by Michael Rose
“You’re worrying me.”
“Let me first say that Kate is fine.”
“But?”
“But… Mr. Alexander… Harvey killed him.”
Sullivan’s expression hardened. “How?”
“It was an accident, I think. He hit him a couple of times with an electroshock weapon. Mr. Alexander was in good shape for his age, but his heart gave out.”
Allen removed his tablet. “I’d placed listening devices in every room of the penthouse for security. Do you want to listen?”
Sullivan shook his head. “No. That’s all right.”
“It seems Harvey was looking for you. He didn’t believe us that you’d already gone to Faris.”
“I see.”
“He probably still thinks you’re on Silvanus. I think he’ll be waiting for you to come after him.”
Sullivan stood. “I’ll be ready to go in an hour.”
Allen nodded. “I’ll let Hammond know.”
A DAY OUT from Faris, Sullivan and Allen sat down to work out the plan. Harvey believed one of two things: that Sullivan was, indeed, on Faris, despite his earlier doubts, or that Sullivan was still on Silvanus. If he believed the former, they could surprise him. He’d expect to have months before Sullivan returned. If he believed the latter, then he’d already be prepared.
“I still don’t understand,” said Allen. “Why would Harvey go after Mr. Alexander? He’s a hunted man, now. He won’t be able to live openly on any SA planet.”
Sullivan nodded. “My guess is that he’s done with lawful bounty work. After he takes care of me, he’s probably going to go to one of the rougher planets and offer his services to the highest bidder. He is very good at what he does.”
“But why? Why choose that life?”
Sullivan sighed. “I may have had something to do with that. When I first encountered Harvey, I killed his partner. I didn’t want to, but I had no other choice. I think that may have been the tipping point for a man who, let’s face it, was always skirting the line between right and wrong. I could see then that he was a dangerous man. I should have killed him when I had the chance.”
Allen put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “But you didn’t because you know what side of that line you walk.”
Sullivan shook his head. “Maybe. But my line is a lot farther out than most.”
“I’m beginning to believe that that doesn’t matter so much,” said Allen. “Everyone has a point at which they say they’ll go no further. What makes a man good or bad is not necessarily where that point is. It’s whether or not, upon reaching it, he stops there.”
“That’s a somewhat pessimistic view of morality.”
“Do you see yourself as a moral man?”
Sullivan sat in silence for a moment. “I don’t know. Do you see me as a moral man?”
“Well, have you stepped over the line that you’ve set for yourself?”
Sullivan nodded. “I have.”
“When?”
“Back when I was in the special forces, my commanding officer was a man named Price. One night, we raided an apartment where suspected dissidents lived. We cleared the apartment, killed two adults, a man and a woman. But there was a son. A teenager. Price ordered me to shoot him.”
“And you did?”
“I did.”
Allen shook his head. “I still say you’re a good man, Rick. Do you regret killing that boy?”
“Every day and night.”
“You stepped over the line, but then you stepped back. You’re a different man now. Maybe you’re a different man because of what you were forced to do. Without that, maybe you wouldn’t be here now, working to bring freedom to Edaline.”
“Justification is a dangerous thing, Frank.”
“It can be, yes. But sometimes it’s all we have.” Allen looked away from his friend.
“All I’m saying is that I’ve managed to convince myself that a lot of the things I’ve done were justifiable. I convinced myself that by committing a little wrong, I was benefitting the greater good.”
“And aren’t you?”
“I don’t know anymore. I still believe in freeing Edaline, I still want that. But the men I killed—the assemblymen, that freighter pilot Jones who sold me to Zednik—did they deserve to die? Harvey said my killings weren’t justifiable when I confronted him on Trenton. I argued my point, but if even a man like Harvey….”
“He was trying to get into your head, Rick. Whatever he said is meaningless. He doesn’t know you, but I do. Do you trust me?”
Sullivan nodded. “I’d trust you with my life.”
