Marco didn’t know his client very well, but he figured he was another local businessman who lived a double life. Marco picked up his glass and took a long sip as he eyed the man across from him and thought, “He’s a handsome fellow. This good- looking dude probably has a well-dressed wife and at least two stuck-up kids who he lives with the suburbs. More than likely, he told em’ he’d be working late at the office, when in fact; he’s down here in Polynea’s Red Light district indulging in a favorite, sinful pastime. In this case, it’s the desire to obtain a large amount of dishonestly made money. Which I can surely help him with…”
Marco wanted this meeting to be over with real soon since he had a favorite sinful pastime of his own he wanted to get back to, a red-headed girl who was dancing on the second stage. Marco exposed a toothy grin as he said, “Word travels fast among those who really want know…and I assume your boss sent you here to get the scoop on my newest business proposal I’ve been putting out there.”
“Yes,” the bald man said as he loosed his tie. “As you might know, the man I work for is the owner and operator of the largest entertainment and news station on this planet…and since he has a very cozy relationship with the Moralists, who are in charge of Ailana, he needs to keep this deal we are making a secret.”
“Ah, don’t worry…everything I do is a secret,” Marco took a drink of his cherry beverage and said, “This planet is ripe for the picking. For the last few years, I’ve been acquiring all kinds of illegal weapons, such as pistols, rifles and the radiocarbide needed to fuel their ammunition. I’ve been getting these items from various places on Earth and smuggling them here to Ailana. The street gangs and crime syndicates of Ailana have been paying me well for these various weapons I’ve been providing them. And since I’ve been able to spend so much time here…and because of all the nefarious people I’ve been able to meet…I’ve come to the conclusion that I could be making a whole lot more money for myself, and for anyone else who is willing to invest in my latest plan.”
The bald man appeared nervous as he glanced around. He brought his face closer to Marco before he said, “My boss, is really interested in what you are going to do. The Moralists are making plans of their own for Ailana. They are making deals with high level officials in The Alliance so that they can consolidate their control…and pretty soon, we believe that places like this…and the Immorals, who spend their money here…won’t be around much longer. The Moralists are outraged that despite the laws they have passed and the policies they have in place…the immorality they wished to stomp out, has just seem to spread. The upcoming Moralist crackdown might open up many opportunities for my boss to make a lot of money…that is, if we have connections with the correct people on the inside.”
“I am the only inside person you need to know,” Marco said with a cocky grin. “Ya see, the problem with Ailana is the gangs and crime syndicates have their hands in places like this. Ya see this booze I’m drinking? It’s made by a criminal gang who operates an illegal still somewhere in this city. Since this great recession started, there are hundreds, maybe thousands of abandoned factories and warehouses that the gangs operate out of. Ya see those two young people over there, dancing around all starry eyed? They’re high on a drug called Cutz…which is made in underground labs by criminally-controlled organizations that tend to get into violent scuffles and turf battles with each other. Ailana has seen a rise in violence and social ills, all of which are the result of all these poor, jobless Ailanian people, who just want to have a little fun in this time of great recession. And all this immorality is driving the Moralist leaders of this planet crazy because governments loath the freedom and fun such pleasures of the flesh allow.”
The bald man said, “Yes…outlawing things does tend to make them more fun…my boss has made a lot of money pandering to the Moralists, but he realizes, that the real money this planet has to offer, is stuck in the hands of those who rule Ailana’s underworld. He would love to find a way to tap into a cash only, tax free source of income.”
“Are you telling me that he wants to be able to play both sides of the field…and still come away with a trophy?” Marco seemed intoxicated and nearly giddy as he said, “that’s why I have the perfect plan. I’m going get rid of these merchants of immorality…and consolidate their operations under my umbrella of influence. I’ve already sold them the weapons they need to destroy themselves…now all I need is some investors who will help me bribe some more officials and make my smuggling easier. I already have my plan in place. I have some people, here on Ailana, who are doing important things for me. They have managed to fool one of this city’s most notorious gang bosses into believing that we are helping them expand their narcotics business…when in fact, we are about to totally stab them in the back.”
“Wow…that sounds quite risky.”
“It is, but I know it will work because I plan on sowing some seeds of distrust and starting the ultimate gang war…and once all the gangs have killed themselves off…I plan on taking over what’s left of their operations and start smuggling their illegal products off this planet. If it all works out the way I plan, the amount of violence on the streets of Polynea will decrease. Places such as this, where people come to spend money on vice, will be safer since they are giving their money to us instead of the gangs. I think everyone will benefit from this arrangement. Hell, the Moralists will be so happy they don’t have nearly the number of street gangs and crime syndicates to worry about…they might consider giving me a medal.”
“What do you need from us?”
