The Debt Collectors War

Chapter 71

Suddenly, Sameh’s sidearm went off beside Ellie’s ear, making her jump. Ellie glanced around, surprised, as Sameh fired again.

Someone had tried to sneak up behind them, while Ellie was talking. They had tried, even though it wasn’t really possible to sneak up on someone through a sensor net, not with the net still operating and no friendly countermeasure drones in place, and not without a lot more heat-shielding and stealth clothing than this kind of militia would have access to. It wasn’t possible, not if either Ellie or Sameh was paying even the slightest attention, but one of the militia had tried, anyway.

They had tried, while Ellie was distracted, but Sameh hadn’t been. Now the militia member was lying on his back twenty metres away.

“And don’t do that,” Ellie shouted, trying to make her voice sound calm, arrogantly disinterested. “It’s a complete waste of time.”

“Do what?”

“There’s some kid dead over here now. A skinny kid with a red tee shirt on.”

The voice by the bunker didn’t answer for a moment, then said, equally calmly. “Yeah, it won’t happen again.”

“I’d make really fucking sure. You’re just getting you people killed.”

“It won’t,” the voice shouted back, then added, “Did everyone hear that? Stay put. Stay where you are. Let’s just talk for now.”

“Thank you,” Ellie shouted.

“So talk.”

“This would be easier without all the shouting.”

“So come on over.”

“Put down your guns and I will,” Ellie shouted.

There was no answer.

“What difference does holding a gun make?” Ellie shouted. “It doesn’t, with the drone there. Just put down your weapons and we’ll talk.”

“We’d need some guarantees,” the militia voice shouted.

“You aren’t getting any,” Ellie shouted. “Talk to me or that drone kills everyone.”

“We’re talking now.”

“Talk to me face to face, with your hands empty, and my gun pointed at you.” Ellie wanted to be clear, to make it obvious how dire this situation was for the militia.

They seemed to understand. They didn’t argue. There was a silence.

“Talk to me now,” Ellie shouted. “Or we’ll kill everyone here and start over somewhere else.”

She was pushing, being demanding, and asking too much. She was doing it on purpose, hoping to stop the person she was talking to getting the mistaken idea that this was some kind of a negotiation. She hoped that by making too many demands, and by saying very plainly that she didn’t mind just killing them all, she would make it completely clear that no-one here was indispensable and they had nothing to bargain with. And once they realized that, she hoped they would give up.

It might be working. No-one answered. They were thinking, Ellie assumed.

“That drone is armed,” she shouted. “I said that, didn’t I?”

Still no answer.

“It’s armed, and I’m getting impatient,” Ellie shouted.

“Are you debt authority?” the voice shouted.

“Nope,” Ellie shouted. “A security team.” She thought for a moment, then decided being upfront and honest was probably a good idea. “But we work for someone who works for someone who owns a recovery corporation, if you care.”

“We care.”

“I thought you might. But do you care as much as if we were actually authority ourselves?”

“Not really.”

“So put the guns down and stand up.”

There was another pause, another moment of thought, and then the voice said, “Yeah, all right.”

“Okay,” Ellie shouted. “Thank you. It’s the right thing to do.”

“We’ll see.”

“It is,” Ellie shouted. “But we’re still going to watch you disarm first, before we come out. And scan you too. Obviously. So don’t be assholes.”

“Okay.”

“And tell everyone else to go over and stand with you.”

The voice did. He shouted for everyone to put down their guns, and come on out. And people put down their guns. As far as Ellie could tell, they all disarmed themselves completely. Ellie looked around, through the nearby walls, and saw all the red outlines on people turning green. She saw people stand up and move towards the middle of the compound, everyone except those few who had already run off, out the gate, and were now faint, blurry markers at the edge of the sensor net’s coverage area.

Ellie reached over, and tipped Sameh’s tablet so she could see the screen.

“The map?” Sameh said.

Ellie nodded.

Sameh tapped, and brought the map up. All the dots on it were green.

“Okay,” Ellie shouted to the militia. “I’m coming over there. Don’t do anything stupid. I’m armed and that drone is too.”

“We won’t,” the voice shouted back.

Ellie looked at Sameh. “Say it,” she said quietly.

“Say what?”

“That you told me so. With the drone.”

Sameh grinned.

“The drone helped,” Ellie said, because it ought to be said. “It helped a lot, and made things much easier. You were right to bring it.”

Sameh shrugged, but smiled.

Ellie kissed her, then checked again that the tablet was still full of green dots, and then said, “Okay, let’s go.”

She stepped out from behind her building, and Sameh followed her, staying close, watching the tablet as well as watching around them, keeping her submachine gun on the group of people gathering beside the bunker building.