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Interstellar Marines: Predators
Chapter 5: Territorial
Even now, two centuries from John Kander's time, money made the world go round.
Never mind the effects of gravity. Never mind the impact that had created the moon billions of years ago, hypothetically sending the now blue word into a spin. No...money spun the world like a spinning top, and there was always someone's hand to ensure it would never stop. Even on the moon and Mars, there was the proverbial hand, ready to shorten their days. Their days, and every poor sod who tried to yank the spinning top away. And as Gettis Fellman bitterly reflected, sods like him who had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Standing alone in some dingy general store, the security/bodyguard laid a hand to his chest, the ghost pain of the bullets still lingering. He hated this. Hated being shot. Hated losing his friends. Hated being treated as cannon fodder by UniStrand, and then being sent back into the figurative, and possibly literal, firing line. But above all, he hated himself. Hated how Hill had bought his dignity. A good person would have turned the offer down. But Gettis knew he wasn't that man. He was like any other human being, ready to make a big buck if the opportunity presented itself. Eldon and Grunewald were dead, while he was set to walk away a millionaire because he hadn't had the decency to die alongside them.
At the very least though, he could take some small comfort in that he was no worse than the people around him. Not Doctor Myrda at least-it was clear where her interests lay, and it certainly wasn't in using science as a means to promote the human condition. Nor was this Williams fellow-anyone who dressed like a 21st century reject automatically qualified as being suspicious, but that strange conversation he and the doctor had had before they'd headed into the back room...he was no stranger to this line of work. Even if he was taking his sweet damn time.
Or it could have been Myrda. He'd seen her take in a bio-scanner and gene sampler. Devices that he recognised, but had never had the opportunity to use himself. After all, money made the world go round. And average grades and general interest in science wasn't enough to give that opportunity without the money to back it up. All he had to worry about in the realm of backing up was watching the windows and keeping a hand on his pistol. Same make as the one he'd had this morning, only with a laser targeter. UniStrand clearly hadn't spared any expense. But then again, they were probably relying on secrecy more than brute force here.
It was evening, winter's sun setting early. And since their destination was a north shore sector (at least as far as he was concerned), it seemed that the loot was going to go to a secondary lab or something. All he had to do was drive Myrda to the first drop point.
And as the back door opened, it was a drive that seemed set to begin.
"Thank you Mister Williams," the scientist said pleasantly, with more warmth than she'd shown Gettis all day. "Good evening."
Williams didn't follow. He was probably closing up shop...his real shop. After seeing all the crummy stuff on display here, Gettis doubted that Williams would have given a damn if he simply helped himself.
"Got what you needed?" the security guard asked Myrda.
"Yes."
"You going to tell me what it is?"
"No."
"You going to use responses with more than one syllable?"
"Shut up smartarse," the scientist snapped. "You're here to do a job and collect your pay cheque."
"And your job?"
Myrda let out a grim smile. "My job is the same. Only my cheque is even larger."
"Glad to hear it." Grimacing, Gettis gestured to the door. "Shall we?"
"After you."
Fellman wasn't surprised. Always send the meat shield out into the open first, and all that. Or maybe she just didn't want him to hear her conversation. He wasn't actively listening, but he did hear his employer talking on her sPhone.
"This is Shark, calling Marlin. Package has been retrieved."
The security guard rolled his eyes as he walked to the car. Apparently human originality hadn't changed any more than their desire for money had.
"Yes, it checked out. I...we...we may have hit the jackpot here. ITO's on to something...or was..."
Gettis made a conscious effort not to listen at that point-ignorance was bliss, and might save his life for all he knew. Yet his mind was spinning. ITO? As in, the Interplanetary Treaty Organization, the unifying body of most of the world's nations? He knew that this material wasn't being obtained legally, but for UniStrand to take contraband from one of the few world authorities higher than them? Either they were extremely confident, or this material truly was the jackpot.
"Something wrong, Mister Fellman?"
Gettis returned to Sydney, and Myrda standing by the car holding a biohazard-marked box as if her life depended on it. "Nothing ma'am," he murmured. "Nothing at all."
"Good. Now start driving."
"Yes ma'am," the security guard responded. "Of course."
Getting inside the car, Gettis hoped the trip wouldn't be that long.
He didn't know how long he could look the other way.
"So...how long have you been working for UniStrand?"
"Fourteen years."
"Where did you study?"
"Mare Insularum University."
"I...haven't heard of it."
"It's on the moon."
"Oh...were you born there?"
"...is this going anywhere?"
"Just making friendly..."
"Well, stop it."
"...so, anyway..."
If there was a god, Myrda hoped he didn't conform to the Islamic interpretation. Because if there was indeed a Hell, Gettis Fellman deserved to burn in it.
