INSIDIOUS ASSASSINS

by Jack Ketchum

  “Nope, I don’t have a problem with people making a living. As long as they don’t hurt anyone, I don’t give a shit what people do. What’s your name?”

  The man laughed. “Call me Rocky. That’s my nickname in these parts.”

  “Okay, Rocky. Let’s see about getting you something to fix that breach. Can you get here?”

  “Yep. Suit thrusters are working fine.”

  “I’m going to open my airlock.”

  “Sounds good. Be over in five.”

  Pina jogged to the hold and activated the floodlights outside the airlock. Within moments, a ghostly figure floated into view. As the man got closer, Pina noticed he wore the identical model of spacesuit. Tension wormed its way into her neck. So, he had some surprises for her. She had a few too, if needed.

  The inner door slid open and the man stepped out, his helmet disappearing behind him. He slowly raised his hands when he noticed the gun Pina pointed at him. He had a round face, with a scar running down the left side. Thin hair matted to his sweaty forehead. His stomach swelled from his suit like a balloon.

  “What’s this about, missy?”

  “Can’t be too careful. Never know what kind of people you might meet out here.”

  “You did scan my ship, correct? Saw the hull breach?”

  “I did.”

  “Then why the gun? Do I look threatening to you?”

  “Looks can be deceiving.”

  “Hey, the law says you have to give me aid. Are you going to help me, or shoot me? If you’re gonna shoot me, I’d rather just go back to my ship and try to make it to the next port. I’d rather die on my ship than yours.”

  “You wouldn’t make it.”

  “I wouldn’t?” Rocky said.

  “Nope. It’s four hours to the next port. Your suit only holds two hours of air, and you have no environment on your ship. So that leaves you two hours without air. I don’t know anyone who can go that long without air.”

  Rocky snorted, the corners of his mouth forming a condescending smile.

  “You’re a quick one. You own this ship?” he asked.

  “Me? Nah, I couldn’t afford something this nice. I’m just flying it.”

  “So you’re just a pilot? You look a bit young.” Rocky glanced around. “Where’s the owner?”

  “The truth? He’s in his cabin, strung out on Cota.”

  “Cota?” Rocky said. “I guess if he can afford a ship like this, he can afford Cota. When’s he going to come back down?”

  “Couple hours, maybe.”

  “I’d hate to waste two hours waiting for him to come back to reality. Can you help me now?”

  “I’m not leaving the ship, but I have something to fix the breach. There’s a repair kit in the tall cabinet on the other side of the wall.”

  Pina gestured to the side of the room. Rocky’s head moved enough so that he could see both Pina and the direction she indicated.

  “Thanks, much appreciated. I’ll reimburse you for the kit.”

  He reached for a bulge in his suit and stopped when Pina cleared her throat.

  “What? Oh, I’m just getting my data pad.”

  “Slowly.”

  “Okay, okay. Sheesh.”

  Rocky reached into his pocket and withdrew a data pad. He held it up for her.

  “See? Just a data pad. Now, what’s your account ID so I can transfer the credits?”

  “I’ll input it if you don’t mind,” Pina said.

  “Not at all. I don’t take you for the trusting sort. Me either, been burned too many times. Anyway, I didn’t catch your name?”

  “You can call me Suzie.”

  “Suzie? I guess that fits ya.”

  “What does that mean?” Pina asked, and glowered at him.

  “Whoa, slow down there, missy. I just mean that you look young, and you have a young-sounding name. That’s all.”

  He had gotten under her skin too easily. She had to keep calm. Focused.

  “Let’s just get this over with.”

  Pina reached for the data pad, but kept her gun leveled at Rocky. He handed it over, and stepped back, hands upraised. She peered at the information on the screen, then looked up. The amount on the screen indicated a fifty percent markup over fair market value. She looked at him with raised eyebrows.

  “What? You stopped and helped me. I thought I was going to die out here. Least thing I could do is to repay you in kind. If you accept the credits, just hit the Accept button and input your account ID.”

