Motorcrash

t was the standard MO. Stage a car accident, abduct confused victim, flee before anyone notices what's just happened. That was the downside of the reintroduction of personal transportation vehicles. Sure, it was great for the Motavians. They were so overjoyed at having their contraptions legalized that they were more than happy to sell their better creations to the Palmans. And it was great for the people. With Mother Brain gone the teleport network was often down. But people still needed to get around, and cars were the perfect solution. Most of the intracity roads were intact even after the fifty year vehicle ban (though the highways between cities were another matter), and five decades of nothing but foot traffic had left them in excellent shape.

But the new cars and trucks were bad for the agents. Very bad. Cars and trucks made for traffic violations and parking violations and hit-and-run accidents and quick getaways. It was a whole new world of criminality and the agents were totally unprepared for it. Sure, they all had their own squad cars now, thanks to the Commander's foresight and planning, and that helped some. But not enough. Not nearly enough.

Agent Rolf was sitting in the front passenger seat of one of those squad cars, and his partner, Agent Rudolph Steiner, was in the driver's seat beside him. Rolf stared at the streetlights nervously as the car raced by one, then another, then another. He pulled his sonic gun out from his trenchcoat's inside pocket and he filled it with fresh cartridges. The blue and white squad car's blue and red lights were flashing wildly and its klaxons were blaring, and other cars were veering left and right to make room for the cruiser. But Rolf was oblivious to all of it.

Rudo, who could barely squeeze himself into even the largest agent's uniform, said, "She's going to be all right, Rolf." He shook his head. "She's tougher than we give her credit for. And she's smart. Really smart."

Rolf didn't see anything. In his mind he could see nothing but the black and yellow taxi his friend had been riding in, demolished, its front rammed into a traffic light and the Native driver bloodied and dead. He kept seeing the rear passenger side door all but ripped off and the canary yellow purse -- Amy's purse -- lying limply on the seat, its strap torn apart.

"They must have pulled her out," Rolf said, his face partially hidden from Rudo by the collar of his gray-brown trenchcoat. "They must have been rough with her. If they've hurt her...."

"I know," Rudo said, his jaw tightly set. "I know."

The radio crackled and out of its speakers, sounding like it was reverberating inside a rusty can, came a female voice.

"This is Anna," the voice said. "We're at a warehouse on the south end of Sirus Street."

"The brick one?" Rolf asked.

"Right," Anna said. "It's the only brick building in Paseo. You can't miss it. God, these guys must be amateurs."

"It's the AOP," Rolf stated. It wasn't a question.

The AOP -- the Avengers of Palm. A terrorist group, all Palmans, all Mota residents, all Palm-born. They thought it was their holy duty to make vengeance against all those they thought guilty of Palm's destruction. The few surviving members of the Algo-wide governing bodies were the prime targets, but any government official was fair game, no matter how low on the ladder. The Governor had been the most frequent near-victim, though all attempts on him had been foiled before they went anywhere. Even hunters and Guardians who had worked with the agents were under fire, though they were usually much too clever for the AOP's inexperienced assassins.

No, the usual marks were low-level bureaucrats and civil servants, aides and pages, all completely innocent of Mother Brain's atrocities. But now, as Rolf had feared they would, the AOP had turned its attention to those least guilty of all -- those who had risked and lost almost everything in order to free Algo from Mother Brain's tyranny. The AOP was after Rolf and his friends. And Amy was their first target.

Rolf could see the terrorists so clearly in his mind -- skinny, unshaven, acne-ridden youths huddled around a table in the basement of an old control tower or some other ruin, planning their grand revenge. Some probably believed in the cause, probably believed they could really make "a difference," whatever that meant. Most were just angry and scared and wanted to lash out. Others just wanted to be a part of history.

"Doctor Amelia Sage," the leader said to the others. "M.D. and Ph.D. Head of the Medical and Bio-Ethics Department at Motavia Academy. Traveled with Agent Rolf. Conspired with the government. Killed Palm. Must die."

So one of their number went and bought a newspaper and saw that Amy and Hugh would be speaking at a conference in Paseo. They probably picked Amy because they thought she would be an easier target, though they could have picked Hugh just as easily. And the group agreed, "Isn't this a perfect opportunity?" So then they did what came naturally to them: crashing cars and killing innocent people and kidnapping heroes who sacrificed everything for the sake of young, ungrateful punks just like themselves.

