Brain for Rent by D.M. Pruden

Author:D.M. Pruden [Pruden, D. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781989341223
Publisher: Fuzzy Slipper Publishing

Chapter Twenty-Four

Sasha grinned grimly at his ship’s tactical display as the last of the three robot ships exploded.

While destroying them was satisfying, he couldn’t help but consider it anything but a Pyrrhic victory. In the process of engaging them, his real quarry had escaped. By now, Bauer’s ship was long gone, and he wouldn’t be able to catch it.

The door to the command deck opened, and Pyotr entered.

“Did you get him?”

Sasha frowned and shook his head. “Nyet. He escaped in the confusion.”

Pyotr sat heavily in the copilot’s chair and stared intently at him. “Why didn’t you just let the robots destroy him first? We could have claimed the reward.”

“If Bauer is vaporized, there is no proof he is dead, and no reward. We must produce a body, or at least his head.”

“Difficult to do now that you’ve let him escape. Did you forget how difficult it was to track him here?”

Sasha’s arms crossed over his chest, and he squinted at Pyotr. “We found him once; we can do so again. His ship’s drive is leaking radiation like a sieve, and there are only so many places remaining for him to hide.”

“It is still a big galaxy, and we are running out of time.”

Sasha blew out a noisy breath and avoided his cousin’s critical gaze by staring out the window. He needed a moment to gather his thoughts before he could address Pyotr’s pessimism. The cloud of debris had mostly dispersed, leaving little trace of what had happened here. Much like what would happen to the two of them if they failed to produce Bauer before the deadline.

Tracking the grifter had proved to be much more challenging than he’d anticipated. Even with the help of his various well-placed informants, the man’s unpredictable behaviour made him exceptionally difficult quarry to locate. But Bauer was not only a challenge to track; he’d demonstrated he was not going to be easy to kill. It was a hard-learned lesson poor Vlad had paid dearly for. Sasha had underestimated the man and was determined not to repeat his mistake.

“We will start again. Everyone is a creature of habit, and Ignatz Bauer is no different. Have our network troll all his haunts. Increase the reward. He will have to surface eventually to resupply, and if he wishes to disappear completely, he will require help to do so.”

“I hope you’re right, Cousin. The boss is not a patient man, and I doubt your present status as his favourite operative makes you irreplaceable. And if you go, so do I.”

“Make the calls.”

Pyotr sighed. “If you say so, Sasha. I will put out the word. If Bauer can be found, he will be. I just hope it happens before we lose our heads.”

“It is too early to worry ourselves about that.”

“Soon, it may not be.”

As Pyotr left the command deck, Sasha resumed looking out the window. A heavy sigh escaped him as the fading flare of Bauer’s exhaust plume diminished in brightness until even the dimmest star outshone it. A glance at the sensor readout showed no sign of the vessel.

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