by John Bowers
Saracen laughed. “Oh, come on, the U.F. Marshals don’t give a shit about me. If they did, they would have showed up two years ago. The only reason Walker is here is because it’s personal. He’s the only one who gives a damn.”
Nick leaned back against the curving wall of the stairwell, keeping out of sight. He rested the rifle against the wall and took a moment to switch pistols. He had fired two rounds from the one on his right hip, and reloading right here didn’t seem like a good idea. The gun on his left was fully loaded, and with any luck, six shots were more than he would need.
He closed his eyes for a moment, sucked a deep breath, and peered out again. Saracen was still facing him. He needed to distract him for just a second. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ammo clip he’d taken from the dead guy’s pistol a few minutes earlier. He hefted it a couple of times, then looked out again. Now Saracen was fiddling with a holo-projector on his desk, his eyes averted. With an underhand toss, Nick flung the ammo clip as far as he could. It sailed unnoticed over Saracen’s head and hit the floor twenty feet behind him with an audible clatter.
Saracen wheeled around by instinct…
…realized his mistake and wheeled back.
Nick was standing right in front of him, both .44s aimed directly at his chest.
“Put it down, Kenny boy. Unless you want to make me the happiest man on TC 4.”
The Trimmer Plain – Alpha Centauri 2
Kristina came out of a groggy state of consciousness with a pounding head and no idea where she was. The last thing she remembered was the broken glass and the bypassed alarm in the rear of Suzanne’s; she had heard a sound, a footstep, then something evil and smelly had sprayed over her head and everything went black.
She raised her head and opened her eyes, trying to focus. It took a moment for things to coalesce, and then her heart began to pound in rhythm to her head. Where the hell was she? Why was she bound to a chair? She peered at a window a few feet away and saw the sky outside. It was still daylight, still morning, so she hadn’t been out very long, but the place was unfamiliar.
She was sitting in what looked like the living room of a farmhouse. On one wall was a stone fireplace, there was very little furniture. The floor was made of wooden planks; it was dusty and a fine film of grit covered the table a few feet in front of her. On the table sat a subspace transmitter with a holographic display. A green light suggested it had power and was waiting to receive. The flat screen rippled with some kind of pattern that would disappear when the set was active.
The whole place smelled musty, and dust motes floated in the air.
She sneezed.
“Well-well, the princess is awake.”
The voice came from behind her, a male voice. She heard the creak of a footstep and felt the floor give slightly as someone approached. He stepped in front of her and looked down with a cocky little smile. Her eyes widened in surprise as she recognized him…
The smelly guy with a bad attitude. His stringy hair was dry now, but he didn’t smell any better.
“Have a nice nap?” His grin widened.
In spite of her speeding heart, Kristina managed to keep the panic out of her voice.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Why did you break into my shop?”
“To get you, of course.”
“What do you want with me?”
“Oh, you’ll find out soon enough. In the meantime, just sit there and enjoy the solitude. Think of it as a holiday—you get the day off.”
Kristina twisted in the chair, testing her bonds. Her arms and ankles were attached to the wooden chair by thick industrial tape, her wrists were also taped together in her lap. She wasn’t going anywhere without some physical effort, and her captor would never allow her to get free so easily.
She met his gaze again, her green eyes flashing.
“Okay, you want to play games. Can I at least get a drink of water?”
He nodded, then lifted his gaze toward someone behind her. She heard the brief sound of running water filling a glass, then another set of footsteps approached. A young woman, no more than twenty, came into her view and held the glass toward her. Kristina had to lean forward and gulp from the rim as the girl tilted the glass for her. The glass looked dirty, but the water was cold, so she drank.
She sat back and stared at the girl, who was about six months pregnant.
“You must be April,” she said. “Or maybe you’re Heather. I thought you already had your baby.”
The girl didn’t answer, but glared at the man.
“What the fuck, Malcolm? You told her my name?”
