Part 46 (2/2)
”Alex,” I said, ”there's no way she's going to make a deal.”
”I know.”
”If she can get us into the open, we're dead. She'll have something mounted on the lander. Probably a blaster or a proton gun. And she'll just take us out from the air.”
”She can't. At least, she can't if she's serious about silencing us.”
”Why not?”
”It's why she wants the links. If she just blows us up, she has no way of knowing that we haven't handed them off to someone here. And that we haven't recorded everything. StarCorps comes, the information gets pa.s.sed over, and her client is compromised.”
”We don't even know who he is.”
”I think we do. In any case, we know enough. She has to make sure the links get destroyed, too. Or maybe she doesn't. But it's all we have.”
We'd lapsed back into Standard, and everyone in the room was staring at us. Turam took a deep breath. ”What was all that about?”
”I think we have a problem,” said Alex. ”Chase, we need a weapon. Something with a little more kick than the scrambler.”
”The blaster. The one we took from, what was his name, Alex Somebody.”
”My thought exactly. It was stowed in the equipment locker. Those are pretty solid. You think it might have survived the crash?”
”It might.”
”I hate to drop this on you. But I just don't get around very easily, and time-”
”It's okay.”
”One other thing-”
”Yes?”
”Don't count on three hours. She could show up at any time.”
”All right. What are you you going to be doing?” going to be doing?”
”I think we need to warn Viscenda an unwelcome visitor is on the way.”
I drafted one of Turam's gun-toters to give me a hand. The weather had turned cranky. The sky was a dismal gray, and rain was threatening.
We hustled down to the pier, climbed into a canoe, and hurried across the river. The water was rough, stirred up by the wind. We didn't talk much. Mostly it was me explaining that the individual who was coming couldn't be trusted, and him saying I shouldn't worry.
The lander was little more than a blackened hull with parts scattered around the field. But the ladder was intact, and the hatches were open.
I climbed inside. The seats had been blown apart, the viewports were gone, and everything was scorched. The deck crunched underfoot as I pushed my way to the rear of the cabin and opened the storage bin. The blaster was there. Apparently intact.
I took it outside, aimed it at a pile of rocks about fifteen meters away, and pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened.
I'd expected they'd be evacuating, but when I got back to the compound, everything was relatively quiet. Alex was in Viscenda's office. Turam was also present.
”Now let me get this straight,” Viscenda was saying when I was ushered in, ”you say this woman, this Petra Salyeva, is paid paid to kill people?” to kill people?”
”That's correct,” said Alex. He looked my way, hoping I'd produce the blaster. I shook my head, but he gave no reaction.
Viscenda made a clicking sound with her tongue. ”I'm beginning to wonder what kind of society you two come from, where people hire killers the way you would hire somebody to spread fertilizer. I mean, we have our lunatics, but I've never heard-” She waved it away. ”Well, it's of no moment now. And she intends to kill you? Both of you?”
”Yes,” said Alex. ”I don't think there's any doubt about it.”
She shook her head. Will wonders never cease? ”I've already asked why this woman wants you dead, and I haven't gotten much of an answer, other than that she's a homicidal bounty hunter. So let me try it another way: The person who's paying her, why does he he want you killed? Does he think you're criminals?” want you killed? Does he think you're criminals?”
”It's complicated, Viscenda.”
”Then simplify it so I can understand it.”
”We know something that he would like kept quiet.”
”What? What do you know?”
”That you're you're here.” here.”
”Please explain.”
”I don't know the entire story yet, but somehow”-he struggled, trying to find the right words-”we may be connected with the event that brought on the Dark Times.”
Turam glanced skeptically in my direction. Viscenda's eyes narrowed. ”You're not serious?”
”I am.”
”Tell me how that could be possible.”
”I hate to cut this short, but this character could arrive at any minute. We just don't have time for this-”
”All right. We'll talk about it later.”
Alex took a deep breath. ”I think you need to get everyone out of here.”
”Tell me again: Why is the compound at risk?”
”Because this woman is unpredictable. She may have decided it's safest for her to eliminate everybody. I don't know that to be true. I doubt that it is is true. But in the interests of safety-” true. But in the interests of safety-”
”Right. We evacuate, then stand by while you two are killed. Is that the plan?”
”No. We aren't without resources.”
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