Division Zero: Thrall Read Free

calm down. “You’re pathetic! By all rights, I should have shot him where he stood. If one of you so much as farts suspiciously, I’ll aerate you both.”
    She was glad they were face down and couldn’t see the look on her face. They didn’t need to know she would never make good on a threat like that. More than half of being a cop was sounding the part and hoping you could go home without blood on your hands. The ghost did pick up on her nature and winked. When he sensed his presence no longer unsettled her, he wandered over to stand nearby.
    “I was expecting them to choose someone a little… older.”
    “I’m not a kid,” she mumbled, “I’m twenty-two.”
    The ghost blinked. “No shit. Must be those shoes.”
    “Yeah, I know I look like I’m still in high school.”
    “Freshman, barely.”
    She gave him the finger, making him laugh. “I think these shoes are cute.” Indignation passed, she glanced up at him. “Were you hovering by Evan before?”
    “Yeah. Just keeping watch on him. Theodore was trying to find you. He thinks you might’ve missed one of the
other things
and wanted me to make sure nothing tried to hurt your little guy.”
    “Theodore? You know him?”
    Skeev and Blowfish looked at each other, and gawked at Kirsten talking to nothing.
    “Yep.” The sprit held out his pockets as if modeling his clothes. “I used to be in construction.”
    “Anything you want me to pass along?”
    “Nope. I’m good. Faulty retaining strap decided to teach me I couldn’t fly. Went about fifty meters from the plate to the real ground. I guess the big man upstairs really wanted to make his point ‘cause the plate slipped its moorings, fell, and landed on me. Biggest piece of my ass left wouldn’t fill an espresso cup.” Kirsten cringed. “Anyway, I like my family better watching from this side, no one to remind me how much of an asshole I was or give me shit for cheating on her.” He shrugged. “Wife was a lot happier with number two, course they’ve both been gone awhile now. My kids’ kids have kids.”
    “You one of The Kind?”
    “Yep. Name’s Andrew. By the way, those two are getting ready to run.”
    Kirsten tensed at the two gangers’ subtle shift of weight onto their arms, in preparation to do a push-up. She thought about Dorian’s story of legging a boy ready to shoot Nila, and aimed at Skeev’s thigh. It felt excessive.
    “I’m watching you, Skeev. Prison or crematorium, your choice.”
    They relaxed.
    “Someday, someone will call your bluff.” Andrew winked.
    “Already have, but they weren’t kids.” She looked at him. “So, what does Theodore want this time? Didn’t he get enough of an eyeful the other week?”
    “Actually, he wanted to ask you for help. It wasn’t one of The Kind, but a spirit got attacked. Not a great many things attack ghosts.”
    “Dammit, there
was
another one.” She squinted. “Shit. How the hell am I going to find it?”
    “Over here, over here.” The overt cheer in the patrol bot’s digitized voice module drifted through the air.
    Kirsten unburied her face from her hand and waited. A four-foot-wide orb of cyan hologram emerged from a dim patch of woods. The litter-bot projected random images around itself to make it easier to follow. Two Division 1 officers, in blue duty armor, crunched and snapped through the foliage behind it, arms held to guard their faces from branches despite their helmets.
    “Tell Theodore I’ll look into it.” She gave Andrew a determined look and approached the two Div 1 cops.
    “What happened here?” The shorter one regarded her service weapon with an air of trepidation.
    “I was trying to enjoy a day off in the park, but got a feeling someone was spying on my son and his friend. While I was searching for them, these two jumped me thinking I was a kid. I have a feeling I’m not the first.”
    He smirked. “Guess they like them a little young?”
    Kirsten’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not as young as I