by Reiter
“I am the Chief Executive,” Isaiah warned. He held up his left arm. “This is the Legislative Branch…” Isaiah then twirled the sword in his right hand. “… and this is the Judicial. I’d say I’ve got everything I need to make all the law that’s necessary.”
“I stand with you, my Lord!” Lanshon cried out with a very scared boy trembling behind him.
“See to your given task, Lanshon,” Isaiah commanded. “This is my fight!”
“Oh, you’ve got balls to spare, ain’t ya?” the man asked as more of his kind started to fill the street, in both directions. They were all armoured, and only a handful wore projectile weaponry. Their guns were energy hurlers… their hits were going to hurt. “Well now your balls are walled in, Lord Governor. What’s next?”
“I think I’m gonna call it Project Jericho!” Isaiah said softly as he took stance.
“Hold!” a voice commanded and a divide was made for two figures to make their way through. In a finer grade of armour was a tall, muscular, blue-haired man who wore a pair of axes on his back, blasters on his hips, and an un-activated En-Form weapon in hand. A slender, comely, dark-haired woman walked behind him, a patch over her left eye. She wore single-edge swords, straps of throwing stars, and a shortened heavy rifle blaster on her leg. Isaiah took note that her chest plate had not been formed to show her breasts, and it was well-marked. She was more than eye-candy.
“Blue hair,” Isaiah thought, keeping a wary eye. He could count three men that had made it to sniper perches, but they were heavy to one side of the street. He had a clear path of escape and it was in the direction he had already decided to take; the only path that stood a chance of him surviving this day.
“Gustav?” Isaiah asked, looking at the man.
“Sorry I’m late… Del,” the man replied as he looked over the Governor. “Customized Magistrate armour.”
“Stick with what works,” Isaiah replied.
“Until you find something better,” both men said together.
“You know how much we can squeeze this place for if we take him alive?” Alysia asked at just above a whisper.
“You make a very good point,” Gustav quickly returned.
“Not really,” Isaiah added. “It’s an assumption you take me at all… a highly unlikely assumption.”
“Highly?” Gustav asked.
“And getting less likely with every passing moment.”
“What’s your exit strategy, Maggot?” Gustav asked with genuine curiosity.
“The docks,” Isaiah shared. “Your snipers are on the wrong side of the street. Could be because the other establishments are kind of built into the walls.”
“Could be,” Gustav agreed as he looked up and around. He put his fists on his hips and chuckled.
“Anyway, it’s better than trying to make a break for the Lifts,” Isaiah commented.
“Definitely! And from the looks of it, you actually would stand a chance of pulling it off.”
“A good chance,” Isaiah agreed.
“Good chance? Am I missing something here?” Alysia asked.
“His armour,” Gustav answered. “Remember when he cleared his coat with that energy pulse… well, that was just a primer. He probably has two or three more charges to that device.”
“At least,” Isaiah added and Gustav’s eyebrows lifted over his eyes.
“So the real blast is stronger?” the woman inquired.
“Yep,” Gustav answered, keeping his eyes on the Governor.
“And the range?”
“I’m thinking we’re in it, love,” Gustav theorized and Isaiah flashed a very toothy grin.
“Oohhh,” Alysia said, taking a step back.
“You didn’t mention the fact you were Lord Governor,” the large man said, putting one hand to his chin. “… but then again, I didn’t ask. You just promised you had the power to make things happen and that I would be interested in meeting with you. I like a man of his word. I like even more a man of his code. So what’s the job?”
“Black Gate Keeper!” Isaiah replied and he smiled at the wave of murmurs that rose from the people. Gustav was content to let the choir continue to sing their songs of endless speculation; it gave him time to think, though he knew the wonder that had flared in his eyes had given away most of his perspective.
“Stand down!” Gustav commanded, giving Isaiah a slight bow and ushering him toward Heaven’s Gate. “Let’s see what other words come out of you, Governor. Your boy and your charge will be safe out here!” He snapped his fingers after speaking. Four armoured men took up defensive positions around Lanshon and the boy.
