I could tell she wasn’t ready to give up on the imprinter, but I could deal with that later. I also knew she’d have to go, but I’d have to time things right for that.

  “Moving on,” Jeremy said and motioned to me.

  “How many Agents do you have left?”

  “Fifteen. I already said that,” Bethany spat.

  I uncrossed my arms and nodded. “So, how many other buildings are powered and in use?”

  Jeremy shifted in his seat. “We’ve mostly focused on this building. Once we were all back together, it took a while to get everything set up again and hire some people for upkeep and security.”

  “Before I waste any more time, have you done anything other than take care of yourselves?”

  “We also keep CFB Trenton secured, and Darlington…”

  “Yes, yes, I know that already.” I waved a hand dismissively. “Have you done anything to actually help the people you claim to be taking care of?”

  The three of them glanced at each other, and Jeremy at least had the decency to look a little bit guilty.

  Jonathan finally said, “We have some limited food distribution set up from the farms we’ve managed to establish agreements with. We offer protection from the Anarchists and other warlords, and sometimes just give the farmers weapons if that’s what they want in exchange for food. We’ve done the same with some fishermen and some people to keep an eye on the solar farm.”

  “So here’s my suggestion. You claim to have a pretty large area under control, but I don’t see it. You need to start with this block, move toward the water and take control of a port location, then out from there. Schools, hospitals, and public buildings are likely to have their own solar power systems, which may require repair, but those buildings could provide safe housing for people. You also need to figure out how many of the floors of this building you can successfully power.”

  Jeremy took notes in an old leather portfolio.

  “How many people died last winter?”

  His head snapped up.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Well?”

  “I don’t know…a lot.”

  “Well, there’s your first priority. Buildings people can move into. Centralize things. Not only is it easier to control people if they’re centralized, but they’re more likely to root out any bad seeds on their own, whereas now, they’re all scattered.”

  “Okay, we’ll start looking at that. I guess we can also spread the word about hiring a police force.”

  “I’ll take care of that,” Bethany said. “I already have a gun range set up at Rogers Centre.”

  “Good. Let’s say…a week from today, everyone that wants to apply can show up.” I smiled since I knew she’d hate the idea of me being involved.

  “I think that’s a perfect idea, Mr. Smith,” Jonathan said, before Bethany could open her mouth.

  I stood and stretched. “Now, if you don’t mind, this really isn’t my thing. I’ll leave you executive types to wrap up the details.” I winked at Bethany, then headed out and back to my apartment. I spent the rest of the day going over maps of Toronto and picked out a few places to scout the next day.

  * * *

  The next morning, just before sunrise, I dressed for the cooler weather, packed my backpack, and went down to the lobby where, once again, I was stopped.

  “This is getting out of hand. Do you not believe I can take care of myself?” I asked.

  “Just following orders, Mr. Smith.”

  “Whose orders?”

  “Ms. Evans’.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I really don’t want to hurt you, but I’m going out there alone today. I have some work to do. So, you can tell her you tried, but I went anyway.”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Smith, just wait a moment please.” He pulled a radio from his belt.

  I reached out and wrapped the hand that held the radio in my hand and squeezed until he fell to his knees from the pain. I was sure I felt one of his fingers break or dislocate; I wasn’t sure which.

  “I squeeze a little harder, and you’ll never use that hand again, do you understand?”

  It was all he could do to nod. His mouth was clenched closed.

  “I’m going to let you go, and I’m going to leave. Nod if you understand.”

  He nodded again.

  “Good boy.”

  I let him go and walked out of the building. The guards outside looked at me, and then through the closing door. They ran inside to help their comrade, but they didn’t bother me. I had a few potential places to go, so I stood on the sidewalk and looked around as I considered.

  I had my 9mm and a few extra magazines, but most of my armament was invisible to the casual observer. As I usually only did when I was on a mission, or in the past few days, I also had knives and other small weapons in accessible locations on my person.

  I made my decision and headed west on King Street. The sun had just started to come up, and folks who had slept on the streets packed up their meager belongings. I waved as I went by. More than a few returned the gesture or at least nodded. Some had seen me in action the day before; that might have helped.

  I turned south once I got to John Street, remembering when I used to spend a good bit of time at the coffee shop on the corner. It was the kind of place that really picked up morale. I was sure a lot of these people hadn’t had a cup of coffee in years. The glass was broken out, and the place had obviously been ransacked for anything of use, but that could be fixed.

  Farther along, I passed the park just past Front Street. It used to be another good spot for people watching. Now, it was a campground. The trees had been cut down for firewood long ago. I made a mental note to have them check CFB Trenton and the police precincts to see if there were any emergency tents or other things that could be useful as the temperatures dropped.

  They really needed to get more buildings open, operational, and secure. I’d discovered many of those who had gotten to an indoor location last year were killed for their coats or a bottle of water. That had to stop. Perhaps the worst part was finding out the dead had not been able to rest peacefully; they’d been dinner.

