[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

being tough, reveling in the inhuman guise of a walking insect.
"Evening, Cawdor," Rollins said.
Ryan turned to fully face him, while trying to keep his associate framed in his
peripheral vision. The younger of the two had apparently received some training,
since he was using Ryan's eye patch as a blind side.
"You're up late tonight, Rollins."
"A sec man never sleeps."
file:///C|/2590%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20...20-%20Freedom%20Lost%20(v1.0)%20[html].html (193 of 278) [12/28/2004 1:02:29 AM]
Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_41_-_Freedom_Lost
"Who's the kid? He hanging out with you for extra credit in sec school or what?"
"It's a young man's world, Cawdor."
"Isn't that the damn truth. Tell your lapdog no insult intended," Ryan replied.
"Well, unless you and your sidekick are here to apologize for those clowns who
tried to jump me and my friends yesterday out on the road, I'm going to ask you to
leave. You owe me a night's peace for my generosity."
"What generosity is that?" the younger man asked, speaking for the first time.
"It talks, too?" Ryan retorted.
"He hasn't heard about Michaelson and Isaac." Rollins said.
"You mean Mike and Ike. Yeah, I was going to chill them both with extreme
prejudice, but since you came along and told me ridding the world of their sorry
asses might be a problem since I was planning on coming here for a visit, I
declined."
"We've got your boy, Cawdor." On those words, Ryan forgot the pretense of
playing it cool. A hot flush of blood ran into his face and brain, feeding the
impulse to kill Rollins right on the spot. Ryan was on his feet and over in the
black man's face in an instant, his panga drawn up and out of the oiled sheath. As
Ryan moved, so did Doc, who spun with his swordstick and placed the shining
blade right up against the crotch of the second mall security guard.
"No, son," Doc said to the younger sec man, all pretense of snoozing off a drunk
now lost to adrenaline and concern for Dean. "Keep your hands up toward heaven
and your blood pressure down toward Hell and maybe, just perhaps, I won't have
to flick my wrist and turn you into a eunuch."
"A a what?" the hapless sec man replied.
"An unfortunate who has faced the blade and had his scrotum removed, complete
file:///C|/2590%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20...20-%20Freedom%20Lost%20(v1.0)%20[html].html (194 of 278) [12/28/2004 1:02:29 AM]
Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_41_-_Freedom_Lost
with contents," Doc said, twisting the swordstick ever so slightly and increasing
the pressure. "Both contents."
"Are you insane, Cawdor?" Rollins rasped, sweat popping out in tiny crystal beads
on his forehead.
"When it comes to my boy, you're damn right. I'm a fucking loon," Ryan said.
"Now, elaborate. What do you mean by 'got'?"
"Exactly what I said. He's in lockup, along with the albino. They're printing and
booking them both into the Wings even as we speak," Rollins replied. "And I
suggest you put the blade down before you cut yourself."
"I'd be more worried about me cutting you a new asshole," Ryan hissed. "What
are you talking about 'booking him in the Wings'?"
"Cop jargon. Means he's being processed and arrested. For our files. We like
tracking repeat offenders. Get into too much trouble and you're no longer
welcome in Freedom. He and his pasty white pal nearly blew the vid arcade apart
in a knife fight that went bad. One customer is dead, another one wounded and the
owner is furious."
The one-eyed man reined himself in and took the knife away, stepping back and
keeping his distance from Rollins. "Dean all right?"
The man stared back angrily at Ryan. "He's a damn sight better than the boy he
helped chill."
Ryan poked a finger into Rollins's broad chest. "Listen, my boy chills somebody,
you can be damn sure they were asking for it, and asking for it on bended knee.
He's not a coldheart, and neither is Jak Lauren."
The big sec man didn't looked impressed. "Whatever. We don't really give a shit
about the stiff. He was one of the repeat offenders I was telling you about earlier.
Problem child, but his father had the jack to keep buying his way back into
Freedom. Now he can use it to bury the boy's worthless ass. Way I look at it, your
file:///C|/2590%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20...20-%20Freedom%20Lost%20(v1.0)%20[html].html (195 of 278) [12/28/2004 1:02:29 AM]
Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_41_-_Freedom_Lost
kid did us a service. One less scumbag cluttering up the mall."
"I'm glad for you my son's ended a teenage crime wave, really. One of you two
guardians of Freedom going to take me to him?" Ryan asked.
Rollins smirked. "All in good time. First tell your drinking buddy to let my sec
man keep his nut sac."
"Ease off, Doc," Ryan said.
"See?" Doc told the young sec man in training as he sheathed the blade info the
ebony stick. "Safe to procreate another day."
"What else, Rollins?"
"You have to make a detour. Morgan wants to see you before you can speak to
your boy or Lauren."
"What's your baron want with me?"
"He's not a baron told you that before. He just wants to talk, to deal, to offer.
Yeah. If you impress Morgan, all this stink might just up and blow over like a bad
dream."
Chapter Nineteen
Ryan sent Doc into the Freedom Center complex to tell Krysty, J.B. and Mildred
about Dean and Jak, then walked with the two sec men to a boarded-over mall
front. An old sign overhead identified the site as a former Spencer's Gifts. A
single door with a sec keypad and a card slot was recessed into the solid front.
Rollins slid an ID card into the slot, then punched in a quick seven-digit code.
file:///C|/2590%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20...20-%20Freedom%20Lost%20(v1.0)%20[html].html (196 of 278) [12/28/2004 1:02:29 AM]
Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_41_-_Freedom_Lost
"Go straight down the hallway until it ends, then go right. You'll pass a few doors [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]