Mag Force - Hung Out Part 13

"You want to know how they treat cyborgs there, Xris? The guards hand you your leg and your arm when you go out to the mines. The guards remove your leg and your arm when they put you back in your cell. There you liea" alone, defenseless. How long do you figure you'll last on Sandusky's Rock, Xris?" Amadi regarded him reflectively. "Now that they know you were once a cop."

"So that's how the word got out." Xris snorted. "Thanks a lot, Amadi, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Well, before you transport me, maybe you should know something.

"There's a file on a certain computer we've left with Bear Olefsky. You know him? Friend of the king? This file has information in it pertaining to the Hung and one Agent William Armstrong. You remember him? Agent Armstrong made everyone think he was working for us, when all along he was really working for the Hung, handing them all kinds of key information, which they used to build their criminal organization into one of the richest, most powerful syndicates in the galaxy."

"Armstrong's dead," Amadi said coolly. "The Hung murdered him."

"So everyone would like to believe," Xris said. "We happen to know differentlya"Rowan and I. Rowan and I and Bear Olefsky. Armstrong was murdered, but not by the Hung. Oh, I don't doubt that he was on their list. His cover was blown. His usefulness to them had run out. But someone else got to him first. Someone inside the Bureau. Rowan was there. He saw the body. He's got proof. If this proof is handed over to the pressa"and I've left instructions for Bear Olefsky to hand it over if anything happens to mea"how are you going to look, Amadi?

"You were Armstrong's boss. Either you didn't know he was a traitor, in which case you look like one of the guys who goes prancing around in pointy-toed shoes, wearing a cap with bells on it, or you did know he was selling secrets to the Hung, in which case you and I might get to be cell mates."

Xris attempted to scratch his shoulder by rubbing it on the back of his chair. "You don't snore, do you, boss?"

Amadi regarded Xris with unblinking eyes for long moments. Then he said quietly, "I killed him."

Xris stared, startled. Whatever he'd been expecting, it wasn't this. "I'll be d.a.m.ned," he said.

Amadi stood up. Turning his back, he walked across the room until he reached the wall. He stood there, staring at the paint, then he pivoted.

"I had no choice. He'd hung us out to dry!" Amadi said bitterly. "No pun intended."

"You had a choice," Xris countered. "You could have arrested him, brought him to triala""

"Break the news that one of our own agents had been handing our plans to the Hung? Tell the press that this one agent had thrown a laser spanner into I don't know how many operations, that a number of agents had been killed because of him? And that this had been going on right under my nose for about five years? You're right. I could have done that. Maybe it's what I should have done, but I didn't.

"My careera"thirty yearsa"shot. My pension shot. And where the h.e.l.l was I supposed to get another job? At my age?"

Xris didn't respond. There didn't seem to be any answer for that one. He stared down at the restrainer on his good leg and thought about Amadi losing a comfortable retirement; about Ito, losing his life.

"And then there'd be the trial." Amadi shoved his hands into his pants pockets. His fists were clenched into tight b.a.l.l.s. "Much of our evidence against the Hung had pa.s.sed through Armstrong's hands. We brand him a traitor and where would that leave us? We'd have to toss out everything and start over! Flush an investigation that had been ongoing for years down the toilet.

"I looked at those two roads, Xris. I saw one road filled with c.r.a.p and muck, leading exactly nowhere, and I saw the other road as clear, as bright as ... as ..."

"A single shot through the head?"

"Yes." Amadi was grim. "A single shot to the head. That's all it took. One shot and you were avenged. Mashashiro Ito was avenged. All those others who gave their lives were avenged. The trial went on. It was successful. The Hung were put away."

"And your afternoons on the golf course were a.s.sured," Xris said.

Amadi regarded him coldly. "And what would you have done if you'd gotten to him first, Xris? Tell me that."

Xris looked up, smiled. "The same, boss. I'd have done the same. Except I wouldn't have made it so clean and quick. I would have pulled his legs and arms off first, so he would have known what it feels like."

He was quiet a moment, thinking. "So that takes care of Armstrong. That's one of my questions answered. The other is: Why am I here? If it was to hear your confession, you ought to know that I've been defrocked."

Amadi returned to his chair. The room was growing uncomfortably warm and the smell of disinfectant wafted from Xris's prison uniform, mingled with his body odor. He was only allowed to shower once every other day.

Amadi leaned closer, a truly heroic gesture.

"The Hung leaders are in prison, but their organization's doing business as usual. Even better than usual. You know that for yourself."

"Yeah," Xris said. "I know. So does Rowan."

"We thought we had taken them down, but we were wrong. They had financial resources tucked away somewhere. The Hung leaders laid low a couple of yearsa"long enough for us to look the other directiona"then they started up operations again. They began small, but they're not small any longer. They had good people after Rowan, didn't they? Experts? Spared no expense?"

