From: Jason Self Date: Sun, 26 Jun 2022 17:13:58 +0000 (-0700) Subject: Publish new installment X-Git-Url: https://jxself.org/git/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=bb8d0bc179fe3e7d6973be3ce1de698284ace0f8;p=universe.git Publish new installment --- diff --git a/agalder.txt b/agalder.txt index f780871..d8b45cc 100644 --- a/agalder.txt +++ b/agalder.txt @@ -2800,4 +2800,147 @@ credits by tomorrow night. No negotiation." The monster turned and reached out with its front legs, grabbing the spokesman. Casually it bit off the creature's head. Then it threw the -wildly twitching body to the side and sauntered off, chewing noisily. \ No newline at end of file +wildly twitching body to the side and sauntered off, chewing noisily. + +==== Harlan: Thief, Resistance Operative ==== + +The four humans stood absolutely still for nearly a minute. Then they +turned and walked away. Biggers got just far enough away to put an +outbuilding between them and the mob of spiders before he threw up. He +managed to do it very quietly. + +The other three stood by. Mellie handed Biggers a tissue after he was +able to continue walking. She said "Don't feel bad, Alex. We were all +struggling to keep our dinners down." She patted him on the shoulder, +earning her a weak smile from the detective. + +The department had plenty of money. The bribe was paid. They were +actually expecting a much larger number. + +They got the name the next day. Chas Hawkins. The chief of the +Syndicate. Behan passed the word on to Santorini at the Resistance. +And Santorini passed it on to Jake Rogers, one of the best assassins +on the planet. + +Two nights later, the Big House suddenly turned into a stirred up +sting dauber's nest. People were running in and out of the doors, even +through the windows. Lights stabbed at every inch of the lawn and +shrubs. People could be seen inside, gesticulating, shouting. +Eventually the people and their intrusive lights returned to the +house. Quiet returned, but it was a menacing quiet. + +Had anyone been watching, he might have caught a glimpse of a group of +five shadows within the night's darkness. This darker dark moved +across the lawn to a group of houses on a tree lined street with few +lights. Very few watchers could have followed the progress of the +shades from tree to tree, staying in the blackest part of the murky +gloom. + +Harlan was one of those very few watchers. He saw their progress down +the street. He followed them as they slipped through the night, unseen +by people only a few feet away. + +Harlan realized that the group was splitting up. Three continued on +toward the Green Palace, but the other two went in opposite +directions. + +Harlan watched the two head out. One was going for John Behan. And the +other was after Mellie. Harlan took to the roofs, running as fast as +he could. He pulled out his communicator and called Behan. + +"Yeah?" came a gruff voice. + +"John, you're going to have a visitor in about five minutes." + +"Are you behind him?" + +"No. Another one is going for Mellie. And three are headed to the +Green Palace." + +"No problem. I'll take care of this one and call the Palace. You take +care of Mellie." + +"Right." Harlan disconnected and jumped from one roof to the next. +He'd never jumped that particularly wide gap before. Now he barely +noticed. + +It was late, past end of day. Harlan opened Mellie's bedroom window +without thinking of how she might view the intrusion. The flash of a +phaser brought him to a halt. A burn spot appeared 2 millimeters from +his left ear. + +"Mellie! It's me!" + +Mellie appeared out of the shadows in her room and smacked him in the +jaw. "You friggin' idiot! I could have killed you. All I could see was +a dark figure wrenching my window open." + +Harlan rubbed his jaw. "You hit like a girl." he said. She drew her +fist back for another demonstration and he caught it in his hand. +"Okay. That hurt. The Syndicate is sending you a visitor and I don't +think he's friendly." + +She nodded and reached into her cupboard for her phaser's power pack. +"How do you think he'll come in?" she asked as she checked her weapon. + +"Through the kitchen." Harlan said. "But we need to cover both the +bedroom and the kitchen." + +Mellie nodded. "What about the other entrance points? The front door? +The rec room?" + +Harlan glanced at the windows with the stunning view of the city. "No +one's coming through that window. If I can't do it, no one can. And as +for the front door? No way. Too expected." + +So, of course, the intruder came in through the front door. + +Harlan was moving between rooms and he heard the slightest squeak of +the hinges. Mellie was flat against the wall just inside the kitchen. +Harlan could see her looking at him. He indicated the front room. She +opened her eyes wide, raised her eyebrows, and grinned at him. He +rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to live that gaffe down. + +The two of them moved to positions on either side of the entrance to +the rec room and waited. And waited. Nothing happened. + +Fifteen minutes. Twenty. Nothing. Twenty-five minutes. Then a sock +flew through the air and landed on the floor inside the rec room. +Neither Harlan nor Mellie moved. + +Another five minutes before a shoe followed the sock, landing with a +thunk. + +The intruder waited another ten minutes before he poked his head into +the rec room and found himself facing the wrong ends of two phasers. +He didn't move anything except his mouth. "If I moved fast enough, you +two would shoot each other." + +Mellie looked at him with a nasty smile. "Go ahead. Try it." + +He smiled back. "No. I think I'll just put my weapon down and let you +tie me up. Which is what Cassidy told me to do anyway." + +"Cassidy told you to give yourself up to us?" Harlan was incredulous. +"I don't think so. Not after you killed three of our best people." + +"I didn't kill them. Nobody knew about that hit except Hawkins and +four of his goons. His 'Special Squad', he called them. Well, he's +gone now and Cassidy's in charge and he doesn't want anybody else +killed. On either side." + +Mellie was nodding. "That makes sense, Harlan. Cassidy's known for his +pragmatism." + +The intruder was nodding. + +"What's your name?" asked Harlan. + +"Ned Moreno. My father was Timmy Moreno. You might remember him, +Harlan." + +Harlan remembered. Timmy Moreno. His father's friend. A man of honor +and strength. Harlan had looked up to him. And he had played with +Timmy's son. Ned. + +"Ned." he said. "I thought you died with your dad." \ No newline at end of file