gestured for them to enter. The interior of the car smelled of old leather and cigars.
Minutes later the car halted at the penthouse. The doors opened to reveal the hulking figure of an ogre blocking the way.
The ogre's massive jaw jutted forward, flaring his apelike nostrils. Palmer recognized him; the last time he'd seen him, he was chomping away on Renfield's left leg like a drumstick.
Palmer rolled his eyes. "I told you this was a bad idea."
The ogre's lips peeled back in a rictus grin, revealing teeth better suited for a shark's mouth.
"Keif! Heel! Heel, damn you!"
The ogre moved aside, permitting a narrow-shouldered man in a nondescript suit and tortoiseshell spectacles, a clipboard clutched to his chest, to step forward.
"I'm Doctor Pangloss's assistant. He's in the gymnasium right now. If you'd like to wait..."
"I'd like to see him. Now."
The assistant scowled at his clipboard. "I'm afraid that's not possible."
Sonja Blue stepped forward, pushing her face into his. "Now. "
The assistant's pale face grew even pastier. "Permit me to show you the way."
The gymnasium was larger than most of the apartments Palmer had lived in.
Parallel bars and other acrobatic equipment were scattered about, while a state-of-the-art Nautilus machine crouched in one corner like a chromium spider. But what held their attention were the two men, dressed in the mesh faceguards and starched white tunics of professional fencers, dueling with sabers in the middle of the room.
As they watched, one of the duelists drove his weapon through his opponent's chest, neatly skewering the tunic's red heart. The wounded fencer, still clutching his saber, staggered backward, staring at the length of cold steel jutting from his breastbone.
A dry chuckle emerged from inside the victor's visor as he turned to leave.
The moment his foe's back was turned, the wounded swordsman swung his blade, neatly decapitating his adversary in midstride. The head, still encased in the protective face guard, bounced a couple of times before rolling to a stop near Sonja's right foot.
Pangloss removed his own visor and tossed it aside, motioning for his assistant to pull the saber free of his chest. For the first time Palmer was able to see his erstwhile
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( http://www.novapdf.com ) employer's eyes. They were the color of garnets, bisected by a narrow, reptilian pupil.
"I'm glad that's over and done with! What a bore! Always going on about those scars he got at Heidelberg. Why, I remember when Heidelberg was no more than a wide spot in the road!" He winced as the sword was removed. Blood the color and consistency of transmission fluid spurted briefly from the wound. "Ah! That's much better-it was starting to itch."
"Is there anything else I can do for you, Doctor?"
"That will be all, Renfield. I will see to our guest myself."
"Very good, sir. I'll have Keif dispose of Herr Gruenwald."
Palmer watched the pinch-faced young man exit the room, then swung to face Pangloss. "You called him Renfield!"
"What of it?" replied the vampire as he unfastened the buckles of his tunic.
"Renfield's dead! I saw him die!"
Pangloss sighed and his pupils flexed. "My dear Mr. Palmer, the world is full of renfields! Just like it's full of letter openers and paper clips. You don't christen each and every paper clip you use with its own name, do you? The operative our charming Ms. Blue terminated was one of my renfields. Just as you are one of hers."
Palmer felt his face color. "Hold it, buddy, I don't like what you're implying-!"
Sonja raised her hand for silence. "Stop baiting him, Pangloss. You lost out. You should have known something like that would happen when you sent a loose cannon to twist him."
"I prefer the term 'reprogram.' It sounds so much more up to date. Don't you agree?"
Sonja snorted and folded her arms across her chest. "I didn't come here to play word games, Herr Doktor. "
Pangloss clucked
Minutes later the car halted at the penthouse. The doors opened to reveal the hulking figure of an ogre blocking the way.
The ogre's massive jaw jutted forward, flaring his apelike nostrils. Palmer recognized him; the last time he'd seen him, he was chomping away on Renfield's left leg like a drumstick.
Palmer rolled his eyes. "I told you this was a bad idea."
The ogre's lips peeled back in a rictus grin, revealing teeth better suited for a shark's mouth.
"Keif! Heel! Heel, damn you!"
The ogre moved aside, permitting a narrow-shouldered man in a nondescript suit and tortoiseshell spectacles, a clipboard clutched to his chest, to step forward.
"I'm Doctor Pangloss's assistant. He's in the gymnasium right now. If you'd like to wait..."
"I'd like to see him. Now."
The assistant scowled at his clipboard. "I'm afraid that's not possible."
Sonja Blue stepped forward, pushing her face into his. "Now. "
The assistant's pale face grew even pastier. "Permit me to show you the way."
The gymnasium was larger than most of the apartments Palmer had lived in.
Parallel bars and other acrobatic equipment were scattered about, while a state-of-the-art Nautilus machine crouched in one corner like a chromium spider. But what held their attention were the two men, dressed in the mesh faceguards and starched white tunics of professional fencers, dueling with sabers in the middle of the room.
As they watched, one of the duelists drove his weapon through his opponent's chest, neatly skewering the tunic's red heart. The wounded fencer, still clutching his saber, staggered backward, staring at the length of cold steel jutting from his breastbone.
A dry chuckle emerged from inside the victor's visor as he turned to leave.
The moment his foe's back was turned, the wounded swordsman swung his blade, neatly decapitating his adversary in midstride. The head, still encased in the protective face guard, bounced a couple of times before rolling to a stop near Sonja's right foot.
Pangloss removed his own visor and tossed it aside, motioning for his assistant to pull the saber free of his chest. For the first time Palmer was able to see his erstwhile
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( http://www.novapdf.com ) employer's eyes. They were the color of garnets, bisected by a narrow, reptilian pupil.
"I'm glad that's over and done with! What a bore! Always going on about those scars he got at Heidelberg. Why, I remember when Heidelberg was no more than a wide spot in the road!" He winced as the sword was removed. Blood the color and consistency of transmission fluid spurted briefly from the wound. "Ah! That's much better-it was starting to itch."
"Is there anything else I can do for you, Doctor?"
"That will be all, Renfield. I will see to our guest myself."
"Very good, sir. I'll have Keif dispose of Herr Gruenwald."
Palmer watched the pinch-faced young man exit the room, then swung to face Pangloss. "You called him Renfield!"
"What of it?" replied the vampire as he unfastened the buckles of his tunic.
"Renfield's dead! I saw him die!"
Pangloss sighed and his pupils flexed. "My dear Mr. Palmer, the world is full of renfields! Just like it's full of letter openers and paper clips. You don't christen each and every paper clip you use with its own name, do you? The operative our charming Ms. Blue terminated was one of my renfields. Just as you are one of hers."
Palmer felt his face color. "Hold it, buddy, I don't like what you're implying-!"
Sonja raised her hand for silence. "Stop baiting him, Pangloss. You lost out. You should have known something like that would happen when you sent a loose cannon to twist him."
"I prefer the term 'reprogram.' It sounds so much more up to date. Don't you agree?"
Sonja snorted and folded her arms across her chest. "I didn't come here to play word games, Herr Doktor. "
Pangloss clucked
Similar Books
