Advance Praise for EMPIRE STATE

“Adam Christopher’s debut novel is a noir, Philip KDick-ish science fiction superhero story. It’s oftenfascinating, as captivating as a kaleidoscope… Justfeel it in all its weird glory.”

CORY DOCTOROW, New York Times-bestselling authorof Makers and Little Brother

“Adam Christopher maintains a punchy, bestsellerprose style that keeps the action rocketing along...Empire State is an excellent, involving read, and itfully deserves to be the start of a new universe.”

PAUL CORNELL, Doctor Who scriptwriter, and authorof Stormwatch and Demon Knights

“A daring, dreamlike, almost hallucinatory thriller,one that plays with the conventions of pulp fictionand superheroes like a cat with a ball of yarn.”

KURT BUSIEK, Eisner Award-winning writer of AstroCity and Marvels

“A double shot of jet-noir steampunk nitroglycerine– a startling, throat-grabbing novel that echoesChandler, Auster and Mieville while blazing its ownmind-bending trail and searing itself onto yourmemory.”

WILL HILL, author of Department 19

“Destined to be a science fiction classic, Empire State isa breathtakingly original noir tale of intrigue, mystery,and quantum physics, deftly played out in storytellingso brilliant I’m finding it hard not to hate the author.”

DIANA ROWLAND, author of My Life as a White TrashZombie

Advance Praise for EMPIRE STATE

“Adam Christopher’s Empire State is a fascinatingdebut novel that meshes noir sensibilities and sciencefiction together and keeps the reader guessingthroughout.”

MICHAEL STACKPOLE, New York Times-bestsellingauthor of I, Jedi

“From first to last page, Adam Christopher’s EmpireState careens along at a furious pace. Along the way,he beautifully meshes the best noir tropes withscience fiction and wraps it up in a world (or two)that rivals some of the classics of speculative fiction.”

JOHN HORNOR JACOBS, author of Southern Gods

“Empire State doesn’t screw around. Murders,mysteries and multiple realities are just the icing atopthis pulp noir cake: the action starts on the openingpage but it isn’t long before you fall in love with thecharacters and the unique world Adam Christopherhas built for them.”

CHUCK WENDIG, author of Double Dead

“From the first explosive rat-a-tat-tat of bullets to thevery last twist and turn, Empire State surely cannotbe a début novel. The fantastical dreams of Verneand Wells mixed with the noir reality of Spillane orChandler, this is a book that doesn’t play by the rules– and is all the better for it.”

TONY LEE, New York Times-bestselling author andDoctor Who comic writer “

an excerpt fromEMPIRE STATE

by Adam Christopher

To be published January 2012(everywhere – US/UK/RoW)

by Angry Robot, in paperback andeBook formats.

UK ISBN: 978-0-85766-192-0US ISBN: 978-85766-193-7

eBOOK ISBN: 978-0-85766-194-4

Angry RobotAn imprint of the Osprey Group

Distributed in the US & Canadaby Random House

angryrobotbooks.com

Copyright © Adam Christopher 2012

All rights reserved. However, feel free to share this

sample chapter with anyone you wish. And if you

like this, go and buy Adam’s dimension-shattering

books. And if you love them, tell your friends too…

Cove

r: W

ill Sta

ehle

ONE

5

JEROME GUNNED THE ACCELERATOR, andturned sharp left. Rex slid on the bench seat,but grabbed the leather strap dangling over hisdoor fast enough to stop him landing in the dri-ver’s lap. Jerome whistled, knuckles white asthey gripped the wheel. Rex looked over hisshoulder. He sure as hell hoped Jerome knewwhere he was going.

“For cryin’ out loud!” Rex winced as his headmet the roof of the car, the thin felt of his hatproviding little protection as Jerome pushedtwo wheels over the curb to dodge oncomingtraffic.

“Complain later, boss. Keep yer head downand hold on.” Jerome’s eyes didn’t leave theroad. Rex frowned and hunkered down in theseat, gripping the top edge with both hands ashe turned to look out the back. Two crates of

5

green bottles rattled in the back seat underRex’s nose as Jerome navigated the wet streetsas fast as he dared.

Rex squinted, trying to see through the smat-tering of rain on the car’s tiny rear window, butthe droplets of water seemed to pull the light ofthe city in, refracting it into a thousand glow-ing, multicoloured points. The car shudderedagainst the gutter as Jerome swerved aroundanother obstacle, throwing up a huge steam-like spray of runoff, obscuring the view evenmore.

“What’s the deal?” Jerome asked.Rex relaxed his grip and turned back around.

Jerome was leaning over the wheel, his keen,experienced eyes picking out the path ahead inthe downtown traffic. It was late, but NewYorkers had a well-known disregard for thetime of day. Jerome was doing a fine jobthreading the boat-sized Studebaker throughthe maze of cars, but surely their luck was goingto run out. Somehow they’d managed to avoidthe police, but they’d be spotted sooner ratherthan later. Evading one pursuer was possible;add two, three, four cop cars and the oddsshortened, and not in their favour.

“Looks clear,” said Rex. “Think we lost ‘em.Nice driving.”

