From: Jason Self Date: Sun, 3 Apr 2022 14:59:16 +0000 (-0700) Subject: Publish new installment X-Git-Url: https://jxself.org/git/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=e9fee0607d146e1af49162ea0193ce09abec595c;p=universe.git Publish new installment --- diff --git a/agalder.txt b/agalder.txt index bc44e2c..f904ebc 100644 --- a/agalder.txt +++ b/agalder.txt @@ -1106,4 +1106,159 @@ 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. \ No newline at end of file +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 again 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