by Saxon Andrew
Edmondson shook his head and pressed the pad again as the house communicator on the desk rang. Who would be contacting him? He lifted the communicator and said, “Hello.”
“Doctor Edmondson, I’m sorry about sending you a defective shipment and we’ll gladly replace it.”
Edmondson knew open dialogue over a communicator was forbidden. However, his contact was notifying him that his communicator was defective and needed replacing. He forced himself to calm down and said smoothly, “I need it as soon as possible.”
“It will be delivered tomorrow. We had a bad lot of products and apologize for any inconvenience.”
“Thank you and I will look for the delivery tomorrow.”
He turned off the line-of-sight communicator and Tal quit opening and closing his hand. It wasn’t easy to keep the focus of his hand on just the device and not disturb the communicator, but he pulled it off. He activated his sub-vocal communicator, “Sha!”
“Yes.”
“Is the one threatening Allison there.”
“He just got off the communicator. I’m watching him punch a number into it now.”
“See if he orders a delivery to Edmondson.”
Tal waited, and Sha finally answered, “Yes, he did. How did you know about that?”
“Sha, just listen. I managed to prevent Edmondson from contacting his handler but the first things he reported were about the stardrive and force field development. If he manages to get that information out, Allison and her child will be killed for not telling her handler the truth. Both must go. Did you memorize the number the handler used?”
“I did.”
“Then you’ve got to take him out.”
“You don’t want to try and follow a line on his contact?”
“Duncan will have to use that number to do that. It’s show and tell time, Sha. Focus, I know you can do this!”
Tal broke the contact and saw Edmondson come out of the bathroom after returning the device under the vanity. He looked around the room and Tal hit him in the chest with a dart. Edmondson collapsed to the floor. Tal appeared, lifted him off the floor, and threw him on the bed. Edmondson’s eyes were still open, and Tal bent over him and took a tiny needle out of his left sleeve and stuck it into Edmondson’s cheek. Edmondson’s lips started moving, “WHO…”
“Sorry, Doctor, but I’ll be asking the questions.” Edmondson fought it but was unable to keep anything hidden. Tal questioned him until the destruction of his body reached his abdomen. Tal pursed his lips as the Doctor closed his eyes and died. The Doctor’s handler promised him great wealth in the colonies if he would cooperate. The Doctor was stupid to believe the promise, he would have never lived to receive it. He removed the device out of the Doctor’s pocket and turned off the interior scanners. He turned invisible again and left through the back door and went around the back of the garage. He pressed the device, reactivating the interior defenses and began jogging back to his transport. He wondered how Sha was doing.
• • •
Sha saw the man hang up the communicator and lift Allison’s son by the arm. The two-year old screamed and Allison wailed, ‘PLEASE DON’T HURT HIM!!”
The man sneered at her, “I’ll do more than this if I find out you’ve been lying to me!” The man smiled and slapped the child in the face, just before Sha hit him in the chest with a dart.
Allison closed her eyes and cried out, “Please, I beg you, don’t hurt him.” Her son was wailing, and she opened her eyes to see the man standing, frozen in place. His smile was still there but his eyes weren’t moving. Her son moved out of the man’s hand and was floating in front of him. Suddenly, Sha appeared, and Allison passed out.
When she woke up, she was on the couch and Sha was holding her son and had him giggling. Sha looked at Allison, “Has anyone other than him threatened you?” Allison was still stunned, and she shook her head. Sha walked over to the man still frozen in place and pushed him over. He fell to the floor like a sack of rocks. “We’ve determined that you were being threatened and decided to do something about it. Can you sit up?”
Allison tried, but Sha had to assist her. Allison was terrified, and Sha smiled, “You are in no danger, Allison. We know you’ve not told him any secrets and this nightmare is over.”
“He burned his arm and threatened to kill him if I didn’t do as I was told.”
Sha’s eyes narrowed, and she walked over to the little boy and rolled up the little boy’s sleeve. There were multiple red scars on his arm. Sha tasseled his hair and asked him to go to his room and get a bag of toys together for a little car ride while she and his mother talk. After he was out of the room, she turned to Allison. “I’m going to kill this piece of crap. Do you want to see it?”
“I don’t want my son to see it.”
“I need you to pack your things.”
“Why?”
“You’re moving to a residence on the base. This ends tonight.”
“There’s another one the base that he said would tell him if I’m lying,” she said fearfully.
“I’m taking care of that and it won’t be a problem. Pack what you need and take your son and drive back to the base. Someone will be waiting for you at the front gate.”
Allison stood up, took her son from Sha, and hugged him. Her eyes were closed and when she opened them she started crying. Sha hugged her and said softly, “This is over, Allison. You’re safe now.”
“I don’t want to drive to the base alone! They’re everywhere.”
“How do you know that, Corporal?”
“I’ve seen him pull back the curtains numerous times and nod. Someone is watching.”
Sha immediately said over her communicator, “Tal, I need you to get over here as quickly as possible.”
“What’s going on?” she heard immediately.
“It appears Allison’s house is being watched. If I try to take her out, she could be attacked.”
“On my way.”