“Capital…a sizeable, yet modest investment, from your boss, will guarantee my weapons and ammunition will get into the right hands and will also ensure that money gets put into the hands of the government officials I need to look the other way when I start smuggling. Ya see, ya can’t make Cutz unless you have Makani, a plant that grows in the Halawalachek Mountains to the east. There are thousands of people living on reservations there, trying to live as their ancestors once did. The Polynean gangs have been fighting over access to the land and people who grow the Makani plant. First, I am going to make sure that my favorite group of gangsters wins this turf war by providing them with weapons and radiocarbide ammunition, and then…I am going to eliminate them. Your boss needs to use his power and influence with the Moralists to make sure that this happens smoothly and without interference from local law enforcement. If your boss helps me out, I can win the rights to the Ailanian drug trade, and make him a ton of money. And I know he would really like that since the Moralist government is going to start taxing a lot of his legitimate profits.”
“Yes, the Moralists are quite repressive…their regulations and taxes are making it harder and harder for us to make money. I can assure you that my boss is interested in your plan. And the help you need from him will not be hard to get…just as long as he sees a quick turnaround on his investment.”
Marco sipped his drink and said, “sin sells, my friend…there is no better way to make money, I can guarantee you that. I’ve got the Cutz and the connections…and with a bit more capital, we can bribe the right people so that we can get it into the hands of those rich people on Earth who will pay hand over fist for it.”
The bald man’s eyes darted across the room a few times before they focused on Marco’s shiny shirt and well groomed hair again. “Well…I shall speak with my boss. We shall discuss this further very soon.”
“It was a pleasure,” Marco reached out his hand and shook the bald man’s nervous hand with delight.
As he shook Marco’s hand, the bald man thought to himself, “I believe we have just found our first scapegoat. Marco, you have no idea what kind of shit storm is about to come your way…I am not who you think I am, but I already have you eating out of my hand. When this is all said and done, you are gonna wish you had never been born you greedy, over-confident son-of-a-bitch! We have a plan that is going to stick it to you good, you pompous, bac
k-stabbing bastard!”
Marco leaned back and enjoyed the scenery the club had to offer as the handsome, bald man walked away.
“It’s gonna be good to be the king,” Marco said to himself as he picked up his drink and finished it. He slammed the glass back onto the table, twisted his torso at the waist and looked over his shoulder. He then shouted to a scantily clad waitress, “Hey babe, set me up with another one of those! I just closed the biggest business deal of my life and I want to celebrate.”
“Sure thing sugar,” the green skinned woman rolled her eyes as she walked away.
“Oh yeah,” Marco sighed as he closed his eyes, turned around again and got comfortable in his seat. He let out a long, relief filled sigh and then opened his eyes.
His heart nearly exploded with the fear of knowing his death was eminent.
“Oh shit!” Marco shouted as he realized that a man, wearing a black hat and a long, black trench coat, was standing in front of him holding a knife.
Location: Outside the West End Club…Red Light District…PolyneaCity.
Ailanian Standard Time: 2220 Hours.
The blonde man peered out the driver’s side window and spoke softly into his com, “Yeah, this is John McDonald checking in. Guess what I’ve got for you? Yeah, that right…I’ve got a suspect confirmation. I have a really good visual on Marco Giraudoux. He’s Ailana’s second biggest drug dealer and he’s about to come out of the nightclub across the street.”
The voice on the other end of the com was detached, “Interesting…what’s the situation?”
McDonald squirmed nervously before he became a bit more comfortable in the driver’s seat, “He’s trying to blend in with the crowd just in front of the club’s main entrance. Whoa! He looks like he’s been scared out of his mind! Something must have happened in that nightclub, he never leaves this early!”
The muffled, electronic voice from McDonald’s com said, “Take pictures for us. Do not approach the suspect.”
McDonald peered through his com’s view finding monitor as he looked across the street and saw the doors to the nightclub open up. He got low in the seat, held his breath and stayed perfectly still as he saw an image of a muscle-bound man, with long, brown hair, walking out of the club. The crowd of people, on the sidewalk in front of the club, didn’t seem to notice how large the man was.
“That must be Marco’s bodyguard…he looks familiar…”
McDonald noticed how the long haired brute looked both ways and then motioned with his right hand. The door opened again and a slender man, dressed in flashy clothes, walked out of the club looking as if he had just received the fright of his life.
“That’s Marco alright…and he looks nervous…something is definitely different here,” McDonald snapped pictures as he saw how a human female, with stunning red hair, followed Marco closely.
McDonald felt a nervous chill working its way down his spine as he thought about what he had been hired to do. “Something isn’t right here…oh my gods…what if we missed something in our investigation…what if we missed a key opportunity and now someone else knows something that we don’t?”
A woman’s scream pierced the night air. McDonald flinched as he saw how the red haired woman appeared to be in a state of panic as a roaring hovercar came to a sudden halt in front of the club.
McDonald gasped when he saw how the driver slammed on the brakes.
“Holy shit!” he shouted and adjusted the image on the com. “Did you see that? A car just pulled up out of nowhere!”
A pair of powerful rifles emerged from the hovercar’s rear windows and the sounds of laser blasts soon filled the air as Marco’s bodyguard flexed his powerful right arm. Everyone across the street to hit the deck as the hastily fired shots flew over their heads. The sounds of shattering glass covered up their screams of terror.
