the Sixteenth Surgeon

Chapter 11 "A Drink to Honor"

Jack sat on the balcony, sharpening his Bowie knife and watching the sun rise

"Something must have your attention to keep you out there." said Compass, wearing only a bath robe.

"Discovered another anomaly last night. Roman ran into something big, my guess is either The German or Shiva." he said deep in thought.

"

"I know, I was there, what anomaly did you get and why didn't you tell me?" she asked angrily.

"Because whatever the combination of those, that would be way too much heat for either of us. Don't worry, Roman is alive." he said as she smacked him in the face.

"The signal went dead and you didn't think to let me know it was back? He may have been wounded and by the time I left now he would be all healed up. Just because we are sleeping together doesn't make you my boss, we are not even friends...we just have mutual goals and a respectful business agreement and if you prevent me from getting to Roman then our goals no longer match." she said feeling the slight temptation to shove him off the balcony.

"What does it matter? If he goes down he goes down and the money splits the same way." he shrugged.

"Because I want to talk to my father BEFORE you kill him. I have questions and he can't answer them if he is already dead. All of this is about the answers; the money is just bonus, that's why I let you have 60 percent, to divide with your sister."

"I never saw you as sentimental, and for someone who doesn't care of he dies...you seem awfully concerned with meeting him. What question could be worth that kind of money or the risk of losing it?"

"I'm his daughter, and I want to know what is in our blood...MY blood, that makes him unstoppable. I'm good at my job, but nobody is that good without some kind of advantage and if I have that dormant inside of me, I want to know it. He might tell his only child the secret and that may be the only way to kill him anyway, and if it tells me what I am...then the money is secondary. So tell me what kind of anomaly you saw." she said checking the computer logs.

"Well, double readings again. It can't be a sensor ghost. There is something else with Roman's DNA out there, but odder still is that after the fight last night, he returned to that strange location and for a moment, Roman disappeared completely from sensors, then he just appeared again."

"We know he has a bunker under that day-spa, probably shielded his signature, nothing more...my concern is whatever else has his DNA. If he has another child, I need to find out." she said "And I believe you made me a promise the other day." she reminded.

"What promise?" he asked.

"That you would show me how to use your stealth armor, in case you didn't survive, I could use it and keep your sister safe...finish the job." she said coldly.

"It's already set up. I tagged it to your bio-markers, it's all adjustable to fit and if my vitals fail, it automatically switches to your settings. If I die, you can just put it on and finish off Roman, split the money and get her out of this business for good. I have a bank account ready, fingerprint scanners...and I don't plan on getting killed but in that event, maybe my sister will listen to you better then she does me. Maybe you two would finally start trusting each other." he chuckled.

"You know she is right." said Compass.

"About what?" he asked, sheathing his knife.