Simulated, p.24
Simulated, page 24
“Two years and 156 days ago.”
My heart shatters like a bomb was dropped on it. Every piece of that date is engraved on my mind forever. It sealed my fate for good. And now this—him—another equation, is added into it…the day they announced my death.
A hundred questions—no, a thousand—race up my throat, are on the tip of my tongue, about to spill out over my lips, but a voice shatters the moment.
“Kai is here,” Qadar says. “But he’s not alone and whoever followed him doesn’t look happy.”
Chapter 48
KSAR DOUZ, TUNISIA
A CLOUD OF dust follows us as we crouch into position behind the ancient remnants of the Roman structure. Noble’s jaw is tight, that same tortured expression on his face. Like learning to read Arabic, my mind is skipping backward, erasing all I know about him. Reading him in a new language altogether.
Qadar sounds again. “There’s an entourage behind him. I can still make the drop off. But they’re dangerously close behind. Someone might see me. Is Kai good for it?”
“Yes.” I’m sure of it.
Noble’s device is scanning for any sign of PSS Radar. “That’s Albert Müller. The flashy one. No trackers. Go for it, then get out of there.”
Qadar dashes into the ruins and places the holothumb in a secure hole under a stone ledge next to an old pillar. But all too soon Müller’s men surround the ruins and the Sheikh’s helicopter lands about a football field away. The Sheikh and the X-girl join the entourage.
Qadar is stuck, looking for a way to make it out unseen. He slinks slowly into an alcove in the crumbling walls, waiting for the right moment to make a run for it, but even without my gift I can tell it doesn’t look good. He’s stuck. Thankfully, there are layers of walls he can hide behind.
Noble looks at me. “I don’t like this,” he says. Then to Qadar, “Hunker down until they’re gone. We don’t know why they followed Kai.”
“They obviously don’t trust him,” I whisper.
I scan the ruins for Kai, and finally, I spot him.
Kai’s walking forward like the desert belongs to him and he doesn’t have a care in the world. He was supposed to come alone, but he doesn’t look the least bit concerned the Loyalists are surrounding the area. That boy. What is he thinking?
Kai won’t have time to reach the drop off point without it being obvious that he came to pick something up.
As soon as the Sheikh and the girl reach Müller and the fortress, Müller’s lackey, a large man grabs Kai, but he yanks himself free.
“What is this?” Kai asks.
The Sheikh walks over to him, a sour expression on his face. “The meeting is tomorrow, isn’t that right?”
They shove the girl forward and she whimpers. “I’m sorry…they forced me to tell them where you went.”
“It’s ok,” Kai says to the girl. He turns to the men. “I came out to do recon of Douz and the stadium before tomorrow’s meeting. No one else bothered to check it out to make sure it was clear of surveillance.”
“No one else had to,” Albert Müller says. Three more very large thugs walk up behind him.
This was unexpected. To make matters worse, Noble looks at me and mouths. “Radar.” Which means he has to turn off the PSS tech on K2.
Kai laughs confidently, and cocks his head, gauging what he’s up against.
“You claim to be a Loyalist,” Müller says. “You claim to have Montego’s Blacklist. But we know nothing about you. And we just got word Montego’s been taken out.”
“Well, if you knew anything about the former empire,” Kai practically spits, “you’d know Madame hid all her favorite associates until the last moment.”
The girl on his right steps up. “I can vouch for him. He knew Madame. He’s an ally.” She’s a liar, obviously, but at least she’s protecting Kai.
“Someone shut that girl up,” the Sheikh barks just like King. “How is it that Montego told you about this deal with the Loyalists and then he gets caught?”
Kai backs up in the direction of the holothumb. “That’s unfortunate for him. That’s why I was the backup.” He stares down the Sheikh with an intimidating smile.
“Ah, so you have the device?” Müller asks.
“That was always the game.”
“Then if you don’t want to remain out here in the desert forever, I suggest you show me the holothumb.”
Kai shakes his head. “The handoff will still happen on Friday.” They circle toward Kai, but he moves his feet toward the drop-off location. He’s almost there. The holothumb is not very well hidden. Just under a ledge two feet off the ground.
