Deus Ex: Icarus Effect by James Swallow

Author:James Swallow [Swallow, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-345-52474-4
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published: 2011-02-21T16:00:00+00:00

Romeo Airport—Michigan—United States of America

Saxon crossed underneath the fuselage of the jet, looking back and forth across the open space of the hangar. He should have known that Hardesty wouldn’t let the incident at the house pass without trying to turn it to his advantage; if the sniper had decided to use Saxon’s apparent insolence against him, there was no knowing how Namir might react to the situation.

As he reached the pools of shadow at the far edge of the hangar, he heard someone say his name, very clearly; the voice was unmistakably Hardesty’s. A moment later, Namir’s low tones reached him; the two men were outside on the apron. Saxon caught the familiar scent of Hardesty’s acrid cigarettes.

By reflex, Saxon shrank into the gloom, placing himself behind the bulk of a low-slung aircraft tractor—the dense construction of the service vehicle would hide his heat signature if either of the men chose to sweep the area with his optics. Dropping into a crouch, Saxon forced himself to slow his breathing and become as silent as possible. After a moment, their voices came to him on the faint breeze. He strained to hear what was being said.

Hardesty was speaking again. “I’m not trying to second-guess you, Namir. I know you got your reasons.” He turned away to exhale and Saxon lost the next few words. “… Don’t trust the limey, period. He’s a liability.”

“So you keep saying,” Namir replied, his voice level. “But your personal aversion is not my concern.”

“This isn’t personal!” Hardesty insisted hotly. There was a moment’s pause. “Okay, screw it. Yeah, it is personal. The son-of-a-bitch walks around like his shit don’t stink, with all that noble-soldier, honor-of-the-regiment crap. I’ve seen his kind before. I don’t like Saxon because he thinks he’s better than the rest of us.”

“He’s good at what he does. More than a match for you.”

Hardesty was silent for long seconds, and Saxon wondered if he had been spotted; but then the American went on. “That’s not the problem. It’s not that he’s a threat. He’s weak inside. I know what happened in the fight room. When push comes to shove, he’s going to fold. Believe me.”

Saxon’s lips thinned, but he kept his silence.

“We’ll see,” offered Namir.

But the next words Hardesty uttered froze Saxon’s blood in his veins. “You should have let me deal with him after Rainbird.” Just hearing him say the name of the grisly failure made Saxon’s gut twist with anger and sick dread. Namir’s reply was lost as the wind dropped for a moment, but Hardesty’s answer was clear. “We don’t need them both. Gunther’s the better choice. I say we put Saxon down. He’s never gonna be a cold-eyed stone killer. He just doesn’t have it in him.”

When Namir replied, Saxon heard the steel in his tone. “As I said, that choice has never been yours to make. I recruit operatives with potential, men and women whom I consider worthwhile. If the group is endangered, then the decision will be made.

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