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"Alternative Directions: Options "Written By: Karina Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the lovely
boys and their girls in the series. Wish I did. Please don't sue me.
I haven't even got a brass razoo to give you. Rating: Deffinately PG in Australia, at the moment,
but probably safer to say R for later chapters. Not sure about international
ratings Warnings: It will be 6x2, even though it does
not start out that way. After all, Zechs and Duo never met in Gundam
Wing and only spoke briefly over a com line in Endless Waltz. I've
tried to keep them in character as I saw them in the series. A bit
of language creeping in under stressful conditions. Pairings: eventual 6x2, past 2xH, 2+H,6x9, 1+R
Summary: Directions is set post Endless Waltz
and roughly 2 years have passed. Zechs and Noin are on Mars and Duo,
after spending some time with Hilde in a relationship leaves L2 to
join Preventers. Hilde was not happy about his decision. I guess enough
said. Here t'is, and I hope you like it. This is also AU for the standard
setting, as well as the series and Endless Waltz. Spoilers: Gundam Wing Series and Endless Waltz Many thanks to Dulin for volunteering to beta this. //... // thoughts
"Alternative Directions: Options"
Chapter 141 2nd March AC 198 Mars Colony Base Dome Medical Centre Time: 01: 43 [approx Sanc time 23:33] Polnar //The body that did this is one sick puppy.// He moved closer to one of the crudely drawn symbols on the wall, drawn in the blood of one of the victims and memorized it, filing it away for later reference. He was going to have to file a report on this massacre when he returned to Station One so he needed to commit as much to memory as he could. It was highly unlikely that he was going to have the opportunity to photograph evidence he could give to the judicial department of the Stations. //This is so sick. Whoever did this has serious psyche issues. An interest in the occult is apparent in these symbols. Cabalistic, I’d say.// Mighty Joe was looking a little green but that was alright. He suspected that he was an interesting shade of green himself and he desperately wanted out of this slaughter house and to fresher air. Such was not likely to be possible for at least a few minutes so he might as well make the best of his opportunity to investigate the killings. Some sort of report had to be offered if he made it off Mars in one piece and back to Station. He could offer nothing in the way of aid to those dead but perhaps he could see that they at least received justice. Someone had to have given the orders that resulted in these killings and that someone deserved to pay for the atrocity. He glanced up from examining the blood stains patterning the floor near the bed at the sound of a strange voice and noted that at sometime during his study of the murder scene a newcomer had appeared. Undoubtedly he had arrived in response to Kurtz bellow for answers on first entering the room. //A Doctor? Yeah, well it probably is safer to be underestimated than it is to stand out in the crowd at this time. At least they are wary of those bastards. I wonder why that is? What made them suspect that … // He looked around the room and winced. //No, scratch that. It’s bloody obvious that something is seriously wrong, but I would have expected them to trust ESUN Agents. Something alerted them that Simpson and his cronies may not smell of roses.// His attention drifted back to the wall and to the nearby pile of blood stained bedding. There was enough blood staining the bedding and the room in general to suggest the killer had deliberately blooded his victims. He shook his head slightly at the thought, fighting a rebellious stomach into submission. “If what we have been told by Giles is accurate then I don’t think you would want Commander Simpson learning that Merquise is in that room.” //Giles?! // He looked around sharply at the doctor, intensely eyeing the man . Dare he question the doctor and gain some form of more positive identity? He had been thinking that he needed to break away from the group if they did not soon leave the emergency response team in an effort to expedite the search for Giles and the man Raydon had sent them here to bodyguard. Hooking up with the ER team had not been in his original plans and he had hoped that Barker would separate them quickly but such had not eventuated. Did he dare to question the doctor about this Giles to determine if it was the same Haydon Giles that he so desperately wanted to trace? Giles was one of the rare Gifted of the Station personnel and it was standard instruction from Raydon that all agents keep a protective hand over the Gifted in the elite station teams. They were a team, he and Giles and he felt exposed without his partner and floundering without the aid of the very special abilities that the man possessed. Did he dare to question this man in front of witnesses, one of whom was a Preventer who had been watching him for some time now with more than casual attention. Barker would have to take the opportunity to ask some very pointed questions. // Giles and Merquise? Damn, I surely can’t be so lucky as to find them in the medical center. If they are here is either one of them injured? One possibly both. I can’t afford to lose this chance.