“I’m curious,” Isaiah said as he sheathed his swords. “When did you make me?”
“Don’t give me too much credit, Governor,” Gustav chuckled. “I never arrive on time to a first meeting. I do, however, like reading people who are punctual. The Governor of Black Gate comes, alone, to the Bowels to meet with me. Then he has the audacity to have the shines to hold his ground. I have to say, I am more interested in working with you than taking the position.”
“That sounds like a good place to start.”
** b *** t *** o *** r **
His silver eyes opened as he breathed out slowly. Nulaki looked at the floor and the way he had arranged his things. He took in a deep breath and rolled forward, grabbing his bodysuit and coming out of the roll, fastening the zipper-seam of the armour. He adjusted the fit of the elbow and knee guards to his body. Checking his hand-held remote control, all of the suit’s systems were operational. The black bodysuit went over the armour and once it was plugged into the armour, he activated the energy field that fused the two layers into one.
Next to be donned were the shin and arm guards, followed by the throwing knives he slid underneath the guards. The soft soled boots locked into the bottom of the shin guards, the gloves locked to the arm guards. He did not normally wear either, but he was not about to go out to steal anything… save a life! A fence was going to die tonight, despite Tehdi’s pleadings and the guilds’ warnings. Dalberri had gone and rendered himself untouchable… the Black Scarab could not allow that to stand unchallenged.
The flashing light on his communicator brought a smile to his face and Nulaki picked up the device, recognizing the station designation trying to open a channel with him. He opened the device and enabled the video screen. The face of Tynaum Krensteele appeared in the center of the screen and Nulaki smiled to see the man.
“Now this is unexpected,” Nulaki chuckled, “I’m about to pull the job and you look nervous!”
“Good to see you too, Scarab,” the Black Assassin Commander returned. “I made the calls we discussed and I have to ask you–”
“Yes, this is something I have to do,” Nulaki interrupted. “Let this sort of Kot slide… things will only get worse! I put a cork in this leak here and now, we can all move on.”
“Can’t argue with that mentality,” Tynaum replied. “I couldn’t confirm Dalberri’s location, but I’m sending you the intel I was able to get on his dealings and holdings, including those with the Interstellar Angels. Made a few calls… I was able to get this act sanctioned by the Black Assassins.”
“I could care less about sanctions,” Nulaki replied.
“That’s because you’re not using your head!” Tynaum snapped. “You walk under a Black Assassin sanction, the guilds will have to settle with us if they have a grievance. Loose translation: they touch you without the nod from us, they will basically be making a declaration of war.”
“Whoa!” Nulaki frowned. “That sounds like a lot of weight.”
“It is… a lot of weight. But it’s in my wheelhouse, so I played the card.”
“This definitely makes us even, Ty,” Nulaki said as he checked his pistol.
“Believe what you want, Thief,” Tynaum said. “In my book, we don’t keep count. We do for ours until we can’t. You’d be surprised how many BA’s want this worm eviscerated!”
“Isn’t it c
onvenient when the cosmos shrinks down to just a few people,” Nulaki joked. “I feel like we should each hug our communicators!”
“Let’s not and say we did,” Tynaum replied with a grin. “Speaking of things I didn’t do, there is not a package waiting for you on the roof of the building.”
“How the hell do you know where I am right now?” Nulaki asked.
“What, only the Black Scarab is supposed to be good at his thing?” Tynaum said with a cold smile. “Good skill tonight, Nulaki. And if it helps you at all, go steal his heart for me.”
“It helps, gorgeous,” Nulaki said, smiling in surprise. “I’ll ring you when everything is said and done.” Nulaki closed the communicator and quickly strapped on his other weapons and equipment. He moved quickly out of the window and scaled the wall up to the roof where Tynaum’s gift was supposedly waiting for him. Three Black Assassins were standing around a large gray case. Two of them seemed to be guards while one was a field engineer that had been sent to explain the details of the Commander’s gift. Nulaki smiled devilishly before approaching.