The Sheikh laughs. “I still don’t believe you. None of us know you. We were all summoned here by the Successor. But you weren’t.”
“There’s no way he’ll be able to pick it up tonight,” Qadar whispers.
“Don’t say another word. Radar signals are popping up everywhere.”
I lean over to Noble. “They’re going to hurt him if he doesn’t show them proof,” I say. “We need a distraction so he can grab it. What if I let off one of these Fingertips? Kai will pick up on it.”
“No.” Noble shakes his head. “It won’t work. My equations say it will fail.”
“I’ve beaten the odds—”
“Look at Kai. You’re the one who claimed he wouldn’t fail in this operation.”
I press my face against a hole in the rock wall, to get a better view. “He won’t. I guarantee it. That doesn’t mean he won’t need a little help.”
“We can’t do it.” Noble calculates our surroundings. “There are too many unknowns. Too many tourists. It could blow his cover. Expose us. And there could be more lackeys nearby. With such limited tech and visual, I can’t be sure.”
Müller and the Sheikh, along with several of their men surround Kai. “We can only assume you had a part in Montego’s arrest.”
“You assume wrong. Montego messed up. He sold information to the wrong people. I stuck to the plan.”
“Nice story,” he growls. “Maybe you need a bit of persuasion to tell us the truth.” He nods to a very large man cracking his knuckles.
“I’m always open to persuasion.” Kai takes off his jacket.
“You might not be after this.”
Kai laughs confidently. “I wasn’t talking about me.”
Chapter 49
A GIANT OF a man swaggers forward from the group of thugs. His tight black t-shirt makes his torso look like a solid trunk of oak. Tattoos cover his arms. His hands are so big they look like they could crush Kai’s head like a small dog. Kai might be shorter and leaner, but they have no idea what he can do.
The man barks at him. “Which weapon?” He pulls out a knife, thumbing the blade in a show of how sharp it must be.
“I don’t need one,” Kai says, cracking his neck and tightening his fists.
The man scratches his mouth and smiles. “You sure pretty boy?” He points the knife at Kai like he’s sketching his face with the blade.
No. I grip my forehead and moan. I do not want to see this.
Kai starts moving around the sandy arena, jumpy, on his toes likes he’s getting ready. “Yeah, I’m sure.” He flicks his wrist. It’s an odd movement. What is he thinking? “You don’t look sure though. That knife looks new. Betting it’s never been used.” Kai circles. I bite my lip and prepare to watch.
“You won’t think your jokes are so funny in a minute, pretty boy.” The big guy sneers.
“I don’t tell jokes,” Kai says rolling his neck, “But you’re right. This fight will be over in a minute.”
The big man grunts. Kai fakes a jab. And the fight begins.
We watch from the gaps in the stones as the big man lunges. Steel glints in the moonlight. Fists and feet fly just as I remember from watching Kai in China, like angels across the sand kicking up clouds of dust. Kai’s so quick and methodical, so elegant that I find it hard to picture him as a real fighter—until he’s actually in a real fight. He’s trained hard to know just how to interpret his opponent’s moves and beat them. But Kai isn’t really fighting. Not yet anyways. He’s dancing, circling. He’s like me with my numbers, but in the arena.
The man swings and Kai steps in close and blocks the man’s arm and then drops down and sweeps him off his feet. The man recovers and jumps up, then attacks. Fists, jabs, hooks, and kicks. It’s all happening so fast, but Kai isn’t giving it his all. His form looks sloppy, almost on purpose. His hands are down, but he’s still circling. Then I realize—his farce is intentional. He’s playing the fight, using it for his own purposes. Kai has a different plan all together. He’s looking for the holothumb. This is his way of finding it.
There are no numbers in my head to help me understand the fight, but Noble’s eyes trace it all and give me a numerical play-by-play. After a minute, he leans over to me. “Kai is close enough to the holothumb now.” Then he cringes. “I’m pretty sure he’s going to—”
Slam. The tattooed man hits Kai square in the face. Kai drops to his knees and throws himself over the stone ledge. The ledge. Exactly where the holothumb is.