Didn't they realize how important her work was, how important she was? Sure, the hospitals were running again but the production of medicines had slowed dramatically. Overmedication was also a concern, mostly in wealthy cities like Paseo, and bugs resistant to the known medications were appearing. It was people like Amy who were going to keep Mota alive in the lean years to come. Why couldn't those idiots see that?

"We're here," Rudo said quietly. He had long since turned off the siren and the flashers and the headlights. When Rolf looked up he could see nothing but the dark warehouse looming before him, lit only by weak starlight and the glow of street lamps half a block away. And he heard nothing except for the soft idling of the car engine and the lunatic ravings of his own troubled heart.

Rudo put on his riot helmet and took out his special-issue lasershot. He and Rolf looked at each other and then they stepped out of the car.

Anna was crouching just outside the building's front garage door. There was a light over her but it was burnt out, meaning that Anna was completely invisible to anyone watching from inside the warehouse. Beside her was her assistant, Kip. Rolf and Rudo had met him briefly before. He was young and a little too quick to rush in, but he was brave and loyal and enthusiastic, and everyone respected him for it. Kip was wearing his usual Guardian's uniform, but over his face was a device Rolf knew was an X-ray viewer.

"Any activity?" Rudo asked Anna.

She shook her head no. "Nothing. But I saw their truck go inside. Old pickup. Probably from before the vehicle ban."

"Could you see Amy?" Rolf asked. His voice was shaky. Eager.

"Yes," Anna said. "She was between the two passengers, but her head was down. I couldn't see her face." Anna said to Rudo, continuing an earlier conversation Rolf had been oblivious to, "I told you I wasn't coming here alone. You worry for nothing." She and Rudo both smiled and the spark between them was momentarily visible.

But only for a moment. "How many of them?" Rolf asked.

"Three," Anna said. "We don't need to wait for the backup."

"And they're right inside," Kip said, pushing his viewer up onto his forehead and revealing his sparkling, excited eyes. "These old walls are pretty thin. I could see them all. They've got no idea we're out here."

Rudo nodded. "Good. I like it that way."

Anna and Kip stayed crouched where they were while Rolf went and stooped down on the other side of the warehouse entrance. Rudo ran back to the squad car, buckled himself in tightly, turned the lights and sirens on full blast, and then rammed his vehicle right through the garage doors and into the interior of the AOP base.

Kip had been right; there were only three AOP'ers inside. The oldest looked to be about twenty-five, with the others clearly not even of age. They had been sitting at a small table, just playing cards. Amy was a few meters beyond them, gagged and tied to a chair, her head down, not moving at all.

Rolf ran in behind the squad car, his sonic gun blazing. The oldest of the AOP'ers had an old bullet-gun, which he leveled right at Rolf's head. But Rolf fired first, striking the man in the leg and then in the arm, flooring and disarming him instantly.

Anna and Kip were right behind Rolf. Anna let loose with her laconian slashers, both of which were equipped with plasma rings. She purposefully aimed for the youngest of the three, who was unarmed and held his hands up in surrender as soon as he saw agents. Anna's sharp slasher blades missed the boy's flesh entirely, thanks to her expert skill, but the plasma rings locked onto him, restraining him tightly and sending him to the concrete floor with a soft thud.

Kip, wielding a laeruma wood staff sharpened at the points, rushed in and ran for the third culprit, who was armed with a mace. The man tried to bash in Kip's skull with his most intimidating weapon, but Kip was able to deflect the mace with quick swings of his staff. After several blocks the chain that held the mace to its handle broke, sending the spiked ball flying. Kip was distracted, enabling the man to hit him in the head, hard, with the jagged edge of the chain. Kip staggered, but then hit the man square in the chin with the long shaft of his staff. The man made a gurgling sound as a small trickle of blood seeped out of the corner of his mouth. But then he fell, knocked-out and bruised but otherwise unharmed.

While Kip and Anna were still busy, Rolf ran over to where Amy was tied up. Rolf gently tipped her head back. Amy's hair had grown much longer over the past several months and Rolf had to push it aside so that he could look at her face, which was bruised and scratched. Rolf tapped Amy's face lightly with his palm, saying, "Amy, Amy, wake up!"

At last Amy groaned and her large, blue eyes fluttered open. The pupil of her right eye was dilated while the left was not, meaning she'd probably suffered a concussion, most likely during the car crash.

"Rolf...?" she said, smiling wanly. But then she sighed, and her head tipped back as she fell unconscious again.

