I started awake at the sudden noise, banged my forehead on the top of the slumber recess and swore profusely.
The infotainment screen on the wall of the night rent habitation module was the source of the over-loud chiming that had startled me. The screen was flashing with the message ‘Incoming call’.
I wasn’t sure who could be calling, as no one knew I was here. I had flown into Bliss City late last night to start two weeks leave and this had been the first room I had found after visiting a couple of bars. I’d paid cash, no credit trace.
I slipped out of the slumber recess, picked the snub barrelled shotgun from its harness where it was hanging from the hook on the door and padded up the narrow module to the window. The non slip, easy-clean rubber flooring felt cold on my bare feet. I glanced through the gap between the blinds; I looked to be at least ten stories up and facing the blank concrete wall of another building, some sort of warehouse or processing plant. I hadn’t exactly paid for a view. Nowhere for a sniper to be hiding though.
“Answer” I said, keeping myself out of view of the infotainment screen and keeping the gun ready toward the module door, couldn’t be too safe. In my line of work there was always someone looking to get a jump on me.
“I have a call holding for you Mr Cord” it was the hab-rent receptionist, I recognised her from when I checked in. The clock in the bottom corner of the screen stated it was four twenty three AM, I had been here less than two hours.
“Did they say who they were?” I asked.
“No Mr Cord, but it is a secure line from the Warden Primary Conclave.” She replied.
I relaxed and walked into view of the screen.
“That’s fine, I’ll take it. Thank you.”
The screen blanked out then flashed and fuzzed with signal scramble before resolving into the face of Warden Upholder Dorusman.
“Morning Mr, uhm, Cord, I trust you are well rested” said Dorusman.
“Sure, who needs more than two hours sleep anyway? How the hell did you trace me so quick? I am on leave you know. Well deserved too, that was two years straight to catch Romms” I said.
“Romms is why I’m calling you, I’m afraid” replied Dorusman, “There’s a problem.”
“Don’t tell me the bastard escaped again already, I just brought him in, can't the idiots in containment lock doors?" I sat down heavily on the recessed cot and ran a hand over my crewcut scalp.
“For him to escape you would have had to catch him in the first place” said Dorusman.
“What?”
“It wasn’t Romms, Vetch.”
“I ran ident tests. DNA confirmed he was Romms.” I felt my stomach dropping, I couldn’t believe this.
“The sap you brought in was one Solomonder Prawes, a Rust prospector. He’d been given a DNA mask, pretty advanced gene manipulation work too” replied Dorusman.
“Where the hell did he get that done? That’s cutting edge tech. Humana Corporation Labs are only just trialing that for us now aren’t they?” I asked.
“We can only presume Romms had someone in HCL. This Prawes said he was down on his luck and he was offered five thousand bonds to test a drug. Apparently he was given an injection at the health centre in Feris the day before you brought him in” said Dorusman.
“And he didn’t realise his face had changed? That’s bullshit, he’s an accomplice, just torture him for Romms’ whereabouts and I’ll go haul the real bastard in tomorrow” I growled. I didn’t have the patience for this, I thought the Romms case was finally over, he’d been particularly elusive but the Corporation was paying well for him.
Unusually well for a small time, pain in the ass eco-nut.
The bonus on the job had made me wonder why they wanted him so bad but as a Warden Retributor I never really worried about the details too much, just hunted the perps down and dragged them in, no matter how far they tried to run.
Or eliminated them if that was what was asked, and it often was.
Now, a tech leak in HCL, that explained the price and the reason I was forbidden to just put a bullet between his eyes, they wanted to know how he got his hands on their secrets.
“The Warden Administration does not partake of torture Vetch, neither do we condone those practices, a Retributor of your standing should know that.”
“Quite the political party line Upholder, but this line’s secure, turn the screws on the little shit and let’s get this over and done with, I’ve got two hundred K in bonds to party with and two weeks in Bliss to do it.” I snapped.
“Mr Prawes has co-operated fully with us on this matter and offered us some invaluable leads on Romms and his associates, the data is uploaded to your repository you can peruse it on Skim Flight 3X7 from the Malpin Overpass Launch, it departs at oh-six-hundred. Restock will rendezvous with you thirty minutes before. Bring him in alive and do it fast.” Said Dorusman.
“That’s what takes so damn long, catching him without harming him. He realised I can’t shoot him at our first encounter so he doesn’t fear me and what’s a Retributor without fear?”
“I said he has to be alive, nothing more. You have two weeks.” With that he cut the line and left me staring at static.
So Prawes had co-operated fully. That meant he had been tortured, but why the caution in saying it straight on a secure line? Probably auditing being carried out by liberal innerworld penpushers making sure our actions weren’t breaching protocols or rights or some crap. No doubt I’ll have to suffer an HR investigation for my comments after I close the case again. Or finally close it. I'd have to remember not to shoot the investigator like last time.
I contemplated going back to bed and ignoring it all, I was on vacation after all, but Romms had pissed me off enough to forgoe my much needed relaxation in favour of some well deserved retribution. Dorusman said he only needed to be alive, why hadn’t I just shot his legs off? Seemed obvious now, but that’s me all over, always thinking of the kill shot. Well Romms wasn’t going to be feeling so clever when I pop up unexpected in his bolt hole.
I quickly freshened up, packed my bag and headed for the door, I’d catch this skim, then it would be two shots to Romms’ knees and I’d be back in Bliss before nightfall.
Of course I wasn’t accounting for the fact that Romms was a slippery little bastard who would be expecting me because he planted all the information in Prawes along with the new face and I was getting led on another merry goose chase.
At least I would be proved right about Prawes being an accomplice.
Told you so Dorusman.
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