The Cairo Saga, Book 2: The Solaris Irregulars
Part 45: Braking Point

Callisto City
Callisto V
Lyran Alliance

The receptionist stood there for a moment, jaw gapping open. He finally managed to pick up a phone, "Sir, this is a man here who says you want to see him." The was a garbled reply, and the receptionist nodded, "Yes sir, but he says his name is Steven Cairo."

There was the sound of running feet in a nearby corridor, and Cairo smiled as the man from the TV rounded to corner, gun in hand.

Cairo's coat dropped open to reveal 4-blocks of C4 plastic explosive. A remote detonator appeared in his hand, and he smiled at the two shocked Word of Blake men, "Ether of you two know physics? No? Well, one interesting thing about physics is this: every action has an equal and opposite reaction. That can be translated into: push some people too far and they will decide they have nothing left to loss if they push right back at you."

Seemingly without a care in the world, Cairo sat on the receptionist's desk, "Now, over the last 3 to 4 years, I've had to put up with a lot of shit from you people: You shot down the V.T.O.L I was flying, you threatened my girlfriend, you gate-crashed my wedding, placed an assassin in my unit, tried to kill my wife and I with an SRM-launcher, killed my best friend with a tactical-nuke and now you threaten to blow up a city if I don't surrender." He smiled at the senior W.o.B agent, "Well, I for one have reached the breaking point: I can't put up with this shit any longer." He calmly pressed the button on the detonator.

The truck parked outside exploded in a fireball that lifted it 20-meters into the air. The doors of the HPG station blew inwards, covering everyone with glass and dust. Cairo leaped from the desk, his kukri drawn from it's hiding place in the small of his back. The heavy curved blade cut through the air and ripped the Word of Blake commander's neck in two in one flowed movement.

Cairo spun around, the kukri stopping just millimetres from the receptionist's jugular, "Now, you tell your boss's replacement that if they try to use the people of Callisto V against me like that again, he'll end up like his predecessor there. If needs be I'll kill every one of you fruitloops one-by-one. Now scat."

Cairo smiled as the man disappeared off along a corridor: it had all gone better than planed. The only thing he had to do was get away and find out where Cameron had moved the Irregulars to this time.

The street was a scene of absolute chaos: people where running backwards and forwards, screaming at the top of their voices. Sirens could be heard in the distance, and the burning remains of the pickup truck cover a considerable area. Cairo smiled as he made his way along the side streets to where he had parked a second car.

He didn't see the gloved fist until it was too late: his world went dark.

To Be Continued…