The Blood Moon Pirate (The Carmsborough Vigilantes #1.5)

Part 9: Hazmonaught

"When are you going to tell me where we're headed?"

Alondra taps her foot behind me, almost huffing at my blatant obtuseness. By essentially refusing to tell her where my next target is, I can test to see if she's been giving me away. If she has been, it would explain her insistence, but I can't be too sure yet.

"We're almost there."

"Where?"

"I'll tell you when we've made it that far."

"This is exhausting, Luna."

"No, not exhausting. Exhaustive."

"What on earth does that mean?"

"We're here! Introducing ApocoV, a rundown weapons manufacturing plant!"

"Rundown?"

"Yeah, used to be owned by some government-backed science company before they shuttered their doors and Bijabers swooped in. Was called Atlas Research or something according to Luna's Research."

Alondra stood staring, a look of disappointment on her face.

"Get it? I used the same... never mind. Inside this building is the elusive Hazmonaught, the last on the long list of men before Bijabers."

"What's he all about?"

"Weapons. Sort of a fitting place."

"Don't you think it's a little dangerous walking into a place lined with weapons to take down a man whose specialty is weapons?"

"Maybe it's the pain pills talking, but no, not really. I crashed my ship into a moving train. I infiltrated the top-secret headquarters of a multi-national espionage organization. I did some other third thing. I was in the same zoo as Jack Aaron when he was arrested. Still not totally sure what happened there. All to say, the danger isn't a factor anymore."

This clearly wasn't the answer Alondra was looking for, but she let my last statement linger.

"Good luck, Luna."

"Thanks. Let's bounce, Freckles."

With me armed to the teeth and Freckles armed to the literal teeth, we take the steps down the ramp of the Constellation and wind up in the dilapidated parking lot of ApocoV. Our footsteps echo off the building ahead, which ricochet off and hit the ship behind us. The air is still, and the mist that would soon turn to fog is only just starting to form.

Just me, you, and Freckles, I think, directed at the man who will lose his life tonight. No Orion and the Clockwork.

The main entrance had cracked glass scattered around, from both the revolving door and the windows beside it. I took careful steps inside, while Freckles' heavy paws simply ground the glass to dust. The welcome room was groggy and unwelcoming.

Across the room, a man stands at an elevator door. He's wearing sunglasses and has a rifle of some sort holstered, but otherwise doesn't seem to be making any moves.

Just in case, I raise my pistol at him, and he raises his hands. "I'll be honest, Ms. Blood Moon Pirate ma'am, I don't really care if you get down to my boss. It's about time this organization crumbled."

"That's a refreshing outlook, unnamed goon number 473. Drop the gun and walk away, and don't come back."

He does as instructed, placing his rifle on the ground, and steps through the shattered revolving door. I wait a few moments to be sure his footsteps are headed away, and press the button to the elevator to call it. A good minute later, it dings, and we begin the descent to floor 7B.