** b *** t *** o *** r **
Eskee Dalberri stuffed data packs into his attaché case, quickly closing and locking it. “What did they say?” He asked before touching his handkerchief to his mouth and then his neck. He caught a glimpse of himself in the full-length mirror. Not a man to delude himself the way he deluded others, Eskee Dalberri knew he was in no shape to run on foot. He would pass out before he had reached two hundred meters. But he had money, and credits had always proven to be a very capable equalizer.
“What do you mean, ‘what did they say’?” the woman frowned as she spoke. “Eskee, you dropped word on another fence! In the name of the stars, what possessed you to do that?!”
“I saw the Maggots working with the Angels, and I saw an opportunity!” Dalberri replied, wiping his brow of the accumulating sweat. “How the hell did they miss him?”
“You think that matters now?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips. “Neither the Magistrates or the Angels are going to make a move until your contractor gets here. They figure whoever comes after you is worth more to them than your sorry ass.
“Speaking of things being sorry, I’m overdue for the door,” the woman said, checking her watch. “They only promised me a ten-minute window to get word to you.”
“Babe, you’ve only been here three minutes!”
“Ten minutes from when they said I had a window, Eskee!” the woman clarified. “I tapped an air-car and got over here as fast as I could. I am just about out of guild time here.”
“Get me to the spaceport and I’ll give you ten thousand,” Eskee pleaded.
“Dead people can’t spend cred for Kot, Eskee,” the female rogue spat back, drawing her pistol. “I’m getting my Terran tail out of here, and if you move one more inch to block me, I’ll plug you my damn self!”
“Okay! Take it easy!” Dalberri said as he moved back to the wall.
“Easy can kiss my ass!” the woman shouted. “You brought this on yourself, Dalberri!”
“And a hundred thousand is asking you to share the load!” Eskee shot back. The woman had been moving quickly for the door… until he had put that amount to voice. “I’ve got a signature lock telnet card on me. Get me to the spaceport, I’ll transfer one hundred K to any account you give me.”
“Let’s see the card.”
“Come on, Beatrice,” Dalberri whined. “Do I look like–”
“Don’t ask me what you look like right now, Dalberri,” she interrupted. “Just grab your things and let’s go.” Beatrice moved to the door and opened it, standing to the side. She moved around the edge of the doorway and her body jumped at the sound of a gunshot. Dalberri dropped his attaché case as he watched Beatrice slowly fall to the floor. Her eyes were open and a small hole had been burned into her forehead.
“Kot!” Dalberri yelled. “KOT!!!”
“Calm down, Mr. Dalberri,” a slender man walked into the room smoking an incredibly expensive cigaro. “I needed to illustrate how inadequate she would have been as an escort.
“The obstacle has been neutralized,” the man said after he put his index finger to his ear. “I am with the subject now. Move to your next position.” A tall and lean man, dressed in a very expensive formal evening suit, he looked at Eskee and paused for a moment before speaking again. “I have been instructed by my employer to offer you the services of my team. If you find our proposal agreeable, we can make our way as soon as you are able to depart.”
“What’s the proposal?” Dalberri asked, which made the man chuckle as he put his hand to his mouth.
“Forgive me. I found it amusing that you believe you have options at this point in time. Very well... it is, after all, your time. Shall we sit, have some refreshments, and discuss the matter?”
“No!” Dalberri was quick to say as he extended his arms, gesturing for his mysterious guest to stop his approach to the nearest chair. “You made your point.”
“Good, the slender man said as he turned for the door. “We should then be on our way. I have an air-car waiting on the roof.”
“What did you say your name was?”
“I didn’t, Mr. Dalberri.” The man replied without breaking a stride. Eskee took only a brief moment to look around before he followed after the man.
Looking out over the skyline of the city, Eskee tried to feel a sense of relief. He knew better than to believe it was all over. There was no such thing as a free ride, and that was exactly what he was in the middle of receiving! His eyes panned over the city before returning to the vehicle in which he flew… the driver… the upholstery… the registration…
“The registration?!” he thought as he leaned forward to read the posted licensing.
“Is this a chartered vehicle?” he asked.
“I know,” the man replied, flashing a very proud smile. “Sheer genius, isn’t it?”