The big man doesn’t slow down. Sensing an advantage, he charges, swinging the blade wildly.
Kai tucks his shoulder into a roll as his fingers stretch and grab a handful of sand. It looks so natural I don’t immediately understand what he just did. Then, like the snap of a snake he slides the holothumb into his boot as he rolls to his feet, and the rest of the sand flies out of his hand at the man’s eyes.
“Nice punch.” Kai wipes the blood from his lip. A sly grin spreads across his face. Ooh. I don’t envy what is coming for this man. That grin means only one thing. Kai was going easy on him. Now there’s nothing left for him to do but finish this fight. Finishing moves are no joke when you want to end a brawl. They can break a neck, a knee, an elbow—some of them are fatal. Kai knows how to do them all, but I don’t think he ever has. Phase two of my sim returns with a feeling of dread.
The man charges, but Kai is ready. He redirects the blade with his forearm, then twists his torso as it slices through air. Now side by side and a few feet apart Kai snaps a kick and the chunky sole of his boot lands hard and square on the big man’s left knee. There’s an audible pop.
The big man is down, obviously in pain, but he’s tough. Kai shoots forward as the big guy is pushing himself up. Kai’s knee connects with a crunch to the man’s jaw. I cringe. The knife falls from his hand before he even hits the sand. The beaten man groans in the dust.
“48 seconds,” Noble mumbles.
“What?” I can’t take my eyes off the scene.
“Kai said it would be over in a minute…he’s not punctual…”
“Enough.” I roll my eyes, not wanting a millisecond play by play.
Kai stands over his opponent, bends down and picks up the knife. In a flash he whips around and the knife thuds into the sand. Directly between the feet of the two remaining thugs.
“Which one of you is next?” Kai taunts. He seems so feral, like his swagger and confidence have a lethal tangibility right now. But he has seen what these people do to others. He’s seen what King and Madame have done to me, and he never wants it to happen again.
Müller urges his other two thugs forward. He’s still not convinced of Kai’s loyalty. The two charge Kai at a full-on sprint. But even from where I’m sitting it looks easy. They’re both leading too much, showing Kai what they’re going to do. As the first guy swings, Kai slides under the punch and comes up twisting with his elbows in tight. Like a hammer, he connects with the thug’s face and the guy folds in half. Carrying his momentum, Kai continues his spin, kicking the second thug in the groin. He drops to his knees, then with the same elbow Kai clocks the other man in the back of the head. Both of them are down.
“5.8 seconds.” It’s the first time I hear awe in Noble’s voice.
Both thugs lie in the sand, dizzy and down for the count. Kai is reaching for his boot, pulling something out as he stares down the Sheikh and Müller.
Everything happens so fast that everyone is still processing what Kai just did. No one has even reacted to him yet.
With gritted teeth Kai leans in close to Müller. “I didn’t come here to fight. I came here for the master-file.”
Finally, some of the other lackeys snap to action and draw their weapons on Kai. The desert buzzes in silent tension.
Kai slowly raises his hands above his head. It’s been mere seconds counting by my pounding heart. It feels like I’ve run a marathon. I can’t blink. Noble grins.
Kai’s hands are still in the air, and I finally see why Noble is grinning. It’s so small I didn’t see it at first. Kai presses the only button on the side of the holothumb and a hologram appears, with the sign of the Loyalists.
“Well done.” The Sheikh nods. “You proved you can fight, and you have what you promised. You are still welcome in my Dar. Madame always chose her people well.”
“Not well enough,” Kai spits out with a playful wicked laugh as he looks at Müller. It’s meant to be a threat. He’s playing their game and he is doing it well. He doesn’t even sound like Kai.
Müller meanders over. “So you can fight. That proves nothing to me. I want loyalty. Bring him out.” When he says that, a sound rustles behind us. Noble pushes me to the ground.
Noble’s hand covers his mouth and he’s motioning for me to stay low. “No,” he gasps.
The next thing I know, men are rounding the corner, dragging another man into the arena.
Qadar. They found him.
