World of Fire (Dev Harmer 01) by James Lovegrove Page B

supposed to be doing.”
    “I told you, that bar thing, it genuinely wasn’t my fault.”
    “You were drunk, though.”
    “That wasn’t my fault either.” Or was it? Maybe it had been, just a little. The Alighierians weren’t the only ones who were feeling the pressure and needing an outlet, a way of alleviating it.
    “I just find it baffling that you’re so... so irresponsible . So cavalier. Such a damn liability. Why have ISS sent us someone like you? Do they hate us?”
    “We can’t all be by-the-book cops,” Dev said. “I’m unconventional. I have my own methods. But I’m known to get results. Otherwise ISS wouldn’t use me.”
    “Well, they must see qualities in you that I don’t. If you were under my command, I’d have fired you by now. Maybe ‘consultant’ means something different to your bosses. Like: ‘shambolic trouble magnet.’”
    Kahlo let out a breath as though expelling all her pent-up frustration in one go. She then drew a slow in-breath, resetting herself, inducing calm.
    “All right,” she said. “I’m going to move past how exasperating you are and how much you’re pissing me off. I’m a big girl; I can handle jerks like you. Have done all my life. If I have to work with you, then so be it.”
    “That’s the spirit,” said Dev. “Find your inner tranquillity. Go to your happy place.”
    “My happy place would be thumping you in the head until you stop talking.”
    “Imagine that, then. Let it bring you bliss.”
    Kahlo pretended she was picturing it in her mind’s eye. “Yep. Feels great now. So, between chasing Glazkov and demolishing a men’s room with, by the looks of it, your face – find out anything useful? Any progress at all?”
    “Well, Glazkov was a wild goose chase. You were right on that front.”
    “Bet it hurt to say that.”
    “Like a needle in the eyeball. He’s just a low-level hustler. Bottom feeder scuzz. But he did lead me, inadvertently, to something more promising.”
    “Which is...?”
    “I know now that the earth tremors have got your moleworms all discombobulated.”
    “And? What about it?”
    “And I’ve enlisted someone to enquire further into it – someone with the relevant expertise.”
    Kahlo leaned back against the cell wall and folded her arms, unimpressed. “Upset moleworms? That’s all you’ve got for me?”
    “I think it’s a viable lead.”
    She shook her head in wonderment and dismay. “That host form must have cost ISS millions. I hope they think they’re getting their money’s worth.”
    “Ultimately it’s TerCon that’s picking up the tab. ISS are just private government contractors.”
    “If the taxpayers only knew...”
    Dev nodded, then stopped. His head felt as though it was going to break free and topple off his spinal column.
    “What about you?” he said. “Any luck with the rail network people?”
    “Well, you were right, too.”
    “Bet it hurt to say that.”
    “Like needles in the eyeball. They ran the Polisware scan like you suggested. It flagged up an external attack on the server by a Plusser malware bot. The bot tiptoed round the firewalls, took over, shut everyone else out, caused havoc, then expired, leaving no trace. At least, none that the standard security programs could detect.”
    “They’re pretty sophisticated things, Plusser bots. Like electronic kamikaze cat burglars. Where did it originate from?”
    “They can’t seem to find out. It doesn’t appear to be off-world. No ultraspace encryption signature. Somewhere on Alighieri, but they can’t figure out precisely where. Not enough left of it after it self-destructed to extrapolate a vector pathway from.”
    “That settles it, then. There’s a Plusser agent on-planet.”
    “A Plusser who knows you’re here and who introduced the malware into the rail network server in a bid to get rid of you. Can’t say it’s an unpardonable offence. If you’re half as irritating to Polis Plus as you are to me...”
    “Oh, I