// Already, he noted, he had attracted the Preventer’s attention. He must have been more obvious in his surprise than he had thought. It was unfortunate that Barker was as observant as he was but cursing and howling about it would serve no useful purpose. He had known that there must come an accounting between them and if nothing else the Preventer had shown that he was not a fool. He would not act before he had asked questions and they would be detailed questions. Barker had been watching him since they had entered the hydroponics dome … possibly since they had entered the Base Dome itself. Certainly there had been speculation in Barker’s eyes when they had met the ER team and he had not received their inclusion into the group with much enthusiasm, but then Carter too had not been exactly welcoming. He had known for some time that he might need to cut and run and perform his own search but he had hoped to make use of the Preventer to shorten his search for at least Merquise. If the doctor was right and Merquise and Giles were just down the hall from this room then there was no way he was backing off now. He needed to find both men and Barker be damned. If necessary he would go through the man to reach his goal. // It’s when I hit situations like this that having someone of Giles’ unique capabilities comes in so bloody handy. He can convince just about anyone that you’re as innocent as a lamb with out the need for bloodshed. Damn it. I never thought I would miss working with the Gifted so much. // Barker was focused intently on the doctor now apparently losing interest in him for the moment but he was not such a fool that he thought that would last. It would matter little if Barker demanded answers provided his mission was about to be carried forward another step toward completion. “Marquise is in the medical center? Why?” Barker’s attention focused back on the doctor but he knew that would only be temporary. // If Merquise is seriously hurt Raydon will likely have a few choice words to say about incompetence and he would be justified. We should have been ready for the ESUN Agents and both of us should have been within eyesight of Merquise at all times. We just didn’t think that Simpson and his cronies would strike so soon. How the hell do they expect to get the man off Mars? // “As far as I know he’s resting comfortably. He was still unconscious when I was last in the room and at this time I dare not permit any of us to go near that room. The risks while they are around are too great and I doubt we would be permitted to get within two meters of the guard anyway. They have no idea what is in there and I don’t know what tipped them off that there is something in there that might be of interest. Mr Broadham managed to distract Simpson but how long that will last …” The doctor shrugged, taking the weight of the eyes focused on him with apparent indifference. // Well its obvious that Barker likes that about as much as I do. Unconscious? He hasn’t gone into the details of injuries. I wonder if Merquise is half as good as he is said to be? It’s been a long time since he saw a combat situation and this is definitely not a mobile suit combat. Still, reports said he was good with more than suits. We all get rusty if we don’t have occasion to exercise our skills and the man has been idle on Mars for long enough that he could all too easily be considered an easy target.// “He’s hurt? Seriously?” Barker’s scowl said it all. He was not a happy man and he was obviously expecting the worst. // This could change things dramatically. We were hoping to link up with him and be briefed on what has been happening in the dome. Well, its obvious that the shit has hit the fan here and we have big trouble but I received the distinct impression that Barker expected Merquise to have a plan. // Presumably they were to meet up with the former Lightening Count and after a briefing they were to formulate a plan to gather in the Sleepers and the ESUN Security Squad that had sparked this entire mess into an explosion of blood, guts and gore. There was some very nasty human garbage wandering around in the base dome and they could not leave those killers running free. It was Merquise and possibly Giles who had all of the relevant information that they needed to make an end to this mess and this man claimed that Merquise was in a room just down the hall from this bloodied room. If Giles had done his job, and he knew the man enough to know that it would take a lot to deter that Gifted individual then he should be with Merquise or at least not far from him. He did not think that there was more than the one man with the name of Giles amid the Terra Formers but he could not say with one hundred percent certainty that that was the case. “He is injured but nothing serious. I believe that he is chiefly suffering from exhaustion. I’m not sure what the man has been doing but with the injuries he is carrying he’s in no fit condition to take on Simpson and his subordinate.” // He’s still not being specific about what type of injuries were sustained in what ever has taken place before we arrived. Is he deliberately avoiding the issue? I don’t think Barker’s too happy.