“Actually… I was thinking you would prefer… you know, something…”
“Something heavier perhaps?” the man suggested. “Armoured even? Mr. Dalberri, you are in Zion Valley, the fifth largest city on Vastion. It is a megaplex. My employer has already verified that the most immediate threat to your life is coming in the form of one man.”
“The Black Scarab,” Eskee sighed while shaking his head.
“Oh, so you know this man.”
“I wish I didn’t.”
“No doubt,” the man agreed. “But to continue, with the population of this city and the matter at hand, someone in the Scarab’s position will assume that you are in an armoured vehicle… like that one there.” The man said as he pointed. Eskee looked where the slender man was pointing and he did see a private air-car. It was armoured and shielded, but he could not see inside the vehicle. “And that was the fifth we’ve passed since we left your location.
“This Black Scarab, is he a former client of yours?”
“I would expect you to already know,” Eskee said, sounding somewhat worried.
“What I know is what I’m told,” the man explained as he looked out of the window. “My employer is aware of your predicament… just as that same entity is aware of the fact that you’re in the possession of a cache of rare gems.” Eskee closed his eyes at the pain of the moment. At last, he knew what the price would be for his exodus. It was going to be incredibly steep. “Now my employer is aware that you have an outspoken fondness for these gems. Rest assured I will not be asking for all of them.”
“He sure seems to know a lot about me… your employer.”
“Clumsy, Mr. Dalberri,” he man sighed. “You do not know if my employer is a he, a she, or an it, and it is highly unlikely you will gain that information from me. While we can provide delivery from this Scarab, there is little getting around my employer!”
“How many stones do they want?” Eskee asked, bracing himself for a very painful answer.
“Five, and that number is non-negotiable” the man answered without looking
away from the view of the city. He did not miss Eskee’s head snapping around, enraged and shocked. “And given that reaction, why don’t I put us down on the first available rooftop. Consider your deliverance from your supposed friend as the cost of doing business.”
“What?! Beatrice?! She was… oh my word!”
“Clearly you have a lot to ponder. Oh look! A hospital! Perfect. Driver,” the man said as he leaned forward.
“Wait!” Eskee said, coming very close to touching the man. He stopped just shy of making contact and held up his hands. “I’m going to want your name first.”
“Márvo Skaravaio,” the man replied, looking intently at Eskee. “I am afraid that is the last of your demands, however.”
“Five stones?” Eskee asked, wincing in pain.
“Of my choosing, Mr. Dalberri,” the man added, and Eskee nodded in agreement. “Then we have an accord. Team Two, are you in position? Good.” The man turned in his seat and looked at Eskee. “I am going to need the code for the yellow door.”
“You’re at my vault?!” Eskee exclaimed.
“Obviously not, Mr. Dalberri. I have operatives, however, that are. The code, if you please.”
“There is a bio-lock on the system–”
“That you replaced with a keypad system five weeks ago… after a rather unfortunate intimate moment shared with a DNA thief. Driver, circle the hospital. Now, are you quite finished, Mr. Dalberri? I tire of these games. The code, if you please!”
Eskee pounded his fist down on his leg. He was out of options and he knew it. He looked out of the window and saw an armoured vehicle being followed by a sky-bike which was being driven by a man dressed all in black. Eskee moved back from the window in fright.
“Do not fret, Mr. Dalberri,” the man said in a calm tone. “This vehicle has been equipped with internal projectors. We look like a chartered air-car with six passengers.”
“Tourists?” Eskee guessed.
“Exactly!” the man said with a smile. “But alas, we are driving in a circle at the moment. That is the sort of thing that is sure to draw the wrong sort of attention.” Eskee threw his head back into the headrest, closing his eyes. He gave the sixteen-character code which the slender man repeated without fail. After a few moments, the man grinned and nodded. “Yes, just make sure that you remember that everything you see, we see. Five stones and fives stones only.” Márvo nodded before lowering his hand from his ear. He signaled for the driver to break the circular pattern and return to their original flight path. He looked back at Eskee and put his hand on the nervous man’s leg. “Would you care for a drink?”
