Freedom Incorporated, Peter Tylee [literature books to read TXT] 📗

Chapter 12

Two words to remember - empires fall

Katharine Ainger

Monday, September 20, 2066

03:02 Sydney, Australia

“You ready?” Simon asked, feeling nerves jingle in his extremities.

Dan nodded once then looked at Jen.

“Yeah, as ready as I’m ever gonna be,” she said. “Do I get a weapon?”

Dan cocked an eyebrow. “Why, do you want one?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on a shooting spree. I’d just feel safer, that’s all.”

So Simon handed her his backup firearm and quickly instructed her how to use it safely. “And that’s all there is to it.” He flipped the safety back on. “Leave it there unless you plan on actually firing it, okay?”

Jen nodded, hid the weapon, and they each took a turn in the portal. Dan was using his next identity, Brent Bertrouney. Jen had to make do with one of her old ones. She would’ve used one of Samantha’s, but didn’t think anybody would believe she was Korean. Because although Dan assured her it wouldn’t cause a problem at Australian customs, the Americans would undoubtedly raise an eyebrow.

Christopher was on duty at his usual station and Dan headed straight for him. “Hey, Chuck.”

He brushed a weary hand disbelievingly over his long face. “Are you telling me you’re still at this thing you’re doing?”

“Yes, but it’s nearly over.”

“You must owe me eight bottles of high quality scotch by now,” Chuck reminded him, updating his mental tally.

Dan would’ve agreed to 20, 50, or even a 100. It was irrelevant. He needed to get past irrespective of the financial cost.

“No, better make that 10,” Chuck corrected. “I’m going to start charging per capita.” He winked as he waved his scanner toward Dan. “So, Mr Brent Bertrouney is it?” He smiled, amused by the details on his monitor.

Dan nodded, “That’s right.”

“Did you know that in ‘addition details’ your profile reports a penile length of 30 centimetres and a girth of eight centimetres?”

“What… are you jealous?” Dan asked, somehow keeping a straight face.

Chuck held up his hands, grinning. “Okay, whatever mate. Just show me your guns. Weapons,” he quickly corrected.

All three travellers piled their weapons onto the counter and Chuck tagged them on Dan’s profile. “Have a good trip.” Then he lowered his voice for Dan’s benefit and added, “She’s a real looker mate.” He was referring to Jen, and his half-hearted whisper carried to everyone. Jen had the grace to blush, and so did Dan.

“Thank you,” Jen said, bravely accepting the compliment to save Dan from stammering something even more embarrassing.

Dan was busy nursing a sparkle of hope. He wondered whether they might actually succeed and earn the chance to construct a new life. But as they approached the international portals, his sparkle transformed into an inferno of apprehension.

*

Sunday, September 19, 2066

UniForce Headquarters

09:15 San Francisco, USA

Michele was nervous. Jackie had postponed their meeting twice and eventually rescheduled for Sunday morning. The waiting was becoming intolerable.

It’d been weighing on her mind all night. Should I? It was an impossible question to answer unless she could divine the future like a seer. But, to be safe, she intended to go through with it. She needed to tell someone, the stress of keeping secrets was too much. She hadn’t slept properly in days. Michele was in such a bad state that not even the colourful patterns on her glass wall or her promotional cube could keep her entertained. She slouched in her chair, chewing her lips. And waited. Impatiently. She needed Jackie to call and confirm the time they’d tentatively set aside.

Her phone finally rang and Michele leapt for the receiver. “Hello, Michele speaking.”

“Are you ready?” It was Jackie.

Michele nodded into the camera. “Yes, I’m ready.”

“Okay,” Jackie said with a catch to her voice. “Then come to my office.”

They hung up and Michele scuttled through the corridors to the nearest portal, popped up several flights of stairs, and waddled into Jackie’s office. She closed the doors behind her.

Jackie looked impassively at her, trying to smile with her eyes so she wouldn’t stretch her botched face-lift. She waved Michele to a chair. “Take a seat.”

“Thanks.” Michele’s nervousness tripled and her stomach fluttered. It felt as though someone had sent her to the principal’s office, despite the fact she’d requested the meeting herself.

But Jackie was in high spirits. She’d just stitched a deal to secure UniForce’s future in the personal security market and she was therefore feeling excessively pleased with herself. In fact, she’d predetermined that Michele’s news wouldn’t dampen her elation. Besides, she reasoned. What can Michele possibly have to say that’s so important? But that was a trap. Many had fallen into it. Although stupid, Michele could still bear bad tidings. “So what do you want to tell me?”

Michele heaved a breath and Jackie’s attention shifted to her plump breasts. Her allure was a hundred times more powerful than that of Sasha, her rabbit-sized dog. Besides, Sasha had recently grown bored with lapping up peanut butter. A flush of excitement tingled in Jackie’s groin but she ordered herself to concentrate.

“Esteban hasn’t contracted an assassin to kill Dan.”

“What?” Immediately Jackie’s attention snapped back to the meeting.

“He’s using an assassin to kill the Raven,” - she shivered when that name passed her lips - “but he’s doing the others himself.”