Xris nodded.

"I told you last time we talked that I thought Rowan knew the location of the Hung's stash anda""

"I asked her," Xris said, interrupting. "She doesn't."

"Maybe I believe you. Maybe I don't. The fact is, the Hung do. They think that Rowan either knows or could find out. She's a threat to them and their operation and she'll be a threat as long as she's alive. And there's not much you can do to stop them, is there, Xris? You and I both know that if someone wants to kill a person and he works at it actively, with a modic.u.m of intelligence and luck, he'll succeed."

Xris kept silent.

"My guess is that you must be feeling pretty helpless about now," Amadi continued. "You can't protect Rowan while you're in here. Oh, they may have lost her trail for now, but sooner or later they'll find her. And she's not helping matters by playing 'tag, you're it' with one of my agents."

"Oh, yeah?" Xris thought he should look surprised.

Amadi scratched at his left eyebrow. "You remember that Talisian agent, Rizzoli?"

"The human hurricane?"

"That's her. She discovered someone had hacked into the Bureau computers, tampered with a few filesa"you can guess whose. The hacker left his, or should I say her, footprints all over the place. You never want to take Rizzoli shopping for good crystal, but she's got brains. She latched onto Rowan right off."

"What did she do with the information?" Xris asked, though of course he knew. If his heart hadn't been surgically glued in place, it would have sunk down to his shoes.

Make that shoe.

Amadi smiled. "She gave the info to her bossa"me."

"And you dida""

"I handled it. I had a talk with Rizzoli. I told her to drop it. I said she was getting all worked up over nothing more ominous than a forgetful file clerk. I was nice to her. She's young, eager. Wants to make Bureau chief. I didn't tromp all over her illusions."

"You'll be canonized someday, Amadi," Xris a.s.sured him. "I only hope I live to see it. Did she drop the case?"

"Of course." Amadi appeared amazed that Xris would even consider otherwise. "I'm her superior. What else would she do? She deleted the files."

Well, so much for that idea. Still, it wouldn't be like Rowan to give up. He just hoped she didn't stretch her neck out too far.

Xris tried to sound sympathetic. "I'm sorry Rowan's bothering your employees during business hours. If you'll drop the charges and get me the h.e.l.l out of here, I'll have a talk with her."

Amadi was shaking his head. "I can't do that, Xris. I wish I could, but I can't. There's a reason you're in here, a reason which you've probably already guessed."

"You want to help me stop smoking? Thanks, Amadi, buta""

"Would you quit being the comedian and listen for one G.o.ddam minute?" Amadi shouted.

Xris had never before heard Amadi raise his voice, had never before seen him lose his cool, calm demeanor. Amadi was stressed, stretched good and tight.

Here it comes, Xris thought. He shut his mouth, thinking he'd never wanted anything as much in his life as he wanted a twist right about now.

Amadi rose abruptly, paced the length of the room, one hand rubbing the back of his head. He looked like someone trying to steel himself to jump into a pool filled with sharks.

Xris would have been only too happy to give his former boss a shove. What the h.e.l.l did Amadi want? Not Rowan; that much was clear.

Amadi spent perhaps five minutes pacing the room. Suddenly he stopped, turned, faced Xris.

"I want you to do a job for me."

Xris cast a glance at his restrainers, the stinking prison uniform, the crutch. Shaking his head, he grinned.

"You could have just hired me, Amadi. I admit that I don't come cheap, but I would've given you a cut rate. For old time's sake."

"No, I couldn't hire you, Xris. Not for this job."

"Why not? h.e.l.l, I'll do just about anything for money. Provided it's legal, of course."

"Of course." Amadi smiled sourly. "Like stealing robots. Never mind. You wouldn't have done this, not for all the money in His Majesty's treasury. That's why I had to set you up. I need you, Xris. You're the best. You're the only one I can trust."

"What's the job?" Xris was wary.

"Breaking the leaders of the Hung out of prison."

CHAPTER 13.

Don't fight forces; use them.

Richard Buckminster Fuller, Shelter So. We were right, Rowan and I. It is you. You're the one at the top. You're the one holding hands with the Hung. And now you're going to spring your buddies from prison. What's the excuse? So they'd be killed in the escape? So they'd lead you to the money? This should be entertaining.

Careful, Xris, careful, my friend. This is your chance. Your chance to expose Amadi and take care of the Hung all at the same time. But he's got to believe you....

"How much?" Xris asked.

Amadi looked surprised, then disappointed.

"What's the matter, Amadi?" Xris's mouth twisted in a bitter smile. "Did you think I'd do this for love of king and country? You're asking me to spring the slugs who killed Ito and made me into the Tin Man. I'll squat on Sandusky's Rock until my innards rust before I'll do that unless ... unless you make it worth my time. Well worth my time."

