Industry & Intrigue (57 page)

It was a thin rectangular box,
with a dial behind
a glass shield on the front; not unlike that of a steamship
or a train. It fit comfortably in his hand and they had to wait
half an hour before the device indicated the assassin was leaving
the House of Blades. They followed the signal for several miles,
walking past the large Olenware Station at the northern edge of the
city and into an industrial zone.

Kendrick fiddled with
the
dials
and his eyes squinted. Fiona felt like they were not getting any
closer.

“
Ah, that’s
it
,” he
said. “I think she’s finally stopped.” He looked upwards with his
eyes, which usually meant he was doing complex arithmetic in his
head. “Four hundred meters ahead. That’s where the signal is coming
from,” he proudly stated. “It hasn’t moved from that spot for ten
minutes.”

Fion
a looked over at Tel for
information.

“
This whole area is
not
hing but
factories. She’s either her for a job or the Arm uses whatever’s in
that spot as a front,” answered the elf.

“
A job? You mean kill
someone
,”
said Fiona.

“
A turn of phrase. Common in the
underworld.”

“
No doubt you would know.”
Something about the elf hadn’t sat well with Fiona since they had
met and she suspected it was because he had a shadowy background.
That didn’t normally bother her, criminal skills could easily
translate to similar uses for spying and she was pragmatic enough
to understand Imperial Intelligence’s need for them. The loyalty of
a criminal could never be fully trusted, they were slaves to greed
and gluttony.

He let her comment slide and pointed
ahead. “I believe the assassin is in that building
there.”

Fiona looked in the direction
he was p
ointing. It was a modest building, metallic and bland, like
most of the others around. There were large glass windows on its
sides, but they were so dirty she doubted they would be able to see
anything through them. At the front was a large dark-green sign
that read
Asodon Fertilizer Manufacturing
.

“
What do you want to do?” asked
Tel. “We can’t charge in guns blazing. If she’s looking to kill
someone, we’ll only spook her and she’ll escape. If it’s a front,
we’ll be in a bigger shit-storm than I care to be.”

Fiona looked at them both. She
was the senior agent an
d they were eager for her to come up with
something that wouldn’t get them killed. She didn’t want to go in
without knowing what was inside, but they didn’t have the time to
be cautious.

“
We go in,” she stated. Tel
started to object but she put her hand up to silence him. “I know
you don’t like it, but we don’t have much choice. We’re out of
time. The director expects a report by sundown.” She brushed her
hand against her gun holster. “We walk in casual and careful, but
ready for anything. Kendrick ditch the device and bag, we need to
be inconspicuous.”

“
I’m a
gambler and a hustler, not a
marksman,” complained Tel. “What in the Prophet’s name do you
expect me to do if we come under attack? Throw cards and chips at
them?”

“
You regularly win large sums of
money in this city and you don’t know how to shoot?”
Fion
a had
trouble believing him.

“
M
y winnings were at the casino, not a
gutter-rat dice game. Longhaven may be rough, but the powerful
criminals ensure their customers aren’t molested. The last gang
that tried to rob a casino customer; it took weeks for the body
parts to wash up from the canals. You’d be surprised how much a
reputation counts for here, and I can defend myself fine from
muggers.” In the blink of an eye his hand had pulled up a long
dagger and aimed it at her throat.

Fiona stared at him hard
and slowly said,
“Get that away from my throat.” His eyes flicked downwards to see
that she had her revolver out, the barrel an inch away from his
groin. He smirked and withdrew the dagger, putting it back under
his shirt.

“
But this is the Arm
we
’re
talking about here, not common street thugs,” he said. “They’re the
most well-trained killers in the world, each with their own
specialized tactics. Guns, sword-play, poison, even bare fists;
whatever is their chosen weapon, they make themselves masters of
it.”

He’s right
she thought.
He’s as stealthy as
a cat, but in a proper fight he won’t last.

“
Fine, Kendrick and I will
go in.” She looked over at her partner and he nodded.

“
No problem
,” he said. He hefted up a
triple barreled sawn-off shotgun, the end resting on top his right
hand. At least he could be counted on to shoot; Imperial
Intelligence didn’t let anyone join who couldn’t pass their
advanced shooting course.

“
Tel, you go around the back and
be ready for anyone running out
.”

H
e scoffed. “Should I flop open my trousers
and hope the sight of my cock will stop her in her
tracks.”

Fiona ignored his craven
attitude. “Kendrick
, give him the powder.”

The other agent nodded and
pulled out a blue leather bag. “Take it
,” he said to the elf.

Tel took it, eyeing the bag
suspiciously. “What is it?”
he asked, keeping it at arm’s length.

“
Flash powder
,” explained Kendrick. “Anyone
comes running out, throw it at their feet, the powder will do the
rest.”

“
If you say
so
,” said
Tel. “Give me time to find a position before you go in.” He moved
off towards the building and she watched him walk out of sight down
the side alley.

Fiona and Kendrick
approached the main
doors, their guns hidden. She knocked lightly on the metal door.
After several minutes without a response she tried the handle, it
turned. She opened the door and walked inside.

The air was full of the
pungent smell of
nitrates, if it was a front it was a well-crafted one. She crept
forward, her hand at her holster, ready to draw if necessary. The
sound of running liquid and movement of heavy machinery could be
heard. The plant was operating. The corridor didn’t offer a view of
the factory floor, it continued further down and turned
left.