“This man says he was on a caravan nearby. Are you sure he wasn’t here to meet you?” Müller asks, eyes pointed and cold.
“Never seen him before in my life.” Kai is telling the truth.
“Good. Then you won’t miss him when he’s gone. The Successor demands loyalty, and for you, the test is to make him disappear. Consider it a gift for the Successor.”
My stomach sinks because I’ve seen that look on Kai’s face before. He’s ready.
Chapter 50
NOBLE'S FIST POUNDS the ground. We’re crouched down behind a stone wall in the corner of the ruins, but Noble’s legs are flexing like he’s about to stand. “There are three possibilities to save my uncle’s life right now—”
My sims fly through my head. The man in the dust. Not breathing. He was big, like Qadar. No, it couldn’t be. I refuse to believe it. Kai would never take a man’s life just to prove to the Successor that he is one of them.
I grab Noble’s vest, stopping him from moving. “Wait. We can’t do anything. He won’t do it,” I say, mostly convincing myself. I draw on everything I know about Kai. I’ve watched him train a hundred times. I can read his movements without numbers, like I have the last few months. I watch him now. Kai is warming up for something. He has a plan; I just don’t know what.
“Jo, the numbers aren’t good. He’s jumpy. He doesn’t know what he’s going to do. And if he doesn’t go through with it, they will.” Noble’s fidgeting hardcore.
“No, just wait. Kai will know what to do.” But Noble’s right. Kai is nervous. Or extremely focused. It could be either. And if I’m wrong then the Loyalists will end Qadar before we can save him.
“I’m not going to watch my uncle die because you trust your boyfriend!” Noble hisses under his breath. His eyes dart across the Sahara taking in every possibility, a sheen of sweat on his otherwise smooth brow. I don’t need numbers to know Noble’s about to do something foolish. “He’s all I have.” The words are a slap of desperation, matching the wild look in his eyes. His foot angles to the right. He’s got a plan of his own. But I grab his hand and squeeze.
“Trust me. I know you see things I don’t, but I know Kai.” It’s there, in my gut. I can feel it. At the same time, I can’t prove to Noble or myself how Kung fu could win in this scenario. My hands grip his vest tighter, even though I feel him pulling away. I refuse to let go.
Noble’s fists tighten and his eyes drill into mine. To him, I’m choosing Kai over his uncle. I’m trusting Kai’s ability over Noble’s numbers. It makes no sense to him. But I know without a doubt if he interferes, no one will make it out of here and all our plans will be ruined.
“I can’t, Jo.” He shakes his head and moves to stand. “I’m going down there. Please don’t stop me.”
As he lifts his legs, I know the movement will mess up everything. A move Kai taught me springs to mind, and without thinking, I kick his feet from under him. I push him to the ground once more. I’m straddling his chest, facing him. Holding him down. He’s going to resist me. I see it in his face. I don’t know how to reach him, to get him to trust me. Then the word just slips out.
“Mandel.” The use of his old nickname is like an electric shock. He snaps forward, looking at me in a whole new way. “Mandel. I’ve trusted you until now. Tunisia. The Bardo. Montego. Now trust me.” The frequency surges inside us as dense and turbulent as a sandstorm. I feel everything chaotic in him. Which means he must feel something stable in me. We lock eyes, and the frequency connects dots in my mind to an outburst of numbers that stirs memories of Harrison back in Seattle.
Kai may even teach me the death kick.
That’s it. Harrison was talking about a move Kai had been studying. It’s not a death kick, but that’s what it might sound like to an amateur like Harrison. The Masters called it Tou-Qi.
“Noble, I know what he’s going to do. If you go in there, you’re going to ruin everything.”
I remember the day Kai begged his masters to teach him this technique. They said if he wanted to learn it, he had to have it done to himself, so he knew what it felt like. Kai, in all his eagerness, agreed. Tou Qi means to “steal breath”. It temporarily suspends respiration and circulation, reducing a person to a state of almost comatose, so that they appear dead. This state can last up to 20 minutes. If any doctor were to check the victim in those moments, it’d look like a heart attack took their life.
