Eagle X, Mission 15: The Singapore Incident

Part 4: Kent

Kent Duffy sat beside his carry on bag, its contents spread across his bed. In his hand rested his kinetic pistol. He felt the weight of the weapon, and admired the symmetrical lines of its barrel. It was sleek and thin, easily concealed and easily disposed of. On the bed were two clips, 50 rounds of armor piercing bullets. Two shots to the chest, and one to the head would end Angelique Farnsworth's administration permanently.

Kent had gone into hiding after his failed assassination attempt. The investigation around the attack was intense and he couldn't risk leading the authorities to the FLM. The plan had been to maintain a communications blackout for three months... but that was supposed to be after the CEO was eliminated. Kent had credits and Felarns, a small collection of safe houses, and a passport if he needed to leave the grid. Everything he would need to evade capture.

Unfortunately, Kent had wasted his shot and blown his chance to make a difference.

Hiding in a FLM safehouse, A peer to peer broadcast from Seth was the last thing Kent expected.

"Seth, is that you?" He'd half expected it to be an EC Inspector. The voice on the other line was cold.

"Where are you?"

"I'm sorry about the conference. I... It all happened so fast. One after another everything went wrong." Kent needed his friends to know that he didn't lose his nerve.

"Where are you?"

"I'm a failure to the cause," Kent said. He'd expected Seth to be unhappy, dreaded it actually.  "I'm sorry."

"WHERE ARE YOU, VAT BOY?"

Hearing the slur brought back bad memories of his time on the outer rim.  Hearing it uttered by a friend hurt like a physical blow.

"Section 14.B," Kent answered mechanically.

"Italy... do you have the funds to charter a flight to New York, Section 5.A1?"  Seth's icy tone had softened.

"Yes," Kent tried to focus, but he couldn't let go of the words buzzing about his head. "Seth, you called me a Vat Boy."

"I apologize, my friend. I never use that kind of language. I'm stressed, we're all stressed. You understand."

It wasn't a question but a statement, but Kent understood. He'd messed up, and the Free Labor Movement might suffer for it.

"We have a small window of opportunity to make things right, and strike a blow for the revolution, Kent."

"I understand, Seth. What do I need to do?"

"Karen is waiting in New York. She will get you on a transport off-world. You need to get to Trappist Station in Grid 5-C."

"Grid 5-C?"

"There you'll book a trip on the AST transport Singapore bound for Grid 9-A."

"What's in 9-A, Seth?" Kent wrote down all of Seth's instructions so as not to forget. His ability to remember things were sometimes limited, a defect built into his clone DNA.

"The Revolution, Kent. The Revolution. Farnsworth will be on that transport, and you will do everything in your power to ensure she never reaches 9-A alive. You, your finger, your bullets will be the symbol needed to propel the Free Labor Movement into the next stage. You will be a hero."

"A hero."

Kent held onto the memory of that conversation from Italy to New York, from Earth Prime to Sol Station, and from Sol to Trappist. Sitting onboard the Singapore, he remembered his purpose.

Kent Duffy was born to be a hero of the working class. He would take a stand against corporate greed and mismanagement by cutting off the head of the giant that held the people in its vice-like grip. He stared at the pistol and wondered which was truly the symbol of revolution, the trigger or the finger that pulled it. He attached a silencer and targeting scope to the pistol. The time had come to leave his mark on history.