  I shuddered as I thought about that and looked up at my target. The CN Tower. There were elevators, but I doubted there’d be power since the building wouldn’t be very useful for anything, so I’d have to go up the stairs. So many stairs. Thankfully, I was still in shape.

  Thirty minutes later, I stepped out onto the EdgeWalk and looked around the city from over 1,000 feet in the air. I pulled a set of compact binoculars from one of my cargo pockets and looked around. I decided right away this was definitely a spot for a sniper to be stationed full-time, especially if we had someone with a sniper imprint or special forces training. It would be good protection inside the perimeter, especially if anyone came up from Lake Ontario. A decent shot could likely hit a target on the closer points of the Toronto Islands to the south, which would be good, because I was hoping to eventually make use of the city airport.

  I looked over toward Port Lands, where the Portlands Energy Center was located. It was a natural gas power generation facility which might be useful in the long term. I frowned as I saw that the entrance over the Keating Channel was barricaded and guarded. They apparently didn’t want visitors. Two guards at the barricade with crossbows. Interesting weapon choice, but a smart one. I looked around a bit more and spotted a sniper on top of one of the towers. They really didn’t want visitors. Full scale assaults weren’t really my thing, so I filed that information away for later use.

  Next, I spotted a few buildings with solar panels on the roofs. That was good. The Ritz Carlton Toronto, Toronto City Hall, and all of the TD Centre buildings had been equipped with solar panels. One York Street had them, too. That was quite a few buildings inside a zone I thought could be controlled and could house and protect people.

  Some buildings also had rooftop greenery. I was no expert, but I had to wonder if the greenery areas could be converted to grow food in the warmer months.

  I turned south and looked over the many docks spread across the shoreline of Lake Ontario. Many were empty now, but there were still several boats in their slips or drydocked. I could see a few fishing boats on their way out to the lake as well. I wondered how much was left, because they’d probably fished the hell out of it the past couple decades.

  I sighed and tucked the binoculars away as I climbed back down.

  For the rest of the day, I walked the streets of the local area and scouted the buildings I thought could be used since they already had solar panels. I also took the time to talk to folks who would actually stop and talk to me. Apparently, word of yesterday’s confrontation had spread quickly, and enough of a physical description had been given that I was recognized. Some ran from me; others came up to thank me. I gained a much better understanding of the desperate situations these people were in. Some told me their family members went to join the AL just because they promised food and shelter.

  Several old businesses also caught my interest. There were more than a few solar panel installation companies in the area, some with large warehouses.

  * * *

  I walked around one of the buildings and found a warehouse door ajar. I wasn’t surprised; people would find any shelter they could, and I didn’t blame them. Just the same, I slid a few throwing knives into my hands before I carefully stepped in. The room was mostly dark, but a few filthy windows allowed a bit of light in, just enough for me to see.

  I heard voices from the far corner, but it wasn’t what I heard, but what I saw, that drew my interest at first. Racks and racks of solar panels. Everything from residential size to the big industrial units. Nice. Most of them seemed to still be strapped together and undamaged from what I could see.

  “Hey! Who’s there!”

  Damn, I’d left myself silhouetted by the open door. More proof that I was out of practice. I didn’t answer but moved into the shadows.

  I heard multiple footsteps in the near darkness, then silence. I figured at least five people had moved based on the patterns. I could hear some of them breathing heavily just from that little bit of movement; they were no threat.

  “As long as you play nice, you’re in no danger. My name is Mr. Smith.”

  “Shit, the guy who disarmed the nuke?”

  “That’s me. Now, why don’t you all move over here into the light where I can see you, so we don’t have any accidents.”

  I heard one of them whisper, “That’s the guy Jacob wants.”

  “Okay,” another whispered, “you two go that way, we’ll go around here.”

  I listened carefully and heard the hammer cock on a gun. Probably a revolver. They moved what they thought was quietly, and against most people, it would have been effective. Unfortunately for them, I wasn’t most people.

  “Five against one isn’t really fair odds. You should get more people.”

  One of them took the bait. “Hah! Jacob’s gonna pay nicely to see you dead.”

  I used the cover of his voice to move one row of shelves over and ended up behind one of the men. I put one of the knives away, crept up and wrapped an arm around his neck, covered his mouth, and sliced his throat. I gently set the body down and listened.

  Through the gaps, I could see two more men on the next row over, one of them with a revolver in his hand. They were careful and moved slowly, but they couldn’t see. I could.

  Suddenly, I found myself illuminated as someone behind me and across the building turned on a flashlight. “There he is!”

  I’d missed a gun, and I felt a sting in my back. I ignored it and threw two knives in rapid succession back toward the light as I ran to the end of the row and along the wall, then I ducked behind another row and stopped. I was gratified to hear two bodies hit the ground. One of them screamed, and the other tried, but all that came out was a gurgling sound.

  “Two left. You have an open path to the door. I encourage you to run,” I said calmly.

  Sure enough, I heard the fast footfalls of running, and the door slammed open as they shoved it out of the way to escape.