“Then trust me on this. You’re a good man in spite of—maybe because of—the things you’ve done in the past. Men can change. The important thing is that you learn from what you’ve done. If that’s justification, then so be it.”
Sullivan shook his head. “If that’s justification, then an awful lot of people have died so others could become better men. How many more will die because of me before this is all over?”
Allen leveled his gaze at his friend. “It’ll probably be more than you want. But you must do what must be done. Just do it knowing that you have my full support.”
Sullivan nodded. “Thank you, Frank. I couldn’t ask for a better friend than you.”
“Neither could I.”
18
ALLEN STUDIED THE map of Silvanus. “There’s a warrant out for Harvey,” he said. “He’ll be lying low.”
Sullivan leaned in to look at the display on Allen’s tablet. “There’s a warrant out for me, too. I’ll have to be careful.”
Kate put her hand in Sullivan’s. “But you’re under the protection of the Alexander name. My father had a lot of favors owed him.”
“Do you think one of those favors could get us access to the planet’s security database? If we can pick him up on any of the surveillance cameras, we may be able to narrow the search.”
Kate furrowed her brow. “I’ll have to check. My father was friends with a few higher-ups in the Bureau.”
Allen tapped on the screen of the tablet and zoomed in. “Kate, your building is here. This is the park. What are these other buildings in the area?”
Kate glanced at the tablet. She put out her hand and pointed to the structures as she named them. “This is the hotel from where Harvey shot at us. Here’s another apartment building. More apartments. Offices. And more offices.”
“He wouldn’t have returned to the hotel. We’ll see if there are any empty offices or apartments facing this way.”
“Of course, he could be keeping an eye on the building remotely,” said Sullivan.
“Which is why it’s very important that neither you nor I leave except in a vehicle via the parking garage. Kate, you need to go about your usual business. Whatever you’ve been doing the past few days, keep doing it. If Harvey is watching, we don’t want him to see anything suspicious.”
She nodded.
Allen folded up his tablet and put it away. “How has your security team been working out?”
“They’re very thorough. They haven’t seen any sign of Harvey, though.”
Allen folded his arms across his chest. “I really do think killing your father was an accident. I don’t think he’ll target you at this point, but it’s best to be on the safe side.”
Sullivan had been sitting quietly, his eyes trained on the far wall. “I need to go check on something,” he said.
“What is it?” asked Allen.
“Just a hunch, but I think I know where he’d set up a camera, if he has set one up.”
“Want me to come with you?”
“Sure. We’ll go out in a vehicle, park a block away and then make our way back on foot.”
SULLIVAN PARKED THE car and got out. Allen came around to the driver’s side and stood next to Sullivan as he studied the area around the building.
“West side,” said Sullivan. “That’s the hotel. When he was staying there, Harvey would have been abl
e to observe that side visually. East side. Mr. Alexander’s study. He had the listening device in there. The north side would look in on the kitchen, the dining room and the study again. But the south side,” he said, gazing across the park, “is where the living room and the bedrooms are. That’s where most of the activity in a residence would be expected to take place.”
“So you think he would have set up a camera facing the south side of the building?”
“I do. And if he was smart, he’d set up a second camera trained at the front entrance to the building. He’d have to put them somewhere they wouldn’t be seen or disturbed. You remember that small camera you hid on one of the trees back on Damaris? A few feet above eye level and something like that would be nearly invisible.”
Allen nodded. “That’s the point, of course. If you’re not looking for it, you’ll never see it.”
“But we’re looking for it.”
Sullivan began walking with Allen at his side. They came to the edge of the park, and Sullivan stopped. There were a dozen large trees scattered throughout the park, with lawns, a fountain, a playground and a basketball court occupying the rest of the grounds. “Frank, you start over there, and I’ll search the trees over here. Stay on this side of the trees so you don’t accidentally step in front of a camera, and if you find one, don’t touch it. We don’t want Harvey to know we’re on to him. And don’t speak, either. He could have planted listening devices near the cameras so he’d know if they were spotted.”
