Banished Worlds by Grant Workman, Mary Workman Page A

control. I managed to jerk it free from the injured compound boss. Even though I still barely had a grip on the gun, I pushed it under Big Chin’s jaw and fired. He stopped his struggling, or moving at all, and the gun’s recoil caused it to fly from my hand to sliding across the open floor.
    I was tired. The gun was some ten feet away and laying at Bender’s feet. He and I stared at one another, and both of us looked toward the gun. Everyone was still and silent. They did not expect Big Chin to be dead.
    Bender bent over and picked up the weapon. He walked slowly toward me with the gun in his hand. We stared hard at one another.
    “You dropped this, Boss,” he said and held the gun, butt first, out to me. “We need to get you upstairs to a proper dinner and see how you want to start the day tomorrow.”
    I took the gun and he took hold of my hand to help me to my feet. Jenkins, Roberts, and Bikes moved in around us. “Bikes, get Big Chin’s holster for me, would you please, and check out his pockets. Anything you don’t want, bring it to me. Jenkins, Roberts, with us. Bender, lead on please and everyone else stay.”
    “Sir, what’s your name,” someone in the crowd yelled.
    “Danbeu,” Bender yelled to the crowd, “Boss Danbeu, now back to your places.”
    We all headed up to Big Chin’s quarters, now mine. The air conditioning felt great after my day, so far. Once inside, I ordered the room cleared of anyone not invited, then turned to Jenkins. “I need new bodyguards, ones you trust, and send these guys to the red section, or wherever you like.”
    Jenkins nodded and left.
    Bikes had not finished with Big Chin yet, so that left me, Roberts, and Bender alone. I turned to him. “Okay, why?” I asked.
    Bender’s eyes jerked to Roberts, then back to me; it was an involuntary reaction.
    “Understand,” I replied.
    “I figured it this way, if you lost, I got your woman.” Bender looked to Roberts. “I could make life easy for you here, you’d come around eventually.” Bender looked back to me. “If you won, which I didn’t think you would, you’d have me to thank for moving you up in the world.”
    “You have to be kidding,” Roberts said, stepping closer to Bender. It sure looked like she was going to hit him, so I cut her off.
    “He had a goal and a plan to reach it. I can see it, even if we do not agree with it, I understand his plan. One thing, Bender, you ever try something like this against me again and I’ll gut you like a fish! Clear?”
    Bender swallowed hard. “Yes, sir.”
    “Now, leave. Have Jenkins put the guards outside of the doors and you come back just before morning. Jenkins’ demo team is down until I say differently. Other than that, business as usual. Go.”
    “Yes, sir.” Bender departed, which left Roberts and I alone. I moved to the chairs at the table and sat down. Roberts followed, but remained standing.
    “Are you okay?” she asked. “That was a lot of punches to the body.” She knelt down in front of me, stared up into my face with those crystal blue eyes, and I was lost in the past. “Are you in there?” she asked. Concern showed in her expression.
    “Price’s second skin armor works well. I’m fine, but tired.”
    Roberts stood up. “Come on, Chin had to have a bed up here somewhere.”
    I sat up straight. “One kiss and it’s to bed, huh? I have been out of the network too long.”
    She laughed, forced herself to stop, but took hold of my hand and pulled me to my feet. “You rest, I will be on guard. A few hours of sleep, sleep only, clear?”
    We found the bed, and like the rest of Chin’s place, it was the best of what they had to offer in the compound. There were clean, fresh sheets behind a thick drawn curtain that separated the bed area from the rest of the upper level quarters.
    “You can’t tell me that more than a handful of people know about the condition of this place, of Chin’s way of life up here, and his guards, as opposed to