what they’re scared of,’ he replied. ‘I would have had you, Pierre. A month more, maybe two. And your backer too.’
Remembering deep competence helped Jack’s self-control reassert itself. It was surprising how relaxed he felt. He started wondering how he could make use of Akhmatov’s evident interest in him. He had his own abilities to draw on. He’d always been the most forensically precise of Grey’s auditors. That skill set had existed long before Fist had climbed out of his subconscious and into the processing nodes nestled snugly against his spine.
‘Oh no, Jack. You couldn’t have touched us.’
‘Really? We knew that Bjorn Penderville was working for you. We were about to prove that you’d had Aud Yamata kill him. I had most of your network analysed. I knew when your shipments were coming in, how you used sweathead avoidance codes to make them invisible, who your dealers were, how they transferred their profits to you and how you laundered them – even how you paid your suppliers.’
‘Aud Yamata,’ spat Akhmatov. ‘That bitch.’ He took a moment to recover himself. ‘But let’s not get sidetracked. Your investigation was very impressive, but you didn’t have the most important thing.’
‘Yamata’s Pantheon protector? I saw the traces. I would have followed them back and found out who it was. And Harry and I would have shut them down.’
‘And taken down a god. You know, I think that’s something you might have been capable of. You were certainly very good at your job, the best perhaps. Yamata and her master saw you as a very major threat. They wanted you dead. Grey must have fought hard for you, to keep your punishment so light. And Harry – well, you heard how we had to deal with him, in the end.’
Akhmatov slowly and deliberately made a pistol shape with his hand. He pointed a two-fingered nozzle towards Jack. His thumb came down like a hammer.
‘Bang.’
[Shit, Jack. He’s going to kill you.]
‘InSec are watching me. If I die, they’ll want to know how. They’ll find you quickly enough.’
Akhmatov laughed. ‘And once again, Yamata’s patron would steer them away from me. But you’ll be relieved to hear that my hands are tied. I’ve been ordered very specifically not to harm your little man or his future property. There are other plans in place for that little weapon’s special talents.’
[ Well that’s a relief,] said Fist.
[ No it’s not. It’s very worrying.]
‘But when my panthers bite,’ continued Akhmatov. ‘they cut deep into the mind and leave no wounds in the flesh. As you are about to find out.’
[ Ha!] said Fist. [ No physical damage at all!]
[ It’s still going to hurt.]
[ What’s a little pain, Jackie boy? You’ll get through it. Maybe it’ll even teach you to keep out of harm’s way.]
‘I will ravage you and break you, without touching your body at all. And I’ll show my masters that I’ve done so and laugh, and maybe they’ll be that little bit less scared of your puppet, and they’ll respect me just a little bit more, and my life will become that little bit easier.’
Akhmatov made a complex gesture with his left hand. Four matt-black faces turned towards Jack. They started to change. The room shifted with them. Gloom fell, silvered with a luminous moonlit haze. The air was suddenly dense with the scent of rich earth and new growth, with the whispering of a soft breeze through leaves. The moonlight caught at vines and small trees as they grew, reaching up to the empty sky above.
‘Akhmatov? Where are you?’
[ He’s a tricky sod.]
Jack stood up. The chair disappeared. He was standing in a small clearing. Small wild sounds washed over him. Insects scraped at themselves, scratching noisily in the night. Birds leapt into being and started to sing. There was a distant scream. Jack remembered playing with monkeys at Old Earth simulations. When they were frightened they’d open their mouths wide until their gums showed and
Remembering deep competence helped Jack’s self-control reassert itself. It was surprising how relaxed he felt. He started wondering how he could make use of Akhmatov’s evident interest in him. He had his own abilities to draw on. He’d always been the most forensically precise of Grey’s auditors. That skill set had existed long before Fist had climbed out of his subconscious and into the processing nodes nestled snugly against his spine.
‘Oh no, Jack. You couldn’t have touched us.’
‘Really? We knew that Bjorn Penderville was working for you. We were about to prove that you’d had Aud Yamata kill him. I had most of your network analysed. I knew when your shipments were coming in, how you used sweathead avoidance codes to make them invisible, who your dealers were, how they transferred their profits to you and how you laundered them – even how you paid your suppliers.’
‘Aud Yamata,’ spat Akhmatov. ‘That bitch.’ He took a moment to recover himself. ‘But let’s not get sidetracked. Your investigation was very impressive, but you didn’t have the most important thing.’
‘Yamata’s Pantheon protector? I saw the traces. I would have followed them back and found out who it was. And Harry and I would have shut them down.’
‘And taken down a god. You know, I think that’s something you might have been capable of. You were certainly very good at your job, the best perhaps. Yamata and her master saw you as a very major threat. They wanted you dead. Grey must have fought hard for you, to keep your punishment so light. And Harry – well, you heard how we had to deal with him, in the end.’
Akhmatov slowly and deliberately made a pistol shape with his hand. He pointed a two-fingered nozzle towards Jack. His thumb came down like a hammer.
‘Bang.’
[Shit, Jack. He’s going to kill you.]
‘InSec are watching me. If I die, they’ll want to know how. They’ll find you quickly enough.’
Akhmatov laughed. ‘And once again, Yamata’s patron would steer them away from me. But you’ll be relieved to hear that my hands are tied. I’ve been ordered very specifically not to harm your little man or his future property. There are other plans in place for that little weapon’s special talents.’
[ Well that’s a relief,] said Fist.
[ No it’s not. It’s very worrying.]
‘But when my panthers bite,’ continued Akhmatov. ‘they cut deep into the mind and leave no wounds in the flesh. As you are about to find out.’
[ Ha!] said Fist. [ No physical damage at all!]
[ It’s still going to hurt.]
[ What’s a little pain, Jackie boy? You’ll get through it. Maybe it’ll even teach you to keep out of harm’s way.]
‘I will ravage you and break you, without touching your body at all. And I’ll show my masters that I’ve done so and laugh, and maybe they’ll be that little bit less scared of your puppet, and they’ll respect me just a little bit more, and my life will become that little bit easier.’
Akhmatov made a complex gesture with his left hand. Four matt-black faces turned towards Jack. They started to change. The room shifted with them. Gloom fell, silvered with a luminous moonlit haze. The air was suddenly dense with the scent of rich earth and new growth, with the whispering of a soft breeze through leaves. The moonlight caught at vines and small trees as they grew, reaching up to the empty sky above.
‘Akhmatov? Where are you?’
[ He’s a tricky sod.]
Jack stood up. The chair disappeared. He was standing in a small clearing. Small wild sounds washed over him. Insects scraped at themselves, scratching noisily in the night. Birds leapt into being and started to sing. There was a distant scream. Jack remembered playing with monkeys at Old Earth simulations. When they were frightened they’d open their mouths wide until their gums showed and
Similar Books