6 EMPIRE STATE

Jerome allowed one thin hand to unwrapfrom the steering wheel to tip an invisible hat.His face cracked into a grin so wide all Rexcould see was a row of teeth stretching up fromthe driver’s chin to his ear.

“How about that, huh? People movin’ in,causin’ trouble. How’s an honest man supposedto make a living in this town, huh, Rex?”

Rex sighed. “Tell me about it.”Jerome laughed and slapped the wheel. He

began talking, but Rex tuned it out. His nightwas not going as planned and his partner’s jab-ber was the last thing he needed. Rex closed hiseyes and rubbed their lids, watching the purple-orange shapes float for a while. Then somethingflared red across his vision.

“Jerome!”Rex grabbed the wheel and pulled it hard

right. The driver returned his attention to theroad just in time to see the side of another carslide past, right across their path. Jerome spunthe wheel in the opposite direction as Rex letgo, negotiating the Studebaker around the rearof the vehicle mostly by good luck. Rex grabbedfor the leather strap again as the car slid on itsrear wheels.

There was a rat-a-tat-tat like a jazz drummerpracticing a solo on a tin roof, and the rear

Adam Chris topher 7

windshield exploded, filling the car with the hotsmell of cordite. Rex ducked instinctivelybehind the seat, and when he poked his headup to check the rear view again he saw thewhite car in hot pursuit, two men inside andone perched on the running board on the pas-senger side. The man raised his tommy gun justfor a moment as the car bumped over a pothole,then brought it down again. Rex ducked as asecond volley of slugs peppered the car, splittingthe Studebaker’s front windshield right in frontof him, turning the pane of glass into an opaquespider’s web. The car lurched as Jeromepumped the accelerator and brake in quick suc-cession in the confusion. It was like suddenlydriving into a blizzard.

“Rex!”Rex twisted awkwardly in the seat. “Yeah, I

got it.” He lay almost flat on his back, and raisedhis right leg up over the dash. A few kicks andthe crumbling windshield popped out, slidingover the hood with the sound of a torturedblackboard.

“Shit,” muttered Jerome as he bobbed hishead down, squinting against the stiff, wetwind. They were in a four-lane street now,which was completely clear ahead in bothdirections. The white car took the opportunity

8 EMPIRE STATE

and revved behind them, headlights sweepingthrough the cab of the Studebaker as theypulled out and around.

Rex jerked his head right, in time to see theprow of the other car begin to pull up alongside.The gunner, fortunately, was on the other side,but Rex could see his head and the tommy gunbeing held aloft as he shifted to get an aim overthe white car’s roof.

“Lose ’em, Jerome!”Jerome glanced right, then left, grin trans-

formed into a grimace of concentration.“I see it. Hold on.”Jerome twisted the wheel and the car bucked

left, the rear end swinging out and the left-sidewheels lifting as the vehicle attempted a hairpinat high speed. The white car saw and pulledaway, but too late, the rear of the Studebakerconnecting with the driver’s door just as itjerked away. There was a crunch and the Stude-baker bounced roughly but, as the airbornewheels made contact with the road again, trac-tion was regained and Jerome floored it,sending them down the narrower side streetwith perfect aim.

“Ah, shit!” said Jerome again, this time rais-ing an arm to protect his eyes. The car wasflooded with blue and white light. Rex blinked

Adam Chris topher 9

away purple spots just in time to see the policecordon ahead, but it was too late. He reachedfor the wheel and pulled again, ignoringJerome’s protest, but there was nowhere to go.There were police cars on either side of thestreet, and a temporary wooden barrier ahead.Rex’s rash action caused the automobile to skidaround, turning it sideways but maintainingforward motion as Jerome slammed the brakeson. All around them, police and pedestriansalike scattered. There was shouting, a lot of it,then a crack as the wooden boom of the road-block snapped against the passenger side. Theimpact was surprisingly solid, throwing Rexacross the bench seat and finally tearing Jeromeoff the steering wheel.

The Studebaker was large and heavy, and theroad was slick. The police barrier hadn’t stolenenough of their momentum. The last thing Rexsaw before the car stuck on something andtumbled sideways onto its roof was fireworksover the squat, blunt shape of the half-com-pleted Empire State Building a block ahead ofthem. He wondered what the occasion was asred, green and blue explosions lit the sky, sil-houetting the construction cranes balancedhigh over the city. He wondered what the build-ing would look like and how tall it would be

10 EMPIRE STATE

when it was finished.Two more thoughts crossed Rex’s mind

before the car stopped and unconsciousnessclaimed him. Firstly, that he really needed adrink, and secondly, that his night had beengoing so well before McCabe showed up.

Rex tipped his hat, straightened his tie, andrubbed a thumb over the lapel of his double-breasted jacket. It was his way of showing thathe was relaxed and comfortable, that MartinJeremy’s last statement had made perfect senseand hadn’t thrown him in the slightest. Behindhim he heard Jerome crack a knuckle. His jun-ior partner was slightly less careful with hidinghis thoughts.

