Jak Koke - Clockwork asylum

Ryan followed his lead. "Oh, yes. In fact, she and I were just talking about all the company stock she now has to vote. She's not even that familiar with the workings of quite a few of them. I mean, she's got a pretty good hang on stuff like the Gavilan stock, but other things are a bit esoteric."

And the fly lands, thought Ryan, watching Knight's eyes light up.

"Exactly," Knight said. "In fact, I have a meeting with her in about half an hour to discuss that particular stock."

"Really, I was unaware."

Knight said nothing and for just a moment Ryan thought he might have been a bit heavy-handed. Knight leaned back, and his face went still.

Knight seemed to be thinking hard, and Ryan could see when he reached a decision. "Ryan, just between you and me, I'm worried about Miss Daviar. Especially in relation to her dealings with Gavilan. There's so much political back-stabbing going on there right now that I'm afraid it might be a bit much for her."

Ryan leaned forward, doing his best impersonation of a little kid being told a secret. "Really? I guess that's not so surprising after what happened to Dunkelzahn."

Knight nodded, playing his fatherly role to the hilt. "You know, I just thought of something. In my meeting with Daviar, I'm going to suggest that she give me temporary proxy rights to Gavilan. Just until she comes to know who all the main players are and where they stand. That way, she won't do anything she might regret later."

Ryan smiled. "That's very kind of you."

Knight's face turned conspiratorial again. "However, you, better than anyone, should know how strong-willed she is. I'm just afraid she'll misinterpret my offer. I would hate for her to refuse me, then kick herself for it later."

"How can I help?"

Knight actually leaned over and patted his arm. "Just talk to her. I'm sure she trusts you, and if you give her a gentle nudge in the right direction, we might just be able to avoid a big mess."

Ryan smiled. "You got it. I'll do anything for her."

Knight smiled and stretched out his hand. "It was a pleasure talking to you."

Ryan took the offered hand, but didn't release it. He let his face turn thoughtful. "You know, I heard your name come up in conversation the other day."

Knight, realizing he wasn't going to get his hand back, sat. His smile faded, replaced by a cautious look. "Oh, really? In what context?"

Ryan grinned and turned loose of Knight's hand. "Oh, I think it was an ex-employee of yours."

Knight's grin was thin, strained. "Someone you 'helped' relocate?"

Ryan shook his head. "No, no, no. It was someone you worked with before my time."

Knight's thin smile turned positively painful. "I hope this person had good things to say."

Ryan's smile grew predatory. "Oh, good and bad. She said you had some secrets, but she also said you were good in the sack."

It was a shot in the dark-something in Alice's tone when she'd talked about "David"-and Ryan was pleased with the results.

Knight turned white. "Her name?"

Ryan tapped his forefinger on his chin. "Let me see, I think it was… Alice. Yes, that's it. It was Alice Haeffner. Quite a nice lady, actually."

Knight looked as if someone had kicked the wind out him. "You spoke to her?"

Ryan's smile softened. "Yes. Seems she'd been speaking to another old friend of yours, a Thomas Rox-borough. They have some pretty interesting views of your relationship with my former employer."

Knight was actually shaking. "Mister Mercury, thank you for the conversation, but I do have other people to talk to. If you'll excuse me."

As he was standing, Ryan dropped the bomb. "It seems that both Alice and Roxborough think you might have blamed Dunkelzahn for the Crash. That maybe you've held a grudge for more than two decades, and that possibly, just possibly, you might have finally gotten your revenge."

It was just a simple tick of the eye, but from someone as professional as Knight it was like a signed confession. Without another word, Knight left the table.

Ryan took another sip of his cognac, which had gone lukewarm. He turned and found Nadja's eyes on him. He blinked, slowly, their prearranged signal, and stood.

It took Ryan almost twenty minutes to extract himself from the gathering and make it to the back stairwell. Then he was past security and out the fire door.

He keyed his wristphone. "Jane, you get all that?"

Jane's voice floated into the concrete doorway. "In glorious color. That was a thing of beauty, Quicksilver."

Ryan reached the ground floor, and Brooks cleared him with security. Her face was grim when she bade him goodbye. Ryan made his way to the small Eurocar he had stashed in the employee parking lot.

"Jane, can you get tabs on Knight?"

"No problem there, Quicksilver. However, even in light of how surprisingly successful your evening was, you might want to drop it for now."

"What's up?"

"That call I got earlier was from the team you had me hire to watch Burnout. You called it correctly. He's heading straight for you, and he'll be there soon."

"Jane, we're going to have to be careful. Get tabs on Knight, and get Grind and Dhin prepped. Damien hosed up, and he knows it, but the proof will be in what he does next, and when he gives me that proof, I want to be there."

"Copy," Jane said. "Grind and Dhin are ready to roll, and Knight is still at the party."

"Good. Keep me informed."

He cut the connection, and reached the dark blue Eurocar. He was just leaning over to open the door when his senses screamed danger.

Ryan spun, clicking into high gear as he scanned for escape routes.

Rows of parked cars. Pillars and low roof of gray duracrete. Not a lot of room to maneuver.

Twelve men seemed to melt from the shadows. Coming at him fast. They were heavily armored, packing Ares military weaponry, and they moved like complete pros. If it hadn't been for the small Knight Errant logo on each Kevlar Ill-covered chest, Ryan could have taken them for high-paid assassins.

Frag! I've underestimated Knight again.

He looked to the metal door that led to the staircase, fifteen meters away. Too far.

The twelve armored men formed a wide circle around him. One of them spoke. "If you would be so kind as to drop to your face, Mister Mercury, it would be greatly appreciated. We have orders not to kill you unless we really feel like it."

Ryan shook his head. He might get three, maybe four of them, but there were too many. By the time he got his gun out, they'd have cut out his knees. Unless…

Ryan held his hands up in surrender. "I don't want trouble," he said. "I'm unarmed."

"On the ground!"

Suddenly, and without warning, Ryan dove for the Eurocar, flattening himself to slide under the belly of the vehicle.

His would-be captors were caught off-guard, moving as if in slow motion. They fired, but too late. Ryan heard bullets ricochet off the car as he rolled, reaching into his calf holster for his pistol as he crossed the narrow space between the Eurocar and a Chrysler-Nissan Jackrabbit.

A plan formed in his mind as he moved. He almost had his gun and would use it to…

Sharp pain erupted in Ryan's chest and the side of his head as a burst of gel-pack bullets hit home.

Drek, he thought, and for a moment blackness threatened to engulf him.

Several seconds must have passed because Ryan found himself being dragged out from under the Jackrabbit. Drifting in and out of consciousness.

The man who had spoken stepped forward, quickly and decisively. "This is going to hurt you more than it hurts me," the man said with an abrupt laugh.

Pain exploded behind Ryan's right ear, and everything went black.

The Federated-Boeing 3800 arched down from the darkening sky, coming closer and closer to the sea of twinkling lights that seemed to stretch past the horizon. As the 3800 touched down, tires smoking on hot tarmac, Burnout rolled from the wheel well, hit the pavement in a shower of sparks, and skidded to a stop as the 3800 shot past him.