// The doctor glanced behind him and noted Kurtz standing to one side of the door and the engineer’s attention was divided between the conversation taking place and watching the hallway. Knowles breathed a small sigh of relief when Kurtz signalled that the hallway was clear. “In brief what happened is this. Merquise and his partner turned up in time to run into the asshole who was killing off the patients and staff in this section. Something, I don’t know exactly what it was, happened when they took out the bastard and Merquise was knocked out. I don’t believe that he’s seriously hurt but I do doubt that he’s going to be of much help until he has the chance to rest. He was taken to the treatment room down the hall from here and made comfortable while we started with the cleanup. That is when those two turned up. From what was said while Merquise was receiving treatment Mr. Broadham decided to be cautious about trusting anyone, especially those two men. He is trying to keep them busy and away from investigating the treatment room and no doubt hoping that we can come up with a way to get them out of here. Or get the two trapped in that room past the guard Simpson put on the door.” // Well that was enlightening. What does he mean, Merquise was knocked out but not seriously hurt yet is carrying injuries that will stop him from taking action until he has a chance to rest? This makes little sense. // He considered the physician for a long moment and resisted the urge to throttle the man. Clearly they had had a great deal of trouble here in the last hour or so and everyone was on edge waiting for an explosion of violence to recur. With the arrival of Simpson and his crony they would be uncertain just who they could believe. If it was Giles then on a face to face basis the man could convince anyone that the fast flowing river they stood beside was iced over and safe to walk on. He seemed to have made some sort of lasting impression on the surgeon considering the game he was now playing. // Damn, the man has guts if he is off playing a cat and mouse game with that asshole. Should Simpson find out he’s being played for a fool I don’t give much chance of the surgeon surviving to talk about it. // Barker was looking thoughtful and Polnar saw his eyes flick around the blood stained room and then flicker back to the door. No doubt he was of a mind to believe that the surgeon was going to be needing help as soon as possible and they were stuck in this room in danger of discovery at any minute. Without doubt the Commander of Blue Squad would not think twice about removing Broadham as an unwelcome and annoying inconvenience and would be only too happy to remove said annoyance. Should Simpson chance to learn that Merquise was so close to him at this time … // Damn. So close and I feel like I’m sitting on a powder keg. I need to know. It’s dangerous but … // He glanced at Barker who was still lost in thought, no doubt weighing the pros and cons of heading out to try to rescue the surgeon. //I have to be sure if it is Giles. I’ll just have to deal with Barker if I need to.// “You said Giles.” He felt Barkers glare at the first word he uttered but there was no help for it. He needed to know if Haydon Giles was with Merquise and he would face the consequences if he had no other option. The question was just how much he dared to explain and how much he was going to need to fabricate. “Would that be Haydon Giles?” The doctor glanced from Barker to Polnar and nodded. A short and abrupt inclination of his head to acknowledge his question. “I think that was his name. He was with Merquise when they came into the centre and to my knowledge he is still with him in the treatment room. How he managed it I don’t know but he handled Merquise when none of us could. That man is a weapon even when he’s out on his feet but he responded to Giles in a positive fashion. If he had not we would have had a bigger injury list than we have.” // That sounds like Haydon. It has to be him. Good. It’s even better for our chances of controlling Merquise if Giles has already made that initial contact, mind to mind. I know there are some who can resist him but from what I was told they are well and truly in the minority. He should be able to influence Merquise and convince him to cooperate and stay quietly out of any action that will take place. // “Who is this Giles?” Barker was glaring at him, a hard stare that was indication enough that he wanted answers and that he wanted said answers immediately. //Ah, crap. Not that it comes as a surprise. I’ve known he’s been suspicious of me for a while. What the hell I did to warrant that suspicion I don’t know. He picked me after all, I never put myself forward for this infiltration. I took advantage of his offer. I guess if Merquise is just down the hallway from here then it is time to come clean. About some things, at least. We have worked well together this far and we both have the same interests. Not much has changed and we are on the same side in this. All I can do is hope that he sees it in the same way. // The question of informing him of his identity and reason for being on Mars was easily enough offered up but the problem was going to be in explaining who he worked for. Just how much was he going to need to tell Barker to get some manner of trust and cooperation out of the man? He and Giles had discussed possible scenarios that might lead to them admitting or announcing in various capacities their identities. Chiefly those scenarios had dealt with informing Merquise that they were there to get him off the planet. They never had had just this type of situation in mind for any of the possibilities that might occur. Yes, they had presumed that eventually someone would be sent to Mars either by the ESUN Security Agency or by other more private and in some case, sinister, concerns. Eventually someone would determine that something had to be done about the renegade Peacecraft heir. That was why they were on Mars, after all but Raydon had not seen fit to enlarge on exactly what form of trouble he expected them to deal with. Sometimes he and others like him expected too much from the Gifted. Raydon had seen or sensed enough to place two of his best agents on Mars and he would not expect them to back away from their assignment. He was on Mars to do a job to the best of his abilities and he had been taught to use his head in any