It would be a fairly long trip to Rose Sector, and even longer to the as of yet undisclosed location that she'd be headed for with a new escort. It was a trip that wasn't made any easier by the rush hour traffic. True, Sydney's population had shrunk as people moved to new urban hubs such as Darwin, but there were still enough people living in it to bog down traffic, even if the business opportunities were about as shrivelled as its abandoned buildings. A safety precaution in some respects, in that the traffic would provide a natural shield for them. But for all the planning security had put into this operation, they clearly hadn't planned for drivers who didn't keep their mouths shut.
"...went to Eastwood Secondary School myself," Fellman continued. "Didn't make it into university though."
I wonder why...
"Had to take a job for UniStrand," the idiot continued. "Well, at least that's all behind me now, eh?"
"Yes...yes it will be," Myrda murmured as she browsed the latest news on her sPhone. "Must be great for you."
"Yes...well, you know how it is," the security guard babbled. "I mean...it's not as if I'm cut out to steal ITO materials."
Myrda gazed away from her phone, and not only because of the images shown from the latest Alaskan/Canadian border conflict."What do you know about ITO?" the scientist asked.
"Only that it's the unifying body for most of the world's population. And that whatever's in that box belongs to them."
"Those are big ears you have Fellman," Myrda murmured, shutting off her phone and gazing out into the cloudy evening sky. "Be careful your nose doesn't get any larger."
"...what?"
"Pinocchio, Fellman. The kind of stuff that wogs like you wouldn't know about."
Fellman snorted. "You know, sometimes I wonder how we ever left Earth. There's so many people that can't even look beyond it."
"Well despite what you think Fellman, I'm one of the people who can," the scientist snapped. "You can take the moral high ground all you want, but I'll remind you what life is about. The world's savage. Cruel. We can't help it, we can't change it, all we can do is try to mitigate it." She glanced at her driver. "People don't change Fellman. The times do, but the issues remain the same."
Fellman glanced back at her. "And what are you doing to mitigate it, doctor? Or are you simply going with the flow?"
Speaking of flow, the traffic was indeed flowing, in part due to them branching off down the route that would take them to Rose Sector-specifically its station, as Myrda recalled.
"You know, you never told me," Fellman continued. "What's in the crate?"
"You never asked," the scientist sighed. "And even if you did, why would I tell you?"
"I dunno...but for all you know, I could threaten to turn this car right round-..."
"Fat chance of that."
"Or take it for myself."
The scientist let out a bitter laugh. "Please, Fellman. You wouldn't have any idea of what to do with it, or who to sell it to."
"Could give it back to Williams."
"Maybe," Myrda admitted. "But you're not going to, are you?"
"I-..."
"You're not going to," said the scientist firmly. "You're not going to, because despite everything you say and think, you're still going to drive me to my destination. You're going to drive me, because there's a two million dollar cheque waiting for you and a lifetime to retired luxury that goes with it. You're going to drive me, because in the end, you're no different from anyone else. You make a big fuss about the way things are, but at the end of the day, you don't have the drive or motivation required to change that. It's a world of predators, Fellman."
The security guard remained silent. The traffic was clearing and they were nearing their destination, the only sound being that of the car.
"But cheer up," Myrda continued. "There's no reason to be ashamed of that."
"Yes there is..." Fellman murmured. "Yes there is..."
Smirking, Myrda went back to her sPhone. Bombings on Mars, riots on the moon, a bit of ethnic cleansing in some rogue African state she'd never heard of...the way things always were. Things that ranged from the latest SNAFU on Valhalla Colony, to the parking lot of Rose Sector Station. The lot that they drove into.
"And here we are," the scientist declared. "Nice ride."
Fellman remained silent. Just the way she liked it. As in, not disliking it, as in, disliking the fact that her second transport was nowhere to be found. It wasn't a big lot, and was outside, but of all the cars present, hers was nowhere to be found.
"Damnit..." the scientist murmured, having stepped out of the car, case in hand. "Where are they?"
"Traffic?" the security guard asked.
"Maybe..." she murmured. "But even so..."
Myrda felt a chill down her spine, and it wasn't just from the evening breeze. The issue of security hadn't been in her mind on the bridge. They'd had the traffic for protection. But out here, in this dilapidated sector...she felt vulnerable. Or at least she did until she saw a car on the street.
"T-I-A-nine-one-zero," Fellman murmured.
"Nice eyesight," Myrda said. "But that's my ride."
The two of them watched the car as it pulled in off the street. Watched as its beams illuminated them. Watched as those beams remained on an intense setting, blinding her. Watched as the car suddenly sped forward...forward...forward...
"Move!"
Myrda sprawled onto the floor as Fellman shoved both her and himself out of the way. The concrete was hard and cold…but preferable to being warm and wet.
"Move...move!" Fellman yelled, shoving Myrda to get behind a car. "Move before-..."
He shut up as the car was riddled with bullets.
"How about...not moving at all?" asked a voice.
Seeing an old woman get out of the car, armed with a sub-machine gun that was pointed at them, Myrda didn't see any reason to argue with that order.
A/N
Update (3/6/12): Made adjustments as per feedback.