by Clay Moore
“If you all wanted attention, you now got it. What is it?”
Dan spoke for the group as he was the ranking person there. “Brian’s Personal assistant believes that she has been contacted by an enemy spy. She has a date with this man. For this evening.”
“What are your intentions, Dan?”
“I would like Julie to meet him on this date. I would like for him to take whatever she gives him. Then we can do what we want to him.”
“I just heard from Brian. The last day on Alphacent is going pretty well. The freighter is returning here with over a million ounces of gold. Of course, it cost us nothing but the freighter. Brian is also bringing about a little less than half a million Marks.”
“We have your approval?”
“Yes. Your Security Alarm has found three devices in some offices. We might find more. We are going to have to sweep more often.”
“I concur,” said Dan.
“So her date is tonight. Wait till you come back in the morning. We will give you what he wants. If Brian gets back tomorrow, he will be one. Dan, will you work with Brian?”
“Any day of the week.”
“Will you feel safe if they are there with you,” asked Carla
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good luck on this operation.”
Julie wondered if this was how Brian felt after a briefing. Then she realized he probably was not sick to his stomach.
LIKE A SPIDER, MAN
Pris looked over the retaining wall between the roof and a sill along the edge of the Police building. There was a grav-vehicle landing pad on the roof. What was resting there was an Assault shuttle without the weapons. The Assault shuttle was colored blue and black. It had red and blue rolling lights. Pris wondered what they used it for. She did not feel like going into the police headquarters and asking why they were using an obviously military vehicle.
She wondered what it would look like to walk into the police department wearing auto-camo clothing. The Auto-camo was from Eridani. Her friend was always giving her gifts. Auto-camo helped you hide, not make you invisible. It did make it harder for the naked eye to see you.
She got on her hands and knees. She moved closer to the retaining wall. Slowly she moved up until she could see. A whole lot of practice made her able to pick up the appropriate window. Again the fat head man was sitting on a small cabinet. Her shot was a plunging shot. She only had a window of a few inches. She did not want to wake him to the fact someone wanted him dead.
She decided that today was not the day. She climbed into her hole until the next day. She had a decent bedroll and a few of the foodbase snacks and foodbase meals on the go. Tomorrow would be better hunting.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Completion
COMPLETION
Brian’s hands started getting sweaty. It was like the Marines before. He would be on the lip of the cargo bay with infinity below and above. All he had protecting him from the vacuum of space was his Battlesuit. Then you turned and saw the planet coming up fast. The command to form up was given, and he would have to repeat it to his men and women. At that moment the nervousness was gone. You had to trust your suit, your Suit AI, and the Navy man who wrote the program for the AI to perform an orbital insertion. He was a navy puke so what did you care, however you got to the combat, as long as you had operational weapons, you were going to make them pay.
What brought that memory was the acrobatic way that Manolito was driving. Manolito explained he heard rumors that these “homes” came with the ground to air missiles. Brian did not want to have an argument, but he knew that no government in the Colonies would ever allow civilians to have ground to air missiles. When they got over Dag’s house, Manolito’s jinking got even more frantic if that was possible.
Bryan could see that Dag’s landing pad was available. “Try to land with my door to the main entrance. You open it when we hit the dirt.”
“No dirt there. Plascrete, man.”
Brian was laughing when the gull wing door opened and he pushed off the center console and rolled across the floor. When he came up sitting. Brian was at the perfect angle to shoot that guard. Which he did. The second guard pulled his pistol. Brian rolled to his left. When he had a reasonable shot, Brian took it and ended the second guard.
Brian looked at the Vendella. “I’ll be back,” he said to her.
Vendella’s face suddenly brightened up. When she realized that Brian had not forgotten his promise.
Brian checked on the amount of ammo left in the magazine. Brian was not used to the cumbersome weight and size of the old Alphacent pistol, but having a fall guy for what he was doing made it worth it. He opened the front door. Nobody was in the living room.
Brian reminded himself that all he saw were four guards. If that was true, there were no other guards and just Dag himself. Where would I be if I was Dag, thought Brian? I would be in the supposed safety of a panic room.
“Dag’s panic room is straight ahead,” said Amarantha in his earbud.
Brian nodded. Approaching the panic room he used the sweep the area with your gun technique. Then Brian stepped in the fore-room of the panic room. He saw the door to the panic room. And he could not believe his eyes.
“Is that door what I think it is,” he asked Amarantha.
You’re right, it is a standard internal house door. The Panic room door will be installed tomorrow.
“Isn’t that the way. Can you see inside?”
“Yes, I can see inside. Just Dag himself.”
Brian came up the wall on the doors right side. The walks were built, but the door was finished as best as it could. He pointed at the doorknob with his pistol. Then he fired four darts. The doorknob was gone. He walked over to the wall on the side of the doorknob. He gave a mule kick to the door. It flew open. Brian spun around and pointed his weapon at the fat body of Dag.
“Please don’t kill me. I will give you anything you want.”