Reaching the
end, they came to a
small desk with a balding man sitting at it. He was reading
something, but looked up as they entered. He shifted his glasses
that had been aimed at his book and slid them back so he could get
a look at the two agents.

“
Yes? Can I help you?” he
asked in a deep voice.

“
Let me handle
this
,” Fiona
whispered to Kendrick and walked up to the desk.

She spoke up confidently.
“Sonya
Daoch. I’m with the city inspection department. We’re doing
one of our random checks.” She pulled out a small white card that
had the details,
Sonya Daoch, Longhaven Industrial Inspection
Department.

The man barely glanced at it
before shrugging. “
Through the door, cross the factory floor to Daceron’s
office. Plant manager, he’s the one you want to see.” He went back
to his book, paying them no further attention. Fiona relaxed and
went through the next door. It opened out to the main part of the
factory.

“
How did you know he’d let us
through so easily?” asked Kendrick as they made their way past the
vats and followed the marked red lines towards the
offices.

“
I came
prepared
,”
she replied. “Given Longhaven’s reputation for corruption, I
thought it best to bring false identification for the city
departments. It was far easier than I suspected. This city is a
mess.”

They passed
workers who were tending to the
various machines. At the far end, bags of fertilizer were filled up
and packed into a separate storage space. A large loading bay with
a set of wooden doors was next to the bags. The offices were up a
set of metal stairs and nearby was a walkway that ran the length of
the plant.

Fiona carefully looked at
ev
eryone
they passed, but couldn’t see the assassin. It looked to be exactly
what the sign had said; a fertilizer factory. They didn’t have time
to follow the assassin in the hope of her leading them to the Arm.
She was going to have to adopt a more direct approach.

The offi
ce was empty when they arrived,
but she didn’t care, she was only using her false identity as an
excuse to locate the assassin. The manager could be helpful in
locating whoever didn’t fit in here.

She tapped the shoulder of a
nearby worker. “I’m looking
for Daceron.” She held up her false card. The
woman pointed at a tall man out in the middle of the
walkway.

“
Wait here
,” she said to Kendrick. “Be
ready. If the assassin makes us, she’ll bolt.” He nodded and tapped
the shotgun hidden under his cloak. She reached the manager, who
was talking to someone else, but she interrupted him.
“Daceron?”

“
Yes. I’m Recicus Daceron.
Who are you and what do you want?”

“
I’m Sonya
Daoch. From the city inspection
department,” she said.

“
Ah, of
course
. I
have what you’re after, come to my office.” He turned to the worker
he had been talking to a moment ago. “I’ll be back once I take care
of this.”

As she sa
w the workers face, Fiona let
her mask slip. It was the assassin! She looked different, dressed
in factory clothes and her hair pulled back under a white work cap.
But there was no doubting it was her.

The woman must have seen
something in her eyes, because she moved suddenly and grabbed
Daceron.
She
slammed his head against the metal bar of the walkway, stunning
him. Then in the time it took Fiona to draw her gun, she flung him
over the side barrier and into an empty vat.

Fiona trained her aim
carefully, she cou
ldn’t afford to kill this woman. They needed information
from her. The assassin had her hand on a lever. Fiona guessed that
it would release something on the manager.

“
Who are you?” snarled the
woman.

Fiona could see fury in her
brown eyes.
She had to tread carefully. In the corner of her eye, she
could see the factory workers. They had stopped working when they
noticed the confrontation.

“
I’m afraid I can’t tell you.
And since I have the gun,
I’m the one who gets to ask questions. Now, how
about you let go of that, turn around and put your hands behind
your head. We keep it simple and it won’t have to get
messier.”

The woma
n smiled, her face full of
sadistic malice. She flicked her fingers against the lever in her
hand. “Oh, I think it does need to get messier. I have a contract
to fulfill.”

S
he pulled the lever. Fiona dropped her aim
and rushed towards the panel. The assassin jumped down from the
walkway and landed on the concrete floor. She ran towards the back
of the plant.

“
Kendrick!” shouted Fiona, while
she tried to figure out how to stop whatever process the woman had
started. The le
ver didn’t go up, it was stuck in its downward position.
She heard Daceron groan from the vat below. He was recovering from
the blow he had received.

Loud bells
clanged and she heard moving
liquid from the pipes above. “How do I stop this fucking thing!”
she shouted. Workers were climbing up the stairs but they would be
too late. The clanging bells grew louder and the liquid spilled out
of two separate pipes and into the vat. The manager screamed as
they mixed on top of him.

Whatever the chemical reaction
was, it gave of
f a lot of heat and a blast of steam came out of the vat.
Fiona pulled her head back and thrust up her hands to protect her
face. Daceron was still screaming and when she looked back, she
could see his skin was peeling off. She winced and turned her head
away. There was nothing more she could do for him.

She ran back along the walkway,
knocking the workers aside and sped down the stairs.
Kendrick had gone,
followed her order and chased the assassin. She grabbed one worker
and held her gun in his face. She didn’t have time to play nice.
“Where did they go?”

He pointed towards the back with a
shaking hand.

She let him go and ran.
She pushed open the
door to the back of the plant. Then she stopped. Kendrick and Tel
were standing several meters away. Slumped on the ground, was the
assassin. She wasn’t moving and her skin was red as if
burned.

As she walked over to the two
of them, Tel held out his
hands. “That flash powder is brilliant. Worked
exactly as Kendrick said, a simple matter of hitting the ground in
front of her. Made a hell of bang.”