The address was a blue smoke den and the Amazon droid that opened the door was everything the designer felt a woman should be. They followed her through a common area filled with dazed smokers and sex droids to a curtained room behind the bar.
"Welcome. Come and sit. Queen," the man addressed the Amazon, "bring a couple of tubes for our guests."
"We didn't come here to smoke. Are you Hanes?"
"I am. Too bad, ours is a rare product." The man took a long draw on the flexi-tube and exhaled a cloud of blue smoke.
"I'm sure. Look we came here because you implied on the message you could help. We're looking to find a location for a Dr. Frost. He's at one of the Empirium's research centres."
"Hmm, that's always a difficult search."
"Yeah, I know. Just tell me the cost and let's not dance."
"Okay, my friend. One hundred credits - no guarantees. Three hundred, solid gold."
Hunter shook his head. "You can't resist the dance, can you? Okay four hundred credits but I want delivery by tomorrow."
"That's part of the gold, friend." Hanes smiled a foggy smile and they shook hands. "Sure you don't want a tube?"
"We're sure." Hunter pledged the amount and sent it to Hane's pad then he and Diane left.
"Can we trust him?"
"Yeah, their reputations are their livelihood. We just have to see how much gold my four hundred credits buys."
"I'll give you some toward that. Won't be too much, I'm not employed."
"You pay for some food then and we'll go back to Hargreave's and wait for our friend to call."
"You said tomorrow."
"I know . . . is there a problem?"
"Tomorrow might be a problem, yes." Diane strode off toward a nearby restaurant.
********
The room light was minimal, providing just enough to see without straining. They sat on the bed again, the food container between them.
"I didn't realize how hungry I was, this is good, Dr. Sommers."
"Surprisingly, considering the choices. The formality doesn't change the situation, Hunter."
"I even found a bottle of liquor Hargreave had stashed in his desk." He talked right past her comment. "Would you care for a swig . . . no glasses, I'm sorry."
"No thank you. I suppose we are fugitives now."
"The security droid won't be a problem. I completely destroyed any communication or memory data. The cab will have a record of the charge, but then someone would have to know enough to look for the right cab."
"They'll know you weren't at work."
"Yep." He gave a small smile and took a swig from the bottle. "Guess this will be my new home for a while."
Diane got off the bed and paced around the room nervously. She knew she could go home but staying here . . . with Hunter . . . "We need to make some kind of arrangement if we are both hiding out here."
"You aren't going home?"
"I- I think we should stay together at least until Hanes calls."
He looked around the room and scratched his ear. "I suppose I could share the bed."
YOU ARE READING
Transition
Mystery / ThrillerWhat they found, arriving at the planet was the entire research team, except for one terrified doctor, had been wiped out by a deadly organism and rescuing her cost the supply ship its crew. The Commander, his Executive Officer and the survivor were...
