Read Online Hammerjack by Marc D. Giller - Free Book Online Page A

playing, Yin.”
    “Of
course
you are, my boy. We’re all players here—although I must admit a little disappointment. After the ruthless way you dealt with those Zone agents, I had cause to hope you had evolved beyond this.”
    Cray had no intention of allowing this to continue. In a fluid motion, he swept a small device out of his pocket and leveled it in front of Yin’s face.
    “Maybe I have,” Cray said.
    Yin didn’t show any fear—only a detached interest. “I’m impressed,” he said. “The sentry scan should have detected your weapon and stopped you.”
    “I’m handy that way. Ever seen one of these before?”
    “A v-wave emitter, isn’t it?”
    “Close-quarters assassination tool,” Cray finished for him. “I pulled it off of a Zone agent—right after Zoe took his head off with it.”
    “Resourceful girl.”
    “
Dead
girl. You saw to that from the start, didn’t you?”
    “You think waving that thing in my face will get you answers?”
    “Maybe I’ll just settle for your life.”
    “That wouldn’t be very productive,” Yin said. “And if murder were your intention, you would have done it by now.”
    A long moment passed between them. Somewhere in the interim, Cray admitted to himself that Yin was right. Pulling the trigger would have given him a moment’s satisfaction, but wouldn’t change anything. It was a meaningless form of revenge—and the price would have been his life.
    He disarmed the emitter, shoving it across the marble desk. The weapon came to a rest in front of Yin, who picked it up and examined it dispassionately. “Clearly, the Zone Authority underestimated our Zoe.”
    Cray seethed quietly. “
I
didn’t.”
    “So I heard. The Authority was rather displeased with you. They swear that if you ever show your face in the Asian Sphere, they’ll kill you as many times as possible.” Yin got up, patting Cray on the shoulder as he walked over to his own bar. “But I wouldn’t worry. From the looks of things, you’re quite capable of fending them off.”
    Cray shook his head in amazement. “Nothing gets to you, does it?”
    Yin poured himself a scotch, not bothering to offer one to his guest. “Not in the course of business,” he replied. “I’ll confess, I hold you in a certain regard, Cray—but I hold no reservations about using you in the manner best suited to accomplish my objectives. If that means withholding information, then so be it.”
    “I could have brought her in
alive,
Yin.”
    “Perhaps,” Yin said, returning to his desk, “but that’s very unlikely. I knew you would try, however—and
that’s
why I deceived you.”
    “What the hell are you talking about?”
    “The girl was
Inru,
Cray. Or didn’t you surmise that for yourself?”
    The mention of the word sapped both his anger and his strength. Cray was forced to sit down, his mind trying to reconcile what he just heard with what he saw back in Singapore.
    “She was on a mission for her guru,” Yin continued. “The information Zoe carried was intended to further their goals.”
    “Are you sure about this?”
    Yin was casual. “Not everything is about economics, my friend.”
    A stale hint of fear settled on Cray’s tongue. “Those people are crazy,” he whispered. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
    “I know precisely what I’ve done. I’ve given them a martyr—or, more precisely,
you
have.” Yin swiveled around in his chair, facing the parade of pulser traffic that passed outside his window. “By now, the
Inru
’s hammerjacks have ascertained that you were the one who tracked Zoe down. Ultimately, any blame for her death will rest with you.”
    “No way. I won’t let you hang that on me.”
    “What are you going to do?
Explain
how you tried to save her?” Yin laughed. “You underestimate your reputation, Cray. How many runners have you brought back to me? Ten?
Twenty?
Your exploits on behalf of the Collective are well known in the subculture.”
    Yin knew what he