something going,” Daphne said. “Something he’s keeping quiet. He was going to tell you about it. Then I showed up.” Staring after the outrunner, she shook her head. “I don’t like being aced out of anything. I don’t know when we’re gonna be able to collect the rest of our money from these Dahl bastards. They’ll say we didn’t do the job, just because theminers got scared and bugged out like a lotta pussies.”
Brick grunted and scratched his head. “I dunno. Roland’s okay. So what if he’s got a mission. None of my business. I can always find something to smash. Or someone.”
“Sure. But he’s being secretive. Must be something big! Anyway, I haven’t got anything else. I’d like to know what he’s up to.”
Brick grunted. “We could ask him.”
“How wegonna do that?”
“I dunno. Find him.”
She smiled. He seemed willing to tag along with her. She liked having him along—he was like a one-man army. Like having artillery. Only it was Brick.
“Okay. Let’s grab our stuff and get in my outrunner. We’re gonna follow and see what he’s up to.”
Brick looked at her with his head cocked, a sortof craftiness flickering in his eyes. “I wonder if I shouldask what you’re up to. I don’t know much about you.”
She gave him a friendly shot with her fist to the arm—it hurt her knuckles. “I’m up to finding us a fortune. I’ve got an intuition Roland’s gonna lead us to it.”
He gave another one of his seismic shrugs. “Sure. Out westerly—plenty of heads to bash. I’m in. But first, I’m hungry. I could eat two or three skags. In fact, I think I will. Thenwe go.”
“But we’ll lose them!”
“Naw. Not a lotta traffic out here. We got the moon, we got headlights. Out here, easy to follow tire tracks. We can be right up on Roland’s ass in no time.”
• • •
“Broomy and Cess should’ve reported back by now,” Smartun said, looking at the schedule. “We gave ’em two days, after the recall for the Second Division.”
Gynella glanced up from the computer scanshe was frowning over.
They were in her headquarters, a bunker with maps of Pandora all over the cement walls, tables with computers and communications equipment, glaring bulbs overhead, a chaise longue with a refreshment cabinet next to it for when she wanted to relax.
Smartun sometimes fantasized about stretching out on that chaise longue with her . . .
“What concerns me more,” said Gynella,“is all those men we lost.”
Smartun blinked and looked more closely at her. Was she really expressing compassion for lost soldiers?
“I mean,” she went on, “it’s a waste of resources. But . . .”
Ah, that made more sense.
“But, Smartun, it also demonstrates one thing. The man who killed most of them is a potentially valuable tool. He is a tool I wish to grip in my hand and use. A weapon I cantake to war.”
Smartun sniffed. “Oh, you mean Brick.”
“Yes. I had a choice of losing another twenty troopers taking him down or pulling them back and finding a way to recruit him. With him and Roland leading the First and Second Divisions, we can rule this planet.”
Smartun quivered inwardly. He liked it when she said we. “He had some help. That little woman with the tattoos.”
“Yes. That woman.I know exactly who she is. She does not know me, but I know her.”
“You reviewed the drone footage?”
“Yes.” She rewarded him with a smile. “You’re really quite clever with electronics. Your surveillance drones are . . . very responsive. And subtle. Daphne Kuller is alert, but she never spotted them.”
He chuckled. “They’re well camouflaged.”
“I recognized her the second I saw the vid. Sheoncekilled someone I was very close to. Of course, she was only doing her job, but I will punish her for it.”
• • •
Broomy’s face was nastily crisscrossed by crusting red slashes, the consequence of her encounter with Bloodwing. Still, Cess didn’t
Brick grunted and scratched his head. “I dunno. Roland’s okay. So what if he’s got a mission. None of my business. I can always find something to smash. Or someone.”
“Sure. But he’s being secretive. Must be something big! Anyway, I haven’t got anything else. I’d like to know what he’s up to.”
Brick grunted. “We could ask him.”
“How wegonna do that?”
“I dunno. Find him.”
She smiled. He seemed willing to tag along with her. She liked having him along—he was like a one-man army. Like having artillery. Only it was Brick.
“Okay. Let’s grab our stuff and get in my outrunner. We’re gonna follow and see what he’s up to.”
Brick looked at her with his head cocked, a sortof craftiness flickering in his eyes. “I wonder if I shouldask what you’re up to. I don’t know much about you.”
She gave him a friendly shot with her fist to the arm—it hurt her knuckles. “I’m up to finding us a fortune. I’ve got an intuition Roland’s gonna lead us to it.”
He gave another one of his seismic shrugs. “Sure. Out westerly—plenty of heads to bash. I’m in. But first, I’m hungry. I could eat two or three skags. In fact, I think I will. Thenwe go.”
“But we’ll lose them!”
“Naw. Not a lotta traffic out here. We got the moon, we got headlights. Out here, easy to follow tire tracks. We can be right up on Roland’s ass in no time.”
• • •
“Broomy and Cess should’ve reported back by now,” Smartun said, looking at the schedule. “We gave ’em two days, after the recall for the Second Division.”
Gynella glanced up from the computer scanshe was frowning over.
They were in her headquarters, a bunker with maps of Pandora all over the cement walls, tables with computers and communications equipment, glaring bulbs overhead, a chaise longue with a refreshment cabinet next to it for when she wanted to relax.
Smartun sometimes fantasized about stretching out on that chaise longue with her . . .
“What concerns me more,” said Gynella,“is all those men we lost.”
Smartun blinked and looked more closely at her. Was she really expressing compassion for lost soldiers?
“I mean,” she went on, “it’s a waste of resources. But . . .”
Ah, that made more sense.
“But, Smartun, it also demonstrates one thing. The man who killed most of them is a potentially valuable tool. He is a tool I wish to grip in my hand and use. A weapon I cantake to war.”
Smartun sniffed. “Oh, you mean Brick.”
“Yes. I had a choice of losing another twenty troopers taking him down or pulling them back and finding a way to recruit him. With him and Roland leading the First and Second Divisions, we can rule this planet.”
Smartun quivered inwardly. He liked it when she said we. “He had some help. That little woman with the tattoos.”
“Yes. That woman.I know exactly who she is. She does not know me, but I know her.”
“You reviewed the drone footage?”
“Yes.” She rewarded him with a smile. “You’re really quite clever with electronics. Your surveillance drones are . . . very responsive. And subtle. Daphne Kuller is alert, but she never spotted them.”
He chuckled. “They’re well camouflaged.”
“I recognized her the second I saw the vid. Sheoncekilled someone I was very close to. Of course, she was only doing her job, but I will punish her for it.”
• • •
Broomy’s face was nastily crisscrossed by crusting red slashes, the consequence of her encounter with Bloodwing. Still, Cess didn’t
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