giant reptiles displayed when they attacked the corpse she dumped in the river earlier. She was not comfortable with the idea of murder, justified or otherwise.
"No. I cannot condone murder," said Gelad with a cold glare. Lainne was relieved that the Israeli had voiced her own reservations. "No matter how appealing."
The three were silent, listening to the voices of the distant police officers scouring the crime scene amidst the droning of air-cruisers and UAVs.
"I have a better idea," said Gelad after a moment. "Leave him here."
Heck raised an eyebrow at the bizarre suggestion, but gave it some thought.
"Just kill me and get it over with," came a growl from the prisoner. These were the first words the assassin had said to anyone, and to the surprise of Heck and Gelad, they were spoken with a hard-edged Austrian accent. "I would die a horrible death should my superiors learn I allowed myself to be captured."
"Uh huh," said Heck, suspicious that the disciplined assassin had chosen this moment to speak. "I thought your type welcomed death. Isn't martyrdom an honor?"
"Maybe for some. The Crescent Moon has lost its way, I am dishonored by my connection to them. My death will only bring me to the same Hell that you unbelievers will no doubt see very soon."
"Well, aren't you an enigma? Austrian? German?"
"What does my background matter under the circumstances?" It didn't and Heck knew that. His lawman instincts told him to collect whatever data he could, that the intelligence on the recruiting habits of the Soldiers of the Crescent Moon would be invaluable. But Heck wasn't a lawman anymore. And he didn't give a damn about the Commonwealth anymore either.
"You're right. So let's get on with this."
"You can't be thinking about doing this!" exclaimed Lainne. "Heck? Are you?"
"We are in a desperate situation, Ms. Connor," added Gelad.
"But that's murder!"
"Give me a gun, if it will ease your conscience," offered the assassin. "It would be more honorable than being captured."
"Then you get what you want. But what do I get? It'd be far easier, and less messy for us, to leave you here for your friends to find you."
"Do what you will, Marshal," said the prisoner as he lay on his side on the muddy floor. "I am a dead man no matter what you choose to do."
"Tell you what, Soldier. Tell me what I need to know and I'll leave you in here with one hand chained to the wall and a loaded gun in the other."
The prisoner laughed as though the ex-lawman had just told him a very funny joke. "Fine, Marshal," he said as he caught his breath. "If you are that weak of a man that you cannot do it yourself."
"Should I let the Israeli kill you?" asked Heck, with a snarl on his face. The prisoner glanced at Gelad and quieted. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind that job."
"No, Marshal," said the prisoner soberly. "Yours is the better plan. But I will answer no questions from him."
"Fine. Who are you here to kill?"
"You."
"Me? Why?"
"A cigarette for a dying man?" asked the assassin with a glance at Lainne. The woman was unnerved at how this killer could know that she smoked.
"I'm afraid mine are soaked. They're no good now."
The prisoner nodded to the pile of boxes behind her. When Lainne saw that there was a sealed container behind her with the Sunshine Cigarettes logo on it, she blushed with embarrassment.
Heck smirked at her but nodded his approval of the prisoner's request.
How is it these men can do this to me?
"Because you are the only one that my order fears," said the man as Lainne put a lit cigarette to his lips. The man inhaled deeply and blew out a cloud of smoke through his teeth. "You have control of the only Centaurus Device left in existence. When the U999 mines were destroyed along with Alamo Drift by the Commonwealth, the elimination of that technology was all but assured."
"So, you thought you'd kill me and take the device. Only I don't have it anymore."
"That does not matter, Marshal. You would have hidden it where it
"No. I cannot condone murder," said Gelad with a cold glare. Lainne was relieved that the Israeli had voiced her own reservations. "No matter how appealing."
The three were silent, listening to the voices of the distant police officers scouring the crime scene amidst the droning of air-cruisers and UAVs.
"I have a better idea," said Gelad after a moment. "Leave him here."
Heck raised an eyebrow at the bizarre suggestion, but gave it some thought.
"Just kill me and get it over with," came a growl from the prisoner. These were the first words the assassin had said to anyone, and to the surprise of Heck and Gelad, they were spoken with a hard-edged Austrian accent. "I would die a horrible death should my superiors learn I allowed myself to be captured."
"Uh huh," said Heck, suspicious that the disciplined assassin had chosen this moment to speak. "I thought your type welcomed death. Isn't martyrdom an honor?"
"Maybe for some. The Crescent Moon has lost its way, I am dishonored by my connection to them. My death will only bring me to the same Hell that you unbelievers will no doubt see very soon."
"Well, aren't you an enigma? Austrian? German?"
"What does my background matter under the circumstances?" It didn't and Heck knew that. His lawman instincts told him to collect whatever data he could, that the intelligence on the recruiting habits of the Soldiers of the Crescent Moon would be invaluable. But Heck wasn't a lawman anymore. And he didn't give a damn about the Commonwealth anymore either.
"You're right. So let's get on with this."
"You can't be thinking about doing this!" exclaimed Lainne. "Heck? Are you?"
"We are in a desperate situation, Ms. Connor," added Gelad.
"But that's murder!"
"Give me a gun, if it will ease your conscience," offered the assassin. "It would be more honorable than being captured."
"Then you get what you want. But what do I get? It'd be far easier, and less messy for us, to leave you here for your friends to find you."
"Do what you will, Marshal," said the prisoner as he lay on his side on the muddy floor. "I am a dead man no matter what you choose to do."
"Tell you what, Soldier. Tell me what I need to know and I'll leave you in here with one hand chained to the wall and a loaded gun in the other."
The prisoner laughed as though the ex-lawman had just told him a very funny joke. "Fine, Marshal," he said as he caught his breath. "If you are that weak of a man that you cannot do it yourself."
"Should I let the Israeli kill you?" asked Heck, with a snarl on his face. The prisoner glanced at Gelad and quieted. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind that job."
"No, Marshal," said the prisoner soberly. "Yours is the better plan. But I will answer no questions from him."
"Fine. Who are you here to kill?"
"You."
"Me? Why?"
"A cigarette for a dying man?" asked the assassin with a glance at Lainne. The woman was unnerved at how this killer could know that she smoked.
"I'm afraid mine are soaked. They're no good now."
The prisoner nodded to the pile of boxes behind her. When Lainne saw that there was a sealed container behind her with the Sunshine Cigarettes logo on it, she blushed with embarrassment.
Heck smirked at her but nodded his approval of the prisoner's request.
How is it these men can do this to me?
"Because you are the only one that my order fears," said the man as Lainne put a lit cigarette to his lips. The man inhaled deeply and blew out a cloud of smoke through his teeth. "You have control of the only Centaurus Device left in existence. When the U999 mines were destroyed along with Alamo Drift by the Commonwealth, the elimination of that technology was all but assured."
"So, you thought you'd kill me and take the device. Only I don't have it anymore."
"That does not matter, Marshal. You would have hidden it where it
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