The Debt Collectors War

Chapter 84

Ellie waited. She stood watching Terry, watching the other militia too, waiting for the operations centre to get back to her. Behind her, Sameh would be watching the militia as well, covering them, but also keeping part of her attention on the drone and sensor net, making sure no-one was trying to sneak up behind them and cause trouble.

Several minutes passed in silence.

“There’s something you should see,” Terry said suddenly. “Something that might help.”

Ellie looked at him. He seemed a little worried. Whatever was bothering him, he must have been thinking it over while everyone was quiet.

“It might help,” Terry said again.

“Yeah, okay,” Ellie said. “What?”

“I can’t… I need to show you.”

“Of course you do,” Ellie said, disinterested again, assuming it was some kind of trick. “Um, no. Keep quiet. That isn’t happening.”

“This is important,” Terry said. “Please?”

He sounded almost desperate. Desperate enough that Ellie thought about it for a moment. Terry volunteering information might be a trick, but it might also mean she’d got through to him, and her slightly unconventional interrogation strategy had actually worked.

“And you’re suddenly telling me this because…?” Ellie said.

“It will be worse for my family if I don’t.”

“How do you mean?”

Terry hesitated. He looked around at the other militia, uncertainly.

“You might as well explain what you mean now you’ve said that,” Ellie said. “Since we’re all just standing here…”

Terry nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“Well…?” Ellie said.

“I was never comfortable with this,” Terry said. Probably as much for the rest of the militia, who were listening, as for Ellie. “I told you there’s people in the movement who go further than I would.”

“Further?” Ellie said, suddenly feeling a little chill of alertness. She had an awful feeling she was about to hear something that made this all much worse. She looked at Terry, and said, “Go on.”

“This is just one cell of the Brotherhood. I have to do as I’m told.”

Ellie nodded.

“I don’t always agree with what I’m told to do,” Terry said.

“Of course not,” Ellie said. “Same for me. Go on.”

“There’s more happening here than you think. There’s more that you don’t know yet about this kid.”

“What is it?” Ellie said, then she stopped, and said, “No wait. First, tell me why I should believe you.”

It was better to verify information before hearing it. That way she heard it with some idea of how reliable it was, and could assess it as she listened. That way she knew whether or not she intended to believe Terry before she heard too much of what he had to say.

“What?” Terry said.

“Why should I believe you? Why are you suddenly being helpful?”

Terry looked at her. “Like I said, my family.”

“How do you mean?”

“What’s about to happen will have consequences for my family.”

“You mean…”

“Retaliation. From people like you.”

“Oh,” Ellie said. “Yeah, I see.”

Now she understood. She knew how corporate security did counterinsurgency operations. It tended to be heavy-handed, quite deliberately. She had been heavy-handed herself, at times. Sometimes you had to be.

Heavy-handed probably wasn’t what Terry wanted for people he cared about, though. Heavy-handed might be enough to make him think twice about whatever he had planned.