Dag had already been marked for death. Brian put two darts in his chest. Dag was dead. Brian rolled the corpse over on its back. Brian holstered his gun. He used his blade as a handle by plunging it into the chest. He pulled Dag with the knife. He got the obese body on to the pad. Brian cut Dag’s pants off. His knife cut off Dag's penis and scrotum. He put both of those organs in Dag’s mouth. He wiped the blade on Dag’s clothes.
Vendella came over to the body. “Can I piss on him?”
“This is your victory. Do what you want.” Brian stood aside.
Vendella took off her skirt. Then she Squatted over Dag’s face. She relieved herself. “Very satisfying.” She walked back to her sunning couch.
“Do you have something for me?” Vendella asked Brian
Brian reached into a thin belt pouch. He took out a needle inside a heavy plastic bag. He showed her the bag.
“Is that the poison?”
“It is. You are free now under Alphacent law.”
“I am more convinced that this is the way to go.”
“Very well.” Brian tore the plastic bag in half. He brought it over showing her the point. Then Brian showed her how to push the point’s cover toward the thumb hold. Then he stepped back.
She leaned back in her sunning couch. Her mind was far away. Then she pushed the safety glass and jabbed the needle in her thigh. She immediately was so sleepy. She leaned back on her sun couch. There was a big yawn. The needle fell from her hands.
There was a gurgling sound from Vendella. The second half of the poison did its part. It killed her by strangulation. When there were no more sounds, he reached and felt for her carotid artery. Then he checked her pulse.
“Is she really dead?”
Brian was too emotional to respond verbally. Brian put a dart in her head. He tossed the pistol on the body of Dag. Brian also left the remaining magazines. Then he gathered up Manolito. They went to the blue car.
They took off heading for where they left the Limousine. This time there was no jinking. There was a little
conversation. Both men were new at helping someone to die at their own hands.
“Was it justice?” asked Manolito?
“The suicide?”
“Yes and all that.”
“She would suicide without me if she could. She might even botch it. That would have left her alive but connected to machines keeping her alive.”
“I see the justice in what you did for her.”
“That is one of many things I do. Dag’s Death? On Eridani, mining Gold is an automatic death sentence. Dag and his accomplices owe their lives for mining gold. I killed the accomplice at the track. I was told to make a gruesome spectacle of Dag’s death. That would tell Dag’s bosses not to repeat it.”
“Rough justice, but justice never the less.”
“I’m glad you approved.” Strangely, he was glad that Manolito approved of the mission.
DANCE OF THE DATE
Julie must have been working too long at the Eridani Secret Service. The last couple of dates she had with a man felt weird. Some of the classes she had to take were cynical about relationships. Determining who won and who lost made her a problem-solving Agent. In a way that made her able to evaluate Harminio in a dispassionate way.
This is what Brian must feel like, thought Julie.
Julie pulled into the restaurant’s parking with her grav car. She was not a pilot, so the only way she could fly was to use the public traffic way. The trip from her apartment to the restaurant was all on the ground, so there was no reason to involve the Traffic Way computers.
In the parking lot, she spent a few moments to go over her makeup. She was rather pleased that she had no cake build up in the corners of her eyes. In a very subtle manner, she was telling Harminio how she discovered that he was a fake.
Julie got out of her grav-car. She smoothed the dress. Julie's dress was an electric-blue sheath. This was a dress that she bought when she asked Brian what kind of a dress he liked to see women in. He responded that the form-fitting sheath was highly seductive. Then he recommended the electric blue because of her eyes.
She pulled her purse higher on her shoulder. She walked around to the front door. She had worn this ensemble and got excellent compliments. When she entered the restaurant, the maitre'd greeted her.
“Madame is sure looking resplendent today,” said the Maitre’d.
“I’m looking for Harminio Andrews,” said Julie.
“I am devastated that you did not come to see me. Well, some of the men have all the luck. This way please.”
Julie knew that she was fifteen minutes late. Brian always said that a woman is still permitted to be late. The later she was, the more he knew that she liked him. He also said that you never make him wait beyond endurance. On a first date, 30 minutes was beyond endurance. That was why Julie was fifteen minutes late. That was late enough to wonder and early enough to keep him there.
Julie had passed the time strategy by Dan. He thought about for a moment. “This sounds like Brian.”
“I always found him to be insightful in these kinds of things.”
“He had a lot of chances to be insightful.”
“Are you saying that he has had too many dates?”
“Too many first dates. I’m waiting for when Brian has a sequence of dates with a single woman.”
“Miss Kane.”
“Wait. Miss Kane, who?”
“Kandace Kane. You know, Kandi Kane.”
“Multiple dates that end up in his apartment?”
Julie smiled at Dan’s incredulous face.
She came up to the table reserved by Harminio. It was also in an alcove. The lighting was dark. A sputtering candle provided the additional sounds.”
“I see that you found the restaurant,” said Harminio standing up.
“One gets to know the best restaurants in town.”
“So you have had a few dates.”
“Most of the men I date are just old boys.”
“Am I just an old boy?”
“No, you know how to treat a woman.”