Rolf began savagely ripping at the ropes that bound her. The coarseness of the ropes was a stark contrast to the soft silk of the white dress shirt Amy was wearing. Her tie, her suit jacket, her miniskirt and pumps -- all in her trademark canary yellow -- were stained by her abductors' dirty hands and torn by their rough treatment. Rolf snarled aloud when he saw that Amy's white pantyhose had been pulled down. The scum had been planning to rape her. Rolf was sure of it.

Once Amy was free, Rolf lifted her. He held her in his arms, her small body shivering, her delicate white face nestled between Rolf's neck and the cold metal of his shoulder plate. Amy's breath felt cold on Rolf's sweaty skin and he wondered if the men had drugged her.

Anna was helping the disoriented Kip to get his balance as Rolf ran back to the squad car. Rudo, still in the driver's seat, reached out his open window and opened the rear car door for Rolf. Rolf gently slid into the back seat, still holding Amy tightly.

Anna and Kip came over to the car. Kip was holding his head; there was blood smeared into his hair and a thin rivulet was running down his forehead from under his viewer. Kip saw Rudo's worried look and said, "I'm fine. I've had much worse."

"The other Guardians just got here," Anna said. "Kain's driving them. And the backup from the Agency has arrived, too."

Kip laughed and said, "Damn, there must be twenty cruisers here!"

"While they're taking care of the creeps we're going to give Kip a ride to the hospital," Anna said. And to Rudo she added, "I'll call you at Rolf's from there, all right? I'll want to know how Amy's doing, and...." She cut off abruptly, like there was much more she needed to say. But she didn't vocalize it; she just let it hang.

Rudo smiled at Anna, but it was half-hearted. "All right," he said. For Kip he added, "Take care."

As Rudo was backing the cruiser out of the warehouse, he said to Rolf, "Is she out?"

Rolf looked down at Amy's face. She looked like she was sleeping. "Yes," he answered. "She needs a doctor. A concussion, I think.... They...."

Rudo just nodded. "You got it. We'll be at Saint Alis' in two minutes." With one last wave to Anna and Kain, who were helping Kip into the Guardians' van, Rudo steered his car onto the lonely midnight streets, alarms blaring and lights flashing.

Rolf was quiet. He cradled Amy close to him and ran his shaking fingers through her hair. "Sssshhh...." he said, but he said it to himself; Amy was utterly silent except for her heavy breathing and an occasional, muffled cry. It was Rolf who was in pieces.

Why? This had been a routine assignment, not even a very dangerous one. The young punks had been no real threat to Rolf, but he'd been more terrified on this jaunt then on any other for the Agency. He'd been almost as afraid as he was facing Mother Brain.

Why? It wasn't just because a friend's life had been in danger. Rolf's friends had been in his hands since the first morning he set out to Biosystems with Nei at his side. No, this was something different. Something powerful.

Rolf looked down at Amy's face. Her breathing was slowing, calming; her face was relaxing. Six months ago, Rolf had seen that same look on Amy's face when he escorted her back to her parents' home in Oputa. Except for Rudo, who'd moved in with Rolf, Rolf escorted all of his friends home. And in every case, though Rolf knew he would miss his friends, he didn't mind saying good-bye to them for a while. But with Amy, it was different. Rolf didn't want to let go of her when they embraced on her parents' front step. It was like even if he saw Amy again, which Rolf was sure he would, he would have lost something very dear that he could never get back again. Something that had to be harnessed when the moment was right.

Rolf must have looked very troubled as he sat in the patrol car contemplating all this, for when Amy opened her eyes, and she saw Rolf looking down at her, she asked, "What is it? Is something wrong?"

Rolf had to smile. "You missed the conference, for one."

"And for two?" she asked, weakly. But she was smiling, as well.

Rolf stroked her hair gently. "I don't think there is a number two."

The patrol car lurched slightly as it pulled into the unloading zone of Saint Alis Hospital's emergency center. Rolf got out of the car, with Amy still in his arms, and several orderlies appeared with a stretcher. Rolf set Amy gently upon the stretcher, and he felt his heart sink when Amy's eyes rolled back and closed and she lost consciousness again.

One of the orderlies said, "Thank you, Agent. We'll take care of her now." But Rolf was still holding Amy's hand, and he found he couldn't let go. When he looked down at her Rolf realized that it wasn't his own grip he couldn't break -- it was Amy's. Her white knuckles had gone even whiter as she gripped Rolf's hand like a life preserver.

Rolf looked up at the orderly who had addressed him. There were tears in his eyes when he said, "I want to be with her."

The orderly nodded. "Of course." Then, followed by Rudo, they wheeled her into the emergency center where Hugh, Shir, and Paseo's best doctors were already waiting.

Fin.