25


“You're a disgrace, Cain,” Briggs said. “No matter what happens here, you're going to pay for all the lives lost on Dreadmax.”
“Lives? Are you talking about Union troops or the tens of thousands of prisoners that were in Union custody who you didn't bother to evacuate despite having plenty of ships standing by?” I asked.
“You expected us to take ten thousand convicted murderers and insane cannibals and put them on our ships?” Briggs looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. “That's asinine, even for you.”
“Your failure to plan isn’t my problem. You could have brought some of your famous prison ships and dealt with that situation. How long did you know it was going to happen?” I asked pointedly.
Briggs didn't answer.
“I know more about the dark side of the Union than you do,” I said.
His features looked pinched, as though this disturbed him.
I could see he wanted to respond but didn't have the words. “They're not after Elise for her well-being,” I said.
He interrupted me. “Everyone has to make sacrifices for the common good.”
“You think what they did to me was bad?” I said, holding up my cybernetic left arm as exhibit A. “They're going to take her apart and put her back together, and that's if they're being nice. You return her to the Union, and you might as well torture her yourself.”
Crank yanked away from me. Instead of resisting, I pushed him toward Briggs and stepped back, aiming my weapon at them. “Watch yourself, Crank. We can't have a rematch if you’re dead,”
Crank spat on the ground. I pretended to ignore him. His boss was more dangerous.
I saw something in Briggs I hadn't expected. He was actually thinking about what I’d said.
“Let's put a stop to Byron Thane II and find Elise. After that, we'll figure something out,” I said.
“Unlike you, Cain, I have to follow rules. I have to bring you in dead or alive,” Briggs said, but his words lacked conviction and I could tell he was coming around to my idea.
“You could take me in, or you could successfully complete your mission,” I said.
“You're such an asshole,” Crank grumbled.
“I have information you need. It might even prove that your handlers are playing you false,” I said.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Briggs demanded.
“I think they sent you to scare her out of her routine so their Reaper could capture or kill her,” I said, testing them. If the Union had a new Reaper program and Briggs knew it, I would see the truth in his eyes.
“Fuck you, Cain,” Briggs said. “The Union is done with Reapers. They proved too dangerous and unreliable. Dying breed. Just another discontinued model they shut down as obsolete.”
“What do you think, X?” I asked.
“He does not believe there is a new Reaper program,” X-37 said. “I am inclined to believe he is correct. Evidence suggests the Union regretted the Reaper program.”
“So where did the Thane imposter come from?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Briggs said. “But I can tell you we will put him down the first chance we get.”
“I would take that as a warning of how they will treat you once they have what they came for,” X-37 said.
Crank was watching me, probably guessing what X had just said.
“What are you looking at, Crank?” I asked, using a tone meant to provoke him.
“Don’t push your luck, asshole,” Crank said, stepping forward.
Briggs signaled him to be silent, advancing so that we were almost conversing as equals.
I lowered my gun slightly and pulled it into a tight low-ready position. I could fire it without raising the barrel and still hit him, then aim at Crank to take him out. They knew my skills and weren't stupid.
“Fine, let's work together. Best-case scenario, we recover the girl and take you into custody without anyone else getting killed,” Briggs decided.
“I have one condition,” I said, knowing this scheme was risky. Maybe it would be better to just walk away. If Elise was handed off to the Union or Oxanos, why make things worse? Why not move on to a fight I could win?
“I can’t promise much,” Briggs said.
“Talk to her before you take her,” I said, just to cover my bases. I had no intention of losing to these jerkoffs. “See if you still want to work for the Union after that.”
Crank snorted.
Briggs nodded slowly. “I’ll listen to her story. It won’t change anything.”
I slipped the .45 into my belt.
“What do you know about the assassins' guild?” Briggs asked.
“I've been inside their headquarters,” I explained. “Met with Gold, the man who controls the guild on Greendale. But he's more than his title implies. I think he's got a finger in a lot of criminal enterprises, and most likely in government as well. His headquarters is heavily guarded and fortified. There's one room that, if Elise is inside of it, we won't be able to breach. It has a blast door that’d make a battleship proud.”
“I can handle that,” Crank said, sounding less petulant and more competent this time.
“Sergeant Crank is the best breacher in the Union,” Briggs said. “Show us their hideout. We'll start surveillance and work up a plan.”