Dark red splotches boiled through Jackie’s thick layer of makeup. “He can’t do that.” She seethed with anger. “I revoked his field status.” I bet he wants to collect the assassination fee himself. She gritted her teeth. Well we’ll just see about that.

“I think it’s because of his personal involvement,” Michele prompted, wanting to rat him out completely. She needed to be on Jackie’s good side and distance herself from Esteban, lest Dan resurface. At least then she could stick by Jackie, who knew how to take care of herself.

Jackie ground her teeth and jaw muscles ripple under her skin. That was truly the final straw. She’d taken as much insubordination from Esteban as she could handle. Now, what to do about it? She knew he was a dangerous man, but it’d finally dawned on her that the problem was only going to worsen with time. She needed to take swift, permanent action. And firing him won’t be enough. The prospect of assassinating him was intriguing. She’d helped dozens of other companies dispose of their awkward problems, why not do the same with one of her own? She could contract an assassin to remedy the problem and dust her hands of the issue. Promote… who? That was her next problem. She didn’t have enough staff to fill the vacancies. Quality staff anyway. She still had to find a co-ordinator for the recently minted personal security branch. And then there was Michele. Jackie couldn’t help rolling her eyes. She now regretted promoting Michele as far as she had. What UniForce needed was strong leadership. True, Michele has improved revenue… But Jackie had quietly uncovered her plot to oversell bounty lists. Lack of business ethics had inflated the revenue stream, not strength of leadership. She’d also discovered how much was missing from the official records - that generous portion which had slipped into an accounting black hole. She wondered who was hoarding it. Esteban, or Michele?

She reasoned it was high time she received something in return. And she was in the perfect mood for it too. I can fix the problem with Esteban later. It wouldn’t be hard; all it would take was five contracts. The four that Esteban failed to set up, and one for Esteban himself. But first…

“Michele, you look tense. Why don’t you come here and I’ll give you a massage?” Jackie felt vulnerable soliciting her subordinate for sex, but she wasn’t going to let a bit of discomfort stop her from experiencing more pleasure than she’d had in months.

An invisible shudder itched Michele’s back teeth. She’d detested the previous time with Jackie and couldn’t fathom why it should be any better now. But neither was she going to say no to someone above her in the chain of command. So she nodded and played her part. “Okay, I have been a stiff recently.”

She waddled to Jackie’s chair and knelt on the carpet. It was difficult in her tight black skirt and she tore a ladder in her stockings.

Jackie applied her fingers to Michele’s supple neck and shoulders, massaging her tenderly. Michele played along by parting her lips and moaning with feigned pleasure. But she quickly tired of the exploratory backrub and decided to hurry the distasteful experience along. She climbed onto Jackie’s lap and kissed her, thrusting her tongue deeply into Jackie’s mouth.

“Ahem.” Someone cleared his throat, interrupting Jackie’s sojourn into the wild side of same-sex lovemaking before it could truly begin.

Michele turned with a start and Jackie’s eyes widened when she saw Dan waltzing into her office, aiming a firearm. But the grievance in Dan’s eyes incited more fear than his weapon. His pupils were black fires of pure hatred.

Slipping past UniForce security had almost become mundane. It wasn’t at all difficult to sneak in unnoticed.

“What are you doing here?” Jackie demanded.

The fear contorting Michele’s expression signalled that she at least had a rough idea.

Next entered Simon, also with a pistol, and behind him came Jen.

Dan waved at each in turn and emotionlessly intoned, “Meet Simon West and Jennifer Cameron.”

Jackie pushed Michele to her feet, straightened her blouse and adjusted her collar. She was too embarrassed to be worried about the intruders. She was confident in her supreme ability to negotiate her way out of intense situations - without bloodshed.

“Sorry to interrupt you like this.” But Simon’s tone betrayed that he wasn’t sorry at all. “Jackie Donald, I presume?”

“That’s what the nameplate on the door says, doesn’t it?” she snapped, returning to her usual demeanour.

“Who’re you?” Simon asked, looking at the Penguin.

“It’s Michele Roche,” Dan said before Michele’s tardy brain could process the question. “She’s the head of the bounty hunter branch.”

“How convenient,” Simon said. “You’re both under arrest.”

Jackie scowled. “By whose authority?”

“The Republic of Australia,” Simon replied, proudly puffing out his chest.

“That’s ludicrous,” Jackie retorted, dismissing the notion with a curt wave. “I’m an American and I have rights. You can’t come here and-”

“You can shove your rights up your arse,” Dan said, taking a menacing pace forward.

Jackie stood, her scowl deepening with fury. “This is preposterous. You dare come here and place me under arrest? Do you understand who I am?” She glared at them. “What am I supposedly under arrest for?”

Simon had rehearsed his answer to that question, but now, presented with his chance, his speech evaporated from his mind. Instead, he blundered on, tripping frequently over the jagged words. “We have evidence implicating you, directly, in more that, what, more than 30 assassinations. That is, non-sanctioned assassinations,” Simon stressed. “We have evidence that proves you not only had knowledge of, but proves you actively promoted UniForce’s illegal assassination branch.” Ineloquent, but it did the trick. “You’ll be going to prison for the rest of your life - may it be particularly short.”

“You