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Tirdal said, "I really am sorry, Ferret." Then there was silence.
Well, if he wouldn't talk, perhaps Dagger would. Ferret also knew something
Dagger wanted kept secret.
"So, Dagger, was that dark night scary and creepy?"
"Ferret, you're still alive. I told Tirdal he should circle back and bag you,
but he's too nice."
"Oh, stuff it, Dagger. We all know you two are just avoiding each other.
That's why you're attempting a flank." That was a dangerous comment, though he
didn't specify who Dagger might be flanking. But if he was forced to
reconsider it, he'd likely wait on Ferret and bag Tirdal first. At least
Ferret hoped that was how it would play out.
Continuing, he said, "He wants that billion as bad as you do. In fact, I'm
planning to help him kill you first, because he's the easier one."
Dagger replied, "So, you recognize me as a threat. That's good, Ferret. I'll
make sure you get a nice, clean shot through the head. Will that make you feel
any better?"
Ferret ignored the implication. "I'm coming for you, Dagger. You're between me
and Tirdal, so it's tactically smart. And it'll be fun, too. I never realized
killing could be fun. Thanks for that."
"Of course it's fun, Ferret. That's the point of it. Usually, they have no
idea they're about to die. You stare through the scope and watch them go
straight to hell. It's kicky. But sometimes, they know it's coming, and they
know when they've made a critical mistake. That's going to be you. And I'm
going to enjoy the expression on your face as I blow it to jelly."
"You really need help, you know that, Dagger?" Ferret replied. Still, the
threat had bothered him. He felt vulnerable again. Was Dagger watching him?
No, not from that range in the trees. Still. He'd have to watch for Dagger to
circle back and stalk him. The rules were changing in this new war.
Dagger laughed. "They picked the right man for each job. You're the skulker
and sneaker. I'm the killer.
And the Darhel is just a number."
"You haven't managed to catch that number yet, pal. Looks like he's making
good time. Of course, he might just make it to the pod before we do, and leave
us here. Hmm?"
There was a moment's pause. Dagger apparently was reconsidering his position.
"I don't think so, Ferret. I know something you two don't. He's not leaving
with the box."
That had worked, Ferret realized. Dagger was more thoughtful and less
reactive. Could he push him more? Perhaps. "You do realize I've been talking
to him, Dagger?" he prodded. "And we both know what your intent is. We can sit
down and talk, but first we have to kill you. Luckily, with you at an oblique,
that won't be hard when we reach the right spot. We'll both have clear fields
of fire, and good approaches."
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"Why wait, Ferret?" Dagger asked. "I'll kill you as soon as I get a shot. So
will Tirdal. Then we'll settle things mano a Elf. But you won't be around to
see it."
"Nice theory, Dagger. You could tell that to a shrink, if you were going to be
alive to go home." He
closed the circuit. Dagger was a bit distressed, but so was he. He didn't need
to rile himself up in front of a soulless sociopath, even by audio.
Instead, he threw himself forward, forcing his feet to carry him. After so
many hours of limping, he had it down. His ambling gait was at least as fast
as a brisk stride. First he'd kill Dagger, then he'd kill that
Darhel. If he couldn't get out of this alive, he could certainly keep them
from doing so.
* * *
Dagger, like Tirdal, saw that the terrain was changing, and smiled
mirthlessly. That put the ball back in his court. Tirdal could either head out
onto the grass and get shot, or turn back toward him and get shot, or head
around and let Dagger flank him and get shot. If the former, it was easy he'd
be in plain view, his death clear in the scope so it could be replayed again
and again. If one of the latter two, he could build a hasty blind and get the
little twerp up close. Then he could see his face as he died, helpless. There
was a frisson of delight in those thoughts. If the little asshole went around,
like the coward he was, Dagger could get ahead of him. And that's exactly what
the tracer showed him to be doing.
Ferret was the problem. That little son of a bitch was like a rash that
wouldn't go away. Dagger wasn't sure precisely where he was, either. Likely
tracking Tirdal now, but he couldn't be sure. He had been vague enough that he
might be behind Dagger. Cursing again, Dagger wished Ferret had had the
manners to die when the grenade went off.
If Ferret were physically capable and had his faculties, he might already have
teamed up with the Darhel.
That he hadn't was a good indicator for Dagger. Not that it mattered. Dagger
knew it was them against him. Whether they teamed up or not was a minor issue.
Neither of them could trust the other, though, when it came down to it. He'd
have to ensure it stayed that way.
Still, Ferret couldn't be too close. He was talking. People who were talking
weren't shooting. What
Dagger needed was to pin Tirdal down in a hurry. After that, he could simply
lie in wait for Ferret; he had the longer-ranged weapon. Also, Dagger
outranked him, so he could call the ball and just wait. There were lots of
options. So Tirdal first.
He jogged forward in a crouch to where the trees subsided to scrub, then eased
to his knees and into a crawl, the rifle dragging behind his shoulder. This
was where it all paid off. He ignored the flitting flies and scurrying
beetles. The day was warm and dry, the pioneer weeds ahead resilient and
tough, and Dagger was slim, vicious and expert at infiltration. Pleasure rose
in him, displacing the last vestiges of his former worries.
Twenty minutes later he growled in frustration. There were too many life-forms
moving about this blaze, creating motion that distracted him. The tracer
showed the box to be running across from southeast to northwest, and he could
see nothing in that direction. There was no way to take a shot from here. The
damned sensor in his helmet was crude and not much use to him, as it showed
most of the higher life-forms. If he had Ferret's tracker, there was a setting
for a finer definition to resolve only humans or possibly Darhel. Terrain and
position were his thing. The enemy's thoughts were for the psych boys and
point. He just took the shots.
Of course, Ferret did have that tracker, and might have him pinned down to a
few meters. Granted, a punch gun didn't have the range of a gauss rifle, but
that little jackass was becoming a major pain and a real threat. He also
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wasn't talking. Dagger assumed he was tracking Tirdal, that they both were, as
he had the artifact and would be easier to kill.
After that it would get interesting. Neither he nor Ferret would want to be
burdened with the box, but
neither would want to be too far away. Dagger had the better weapon, so he'd
just have to keep Ferret at bay until he could kill him, or until they came to
a deal, so Dagger could kill him more easily. But Ferret wasn't going to be
easy to fool, and could track.
But first was to bag that Darhel. It didn't really matter who did it, but
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