Harminio was cut off by the arrival of the soup. Julie spooned soup into her mouth. The soup was delicious.
“I thank you for what you said about me earlier.”
“That you know how to treat a woman? It’s the truth. One cannot have opinions about truth.”
Harminio was taken aback for a moment. It seemed that Julie was ready to do things for him.
The soup was taken away and the salad brought in. She started eating the salad. There was nothing unusual about the mixture. Without putting some kind of salad dressing on it, it was just dull Salad.
“You may not know this,” said Harminio, ”but I am a writer. I write books, mostly Action books.”
“How interesting.” Brian always told her that it is still through the arts that some spies will make his pitch.
“I hope so. Now don’t deny it, but the Pendit building is the masquerade for the Eridani Secret Service. I find that you work there to be interesting.”
“There is nothing all that wonderful about me.”
“My next book is about a spy. I want it to be as accurate as I can make it. Perhaps you can get me an employee manual?”
“I don’t know. The employee manual is top secret.”
“What can it reveal that common sense says to use?”
“If I’m caught the penalty is extreme.”
“What do you mean by extreme?”
“Have you ever been hunted before?”
“No, I have not.” That was a lie, but she did not know his background.
“They have a class of agents that are executioners.” They also did a lot more. Julie needed him to press her more for the Document.
Harminio suddenly looked around. Nobody was in earshot. All of the waitstaff was the same as it was before. He started to relax again. He felt that she was ready to tumble into his arms.
The main course arrived. Harminio heard about the Eridani Hornbeast. He knew that most good Eridani loved cuts from the Hornbeast. He ordered them both cuts from the Hornbeast's rib area. The steaks came sizzling. The smell was fantastic. He sliced off a piece from the steak and took a bite.
“Is that your first bite of Hornbeast?”
“Yes. I thought of myself a gourmand, but I stand corrected. I think this completes my education.”
He did not talk about supplying him the employee manual for a good long time. She enjoyed the steam. She was surprised when he made the next statement.”
“Perhaps you could copy the file onto a datastick for me. Then I give it back to you. You can watch me read it over. Perhaps take a few notes.”
Julie understood how some women would be caught in Harminio’s tissue of lies. The writer persona would grab a woman’s flair for the arts.”
“I don’t have a datastick.”
“He reached into his pocket and brought out a datastick. “Plug this in your terminal and download the file into the datastick.” Julie took it and put it quickly into her purse.
The rest of the meal was anticlimactic. Harminio reminded her to bring the file to the tea and Sandwich shop. Then he disappeared. Julie walked to her car. They told her to go to headquarters right after the date. Dan talked about having a cot set up in Brian’s office. She did want to be here because Brian was scheduled to be back from Alphacent. Julie drove into the parking structure. She knew he would come to the headquarters because she did something right. And he would want to be there at the culmination of her as an agent.
DESTROY ANY EVIDENCE
The little blue car made it back to the platform that they hid the limo in plain sight. He parked as far away as he could from the limo. They were going to destroy the blue car by causing a Radamite fire. Brian was waiting for the vehicle to spin down and cool off a little.
Brian went to the blue car’s trunk. There he found a punch and a coil of telignite along with an igniter for starting the telignite. Brian uncoiled a couple of feet of the telignite. He tossed the loop to Manoli
to. Brian thought he knew why Manolito was concerned about the telignite. Only the military was allowed to have it.
Brian stepped to the blue car. He got on his back. At the corner of the tank, Brian jabbed through the thin metal. Then he jammed the telignite into the hole he made in the tank. Brian trailed the telignite down to the road surface. He put the igniter on the telignite. Brian popped the igniter and rolled out from there. He ran as if the hounds of hell were following. He dove into the Limo. Manolito flew the Limo off the platform while Brian reached into the bag of cash. He took ten thousand Marks.
“I always wondered why there was nothing left after a radamite fire. Now I know.”
“Nothing survives after 5000 degrees.”
“Whoa, the roof just caved in.”
“Everything else will collapse. It’s making too much black smoke. Let’s get to McKenney.
“Amarantha, go ahead and activate our Platinum status. Does that count the limo I am in.”
“Yes.”
“Get ready for a dash out of here.”
Brian saw the entrance tube that would get you to your private slip. Nobody really cared about a limo there were no challenges as Manolito kept up the speed until he came upon Amarantha.
“She is a beauty.”
“Yes, she is.”
“She looks like she could fly.”
“She has the dexterity of a fighter.”
Manolito landed the limo on the ship's cargo ramp. Brian tossed his suitcase, briefcase, and the other bags Into the cargo bay. He could take care of them when he was in hyper safely.
He told Manolito to stay by the limo. He came back with two more bottles of scotch. He handed Manolito the bottles with the word “For your brother.” Then Brian gave the Folded up roll of bank notes to the tune of ten thousand Marks.
Manolito knuckled his forehead in salute. With the money and other precious cargo, he departed. Once he was gone, Brian sealed the cargo bay. Then he took the earbug out. He put that in his collection of bugs in his dresser.