Page 60 of Static/Cling

In his ear, Sal gasped.

“Leave Roger out of this. He was just walking his stupid dog with me. He had no idea what I was going to do. Just give him his dog, and let him go home.”

“If only it was that easy.” George stood. “We’re going for a walk, you and I, Kassian.”

“Where to?”

“Oh, it’s a cozy little space. Very comfortable. And state-of-the-art equipment. You like that, don’t you? Cutting-edge technology?”

Kasian remained where he was.

“Get up, Mr. Briggs.”

“You can’t make me do anything.”

“Oh, I think I can.” He waved a hand and one of the walls flickered. An image appeared of Roger, sitting placidly in the guard booth at the gate. He looked fine. Relaxed.

The guard standing over him did not.

“That is Antony.”

Kassian masterfully didn’t even flinch at Sal’s sharp intake of breath.

“He’s what you might call, oh, odd, shall we say. What he is, in fact, is an interesting variety of berserker. Do you know what sets him off?”

“No idea.”

“Boredom.”

“Sorry?”

“Boredom, Kassian. He can’t stand to be bored. He starts getting restless. First, he might pick at his own hair, or skin. He has to be reminded that’s not good for him. But next, he’ll turn that restlessness outward. On anything, really, but he does tend to prefer living things to play with. As he plays, he will, inevitably draw blood. Then…” He shrugged one shoulder. “Blood scent isn’t good for berserkers, Kassian. It makes them… volatile.”

“You’re just going to let him loose on an innocent bystander?”

George smiled. “You brought him here. For whatever reason, you decided it was a good idea to get him involved in your little plot, so this is on you. All you have to do is break the encryption on my file, and you are both free to go. Simple.”

Kassian glanced at the screen again.

Roger had stood and was facing the huge soldier standing over him. He placed a hand on the man’s arm, and the man flinched and snarled. Roger yanked his hand back.

The screen flicked out.

“Are we agreed?”

Kassian was not going to agree with this guy, but he did move to the door when George motioned to it. Once they collected Rufus just outside, he did follow his brother down the hallway to a stairwell as the others began to chatter in his ear about what to do.

CHAPTER 8

EXTRACTION

At first, Sal was full of the get-the-fuck-in-there-and-bang-heads-together- until-you-get-them-back sort of suggestions.

“Sal, Sal.” Leif closed his eyes. Bjorn’s hand on his arm stirred the hairs there, but without most of the usual electric punch. “Take a breath. You’re panicking, and if you stop to think, you know that’s not the play here.”

“You have to get them back.”

“We will.”

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