Ronin

by Jan Domagala

  “We were sent to ensure your safety, sir,” said the Marine in charge, who Stryder recognised as Guardian from Research Station Five.

  “What exactly are your orders Captain Storm?” Stryder asked.

  “To contain the situation and place you and Sergeant Hardy under protective custody until the General arrives, sir,” Storm replied succinctly.

  “I’m sorry Captain, but I can’t allow that to happen,” Stryder said calmly yet adamantly.

  “Oh no, here we go again,” Storm said. Then waving for his men to remain where they were he shouldered his assault rifle and slowly walked over to him.

  “Good to see you again, sir. How’ve you been?” Storm said when he was in front of Stryder. He put out his hand and Stryder took it in a grip of steel.

  “I’ve been good, but call me Kurt. There’s no reason to call me sir,” he replied. “Look, you don’t need to place us in custody, the danger’s passed but you could actually help us out here a little.”

  “How so?” Storm asked.

  “How much do you know of what’s been going on down here?”

  “We’ve been kept appraised of the situation. The General requested that my squad and I be on board for this trip, said you might need us and because we were present at Outpost Station Five when all that business went down, he felt we would have a better understanding of it all. We were ordered personally to this location by Sinclair.”

  “Okay, good, that saves us some time. The person who sent those five goons to my house was here tonight; he caused this situation. I had a good look at him but I may need your authority to commandeer the visual records from this place.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Yeah sure, make it quick, time’s running out.”

  “Okay, I’m presuming if he’s Alliance he’d know about the monitors in here and would take precautions.”

  “That’s right. When I spotted him, Bane, the owner of this club said that he wasn’t the guy he’d met with. We both know Alliance agents work alone, so if I can get his face on disc I can get a retina scan, and no matter what he did to alter his appearance, he can’t have changed that.”

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  Bane was waiting for them and when they got there he looked around at the mess the fight had caused.

  “Look at this place,” he said anger boiling just beneath the surface.

  I’m sorry about that,” Stryder said, but Bane waved it off.

  “Oh I don’t blame you, don’t worry. Brown would’ve used any excuse to try and ruin me; he’s been trying for the last decade or so. He won’t succeed though and payback is gonna be a bitch,” he said.

  “The monitors will have caught the guy behind it all, I need to see them.”

  “The Alliance guy eh? Look I may be plenty of things but traitor isn’t one of them. I thought there was something funky about him when I passed him onto Brown. Of course you can have the discs but I don’t know how much help they’ll be, I’ve already told you he wasn’t the man I met with.”

  “Thanks, but you let us worry about that, we just need to see his face.”

  “Okay, this way, we can do this in my office.”

  As Bane, Stryder and Storm moved away, a thought occurred to Hardy. She went to say something then thought better of it. What she had in mind might be nothing but then again it might be something.

  She walked towards the entrance where the four Marines stood guard.

  “Hi guys, listen I think I may have an idea, but I need to get out of here just for a second,” she said.

  Private Wayne, call sign Cowboy, said, “Okay, the rest of you secure the room, I’ll escort the lady.”

  “I’m no lady, I’m Recon Delta, same as you,” she said with a smile. “Let’s go,” she added.

  “I’m with you ma’am,” Cowboy replied.

  NORSKY LEFT THE CLUB and mingled with the crowd, which was in mild chaos as people hurriedly exited the club. A good many had arrived earlier in their own transport, and now made their way to the club’s private parking lot. The rest waited around the entrance while they ordered transport. The moment the Marines arrived they decided that was enough and they all left to find some other way home. Brown and his men got lost in the crowd and disappeared.

  Norsky had arrived in his own car and so he casually made his way to it, mulling over in his mind the events that had unfolded inside the club. Watching Stryder, he had learned a few things; mainly that he was no ordinary man. He was in fact, quite extraordinary.

  To take on as many men as Stryder had, showed he was either supremely confident in his own abilities, or extremely foolhardy. Judging by the number of men he faced off against he would normally tend towards the latter, but having seen how he handled himself against them, he wasn’t so sure.

  As he’d watched the fight unfold, he saw the speed Stryder exhibited, both in avoiding attacks from those he fought and in executing counter attacks against the same. He was quite simply amazed by the apparent strength of the man. He also noticed that when Stryder stopped to look for him, once he’d got to his feet from underneath the group that was pounding on him, he didn’t seem fazed by what had just happened. He’d had several guys punching and kicking him and when he got up it was as if it was an everyday occurrence, nothing out of the ordinary. He wasn’t out of breath or unnerved by it at all. There wasn’t a mark on him. He was just calm and collected with only one thought on his mind, the whereabouts of the person responsible for this situation and he had to admit that when their eyes met, that moment had unnerved him.

  The only other thing he’d noticed was the certain bond between Stryder and the woman and as he sat in his car processing all that he’d learned, he wondered if he could exploit that fact in some way.

  He was about to start his car and drive off to formulate a plan, when the ‘some way’ he had just thought about, presented itself.

  HARDY AND COWBOY HIT the kerb outside the club. The only vehicles she saw were the Marines’ transport shuttle, which had landed in the middle of the street, and a few cars scattered on the private parking lot across the street from the club.