  I knew I’d been hit and felt my abdomen…no blood. Great, that meant the bullet was still somewhere inside me. I brushed off the pain and slowly made my way over to where the flashlight had fallen. I could see one man was dead for sure; even with a blind throw I’d caught him in the neck. The other had been struck in the chest and stared down at the knife that still protruded from it.

  He looked up and shuffled backward until his back hit the shelves behind him.

  I walked over, pulled the knife from the dead man’s neck and cleaned it on his shirt before I put it away. The revolver found its way into one of my pockets, and I picked up the flashlight and aimed it at the survivor.

  He struggled to breathe as he stared at me. He was going into shock.

  “Well, you’re going to die, nothing I can do about that. Unfortunately for you, it’s going to be slow and painful. Now, I could help you with that, but I need information. Where is Jacob?”

  He started to shake and looked down at the knife in his chest again.

  “You’re going into shock. Tell me what I want to know.”

  “Aquarium,” was all he could get out.

  I nodded. “Good.” I pulled the knife out of his chest and used it to slice his throat open and end his suffering; at least, that’s how I looked at it.

  I figured he meant the old Ripley’s Aquarium, which, interestingly, was right next to the CN Tower where I’d just been. I also figured Jacob probably had quite a few people there who were, for whatever reason, loyal to him. I had no doubt Jacob’s loyal followers had their families there as well. I probably should have killed him when I had the chance. Yep, definitely going soft.

  I remembered Scotty carrying what looked like a sniper rifle case when I first met him and decided to head back to the plaza. A sniper perched on the CN Tower would do nicely for keeping an eye on the aquarium to see how many people Jacob had inside. Knowledge is power in this Fallen World.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Four

  I made my way back to the plaza, past a new set of guards at the front door, and up to the top floor. I realized when I walked out of the elevator, that I didn’t know where to locate Jonathan or Jeremy. And I really had no interest in talking to Bethany. A twinge in my back reminded me I still had a bullet that needed to be removed.

  I walked through the concealed door toward my room. I figured I would at least pop a few pain killers, and maybe I could fish it out myself if worse came to worse. Bill and Ted rounded the corner and nearly ran into me before they jumped back.

  “Woah! We were just going to head out to look for you. You know you broke Steve’s hand?”

  I shrugged. “It could have been worse.”

  “You okay?” He pointed at my hand, which was still a bit bloody.

  “Yeah. Nothing I couldn’t handle. A few of Jacob’s friends wanted to talk. I didn’t feel like it.”

  Ted grunted. “He’s been a problem for a while.”

  “I won’t ask why nothing has been done about him, or why you didn’t mention him before, because I think I already know the answer. Anyway, have you got anyone who can get a bullet out of my back?”

  “What?!” Bill moved quickly behind me and pulled up my shirt. “Shit, no exit wound I guess?”

  “Nope. Little bastard is still in there.”

  “You’re bleeding a bit more than you might think, Mr. Smith. Come with us.”

  They led me back to the elevator and down to the second floor. I hadn’t been on this floor before, and it was not what I expected. Most of the non-structural walls were gone; the floor was almost wide open.

  In the far corner, there was a double-layered cage which contained their arsenal, and it was impressive. It had to take up more than two thousand square feet and contained everything from handguns to single-use rocket launchers. Some cases even looked like they contained anti-air missiles.

  I also saw an area along one of the walls with a variety of free weights and benches. That was good to know; I needed to take advantage of it. I’d worked out in my bunker, but not nearly as much as I probably should have.

  Against the wall on the left was an area that was partitioned off. They led me to it. As we walked in, I saw the guard, Steve, leaning back in a reclining chair, his hand wrapped up and iced with a cold pack. There were several hospital-style beds in the room and monitoring equipment that made it look like an emergency room triage center.

  “Doing okay, Steve?” Bill asked.

  He nodded. “I doubt I’ll ever play the guitar again, but Doc says I’ll be alright.”

  “You sucked at it anyway,” Ted said and chuckled.

  Steve flipped him off with his good hand, then looked at me. “You weren’t exaggerating when you said you could have crushed my hand.”

  “No, I wasn’t.”

  “Well, thanks. No hard feelings.”

  I nodded.

  “Where’d Doc go? Mr. Smith here has a bit of an emergency,” Bill said.

  “She should be right back.”

  As if on cue, an older woman came in and crossed her arms over her chest. “What is this, a meeting room now?” she asked in an Indian accent.

  “Doctor Adwani, Mr. Smith could use your help.” Bill turned to greet her.

  “It’s just a bullet.” I rolled my eyes.

  “Ah, the infamous Mr. Smith. I hear I have you to thank for having to patch Steve up.”

  I shrugged. “Could have been worse.”

  “Mmm hmm.” She lifted the back of my shirt and sucked in a breath. “Over there, on his stomach, now. Carefully, and get that backpack off.”

  Bill and Ted guided me to the table and lifted the backpack off my back. “Guys, I can walk…”

  I hopped up on the bed and immediately regretted it. The pain I’d suppressed washed over me. “Okay, that hurts.”

 

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