He sneered. “And you just told her mine, you stupid bitch!”
“Fuck you, Malcolm! I told you this was a bad idea.”
“Tell it to the Chairman. He gave the order.”
“You didn’t have to tell her my name.”
“I gave her two names. She doesn’t know which one is real.”
“Oh, big whoop! How smart does she have to be? If she gives the cops both names, they can narrow it down pretty quick.”
“Who said she’s going to tell the cops? Nobody knows where she is.”
Malcom smirked.
“And I seriously doubt that Ken will want us to let her go.”
Kristina, listening, felt her fear lever up a notch. She cleared her throat.
“So you guys were involved in my mother’s murder? Is that what this is about?”
They stared at her in surprise. Malcolm shook his head.
“We don’t know anything about that.”
“Like hell you don’t! Ken? The Chairman? I know who that is, and he ordered my mother killed. If you two work for him, then you’re both in big trouble.”
“Don’t worry yourself about us. You have enough trouble of your own.”
“Oh, I’m sure. When you’re done with whatever this is about, you’re going to shoot me. But you know who Nick Walker is, right? If you kill me, he will come after you.” She turned a burning gaze from one to the other. “Nick always gets his man…or his girl. And when he finds you, he won’t be very nice.”
“Forget about Walker. He’ll never get the chance.”
“You don’t think so? He has a thousand lives. He can’t be killed. He will find you, so your best bet is to take me back to town and get the hell off this planet. You do that and I won’t tell him about you. Any other action you take will only get you killed, very slowly.”
Malcolm laughed.
“Nice try, Mrs. Green, but Walker isn’t coming to help you. The last I heard, he was cut off and surrounded on Tau Ceti 4. If he isn’t dead already, he will be by the end of the day.”
Kristina didn’t reply. She had every faith in Nick’s ability to get out of any situation, but he didn’t really have a thousand lives…and he could be killed. If he survived, and found out she was in danger, he would certainly come to save her, but the operative word was “if”.
If he survived.
Lago District – Tau Ceti 4
Ken Saracen’s face paled as he stared down the twin tunnels of Nick’s guns. His throat bobbed and for a moment his breathing sounded ragged. Then he remembered his ace in the hole and smiled.
“Are you going to kill me now, Marshal?”
“My orders are to bring you home for trial, but nothing is off the table. If you want to make me kill you, that’s okay too.”
“You’ve been looking forward to this, haven’t you?”
“I’ve dreamed of nothing else for two years.”
Saracen very slowly placed his .32 on the desk and pushed his chair a couple of feet away. He held up his hands to signal nonresistance.
“I really can’t blame you for being angry at me. Miss Cross and I have been talking about what happened to your fiancée. Let me take this opportunity to express my regret over that unfortunate incident. It didn’t go the way I planned.”
“Well, gee, thanks. I suddenly feel a whole lot better.”
Still keeping Sar
acen covered, Nick knelt by Victoria.
“Are you okay?”
“Oh, I’m just great. This hole in my shoulder is the most fun I’ve had all day.”
She was holding her hand over the wound. In her hand was a white handkerchief Saracen must have given her. The bleeding did not appear severe.
“Can you hold on a few minutes longer? I think the sheriff is outside, and as soon as he takes care of whoever is shooting at him, we can get you out of here.”
Victoria nodded and closed her eyes.
“I’m okay, Nick. Do whatever you came here to do. I’ll just look the other way.”
Nick didn’t miss her implied permission to murder the suspect. He stood up again and looked at Saracen.
“If you’re not going to resist, then I suggest you get down on your face and prepare to be E-cuffed.”
Saracen leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head.
“I’m not going to resist, but before you start breaking out the hardware, there’s something you need to see first.”
“I’m not the least bit interested in anything you want to show me. Right now you are under arrest for three thousand counts of murder, mayhem, dismemberment, terrorism, conspiracy, unlawful flight, and a whole bunch of other charges that I’m not smart enough to even think of. That should hold you until we get back to the Federation, and then the smart people can draw up a more complete list for you.”