  “Right, there’s a chance our guy came in his own car so we need to know if all those belong to employees,” she said indicating the parking lot.

  “How do you intend to find that out?” Cowboy asked, not sure where she was going with this line of thought.

  “Get one of the guards, he’ll know, then we can check ’em out,” she replied.

  “Okay, wait a sec ma’am,” he replied and accessed a comm channel. “Hacker, send out one of the bouncers ASAP,” he said.

  INSIDE THE CLUB WILLIAM Ives, call sign Hacker turned to the nearest bouncer and said, “You... you’re wanted outside.”

  When the bouncer just glared back at him Hacker said, “Now man, move it,” and he emphasised his point by waving the muzzle of his assault rifle at him.

  The bouncer still glared but moved towards the exit.

  “Bouncer coming your way, Cowboy,” Hacker said, then returned his attention to what was happening inside the club.

  NORSKY COULDN’T BELIEVE his luck, the woman and one of the Marines he’d seen arrive were outside the club. He’d almost panicked when the transport had arrived but thought he’d have enough time to get away. The only thing that had delayed his departure had been his mulling over what he’d observed of Stryder.

  When he saw the Marine with the woman, panic began to return. He watched as she said something to the Marine then they seemed to be waiting for something. What it was soon became apparent when a bouncer from inside the club came out to join them.

  At first he thought he’d been spotted, a thought quickly dispelled as they continued waiting on the kerb outside the club. Then, when the bouncer arrived, he knew they hadn’t seen him. It was clear they planned on checking the cars in the parking lot and they needed the bouncer to tell them which belonged to the staff.

  Peering through the window he watched as
they carefully approached the parking lot. Slowly he opened the door after turning off the interior light so they wouldn’t see his movement. Keeping low, he manoeuvred himself around the back of the small group.

  Silently he came up behind her and placed the muzzle of his pistol, a Sig, to the back of her neck. He leaned in close so his voice would not carry and quietly yet with authority said, “Don’t move.”

  Hardy went limp when she realised her mistake. She felt a hand take her pistol from the waistband at the small of her back and place the muzzle against her spine. Before the two men with her could react, Norsky shot them both at close range with his own Sig.

  “Don’t worry, I’ve only stunned them,” he said. “Slowly open the door and get in,” Norsky ordered, keeping his own pistol trained on her while tossing hers to the ground as proof that he had her when they came looking.

  Once she was inside he came around the front of the car, his pistol aimed at her through the front windscreen and he got in beside her.

  “Start the car and drive off, I’ll tell you where to go once we’re away from here. I’ve altered the setting on this thing to full power now. Don’t make me use it.”

  She did as she was told.

  Once they were clear he asked, “Are you Recon Delta too?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “Then you know the risks involved and you know that when I say I’ll kill you if you don’t do as I say, I mean it, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Good. Now use your NI and call Stryder. I want him to know I have you.”

  “Why?”

  “So I can tell him where to come and pick you up.”

  “Why should I, you’re going to kill me anyway, right?”

  “Not true, my orders are to capture Stryder alive. They’re very clear on that part; how I do it is up to me. I don’t see the necessity of causing death needlessly, which I think I’ve already proved by not killing your friends back there. Don’t get me wrong though, if I have to, if I have no other choice, I will kill you; so please, for your own sake, let’s not let it get to that stage.”

  “Why should I trust you?”

  “We are both soldiers you and I. We are both loyal to our causes and have been in combat where sometimes we have to take a life. That’s what it’s like and we accept that, it comes with the job description, but we are not murderers. We kill when we have to, not because we want to and I don’t want to have to kill you, so please don’t make me. One soldier to another, you have my word on it. Besides, like they say, where there’s life, there’s hope. So stay alive and you’ll have hope that you can get him back.”

  “Okay then, one soldier to another, just so we understand each other, I’ll do as you ask, but at the first opportunity, I will try to escape. I will try to help Kurt and if I have to, I will kill you, you have my word on it.”

  “Oh I think we understand each other just fine,” Norsky said, then added, “Now make the call.”

  16

  Stryder was standing next to Storm at the side of the desk in Bane’s office. They had accessed the visual records from the interior of the club, zoomed in on Norsky’s face, and then Stryder had accessed the orbiting starship’s main computer via the Neural Interface and asked for the retina scans of known Alliance personnel. He’d asked for the data to be sent to Bane’s computer so that the match could be made.

  Within seconds Norsky’s file was on the screen in front of them.

  “Pavel Norsky, member of the Black Knights,” Stryder said reading it off the screen.

  “That’s him, that’s the guy I met,” Bane said recognising the face on the screen.

  “Go ahead Cowboy, what is it?” Storm said, as a call came through on the Marine’s combat channel, a private frequency only those in the circuit could access.

  Cowboy’s voice came through loud and clear to Storm only, the combat frequency had been devised for use during a battle when the noise of weapon fire could drown out communications. The voice commands were routed through the NI and sent directly to the brain. It was described by one soldier, after trying it for the first time, as the closest thing to telepathy he had known. In that way communications between combat units wouldn’t be lost or compromised as only members of those units could use it. It was also invaluable during black ops when silence was vital.