"You've got it all wrong, Xris! I swear it. At least listen to what I have to say."

Xris thought he should allow himself to be persuaded. He glanced pointedly at his restrainers. "You have a captive audience."

Amadi sat down across from Xris. Amadi tried his hardest to look at Xris, but his eyes didn't find the view to be particularly pleasant, for they kept shifting. Sometimes to a point over Xris's left shoulder, sometimes to the blank wall, sometimes to Amadi's own hands, resting white-knuckled on his knees.

"The Hung leaders were sentenced to a labor prisona" not Sandusky's Rock, but one like it. That was back in the days of President Robes, when anyone and everything in the government was for sale. The Hung were able to purchase an upgrade. They managed to get themselves transferred to Jangoa"a white-collar, executive prison designed for the 'right' sort of criminal who doesn't hurt anyone. Like accountants who've embezzled money from their firms and left a couple thousand of their fellow employees to stand in unemployment lines. Or crooked stockbrokers who swindle the elderly out of their pensions. Those who aren't a real danger to society."

Xris snorted. "You can save the righteous indignation for your interview with GNN. Don't waste it on me."

Amadi smiled, shrugged. "All right, Xris. Plain and simple. The three Hung leaders are living in a comfortable penthouse cell, complete with vids, mags, and monthly conjugal visits from their wives and/or girlfriends. They have access to a library. They attend cla.s.ses taught by university professors. One of the gentlemen even went for his Ph.D. at taxpayer expense. They have their secret stash of funds. They're conducting business as usual. Better than usual, because they have the perfect alibi. They're in prison. Who can touch them?"

"And now they want out?" Xris was skeptical. "Why? Doesn't the Ph.D. want to wait until he completes his thesis?"

"I don't know," Amadi said, looking worried. "I'm not sure. A combination of circ.u.mstances, maybe."

He knows d.a.m.n well why these men want out. Xris had no choice, however, but to appear helpful.

"Rowan," he said.

"Undoubtedly," Amadi agreed. "The Hung know their agents failed to take her down. They believe that Rowan knows the location of their funds. That means Rowan could ruin them, put them out of business, this time for good. Their lieutenants have botched the job. Maybe they figure that it's time they got personally involved. Maybe they want to do that and move their stash to a new and safer location."

"Why not have their contacts on the outside do that?"

"Would you give a subordinatea"a subordinate you know to be crooked because he's working for youa"access to forty billion golden eagles?"

"That's what they're worth?"

"A conservative estimate," Amadi said dryly.

And how much of that is lining the pocket of that expensive suit you're wearing? Xris wondered.

"Then they won't miss a couple of million," he said aloud. "Which is what I charge for breaking b.a.s.t.a.r.ds out of prison. One question: Why don't they use their own people to bust them loose?"

"This job requires specialized training and equipment. The Hung employs smugglers, drug traffickers, murderers, thieves, and corrupt politicians. Not the sort who can disable the surveillance satellites surrounding Jango or fly the s.p.a.ceplane that has to outrun Navy gunships or provide the muscle and brains, skill and resources that's going to put this plan together. They have to look for outside talent. Your name happened to come up in conversation."

Xris was polite. "Thanks, Amadi, but you shouldn't have gone to all that trouble. Here's what I want. Six million gold eagles. Cash. Nontraceable. Half up front. Half when the job's done."

Amadi appeared uneasy. "That's alot of money, Xris."

"d.a.m.n right it is! This job will cost a lot of money. And I get a certain satisfaction out of thinking that the Hung will pay for it. That's the deal. Take it or leave it. By the way, my lawyer thinks I've got a real good chance of getting out on appeal."

"All right," Amadi said reluctantly. "Give me an account number. The money will be there. I'll be honest with you, Xrisa""

"Yeah, you do that, Amadi. And hurry it up, will you? My b.u.t.t's going to sleep."

"The Hung are a thorn in our side. Thorn?" Amadi sighed. "Make that a plasma burst torpedo! These three have murdered enough people to populate a small planet. The drugs they sell have left others wishing they were dead. The Hung have screwed up the economies of any number of nations with their counterfeiting operations. We have to shut them down."

"You don't need to sell me, Amadi. I'm highly in favor of the idea. So how about this? I go into Jango with a small quant.i.ty of a very deadly substance that a friend of mine makesa""

Amadi laid his hand on Xris's good arm. "Don't even think about it, Xris. Three important prisoners turn up dead in their cells and you think no one's going to ask questions? Once they discover your connection, you will be walking into the disrupter."

"Accidents happen," Xris argued. "More people are killed slipping in their bathtubs every yeara""