Read Online Sins of the Father by Mitchel Scanlon - Free Book Online
Authors: Mitchel Scanlon
Tags: Science-Fiction
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like the way this whole thing was going. It felt like the perp was building up his courage, his emotions slowly burning, getting ready to explode in a violent crescendo at any moment. The knife was barely a centimetre away from the baby's throat. Conflicting strategies warred within her: should she try to talk him down, play along with madness, or take the shot and pray for the best?
She saw movement at the periphery of her vision. It was Bryson. The street Judge was on the other side of the staircase. He had worked his way behind the perp, his Lawgiver raised to aim up at Lucas Verne as he moved to take a position just below the landing. Verne had not noticed him yet: he had eyes only for Anderson.
"Are you an angel?" the perp demanded. He was growing impatient, and Anderson realised the time for a decision was fast approaching. Whatever she was going to do, she needed to do it quickly. "Are you an angel? Tell me."
Bryson , she contacted the street Judge telepathically. She kept her eyes on the perp, wary of any sudden movements. I need you to advance until you're standing directly below the perp. And holster your weapon. You're going to need both hands free .
What are you planning to do? , Bryson asked her. But she had no time to answer him. On the landing, his back turned to Bryson and still unaware of the street Judge's presence, Lucas Verne was becoming angry.
"Are you an angel?" he shouted, his body shifting in ill-concealed agitation. As he moved, his knife inched closer to the baby's throat. "Tell me! Tell me now or-"
"I'm an angel, Lucas," she said, silently hoping she could play the role right. "My name is Cassandra. Grud sent me with a message for you. He says the baby is not the Messiah. You don't need to hurt hi-"
"Liar!" Verne roared at her. "You're a liar! Grud didn't send you! Do you think you can fool me?"
He lifted the baby in his arms, jostling the child awake. Disturbed, the baby resumed his crying.
"Do you think I don't know that this is the true Messiah?" Verne was raving now, spittle flying from his mouth as his words rebounded in harsh echoes from the walls and machinery around them. "You think I don't know what that means? Billions of people are going to die. The Apocalypse is coming, and I'm the only one who can stop it! Me! Lucas Verne! It's up to me to save the world! I see that now!"
"Lucas!" In an attempt to get the perp to snap out of it, Anderson shouted his name. It was like his thought process was a freight train bearing down on its destination. She had to try to derail it. "Listen to me! You don't know what you're-"
"No! I won't listen!" the perp shrieked at her, his eyes gleaming in mad zeal. "You're not an angel - you came here to trick me! But I know what's really going on! I understand everything! I see it all! It's time now! It's time to save the world!"
The knife moved in the perp's hand to press against the child's throat. The baby cried. Anderson screamed.
"Lucas! No!"
Running out of options, she did what she had to.
She took the shot.
It happened in slow motion.
Her shot hit the perp in the chin, a red flower of blood exploding from the crown of his head as the bullet angled upwards. The perfect killshot: Verne was dead before he knew it. The knife dropped from his hands. His body slumped against the metal banister behind him. Anderson held her breath.
She held her breath. As Verne fell back against the railing, his body twisted. The baby slid out of his arms and over the side. Verne collapsed onto the landing. The baby was crying.
She held her breath. The baby was falling in mid-air, wailing. His body turned in the air as gravity pulled him towards the factory floor. Below him, Bryson was waiting with his arms held open. Anderson felt a bead of sweat run down her neck.
She held her breath.
"Nice catch," she said afterwards.
"I can't believe you did that!" Bryson's face was aghast. He held the crying baby cupped in his hands as though the child were made
She saw movement at the periphery of her vision. It was Bryson. The street Judge was on the other side of the staircase. He had worked his way behind the perp, his Lawgiver raised to aim up at Lucas Verne as he moved to take a position just below the landing. Verne had not noticed him yet: he had eyes only for Anderson.
"Are you an angel?" the perp demanded. He was growing impatient, and Anderson realised the time for a decision was fast approaching. Whatever she was going to do, she needed to do it quickly. "Are you an angel? Tell me."
Bryson , she contacted the street Judge telepathically. She kept her eyes on the perp, wary of any sudden movements. I need you to advance until you're standing directly below the perp. And holster your weapon. You're going to need both hands free .
What are you planning to do? , Bryson asked her. But she had no time to answer him. On the landing, his back turned to Bryson and still unaware of the street Judge's presence, Lucas Verne was becoming angry.
"Are you an angel?" he shouted, his body shifting in ill-concealed agitation. As he moved, his knife inched closer to the baby's throat. "Tell me! Tell me now or-"
"I'm an angel, Lucas," she said, silently hoping she could play the role right. "My name is Cassandra. Grud sent me with a message for you. He says the baby is not the Messiah. You don't need to hurt hi-"
"Liar!" Verne roared at her. "You're a liar! Grud didn't send you! Do you think you can fool me?"
He lifted the baby in his arms, jostling the child awake. Disturbed, the baby resumed his crying.
"Do you think I don't know that this is the true Messiah?" Verne was raving now, spittle flying from his mouth as his words rebounded in harsh echoes from the walls and machinery around them. "You think I don't know what that means? Billions of people are going to die. The Apocalypse is coming, and I'm the only one who can stop it! Me! Lucas Verne! It's up to me to save the world! I see that now!"
"Lucas!" In an attempt to get the perp to snap out of it, Anderson shouted his name. It was like his thought process was a freight train bearing down on its destination. She had to try to derail it. "Listen to me! You don't know what you're-"
"No! I won't listen!" the perp shrieked at her, his eyes gleaming in mad zeal. "You're not an angel - you came here to trick me! But I know what's really going on! I understand everything! I see it all! It's time now! It's time to save the world!"
The knife moved in the perp's hand to press against the child's throat. The baby cried. Anderson screamed.
"Lucas! No!"
Running out of options, she did what she had to.
She took the shot.
It happened in slow motion.
Her shot hit the perp in the chin, a red flower of blood exploding from the crown of his head as the bullet angled upwards. The perfect killshot: Verne was dead before he knew it. The knife dropped from his hands. His body slumped against the metal banister behind him. Anderson held her breath.
She held her breath. As Verne fell back against the railing, his body twisted. The baby slid out of his arms and over the side. Verne collapsed onto the landing. The baby was crying.
She held her breath. The baby was falling in mid-air, wailing. His body turned in the air as gravity pulled him towards the factory floor. Below him, Bryson was waiting with his arms held open. Anderson felt a bead of sweat run down her neck.
She held her breath.
"Nice catch," she said afterwards.
"I can't believe you did that!" Bryson's face was aghast. He held the crying baby cupped in his hands as though the child were made
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