Orb Weaver: Wrath of God, 16

Now it's the last day.  Kaiser had been hiding, Medhall shut down due to “Air Conditioning Issues.”  But I knew how to find him. A day of walking with my bugs out. And if he’d just fled the Bay…

As much as it wouldn’t be satisfying, it would let me play up the cowardly Nazi, running away from his Bunker, and combined with everything else I’d done and the information about Medhall and his other connections…

It would destroy what was left of the Empire.

Still, such an outcome would be unsatis—

My phone vibrated. A PM from… Tin Mother?  I looked at the text.

Investigator, the following phone number has been verified as belonging to an E88 member. They desire to communicate with you.

“Huh.” I said. Calling to surrender? To make a deal?  They don’t have any leverage on The Investigator, and all of Orb Weaver’s known contacts are safe…

I thanked Tin Mother and called the number.

I knew the voice that answered.

Max Anders.

“Investigator. I have an offer for you. You will come to me and assist in removing Orb Weaver.”

“I do not generally work for Nazis,” I said. “And what makes you think I can assist in removing Orb Weaver?”

“You know, your entire game was smart, pretending to just be an ordinary Thinker. But you’re not. Orb Weaver plays at being in charge, but you’re actually the one in charge. Who is he? Some Mercenary you hired?”

I blinked. “No… I am assisting him.”

“And now you will assist us. Here is someone to speak to you.”

“Hello, Investigator.”

“Mr. Thomas?”

“Yes. Kaiser brought me in to convince you to assist him. And not just me.”

“How many?”

“Four students.”

“I—“

“Four students allow the use of the spares,” Kaiser said. “If you need convincing.”

And the students were how you kept Mr. Thomas from getting any clever ideas. They are leverage on him. I worried about everyone connected with Orb Weaver. But not The Investigator, because why worry? I never considered that Kaiser would decide to kidnap people to get Leverage on Taylor Hebert. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

I hadn’t considered just grabbing more or less random students or a principal who had helped Taylor Hebert leave Winslow. Because doing this…

You pushed him to the edge, and he’s a narcissist. What did you think he was going to do, just leave? Narcissists self-destruct with a blast radius. Tattletale warned you, Alexandria warned you, but no, you were too smart—Around me, insects coiled, hissed, bit.  Sure, this might see the Empire destroyed, but at least five people wouldn’t live to see—

“Very well. You, ah, have me at a disadvantage. Where am I to go?”

“I will give you a destination. Oh, and if you’re thinking of using any phones to contact the PRT, I’ll know and someone else will pay for it.”

Is he lying?

I couldn’t risk it. He’d used Tin Mother, so presuming she spoke to the PRT, they would know something was up, but…

Could the Empire have subverted the mesh and cell phone network?

Almost certainly not.

Could I risk it? I knew the PRT was infiltrated by at least one villain, and the Empire was older than Coil and wealthy enough to purchase Tinkertech intrusion gear. And they were desperate. If there was  a time to pull out all their toys, it was now.

No. Not with five lives on the line. The PRT was out. Directly contacting any hero group was out.

But I wasn’t just dependent on hero groups.

In a building behind me, insects swirled, and a desk phone was pulled off its hook, insects swirling around. Because there was one individual I knew in the Bay who might be able to assist with very limited information.

Tattletale, and she’d given me a burner number as part of the SLFC. 

“Hello!”

“Tattletale. The Empire is kidnapping The Investigator. PRT possibly compromised. Phone communications Unwise. Multiple Civilian Hostages. Need Assistance.”

I hung up. She didn’t call back.

I waited for a moment, to see if Kaiser would inform me he’d noticed and someone—another innocent—would pay the price for my hubris.

“Well?”

“What is the destination?”

It was a small park.

“I will be there in fifteen minutes.”

“Come in uniform.”

I equipped myself. I didn’t dare have insects in my clothing, especially if I was searched. I had plastic baggies with cuttings of the gympie-gympie plant leaves. Ideally they wouldn’t consider them dangerous and I could always get insects.  Guns, ready. Walking stick and fighting sticks… ready.

****

I was halfway to the destination when a van zoomed down the street, fast enough that even with my insects I didn’t have much warning. It pulled up next to me, the door opening and several E88 gangmembers pulled me in.

“Hello Gent—“

“Shut the fuck up!”

I would be able to track them, and provide a path for Tattletale, as Orb Weaver and—

Then one pulled out my arm and another was injecting me with some kind of drug.

Fuck.

Whatever it was, it was fast acting. I barely had a chance to disperse any insects so they wouldn’t cause problems. And as I fell into oblivion, I remembered something I’d read, but evidently not taken seriously enough.

Remember: The Enemy gets a vote.