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Authors: Anthony Ryan
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don’t remember anything after I shot Nina.
*
I woke up in the hospital finding Sherry Mordecai gazing down with an expression I’d never seen on her face before. Pity.
“Don’t do that,” I croaked, feeling like my oesophagus had been replaced with sand-paper. I blearily fumbled for the water jug next to the bed. Sherry gently pushed my hands away and poured a small amount into a cup, holding it to my lips.
“Thanks,” I said, slumping back into the mattress. I met her gaze. “Choi?”
She shook her head. “And the girl. Ricci says sodium thiopental, fast acting and mostly painless.”
“Joe?”
“He’s fine. Feeling guilty. Thinks he may have hit you too hard. I told him where you’re concerned there’s no such thing as too hard.”
She took something from her pocket and placed it on the bedside table. Mr Mac’s smart. “He’s been calling. Thought I’d leave it up to you.”
She went to the door then hesitated. “Oh, it seems Choi made a will. She’s left you the Heavenly Garden, and everything else. It’s a shit-load of money and I’m not sure how much of it Professional Standards will let you keep, but for the moment, you’re a rich man. Congratulations.” With that, she left.
I stared at the Smart for a long time before picking it up and thumbing to the missed calls. He picked up immediately.
“Alex, are you OK?” Genuine concern. No anger or frustration.
“I killed Nina,” I said. “Blew her guts out.”
“I know. Nina had a professional awareness of the risks inherent in her occupation. I’ll miss the contribution she made to my business. But employees are replaceable, friends are not.”
“Try and get this, you fucking nutcase, I am not your friend!”
“Of course you are, Alex. As I am your friend. Why else would I give you the opportunity to resolve this?”
A cold realisation gripped my chest. “You knew, you already knew Choi had taken her.”
“No, I suspected it and you confirmed it. Being aware of your connection I thought it only fair to at least give you a chance of saving her. Pity how it turned out. I always liked Choi…”
A chance of saving her. “Her name was Matsuke Hiroka and she didn’t need saving,” I said. “She’d saved herself. Don’t call me again. If I see you I am going to kill you.” I switched off the smart and tossed it into the water jug.
I suddenly became aware that there was an adhesive bandage on the right side of my face, a big one. The cause of Sherry’s pity? I struggled out of bed and wobble walked to the mirror over the sink. A handsome man I barely knew stared back from the mirror. He’d clearly been through some bad times, tired red-tinged eyes set in a pale unshaven mask that was, nevertheless, still unfeasibly attractive.
I reached up and began to unpeel the bandage. Flechette wounds have a signature all their own, the way they score the flesh leaving straight line scars that might have been left by a scalpel. Nina’s final shot had carved deep channels in the skin from my jawline to the top of my ear which had been partly sheared away. The medics would have treated the scars with re-growth enzymes but the damage was too severe for a full repair. Without surgery or a complete facial reconstruction I’d be wearing this disfigurement for the rest of my life.
“Now,” the handsome man grinned in the mirror, “that’s more like it.”
END
A Hymn to Gods Long Dead
Chapter 1
The Vampire came to the bar just after the Yang Seven lights dimmed to a deeper blue to signify the onset of evening. She was tall with the standard night black hair and alabaster skin, but her clothes were unusual; no lace or leather, just practical grey-green combats, a loosely fitting unbranded t-shirt and a stay-clean jacket of pale blue. No tats either, another surprise, as was her smile. It had none of the cunning or predatory calculation they spent hours perfecting in the mirror - and yes, they do show up in mirrors,
*
I woke up in the hospital finding Sherry Mordecai gazing down with an expression I’d never seen on her face before. Pity.
“Don’t do that,” I croaked, feeling like my oesophagus had been replaced with sand-paper. I blearily fumbled for the water jug next to the bed. Sherry gently pushed my hands away and poured a small amount into a cup, holding it to my lips.
“Thanks,” I said, slumping back into the mattress. I met her gaze. “Choi?”
She shook her head. “And the girl. Ricci says sodium thiopental, fast acting and mostly painless.”
“Joe?”
“He’s fine. Feeling guilty. Thinks he may have hit you too hard. I told him where you’re concerned there’s no such thing as too hard.”
She took something from her pocket and placed it on the bedside table. Mr Mac’s smart. “He’s been calling. Thought I’d leave it up to you.”
She went to the door then hesitated. “Oh, it seems Choi made a will. She’s left you the Heavenly Garden, and everything else. It’s a shit-load of money and I’m not sure how much of it Professional Standards will let you keep, but for the moment, you’re a rich man. Congratulations.” With that, she left.
I stared at the Smart for a long time before picking it up and thumbing to the missed calls. He picked up immediately.
“Alex, are you OK?” Genuine concern. No anger or frustration.
“I killed Nina,” I said. “Blew her guts out.”
“I know. Nina had a professional awareness of the risks inherent in her occupation. I’ll miss the contribution she made to my business. But employees are replaceable, friends are not.”
“Try and get this, you fucking nutcase, I am not your friend!”
“Of course you are, Alex. As I am your friend. Why else would I give you the opportunity to resolve this?”
A cold realisation gripped my chest. “You knew, you already knew Choi had taken her.”
“No, I suspected it and you confirmed it. Being aware of your connection I thought it only fair to at least give you a chance of saving her. Pity how it turned out. I always liked Choi…”
A chance of saving her. “Her name was Matsuke Hiroka and she didn’t need saving,” I said. “She’d saved herself. Don’t call me again. If I see you I am going to kill you.” I switched off the smart and tossed it into the water jug.
I suddenly became aware that there was an adhesive bandage on the right side of my face, a big one. The cause of Sherry’s pity? I struggled out of bed and wobble walked to the mirror over the sink. A handsome man I barely knew stared back from the mirror. He’d clearly been through some bad times, tired red-tinged eyes set in a pale unshaven mask that was, nevertheless, still unfeasibly attractive.
I reached up and began to unpeel the bandage. Flechette wounds have a signature all their own, the way they score the flesh leaving straight line scars that might have been left by a scalpel. Nina’s final shot had carved deep channels in the skin from my jawline to the top of my ear which had been partly sheared away. The medics would have treated the scars with re-growth enzymes but the damage was too severe for a full repair. Without surgery or a complete facial reconstruction I’d be wearing this disfigurement for the rest of my life.
“Now,” the handsome man grinned in the mirror, “that’s more like it.”
END
A Hymn to Gods Long Dead
Chapter 1
The Vampire came to the bar just after the Yang Seven lights dimmed to a deeper blue to signify the onset of evening. She was tall with the standard night black hair and alabaster skin, but her clothes were unusual; no lace or leather, just practical grey-green combats, a loosely fitting unbranded t-shirt and a stay-clean jacket of pale blue. No tats either, another surprise, as was her smile. It had none of the cunning or predatory calculation they spent hours perfecting in the mirror - and yes, they do show up in mirrors,
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