Allen nodded and walked to the far side of the park. He began scanning the bark of the trees, being careful not to step between the trees and the building. After ten minutes, he spotted one camera, then another a few inches above it. They were both on the same tree. One was angled upward, covering the windows of Alexander’s penthouse, and the other appeared to be trained on the doors of the building.
Allen waved Sullivan over and waited as he made his way across the park.
Sullivan glanced up at the cameras and nodded. He beckoned for Allen to follow him, and they withdrew to the edge of the park.
“Well,” Sullivan said quietly, “we have the advantage now. We can decide exactly when Harvey sees me.”
“Then what? Ambush?”
“That’s what I’m thinking. We have to do this carefully, though. If there’s any hint that we know about the cameras, he might not show.”
“What’s your plan?”
“Using the front door would be too obvious. He knows I wouldn’t do that.”
“So you need to make an appearance at one of the windows.”
“Exactly. And I have to make it look spontaneous, accidental.”
“All right, then. What do you have in mind?”
ALLEN STOOD ON the street near Alexander’s building. The sun had set, and it was cool enough that the hat and the jacket with the high collar didn’t look suspicious.
Allen’s earpiece beeped. “All right,” said Sullivan. “I’m in position.”
Allen stepped toward the front of the building and into the field of view of one of Harvey’s cameras. He took a can of spray paint from his pocket, shook it for a moment then sprayed the letters S and A on the front of the building. He enclosed the letters in a circle with a slash through it, the standard symbol of anti-Stellar Assembly protesters. He took a flash bomb from his pocket, tossed it into the doorway of the building and ran across the street, past the tree with Harvey’s cameras on it and to the car that was waiting on the far side of the park.
As Kate pulled the car into the street, the flash bomb went off with a loud report and a flash of light. Above, Sullivan waited a few seconds then drew back the curtain of one of the windows. He pulled open the window and stuck his head out so he could see down to the street below. He raised his head to the park, acted as though he were scanning the area then withdrew and closed the window and the curtains.
Sullivan stepped away from the window and tapped on his earpiece. “All right, Frank, he should have gotten a good look at me. There are enough powerful businessmen and politicians living in this building, so hopefully Harvey’s suspicions won’t be aroused by your display.”
“Right. And this being the bicentennial of the SA, anti-SA demonstrations have been on the rise. I think the plan will work. Kate and I are going to circle the block a few times then head on back. Is the camera feed up?”
Sullivan tapped on a tablet that was sitting on the living room coffee table. A feed from the security camera outside Alexander’s apartment flashed onto the screen. “I’ve got it. We’ll know Harvey’s coming as soon as he steps into the hallway.”
“Great. See you in a few minutes.”
KATE DROPPED ALLEN off then took the car to a hotel. She’d stay there until she got word from Sullivan and Allen that it was safe to return.
Allen rode the elevator from the parking garage up to the top floor. As the doors opened, he put his hand on his gun. The hallway was clear. He walked to the penthouse door and rapped on it.
Sullivan opened the door and quickly let him in.
“Well,” said Allen, “I guess we wait.”
“Right. We’ll take shifts. I think whoever is down should sleep here in the living room so he can be woken up quickly. The couch is comfortable enough.”
“You want to take first shift?”
“Sure.”
Allen took his gun from its holster and rested the firearm on the table but within reach. “Doubt I’ll be able to sleep yet, but I’ll try.”
Sullivan nodded and took up the tablet. He rested it on the arm of the chair he was sitting in and began his vigil.
ALLEN FELT A hand on his shoulder. He awoke with a start and began to reach for his gun but paused as he opened his eyes. Sullivan was above him with his finger over his lips.
Allen sat up and glanced at the tablet as Sullivan held it out in front of him. A man wearing a cap and dark clothes was stalking down the hallway. As he watched, the man stopped in front of Alexander’s door and withdrew a small square device with a long pin sticking out of one end. Allen had seen one before; it was a mechanical lock picker.