“Holy Shit!” McDonald screamed, “No one got killed! How did that happen? I think I got a picture of the shooters!”
An electronic signal flashed itself into words on McDonald’s com screen;AQUIRE EVIDENCE…those connected to this plan must die.
“Holy shit! None of the blasts hit Giraudoux! He’s taking off!”
McDonald blinked rapidly as he realized that he could forget about the fleeing drug dealer, who was now getting into the back of his own hoverlimo. He gasped as he saw the vehicle flee the chaotic scene and comprehended what had made Marco’s escape possible.
“We’re not dealing with normal people here,” McDonald thought as he realized that Marco’s enormous bodyguard must have had a pulsar shield stored between the bones in his forearm. When the shots were fired, the personal force field had been enough to deflect the laser blasts.
“Very impressive thinking, for a cyborg…” McDonald thought as he saw the long-haired bodyguard raise his own weapon and shoot a volley of blasts towards their attackers.
Blood and broken glass flew out of the hovercar’s back window.
As he used his com to transmit the action to his client, McDonald could hear the driver screaming in fear as the vehicle leapt upward and banked off in the other direction.
“Oh my gods!” McDonald shouted, “That was awesome! Did you see all that? That shit totally worked! I think he took the bait, there is no way he’s gonna think we’re the ones he has to worry about. The son-of-a-bitch is going to be flustered and on the run. That means we can start putting our own plan into motion now.”
McDonald tried to start his hovercar to no avail. He pounded the steering wheel with his fists as he said, “damn this piece of shit rental car!”
In his rage, he didn’t notice how the headlights, from an oncoming hovercar, shed away the darkness, and revealed how a tall man, in a black trench coat, was standing less than a meters from his hovercar, holding a long, shiny knife.
“What was that?” Andrea shouted as she noticed how everyone else in the club seemed to be heading for the exits.
“Gunshots!” Tango shouted, “They were outside the club. We better get going. Come on! We can stay at my cousin’s place for the rest of the night. He can get us passage to the safe house.”
“Oh my gods Wallace,” Ignesia said with tears in her eyes as she grasped Wallace’s arm. Thoughts of how she had walked into the living room just moments after so many of her friends had just been gunned down by a silent stranger raced through her mind as she said, “What are we going to do?”
“We can’t go with them,” Wallace said, “we have things we need to do. That safe house isn’t connected to the Ailanian Wide Web and we have to finish our search for Jacob’s missing files. We can’t go with you guys.”
“We understand,” Andrea said as she got up. “We’ll keep in contact with you. Good luck my friends. Together, we’ll get through this. Together, we will prevail.”
The man in black clenched his knife and stepped back even farther into the darkness of the alleyway as he saw the blonde man open his driver’s side door and began cursing, “I’ll just walk home then!”
As John McDonald stormed away, the man in black realized how easy this kill was going to be. He reached into his trench coat and began unbuttoning the holster that held another large knife he kept next to his chest. Once he realized that his target was far enough down the street, the man in black began pursuing his prey, until he saw something in the corner of his eye.
Four young Ailanian people were leaving one of the buildings across the street. His telescopic vision quickly zoomed in and recognized a young Hokupi woman. His electronic eyes scanned again and saw a young Balguran man with well-groomed facial hair. Another scan revealed two youthful Bontune men who looked very similar to each other. It took less than a second for his computerized brain to make a match in his database.
New Targets Acquired…intercept and report…
The man in black put his knives back into their sheaths when he saw how all fou
r Ailanians sidestepped their way into an alley next to the bar, where he had witnessed the previous confrontation. He momentarily put his first target on a form of mental hold as he realized that he would not have a choice in this matter. The computer was taking over for him and he would have to follow his preprogrammed orders even if he objected to them.
Intercept and report…This is a direct order…
“Van Dien, you bastard…I swear that I am going to find a way to make sure that this is the last time I do this for you…”
As he saw the four young people disappear into the alleyway, he leapt across the street and bounded after them like a wolf chasing a herd of deer. Once in the alley, the man in black jumped into the air and used his mechanical legs to bounce off a wall. He landed in front of the surprised Ailanians.
“Oh my gods!” Andrea barely had time to scream as she realized that a misty cloud was being sprayed into her face, making it impossible to breathe.
“Run everyone!” Tango said as he coughed. The others tried to escape, but found their legs becoming limp like wet noodles.
“Sorry, folks…it’s nothing personal…this is only business,” The man in black thought as he saw the young Ailanians clutching their throats. He continued spraying them with the noxious mist from a small canister he had ripped from his utility belt. The man in black sighed as he saw their eyes rolling back in their heads while they fell to their knees and slumped onto the blacktop.
Once he was certain that they were all unconscious, the man in black stuck his gloved hand up to his forehead and made a com call from his cranial computer. He began walking away slowly. It took less than five minutes for the black hovervan to glide into the alley. Moments later, a group of human men, dressed in black business suits, leapt from the van and began dragging the young Ailanians back to the ominous vehicle.
Prisoners of Paradise Page 5