Suddenly, they heard a buzz coming from the man’s pocket and Sha rushed back to the man’s body. Sha quickly called out, “Help me!” Allison put her son down, rushed over to the floor, and assisted Sha in lifting the man. They moved him over to the front window and Sha turned invisible, pulled back the curtain revealing the man’s smiling face, and released the curtain. She moved him away from the window. Anyone outside would have only seen one-shadow. Allison looked at her as she reappeared, “How do you do that?”
“You don’t want to know, and this is another secret you’re going to have to keep. Can you do that?”
“I will.”
Sha hesitated and asked, “Allison, had he been abusing you.”
“Countless times. But I had to do it to protect my son.”
Sha’s eyes narrowed, and something changed inside her. She knew she needed to wait for Tal to arrive and she walked up to the man, still propped up against wall beside the window. She knew that though he was paralyzed, he could still hear. She whispered into his ear, “You don’t have much longer to live. You’re going to die a painful death and there’s nothing you can do to prevent it. Think about that!” The man didn’t move but sweat broke out on his forehead.”
“What did you say to him?” Allison asked.
“I told him what I’m going to do to him.”
Allison kept her eyes on Sha and her son tried to move to keep Allison between her and the man. Allison watched him squirm and said to Sha, “My son needs to see him die or he’ll have nightmares about him the rest of his life.”
“Are you sure, Allison.”
“I need to see it as well…for the same reason.”
Sha nodded and waited for Tal to arrive. She needed more training; she didn’t know what to do about those outside.
Chapter Twenty
Tal arrived three-blocks from Allison’s house and parked on the street. He used his right hand to check for scanners and nothing appeared. He slipped out of the transport after he turned invisible and walked down the
street. He kept his eyes constantly moving and arrived at the house next to Allison’s. A transport moved slowly up the street from the opposite direction and stopped in front of Alison’s house. Tal saw the curtains part slightly and a man’s smiling face appear. The transport drove away, and Tal went to the front door as he contacted Sha sub-vocally, “I’m at the front door.” Sha opened the door and heard, “Close it.”
He appeared, and Sha rushed into his arms and hugged him tightly. “I didn’t know how to handle this?”
Tal nodded, “You were right not to kill him immediately.”
“What do we do, Tal.”
“How long was it between your opening the curtains?”
“About an hour.”
“What’s going on,” Tal asked.
Sha looked at Allison and said, “Tell him.”
Tal listened to her and didn’t ask any questions. Allison poured her heart out and Tal only nodded for her to continue. Allison finally ran down and Tal looked at Sha, “Why is he still alive?”
“Because I don’t have anything to really make him pay for what he’s done. My darts can give him a heart attack or dissolve him, but he won’t suffer from those. I want him to feel pain, Tal!”
“Are you sure about that, Sha? That’s a line and if you cross it, you will never be the same again.”
“What do you mean?”
“This piece of crap needs killing; I have no question about that. But if you intend to make him suffer, you become very much like him.”
“You told Mother that you made many of your targets die long slow deaths.”
“And I was wrong to do it! I did it for the same reason you want to do it to this piece of garbage. I wanted their victims to enjoy the death of my targets. I paid a price for that, Sha, and I’m still paying it.” Sha struggled with Tal’s words in silence. He glanced at the man propped against the wall and continued, “I lost part of my soul and I’ll never get it back, Sha. I hardened my heart to my victim’s suffering and I wish I’d never done it. However, it’s your call.”
Sha looked away and slowly shook her head. She sighed and decided, “We should get Allison and her son out of here and should give him a heart attack.”
Tal handed her a tube, “Use your dart and mine. He’ll have an immediate heart attack.”
Allison listened to them discuss what was going to happen, as Tal came over to take them out of the room. Allison said firmly to him, “My son and I need to see this!”
Tal’s brow furrowed, “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes! He’ll have nightmares about this man for the rest of his life if he doesn’t. We need to see this!”
Tal turned too Sha and nodded. Sha turned her back to Allison, lifted her hand and did something. A moment later, the man collapsed to the floor and gripped his chest as he writhed on the floor and screamed. Tal said quietly, “The heart attack dart removes the paralysis.” A few moments later, the man stopped moving and had a grimace on his dead face.
Allison made her son watch what happened and told him over and over, “He’s gone and will never hurt us again.
Tal turned to Sha, “Take her transport and drive them to the base. Have them lay down in the floor behind your seat and go straight through the gate. If you run into any trouble, I’ll be right behind you and clear it up.”
“Pack whatever you need!” Sha quickly said.
“There’s no time for that, Sha!” Tal scolded. “If they’re watching this house you know they’ll be keeping an eye on the base. We barely have time to get there before the transport is going to show up looking for him in the window.”
Allison grabbed a diaper bag, “This will get us by!”
Tal nodded, “Get moving!!”
Tal went to his invisible form, rushed out of the house, and ran to his transport, and reappeared. Sha pulled out of the driveway and turned toward the base. Tal allowed some distance between them to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.
• • •
Sha arrived at the gate and said softly over her shoulder, “Keep down!” She pulled up to the guard house, as the Guard walked out to check her ID. He looked at her with a grimace and ordered, “Get out of the transport!”
