The Hunted Assassin (11 page)

“Sonofabitch. This is real.”

“No shit, buddy. So? Can you help an old friend out?”

Gillette circled back into the kitchen and pulled an aluminum bottle from the refreshment center. “Beer?” he asked.

Jaxon nodded and accepted the cold beverage.

Gillette grabbed another beer and took a seat at the island. “Listen, Jaxon. What you’ve gone through sounds like complete hell. And trust me, I’m sympathetic. But—”

“But you’re not willing to risk your ideal situation to help me,” Jaxon said, finishing Gillette’s statement.

“Yeah. Something like that. Where do you want to go? Not back to earth, I hope.”

Jaxon took a long pull from his beer and wiped his lips. “No, I was thinking of one of the stations in the outer ring.”

“Jesus, Jaxon. Did you hit your head during the attacks? That’d be suicide for you. There’s some bad guys up there, and I’m sure they’d love to have you as a guest.”

“Well, I’m not sure what else to do right now. You’re right about not going back down to earth, and any of the stations in the inner ring are out of the question as well.”

“How so?” Gillette asked.

“Surveillance. The inner ring has really tightened up ship since I settled down there, after …”

Gillette nodded.

“I was hoping that I could start fresh here on the moon, but from what I just saw in the city, I think I need to get away from everything, at least for the time being.”

“Well, I wish you the best, but I don’t think I can help. You’re more than welcome to crash here for the night, but I think it best that you move along first thing tomorrow.”

Jaxon felt fainthearted as his old friend declined to help. He really couldn’t blame him for the reluctance, but it still weakened him.

“Thanks, Gillette. I’ll be out of your hair before the earth rises.”

Gillette finished off his beer and pulled two more from the dispenser, handing one to Jaxon. “Listen, I was just about to cook up some grub. Are you hungry?”

Jaxon chuckled. “I did just have some fake fish in the city, but I could always eat something … real.”

Over the next hour, Gillette and Jaxon reminisced about their time at the GSA. They laughed when remembering the good times, and were sorrowful for the bad. At the end of the evening, Gillette produced a fold-up cot from the storage closet and tossed Jaxon a blanket.

“Hey, man, no hard feelings, right?” Gillette asked. “I’d love to help you out, but I just—”

“Don’t give it a second thought, Gillette. I knew it was a long shot even coming here. I just appreciate your ear for the night and the warm meal. I’ll figure something out tomorrow, I’m certain. Right now, I’m fighting to keep my eyes open.”

“I can imagine. Well, sleep tight, buddy. I’ll have a good breakfast for you tomorrow before you take off.”

Gillette walked out of the guest room and closed the door. Jaxon collapsed onto the cot and was out in minutes.

17

The smell of freshly brewed coffee and cooked bacon wafted through the morning air, stirring Jaxon from his fitful sleep. Slowly, his eyes flickered to life, and he rolled onto his back. He stretched his sore muscles, feeling—more than hearing—his joints creak in protest. He swung his feet to the floor as he sat up.

Standing upright, he stretched again and inhaled deeply. The sublime aromas were still present, satisfying Jaxon’s fear that they weren’t just part of a dream. It had been so long since he’d actually had pork bellies that it nearly made him salivate just thinking about it.

Having slept in his clothes, Jaxon wasted no time stepping out into Gillette’s apartment. The vid screen displayed a scenic view from earth: the sun rising above a grassy horizon.

“Oh, wow. I’d say that it looks like you got a good night’s rest, but to tell the truth, you look worse now than you did last night,” Gillette said as he poured Jaxon a cup of coffee.

“Yeah, thanks for that. As you can imagine, I tossed and turned all night, reliving the events from yesterday.” Jaxon sat at the island, practically worshiping the steaming cup of coffee.

“Hopefully, this will perk you up. Plus, I got bacon!”

“Real bacon? How’d you get that up here?” Jaxon asked as he drooled over the plate of crispy strips of heaven.