  She rested the data pad on the crook of the arm that held the gun and pressed Accept button.

  Her finger sizzled as an electric charge surged through her body. She fell hard to the floor, her muscles twitching and burning as if on fire. A gloved hand snatched the data pad and pried the gun from her stiff fingers. Rocky loomed in her face.

  “You shouldn’t point a gun at someone if you don’t plan to use it. People don’t like that.”

  Rocky pulled zip-ties from a pocket and secured her hands and feet. Strong hands picked her up like a pillow and tossed her against the wall, knocking the wind out of her. He crouched in front of her, typed on his data pad, and jammed it in her face.

  “This is a warrant for repossession for The Lady Jane. The owner, Jon Colby, has forfeited his right of ownership due to nonpayment. I guess we know where he’s spending his money. My name is Rolf Kirby of the Teras Bounty and Repo Company. Any further obstruction from you will be considered a personal attack, and I will use extreme force to defend myself, as granted by interstellar law. Are we clear?”

  Pina couldn’t blink, much less respond to his question. But if daggers could fly from her eyes, he would have a nice plume of carbon steel sprouting from his face right now.

  “I’ll take your silence to mean you have no objections. The shock will wear off soon. Sit tight while I check on our host.”

  Rolf left the hold, but returned a couple minutes later, still holding her gun. He had a thoughtful look on his face, but didn’t say anything. He crept toward the galley and returned with Colby slung over his shoulder. Rolf tossed the man in the airlock, and closed the door. He pressed a button on the control panel.

  Colby was sucked out into space.

  Pina stared at Rolf, swallowing down the panic that had started to rise. Rolf saluted the ejected man as he faded away into the darkness. He turned toward her, tapping his chin.

  “Well, he wasn’t in his cabin. What’s really going on here. Trying to steal this ship?”

  His pad beeped.

  “Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back.”

  He realized his joke and cackled.

  Pina twisted her body when he left. Muscle control had returned to her body when Rolf had returned with Colby. Her suit had absorbed most of the electrical discharge, but she had remained still, wanting to see what Rolf would do next. Killing the shipowner was not in Rolf’s warrant. Pina had seen the orders, and Rolf had been instructed to return with the owner.

  Pina rotated her arms until her hands were able to grasp the hidden knife. The sharp blade easily sliced through the plastic zip-ties. She freed her legs and stretched her tight muscles before sheathing the knife. Rolf wouldn’t be easy to take down.

  “I wondered how long it would take you free yourself,” Rolf said from the doorway.

  Pina started to turn when he told her to stop.

  “Turn around slowly,” he said.

  She found herself looking down the barrel of her own gun. Pina smiled.

  “Is something funny, Suzie?”

  “Are you going to take your own advice, Rolf?”

  “I might have to. You have blatantly interfered with this repossession. I feel my life is in danger.”

  “Oh, it is.”

  “Is that a threat, Suzie?”

  Rolf flashed a smile, baring white teeth.

  “I don’t threaten, Rolf. Not in my nature.”

  “Your nature? Why are you here, Suzie?”

  “I’m h
ere to complete my job, Rolf.”

  “And what is that, exactly?”

  “For one, bring back this ship.”

  “You’re a repo? Huh. That explains why Colby was tied up. But it’s weird that a bank would hire two different companies to repo the same ship.”

  “They didn’t.”

  “They didn’t what?”

  “They didn’t hire two different companies.”

  A confused look appeared on Rolf’s face.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “My name’s not really Suzie. I’m Pina Crespi, of the Teras Bounty and Repo Company. Just like you.”

  “Bullshit. Why would they send two of us after the same ship?”

  “You’ve never heard of me?” Pina asked. She was slightly miffed.

  “No. Should I have? I’ve been doing this for fifteen years. You look like you’re fifteen.”

  “Whatever. My other task is to bring you in to answer questions relating to some missing funds. Now, if you don’t mind, please put down the gun and allow me to secure you. Or, we can do it the hard way.”