As Harvey inserted the pin into the lock, Sullivan took his position behind the door while Allen crouched behind the sofa, ready to cover Sullivan once he made his move.
In the stillness of the night, the two men could hear Harvey’s device working, adjusting itself to the pins in the lock and clicking as it manipulated them. After one final click, they heard the lock turn. The door opened a few centimeters then was stopped by the chain. A laser cutter appeared in the gap and made quick work of the chain. A gloved finger caught the loose end of the chain as it fell, stopping it from making noise as it hit the side of the door.
Allen took a deep breath. The door opened a bit more, and he ducked behind the couch as Harvey’s head popped through to scan the room. A second later, Allen heard a slam as Sullivan closed the door on Harvey’s neck and shoulder. Allen popped up, his gun drawn, and tried to keep Harvey in his sights as he struggled against Sullivan, who had thrown his body against the door, pinning the bounty hunter.
Harvey’s other hand emerged from behind the door, wielding a small energy weapon. Allen tried to focus his aim on the hand, but Sullivan was in the way, blocking his shot. Allen leaped over the couch and knocked the gun from Harvey’s hand before he could bring it up to fire.
Together, Allen and Sullivan dragged Harvey into the penthouse and subdued him. Within seconds, Allen had the bounty hunter gagged and handcuffed.
Sullivan picked Harvey up and roughly threw him into a chair. “What do we do with you, Harvey?” he asked, shaking his head.
Allen stepped over. “If we turn him in to the Bureau, he’ll tell them about you, Rick. He’ll tell them that both Kate and I aided and abetted a fugitive.”
Sullivan nodded. “You’re right, Frank. We might have to kill him.”
Harvey’s eyes narrowed in hatred. He started to mumble something beneath the gag. Sullivan reached forward and pulled the
gag down slightly so Harvey could talk. “What is it?”
Harvey licked his lips. “Even if you turn me in, I’ll get out. I’ll get out, and I’ll come kill you.”
“You’re making this easy for me, Harvey.”
Harvey laughed. “You don’t have it in you, Sullivan. If you did, you would have killed me back on Trenton when you had the chance.”
“I wish I had, Harvey. Mr. Alexander would still be alive, and it would have saved me a lot of trouble.”
“But you didn’t. You’re soft, Sullivan. You can’t kill me now, not while I’m defenseless.” Harvey turned to Allen. “And you used to be a Bureau agent. You won’t let him kill me in cold blood.”
“Used to be,” said Allen.
Harvey grew pale as he realized that he may have misjudged the two men. “Listen, if you let me go, I promise I won’t pursue you anymore, and I won’t go to the Bureau and tell them where you are.”
“Where will you go?” asked Sullivan.
“I’ll go to a non-SA planet. Somewhere I can make some money. I’m done with bounty hunting.”
Sullivan sighed. “That’s not good enough, Harvey. The day you killed Mr. Alexander was the day you forfeited your own life.”
“It was an accident, Sullivan. He had a heart attack or something. I wasn’t trying to kill him, I just wanted information.”
“That’s beside the point,” said Sullivan, taking up the small energy weapon that Harvey had dropped.
“Please, Sullivan. I promise I’ll leave you alone.”
Sullivan pointed the weapon at Harvey. “I’ll shoot you in the heart. If there’s any pain, it should be fleeting.”
Harvey began to breathe quickly and shallowly. His eyes grew moist. “Please, Sullivan. Please.” He closed his eyes, and the tears began to flow freely.
Sullivan reached into his pocket, withdrew a syringe and stuck it into the side of Harvey’s neck. The bound man opened his eyes upon feeling the sting of the needle, looked up at Sullivan in confusion then closed his eyes as the tranquilizer took effect. He slumped forward in the chair.
Allen shook his head. “Jesus, Rick, I thought you were going to shoot him.”