situation that might arise. At this time he should reveal only the barest minimum information. “Haydon Giles is my partner. I can believe that he was well able to handle Merquise if the situation warranted it. He’s ex special services himself. He is capable.” // Do us all a favor and accept that for now. There are too many people present to witness what I have to tell you. I need to maintain the security of the Station and I really don’t fancy mentioning Raiders if we are getting the blame for this shit. // Barker’s eyes narrowed and he expected the man to bite out a demand for more information but before he could offer any retort or demands Knowles was moving, stepping back toward the doorway and those few steps guaranteed everyone’s attention. “Look, I have to move or he may become suspicious about the time this is taking. There are bodies in the next three rooms-the two rooms on the opposite side of the hallway and the next room on this side. If you figure out a means to get from room to room without setting him off then that might help you get closer to him. The treatment room is the next room along on this side after that. It has only the one exit though there is an internal supply room. I hope that helps.” Barker inclined his head toward the door. “Thanks for the briefing. Continue with the work you were assigned to do and do your best to keep everyone away from that room. Leave the rest to us and keep yourselves as low profile as possible.” // Good. One less witness. Now can I get any of the ER team to leave the room too? If Barker wants an explanation I want as few witnesses as possible. Just how much am I going to have to give for him to relax his guard enough to work with me to finish this? It’s obvious, if only to me, that we are going to need to work together to end this tragedy and to date we have worked efficiently together. Be sensible, man. Don’t ruin it now, Barker, by being a pig headed bastard.// He watched as Knowles bent to bundle up a bloody sheet and paused at the door to take a steadying breath before striding back out into the hallway. One down but there was still the entire emergency response team in the room to bare witness to his confession. Kurtz was peering out into the hallway and the silence in the room was broken when one by one the remainder of the team began to stir themselves to begin the clean up. Kurtz turned to Barker with the obvious intention of asking a question and receiving instructions but Barker was ignoring him. He knew that the moment of truth had come. Barker was ignoring everyone in the room and watching him with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. The man wanted answers and he was not going to be sidetracked again. “So. I think it’s past time for answers, don’t you? Would you care to explain just who it is that you work for and what your interest is in Merquise?” //Yes, that is what I thought was coming. Wonderful, but is there any chance of limiting the amount of people overhearing this? I wonder if he would take a subtle hint? He’s a Preventer and he should catch something so obvious as this. // He flicked a meaningful glance over the team now gathering up blood soaked bedding and beginning to talk quietly amongst themselves. Barker seemed to consider him for a moment and he held his breath. The man might be pig headed enough to want everyone to hear what was to be said but he was betting that Barker might be sensible enough to want as few witnesses as possible. He had helped Barker willingly up to this point and the man should give him the benefit of that freely offered aid now. Kurtz was looking between the two of them, clearly an interested spectator and Barker stirred finally turning his attention to the engineer. “Preston, get your team started on the body count, if you would. None of your men are to work alone -a minimum of two in each group. Three would be better and as you move from room to room you can give the nursing staff a hand by turning out the ruined mattresses into the hallway for collection and disposal. Not this mattress though.” He grinned a faintly feral grin. “We may need this one to try getting past that goon.” Kurtz looked on the verge of arguing the instructions but seemed to think better of it at a particularly penetrating glare from Barker. It did not, however stop Kurtz from reminding the man about their reason for being in the medical centre in the first place. “What about the medical computers? Do we still go through with the plan to modify them?” Barker shot a glower toward the door and after a moment he nodded his consent. “Yes, we need to regain control of the master computer system as soon as possible and get the base dome operational again. At least the basic survival systems. Work your team as close together as you dare moving along the hallway. Room by room makes sense in this situation and should not raise any suspicions. I’m not sure what area they will be using as a morgue but check with the staff. Hopefully they are using something in a reasonably close proximity to the computer room. Get your computer specialists into that room as unobtrusively as possible. Try to disguise your numbers by alternating your members so that no one will mark their absence. They can work out their lists of needs and pass it to you.” After a moment Kurtz shrugged and motioned to his team. “Palmer, Curran. Place that mattress out in the hallway. Lean it against the wall or something to keep the area reasonably neat and where it will offer some sort of shielding for this door. We will arouse suspicion if we don’t take some sort of obvious action soon. Curran, you Lee and Risch