This was how it worked. Rex was the busi-nessman. Jerome was the muscle. Rex did thedeals and listened to his customers. Jeromemade the customers change their minds andaccept Rex’s terms. Times were tough. TheDepression wasn’t just biting into the pockets ofordinary New Yorkers, it was killing people. Butin such trying times, Rex was doing just swell.Because in such trying times those ordinaryNew Yorkers drank, and drank, and drank. Hell,even the government was on Rex’s side, withProhibition just a way of charging more and

Adam Chris topher 11

more for his product. The bootlegging businesswas booming and Rex was reaping the rewards.Jerome too. He bought the kid a flash new car,a Studebaker the size of a bus. That kept Jeromehappy, but also made sense as a business invest-ment. Not only could they haul liquor in thecar’s capacious interior without tipping thepolice off, it was one of the fastest automobilesmoney could buy. Rex didn’t drive, but withJerome at the wheel getaways were easy.

“Martin, Martin,” said Rex with a smile, plac-ing a hand on the barkeep’s shoulder with justenough pressure to show the conversation hadtaken a very serious turn. “You gotta under-stand, buddy. Me and Jerome here are justtrying to make a living. Understand?”

Martin Jeremy was thin and bald. Standing inthe dead backstreet behind his speakeasy thestreetlight shone off his pate, damp with a lightevening drizzle and a healthy dash of coldsweat.

Rex licked his lips and watched the barkeep.Something was up, something more than hehad let on. He squeezed the man’s shoulder alittle harder. Martin flinched, but said nothing.

Huh. The usual form of quiet intimidationwasn’t working. And Rex hated the next part.Beating on an old man was not something he

12 EMPIRE STATE

enjoyed at all. Which was why he got Jerometo do it.

“Rex, my friend, we have done some goodbusiness in the past,” said Martin at last. Hisvoice wavered but with age, not fear. Heproudly held his head up, thin jowls swingingunder his chin as he spoke. Rex raised an eye-brow.

“I think you misunderstand, Mr Jeremy.Changing suppliers is not an option. My busi-ness supplies the whole of Midtown. Ain’tnobody else in this neighbourhood gonna sellyou the goods. So, what’d’ya say we just shakeon it and you pay me an extra hundred dollarsnow for, ah, renegotiation of terms, and wewon’t mention it again.” Rex turned to his part-ner. “Jerome, unload the car.”

The teen nodded and headed off towards theside street where the Studebaker was parked.

When Rex turned back to the barkeep, hejust caught the end of a smile on the man’s facethat he didn’t much like at all. He frowned asthe barkeep took a step backwards, and hemade to take a step closer himself, maintainingthe distance of intimidation and control, as heliked to think of it, but stopped short as threemen peeled out from around the speakeasy’sloading door.

Adam Chris topher 13

“Well now, that ain’t very nice,” said the firstman. “These two giving you trouble, MrJeremy?” He was tall and wide, not fat butbuilt, like a football quarterback. His compan-ions were a small, wiry teenager and anotherman who towered over both of them. The manwho spoke raised an arm up to adjust a cufflink;a diamond the size of a pea glinted in the street-light. “After all, ya can’t trust a nigger.”

“McCabe, you sonovabitch,” whispered Rex.It was suddenly too hot and the air too thin.Rex gulped, but stayed still, hoping the poorlight hid his fear.

McCabe. The sonovabitch. Head of a familybusiness running liquor and a dozen other rack-ets. One of the most powerful of New York’sunderworld. Richest too. Rex had done a fewjobs for him, years ago, before branching out onhis own. While McCabe had seemed happy tolet him go, Rex knew that one day it wouldcome back to bite him. You didn’t make friendsin this business, only enemies.

McCabe sat at the centre of a web that spreadfar and wide over the five boroughs, but Rexhad thought he was safe. Midtown and down-town Manhattan hadn’t interested McCabemuch in the past, the gangster apparentlyhappy to let other mobs control the city. Rex

14 EMPIRE STATE

had always thought that was odd, given theconcentration of speakeasies in the area and therich pickings they represented. It had only to bea matter of time, he was sure, before McCabemade his move, but in the meantime there wasmoonshine to sell and barkeeps to squeeze.He’d forgotten about McCabe, but clearlyMcCabe hadn’t forgotten about Rex. The timehad come to add Midtown to his empire, andtwo black guys pushing liquor was the obviousplace to start.

“Oh, language please, Rex. Didn’t they teachyou to speak nice down on the plantation?”McCabe laughed and his heavy sniggered; theteenager – the driver, thought Rex – wasexpressionless. He probably had no clue whatMcCabe was talking about, and he sure didn’twant to show it.

Rex held his hands up.“McCabe, I apologise, I really do. So how

about we have a drink and talk things over? I’msure we can come to an arrangement.”

McCabe smiled. Rex dropped his hands.“I’m sure we can, Rex, I’m sure we can. And

it starts with the disappearance of two amateurscausing trouble. How about that, huh?”

Rex ran his tongue along his bottom teeth.He tensed his calves, ready to make his move.

Adam Chris topher 15

Jerome hadn’t returned from the car, whicheither meant McCabe had more men aroundthe side of the building or that he’d seen orsensed trouble and was waiting at the wheel.He hoped it was the latter.

