1.55 – Because I Can
I went back
and forth about how I should handle this for two days. I wanted to just kill
them all and be done with it. Then I wanted to kill the guy with the stash, but
they could just find another supplier. The more I thought about it, the more my
solutions just revolved around killing more and more people until I ended up
with over a dozen bodies on my list. The more I thought about killing the more
excuses I thought of as to why it was okay. In the end, killing just doesn’t
feel right for me anymore. Still, I need to do something, so I’m here, waiting
inside the stash house. I snuck in between runs without any issues. I expected
at least some extra locks or a hand scanner, but I suppose they think they’re
good enough that nobody notices their little operation.
The money
wasn’t exactly hidden well either, a second bedroom holding boxes and shipping
instructions. They’re shipping the money to a few different addresses off world.
The entire origination is much larger than I had expected. I’m not a one-man
army, taking out a gang with a few members is nothing, but a cartel operating
on multiple worlds is too much.
I take up
position in the stash room, just out of sight. When the man makes his way into
the room I surprise him with a strong right hand. We don’t fight for long
before I’m able to zip tie his hands and legs together. They aren’t cuffs, but
they’ll make due. When he comes to, he’ll probably be loud. I don’t want to draw
any attention. I grab a towel from the kitchen and shove it in his mouth before
moving him to the main bedroom and dropping him on the bed. I lean on the wall
waiting on him to wake up. It might be easier to just kill him. It would send a
stronger message to the others. I just can’t do it; I could shoot him in the
knee but I didn’t bother to get a gun and I could have bought one on any corner
in a sixteen block radius. He starts to come to, choking on the rag before
breathing through his nose.
“Hey, calm
down,” I take a seat on the bed next to him, pulling out my pocket knife. “I’m
just here to have a chat with you. Understand?” He nods, terrified of what I
might do. That’s all I need; the thought of death can be more powerful than
death. “Hey, you and your friends are supplying drugs to Tranquillus right,” I
ask, he nods. I don’t need his confirmation, I know. “I need you to stop. I
could have killed you tonight, but I chose not to. You haven’t wronged me
personally, but someone I care about is really upset with you guys. This whole
show, it’s just to prove to you that I can kill you and it wouldn’t even be
hard.”
This is the
part in the movie where I’m supposed to run my knife across his face and give
him a scar to remember me by. Instead I just use my wrist comp to snap a photo.
I’ll need it to show his friends when I meet them in the market. For now, I
just sit on the bed with him and read the news. I read it out loud, trying to
find the worst stories I can.
“Trellis, a
large colony on the dwarf planet Romero 442 had to be abandoned and evacuated
today. After attempts to stop the spread of a fungal virus created by the local
fauna. The colony is on the outskirts of Revel Republic was formerly home to
Revrell refuges, The Strux, an insect like species. According to data logged by
late researcher Duane Benjamin, The Strux abandoned the planet because they
were also unable to cope with the infection. We’ll have more later.”
That’s some
nasty business. I thought I’d read a story about some murder and really drive
home my point, but that might actually be worse. Knowing what I know after my
years of service, they probably shot anyone that knew about what really
happened then bombed the colony into dust. We’ll never know the truth.
“Well, I’ve
got to go. Your friends will come to get you later,” I ruffle the guys hair
like he’s a kid before leaving.
It’s a
quick walk over on a warm summer night. Is it summer? I haven’t figured out the
season around here yet. I move through the crowd in the night market, doing my
best to stay out of the way of others and out of the grasp of merchants, but
we’re shoulder to shoulder. It’s hard to move through the place without bumping
into anyone or being having parts of your clothing yanked. From a distance I
can spot the three guys working the stand preparing the money for the pickup. I
approach them with a smile and they can already tell I’m up to something.
“What,” a
tall skinny man demands as I approach.
I pull up the
photo of their friend on my wrist comp, “I just wanted to show you how easy it
was for me to get your friend. I can do that to any of you, any time I want.
This is just to show you how easy it is. No more dealing in Tranquillus. I
don’t care what you do beyond that. Tranquillus is off limits. I didn’t touch
your money, take it. Start a new life.”
I wait for
an answer as they go back and forth with each other, debating if I’m serious or
insane before one decides to make a phone call. I’m nervous when I hear the
phone ring, but I hide it. They could be calling for backup, but I’m hoping
they’re trying to call their friend.
“You’re not
going to get away with this,” a shorter man swears at me.
“I think I
just did,” I turn my back and walk away from them, raising a hand and waving.
I’m not
sure if this is what Pauline wanted, but this should make things a little
easier, a little safer. It was fun running my own little operation. Perhaps I
miss it all; but more than likely it’s the adrenaline flowing through me again
altering my thoughts into thinking I’m the last true action hero. There’s
nothing calling me back to serve, but a craving for another shot of adrenaline.
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