Saracen nodded, still looking a bit pale, but also confident.
“Thank you, Marshal. That’s all very interesting, but I insist that you take a look at what I have to show you. I promise it will be worth your while.”
“I don’t see how I could possibly be interested in anything you have to say.”
“Of course you don’t. That’s why I have to show you. If you refuse to look, I think I can promise that you’ll regret it.”
Nick stared at him, the man who had ordered Suzanne’s death. He desperately wanted to pull the trigger, both triggers, but not to kill him. He wanted to start at the knees, maybe even the ankles, and work his way up. Maybe one shot every thirty minutes, to ensure that Saracen had time to suffer, to feel the pain. Maybe, after the ankles and knees, a shot in each shoulder, the stomach, then the groin. Maybe blow off his hands and watch him flop around. If he passed out, a glass of water in the face, or perhaps an ammonia ampule, to wake him up. A slow death. A painful death.
But not yet.
Not unless Saracen forced him to do it. As much as he wanted to, as much as he would savor it like an ice cream cone, something held him back. It wasn’t decency, or compassion. It wasn’t a scruple about not taking the law into his own hands, or the fear that he would lower himself to Saracen’s level. It was something far more important than that, something far more powerful.
Kristina’s words.
Not if you become a monster.
Nick nodded slowly, both guns still aimed at Saracen’s heart.
“Okay. What is it?”
Saracen straightened up in his chair. Moving slowly, he wheeled the chair closer to the desk and reached for the control panel on the holo-projector. He pushed the button.
A hologram sprang to life above his desk. Nick kept his eyes on Saracen for a few more seconds, then glanced at the hologram. It was a live feed, a little grainy, but clear enough. Nick frowned as he saw the man in the hologram, young and stringy, dirty, with a scraggly beard. He was holding a gun, and as he confirmed that the feed was working, he stepped back.
Nick’s heart froze.
Sitting in a chair facing the holocam, her hands taped together at the wrists, Kristina Norgaard-Green glared back at him. It took her a moment as well, and her expression changed. She leaned forward suddenly.
“Nick!”
“Kristina?”
The beautiful blond girl began to sob.
“Nick, I am so sorry! This is all my fault!”
“Kristina! Where are you?”
Saracen cut the feed before Kristina could answer.
“She’s in a safe place, Marshal. My people have her, and as long as you cooperate with me, she’ll be just fine. I don’t have any quarrel with her. None of us do. I know she’s suffered a tragedy—she lost her mother and her husband, and she didn’t deserve any of that. When this is over, she can just walk away and get on with her life. Unmolested by anyone in my employ.”
Nick’s hands were shaking. His voice quavered when he spoke.
“What do you want?”
Saracen’s smile vanished. He leaned forward.
“Give it up, Walker. Stop hounding me. That’s all I want from you. Do that and everyone can live. You can walk away, Miss Cross can walk away, and Mrs. Green can walk away.”
“And you get away with murder. I’m afraid it won’t be that easy.”
“What’s the alternative? You kill me, my people kill Mrs. Green. What kind of deal is that? None of it is necessary.”
“Why should I believe you? How can I trust you to keep your word?”
“Just ask yourself what’s in it for me? All I want is freedom.”
“So you can go on blowing up schools and theaters? What about your victims’ freedom?”
“I was telling Miss Cross, and I’ll tell you—those days are behind me. I was younger then, and foolish. I made mistakes that I regret, and I’ve learned my lesson.”
“You’ve given up your dream of ruling your own planet?”
“No, of course not, but now I know a better way to accomplish it. Instead of trying to force people to see the truth, I persuade them. My previous strategy didn’t work. It divided people. Now I’ve learned how to unify them by peaceful means.”
Nick shook his head.