  Cowboy said, “It’s Hardy sir, she’s gone.”

  “What do you mean, gone? Explain yourself soldier,” Storm replied, hit by a sudden gut feeling that the mission had just taken a turn for the worse.

  Cowboy explained about the two of them going outside, about him asking for a bouncer to be sent out and about them both being stunned. It was a short stun, because he and the bouncer came around just as Norsky was leaving the car park.

  “Shit!” exclaimed Storm. Stryder had picked up what was going on, and then looked around for Hardy.

  “Where’s Hardy? Something’s happened to her,” he said. Then he heard her voice through his NI, she was using an open channel.

  “Stryder, I’m with someone who wants to say something to you,” she said as everyone in the room turned to look at him. Because she’d accessed an open channel they could all hear her and Norsky could also talk and be heard until she closed the connection.

  “Captain Stryder, I really enjoyed watching you work tonight and I must say I was quite impressed,” said Norsky.

  “I’ll accept the compliment, one Special Forces soldier to another Norsky, or can I call you Pavel?” Stryder replied.

  “Once again you amaze me with your skill. I thought my true identity would remain hidden a little while longer.” Norsky sounded genuinely surprised.

  “Okay Pavel, we’ve established that you and I are soldiers and have therefore accepted the risks. It’s me you want, isn’t it? Let the girl go, pick your place and I’ll meet you there, alone.”

  “You forget, my friend, that Miss Hardy here has also accepted the risks as she too is a soldier, no? So, we are all soldiers together, risking our lives for the causes we believe in. Romantic is it not? So down to business. You will meet me at a time and place of my choice and if, when you arrive, I deem it that you have fulfilled your side of our little contract then, and only then, will I release the girl.”

  “Okay Pavel, just name the time and the place and I’ll be there.”

  “I’m sure you will my friend, I’m sure you will. The time is not yet, the place is yet to be affirmed, but don’t worry. I will be in touch with all the details you require through Miss Hardy here, so you can be assured she is safe and well. But be warned, if you do not adhere to my stipulations, Miss Hardy will surely die,” and with that Hardy broke the connection.

  “Seems this Norsky guy has got you by the balls,” Bane said, breaking the silence that had settled over the small room.

  Stryder looked at Bane and the look in his eyes made the gangster recoil a little for it was like looking into the depths of Hell itself. When he spoke his voice was cold and hard with no trace of emotion or humanity left in it.

  “That’s as may be, and he intends to squeeze until he gets what he wants, which leaves me no choice,” he said.

  “So what’re you going to do?” Storm asked.

  “The only thing I can do. What do you do when someone has you by the balls and is squeezing them?”

  “Scream?” offered Bane.

  “No. Squeeze back.”

  “Squeeze back against whom, may I ask? Would someone please explain just what is going on here and where Hardy is?” General Sinclair said from the office doorway.

  “I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU hope to gain from this, but it won’t work you know,” Hardy said. Norsky had ordered her to drive away from the club to his hotel where they had ridden the elevator to ascend to his room on the tenth floor. The threat of the killing of anyone present if she tried anything made her reconsider any escape attempts.

  “And why would you say that, my dear?” he replied rather smugly. He felt he held all the best ca
rds in the game. The winning hand was his. Stryder would not endanger the woman’s life by attempting to rescue her. Rather, he would wait until she was safe before attempting anything heroic. By that time though, it would be too late so he was also betting that Stryder was maverick enough to forgo any assistance and come alone.

  “Kurt will find you and when he does, he’ll kill you; it’s that simple,” she said, projecting far more confidence than she felt.

  “And how do you think the multi-talented Captain will accomplish that feat, my dear?” Norsky asked, already knowing the answer.

  Hardy thought about it for a second then, smiling, said, “How naive do you think I am? If I tell you how he’ll find you it gives you the opportunity to cover your tracks. Let’s just say that you’ll have no idea how he’ll do it but he’ll do it alright and when he does, the fun will really start.”

  “Okay, so what say we start this off a little earlier than you expected?” Norsky said his smug smile still firmly in place.

  “I don’t follow,” Hardy said, confusion showing on her face.

  “If Stryder is as good as you hope he is, and there is no doubt he is a most remarkable man, then I see no reason to hang around to give him the opportunity to find us. We shall move on to the next phase of my plan,” Norsky said as he collected his travel bag, already packed, from beside the table. When he saw her expression he said, “Oh I never unpack, I can’t see the point. You never know when you’ll have to grab your things and get moving again, like today for example.”

  He motioned for her to head towards the door and when she acquiesced he said, “What, aren’t you going to ask where I’m taking you?”

  “Nope, you’ll tell me when you want me to know,” she replied calmly. She’d decided not to play his game. She obviously wanted to ask him what his plans were, what he intended to do and where they were going. His “game” was the need to impress on her that it was he who was in control, that he held her life in his hands and that not even Kurt Stryder could rescue her. By not conceding to this scenario she was frustrating him and she hoped that the frustration would build until he made a mistake, something she could capitalise on to secure her release.