Free Lacuna: The Spectre of Oblivion by David Adams Page A

worn brown overcoat. Liao glanced at his face. Their eyes met for a moment, and within his hazel gaze she saw... something, something deep and instinctive, primal, a subtle subconscious warning that was too powerful to ignore.
    This wasn’t just another vagrant. They had passed dozens on the way through the city already, their presence almost invisible by now, but this man was different. This one was looking directly them, not to try to attract pity and sympathy, but with something darker... The desperation was no less or no more with this man than the others, but there was one key difference. He was willing to do them harm.
    She stopped walking right as the man reached into a deep pocket, withdrawing a silver revolver and, holding it at his hip, levelled it at Liao.
    “Your wallets and phones. Now .”
    There was a tense moment as the three of them stared at the man, surprised and uncertain. His voice was quiet but charged with sincerity. Liao felt her pulse quicken, the same reaction she had when she was in combat. Except this time, she didn’t have 200,000 tonnes of warship surrounding her and a battery of missiles and guns.
    “ Now! You first, nigger!”
    He looked like a drug addict, Liao mused, although he didn’t have the typical bloodshot eyes that addicts usually possessed. A drug addict with eye drops, apparently.
    Liao held out her hands, palms upwards. “Look, you’re making a terrible mistake. I’m—”
    “I don’t care who you fucking gooks are.” The man levelled his pistol at her and Liao took a step backward.
    “It’s okay.” James threw Liao a side glance, nodding approvingly and slowly reached into his pocket. He withdrew his wallet, passing it over.
    The man took it eagerly, shoving it into his back pocket. “Phone?”
    “Don’t have one.”
    The man looked like he was going to argue, but instead he pointed his weapon to Tai.
    “Fine, whatever. Now you, tough guy. Don’t try anything or I’ll blow your fucking face off.”
    Tai nodded acceptingly, his hand already in his pocket. “Fine, here you go. Just don’t do anything rash, and let me get my ID chip out. That’s of no value to you. How about I just hand you the cash instead?”
    The man nodded in nervous agreement, glancing over his shoulder momentarily. For a second, Liao worried Tai was going to do something stupid, but his hand returned with his ID and the wallet was handed over. “I don’t have a phone either.”
    “Fine, whatever. Now you, lady.”
    “Okay,” said Liao. “Let me get my ID out first, too, okay?”
    “Fine, fine, just fucking hurry it up.”
    Fumbling, Liao reached into her pocket, reaching for her small purse. The man extended his empty hand.
    “Keep quiet and give it to me real easy, no tricks,” he said, the hand holding the firearm trembling slightly. “Hurry up!”
    It was gone. Liao tried all her pockets. “Damnit,” she said, “I must have left it at Anthony’s when I went back to pay for the pizza.”
    The man’s agitation suddenly grew. “You’re fucking shitting me. Bullshit. Bullshit!”
    Liao held up her hands. “I’m not. I’m not. I just left it—”
    “I’ll fucking end you, you lying bitch!”
    Tai stepped forward, moving in front of her. “Everybody just calm down! We already gave you what we have. Now—”
    “Who are you, a fucking cop? You’re a fucking cop! That’s why you didn’t want me to see your ID, because you’re a cop!”
    “What? No! No. Nobody here’s a cop, okay? Nobody.”
    “Look,” said Liao, “here. Here’s my phone. Take it and go.” She reached into her breast pocket, withdrawing the small black brick and holding it out. The strange man, relief crossing his face, snatched the device and jammed it into a pocket.
    Then his eyes lit up, wide and panicked, looking at something behind her. On instinct, Liao turned. She could see someone entering the gap between the two buildings. She recognised the rotund form of Anthony, his hand holding