The Backlash Mission

Chapter 38

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Caine growled, his throat suddenly tight.

"It means I've taken out your base of operations," Bernhard said. Still holding his stomach, he eased himself into a sitting position. "You probably didn't know it, but while we were at his house Reger was stupid enough to tell me that he'd had Jensen redo his sensor net. Thought it would be a deterrent, I suppose. The fool. So. In an hour it'll be dark outside; half an hour after that he'll be dead meat."

Alamzad snorted weakly. "You're the fool," he said. "I worked with Jensen on that net, Bernhard—Security won't get within half a klick of Reger's house."

"Security?" Bernhard's lip twisted in contempt. "Quinn's trained idiots couldn't find their way through a garden patch. No, Security won't be called into the act until Reger is dead and his house a smoking ruin—though after that I imagine they'll find enough evidence linking him to you to take his organization apart down to the bedrock."

"So it was your blackcollar team you called," Caine said quietly, an odd feeling of sadness flowing in to replace some of the tension. He'd hoped Bernhard wouldn't do this. "All right, Bernhard—on your face on the floor. Lathe'll want to talk to you."

"Oh?" Abruptly, the pain left Bernhard's face, and in a single fluid move he was on his feet again.

"And I suppose you beginners are going to take me down to him? Forget it, Caine. I go where I choose—and you haven't got a snowflake's chance of stopping me."

"No, he doesn't," a new voice came from the shadows behind the fighter craft. "But I do."

Caine turned, combat reflexes tensing.

And Kanai walked forward into the light.

"You spoke of bridges," Kanai said, taking a few more steps forward to stand facing Bernhard.

Peripherally, he knew that Caine and Pittman had shifted position to bring nunchaku to bear against him; that Alamzad, still on the floor, had quietly drawn a shuriken. But at the moment none of that mattered. All that mattered was Bernhard and the shame he was bringing upon them all. "Another bridge is at risk here," he told his leader. "The bridge of friendship between us. If you value my loyalty—my presence in your team—you'll call Pendleton back and withdraw the order."

"So you're joining this band of suicidal fools?" Bernhard sneered. "I thought you had more sense, Kanai."

Kanai felt his lip twitch. "I have no intention of joining them, Bernhard—I don't especially like them, and some of Lathe's methods make me ill. But that's not the point. Like them or not, they are blackcollars... and I cannot simply stand by and allow you to betray them."

Bernhard returned his gaze steadily, and in the other's expression Kanai could see that there would be no turning back. Not for him, not for anything else. Bernhard had chosen his path, and nothing but death could turn him from it.

And Kanai felt infinitely old.

"You're getting worked up for nothing." Bernhard said softly. "I haven't betrayed any blackcollars—not really. But without Reger as a base, Lathe'll have no choice but to pull out as soon as they're done here." His eyes flicked back to Caine. "I warned him to get out of Denver, Caine.

This is the price of ignoring me."

"So you pay Reger back for your anger at Lathe?" Alamzad growled. "How noble. True blackcollar spirit."

Bernhard's expression hardened. "And what would you know about blackcollar spirit?" he countered.

"Or about warfare, for that matter? Reger's going to be an object lesson; when he breaks, the rest of the criminal underworld will fall into line that much faster."

"So that you can get your slice of the gravy pie?" Pittman said contemptuously.

"So that we can have the resources to continue the war," Bernhard told him.

Kanai shook his head. "No, Bernhard. Jensen was right—you haven't any real intention of taking us back into the battle. You're just playing games, pretending you're more than just the dead husk of what you once were."

Bernhard's eyes flashed anger. "And you, of course, are too noble to admit defeat when a cause is lost? Face reality, Kanai—we have each other and that's it. Either we stick together or Security takes us apart one at a time. If we can't win the war, we can at least survive."

"To what end? Survival for its own sake? That's no better than death." With an effort Kanai stifled the tirade building up inside him. Now was not the time for a philosophical discussion. "Call Pendleton back. This is your last chance."

"No," Bernhard shook his head.

Kanai let his hand rest on the ends of his sheathed nunchaku. "Then I will."

"You can try. You'll have to get by me first."

Kanai took a deep breath. "I know," he said softly, and started forward. One step... two.... Bernhard brought his own nunchaku into fighting position....

"Stop," Caine said suddenly. "Kanai, back off. It's not worth risking your life for. Reger's not in any danger—all Bernhard's done is to send his own men to their deaths."

Bernhard snorted. "Because of Jensen's big bad sensor system? I see you're not familiar with the term 'keyhole.' "

"You mean the setting up of a section of sensor net that can be deactivated from the outside?" Caine said calmly. "Oh, there's a keyhole there, all right. I presume that's why Reger and Jensen let you know that he'd done the work, so you'd know to look for a keyhole if you decided to betray us."

Bernhard's eyes narrowed. "You're slidetalking," he said flatly. "Reger shot off his lungs, and you're just trying to talk your way out of the hole."

Kanai turned to see Caine shake his head... and something in the other's face sent a shiver up his own back. "You're wrong," Caine said. "Jensen did more than just revamp Reger's sensor net, Bernhard.

He also built a death-house gauntlet into the mansion."

"What?" Bernhard's hands visibly squeezed down on his nunchaku.

"You heard me. A death house, one capable of taking out even blackcollars. So leave him be, Kanai.

If they obey him, what happens is on their own heads."

For a long moment Bernhard stared hard at Caine, indecision rippling across his face. "And you think it's too late to warn them, do you?" he at last. "Well—"

Without warning, he turned and sprinted back to the hangar wall and snatched up the phone headset.

Caine snarled something, but it was clear he'd been caught off-guard and his reaction would be too slow. Across the way Pittman hurled his nunchaku at Bernhard, which missed, and Colvin charged forward, scrabbling for a shuriken—

And something inside Kanai broke.

A shuriken seemed to leap of its own accord into his hand; all the frustration and shame of the past years welled up in his arm to send the black throwing star burning across the gap like an avenging angel—

And Bernhard jerked backward with a yelp as the shuriken sliced cleanly through the phone cord and ricocheted from the metal wall into the darkness.

"No," Kanai said into the sudden silence. The word was heavy on his tongue—heavy, but strangely clean. "With your actions you've forfeited the right of command. Caine is right; the others must now make their own choice as to whether or not to accept your betrayal."

Slowly, Bernhard laid down the handset and started to walk toward Kanai, his eyes alive with madness-tinged hatred. Kanai licked his lips, but stood his ground without fear. He had no doubt he would die in the coming fight, but death wasn't really that hard to face. Not for a man who'd been allowed one last chance to regain the manhood he'd thought gone forever.

"Don't try it, Bernhard."

The voice came from the shadows behind Kanai; and as Bernhard jerked and a low guttural growl escaped his lips, Kanai thought he would attack right then and there. Slowly the madness left the other's eyes, and with a deep, pain-filled breath he straightened from his fighting stance and lowered his arms to his sides.

And stood there, his face a mask, as Skyler and Hawking stepped forward into the light to take him under control. Behind them, Lathe paused beside Kanai. "Welcome back," the comsquare said, searching the other's face.

Kanai locked eyes with him. "You were waiting to see what I'd do, weren't you?" he said, anger at Lathe stirring in him again. "To see whether I'd side with him."

"As you said, each of you has the right to make his own choice," the comsquare said quietly.

Kanai took a deep breath, eyes flicking to where Bernhard's hands were being secured behind him.

Why doesn't he try to escape? he wondered... but the question wasn't hard to answer.

Even half insane with anger, Bernhard was still first and foremost a survivor.

Kanai closed his eyes briefly and turned away... and wondered why that thought should so fill him with pity.