Mon Oct 24, 2005 6:16 pm by neuromancer
Well...it took a while, but here it is. Chapter 15. Hope you like it.
Chapter 15
Well, this is it, Deckard thought to himself, the ultimate bummer.
He stood, bound and shackled, in front of a large doorway which presumably led to where his execution would take place. He had resigned himself to his fate. At least, he thought to himself, I won't have to worry about where my next payday is coming from.
The door opened and Deckard had to close his eyes to shield them from the blast of light which poured through. When he had recovered, he opened his eyes and saw an arena filled with thousands of people. In the center stood a platform on which a strange device had been erected. The device stood about three meters in the air and had a simple rope attached to it. A large loop had been tied at the lower end of the rope. Deckard looked at the strange contraption and realized what it was.
He was going to be hanged.
The guard at his back gave him a shove and he walked forward toward the platform. The arena exploded with noise as Deckard made his way to the platform. The guard stopped Deckard just before he was about to ascend the stairway and took off the shackles.
"The crowd loves to see 'em kick and flail," the guard explained with a hearty laugh and shoved him up the stairs. The crowd grew louder as he reached the top and was led to the rope. The guard gave him a final shove and walked back down the stairs as a large man wearing a black hood over his head came over and looped the rope around Deckard's neck. He felt a sudden tug at the chains that bound his arms behind him. What happened next was a complete surprise.
"Listen carefully," the hooded man said quietly as he worked, "I have released the bonds on your arms. The rope has been sabotaged to break as soon as I release the trap door. Under the platform is a plasma pistol. Take it and run like hell. You will be met by one of my associates who will assist you further."
"What..."
"Just do what I tell you if you want to live." The man turned and walked to the lever that operated the trap door. The arena exploded with noise as the crowd cheered what was about to happen. The man took one last look at Deckard and said, "Good luck." He pulled the lever.
Deckard felt the trap door disappear under his feet. The rope snapped and Deckard crashed to the floor under the platform. He looked around, and sure enough there was a plasma pistol lying on the floor. He picked it up and ran down the corridor, grateful that he was running through it alive rather than being carried through it limp and dead.
He heard voices behind him and turned to see a guard jump down the trap door into the corridor. He loosed a plasma shard from his pistol, dropping the man dead in his tracks. He turned quickly and ran down the corridor, looking for the person who would help him next. He turned a corner and saw another guard. He raised his pistol, then stopped as the man waved to him. He ran down the corridor into the room the man had just entered.
"Glad you made it. You all right?"
"I'm fine. You gonna tell me what the hell's going on?"
"No time. Quick, up into the ventilation system." The man gave Deckard a boost into the ventilation shaft in the ceiling.
"This shaft leads to a landing platform not far from here. There is a ship waiting there, a Dagger. Take it and get the hell off the planet. Warn the Order that they don't have much time left if they want to help. Take this." He handed up a neural net data card. "It has navigation information to get you out of Omicron Alpha. Good luck." The man replaced the vent cover and was gone.
Deckard crawled through the ventilation shaft for what seemed like an eternity until he reached the end of the shaft. He kicked out the cover and jumped down to the tarmac.
"You continue to be a thorn in my side, don't you?" an eerily familiar voice said. Deckard spun around to face the wrong end of a blaster pistol. Standing behind the pistol was Samuel Maddox.
Deckard didn't even think twice. He launched himself at Maddox, who was so surprised at Deckard's reaction that he hesitated. It was enough time for Deckard to tackle Maddox to the ground, knocking both men's weapons away as they wrestled. Maddox was the stronger of the two and landed a punch on the side of Deckard's head which sent him sprawling to the ground. Maddox reached for the plasma pistol, but Deckard managed to kick it away. Maddox shot out his foot, aiming for Deckard's face, but he rolled away and grabbed Maddox's foot, sending him crashing to the ground. Deckard rolled toward the pistol and grabbed it just as Maddox dove for it. The two men struggled to gain possession of the weapon as they rolled around on the tarmac. Deckard finally landed a punch on Maddox's face, stunning him. Deckard pushed him off and rolled on top of him, pointing the plasma pistol at Maddox's forehead.
Maddox looked up at Deckard and smiled an evil smile. "For king and country, then?" he asked mockingly.
"No," Deckard replied. "For my brother."
He pulled the trigger.
The plasma shard plowed through Maddox's skull, emerged out the other side and buried itself in the tarmac. The mocking look on Maddox's face was replaced by one of surprise, and his eyes became lifeless marbles. Deckard stood slowly as the rush of adrenaline caused a wave of nausea to overcome him. His stomach heaved for several seconds. After he had recovered, he ran toward the Border Worlds dagger, climbed into the cockpit and powered up the ship. He lifted off the pad just as a squad of Outcast soldiers ran onto the pad.
---"Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast."