Tal recognized the guard and pulled up quickly behind Sha’s vehicle. The guard saw Tal’s transport rush up and raised his pulse rifle. Tal stepped out of his transport and walked deliberately toward the guard. The guard saw who it was and went to immediate attention. Tal put his nose one inch from the guard’s face and said slowly and deliberately, “Sargent, is there some reason you’re holding my wife here?”
“Uhhh…”
“I suggest you open the gate!” The guard rushed inside the hut, lowered the barricades, and raise the barrier. Sha drove through and Tal glared at the Guard, “You better have a reason for stopping her, Sargent!!”
“We’ve been told not to trust any one’s appearance, Sir.”
“Did you not see her ID?”
“Sorry, Sir, I didn’t.”
Tal glared at him and went back to his transport. The guard watched him drive through and knew he had failed to search their vehicles. He had received an emergency contact telling him to make sure Allison did not make it on the base. He didn’t think she would be with the General or his wife but wasn’t certain about it. She could have contacted them…but that didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to die for challenging a General. It took him too long to get on the base to throw that away.
Sha contacted Tal, “That guard is one of them.”
“I know. We’ll handle him after Laramie.”
Sha drove to her building and took Allison and her child to their quarters. She saw another guard on duty that was also an agent. That one would report Allison was on the base. They had a lot of work ahead of them cleaning things up. An hour later, General Lein had Colonel Sato go to their quarters and move Allison and her son to their own quarters.
Tal was sitting on the sofa studying the line-of-sight communicator he took from Edmondson’s bathroom vanity. It was two am and Sha came out of her bedroom and sat down beside him. He glanced at her, “Can’t sleep?” Sha dropped her head in her hands and slowly shook her head. Tal put his hand on her shoulder, “I had trouble after my first kill, as well, Sha.”
“I keep seeing that man writhing on the floor.”
Tal put the communicator on the coffee table and turned to face her. “You’d be really suffering now if you made him suffer like you planned. You’re wondering if he had a family or children of his own, right?”
Sha’s eyes widened slightly, “I can’t help it. I wonder if a child is missing a father that will never come home.”
“He doesn’t have a family, Sha.”
“HOW CAN YOU KNOW THAT?! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HIM!”
“I know he took pleasure in inflicting pain on Allison and her son. That is not something he would be able to turn off and on. No one would want to stay with him and, if someone did, they probably did it out of fear. There will be no tears if he doesn’t show back up.” Sha was having a hard time dealing with Tal’s words and she remained silent. Tal said softly, “You saw how perverted he was, and it was only after the fact that you began to feel bad.”
“Why do I feel like this, Tal.”
“Because you ascribe your feelings to him. You believe that most people are like you and don’t want to believe that there are truly evil people in the universe. A very important lesson for you to learn out of this is that if you intend to make this world a better place, men like that must be removed from it. However, if you kill them slowly and painfully, you will lose your soul and become very much like them. Even the repugnant are human and deserve a fast death.”
“Is that how you’ve kept your sanity?”
Tal tilted his head slightly and then straightened it, “I suppose. I always accepted revenge contracts in the guild to take out someone who had caused the needless death of a loved one. I justified it as administering justice.”
&n
bsp; “Do you think you made a difference?”
“No! I didn’t even scratch the surface of the killers in the colonies. However, it paid my bills and allowed me to kill the man who paid to have my parents killed. Over the years, I came to accept that I wasn’t really doing anything that made any difference at all. I was just doing a job.”
“So, you’re saying that killing that man tonight was…”
Tal interrupted her, “He won’t be torturing anyone else, Sha. You at least made a difference in Allison’s and her son’s life that will have to be your reward for doing it.”
Sha nodded and moved close to Tal. He lifted his arm and she snuggled in next to his chest. “I need you to hold me…for a little while.”
Tal nodded and pulled her close, “You’ll come to terms with it Sha. And he is only the beginning of those we’re going to have to remove.”
“I know. But let tomorrow take care of tomorrow; tonight, I need human contact.” She finally fell asleep and Tal picked her up, carried her to her bedroom, and laid her down on her bed. He covered her up and went back to the living room. He stared at Edmondson’s communicator and decided to leave it for the morning. He went to his bedroom and went to sleep.
• • •
Sha woke up the next morning around nine am. She didn’t remember going to her bedroom and knew Tal must have carried her to bed. Her mother was right, Tal didn’t take advantage of situations. He could have done that last night but didn’t. He had a good heart. She heard voices in the living room and put on a robe before leaving her bedroom. She saw Tal and Duncan Montana sitting on the sofa examining Edmondson’s communicator, “Duncan, I saw Edmondson use the antennas to align this device with the moon. There must be a colony ship somewhere on the moon’s surface.”
“How did it get there without our scanners seeing it, Tal?’
“I suspect it followed a cruise ship to Earth and left it as it passed the moon.”
“We still should have detected it,” Duncan insisted.
“Not if it moved behind the moon’s shadow and didn’t use thrusters to move it. It has to be a small ship that your scanners are programmed to ignore.”