I felt it best to disappear for a while after my killing of the councillor and her bodyguard, managing to find all manner of dingy place to hide in. For three days I even made a sewer my dwelling, fear I'm unaccustomed to feeling coursing through me at the sound of fliers overhead. I ventured out only at night, stealing info-sheets and spying on the major government buildings, whilst gradually conquering my fear.
One of the first places I returned to was the plaza the city council gathered at. A whole cadre of Eliminators were in attendance, fully surrounding the dais and keeping the crowds well back. I lingered on the fringes of the citizenry for a couple of days until I eventually stole a set of binoculars and from a rooftop overlooking the plaza I practised my lipreading.
The death of the militant councillor seemed to have actually strengthened her position, three of the eleven sitting by themselves and arguing passionately for action. I knew investigators would have examined the bodies, concluding that only an Eliminator could have killed them. I undertook my own investigating when the council wasn't meeting, searching for revolutionaries and the disgruntled that seem to exist everywhere. I uncovered a few, graffiti artists and the occasional arsonist, but one in particular stood out, the supervisor of an expansive estate catering to the powerful. One of the loud voices who sat on the city council.
Toni-131 used her cleaning staff as mere tools, getting them to steal from her clients and then selling the items to fund her extravagant lifestyle. At the same time she'd use her position on the council and exploit the thefts as a reason to demand greater powers for the security forces. When I broke into her villa the woman was reclining lazily on a sofa in a central chamber, a drama playing on her large vid-screen.
"You could have just knocked." I froze when Toni-131 spoke and she lifted herself up from the sofa, watching me. "You must be the one giving us so much trouble. A foreign Eliminator in my house!"
She clapped her hands together in glee while I tried to recover my composure. Clearly she was enhanced in some way, no normal could surely have heard me, and I looked at her with fresh eyes.
Just a slender woman with dark hair, wearing only a fur robe over a satin nightie. There was something about her stance though and I realized I was subconsciously mirroring her, two predators jockeying to be on top.
"You must be from Jablonar right? That's the only reason you'd have killed Electra-5."
She was stalling for time but the meeting wasn't going the way I expected either. I glanced around at all the ways into the room but a throaty chuckle drew my attention back to Toni-131.
"We're really alone?" I darted forward, grinning as Toni-131 recoiled slightly. "Did you honestly think that was a good idea? Especially after what you've been saying at council meetings."
With a smirk on her face Toni-131 sank back down onto the sofa, seeming utterly unconcerned by my comments.
"Word reaches me of someone trawling through the underground. I also see the reports about Electra-5's death. The potential for mayhem exists and I can exploit that, ride the tide all the way to the very top."
I stared down at the power-hungry woman for a moment, wondering how much mayhem would be enough for her schemes, and then swiftly burst into motion.
Grabbing hold of her robe I held the fur over her face, pressing down hard and feeling the fabric contour itself against her elegant features. I could feel her struggle, imagine her eyes widening, until I was thrown to one side by a fierce punch to the head. I scrambled to my feet, shaking my head, as Toni-131 rose, casting her robe aside. Her face was contorted by rage beneath the splotchiness bought on by my attack and I took an involuntary step away from the intense glare. With an angry shriek Toni-131 hurled her herself at me, another heavy blow snapping my head round, and I staggered, falling against the vid-screen. It shattered as it landed on the chamber floor, pieces going everywhere, and I dived under a wild swing, snatching up a large shard of glass. I rolled to my feet and spun, arm outstretched, and was rewarded by the sight of the shard sticking from between Toni-131's breasts, her nightie developing a red patch around the point of impact. I sagged with relief as she crumpled, already knowing I'd have bruises. I stepped gingerly over to the body, looking down at the dumbfounded expression on her face.
"I could have worked with you. But I think it would always have ended like this."
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