  His face turned a nice shade of white. As she stepped toward Rolf, he squeezed the trigger of the gun. When nothing happened, she smiled.

  “Last chance, Rolf.”

  He cocked his head and laughed. “Martino,” he said.

  Pina stopped. Rolf laughed at her again, and shook the gun in her direction.

  “You’ll have to do better than this,” Rolf said.

  Pina shrugged and took another step.

  Rolf hurled the gun at Pina’s head and she ducked. But the slight distraction was all he needed, and Rolf bounded to her side in two steps. He grabbed one of her arms, locking it behind her, and thrust his other arm under her chin. He squeezed, choking her. Pina’s free arm scratched at his face. Rolf jerked her in the air, and Pina’s vision darkened. She jammed her heel into the side of his knee. He grunted, but didn’t release his grip. His arms slid down and locked her arms to her side to keep her from thrashing. Her fingers rested on the hilt of the knife, but couldn’t grasp it.

  “This isn’t my first circus, little girl.”

  “Nor mine,” she rasped.

  She pressed the hilt of the knife.

  Pina’s suit shimmered. She slid out of Rolf’s grip, and rolled several feet away, brandishing her knife. She owed Martino another drink. The suit’s infrastructure allowed her to become frictionless. The cost of an entire mission fee, it had just proven its worth. Pina’s chest heaved as she fought to regain control of her breathing. Blood oozed down Rolf’s cheek where she had scratched him. He touched a finger to his face, and licked his finger.

  “Impressive. But, you know I can’t let you go. You’ll have to die.”

  “We’ll see,” she said.

  Rolf ran toward her.

  She dove to her right, and her hand struck like a coiled snake. Rolf squealed in pain. Pina sprang upward, balanced on the balls of her feet, holding her knife toward Rolf. A sliver of red ran down the blade.

  Rolf clutched his thigh where she had opened a six-inch gash. She had just missed his kneecap. Two inches lower, she would have severed tendons.

  “You have a decision to make, Rolf. You can either give up now, or I’ll slice you apart, piece-by-piece, until you beg me to end you. Your choice.”

  “You little bitch. You haven’t beaten me yet,” he said.

  But judging from the way he limped and the amount of blood seeping down his leg, he wouldn’t last much longer. She had to end this now. Pina sprinted across the hold toward Rolf, and, just before she reached him, dropped to the floor. She activated her suit again, and plowed into Rolf. He flew backward and struck the wall. His outstretched arm, trying to stop his momentum, snapped under the force. He howled.

  Pina stood a couple meters away, now pointing her gun at him. All those self-defense classes her father forced her to take had been worth it. Of course, he couldn’t have foreseen the way she now utilized those skills. A pang of regret inched forward, but was quickly flicked away. He didn’t matter any more.

  “Wait,” Rolf rasped.

  “For what?”

  “I’ll give you half of the credits I took if you let me go.”

  “Are you kidding me? You think I can be bribed?”

  “It’s 25 million credits.”

  “You stole 50 million credits from Teras,” she said incredulously.

  Rolf nodded.

  “You’ve got some confidence, dude, I’ll give you that. But no, I don’t want Teras coming after me. I’ll just kill you and pick up my fee.”

  She pointed the gun at his head.

  “Wait!”

  “What now?” she asked.

  “I’ll give you all of it.”

  “All of it?”

  “Everything that’s left. I swear!”

  She moved her head side to side as if contemplating the offer.

  “Okay,” she said.

  “Okay?” Rolf asked.

  “Yeah. What else do you want me to say?” she asked.

  “You’ll let me go?”

  “I’ll get you back on your ship. I don’t care where you go after that.”

  He pulled out his data pad and handed it to her. Pina’s eyes narrowed.

  “You try that trick again, and I’ll cut your eyes out first. Are we clear?”

  Rolf nodded.

  She took the data pad and scrolled through menus until she found his accounts. He gave her the password and pressed his thumb to the screen. Pina whistled.

  “You weren’t lying,” she said.

