The Man between my crosshairs (girl X assassin)

Chapter 29/Complications

A/N FYI This chapter is unsuitable for the squeamish. 

Bar Shoot it up/Undercroft/Archigram

Mohab was looking down a microscope fixing a pulse rifle when the door buzzer ran. Aside form the hum of the engines there was much to hear down here in the guts of the city.

"yeah?"Mohab said in his best 'this better be good voice'.

"There is a huge fucker out here with horns. He has the temple sign."

Mohab pulled a face. This was weird. Three assassins needing to be tooled up? That wasn't like Dark Orbits, But then neither was a girl assassin. He had dismissed the second assassin, after all he was from a different crew. Normally Dark Orbits checked to make sure a line of credit was open to a specific limit before arrival, the might have a list of expected weapons but not for the last one. First a girl, now an uplift*. This made no sense. Perhaps she couldn't handle it and they had sent a replacement? Given what had happened to the Pimp Mohab wasn't sure.

He checked everything was deactivated. Who ever it was couldn't use the weapons on him.

"What's going on an assassins convention?" Mohab said to the sound at the door. He paused, three assassins in the same week. Perhaps this meant an a temple war*, that would be good mean ordering more weapons.

He looked around the doorway was filled by a semi-android body. While this machine had the form of a man he had horns growing out of his temples. He was an uplift, an animal who had enough cybernetic enhancement to bring them to full consciousness. The animal cyborgs frequently had bipedal human like bodies. They were used as combat grunts, on many worlds still to afraid of robots to give them guns.

Before Mohab could say much more he found himself thrown against the wall. Winded Mohab looked up.

"Before you move again moron I'm telling you nothing is enabled without my say so. So fucking stand down or the Dark Orbits is never resupplying on this planet again" Mohab said checking his cheek for blood.

Denial of weapons was normally enough to make sure even the worse bad ass would act reasonably. The uplift picked Mohab up and held him in the air. The animal must have been seven foot tall before the horns. He had a broad nose with a ring through the middle. One hand had three thick fingers. The kind which could rip through battle armour. The sort which could squeeze Mohab's head like a tomato.

"Who said I needed weapons?" Mohab said.

Mohab felt his stomach knot. Dark Orbits paid well but the deal was there was no trail. The police would get nothing from you. It was very very plain if you talked, you died.

The uplift moved slightly his huge broad shouldered bulk stepped aside.

"You might need a new doorman. Mr Baldy is all bendy wendy" said the animal looking down at the body in the hall way.

"Who the fuck are you?" Mohab said.

To this the animal slapped Mohab in the face. Mohab could feel the solid kevlar skeleton under the artificial skin. He looked in the animals's eyes. They were real. This was an animal cyborg, weapons grade. Mohab punched him knocking all the wind out.

"I ask the kcuffing questions human scum."

A well armed drone walked in and pulled the lifeless body of the barman with it. This uplift was an army of one.

*****

Soon Mohab was taped in a chair, naked, bruised and bleeding.

"A girl came here. She picked up weapons. Who was the target?" The animal said.

"Look I tell you I have no idea. We all take ryhpnol chasers" said Mohab the blood from his mouth dribbling down his chin, the taste of iron filled his tongue.

"Listen," said the animal cyborg getting down to Mohabs face "I am Saltazar. I am death. Do you really want my name to be the last name you ever here?"

Mohab then held Mohab's hand down while he pulled Mohab's fingers up with a crack breaking one. Mohab let out a sharp wail.

"Opps." Saltazar said "How many fingers to humans have? Is it ten or eight I can never remember. That's one down and one lets say nine to go"

Saltazar got up and looked around he took a pair of pliers from Mohabs' desk.

"After that I start on your teeth. I'm sure you have more than ten teeth. I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to carve you, like the humans, they carved us." Saltazar held his hand up. "They didn't need the flesh see. So they cut it away. Replaced it with hardware. Probably eat it. No use letting good meat go to waste right? So don't fool your self into thinking I'm not going to be very happy breaking all the bones in your body. The start on flailing your flesh."

Salazar broke another finger. Mohab wailed again, he was sweating, he was panting.

"Oh fuck that hurt," Mohab said plaintively.

"Stripped back to the primary support organs. It's not nice. The only difference is I couldn't stop them, you can you can tell me everything you know about the girl. Either that or your going to see the inside of a slaughter house. Upgrading. Let's see how you like it."

Saltazar's expression never changed, his metal face couldn't express anything.

"The girl has to die but you don't," said Saltazar.

Saltazar reached between Mobab's bare legs.

"Your weak. You won't be needing these. If you tell me where she is I'll leave you a working one." Mohab screamed again. 

****

A/N Saltazar/Raven has taken the best path. He could hide, but his best strategy on being hunted it hunt the hunter. Poor girl. If appropriate, have a wonderful Christmas. We are off to watch the new Star Wars tomorrow and there are not many years you can say that to- saviour them!  all the best and huge hugs for the votes and comments they are deeply deeply appreciated. RK&Reb.