Sons of Abraham: Terminate (20 page)

              “I’m not sure I want to know how you EARNED them,” he said flatly.  “That guy was a perv.”

              “Yeah, he was, but he’s also the one that taught me how to hack into the system.  Before you go judging me for that, think back to your own life.  How many guys tried to be your friend to learn from you?  How many women slept with you to feel all safe and secure?  You’ve sold out I bet, even if you didn’t know it at the time.”

              He tried to protest, but his memories started laughing at the thought.  There was a refugee woman back in his days as a Marine.  Bearden kept the local howlers off her tail, and she let him share her bed.  He’d never realized it at the time, but he could see how it was a tradeoff.  Somehow, he felt cheapened for it.

              “Besides, we never took our clothes off,” she whispered, the smile remaining.

              “What?” he asked, his brows raising.  “How’d you manage…….never mind, forget I asked.”

              “There ya go.  Now you’re learning how this game works.”

              “I don’t like games.”

              “Well, what do you like?  I’ve known you for years now and I’ve never once heard you talk about anything you wanted to do, or watch, or eat, or, well, anything.”

              The words of her suggestion echoed through his memories as they strode up the ramp, still several docks away from their destination.  The conversations they’d shared over the years played back, though never could he recall telling her anything of himself.  For that matter, he couldn’t recall the last time he’d told ANYONE who Rolland Bearden truly was. 

              “Don’t know where to start?” she asked.  “Start with this one:  if all your military clothes were taken, and they gave you four hundred credits, what clothes would you buy?”

              “Don’t know,” he muttered.  “I had a concert t-shirt once.”

              “Oh yeah, which band?”

              “Horus.”

              “Yeah, think they broke up twenty years ago.”

              “Alright, I’ll play along,” he offered, thinking hard.  “I like loose fitting pants, with lots of pockets.”

              “For you ammo and flashlight?” she laughed.

              “No, just because,” he replied.  “But no more urban camo.  Sick of those colors.  I like tans and browns.  Decent shoes that look good but are okay for hiking.  Simple shirts, no pockets or buttons, or collars.  Just plain t’s.  A leather jacket, gotta have one of those.”

              “Hmm, soooooo not the clothes I picked for you?”

              “Definitely not these clothes,” he laughed, his shoulder aching.  “No offense, but I’m burning these as soon as I can.  What about you?”

              “Oh no,” she denied him.  “We’re still talking about you.  What would you drive?”

              “A heavy transport,” he said without hesitation.  “Something with a motor that rumbles the ground.  None of these high-pitched, wailing electric motors.  Something that burns up fuel.”

              “Okay, think I’m getting a picture now.  What do you do on the weekends?”

              “I don’t know.  Hiking, fishing?  Oh, build stuff.  Like an addition to the house, or refurbish a car, or just weld something.”

              “Wow, so no football on Sunday?  No Saturday night at the bar?”

              “Not really my thing.  I want something to show off at the end of the day.  When I’m old, I wanna look around the house and see all the stuff I built.  Stuff I’ll use for the rest of my life.  Then, when I’m dead, I want some kid to rummage through my stuff, take something he likes, and work on it until it’s something else, something he’ll always look at and use.”

              “Wow, didn’t know you were so deep.”

              “Shut up, you asked.”

              “No, no, I’m not making fun of you.  Just didn’t picture you that way.  Any kids in that house full of your contraptions?  Maybe a wife who’s always yelling to get your ass out of the garage and clean up for supper?”

              “A wife?” he asked, rubbing his chin.  “I never thought of it.  Can’t see a woman willing to put up with me.  Assuming she survived giving birth to MY kid.”

              “Oh God, do I want to ask?”

              “Twelve pounds.”

              “TWELVE POUNDS!” she shouted, causing the couple in front of them to whip their heads back and stare.  “Oh, you’re mother didn’t……?”

              “Oh, no, she’s fine,” he laughed.  “Big girl, big hips.  She had three of us.  I was actually the middle sized one.”

              “Forget that,” she muttered.  “These hips ain't pushing a twelve-pound kid out, head first.  Especially with that melon, you got up there.”

              He couldn’t help but laugh though his aching body begged him to stop.  He saw the port drawing near, allowing for him to guide her to a bench lining the hallway.  He dropped the bags, then motioned for her to sit.  She gave a fake curtsy, then collapsed onto the end of the metal resting place.  He kicked the bags with his foot, sliding them in front of her before joining her.  He left a foot of space between them, which she quickly destroyed by sliding over against him.

              “Didn’t know you were interested,” he whispered, begging she wouldn’t see through the joke. 

              “Well, all the men I’ve met in the last few years are now dead, or traitors,” she replied.  “Guess you’re just the last man standing.”

              “Not sure what to say,” he mumbled, watching a large crowd of people surges up the hall.  “I’d drive ya nuts, though.  You’d proudly stick a knife in my throat before the first anniversary.”

              “Probably, but I’d make sure you had a big smile on your face first.”

              “Well, aren’t you kind.”

              “Just the type of girl I am.”

              He continued to watch the crowd as it swallowed their free space, dozens of people trying not to trip over their luggage as they took the turn and headed to the same ship they were preparing to board.  Two older ladies stopped, looked down at their luggage that blocked their path, then made an audible gasp of distaste before making an overzealous arch around their belongings.  Bearden thought about moving it out of people’s way, but he just didn’t have it in him to care about these people at the moment. 

              “Look,” she said solemnly.  “I know we’re just kidding around, but I really need you to be quiet and just listen.”

              His head turned, but the sorrow staring back at him made it impossible to speak.  The smile was gone, the joking was set aside, and this sad, serious red-haired woman stared back at him intently. 

