his shoulder, collected his gear, and carefully walked to the opposite
side of the roof. The roof of the neighboring home was only two meters
away. He threw his gear bag across the gap, then tossed the woman
-over. She landed with a heavy 'thunk'. Alarmed, he waited several
-minutes before crossing over himself. From that roof, he was able to
-drop down three feet to a small garden behind the house. Using alleys
-and back gardens, he made his way to the edge of the wilderness. Then,
-having sent a second message to Cassidy, he sat and waited. Cassidy
-would want to talk to the forensics woman.
+over. She landed with a heavy 'thunk'. Alarmed by the noise, afraid
+that someone heard and would come, he waited several minutes before
+crossing over himself. From that roof, he was able to drop down three
+feet to a small garden behind the house. Using alleys and back
+gardens, he made his way to the edge of the wilderness. Then, having
+sent a second message to Cassidy, he sat and waited. Cassidy would
+want to talk to the forensics woman.
==== Cassidy: Second-in-Command of the Syndicate ====
The woman was awake when Cassidy got there, shivering and sobbing.
Alfie sat a little away from her, smoking a happy joint. Cassidy got
the information from the woman. Harlan was alive although might die
-overnight. He glared at Alfie as he slit the girl's throat.
+overnight. He glared at Alfie.
-"Yer not doin' so good, Alfie. Two tries and you miss both times."
+"Yer not doin' so good. Two tries and you miss both times."
Alfie got to his feet. "I didn't miss him. I shot him." He motioned at
-the bloody corpse. "You heard what she said. He's expected to die
+the terrified woman. "You heard what she said. He's expected to die
tonight."
"Yeah. I heard what she said." said Cassidy. "He's alive." He leaned
forward and grabbed Alfie's lapels. "I want you to rectify that
condition."
-He turned and started back toward the city, talking over his shoulder.
-"You hear me, Alfie? Last chance. Make him dead by midnight."
+He stood up and threw the woman over his shoulder. He started back
+toward the city, talking around his captive. "You hear me, Alfie? Last
+chance. Make him dead by midnight."
+
+Alfie yelled "Whatcha gonna do with that woman?"
+
+"I'm going to take her to her home and dump her outside. She'll be
+able to get out of her ties in a while."
+
+"You ain't gonna kill her?"
+
+Exasperated, Cassidy turned around. "No. I'm not going to kill her and
+I'm not leaving her here with you either. You'd just slit her throat."
+
+"But she's seen us. She heard what we said. She needs to be dead."
+
+Cassidy stared at the thug for a minute. "Perhaps you're right. But I
+am not going to kill some innocent woman just because she was in the
+wrong place at the wrong time."
+
+Alfie sputtered. "But..but you'll order a hit on Harlan? He's a nice
+guy."
+
+Cassidy sighed "I am not going to stand here and debate philosophy
+with you. Suffice it to say that I think Harlan is a spy working for
+the cops. He's a traitor. He's not an innocent. Now goodnight."
+
+Alfie stared after him, speechless.
==== Mellie: Detective ====
house, leaving three bodies behind him. Crossing to the little door,
he found it locked. Having the most up-to-date equipment, he simply
inserted his uni-key and the door opened. Alfie stepped into the
-Emerald Palace with a knife in his hand.
\ No newline at end of file
+Emerald Palace with a knife in his hand.
+
+==== Alfie: Continued ====
+
+The hallway was empty and poorly lighted. No one was supposed to use
+this area at night except in emergencies. Alfie moved along, a
+darkness among other shadows. There were occasional doors. He tried
+all of them. Only one was unlocked. A janitor's closet. A set of deep
+green scrubs hung in the back and a robocleaner took up the front
+portion. Alfie pulled the cleaner out and put on the scrubs. They were
+a little large but not bad. A pair of earphones were in the pocket and
+he stuck them in his ears.
+
+He pushed the cleaner ahead of him to the brightly lighted
+intersection ahead. No one was in sight, but he hadn't gone more than
+a hundred meters before a pair of nurses came rushing toward him.
+Every muscle tensed up, but Alfie's expression of boredom didn't
+change. He had turned the earphones on when he saw the nurses and the
+sound was audible for several meters around him. The nurses ran past
+him without a glance.
+
+A schematic of the Palace showed in his vision as he navigated the
+corridors, and he eventually found the clinic. He didn't know which
+room was Harlan's until he saw the guards outside. "Crap!" He thought.
+"These people are totally paranoid."
+
+He walked right past the guards who were holding a conversation, but
+eyeing everyone in sight. Including Alfie. As he was turning onto the
+next corridor, Alfie heard the guards demand identification. Glancing
+back, he saw the person standing there was Santorini. They wanted id
+from the Boss himself?
+
+He wandered along corridors thinking, until he realized that he was
+coming around to Harlan's room again. A person in dark blue scrubs was
+walking toward him. She had on a badge with her picture and name. He
+stepped aside so that she could pass. So now all he had to do was find
+someone who looked like him and grabbed their scrubs and badge.
+
+It took over an hour, but he finally came to a stairwell and found
+three guys playing craps. He hunkered down in between them, looking at
+their badges and faces.