  She removed a data stick from her suit, and transferred most of the funds from the account. She took out another data stick, this one lined with red, and transferred the last 250,000 credits onto it. Pina was loyal to Teras, but she wasn’t foolish enough to pass on taking some credits for a rainy day. She had to look after herself. No one else would. No one else she had cared about still lived.

  “OK?” Rolf asked.

  “Okay,” Pina replied. “You’re going to need help getting back to your ship.”

  Rolf raised his good arm, expecting Pina to help him up.

  She shot him instead.

  The energy beam knocked him unconscious. She holstered her gun, and grabbed the med kit from the wall. She applied the skin sealant to stop the bleeding on his leg, and then slapped on some med-patches to accelerate the healing. Pina dragged Rolf to the airlock and shut the door.

  She headed toward the galley for something to eat. She was famished. Grabbing an energy drink and a prepackaged ham sandwich, she made her way back to the hold, admiring the purr of the ship’s systems.

  What a beautiful ship. While working for Teras paid well, she wouldn’t make enough to ever afford this type of ship. Maybe if she had stayed in racing. But when her best friend and teammate Suzie had died in a freak training accident, she had needed a change in scenery. It still hurt to think about Suzie. But Pina had a job to finish, and it was getting late. By the time she returned to the hold, Rolf had awakened.

  “What the hell?” he groaned.

  “What?” Pina replied. “Do you think I was going to let you live?”

  “You said if I gave you all the money, you would let me go.”

  “No, what I said is I would help you get back to your ship.”

  The wild look on his face disappeared, and his shoulders sagged.

  “You’re just like me,” Rolf said.

  “No, I’m not. I’m much smarter.”

  She pressed a button on the panel and the trapped air whooshed into space through the vent near the outer door. Rolf slammed against the outer wall and asphyxiated within seconds. Pina closed the vent and pulled on her helmet. Her HUD flicked on and flashed green. Her suit hadn’t sustained any damaged during her fight with Rolf. On her way into the airlock, Pina grabbed a cable, hooked it onto Rolf’s belt, and pulled him toward his ship. She tossed his data pad into space. Once onboard Rolf’s ship, she positioned his b
ody on the bridge, and opened the nearby med kit, scattering the supplies in the zero gravity. That was one of the reasons Teras liked her—she had a knack for making things look like accidents. Back on The Lady Jane, Pina set the autopilot for the return trip.

  “Yo, boss,” Pina said, when she opened the secure com-relay.

  “Pina. Nice to hear from you. How is the job going?”

  “On my way back. Job complete.”

  “Any problems?”

  “I’m a little sore, but nothing that a day at the spa won’t fix.”

  “Good to hear. Anything else?”

  “Do I hear anticipation in your voice, boss?”

  He laughed.

  “Yes, I got access to the accounts before completing the job,” Pina said.

  “You did? Really?”

  “Yeah, I was persuasive. Transferring now,” Pina said. She inserted the data stick into the port and typed on the console.

  “Confirmed receipt. Hold while I verify.”

  Pina sunk into the pilot’s chair. She wondered how long it would take to save for one of these yachts. The autopilot beeped and she saw that it autocorrected the course to use a nearby planet’s gravity to increase the ship’s speed. That maneuver would shave seven hours off her return trip. Damn, what a ship.

  “Pina? You’ve really outdone yourself this time. When we negotiated this contract, I didn’t think you’d recover this much. A fifteen percent bonus on top of the remainder of your fee is going to make you a wealthy young lady. I’m worried that you might consider retiring.”

  The silence hung heavy in the air. While recovering almost fifty million credits was great, Teras didn’t want to lose his best employee.

  “Nah, I’m too young to retire. But I understand your concern. Tell you want. Give me ownership of The Lady Jane, you can keep the bonus.”

  “That ship is worth 20 million, Pina.”

  “You can keep the other half of my recovery fee, too.”

  The seconds crept by before Teras answered.

  “You’ll have to rename her.”

  “Thank you, boss!”

  “Yeah, yeah, just don’t tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold. You gotta new name?”