Derrick Houste, a Liandri location scout, surveyed the documents in front of him.
"They're telling us to lay low then, huh?" he commented as he skimmed the pages of the heavy print. "Well, what are we going to do?"
"I'm not quite sure. I think we sent someone from BrickBat to offer a peace warrant." replied his subordinate. "But, like I said - I'm not quite sure. How much do you think they know?"
"Enough to open a case with the Anarchy Bureau." said Houste in a hushed voice.
"Do you think there's any chance we can just... pay them off?" asked Loetz.
"Nah, these people are activists. They don't know when to shut up." said Houste, rather disappointed.
Mitchell Hobbes stood in his apartment kitchen, confronting a boiling pot of macaroni.
I need to learn how to cook, Mitchell thought.
As Mitchell stared into the swirling macaroni, he thought he heard someone talking.
"Hello?" called Mitchell, turning around. He was about to return to the boiling macoroni, when he thought he heard the voice again. Mitchell went to draw a a knife from a drawer, but was immediately tackled by a large, unidentifiable figure. Mitchell tried to free himself, but the man had him in a sleeper-hold.
"Mitchell Hobbes. A.K.A. Louis Fischer. A.K.A. Charles Loetz. It is best that you go silently." soothed the large man.
And then he was gone -- unconscious. Mitchell awoke tied to a chair, unaware of his surroundings. There was a loud, screeching noise - like reception on a microphone.
"Do we have your silence, Mr. Hobbes?" came the voice from the unseen microphone.
"My silence?" asked Mitchell quizzically.
"Do not toy with us, Mr. Hobbes. We are aware that you obtained information on Skaarj home planet; site 9B3, and distributed it among your colleagues. They are all dead. And you, too, shall die, if we cannot have your silence."
"That's impossible!" declared Mitchell. "I spoke with one of them this morning on the phone."
The person on the microphone began to laugh hysterically. "Ah, yes." replied the voice. "John Kloggs. Well, a most unfortunate incident -- he did not live very long after that phone call. Intelligent man... he knew about our contact.
"What contact?" asked Mitchell confused.
"The man who attacked you in your apartment." said the voice. "Does that refresh your memory?"
"You killed John." Mitchell said firmly. "He's no longer a threat to you."
"The Liandri corporation, as a whole, is not capable of murder." informed the person on the microphone. "We do best in divisions. Your colleagues presented a threat to the organization, so they were neutralized. You must understand, Mr. Hobbes. This is for the good of the company."
Mitchell shook his head with disbelief. "Why am I still alive?" he asked.
"You are a valuable resource, Mr. Hobbes. To kill you would be foolish and wasteful." relayed the voice. "You know things. Things that can help better the company. That is why you are alive."
"They're telling us to lay low then, huh?" he commented as he skimmed the pages of the heavy print. "Well, what are we going to do?"
"I'm not quite sure. I think we sent someone from BrickBat to offer a peace warrant." replied his subordinate. "But, like I said - I'm not quite sure. How much do you think they know?"
"Enough to open a case with the Anarchy Bureau." said Houste in a hushed voice.
"Do you think there's any chance we can just... pay them off?" asked Loetz.
"Nah, these people are activists. They don't know when to shut up." said Houste, rather disappointed.
Mitchell Hobbes stood in his apartment kitchen, confronting a boiling pot of macaroni.
I need to learn how to cook, Mitchell thought.
As Mitchell stared into the swirling macaroni, he thought he heard someone talking.
"Hello?" called Mitchell, turning around. He was about to return to the boiling macoroni, when he thought he heard the voice again. Mitchell went to draw a a knife from a drawer, but was immediately tackled by a large, unidentifiable figure. Mitchell tried to free himself, but the man had him in a sleeper-hold.
"Mitchell Hobbes. A.K.A. Louis Fischer. A.K.A. Charles Loetz. It is best that you go silently." soothed the large man.
And then he was gone -- unconscious. Mitchell awoke tied to a chair, unaware of his surroundings. There was a loud, screeching noise - like reception on a microphone.
"Do we have your silence, Mr. Hobbes?" came the voice from the unseen microphone.
"My silence?" asked Mitchell quizzically.
"Do not toy with us, Mr. Hobbes. We are aware that you obtained information on Skaarj home planet; site 9B3, and distributed it among your colleagues. They are all dead. And you, too, shall die, if we cannot have your silence."
"That's impossible!" declared Mitchell. "I spoke with one of them this morning on the phone."
The person on the microphone began to laugh hysterically. "Ah, yes." replied the voice. "John Kloggs. Well, a most unfortunate incident -- he did not live very long after that phone call. Intelligent man... he knew about our contact.
"What contact?" asked Mitchell confused.
"The man who attacked you in your apartment." said the voice. "Does that refresh your memory?"
"You killed John." Mitchell said firmly. "He's no longer a threat to you."
"The Liandri corporation, as a whole, is not capable of murder." informed the person on the microphone. "We do best in divisions. Your colleagues presented a threat to the organization, so they were neutralized. You must understand, Mr. Hobbes. This is for the good of the company."
Mitchell shook his head with disbelief. "Why am I still alive?" he asked.
"You are a valuable resource, Mr. Hobbes. To kill you would be foolish and wasteful." relayed the voice. "You know things. Things that can help better the company. That is why you are alive."