Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Coming Home ❯ 57 ( Chapter 57 )

57

 

Stop staring at me like a bird of prey
I'm all mixed up, I got nothing to say

 

We got out of the car and I made certain the driver would remember nothing about his two passengers. It amazed me how easy it was to hitchhike across Germany, for a telepath, anyway. But we were too close to our goal, now; we'd have to go the rest of the way on foot.

 

I felt high on excitement. Ever since the plane landed I'd felt a constant, low-level mental hum, a sensation I hadn't realized I sort of missed. It was the buzz of a higher concentration of psi-talents, the unheard noise that was Esset, and we were walking into their midst. I could feel my own talent responding to the increased pressure, walling me in with shields far stronger than I'd possessed the last time I set foot in this country. That would make it damn hard for any hunters to track me down.

 

True, there was no reason to believe that I was in any way invisible to them, but I couldn't worry about that. To think about discovery would be to call them to me, and that wasn't what I wanted. What I wanted was to make them dance to my tune, to Brad's tune, actually. I'd debated my strategy for hours on the way here, with Far a calm stoic presence by my side, and now I felt pretty confident in my choices.

 

My feet sought out old familiar roadways. My shields resonated a soft absence, a lack of identity that would make any pursuers a little uncertain. Farfarello was eager yet calm, and quite willing to follow my lead. With my head held high, I all but danced into Berlin.

 

It had been nearly eight years since I'd been here last, but not much seemed to have changed. Not in any meaningful way, at any rate. The crowds still bustled, the businessmen and women still ignored the radical elements, and the disaffected youth still sought entertainment, having given up on meaning long ago.

 

God, I loved this place. One could become lost here, if there weren't a retrieval unit actively searching for him. A retrieval unit headed by Brad Crawford, no less. I grinned and shook my head. And now I was back here, on his orders. “Who'd have thunk it?” I murmured to myself, too highly amused for my own good.

 

Beside me, Far cleared his throat. “What next?”

 

“Contacts. I need to get the local forecast.” I led us to the seedier streets, the streets that existed in every city but not on any maps. The kind of places braver tourists sought out for an evening's companionship. I had no illusions about finding any of my old associates here: eight years is a long time for street-dwellers, no matter how careful. Still, I knew I could get information here, and the people were wary enough to guard against Esset followup, even if they didn't know exactly what that meant. It's nice to know a paranoid populace when one needs informants.

 

It was still early in the day, so there were precious few people about. Like vampires, that crowd is allergic to direct sunlight. No matter; there were always cheap restaurants in those areas, places with bad lighting and watery beer. Just the kind of place to sit and wait for sunset.

 

We seated ourselves at a shadowy table between the door and a large window. Farfarello remained tense, but I didn't expect any trouble just yet. If we were being watched, they would certainly want to know what the hell we were up to before making any kind of contact. I smiled, feeling rather nasty: they were already following Brad's script, and I hadn't even done anything yet.

 

Only after the waitress had dropped off our late lunch did we start talking, and that in the mental realm. ::So?:: Far asked, his eye regarding me coolly.

 

::There's a facility in Berlin, I'm not exactly sure where it is but I know I can find it. It's where they train their officers and medics. Not the healers, I'm talking real doctors here.:: I sipped my beer; it was nasty and almost flat. Nothing like the Japanese pilsner I'd grudging come to appreciate, and nothing like a real German brew. I almost wondered if it were an American import. ::They won't have a lot of older students.:: My head started to hurt; I did my best to ignore it. ::They get the younger kids, train them to a point and then send them out to other facilities. Unless they're getting the medical course.::

 

::And you know this how?:: Far continued staring at me, and I realized he was honestly curious. We'd never talked much about our pasts, we men of Schwarz, and generally took it for granted that we all had shadows.

 

That damn headache pulsed in my forehead. I rubbed at it with a scowl. Damn, I thought I'd left that behind on the Tokyo Express. Guess it went deeper than I knew. ::I was there. Briefly. About six months, I think. I'm not sure anymore. Someone had high hopes for me, and I dashed those all to shit. I didn't want to end up a jackbooted thug marching under anyone's banner. So I ended up at Rosenkreuz. My prize for escaping Berlin.::

 

Farfarello regarded his beer with a frown. ::So…now we're hunting children?::

 

I blinked. I hadn't really thought about that. ::No, not exactly,:: I told him, increasingly uncomfortable. ::We're not hunting them, we just want them to get a little nervous. I don't know exactly what Brad has in mind, but he did say to get noticed, to make them wonder what we're up to.::

 

::Ah, that's right.:: Far nodded to himself, a slight smile on his lips.

 

For some reason, his reaction bothered me. ::What do you mean, `that's right'?::

 

::Crawford didn't tell you much, did he.::

 

::No. He never does.:: I finished my beer in distaste.

