Pay Me, Bug!

Chapter 19

WHEREIN A Message is Constructed and Sent On Its Way

They took a moment to rest, and recover from the effects of the gas. As they lay on the ground, coughing up phlegm and breathing in the clean air, Grif closed his eyes and forced himself to think.

"Well." Grif drew in a ragged breath after a final spasm of coughing. "With any luck they think we're still in the hospital, incapacitated and helpless. We're lucky they didn't use a proper nerve gas."

"MediCorp is going to be mighty pissed anyway," Amys said. "I bet that gas contaminated a lot of medicine."

"Where are we?" Bennet asked. "And if this is a way out of the hospital, why wasn't Station Authority sitting on top of it, waiting for us to come out?"

Grif looked around. The room was crowded with cables. At one end, a large generator hummed softly. "It's a backup generator, I think. Doesn't look like it's been used much, but it's on..."

Grif pointed with his good arm at a door on the far end of the room. "And that," he said, "appears to be the only way out. I bet we find a few Station Authority guards out there..."

Amys sighed. "What do we do? We can't go back down there and wander around in the gas, waiting for Station Authority to take us down."

"No," Grif agreed. "That would be a bad idea."

"But if we go out that door--hell, if Station Authority is waiting for us out there... bad idea number two."

"Yes, but here's the thing," Grif said. "Now that I've had half a second to think about it, I don't understand what the hell the Baron is doing handing me over to a Sword in the first place."

Bennet shrugged. "Why not? I mean, from her perspective. I know why not from your perspective."

"Because," Grif said, "the Trade Baronies are neutral. Tyrelos is a place where... entrepreneurs regularly come to roost. They wouldn't roost if she started handing them over to the Alliance or the Radiant Throne any time a high-ranking official asked nicely... or even asked not-so-nicely."

"Maybe the Baron and the Radiant Throne have some kind of deal they're not telling anyone about," Bennet suggested. "That would explain why she tried to do it on the sly."

"Yeah..." Grif stared at Bennet thoughtfully.

Bennet frowned. "What?"

"Nothing," Grif said. "I just wonder if any other Baronies have arrangements like that..."

Bennet didn't reply.

"Well, that's a conversation for another day," Grif said. "Right now I have an idea. Bennet, exactly how good are you with computers?"

"Pretty good," Bennet said.

"I assume they taught you how to do all the complicated stuff in spy school... breaking through computer security, accessing that which is not meant to be seen, that kind of stuff."

"Yes," Bennet said. "But usually I have tools for that. Tools I don't have with me, because for some reason I thought going to visit you in a hospital would be a simple and straightforward experience."

Grif grinned. "Now you know better. I hope you're not completely helpless without your tools, because this..." Grif stood, walked over to the generator, and pointed. "...is attached to this." Grif pointed to a dusty terminal set into the wall beside the generator. "Diagnostic equipment, I expect. It's hooked up to the generator here... and the generator is wired to the hospital's main power supply, so it'll know to turn itself on if the power goes out."