“Not your style, McCabe. How about you justbuy me out and I retire to somewhere nice inNew Jersey, huh?”

McCabe laughed and the heavy sniggeredagain. Rex thought that perhaps the heavyunderstood as little as the driver and was justmatching his employer’s mood because he waspaid to. Behind the trio, Martin Jeremy slippedthrough the loading door and back into hisspeakeasy. Wise man, thought Rex. Trouble wasbrewing.

“Billy, fetch the car,” McCabe called over hisshoulder. The teen nodded and turned, headingdown the back street. McCabe smiled at Rexagain, then looked up at his muscular compan-ion.

“You wanna grab some dinner after,George?”

The heavy nodded and balled his fists.“Sounds nice, Mr McCabe. I feel like steak.”

McCabe clicked his fingers. “Oh, yeah, metoo. We should head down to that grill onFourth.”

16 EMPIRE STATE

“Sounds great.”The pair took a step forward.“Aw, you guys are sweet,” said Rex, taking a

step backwards. “When’s the big day?”White light swept into the alley as a car

turned in, engine purring as it coasted towardsthem in low gear.

“We’re taking a little ride, you and me, Rex,”said McCabe. He put his hands into the pocketsof his jacket and nodded at George. “You caneither get into the car, or George here can foldyou up and put you in the trunk. That’s up toyou.”

The car was nothing but two spotlights in thedark. As it slowed, McCabe moved to one sideto allow more room, then reached out for thedoor.

The door swung out and back in one swiftmovement, connecting with the gangster withenough force to knock him off his feet. He hitthe tarmac on his backside, but George was athis side in a second, helping him up.

“Rex!”He didn’t need the invitation. Rex was

halfway to the car when Jerome called, thedriver leaning over to open the passenger door.Rex dived in head-first, head landing practicallyon Jerome’s lap. Jerome put the car into gear

Adam Chris topher 17

and pushed the accelerator to the floor, Rex’slegs flapping out of the open door as they pow-ered out of the street.

18 EMPIRE STATE

REX WOKE UP IN THE DARK and rolled overinto a large puddle. He jerked at the shock andknocked his forehead into the curb.

“Ah, Jesus...” Rex grabbed for his foreheadwith one hand and the curb with his other. Hepulled himself up and held the free hand infront of him until it rested on a wet wall, hisforehead following close behind. His head hurt,and he was dizzy. For a moment he didn’t knowhis name.

Shit. The car. He spun around, finallyfocussing on the commotion around him. Orrather, near him. He was in the lip of an alley,in the dark. The main street ahead was a flurryof activity. People were gathered, lots and lots ofpeople. Tourists and locals sandwiched togetherbehind a flimsy police barricade, the boys inblue desperately trying to hold a line. The car –

TWO

19

the huge, expensive, fast Studebaker – wasupside down in the middle of the street, smokecurling from the undercarriage. Jerome waslying awkwardly over the lip of the missingwindshield, and wasn’t moving.

Rex’s mouth dropped open in surprise, andhe patted himself down. But aside from a bumpon the forehead, he felt fine. The car was angledslightly towards him, the one intact and func-tioning headlight spotting the wall next to him.

“Holy Mother of God…”Rex kicked at something soft that tangled his

feet. It was a stack of wet newspapers. He’dbeen thrown clear in the crash, through themissing windshield, into the mush of rottingpaper. It was remarkable, miraculous. Rexdidn’t believe in God, but he muttered a thank-you just in case.

Then he noticed something. The police andthe crowd weren’t looking at the car, or thedead body of the nineteen-year-old under it.The wreck was a sideshow, a distraction even,from the main event that shone across thestreet in brilliant flashes of red and blue.

Over the half-finished shell of the EmpireState Building, two superheroes were punchingseven shades of shit out of each other, theirtiny, doll-like bodies silhouetted against the

20 EMPIRE STATE

maelstrom of energy that erupted around themwith each connecting blow.

Rex staggered to the corner to get a look. Itwas mesmerising. Exactly what he needed.Dragging his eyes away, he checked the crowdover. Everyone, police included, were lookingaway. He snuck out, hugged the corner andquietly ducked under the police barrier, thereplacement for the broken boom which hadbeen pushed into the gutter opposite. Safe inthe crowd, confident that McCabe had probablytaken off as soon he saw the Studebaker flipright in front of the police, Rex looked backtoward the Empire State Building.

There was a flash of green so bright thecrowd gasped as one, followed a second later bya colossal sonic boom, so loud the crowdducked. This was a heck of a fight between NewYork’s two superheroes. In Rex’s dazed state itpushed McCabe and Jerome and his shatteredbusiness clean out of his mind for a moment.

Two superheroes? Scratch that. One super-hero, one supervillain. It was a great story, onethat Rex – and everyone else in the city, if notthe country – knew, a tale of friendship andbetrayal so perfect the movie was just waitingto be made.

