Chapter 64: Jackie: What a Fucking Mess
The retro sedan hit 120, weaving through traffic on the high-speed overpass.
Jackie was in the zone, his hands sure on the wheel, expertly navigating the dense flow of vehicles. The route from Watson to Santo Domingo via the City Center was always packed, but he handled it with a mix of daring and precision.
In the passenger seat, Rhys pressed two fingers to his temple, accepting an incoming call. It was David.
"Hey, David. You at the regional hospital already? We're almost—"
"They stopped us! Aniki Rhys, they stopped us!" David's voice was high-pitched with panic. "It's 6th Street! They intercepted the ambulance, they won't let us go to the regional hospital! They said they have to inspect us, but... but Mom—"
Another voice cut in, the EMT Rhys had threatened. "This ain't my fault, Mr. Rhys! I was doing like you said, heading for the regional, ignoring my dispatcher's orders. But 6th Street just showed up, blocked us off at the Kujira warehouse. I can't move. They've got the road blocked with two vans, and they're searching the ambulance in front of us. More of 'em are blocking the rear."
Rhys's brow furrowed. He was about to order the EMT to ram the blockade when a new, harsh voice erupted from the call.
"Who the hell authorized you to make a call?! Put that away! You're under investigation! No calls, no messages!"
The shout was followed by a muffled grunt from David, a sound of impact, and the call abruptly disconnected.
"What's wrong?" Jackie asked, his eyes never leaving the road.
"6th Street. They've got the ambulance. Jackie, can you go any faster?"
Jackie nodded, his expression hardening as he slammed the accelerator to the floor. The G-force pressed them back into their seats. "Don't you worry!" he laughed. "Worst case, this car's a write-off. I'm good for it now!"
"Sasha, Kiwi," Rhys said, turning to the back seat.
"David's exact location?" Kiwi and Sasha exchanged a look, then Kiwi asked Rhys.
"Near the Kujira warehouse."
Kiwi's optics glowed as she dived into the net. "Okay, got the address. Sending it to you, Jackie. I'm mapping the fastest route now."
"Got it, hermana! I'm on it!"
The temperature in the car spiked. Sasha's hair, already damp, clung to her cute, round face as the vents on her cheeks hissed, pouring out steam. Her eyes glowed with data streams, a cable snaking from her wrist to the portable deck on her lap.
BEEP—
They careened off the highway overpass and immediately hit a red light. Jackie was about to swerve onto the sidewalk, but the intersection was jammed. He gritted his teeth, ready to force his way through—
But as Sasha exhaled, the light instantly flipped green.
"Go," she panted, "I'll keep the route clear." She unzipped her jacket, kicked off her shoes, and sat cross-legged on the seat, her mouth slightly open, panting like a dog to cool her system. Kiwi, sitting beside her, pulled a chemical cold pack from her bag and pressed it against Sasha's neck.
"Got it!" Jackie yelled.
...
"My mom... she—"
"Shut your mouth, kid! Nobody asked you!"
David looked up, his fear eclipsed by a rising anger. The man in front of him, dressed in a beret, track suit, and combat boots—standard 6th Street attire—had his power SMG aimed right at David's head. Growing up in Santo Domingo, David knew all about 6th Street. He'd always been afraid of them. But right now, all he could think about was Gloria.
He stood up, his fists clenched, and stepped forward. "I said, my mom is hurt! We need to get to a hospital!"
"And I said, shut your fucking mouth!"
Reiner glared at David, his patience wearing thin. He shoved the muzzle of his SMG against David's forehead. "A hospital? You think you were going to a real hospital? That's not the route. And that woman's wearing an EMT uniform. You, of all people, should know what that means!"
"What I should know?" David repeated, his body trembling, but not with fear. It was a strange, vibrating mix of rage and adrenaline. He pushed his head into the gun barrel, his eyes locked on Reiner's.
"The Animals attacked a corpo car," David growled. "The crash injured my mom. That's the truth. That's all I know. What else do you need me to explain?"
"Come on, tell me! I'll answer!"
Reiner's eyes widened slightly, surprised by the kid's fire. "But your mother... she works at the clinic, doesn't she?"
"So?"
"And that's the problem, kid. It's not you. It's her. Gloria Martinez. I ran her ID. She's implicated in some internal business at our clinic. She was a contract worker, right? Sent from the City Center? You probably don't know, but..." Reiner hesitated.
He wasn't sure if he should tell this kid that his mother was suspected of harvesting implants from patients. It just felt wrong. If the kid had been some sniveling coward, Reiner would have told him to fuck off, maybe even put a bullet in his leg. But this kid... he had guts. Standing up to a gun like that... even Reiner would feel a jolt of fear. He felt a strange, grudging respect for the kid.
"Say it! Say what the FUCK is going on!" David roared, cursing for the first time in his life. Gloria had always forbidden it, along with weapons, along with... everything.
BOOM!
Before Reiner could answer, a violent impact threw them both off balance. David stumbled forward, crashing into Reiner. In that split-second, instinct took over. Fuck the rules! David's hands shot out, grabbing for Reiner's SMG.
Chaos erupted outside. Reiner, seeing David's move, reacted instantly. "Stupid kid!" he snarled, snapping the butt of his SMG up, catching David clean under the jaw.
David grunted, pain exploding in his head, but he bit his own tongue, the metallic taste of blood keeping him conscious as he staggered back.
Reiner shoved the ambulance door open to see what was happening. A car had slammed into the side of the ambulance, shoving it a dozen meters down the road. The car's front end was mangled, smoking. On the other side of the road, another, more expensive-looking car had T-boned the 6th Street armored van, ramming it aside and opening the blockade.
"Fuck! Who are you?! You insane?! You're messing with 6th Street!"
"What the fuck is your problem, pendejo?!"
A 6th Street ganger ran past Reiner, yanking open the driver's door of the second car. He leaned in, hand reaching to drag the driver out.
But in the next second, the ganger's back went rigid. He slowly stood up, raising his hands in surrender.
"Roger?" Reiner said, confused.
Then, he saw him.
A massive man with a top-knot, his left hand on the wheel, his right leveling a heavy pistol. Golden bracelets rattled on his tattooed arm. A wide, mocking grin split his face.
"What a fucking mess," Jackie Welles said.
He kicked the door open, sending it flying into the ganger's chest. Jackie stepped out and casually backhanded the man across the face.
"Who do you think you're scaring, pendejo?"