+
+"Hey. Can I play?" he asked in a whiny voice.
+
+"Got any money?" one of the three replied.
+
+"Yeah. Just cashed my paycheck."
+
+"Okay." said another.
+
+As he sat down, Alfie pulled his knife. Only one of them gave him any
+trouble. And that was just for a few seconds. Then the stairwell was
+quiet again.
+
+Dressed in the dark blue scrubs with the badge, he walked up to the
+guards in front of Harlan's room.
+
+"I need to check his heart. I got a consult." he said to them.
+
+The two men looked at each other. "We didn't hear about no consult."
+
+"Yeah. They just sent it." He held up a fax.
+
+"Let's see your id."
+
+Alfie obligingly handed them the badge.
+
+"Okay." They passed him through.
+
+Alfie opened the door to the room and discovered that the famous thief
+wasn't alone. A pretty young woman sat in a chair next to the bed. She
+looked up sharply.
+
+"Who are you?" she asked.
+
+"Cardiologist Miller." he replied. "I'm here to do a consult."
+
+She glanced at the door and then back at him. "Okay." she said.
+
+He approached the bed, looking down at Harlan. He'd talked to the kid
+a few times. He even liked him a bit. But business was business.
+
+Distant shouts could be heard outside the room. Getting closer.
+
+Alfie pulled out his knife, glancing at the door. When he turned back,
+Harlan was looking at him. "Alfie? What the..." Alfie brought the
+knife down in a sweeping motion.
+
+And then the girl was all over him. She came over the bed like a big
+catlizard, landing on his chest and throwing the two of them to the
+floor. She had a gun in her hand which was pointed unwaveringly at his
+nose.
+
+Alfie dropped the knife and raised his hands carefully. "I give up."
+he whined.
+
+The guards burst into the room, jarring the girl. Alfie had half a
+second to run, but his attempt was thwarted. He looked down at the
+hand clasped around his wrist and then followed the arm up to Harlan's
+stony eyes. He raised his hands again. Harlan had a trickle of blood
+running down his neck.
+
+==== Harlan: Thief ====
+
+The next few days were spent either walking in the halls or sleeping.
+His doctor told him he needed the sleep as much as the exercise to
+heal. Santorini came by after interviewing Alfie Gallagher. They got
+very little from the would-be assassin. All he knew was that Cassidy
+told him to get rid of Harlan. He couldn't even confirm that the
+orders came from the head of the Syndicate, Chas Hawkins. Cassidy
+talked to him alone each time. No witnesses to what he said. It was a
+dead end unless they could get their hands on Cassidy.
+
+But Cassidy lived in the big house and rarely left. When he did, he
+was surrounded with his bodyguards. If they tried to grab him while he
+was out, they were likely to take heavy casualties. It wasn't worth it
+at this point.
+
+Santorini was still enthusiastic about Harlan's idea for the Obsidian
+Stronghold, as they'd renamed Hideout 12. They were working on the
+place, having set security in place. But not too much security. A good
+spy could get through and see that they were lining the rooms and
+corridors with shelves and specially designed holders for weapons and
+ammunition. The obvious conclusion would be that the Resistance was
+moving out of its antique armory into a new one.
+
+The security detail had scared off one spy already. The Resistance had
+a large supply of weapons. If the Syndicate could get their hands on
+them, they'd be able to take over Crater City. Indeed, they'd be able
+to take over most of Agalder, including the desert gangs.
+
+Santorini intended to dangle this priceless plum in front of the
+Syndicate until they went for it. Destroying the Syndicate would cut
+the crime rate in Crater City in half - at least. And it would make
+the revolution, when it came, that much easier.
+
+==== Harlan: Thief ====
+
+The surgeon released Harlan to Santorini's care after a week of hall
+walking. He objected loudly until Santorini told him to shut up and do
+what he was told. Then Harlan grumbled but softly where no one could
+hear. When Mellie came to visit him, he complained until she left
+early. The Boss finally yelled louder than a drill sergeant,
+explaining the facts of life to a recruit with a restricted IQ and
+Harlan snapped out of his funk.
+
+He went to see Alfie.
+
+When Alfie saw Harlan walk in his cell, he talked so fast they
+couldn't understand him. But it didn't matter. He'd already given them
+everything he could think of.
+
+Harlan was sitting on a stool, staring at Alfie when the Boss walked
+in.
+
+Harlan asked "What are you going to do with him?"
+
+Santorini considered. "He's killed or been responsible for the deaths
+of several people. He almost killed you. We can kill him which is the
+easiest thing to do. Or we can send him somewhere unpleasant. It's up
+to you."
+
+Harlan's head turned quickly. "Me? You expect me to decide his fate?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+Alfie had stopped talking and was watching the two Resistance fighters
+intently. His eyes were like those of a hound dog, pleading.
+
+Harlan sat very still for several minutes, his face set in stone.
+Sweat was running down Alfie's face. Finally Harlan shrugged. "Send
+him to Alaton." he said and left. Alfie's face turned white while
+Santorini lips spread in a wicked grin.