The Skyguard and the Science Pirate had

Adam Chris topher 21

been partners, friends since childhood. Broughtup in the wrong part of town, they’d formed adynamic duo even at school, watching eachother’s backs as they fought their way throughtheir teenage years. As adults, they becamerocket-powered heroes, the protectors of NewYork. They fought crime, corruption, enemyagents and infiltrators. They fought fascists andlefties, the mob, petty criminals. Bootleggersand Prohibition breakers. They defended theConstitution of the United States of Americawith fairness and impartiality. The ultimatepatriots, given the freedom of the city and state,publicly awarded by Coolidge just a couple ofyears before.

So the story went, anyway.Rex had been lucky. By the time he’d left

McCabe’s employ, the golden age of heroismhad passed. The Skyguard and the SciencePirate stopped fighting crime and started fight-ing each other, effectively handing the city backto the overworked, underpaid, and highly cor-ruptible NYPD.

Nobody knew what went wrong exactly, orwhen, or how, or why. The Science Pirateturned against his partner, and the two becamebitterest of rivals. Gone was the crime-fighting,the crusade against the mobs and gangs: the

22 EMPIRE STATE

dealers, smugglers, predators. Instead the Sky-guard and the Science Pirate declared open waron each other, each dedicating all their effortsand resources to this new monomania. Andwhile the Skyguard and the Science Piratefought, the city suffered. The mob made inroadsagain, and corruption – both local and Federal– began to eat at the core of the Big Apple. Thepolice were stretched to the limit. The FBI wascalled in as McCabe and McCabe’s ilk returnedto the city and crime became organised oncemore, the city’s sworn protectors having aban-doned their cause. Which was all good for Rex,of course. He kept his own little business empirejust so, large enough to make a tasty profit, smallenough to stay out of McCabe’s way. Untiltonight, that is. Rex rubbed his head, wonder-ing where his hat was and whether he couldafford another car. Or, for that matter, anotherdriver.

Nobody really knew exactly who was thehero and who the villain. Certainly the crowdin the street was almost evenly split as theyoohed and aahed and cheered the terrible battlein the sky. This was spectacle, entertainment.Hell, people needed it these days, Rex knewthat. Two superpowered, costumed crime fight-ers who could fly and shoot rays, slugging it out

Adam Chris topher 23

in the open air. It was quite a sight.The Skyguard and the Science Pirate looked

similar; even without knowing their history,you could tell they were, or had once been, ateam. Visored helmets and long cloaks, eachwearing the remarkable inventions of the Sci-ence Pirate which had enabled them to protectManhattan from the air. He was the brains – ashis chosen moniker reflected – and the Sky-guard was the brawn, although in truth theywere pretty evenly matched. But each actingalone, people weren’t sure. How could the Sky-guard maintain his arsenal of amazingequipment that had been designed and built bythe Science Pirate? And how could the SciencePirate counter his opponent’s battle plans andtactics?

The crowd chattered and a single thoughtentered Rex’s head. This was it, the final show-down, the ultimate battle which would finallydecide who had the right to protect the citizensof New York, and who would be denounced asa traitor and a criminal, locked up forever anda day.

Rex silently cursed the tall man in front ofhim who had just shuffled into his line ofvision, dragging his lady friend with him for abetter look. Rex tried standing on tip-toe to get

24 EMPIRE STATE

a better view, but it was no good. There wasanother flash and another bang and the couplemoved. The man laughed, and smiled down athis lady friend. Rex scowled but the man wasn’tlooking, which was probably a good thing.

Rex had a theory about the city’s two protec-tors. He knew, knew, the Skyguard was thepatriot, and had been protecting the SciencePirate all the time they were together. He’dheard rumours, heard the talk about where theScience Pirate had come from, that in his pastlife the Feds had taken an interest and he’dbeen hauled in front of a Senate subcommitteefor some reason or another. The Skyguard hadtaken him in as his ward, swearing to rehabili-tate his misguided friend. In the Skyguard’scustody, the Science Pirate was untouchable.

But it hadn’t worked out. The Science Piratehad shown his true colours. What kind of herocalls himself a pirate, anyway? And why was heso happy to let the Skyguard take all the gloryand make all the speeches and just stay in thebackground?

Rex needed a drink. His mouth was dry.Later. He’d watch the fight and wait until thecrowd was clear. He felt OK, surrounded as hewas, but who knew who was lurking on theside streets? If not McCabe, then maybe

Adam Chris topher 25

McCabe’s boyfriend. Rex sniggered, thenducked as another explosion, much louder thistime, echoed around the city blocks.

Looking up, he saw the two crime fighterswere heading towards the crowd, and at somespeed. The crowd buckled and there were someshouts. A police officer, or perhaps a couple,tried to use loudhailers to calm people down,but nobody was listening. The Skyguard andthe Science Pirate were only a hundred yardsaway now and just fifty in the air. Maybe onehad thrown the other off the building. What-ever, they were here, and it was close. Thecrowd backed away, but only a little. Nobodywanted to miss this.

The Skyguard let loose a quick one-two, forc-ing his opponent back in the air several feet. Heshot forward on his rocket boots and finishedwith a savage uppercut, sending the SciencePirate tumbling head over heels into the sky.The crowd cheered and the Skyguard paused,watching the trajectory of his opponent.

