***
Braknis was looking forward to his big payday. If she wants to play the waiting game, I’ve got all the time in the world. They had every approach to the transit tunnel covered. Braknis was coordinating with his team via earpiece, standing on the second floor of a food court which perfectly overlooked the main street. The Berengi authorities wouldn’t be much help to the girl, either. If there was one thing law enforcement learned to do on this often lawless rock at the edges of known space, it was keep their noses out of business that didn’t concern them. Markus had also mentioned greasing a few palms. Law enforcement were people too. Give people enough incentive, and it wasn’t hard to get them to look the other way.
"Anyone want to place bets on who spots the girl first?" Vasquez asked. Norix told her to shut it and stay focused.
Depending on how long the girl took to make her break for it, they might have do the watch in shifts. This would have been so much easier if they’d just killed the brat. But their employer didn’t seem to want that, and Braknis couldn’t blame him. Making her disappear would leave Estevar Saunders with more unanswered questions. Keeping her alive also gave Markus a good bargaining chip in case Estevar ever discovered what happened and came after him.
Which reminds me…once this is all over Markus may see me and my team as a loose end. Braknis was already forming precautions in his mind. One thing’s for damn sure: I’m insisting on total control over time and place when we exchange the girl.
Norix’s voice came in loud over the earpiece. "I’ve got her. Black shirt and slacks, right side of the street. She’s turning into Dudinov Alley now."
"OK people, move in," Braknis confirmed.
Dudinov Alley was a smuggler’s den. How it managed to exist, nestled in the poshest area of Berengi Dome, was only a mystery if you were naïve enough to believe that corruption merely existed in some bygone era.
Several minutes passed as his team closed in on their prey. Braknis was getting impatient, though, as the seconds streamed by. "We’ve got her cornered, Lieutenant. Uh, but we may have a problem," Norix said.
"Nor, what’s her status? Do you have the package or not?"
"Sorry, Lieutenant. You may want to come down here. I think you’ll want to see this before you make the call," Norix replied.
Braknis nearly ripped his earpiece out to throw against the wall. Shriveling balls! He had half a mind to shoot Norix in the head and take his part of the score. Norix’s cryptic answer was the last thing he needed to hear!
Braknis made his way through the throngs of people on Venusia Street before entering Dudinov Alley, which was basically just a mile-long suspended walkway strung between two never-ending rows of boutique shops. Naturally the boutiques didn’t have windows at their rear entrances, and this was probably just as well; Dudinov Alley looked like a lobotomized architect’s idea of a shantytown, its thoroughfare lined with haphazardly constructed shacks perched precariously on stilts to keep them above ground and at a level even with the Alley itself.
"OK, I’m in the Alley. Where am I going?" Braknis hissed.
Norix directed him to a decrepit-looking ramshackle of concrete and steel. It looked like someone had taken the debris from a condemned building and mashed it together for a new purpose. The moment Braknis walked in, his fists flexed and clenched. They were in an illegal weapons cache, of all places. Looking at some of the caliber and armaments, Braknis began to see why Norix might have called him down here. Payout or no payout, some of this hardware was tough to find, and might prove useful to have around if they ever decided to come out of retirement.
Then he saw the girl. She was standing behind the counter at the back of the structure, pointing a gun to her own head. Norix and his other team members had fanned out, watching her closely.
"She says she’ll kill herself if we take a step closer," Norix said with a frown.
"I’d rather die than let myself be taken!" Kyrena shouted.
Ah. So this is why Norix was playing coy. He wants me to decide whether or not the girl’s bluffing.
Braknis looked intently into the girl’s eyes. For a spoiled rich kid, she seemed fierce as a battlecruiser and stubborn as a gator’s jaw. Much as he wanted to, he didn’t see any hesitation in the girl’s eyes.
That was when the girl suddenly broke into a wide, sloppy grin.
"Glad you could join us, Lieutenant," Kyrena said. "This is for Magnis." Kyrena ducked behind the counter, out of sight.
Braknis had a few heartbeats to be confused before the ordnance began to fly. He couldn’t believe it when a laser blast severed his left arm at the elbow. He had a few more moments to ponder his predicament before a second laser impact burned through the back of his skull, obliterating all need for thought.