can take the next room on the opposite side of the hall, the rest of us will take the next room on this side. Stay low key and clear of that man in the hallway when we find out where the designated morgue is located. I know the actual morgue was capable of storing only four or five bodies at a time so they have to have found somewhere else for temporary storage. Lee, you can check with the nursing staff where they are storing the bodies.” Barker appeared to be content enough to wait before questioning him further while the team sorted themselves out and that suited Polnar. He took the opportunity to examine the room yet again. The investigator in him screamed a silent protest to the needs of the situation. They were wiping out vital evidence but there was no help for it and he understood it but he hated to see evidence disturbed. He knew only too well that those involved in the planning of this massacre placed highly within the governmental structure of the ESUN and had no intentions of permitting anyone to give evidence against their teams in any court of law. He might hate the necessity of disturbing the evidence but he knew without doubt that now was not the time to lament that necessity. The individuals involved would already have covered their backs at the first hint that something had gone wrong and no doubt there were scenarios where they had in place the means by which to silence any survivors they did not authorize. Threats to families, friends and livelihoods could effectively silence even good men. // Come on, Chris. Think. There has to be a way of reaching the treatment room unseen. The man is parked directly in front of the door and somehow I don’t think he’d come running even if I fired off a round in this room. Knowing something of how a covert ops group of this nature works he’d be more likely to just wait for his commander, sticking like glue to his post. I suppose we could shoot him. Take him down as quickly as possible but that is far from silent and it would leave Simpson and an unknown number of sleepers running around the base. No. Not a good idea. I think Simpson would be likely to start shooting. He’d be pretty free about using anyone and everyone as a target. I can’t understand why he has not already taken out these people. They would be sitting ducks to someone of his skills.// Why not kill them? Because he needed them, a little voice whispered. He did not doubt that Simpson would not so much as blink if he had to kill anyone. That he had not to date removed the inconvenience of witnesses suggested that he had a specific use for them. One question he should have asked himself a while ago was where was the rest of Simpson’s team? He could not believe that Simpson would have turned up at the Base Dome intending action with only Frazier as his backup. “I think we need to talk.” Barker’s low growl dragged him out of his thoughts and he glanced around him. The ER team had gone leaving Barker and Carter watching him. The door was open Carter having positioned himself so that he could see a reasonable amount of the hallway and they would have ample warning of company should anyone wander their way. He was content with that as he wanted as few witnesses as possible to what he was about to tell Barker. Still uncertain just how much he was going to need to tell the man to garner his cooperation he chose his words with care. He had had time to think of the best twisting of the truth he could manage and make it believable. For the moment he determined not to mention the word Raider but he needed to make it clear that he was not an ESUN operative. Dealings with a private concern was far preferable to a government agent at this time. “Not everyone within the Earth Sphere considers that justice has been served in an acceptable manner where it comes to the Prince of Sanc. Certain persons learned of events taking place that they deemed required watching in an unobtrusive manner. There are a lot of people out there, Agent Barker, who are not trusting souls and who determine as the mood takes them to take a hand in matters they consider to be of interest. I am a part of a private security force and my employer placed me on Mars for the express purpose of ensuring that Milliardo Peacecraft was not confined to the planet and treated unfairly by the powers that be. My mission briefing states that should events take a turn where I considered Peacecraft to be at risk I was to send word to my employer and do my utmost to ensure that the Prince remained alive until he could be removed from the colony to a place of safety.” He watched the reactions of both men. Carter had stiffened and subjected him to a hard stare as he spoke clearly surprised by his answer. It was Barker, however who was the one he was interested in. The Preventer agent was watching him with all the intensity he would expect to find in a big cat marking its prey. No doubt the Preventer would be more than merely interested in finding the identity or identities of his mysterious employer. He had not outright suggested that he was the employee of a private corporation but he knew the supposition was an obvious one to make. That was better than suggesting that he worked for a rival government that would soon be appearing on the scene. “Removing him … where?” Barker’s voice was neutral but he was all attention, focused on Polnar and ready to lash out should he determine the need was there to control the man. “Should the need arise he is to be removed to safely neutral ground. I am not at liberty to inform you of every detail, Preventer Eagle, indeed I do not know all of the details myself. I merely know