It didn’t take long before we reached the front of the People Mover station and elevated railway in front of the skyscraper. Well lit, with a pavilion of steel beams and a white roof, the station looked like the perfect place to get off a bus and wait for a train.
There were a few people standing under it, most of them staring at their phones—which was good because it meant their phones still worked. Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 36
“Yeah. The top floors seem too weird to waste. Did you know that this place was supposed to be redeveloped, but then something happened and the company that bought it sold it to someone else.”
We pulled off to the side of the road to look up at it, ignoring the concrete People Mover station and platform that crossed over the street. I didn’t see any trains coming, but if that meant that no one would be coming by during the fight, it would be a good thing.
Vincent leaned to my right, staring up at the tower. “I don’t think I ever looked at the Book Tower’s top floors before this. They look like they were made for vampires.” Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 35
Mateo nodded, “At least he escaped. That’s what I was hoping.”
The hooded figure said, “As long as he didn’t get caught inside the Book Tower, I’d say he escaped but he did disappear. I think he’s been moving from roof to roof, but I can’t be sure. There are fewer rats up there.”
I said the first thing that came into my head, “Have you tried bats?” Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 34
As we rode through the tunnel toward the shed and our hidden exit, I found Vincent’s comm id and set up a channel for the three of us to talk, finally asking, “Where did you last see Working Man?”
I felt him move behind me, “One of the parking lots in Foxtown. The one on Cass near Bookie’s Bar and Grille.”
Hoping that Mateo was listening in, I said, “Do you know where that is? I don’t.” Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 33
“Okay,” I said. “The only problem is that we don’t know where they are. Except that it’s going to be in downtown Detroit or near it. Also, given that this is Syndicate L, it’s going to have bottled water available.”
Tilting his head, Vincent blinked. “Bottled water?”
I nodded, “You’ve never fought them before?”
Vincent’s brow furrowed and his tail twitched, “Once or twice. My brothers and I spend more of our time fighting a gang called the Thumb.” Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 32
It wasn’t the classic roar of your average motorcycle, but a quiet, electric hum and nothing that anyone would notice in a fight. I got access to the gun I’d adjusted before going to bed last night and turned on the targeting mechanism, adjusting the motorcycle’s position by a small turn of the handles and putting the vampire in almost the right position for a shot.
I got the vampire the rest of the way by leaning into him. I’d been trying to pull away, so it was less like changing direction than letting him “win” and adding a little momentum. Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 31
“I’m… just a guy,” I said, “but I’ve got a couple wizards on speed dial. You guys need to rethink what you’re doing. This is too loud for us to ignore.”
The vampire froze and then started shouting at me. No longer the image of sophisticated vampiric nobility, it hissed, “It’s all your fault! We were quietly turning Syndicate L into a tool for finding victims and recruits, but then a few of us got greedy and you people,” he waved his hand, including the mind controlled supers as well as Mateo and me in the gesture, “decided to raid us.” Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 30
Mateo and I looked at each other. I said, “We’d better get down there,” while he said, “She’s not going to be able to take them alone.”
At least we tried to, starting, getting few words out, and then deciding by mutual, unstated agreement that we were on the same page. We ran for the elevator we’d only just exited.
As we reached the elevator, Mateo turned to shout at the room, “From what we see, the people that just came back are under the vampires’ control. Don’t let them up here. Don’t let anyone open the doors to the outside, and above all else, if you see a vampire or something that could be a vampire, don’t invite them in here, okay?” Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 29
I followed Mateo down the road to a shed made of corrugated metal that stood next to a long one-story building made of concrete. If I hadn’t known that it let to Unity’s base, I’d have assumed that it was part of the factory it was closest to. Maybe it was—officially.
While the outside featured weeds and a driveway that was cracked concrete, the inside featured a smooth path that led downward into a well-lit arched tunnel that reminded me of tunnels in the Rocky Mountains, but less wide.
It ended like it had started at the shed—with steel doors that opened wide to let us in. I assumed they had to be operated by the staff because Mateo didn’t need to swipe a card or do a retinal scan. Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 28
Mateo looked at me and then out toward Unity’s HQ, “I’m sure there’s a way. Do you think you could fly in? Imagine if you snuck in as close as you could and then flew the rest of the way.”
I nodded, “Assuming they didn’t try to shoot me out of the air and that Unity’s base doesn’t aim their air defenses at me, sure.”
Grinning, Mateo said, “But it’s one more option than sneaking it or racing up to the front door, right? I think we can make a few more options if we talk to people.” Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 27