+
+It was another week before the surgeon would allow Harlan to go back
+to work on light duty only. Specifically desk duty. The thief was on
+the street in five minutes. He found a quiet place to sleep and rested
+until dark. Then he headed for the big house and Cassidy. Alfie knew
+next to nothing. But Cassidy would have answers. And screw Santorini's
+orders.
+
+The big house was an old mansion, sprawling across several hilly
+acres. It followed the contours of the hills, which meant that there
+were probably a lot of stairs inside. Harlan had a general idea of the
+layout of the house. While he had no idea where he would find Cassidy,
+the roof contours might show him something.
+
+The motion detectors and security cams never quite covered the whole
+area. There were always places that the cams would miss. He slid from
+one of these to the next, mostly on the ground. He didn't think the
+Syndicate was quite as sophisticated as the Empire had been and
+doubted he'd be disturbing any pressure detectors.
+
+He reached the house without setting off any alarms that he could
+hear. He jumped to the roof and moved quietly to the living areas.
+These were in a relatively flat part of the property. From there, he
+began to survey the rest of the house from above. He knew there were
+at least twenty bedrooms, some bigger for the important people, some
+very big to accommodate ten or more bodyguards. Walking as softly as
+he could, he traversed the roof and found what he was looking for.
+Partitions tended to show up on the roof, partitions between rooms. He
+found the twenty plus bedroom area.
+
+Once oriented, he moved swiftly to a window looking out over the lawn.
+The alarm setup was simple and he bypassed it easily.
+
+Once in the house, he moved from the living areas to the bedrooms.
+Cassidy, as second-in command. would have his own private room. From
+the curvature of the roof, he had figured out where the rooms for the
+goons were and where the very private rooms for the bosses were. He
+crept along a carpeted hall that meandered around curves, past closed
+doors.
+
+Voices behind him warned him of the approach of two people. Cassidy
+and a woman. They were leaning into each other, laughing. Harlan
+watched them go by and slid out from behind one of the doors to follow
+silently.
+
+The couple entered a room near the end of the corridor. Harlan entered
+right behind them. The two were so involved with each other, that they
+didn't notice him. An open closet beckoned and he moved inside.
+
+The couple began making noises and comments indicating imminent sex.
+Harlan grimaced, stepping out of the closet with a gun in his hand.
+
+She noticed him first and opened her mouth to scream.
+
+He snarled "Please don't do that. I'll have to stop you."
+
+The woman thought better of the screaming and sat down on the bed.
+
+Cassidy was moving toward a desk. Harlan, being younger, slimmer, and
+a lot more in shape, cut him off and smacked him on the back of his
+head with his hand.
+
+Cassidy grabbed his head, whirling to glare at the thief. "What the
+fuck do you think you're doing? You think I don't know you? You think
+there's any chance of your walking out of this house alive? Well,
+there isn't. You're dead. You just don't know it yet."
+
+Harlan rolled his eyes. "Are you finished?"
+
+When Cassidy opened his mouth to talk, Harlan shoved the barrel of the
+gun in between his teeth. Actually, he knocked a couple of them loose.
+
+Cassidy froze. A trickle of blood leaked from between his lips.
+
+Harlan shoved him back into a chair and saw the first trace of fear in
+the man's eyes.
+
+He loomed over Cassidy, pushing his advantage. But he had the woman in
+his peripheral vision. She had stripped down to her underwear and her
+shapely breasts were bare. Now she had risen from the bed and was
+turning toward the door. Harlan took one step back, grabbed her long
+green hair, and yanked her back. She fell onto the floor with a
+shriek.
+
+"Quiet, dear." said Harlan. "I don't want to hurt you. But if it's
+necessary, I will."
+
+His conversational tone of voice made the threat even more
+frightening. The woman crawled up on the bed and lay down.
+
+As Harlan's attention refocused on Cassidy, he realized that the man
+was reaching for something on the wall by the chair. He grabbed
+Cassidy's wrist and pulled it back.
+
+Then he grasped the loose material of Cassidy's silken shirt and
+yanked him up to eye level. "Who killed Sam Tavis?" came out as a
+whisper. When Cassidy made no response, Harlan twisted the shirt so
+hard that it started to put pressure on the Syndicate leader's throat.
+
+"Who killed Sam Tavis?" A little louder.
+
+"I don't know." Cassidy tried to push at Harlan, but the thief batted
+his hands away with the gun. "Honest. All I know is that there was a
+contract out on him. I heard that from a runner."
+
+Harlan stared into Cassidy's eyes for a full minute. Then he dropped
+him and grabbed the green haired vixen again. She was once more headed
+for the door. He pulled the sheets back from the bed, shoved her in,
+and then tucked the sheets in under the mattress so tightly that she
+couldn't move.
+
+Turning casually, he fired a shot that penetrated the wall next to
+Cassidy's hand. Cassidy jumped back, holding his hand. Harlan checked
+the wall and saw the tiny switch in the three dimensional art.
+
+"So why did you send Alfie to kill me?" he asked softly, his eyes as
+cold as space.
\ No newline at end of file
projects / universe.git / blobdiff