Xenopath by Eric Brown

Author:Eric Brown [Brown, Eric]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Bengal Station
ISBN: 9781844167432
Publisher: Bengal Station
Published: 2009-05-26T04:00:00+00:00

SIXTEEN

DENNING

Vaughan hired a beat-up Benz air-car and for the next three mornings parked it on a tree-lined street in the select Mizrabad district of Level One. All the residences along the street were set in extravagant acreages of garden and lawn, and boasted a variety of architectural styles, from ultra modern dome-dwellings as low-slung as watch glasses to retro Twentieth Century ranches. Denning's residence was relatively modest, a split-level Mediterranean villa set at the back of a sloping lawn.

His air-taxi arrived at 9:44am. The vehicle swooped down to the street, parked at the kerb and sounded its horn, once. Seconds later Denning hurried out, a tall figure in a high-collared business suit, carrying a softscreen scroll and a slim briefcase. Vaughan took an instant dislike to the man, something cloned and corporate in his immaculate appearance. He watched the air-taxi power up and climb, heading north towards the Scheering-Lassiter headquarters. The thought of abducting Denning sent his pulse racing.

On the second day, the air-taxi arrived at 9:43. This time Denning emerged accompanied by a short, blonde European woman that Vaughan knew, from Kapinsky's records, was his wife. They slipped into the back of the vehicle and set off.

On the third morning, Denning emerged from the villa alone and set off to work.

At nine the following morning Vaughan was in Kapinsky's office, going over the details of the abduction. "So you're happy driving?" she asked him.

Last night Kapinsky had hired a Tata limousine, identical to the taxi that picked Denning up every day. She'd given false ID to the company and had worn a chu.

"I'm fine," Vaughan said. "I'll get there at three minutes before quarter to ten."

"I've arranged for his regular limo to be delayed for a while." She smiled at his enquiring glance. "A contact of mine—he'll stage a small crash before take-off."

"And you'll be waiting on the landing pad of the Mitsubishi building?"

"Ready and waiting with my scalpel and synthi-flesh. Denning won't suspect a thing. We'll take his wallet and softscreen and he'll assume he's been rolled."

She indicated the chu case on the desk. "Its default program is a European male in his early thirties. This is the spray." She tossed him the canister. "A two second blast straight into his face'll be enough to keep him under for at least thirty minutes. You'll need these, too." She passed him a pair of surgical gloves.

"Anything else?"

Kapinsky was staring at him, shaking her head. "You do realise we've been paid, and paid well, for this case already? We're effectively working for nothing here—absolutely no reward—and running the risk of landing ourselves in big trouble?"

"Two things. Kapinsky. We'll get to the bottom of what Scheering's covering up on Mallory, and it's my guess that it isn't anything nice. And if we find out the identity of the assassin and stop him, we'll be saving a few lives into the bargain."

Kapinsky grunted. "Get real. Some other assassin'll be more than willing to take on the workload."

"Okay, so we'll be saving one life in particular.

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