hall.”

  “Great.”

  “Hall’s been with the Special Investigations team for nearly a quarter of a century. His experience in intel-gathering is second to none, and as a liaison he knows the streets better than anyone.”

  “I agree with your assessment. Which is why he should be liaising me, not hosting me. You’re misusing his talents.”

  “On the contrary. We’re enhancing your already considerable skillset. Street smarts aren’t deep memory based, they’re part of rote memory. So is facial recognition and subconscious expertise. For example, let’s say you need a special weapon to hit Garrett. Who would you get one from?”

  Cassidy considered for a moment, a name and location bubbling up through Hall’s mind without requiring him to dig. “Okay, you got me there.”

  “Also, by merging the surveillance and intel gathering part of the mission with a Shade’s typical workload we can avoid making the same mistake twice. You have a lot more incentive to make sure your data is good than some suit sitting in an office with a view. That method works for us most of the time, but not with a target like Garrett.”

  “And I have more incentive than most because I’m so close to retirement, is that right?”

  “It definitely doesn’t hurt. Your experience will also help ensure you don’t corrupt despite your dual role. You have the self-control to let what you need from Hall come to you instead of trying to force it.”

  Cassidy reached up and ran his fingers through his thinning hair. “Let’s get back to Garrett. Why is he in town? Is he just trying to stay one step ahead of the UDF, or is he here for a specific purpose?”

  “We believe he’s here for a reason,” Nevis replied. The projection changed, replacing Garrett with an old Chinese man, nearly bald and covered in age spots. Thin and frail, it didn’t stop him from wearing an expensive, perfectly tailored suit. “Do you recognize him?”

  Cassidy stared at the image for a few seconds before shaking his head. “He looks familiar, but I can’t quite place him.”

  “That’s because you’ve been on ice for twenty years.” She changed the hologram again, replacing the old Chinese man with a younger version of him.

  Cassidy nodded in instant recognition. “I do know him. Shen Liao. He’s a triad Mountain Master. Yín lóng. Silver Dragons. You’re telling me Garrett is connected to Liao?”

  “We know he met with one of Liao’s White Paper Fans a few days ago. We don’t know what they discussed, but the fact that Garrett walked away without being jumped by a gang of 49ers soon after suggests they’re friendly.”

  “Not necessarily. Garrett might have met up with one of Liao’s admins to make sure they didn’t feel threatened by whatever activities he might undertake on their turf. They might have agreed to neutrality.” Cassidy smiled after speaking. Everything he had just said had spilled from Hall’s mind. “I’m starting to get a clearer understanding of why you married me to Hall.”

  “Unity made the call. I just implemented it. As for neutrality, it doesn’t add up. The bounty on Garrett is enough to make any organized crime syndicate think twice about letting him swim in their ponds uncontested. It’s possible, but unlikely.”

  “If that’s the case, then it’s not just Garrett I need to be on the lookout for. It’s the Silver Dragons too.”

  “A reasonable assumption.”

  “But they know Hall works for UDF Special Investigations. It’ll be hard to get anywhere through them that way.”

  “Will it? If Hall is a known quantity to them, then maybe you can catch them off-guard by doing something Hall wouldn’t do. Something unpredictable.”

  Cassidy smiled and nodded. “I like the way you think, Captain.”

  She returned the smile, the ice between them finally beginning to crack. “That’s why I’m the Captain,” she replied. “But I’m glad you’re starting to see it my way. Hall’s roto is already waiting for you upstairs. His personal effects, gun, badge and ClearPhone are in the prep room.”

  “Understood. Am I timeboxed?”

  “The sooner the better, but as long as you grab Garrett before he skips town, or even if he skips town and you manage to stay on his tail, you have all the time you need. If he’s planning something specific, don’t let him succeed.”

  “Grab?” Cassidy said. “Don’t you mean kill?”

  “My preference is for you to bring Garrett in alive.”

  Cassidy laughed. “And here I thought we had found some common ground. I have to find a way to sneak attack him, and I have to bring him in breathing?”

  “I can accept not breathing if the other option isn’t available. But I strongly recommend doing your best to keep him alive.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Cassidy said, getting to his feet.