When the Science Pirate reached the apex ofhis climb, he recovered and turned himself backupright. Spinning around his centre of gravity,he stretched into a long shape, fists pointeddown towards the Skyguard, and with cloakstreaming behind, accelerated towards his tar-

26 EMPIRE STATE

get. The Skyguard drifted out of the way by alittle, but was caught in the twin energy raysprojected from the Pirate’s eyes. He screamed,his cry a weird, machine-like screeching frominside his helmet, as he convulsed in mid-airabove the heads of the crowd. The SciencePirate collided with him, bending the Skyguardalmost in two over his outstretched fists. TheScience Pirate didn’t stop, and with the Sky-guard wrapped over his arms, ploughed straightinto the cleared street ahead of the police barri-ers. The explosion was frighteningly loud andsent hot tarmac, concrete and dirt raining downon the crowd. Some cheered and somescreamed, and the gathered mass of bodiesrecoiled slightly again. The police line at thefront tripped and collapsed in a couple of placesas the crowd it was attempting to hold backsuddenly retreated.

For a second there was silence. The initial pallof smoke cleared, revealing a huge crater carveddeep into the Earth. The crowd regained itscomposure and edged forward a little, Rex car-ried with them, the group hushed withcollective anticipation. Had the Science Piratesucceeded? Had both been pulverised by theimpact? Both were protected by their armour,but they were only human. Weren’t they?

Adam Chris topher 27

Taking the opportunity, the police line reor-ganised and began herding people away. Gapsappeared in the crowd as people were pushedand pulled around, and seeing his chance, Rexducked under the linked arms of yet anothercouple, then pushed past two young boys upway past their bedtime. He tripped over anotherperson walking backwards, and righting himselfRex found he was at the front line, chest beingpushed by a policeman. The policeman lookedhim in the eye and shook his head, and Rex justnodded. The officer relaxed, happy Rex wasn’tgoing to try to get any closer.

The crater in the street was massive, likesomething from the moon. Smoke billowedfrom it in a great grey cloud, but there was nosign of the two combatants. Several policepeered nervously into it, hands ready on theirholstered guns.

Rex frowned. Was that it? The two forces hadcancelled each other out, leaving... nothing?

Something moved in the smoke, and a half-dozen police guns were pulled out as one.Someone snapped on a flashlight and playedthe beam over the smoke, picking out a blackform, elongating it into a wispy shadow. Acloaked figure, with tall, winged helmet.

The Skyguard! Rex felt his heart race. The

28 EMPIRE STATE

Skyguard had triumphed. Ah, shit. If the Sky-guard was the good guy, then his night had justgot a whole lot worse. Rex wondered if this wasa sign to leave New York altogether. Perhaps hehadn’t been joking about New Jersey.

The figure stepped out of the smoke, andheld an arm up against the flashlight that nowfocussed on his face. Dirty and battered, he wasan impressive figure on the ground. Tall andproud, the victor.

The figure’s arm dropped away, along withRex’s thoughts of relocation. Out of the curtainof smoke, the long shadows of the Skyguard’shelmet and flanged gauntlets collapsed into themore austere, compact profile of the SciencePirate. The figure stopped in front of the crowd.Some clapped, and some cheered. Rex was sud-denly unsure whether he’d got the good or thebad guys around the right way. The SciencePirate had won. Rex spat at the ground and thepoliceman in front of him raised an eyebrow.

Then people started shouting. There werecheers and jeers, and soon the cheers were out-numbered. Rex kept his mouth shut and hiseyes open. The crowd seemed to think NewYork City was doomed. The Skyguard wasdown and now the Science Pirate had free rein.As the intensity of the crowd’s reaction

Adam Chris topher 29

increased, Rex realised that perhaps more peo-ple subscribed to his traitor theory than he hadthought.

The Science Pirate stood and watched thecrowd. He had supporters, but they were vastlyoutnumbered by those crowing for a retrial,that the fight had been staged, that the Piratehad cheated, that justice needed to be served.The Science Pirate raised a hand, not to silenceanyone, but to acknowledge his supporters; butthis only increased the ferocity of his detractors.A policeman, someone important with scram-bled eggs on his hat and braiding on hisshoulder, walked towards him with one handout, shaking his head, the other resting on hisgun.

Go on. Rex spat again. Finish it. It would beeasier, after all. Either the Science Pirate wasthe hero, in which case things were going to getmighty tight in the city again, or he was the vil-lain, which either meant pledging allegiance –and a percentage of the profits – or being runout of town. Or, depending on McCabe’s posi-tion in the new hierarchy, worse. McCabewould be furious that Rex was still alive, and ifhe had the ear of the new boss in town, well...

Rex smirked as the Science Pirate took a stepbackwards. The policeman stopped and said

30 EMPIRE STATE

something, but Rex was too far away to hear.And then the Science Pirate did somethingremarkable.

She took her helmet off.It was like a movie theatre. The crowd fell

silent with a collective whoosh of inhaled air. Afew seconds later came a couple of wolf whis-tles, and someone shouting something thateverybody could hear, but nobody could makeout. Then a rumble, low and quiet as, havingrecovered from the shock, people started talkingto each other. The police kept the line, but mostcraned their necks around to see what wasgoing on.

