back, only this time his head was wreathed in a strange glow the color of a fresh bruise. Funny how Palmer hadn't noticed that before. "I've worked too long to allow some upstart to turn the Doctor against me!" Renfield's wan features were flushed now. He was drunk on emotions long held in check, his eyes bright and feral as a starved coyote's.
Renfield abandoned his chair, dropping to his knees beside Palmer. "You think I don't notice how he favors you? How he looks at you? He promised me power and life eternal! He said he loved me! Needed me! Me, not you!" There were tears in the other man's eyes. "He lied to me! But he won't have you. I won't let you take my place! I'll tell him you couldn't handle the deprogramming-it won't be a lie, really-and I gave you to the ogre for disposal. No one will know! Not even the Doctor!"
The louvered shutters shattered inward as Sonja Blue made her entrance, leather-clad arms lifted to shield her face. She hit the bare floor and rolled, distracting Renfield away from his victim.
Palmer felt the numbness in his limbs vanish as Renfield faced the intruder. The reverse-negative halo surrounding his head pulsed, snapping a whiplike tendril in
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( http://www.novapdf.com ) Sonja Blue's direction.
Sonja made a motion with her left hand, as if flicking away a worrisome insect.
"You'll have to do better than that!" She laughed.
Renfield looked confused, then frightened. "Keif! Get in here! Keif!"
Palmer got to his feet, surprised to find the recent agonies he'd undergone had left his flesh unscathed. He could hear the gorilla fumbling with the lock. Sonja grabbed Renfield by his lapels, pulling him so close they were literally nose-to nose. A spiky crown of reddish-black light seemed to radiate from the woman's head, flickering in and out of Palmer's vision like a defective neon sign.
"Where's Pangloss?"
"Do you honestly think I'd tell you ?" Renfield sneered.
"You've got a point." She let go of his jacket. Renfield smiled hesitantly, straightening his lapels. She moved so fast Palmer almost didn't see it, grabbing Renfield's chin and forcing his head up and back at an unnatural angle. The door banged inward, sagging on its hinges. Keif had grown frustrated with opening the door.
The gorilla squeezed through the doorway, his piggy little eyes moving from Palmer to Sonja before settling on Renfield's corpse. Sonja stepped forward, motioning for Palmer to get behind her. He saw that she held an open switchblade in one hand.
"Jesus Christ, woman, there's no way you can go up against that goon-"
She waved him silent, never taking her eyes off the hulking figure filling the doorway. "Keep quiet! I know what I'm doing!"
Keif rumbled deep in his throat and stepped forward, sniffing the air like a hunting dog. Keif glanced at them suspiciously, his nostrils flaring, but did not offer to attack. His attention was fixed on Renfield's carcass. Saliva dripped from his lower lip in thick ropes. Keif emitted a loud sniffing sound, like that of a hog at a trough, and pounced on the corpse. Palmer heard fabric rip as the giant tore at the dead man's clothes.
Sonja motioned Palmer toward the door. She moved to follow, never taking her eyes off the drooling goon.
"What's he doing'?" Palmer hissed.
"You don't want to know. Let's get out of here while he's preoccupied. Ogres aren't very bright to begin with, and when they're hungry they tend to let their bellies override their brains. We're lucky this one hadn't had dinner yet."
5
Palmer sat on the penthouse patio, a glass of bourbon in his hand, while everything he'd assumed was real disintegrated.
Palmer prided himself on his ability to adapt to adverse conditions. He'd learned how to cope when his family kicked him out of the house at the age of seventeen.
He'd survived three hellish months on an Alabama work gang, back when having long hair was a criminal offense. He'd watched
Renfield abandoned his chair, dropping to his knees beside Palmer. "You think I don't notice how he favors you? How he looks at you? He promised me power and life eternal! He said he loved me! Needed me! Me, not you!" There were tears in the other man's eyes. "He lied to me! But he won't have you. I won't let you take my place! I'll tell him you couldn't handle the deprogramming-it won't be a lie, really-and I gave you to the ogre for disposal. No one will know! Not even the Doctor!"
The louvered shutters shattered inward as Sonja Blue made her entrance, leather-clad arms lifted to shield her face. She hit the bare floor and rolled, distracting Renfield away from his victim.
Palmer felt the numbness in his limbs vanish as Renfield faced the intruder. The reverse-negative halo surrounding his head pulsed, snapping a whiplike tendril in
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( http://www.novapdf.com ) Sonja Blue's direction.
Sonja made a motion with her left hand, as if flicking away a worrisome insect.
"You'll have to do better than that!" She laughed.
Renfield looked confused, then frightened. "Keif! Get in here! Keif!"
Palmer got to his feet, surprised to find the recent agonies he'd undergone had left his flesh unscathed. He could hear the gorilla fumbling with the lock. Sonja grabbed Renfield by his lapels, pulling him so close they were literally nose-to nose. A spiky crown of reddish-black light seemed to radiate from the woman's head, flickering in and out of Palmer's vision like a defective neon sign.
"Where's Pangloss?"
"Do you honestly think I'd tell you ?" Renfield sneered.
"You've got a point." She let go of his jacket. Renfield smiled hesitantly, straightening his lapels. She moved so fast Palmer almost didn't see it, grabbing Renfield's chin and forcing his head up and back at an unnatural angle. The door banged inward, sagging on its hinges. Keif had grown frustrated with opening the door.
The gorilla squeezed through the doorway, his piggy little eyes moving from Palmer to Sonja before settling on Renfield's corpse. Sonja stepped forward, motioning for Palmer to get behind her. He saw that she held an open switchblade in one hand.
"Jesus Christ, woman, there's no way you can go up against that goon-"
She waved him silent, never taking her eyes off the hulking figure filling the doorway. "Keep quiet! I know what I'm doing!"
Keif rumbled deep in his throat and stepped forward, sniffing the air like a hunting dog. Keif glanced at them suspiciously, his nostrils flaring, but did not offer to attack. His attention was fixed on Renfield's carcass. Saliva dripped from his lower lip in thick ropes. Keif emitted a loud sniffing sound, like that of a hog at a trough, and pounced on the corpse. Palmer heard fabric rip as the giant tore at the dead man's clothes.
Sonja motioned Palmer toward the door. She moved to follow, never taking her eyes off the drooling goon.
"What's he doing'?" Palmer hissed.
"You don't want to know. Let's get out of here while he's preoccupied. Ogres aren't very bright to begin with, and when they're hungry they tend to let their bellies override their brains. We're lucky this one hadn't had dinner yet."
5
Palmer sat on the penthouse patio, a glass of bourbon in his hand, while everything he'd assumed was real disintegrated.
Palmer prided himself on his ability to adapt to adverse conditions. He'd learned how to cope when his family kicked him out of the house at the age of seventeen.
He'd survived three hellish months on an Alabama work gang, back when having long hair was a criminal offense. He'd watched
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