Free FAI by Jake Lingwall Page B

was so far up in the mountains she wasn’t sure enforcement would be able to respond in time to catch any of the assailants. It’s worth a try. Besides, maybe the paramedics will be able to save some of the scientists.
    I guess this answers David’s question about what I am going to do next. If enforcement doesn’t get to the League of Humanity in time, then I will. Not just for what they have done today, but because Fai deserves to live a life without being hunted. I know what that’s like and no one deserves it.
    “We should be there soon,” Fai said.
    “Right,” Kari said.
    “I’ve ordered us an auto-auto. It will meet us at the back of the parking lot of the diner just through these trees,” Fai said.
    “Great, if only you ordered me some food while you were at it we’d be all set for the long drive to the Bay Area . . .”
    “I did.”
     
     
    Chapter Ten
                 
    Well, he’s about thirty seconds slower than I thought he would be. Kari answered David’s call and allowed the camera from her processing unit to disconnect and broadcast her image to her boyfriend.
    “Hey, David,” Kari said.
    “Have you seen the news?”
    “Yeah . . . I saw it a few minutes ago. I’m still trying to understand what’s going on.”
    The information of the attack had finally reached the news. Kari had been checking it frequently for updates and had been frustrated as they cruised across the recently reunited western states. Travel by auto-auto was not as fast as a plane or the hyperloop, but it was an effective mode of transportation as it allowed you to rest or work as the vehicle drove itself. They had only stopped once for some food in Salt Lake City and were now nearly to Reno, Nevada.
    But when the news Kari had been waiting to see finally arrived on the web, it was not what she was expecting. She had been furiously checking all the different news sites and all of them reported the same bitter information.
    “But you’re OK?”
    “Yeah, I’m over halfway to the Bay Area already.”
    “So you were there? Where the attack was?”
    “Yeah, but we were able to get out without much trouble,” Kari said.
    That was a blatant lie, but she didn’t want him to worry any more than he needed to. Besides, I can’t really disclose too much more with their bullet-in-the-head NDA. Of course, since they already almost got me killed, maybe that doesn’t apply anymore.
    “Really? Because the news makes it look horrible . . . all the shots of the dead scientists and everything . . . I about died when I saw what happened and thought about you being there.”
    You should try being there in person. I’ve been sitting in an auto-auto for hours and every time I close my eyes I see replays of the massacre.
    “Well, I’m safe,” Kari said. “But I don’t know how I got blamed for everything. I wasn’t expecting that . . .”
    “Me neither. I couldn’t—I can’t—believe it. The League of Humanity and Freelancer working together? It’s ludicrous! Even if I didn’t know you, it wouldn’t make any sense!”
    David’s face was turning slightly red as he talked. Nothing got him worked up like discussing the way Kari’s hacker handle was blamed for everything. She had been blamed for the prison break, blamed for Joseth’s murders, and now she had been blamed for the slaughter at the Vision research lab.
    “I have no idea how they even figured out I was there. I didn’t even know I was going to be there until I showed up, and I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone where I was.”
    “I know,” David said. “Something is off for sure. We need to fix this . . . and fast”
    A notification flashed in the corner of Kari’s mind, alerting her to the fact that Motorcad was calling.
    “I need to go, David. I’ll get this sorted out.”
    Kari closed the call with David and answered Motorcad’s.
    “Hey, boss,” Kari said.
    Motorcad was running around in a hurry, she couldn’t really tell where he was,