The Science Pirate was a woman. Her longbrown hair unpiled from inside the helmet, andfell halfway down her back. Her face wasflushed and slick with sweat, but at this distanceRex could see she was quite a looker.

A... girl? The Science Pirate was a girl. Well,thirty-something. Brunette. Attractive. Rex’sthroat was tight. He still needed that drink, andhis lips were still dry. He ran his tongue alongthem, but that was dry too.

The policeman was saying something and thewoman in the costume said something back.The crowd’s baying obscured their conversa-tion, but Rex wasn’t really trying to listen

Adam Chris topher 31

anyway. He ignored all as he stared at theunmasked rocketeer.

What was this? Did she have some kind ofpoint to make, unmasking herself? Rex’s headwas filled with a hundred questions. Were wesupposed to know who she was? Were we sup-posed to feel sorry for her? Proud of her?Frightened of her? What, exactly? His face wenthot with embarrassment that he’d been fright-ened of a goddamn woman, although he didn’tadmit it, even to himself. He rubbed his achinghead and the world spun a little. Keep it calm,keep it together. Concussion, was all. He’d hadit before, several times, working with McCabe.Rex took a breath.

The policeman was shouting now and theScience Pirate was shouting back, but Rexwasn’t listening. He watched as the SciencePirate stamped and shouted and pointed at thecrater, shaking off the cop’s hand as he made agrab for her arm. She stepped back, then tookoff vertically, the policeman staggering back-wards to avoid the flame of her rocket boots.Holding her helmet under one arm, the SciencePirate disappeared over the city on a trail ofglowing orange smoke.

Rex felt angry for a moment, then inspirationstruck. The Science Pirate was a woman.

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Women were not an obstacle, never had been.Now he knew her weakness – her sex – thenmaybe he could take the upper hand. Maybe hecould even usurp McCabe and his cronies, notonly saving his own neck, but taking over thecity completely. More importantly, there was anopening here to put a lean on City Hall. If hecould capture the Science Pirate – no, removeher, dumping her body on the mayor’s desk,he’d be untouchable, top of the totem pole.Even McCabe would come crawling. He’d bethe man who saved New York and put every-one – McCabe included – back in business.

It made perfect sense. The night was lookingup.

Rex stood for a while as the crowd thinnedand the police gathered around the crater in themiddle of the street. He ran the idea over andover and over. It would work. It would be easy.He just needed to figure her out, watch her, trailher. The suit was a powerful weapon, but with-out it she looked like she’d be a tiny little girl.Easy.

The tall man and his lady walked by againbut Rex ignored them. He was looking at thecrater, with smoke rising and a ring of policegingerly keeping their distance.

He needed a drink. He needed several drinks,

Adam Chris topher 33

34 EMPIRE STATE

and then he’d see about the Science Pirate.Who would protect her now the Skyguard wasgone? Nobody, was who.

Payday was a-comin’.

IT WAS HER. It was damn-well her. Rex duckedinto a shop doorway, his fingertips pressing theice-cold glass behind him as he leaned againstthe window. He couldn’t believe his luck.

With the fight over, a few of the crowd hadloitered around the overturned Studebaker, andthe police had finally turned their attention tomoving it and Jerome out of the way. Rexskirted the scene carefully, checking the facesaround him in case McCabe had sent some ofhis thugs in.

So far, so good. First step was a drink. Rexturned away as Jerome’s body was pulled fromunder the front of the car, and jogged down thealley into which he’d been thrown in the crash.In the gutter ahead he saw his hat, damp butintact. He bent down and flipped it onto hishead, and when he looked up, Rex saw her.

THREE

35

There, at the end, just turning a corner, wasa woman with long brown hair. Rex came to ahalt behind the pile of wet newspapers that hadsaved him, watching. Could it have been her?Surely not. Just a broad, taking a shortcut.Looking at her outfit, a working girl too.

Then she turned to look back down the alley,towards Rex. It was her. Cheeky bitch. She’dtaken off, ditched the suit, and come back towatch the cleanup. She saw Rex, she musthave, he was as large as life in the middle of thealley, but she just turned and disappearedaround the corner. Rex flexed his fingers. Thiswas a gift. No suit. Quiet back streets. Perfect.

He trailed her for a while, keeping his headdown. He wasn’t good at following discreetly –there wasn’t much call for it in his particularline of work – and after an hour of hustlingacross downtown, it was obvious that the girlknew she was being followed and was trying toshake him off. A series of double-backs anddead-ends had led him a merry chase indeed. Itwas hard to get genuinely lost in Manhattan, orto get stuck in a cul-de-sac as there was almostalways an alley or a passageway out.

But Rex’s luck held. The bitch had taken awrong turn down a dead alley. Rex smiled andstuck to the damp wall. Perfect.

36 EMPIRE STATE

Although... Rex’s smirk vanished. Shit. Whatif she had been looking for a quiet, empty spotto fight? No. She wasn’t wearing the suit. Rexflexed his biceps under his trench coat. Theywere tight and he wasn’t a small man. Andwithout her fancy rockets and suit of armourshe was a tiny broad. A tiny broad in high heelsand a red dress.