“You’re still dividing people. You’re using class warfare, turning the poor against the rich. If your plan is ever fully implemented, it will end in revolution. More bloodshed, followed by a totalitarian regime that will devastate the economy of this planet and leave the people worse off than they are now. There won’t be anyone left to provide jobs, and people will starve.”
“You don’t understand, Walker. You’ve never appreciated the dream. I will take care of people. I will provide the jobs, and everyone will share in the rewards.”
“You’ll turn the entire planet into slaves. Male, female, adults, children, rich and poor alike, will all be destitute. It’s been tried, Saracen. It was a miserable failure.”
“Of course it’s been tried, but it was never done right. The people who did it before were corr—”
“Corrupt, I know, but so are you, so shut the fuck up! Turn that holo on again and let me talk to Kristina.”
“I don’t think that will help—”
“TURN IT ON!!!”
Saracen bit his lip, desperation in his eyes. He reached over and opened the feed again. Kristina was still in the chair, facing the camera. Her captor was standing at her side. Nick pulled Saracen’s chair in front of the holocam and stood behind him, a gun pressed against his head.
“You, in the holovid—what’s your name?”
“I don’t think that’s any of your b—”
“Tell me your name or I’ll shoot your boss in the head. Right now!”
The scraggly kid in the video hesitated. Kristina answered instead.
“Malcolm! He calls himself Malcolm.”
“Okay, Malcolm, listen up. Here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to put your gun down and release Kristina right now. If you don’t, I’m going to shoot your boss in the head right in front of you.”
The kid laughed, but it sounded strained.
“I don’t think so. If you do that, I’ll shoot the girl.”
“And what will that get you? You kill her, I kill him. What will you do then? You won’t have a chairman anymore, no one to run ARMO or MARMO or TERMO or any other MO. You’ll be on your own, with no Chairman, no job, no means of support. Not only that, but now that I know your name and what you look like, I’ll come after you n
ext, and I promise I won’t take you in alive.
“So you have two choices—you can do what I say, and your boss lives, or you can kill Kristina and your life is over. Make up your mind and do it right now. You have ten seconds.”
Malcolm stared out of the hologram with stricken eyes.
“Don’t do it, Malcolm!” Saracen shouted.
Nick slammed a .44 into the side of his head. “Shut up!”
Malcolm gulped. He looked at Kristina, whose eyes burned lasers through his skull. He looked at Nick.
“Wait—wait a minute. If I do what you say, you’ll take the Chairman to jail. What will I do then? What do I get out of this?”
“You’ll have to get a job, or maybe you can steal for a living, but you’ll be alive. And I won’t be coming after you. Five seconds.”
Saracen shook his head, groggy.
“Malcolm!”
Nick slammed the .44 into his head again. He pulled back the hammer with an audible click.
“Time’s up, Malcolm! Let her go or start running. Just remember that there aren’t enough settled planets for you to hide, so sometime between now and the time you hit puberty, I’ll be on your skanky ass like a hypercat on a tripod rat.”
Malcolm blinked at the reference—he obviously didn’t know the animals Nick was talking about—but he laid down his gun and raised both hands.
“Okay! Okay. Don’t kill him.”
“MALCOLM! Goddamn you!”
Nick grabbed Saracen by the throat and pinched off his air while he watched Malcolm cut the tape binding Kristina to the chair. The blond girl stood up. She looked a little shaky, but glared at Malcolm, who was still visible in the edge of the holo. Without warning, she grabbed his gun off the table in front of her and turned on him. She fired a single shot. Nick heard Malcolm scream as he fell out of view.
“Kristina! Jesus Christ!”
Kristina turned to look into the holocam lens.
“It’s okay, Nick, I just shot him in the foot. He’ll live, but he can’t run away now.”
Nick pushed Saracen’s chair away and leaned over the holocam.
“Are you okay? Where are you?”
“I’m fine. I’m a few miles outside Trimmer Springs. I’m going to call Kevin to come and get me.”
