In Service of the Duke

Chapter 3

Lazar looked down at the hole that he had created by prying up the floorboards. A cubic machine sat in the recess humming ominously. Lazar carefully considered the kinds of threats that could arise from this discovery. Recorder, bomb, some sort of illegal paraphernalia. The possibilities were endless.

Finally, Lazar lifted the object out of the hole. It was much heavier than it looked. Lazar could barely lift it onto the bed. Checking to make sure that his eyes were connected to the WorldLink Network, he quickly took a picture of it and sent it to Barbara. Satisfied that he had done all that he could for now, Lazar left the motel for a while and walked around the streets for a while.

In addition to each mission that he received from his handler, he also received a list of enemies that the Duke suspected of being on the planet. While Lazar was no assassin, he still had a skill set that could neutralize practically any human threat. So he stalked the streets, gazing impassively at each face as it passed. The corners of his vision would glow a soft yellow to show people who were not threats, while a purple glow identified a threat to the Duke.

Lazar's eyes fell on the bearded face of a middle-aged man. A purple glow illuminated the corners of his vision.

Doing his best to disguise his smile of satisfaction as one of cordiality, Lazar nodded at him as they passed. He walked about a block, and then, making sure to take time to look into one of the shop windows, turned around and began to head back the way he came.

Careful to keep track of the man without coming close, Lazar slowly mulled through the streets among vendors and between shops. Finally, the man stopped outside what looked to be some sort of apartment building with boarded-up windows. Lazar grinned.

Suddenly, a sharp ringing noise shook him out of his reverie. Looking at his bracelet display, Lazar saw a message from Barbara. "Meet at diner after dinner rush."

Lazar sent a message so that she would know that he read it. Almost immediately afterward a message arrived telling him that under no circumstances was he to return to his motel room. Lazar looked at the time. He still had three hours until the earliest Barbara would expect him at the diner. It was not quite enough time to solve the issue of the bearded man, but Lazar's priorities were set.

He walked about half a block to a park bench and sat down to read. Lazar loved to read, but due to his training regimen, was only currently supposed to read books on toxicology, chemistry, and foraging. Lazar groaned. A man walking by stopped and smiled hearing that.

"What are you reading there?"

Lazar looked up at the man. He seemed in his early thirties, only a few years older than Lazar. "Just reading up a little on mushrooms."

The man laughed. "Why? No mushrooms to collect within hundreds of miles."

Lazar smiled. "I'm a wanderer."

"Oh! We don't get many off-world visitors." The man was seemingly very interested now.

Lazar studied the man as intensely as he thought he could get away with. "What's your name?"

"My name's Peter Greenwood. Yours?"

Lazar gave the official alias that he was to be using during his mission. "Trevor Richardson."

The two men smiled politely, and Lazar looked down at his small holographic book display.

"One more thing." Peter Greenwood looked down, half smirked, shook his head, and then said, "Have you ever skinned a rabbit?"

Lazar was almost too surprised to respond. That was the code that someone was supposed to give on this mission if he got in over his head and called for reinforcements. He reached into his pocket to feel the metal grip of his pistol. "No, I've only kept pet rabbits."

Peter immediately sighed in relief, and continued in a much more subdued tone. "I'm so glad it's you, Lazar. I was nervous about using the code, but I didn't see any way to find out who you were. You see, I am a tech consultant called in on this job by Mrs. Wheelwright."

Lazar's brow furrowed. "What for? We had this job handled."

"You see, it appears that the device that you discovered in your room extends beyond Mrs. Wheelwright's experience."

"Do you even have security clearance for this job?" Lazar's voice grew dangerously loud.

Peter's jaw tensed, then relaxed, and he even smiled a little bit. "Hey," he continued in a normal conversational tone. "What do you say we go and get some food? I haven't eaten all day, and I'm starved."

Lazar instantly changed his demeanor. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am also pretty hungry."

The two walked down the seedy, neon-lit streets in silence. Lazar studied the side of Peter's head in the corner of his vision. His hair was dark brown, almost black, but speckled with grey, especially in the temples and down the sideburns. He had a face that Lazar thought was average, but by no means ugly. Slight wrinkles had begun to form at the edges of his mouth. Smile lines. Lazar caught himself feeling very sorry for Peter, then shook his head and laughed quietly.

"What is it?" Peter asked.

"Nothing. I think that after we meet Barbara, we'll get along fine."

Peter pursed his lips and wrinkled his brow, but said nothing, looking back ahead. The motion of his head turning allowed Lazar to see a small scar on the side of his head. Concealed by his short hair, most would miss the tiny detail, but Lazar's eyes were programmed to draw his attention to these little details. Lazar smiled. This little incision made it all but guaranteed that Peter was a cyborg with a brain implant. No wonder he knew Barbara. It is possible that Peter would turn out to be useful after all.

They came through an alleyway behind the diner, just in time to feel an explosion rock the streets with tremendous force.