what my instructions were. I am here in effect as a bodyguard for the Prince. It was suspected that certain people in very high places within the government might attempt to use his existence to their own purposes. I am one of a number of steps that I understand to have been taken to ensure that he was not ultimately made a tool by those intent on disrupting the peace. Or controlling it to their own designs.” That, he reflected, should be safely ambiguous enough. No mention of the Stations that as yet were a secret from the ESUN and hopefully it would be enough to satisfy the Preventer for at least the immediate future. They were pushed for time and he could not afford to go into details for any number of reasons, not the least of which was the Stations needed the anonymity. If anything Barker’s focus on him had increased. Something that he had said affected the man as his attention had risen a notch or two during his little speech. The man’s eyes were narrowed with thought and intensity seemed to emanate from him. Not animosity, thank the Lord, he mused, but intensity. Barker glanced at Carter who flashed a quick look out into the hallway and nodded that they still had the all clear. “You were instructed to send word.” Barker inclined his head slightly. “Did you?” //Ah, so that’s it. // “I did. The arrival of an infiltration team sent to remove him was one of the projected problems that might necessitate action be taken. While there was no proof that they were here to remove him from Mars it was a standing order that should such a team appear I was to contact my control with the news.” “Did you receive instructions in response to the alert?” // I know what you want. You want a viable radio clear of interference to contact outside sources. Something the ESUN might not be able to trace. The agents have fouled the communications array and you can’t get word out. Maybe jammed the entire bloody planet and that could explain why I had not received a response from Station. // “I had my instructions dealing with a variety of possible scenarios before I came here. As per those instructions I dispatched word to my employer and my assigned partner, Haydon Giles and I then commenced our assignment. That being to ascertain the location of the Prince and then removing him to safe quarters to await pickup.” Barker resorted to pacing the confines of the small room for a moment and he watched the man, knowing only too well the questions that must be going through that mind. Barker was sharp and no doubt would be inclined to cut to the chase given their time constraints. Time would not permit Barker to voice even a quarter of the questions he would want answered about his mission, his employers and this supposedly safely neutral location Merquise was to be taken to. The time constraints were all to the good as far as Polnar was concerned and he could feel time ticking away as he watched the Preventer. He needed to get them moving. He wanted to find his partner and their charge and get Merquise the hell away from trouble, namely Simpson who would do anything he was required to do to secure the Prince. He was almost amused by the scowl. Barker might think himself to be intimidating but he had never had occasion to piss off a man named Raydon. When those golden eyes turned on you with irritation you squirmed in your boots and fell over your feet to get out of his way. Barker had a lot of practice ahead before he fell into the same category. “Pick up? You are expecting a ship be sent to Mars to take Merquise?” At his nod Barker grinned a feral smirk. “How long? How long before you expect the extraction?” // Ah. Yes, you would see the potential for getting word out and for delaying those responsible from wiping out the entire colony. // He shrugged slightly, not daring to smile. He had received no response back from Station One or any of the ships he knew were in relatively close proximity to the planet. If Raydon had failed to receive a response to any message he might have sent then he would undoubtedly have contacted at least one of the ships that plied these space lanes. All of the Station allied ships that came this way were issued with standard instructions to listen for any communications from his agents on the planet. There was help out there but he had no idea just how close it might be. They were a long way from coming out of this alive. “A pick up ship could be anything from one day to four weeks, depending on the proximity of one of the ships assigned to pass Mars on a regular patrol. With luck, a lot of luck, you understand, we may have less that twenty four hours before a ship arrives. I sent the call off planet before the shit hit the fan so I am certain my alert went out. Whether they have sent word back...” He shrugged. The signal might be jammed and that would explain the silence that disturbed him. “Well enough.” Barker had ceased his pacing now and was staring blankly at a blood smear on the floor. He was clearly doing some fast thinking. “Very well, then. You and I are due for a long official chat but we have no time for such now. I believe that our goals still remain aligned for the moment.” “Agreed.” Polnar murmured. “Good. Now then, to the problem at hand. Namely getting out of here and past that guard and into the emergency room.” Barker scowled at the door. “We still need to get past Simpson’s goon without alerting Simpson that he’s been taken down.” Polnar permitted his small smile to spread into a grin. He had had time to think on that problem and he believed that he had found the perfect solution. t.b.c.
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