 

::So you're wondering what we're up to, too. That's bound to cause confusion.::

 

::Ha ha. Let's go.:: I got up and headed for the door. Something about staying still too long was making me twitchy.

 

We spent a couple of hours ambling around my old stomping ground, and I debated telling Far more. A vague sense of shame kept me from doing this. I'd been fifteen, for God's sake. Fifteen, and desperate. A telepath on the run from Rosenkreuz, with no idea how far they would go to get him back. Ah, hell.

 

::Are you all right, Pretty?::

 

::Yeah.::

 

::What kind of contacts are you looking for here?::

 

I stopped and looked around. Familiar doorways and fire escapes seemed to call me back, inviting me to give it one more try here. I heaved a sigh and glanced sidelong at Far. ::Never mind. They're probably dead by now anyway.::

 

My teammate rested a warm, calloused hand on my arm and looked into my eyes. ::Schu, you don't have to think that I don't know you. Never make that mistake. I know you better than you do.::

 

::It's probably enough that we were even here,:: I told him, trying to change the subject.

 

::Sure, it probably is.:: He did not release his grip, or his gaze. ::Who are you really looking for?::

 

::Stop it,:: I snarled. ::Don't ask me that.::

 

Far turned and started walking away, his steps slow. ::Fine. Then I'll see about our mission, while you go on torturing yourself. I'll find you later.::

 

My indecision lasted only a moment before I was hurrying to catch up with him. Who was I looking for? Was it an old friend? An old john? Ghosts, lost in the past of a life I wasn't allowed to live. One thing I knew for certain: if I found my own ghost here, I would destroy it. I wasn't Berlin anymore.

 

I was Schwarz.

 

And I had work to do. I sought out a tall office building that was still open, and we rode the elevator to the highest floor. From there, we could look down at all of Berlin, the lights of evening painting the outline of city blocks and intersections, the absence of light painting parts of the business district and outlying rural areas. I felt a chill down my neck as I looked to the northwest, and taking out my new binoculars I trained them on that horizon.

 

The chill intensified to a shudder as I made out a small campus where there should be none, dotted with discrete lights that gave a false outline to the buildings. It looked like a small business complex, or a private college, but I knew better. I studied the darker lines, the ones partially masked by the lighting. The place was huge.

 

::Found it.:: I handed Far the binoculars.

 

He frowned at them, then decided that the left lens actually worked better for him. He peered through it for a few moments. ::When?::

 

::It'll take a little while to get there. We could stay here tonight and head out tomorrow.::

 

::I'm not sleeping with you, Schuldig. Don't even get your hopes up. Or anything else.:: He glanced at me and added, ::I know how you get when there's a whiff of danger. Some things never change.::

 

::Yeah, whatever,:: I grumbled. Until he'd called me on it, I hadn't realized that he was right. The situation had me excited, in more ways than one. ::Let's get going, then. I'm not tired.::

 

Again, the ease of catching a wayward motorist appalled me. Either normals were getting weaker, or I was getting stronger. Shortly after midnight Far and I were on top of a hill overlooking the Berlin training facility. We lay on our bellies, surveying our target. Rather than sharing the binoculars, which I knew Far found difficult to use, the Irishman unpacked a small telescope and now watched the perimeter for movement while I studied the facility proper.

 

They certainly didn't seem to know we were there. Young uniformed Esset drones marched on their rounds, never seeing the threat beyond their gates. Far's earlier question echoed in my mind: would we be hunting these kids on Brad's orders? For damn sure they'd be hunting us, if they only knew. But still, they were only kids. I'd been twelve…

 

::Ah, fuck.:: The headache blasted back into life, and with it the unpleasant feeling that we were being watched. ::They've marked us.::

 

::Good,:: Far replied with a cold grin. He folded his telescope and strapped it to his leg, then unsheathed a long dagger, careful not to let it glint in the faint moonlight.

 

::We're not here to fight, Far. Remember? We want them nervous, not dead.::

 

From below, I heard the unmistakable sounds of shouted orders and the baying of dogs. Far and I exchanged a look; in spite of the situation, Far's lip curved in a laugh. ::You know, I fucking hate guard dogs.::

 

::Come on, let's get out of here. I think they're nervous enough.:: I dug in my pockets and pulled out a half-smoked cigarette. Funny how inspiring Brad's paranoia could be. I grinned to myself. This should create a stir, I thought as I dropped it and ground it into the hillside.

 

As we made our way back down the hill, a small squad of three appeared before us. One of the boys held four snarling dogs on very short chains.

 

I braced myself, but rather than attack immediately the dog handler demanded that we tell them who we were and what we were doing there. I cautiously probed his mind.

 

::They have no idea who we are!:: I sent to Far, incredulous. ::Esset hasn't told them!::