Chapter Thirty-Five

Hubert Quinn - São Paulo, Brazil

Quinn stepped into the holoportal room and sealed the door behind him. He approached the touch screen on the wall and started the session, typing in the code Watts had sent over via SMS. The room buzzed, and the lights directly above and below him beamed. Red and blue beams flashed over him, scanning his image. Three minutes later, a holographic version of Finnigan Watts appeared in the room. Quinn’s own image was now projected on Watt’s side of the communication. It was state-of-the-art technology. Only top tier institutions could afford to house such tech.

“How long are you going to be away?” Watts asked him, like a child longing for their parent.

“Maybe one more week,” Quinn said. “There are plans I have in motion.”

“What’s taking so long? We need you here. Webster has lost his damn mind!”

Quinn observed Watts for a moment. He looked rough and unkempt. His beard was long, and his hair shaggy. “Didn’t I tell you not to go off and do anything stupid without my say so?”

“You did.”

“Then why go to Naguela and further embarrass us?”

“She’s there, Quinn. Zella is there. If it wasn’t for this biotracker, we could go back and end this.”

“You didn’t answer me.”

“W-what?”

Quinn stepped into Watt’s face. “Why did you disobey my order?”

Watt’s eyes strayed to the side. “Masha wanted revenge. Once we learned where she was, he figured we could finish it right there and then.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“And where is Masha now?” Quinn asked.

Watts shrugged. “Who knows?”

Quinn took a deep breath. “Did Masha get the biotracker?”

“He left as soon as we touched down at the airport. We didn’t get the tracker until we returned to base.” Quinn’s mind raced. He entered a trance-like state where a thousand possibilities and outcomes swept across his mind. “Why is Masha disappearing such a big deal? He’s barely ever been with us,” Watts added.

“Find him,” Quinn said. “Call him, track him down, do whatever you need to get to him. We need him.”

“Fine. Whatever. There’s also a problem with the public turning against us. Some new presidential candidate wants to put a clamp on us.”

Quinn watched Watts rub his neck. “Listen to me,” he told him. “A week from now, everything will change. All I need is for you to be vigilant and do exactly as I say.”

“I’ll follow you, Quinn. But we’re only a few people with exceptional talents. Against an entire leg of the government, there’s only so much we can do. And what if Webster puts a biotracker on you when you get back? Clearly, they have ways to shut us down should they need to.”

Quinn’s eyes narrowed. “Webster values his life more than that.”

Watts sneered. “I really hope you have a way that we can operate outside of the government. This biotracker makes it hit home how controlled we are. What you showed me in that vision needs to be our reality.”

“In due time. Our dominance won’t come overnight. To the wider world, we are still young and dumb twenty-somethings. Teenage kids adore us, but the government fears our potential. They’ll work with us just enough to earn our trust. And the moment we lose favor in the political limelight, they will discard us. That’s why we must beat them at their own game. It’s important that you and Amina follow my direction for that to happen. I need your loyalty now more than ever.”

Watts nodded. “You have my word.”

“Find Masha,” Quinn said. “That’s priority number one.”

“Got it.”

“They’re monitoring phone communications from the base now. I suggest leaving and buying a burner to communicate with me from here on.”

They said their goodbyes and ended the communication. Watts’s hologram faded away. Quinn stepped out of the room and retrieved his phone. He searched for Kyle’s name and called him. “Pick up,” he said. He knew Masha would likely return to Charleston for answers after his exchange with Zella. He couldn’t trust a gang member to keep quiet. It was important for Quinn to get to him before Masha could.

When Kyle didn’t answer, Quinn knew it was time to plan his demise. He thumbed over to his notes app, where he’d written a master list of contact details the last time he was in Charleston. The easiest way to have a gang member killed was to hire their rivals.