  “Confirm the mission parameters, please,” Nevis said.

  “Shade Cassidy confirming mission forty-nine. Locate and apprehend fugitive Mason Garrett. No time limit. Condition Of Completion, Garrett brought into the SIB alive. Alternate COC, Garrett confirmed killed.”

  Nevis’ hologram stood as well. “Mission confirmed. Good hunting, Shade Cassidy.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  Cassidy turned to leave as the projector turned off and Nevis faded from view. He didn’t need to use any recall to know instinctively that this was the hardest assignment he had ever been given.

  He couldn’t wait to get started.

  Chapter 9

  While all of the rooms in the Underworld were sparse, the prep room was the most barren of all. Completely empty when not in use, when Cassidy arrived the ten foot square room contained only a small folding table on which rested the sidearm, badge and ClearPhone Nevis had promised. A long dark blue raincoat with a hood hung from a rack on one wall. A grey suit jacket matching the pants he wore hung beside it. Cassidy knew right away the raincoat wasn’t one of Hall’s personal effects. Bureau issued, he expected it was stab and maybe even projectile resistant. And it would keep him dry from the incessantly falling rain.

  The sidearm was in a shoulder holster that would hide easily beneath the suit jacket. He walked over to the table and picked up the holster, slipping the piece out of it. The weight was familiar in his hand. Muscle memory suggested Hall had been using the weapon for a long time and had practiced with it regularly. Combined with his imprint’s expertise, it would make him a formidable shooter.

  He turned the gun in his hand, checked the chamber and magazine, sighted down the barrel and then tucked it back into the holster. It was a much more advanced weapon than the guns Josias and his gang had been printing and assembling by hand—the only way to manufacture illicit items out of sight of the UDF’s watchful eyes. A needlegun, it carried a sixty-shot magazine that housed two rows of half-sized explosive-bodied flechettes. Designed for urban warfare, the piece was a perfect choice for a special investigations detective working in the tight confines of the city.

  Cassidy put the holster on over his white collared shirt. Then he turned to the clothes rack, plucking the suit jacket off its hangar and slipping into it. He did the same with the raincoat before returning his attention to the table and picking up the ClearPhone. Twenty years. This model was definitely newer, the transparent material thinner and lighter than what he remembered, and when he tapped the screen to activate it, the interface seemed to float above the device. It scanned his face and fingerprint before unlocking, and then he navigated the menus to Hall’s bank account, groaning when he saw how pitiful his financial situation was. The Bureau would reimburse him, but not before the job was done. He decided he would connect with Nevis if he ran into dire straits in that regard. If the equation came down to passing more coin into his account or letting Garrett get away, he was pretty sure he knew which one the captain would choose.

  He closed the account, pausing a moment before tapping out a pattern on the face of the device. The entire interface changed, switching over to Unity OS and offering a completely different menu of options. One of the options was marked Case Files and when he entered it he was rewarded with an array of intel related to the mission. He didn’t intend to stand in the prep room all day, sifting through the data. Instead, he turned off the ClearPhone and shoved it into the inside pocket of the suit jacket opposite the holster that held the needlegun. And then headed out of the room.

  He had never crossed paths with anyone in the Underworld, either before he had been mastered or during any of the forty-eight imprints since. Even so, walking through the always empty corridors toward the exit felt colder somehow. Nevis had told him things had changed in the last twenty years. No Singh. No Dorne. Hell, the captain hadn’t even briefed him in person.

  What else was different around here?

  He reached the exit, stopping at the Kiosk to let it scan his face.

  “Shade Cassidy, confirm mission start,” the AI voice said.

  “Mission start confirmed,” Cassidy said.

  “Thank you. Good hunting, Shade Cassidy.”

  The door behind Cassidy opened. He turned and walked through it to the elevator, the doors opening immediately when he pressed the up button. Stepping into the cab, he took it up to the landing bay on the top floor. He smiled when he spotted Hall’s old roto—the same one he’d ridden in during his last mission—sitting among the sea of newer flying machines. The new versions were sleeker, the paint jobs shinier. Hall must have insisted on keeping the vehicle. He supposed it blended more easily among the rotos that frequented the parts of the city where Hall did most of his work.