“It’s the real thing. I’m able to get a pound every now and then from a connection I have in the city. This one’s been sitting in my freezer for the last two months, so I figured it’d be a great way to kick off the day.”

Jaxon didn’t hesitate stuffing a piece into his mouth. The salty goodness that can only come from the flavor of bacon melted on his tongue. He closed his eyes as he chewed, savoring every morsel.

“Jesus, Jaxon. Do you two need to get a room?” Gillette asked as he slid a plate of toast across the island.

“My God. That bite was almost pure nirvana,” Jaxon said as he slid two more pieces onto his plate before grabbing a slice of toast.

“Well, you better eat well. We’re going to get you up to the outer ring today, and I think you’re gonna need all the nourishment you can get,” Gillette said.

“What’s that? I thought you were on the cautionary side of my predicament,” Jaxon said. He stopped eating, pushing his ravenous appetite to the side for a moment.

“Yeah, well, that was last night. Went to bed thinking how much of an ass I sounded like, not willing to help a buddy out. I’m sure if the tables were turned, you’d be the first one to help me—if I was in your position. So, I was up early and reached out to some friends. Looks like you’re in luck today.”

Jaxon’s eyes widened in surprise, dumbfounded by his buddy’s change of heart. “I … I’m speechless. I don’t know what to say. I, I owe you, buddy.”

“Don’t thank me quite yet, Jaxon. First off, it’s going to cost you. Three hundred credits, all in advance.”

“Done. I still have my rainy day stash—I’ve barely even touched it.”

“Then, there’s the shuttle. It leaves at 10 AM, and it’s ten minutes after nine right now.”

Jaxon looked at the digital clock on the wall: It read 9:11 AM. “And you don’t think you could’ve led off with that as opposed to wasting time with eating breakfast? Shouldn’t we be getting there and—”

“Relax, Jaxon. We’re good. I trust this guy as much as you trust me. Finish your breakfast and we’ll be on our way.”

“But isn’t the city a good forty minutes away at this time of day?” Jaxon asked

“Don’t fret, my man. Because this isn’t a publicly authorized departure, you will not be leaving from Luna City station. There’s an old surface access just on the far side of Sector 45. Once you get to the surface, there will be a ship waiting.”

Jaxon relaxed and picked up another piece of bacon. “All right. No use letting this fine swine meal go to waste, then.”

18

Twenty minutes later, they walked out of the apartment. As Gillette spent several minutes securing the myriad of locks on his apartment door, Jaxon scanned the immediate vicinity, looking for any sign of the assailants.

“All locked up,” Gillette said. “Are we clear?” He and Gillette had complemented each other so well for so many years, and he felt a resurgence of strength with his old partner.
Just like old times,
Jaxon mused.

“Nobody in sight,” Jaxon said, nodding his head over his shoulder. “Not sure what we’ll encounter on the tube, though.”

“We’re not taking the tube. At least not on the way there. Once you’re off, I’m almost certain things will cool off for the rest of us innocent inhabitants of the moon,” Gillette said, his comments full of mockery.

“Oh, nice. Way to make a hunted assassin feel good about himself,” Jaxon scoffed. “If we’re not taking the tube, how are we going to pass through six sectors and not be late?”

“Long before the subway tubes were built, access to all sectors was by underground thoroughfares. Even though everything is already sub-terrestrial, the depressed, or lowered platforms, stretched from sector to sector. They were large enough to handle full-sized vehicles and were actually used for the initial build-out as each new sector came online.”

“And you think using an enclosed pedestrian tunnel is better than taking the speed of the train?” Jaxon asked, confused by his friend’s logic.

“For starters, they’re not as confined as you might think. I use them almost exclusively when I’m heading out to 45. It’s actually much faster than taking the train. Especially at this hour. We’re at the end of rush hour, and taking the tube just six short stops could take more than an hour. Besides, I want to arrive at the town center on our terms, and not be thrust right into the middle of an unknown situation, unprepared.”