              “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” she continued, her voice edged with emotion.  “But I know enough to see what’s happening between us.  Right now, all we have is each other.  So if anything heavy happens between us, if you feel like doing something, just do it.  No regrets, none of this ‘it wouldn’t be right,’ or ‘it’s just the situation’ talk.  Just go with it.”

              His dark blue eyes fixed onto her pale blue,  his face relaxed, and his vitals slowed as he inched his face towards her.  Her eyes drooped, her lips wet themselves, but he merely pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes.

              “I REALLY need you to listen,” he whispered.  “Just close your eyes for a moment, and hear what I’m telling you.”

              Her face grew hot with embarrassment, but she closed her eyes as he commanded.

              “I’m not playing down what you just said.  I feel something for you, you feel something for me, I get that.  I won’t deny any of it.  I won’t say it isn’t real, or that it’s just that we’re both living for what could be our last moments.  I’ll leave that open for another day.  However, without you moving a single muscle, or opening your eyes, I need you to realize that we’re being followed right now.”

              Her hands flinched, but his meaty paws engulfed hers before she could move.  She forced her eyes to stay shut as her heart began to race.

              “You’re doing good,” he continued.  “I’d like you to smile a bit like I’m saying something sweet to you like everything is peachy.”

              It didn’t come easily, but she forced her lips to smile. 

              “You’re doing great.  There’s a guy that’s been tailing us since we got off the boat.  He’s all the way back at the entrance to the last port, just standing there and watching us.  Tall, with one of those white religious robes, that the crazies from Mesa wear.  Do you know the type?”

              “White robe with little gold daggers?”

              “Yeah, that’s the one.”

              “How do you know he isn’t just a religious nut?”

              “Because his skin is as pale as mine, and they’d murder his ass for it.  He isn’t the right race to be wearing something like that, and I’ve seen a few others around here that would protest it if they saw him.”

              “So what now?”

              “We open our eyes, hug, then kiss, and slowly get up and keep talking about the things we like.  I want you to do the talking to keep your mind occupied.”

              “Okay, then what?”

              “We pick up our bags, and casually make for the ship.  This place is too public, even for someone with the balls of Divinity Corp.  We get on that ship, and we can set up camp in our room.  He can’t get on with a weapon, so we’re on even turf.  I’ll find a way to take care of him once we’re off the planet.  Right now, we just need to keep as many people around us as we can.  You can do this, just make sure you’re smiling whenever you look around for him.  No one looks for a threat with a smile on their face.”

              “Just hug me already,” she cried softly.

              His arms engulfed her thin frame.  She buried her face into his shoulder, not yet wanting to see the goon that was watching them from the shadows.  For a brief moment, she just wanted to feel like everything was all right.  Somehow, those strong arms squeezing her body confirmed the wish, allowing her to sigh in contentment.  The bastard hadn’t a clue what her man had planned for him.  She felt his muscles relax as he slowly pulled away.  Her cheek arose to his, gently gliding across one another, pausing for a brief moment, the air frozen in her lungs just before his lips took hers.  Her eyes closed as her lips closed upon his, softly taking in his essence.  He tried to break, but she dove in, her mouth clenching his lower lip as she sought one more moment of peace. 

              From the shadows, Jaeger watched the couple, his cybernetic eyes scanning them for weapons.  He waited until the couple stood, picked up their bags, and disappeared into the port of their ship.  His eyes read the port number, then he turned and dashed towards the counter to get a ticket.  He couldn’t get close enough to hear them converse with the travel agent, so following them to their ship was his only option. 

              Jaeger shoved people out of his, the ticking clock above the port reminding him that he only had twenty minutes to get to the Agent, purchase a ticket, and then board the ship before it left.  His jaw clenched in anger as he saw three couples in front of him in line, but quickly drew calm as he saw another woman emerge from the back room, asking the next couple where they were heading. 

              His eyes watched carefully, attempting to anticipate which group would finish first.  Both of the Agents appeared to be in no hurry as was neither of the couples in front of him.  He calculated no less than five minutes per group, leaving him little time to sprint back to the thirty-third port.  He let out a sigh of relief as the elderly couple before them stepped aside, realizing that they’d left a bag on the sea vessel.  The woman swore at the man as they edged around Jaeger, still arguing as they entered the hall.

              “Next,” the tall, thin travel agent called out.

              Jaeger stepped forward, pulling his tablet from under his fake religious robe.  The fabric was itchy against his skin, leaving him to wonder how anyone could suffer the indignity of the garment.  He shook it off and laid his tablet on the counter.

              “Where is port thirty-three heading?”

              “Looks like Eden, and then Earth,” she informed him with a fake smile. 

              “One ticket, third class, and make it quick,” he hissed. 

              Janys felt Bearden’s hand jerk her back as she tried to get in line to board the cruise ship.  She turned around, a scowl on her face at the violent manner in which he handled her.

              “Wrong port,” he smiled.  “But we gotta haul ass.”

              He jerked her once more as he tore off to the hallway, knocking people aside as he broke through the crowd.  Janys followed along, her bag smacking against people that Bearden had recently shoved out of their way.  When they reached the hall, her eyes looked back at the sign.  A smile formed on her lips, marveling in the Sargent’s planning ability. 

              She turned her head to face front, still smiling as Bearden shoved through the oncoming crowd.  They ducked into port thirty-two, the crowd nearly boarded except for two couples at the escalating ramp.  They broke into a sprint as the last couple stepped onto the escalator and was lifted upwards towards the deck of the massive cruise ship.  The man at the bottom frowned as he watched the couple sprinting towards them, but forced a smile as Bearden handed him their data pads.