Page 74 of Erase Me
Unsure if Vaughn was planning to throw a small army at us, or just make it a lively party, my strategy was simple—pocket what I could.You never knew when a high-tech gizmo might save the day, or at least make for a flashy exit.
“You have more toys than I do,” she said, looking a little wistful as she took stock.
“That’s one of the benefits of graduating from the School of Legitimate Training.They give you these babies when you have the title of Bona Fide Agent and go on authorized assignments.”I may have been smirking a little.“I earned these toys.”
There I was, sounding stern, but I was worried about Avalie.While it was true that I’d been trained to handle situations like this, she was walking into a minefield.In this world, without proper training, she was practically a danger magnet.And anything could happen in the next few minutes.We didn’t know what these goons had been assigned to do.We could be looking at a hail of bullets coming our way.
Damn it!If there was only some way that I could transport her to somewhere safe.
“Cut the lecture, Mr.Goody Two-Shoes.”She cast a glance toward the door.“Before Vaughn and his friends break in, show me your tricks.What do these things do?”
I glanced at Judy’s phone.Vaughn wasstillwriting texts to her.I decided to play along and shot back a response, hoping to buy us some time.
Next, I lined up my weapons on the bed like a mad scientist displaying his prized experiments.“Most of these babies are biometrically synced to me.I’m the only user.Just a couple of them aren’t.”
“Well, I plan to be your shadow, so explain away.”
She’d better be, I thought.I motioned to the first gadget, a short tube, slightly larger than her immobilizers.
“This contains nanobot swarms.Picture this, tiny nanobots morphing into blades, darts, shields, or whatever else we need.This is the Swiss Army knife of espionage.”I pocketed the tube.“But it’s more for outdoor situations.”
“Okay, save it for that,” she muttered.She pushed two marble-sized devices my way.“What are these?”
“EMP Grenades.Tiny packages of joy that emit electromagnetic pulses, rendering electronic devices useless in the vicinity.”
“Let me take a wild guess.Another addition to your outdoor weaponry collection?”
“You got it.”I put them in my pocket.“Because the Division apparently thinks I only operate in the great outdoors.”
“Now we get the truth,” she quipped.“You’re allergic to indoor assignments.”
“Not always,” I replied, pulling the next weapon closer.“Enter the Smart Dust Explosives.Does exactly what it says on the packet.Oh, and it’s biometrically tied to yours truly.”
As she reached for the next device, I snatched it from her hand.“Mine.”
“What is it?”she asked.
“Electroshock ring.This baby is armed with miniature, non-lethal electrodes for those up-close-and-personal combat moments.”
“Really?”Avalie shook her head in disbelief.“You need a gadget for that too?What happened to good old-fashioned street fighting?”
She definitely had a massive attitude.Recalling how she’d effortlessly flipped me in that storage container a couple of nights ago, I judged she had some experience in martial arts.But that night she had the element of surprise on her side.I didn’t expect her to be there.And when I saw her, my first reaction was to trust her.Whatever was going to happen here in this apartment, she could be out of her league.
Time was running short.I grabbed the next device.“This thing unleashes an expanding sonic cone that will either disorient or turn our opponents into interpretative dance enthusiasts.”
“Looks like it would be too complicated and slow to activate,” she said, immediately reaching for the next items.“Immobilizers.Wait, these are mine.”
“Yes, they are.An older model, though, compared to my state-of-the-art neural disruptor.”
“They call them immobilizers.And mine are the same as yours.”
“Yours are assigned to rookies.My neural disruptors are the Ferraris of immobilizers.They emit targeted signals that disrupt neural pathways, causing temporary paralysis or confusion.”
Avalie scoffed.“Mine do the same thing.And I recall my device knocking a certain someone right on their ass.”She pocketed hers.“Get us out of here alive tonight, and we can settle this with a good old shootout.”
“Let’s not call it a shootout,” I suggested.
She shot me a look that could melt ice.“I don’t care what you call it.My immobilizer against whatever fancy reject you’ve got in your hand.”