His smirk returned. Odd clothes to wearunder the rocket armour. Rex laughed. Whoknew what she got up to when off duty. Per-haps they were a set of working clothes. Thatwouldn’t surprise him.

Maybe she’d taken a knock to the head in thebig fight and had concussion or some such,because coming back to the scene of the battlewas a dumb move, lady, very dumb, especiallyafter taking her helmet off in front of everyone.Now she was tottering around on those bigheels, and she looked cold too, and frightened.But it was her. He’d taken a good, long look,imprinting her face in his memory. She was hismeal ticket. He wasn’t going to lose her now.

Rex laughed. His head felt light. He peereddown the alley, and saw she was still walkingaway, slower now. She seemed to be lookingaround, looking for a way out. This was it. Hewas about to “save” New York City, and after

Adam Chris topher 37

handing over the city’s most wanted he’d havethe mayor and police chief right in his pocket.McCabe would come begging and his illicitempire would be able to expand, unimpeded.With freedom to eliminate the competition,within a few months he’d be in control of thewhole goddamn city. He could buy a new carand a new driver.

He pinched the collar of his coat up, andpulled his hat back a little so the rim didn’tobscure his vision. She was trapped like a rat.

As he walked forward the clouds openedagain, Mother Nature dumping her load on thealready saturated city. He wondered how diffi-cult it was going to be to kill a person with hisbare hands. He’d shot people, of course, and inhis younger days with McCabe he’d dealt out avariety of punishments with a selection ofhandheld weapons. But he was unarmed now.Jerome had insisted on being the triggermanand Rex had indulged him. He’d killed chickensand rabbits with nothing but his hands before,back on his uncle’s farm upstate. He’d been ateenager and it was easy, and now he was twicethe size and the bitch was tiny – a thin, fragilegirl. He balled his wet fists, feeling the solidityof his knuckles under his tight skin. This wasgoing to be a piece of cake.

38 EMPIRE STATE

When the girl eventually stopped casing thealley and turned at the sound of Rex’s footsteps,she actually looked relieved. Her shouldersslumped, and her chest heaved as if she exhaleda heavy sigh, which Rex couldn’t hear past thesteady patter of the rain. She took a few stepsforwards and opened her arms out, like she wasgoing to say something real important, and thenstopped as she saw that Rex hadn’t slowed. Shestood for a second, her arms still sticking outsideways, and then took a step backwards. Hermouth pulled down at the corners and herlower lip quivered as she spoke.

“Do you know the way back to Fifth andSoma? I’m not sure which way I’ve come. I justneed to get home.”

Rex stopped, and held his arms straightagainst his sides. He tightened his fists, feelingthe uneven trim of his nails dig into the fleshypads at the base of each thumb. The rain skit-tered around the brim of his hat, and he couldfeel the liquid roll backwards as he tilted hishead.

He hadn’t expected her to talk. He hadn’tplanned on her making any noise at all, as amatter of fact. Her face was small and while hermouth was wide, the palm of one of his largehands would practically cover her entire face.

Adam Chris topher 39

The girl took a half-step back again, gettingboth feet solidly underneath her. Her dress surewas damn short, and the heels were way toohigh. While it made her look taller and exagger-ated the stretch of her legs, clutched togetherher knees were pushed forward like two uglywrinkled grapefruit.

“Please, I just need to get home,” said the girl.She pushed her hair off her forehead with theheel of one hand, pulling the skin on her facetight as she did so. “Please, I have a headache, Ijust need to get home.”

Rex moved his head and the water in thebrim of his hat finally reached bursting pointand trickled over the edge and down in front ofhis face. He was taking too long. He had to quitthinking about it, and quit letting her gas on,and just do it, now, or it would be too late. Itwas like anything important. There was amoment, a brief alignment of the stars whenthe time was right; when that happened, if youwere in the right place at the right time withthe right idea, you could do anything. That’swhat his uncle had always told him, up at thefarm. Anybody can do anything. Don’t think,do. Rex hissed a breath out between clenchedteeth and took a step forward.

The girl seemed to stagger backwards, now

40 EMPIRE STATE

with both hands rubbing her forehead. Whenshe looked up, her eyes seemed to spin a little.She looked like she was going to faint.

“Please, Fifth and Soma, which way is it?”Rex clicked his tongue. “Don’t know what

you’re talking about, lady. Ain’t never heard ofno Soma Street. You really are lost.”

Dammit! This was part of it, now he was sure.She was a goddamn supervillain, and evenwithout the stupid rocket suit, she was danger-ous. She was playing him. The confusion, theconversation, it was all an act.

Don’t think, do.Rex pushed off from the ground with the toes

of his right foot, moving at something betweena jog and a fast walk. He raised his fists, andswung back, and the girl dropped her hands.Before he could get a hand over her mouth likehe wanted, she screamed.

Adam Chris topher 41

EMPIRE STATEby Adam Christopher

400pp paperback and eBook

UK/RoW/eBook: January 2012

North America: January 2012

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