Page 115 of Ezra
I desperately search for Deion among the other uniforms, positioned all around the bunker in a ready formation behind their cruisers to open fire if need be. It’s such an unassuming building, surrounded by a security fence that’s been cut wide open, run down from several decades ago, tan bricks with plain windows stained with hard water.
The officers look like they’re about ready to forcibly shove me backward, or maybe even arrest me for refusing to listen. Then I see him, tall and unmistakable, speaking with the chief.
No. Arguing with him.
“Detective Washington!” I call, waving frantically. “Deion!”
He spots me. “Wait.” I’m relieved as he approaches me, looking as pissed off as I think I’ve ever seen him. “Kat. Thank god. We’re running out of time here.”
“Tell me what to do,” I say as I slip past the barricade to join him. He leads me straight to where Jacobs stands with two unarmed men, both of whom appear to be the failed negotiators. “I’m ready to help.”
Jacobs’s gaze is almost murderous. “Washington tells me you know the perpetrator?”
I nod quickly. “She’s a friend.”
“You think you can talk her down?” Jacobs asks, skeptical.
“I can try,” I say. “This isn’t like her. I—it’s hard for me to believe.”
“What we have is a troubled young woman who is way over her head,” Deion says. “If you can talk her down before SWAT gets here and things potentially get messy, that’d be best.”
Left reeling from this, I can only focus on who matters most to me. “What’s happening with Ezra and Dad?”
“His comms are jammed by whatever they’re up to in there. I can’t reach him,” Deion says. “The longer we wait, the worse things might get.”
“Get her over there,” Jacobs barks.
“Yes, sir.” Deion goes over to one of the negotiators and takes the necessary gear, then attaches a small, thin electronic device to the back of my cell phone. “This is so we can hear what you’re saying on our comms. You’re gonna use your cell phone, nothing fancy. Just two friends talking on the phone. We’re going to get you as close as we can. So she can see you.”
He gently presses his hand to my back and guides me along the line of trained officers. Officers on high alert keep their distance from where Zoey is. “Three androids total,” I hear someone say. “Programming compromised.”
BioNex technologists wearing their signature striped BioNex uniforms are glued to their tablets, trying to override Ezra and the others, but they’re failing. Their ability to send a signal is jammed somehow, and they aren’t sure why.
I clutch my cell phone tightly. “What has she been saying?”
“She’s making demands. A way to get out of the country, money, or they’ll hurt your father, ascend as a group.” Deion is honest, and I feel like I’ve just been kicked. He sees my uncertainty and grasps my shoulders. “You’ve got this, okay? You’re a good speaker. I’ve heard you. Talk her down. We’ll get Ezra and your dad out of there.”
“What if I can’t?” I whisper, suddenly seized by the fear of losing Ezra and my father in one horrible swoop. “What happens if I fail?”
“Kat,” Deion says quite seriously. “You can’t.”
That’s the only reassurance I think I’m going to get.
Deion leads me to the closest area I can be to the situation, standing behind a barricade. Exhaling to steady myself, I call Zoey. She doesn’t answer the first time. The second time, she picks up.
“Night not going the way you wanted, Kitty Kat?” Zoey taunts me, but beneath that confidence, I can hear it. She’s on edge.
“Zoey,” I say softly. “What’s going on?”
“You should know,” she scoffs. “Don’t play dumb. They haven’t told you?”
“They’ve told me the bare minimum. They say you’re TerraPura and you’re going to hurt my dad. I don’t think you’re like that. I don't think it’s possible for you to hurt someone. I’d prefer to hear it from you.” I glance at Deion, who gives me an encouraging thumbs up. “I’m outside right now. This doesn’t look good, and I want to help.”
“You can’t help. You’re the reason for all of this shit.” Zoey’s words tear through me. “If it wasn’t for Humanity First, TerraPura probably wouldn’t exist. A pendulum can’t just swing one way.”
Swallowing, I look at Deion again, who mouths at me to keep her talking. SWAT has arrived, but they’re not going in yet. “You’re right,” I reply. “You’re right, Zoey. Part of thisismy fault. My dad’s fault. And we were wrong—but you can’t kill us for it.”
“Like hell I can’t,” Zoey replies tersely. “Tell the cops to back the fuck off, because I’ve got two fully loaded androids in here with me, and we’re about ready to make Ezra one too.”