“You’re the boss,” Jaxon said, standing to the side. “Lead the way.”

Gillette did so, leading Jaxon through the maze of residential corridors until they came to a wide open stairway. A little puzzled, Jaxon wasn’t sure how he’d missed it when he first arrived in Sector 39 the day before. He’d circled around most of the sector before arriving at Gillette’s doorstep.

“What do you know about Sector 45?” Gillette asked, descending several flights of stairs.

“Not much more than what you’ve already told me. The last time I was in Luna City was with you, and we never made it out past Sector 11, if I recall.”

“Not only is the surface access there, Sector 45 is really just a smaller-scaled city center. It was established so that those living in these distant sectors didn’t have to travel into Luna City for everyday living essentials.”

Jaxon followed Gillette into the surprisingly well-lit underpass. The ceiling was nearly four meters high, and the channel was almost twice as wide. Despite the welcoming conditions, the thoroughfare was practically deserted.

The journey through the underworld passed in relative silence. Gillette led the way and kept an earnest pace, while Jaxon continued to dwell on what, or who, they might encounter in the end. Visions of Taloo Station continued to dominate his mind.

As they approached Sector 45, their pace slowed. “For the most part, Sector 45 has only ever been partially occupied. Its remote location makes it far less desirable for those that work in the city. By tube, it’s more than a ninety-minute ride, taking all the stops along the way into consideration,” Gillette explained.

“Sounds like a great location for someone to lay low,” Jaxon said, contemplating his decision to get to the outer ring.

“You’d think, but those that do live out here are usually government officials and security personnel. Most of them use the surface access and then fly in short-range air shuttles to get to the city center in a fraction of the time.”

“What prevents civilians from doing the same?” Jaxon asked.

“Cost, mostly. The short-range flyers are typically priced out of the normal person’s budget. Plus, there’s the cost of dock space, both here as well as in Luna City. It really is just for the elite, who can afford it, or the city workers, who get it for free,” Gillette said.

“Then I hope this is a brief visit to Sector 45,” Jaxon said, fighting back his uneasiness over the situation.

“I think we’ll be fine. It’s after the morning rush hour now, and Diego has a reputation for being thorough,” Gillette said.

“For being a character conducting illicit behaviors,” Jaxon added, smiling to Gillette.

Gillette winked as he led Jaxon out of the underpass and up the stairs.

As they reached the landing, Jaxon gauged that they were on the edge of the commercial district by the bleak surroundings. Gillette continued to lead them toward the town center. It was just as Gillette had described: a miniature version of Luna City. There were bars and restaurants, intermixed with several boutique shops. As it was still relatively early, there were very few people milling about the town.

As they continued their trek, Jaxon spotted two men that seemed out of place. They stood at an intersection at the edge of the city square and happened to be wearing gear that was strikingly similar to those back on Taloo.

“Gillette,” Jaxon said, nudging him with his elbow.

“Yeah, I see them. Let’s get off Main Street. We can get to where we’re going another way,” Gillette said before crossing the street and heading away from the potential foes.

Jaxon followed, diligently evaluating the populous. Besides the two back in the square, he was feeling more comfortable the further they walked. Regardless, Jaxon continued his heightened awareness.

When they neared the next intersection, Gillette stood next to the side wall and peered around the corner. The side street was empty and gave direct access to the surface stairway.

“Okay, it’s just a few blocks up on the left. I think if we cross here and work our way up, we’ll be just about home free.”

Jaxon nodded silently, wishing that he had his MP-96 that he’d left on the Bradbury.

Gillette crossed the street and continued down the block. About halfway down, Jaxon spotted one of the space ninjas a few blocks ahead. Gillette was too far ahead of him to point the man out, and he didn’t want to call out to him because it would probably alert the assassin at the same time. He had no choice but to continue following along with Gillette’s rapid pace.