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Setting: 2031...~2 years after Danika's kidnapping
“I know this kid you might be interested in.” Terry Sheridan explained. Andy MacDonald had put word out on certain areas of the dark web for someone with the potential to take over from him now that he was approaching sixty. He hadn’t advertised who the employer was, but for someone who had been around as long as Sheridan, it wasn’t difficult to connect the dots. “Of course, I’d put my name forward, but I can just imagine Hsu’s expression.”
“You don’t change, do you, Sheridan?” In fact, Sheridan would be an excellent choice in one respect, he was essentially immortal thanks to that incident with Pandora’s Box decades ago, but in all other aspects, he’d never work with Hsu. After all this time, he was still completely untrustworthy, even if they had used him on a job or two when his skill set was required. The Scot was good and Andy had always liked him; he just always had to find the most profitable angle for himself which was the problem. “So this kid, is he a protege of yours?”
Terry chuckled. “No, we’ve done a couple of jobs together but to my disappointment he has integrity. His name’s Theo Garnon, and he’s a former lieutenant in the British Army -- yeah, yeah, I know, but he’s not like most officers. Resigned his commission and took up the merc life for excitement as well as the cash."
“Okay, but I’m not hearing what puts him above any other merc.”
“Like I said, he has integrity. He’s smart and a quick learner. Kind of reminds me of you, MacDonald, when you were young. A little more charming, though.” Andy scowled as Terry continued with a grin. “There’s one more thing, something that could make a difference. He’s Immortal. Hsu’s kind. Our last job hit a few problems, and Theo was killed. Almost scared the shite out of me when he popped back up.”
It was something he and Hsu had discussed, and it didn’t surprise him that the idea had occurred to Sheridan as well. Andy was no longer in his prime, and had gone into semi-retirement for a while, just lending his expertise in maintaining and updating Hsu’s security systems. Then Danika was kidnapped and Lars killed. And it had hit them hard, pulling him out of what retirement he was enjoying. Now Marcus was retiring too. Optimally, they needed someone who could be a consistent presence while others came and went. Everything else could be learned, loyalty and longevity could not. A newly minted Immortal could also be a plus, rather than an older one whose own ego and grudges could get in the way. Stelios, for example, was considered briefly. Smart, strong, and one of the greatest warriors in history, but the Spartan easily considered himself a peer, at the very least, to Hsu and would not settle for taking orders from him. Yes, a new Immortal could work. “Send me his details, and I’ll take it from there.”
Terry tapped something on his phone. “You should be getting it. There is a finder’s fee, isn’t there?” He grinned, but there was no mistake he was serious.
“You’ll get compensated if he works out.” It was always good to keep Terry Sheridan onside, but Hsu wasn’t going to pay him anything before they’d even assessed the guy. Andy saw his shrug knowing they had a deal. He knew how Hsu’s organization worked just as they knew him.
( Read more... )
“I know this kid you might be interested in.” Terry Sheridan explained. Andy MacDonald had put word out on certain areas of the dark web for someone with the potential to take over from him now that he was approaching sixty. He hadn’t advertised who the employer was, but for someone who had been around as long as Sheridan, it wasn’t difficult to connect the dots. “Of course, I’d put my name forward, but I can just imagine Hsu’s expression.”
“You don’t change, do you, Sheridan?” In fact, Sheridan would be an excellent choice in one respect, he was essentially immortal thanks to that incident with Pandora’s Box decades ago, but in all other aspects, he’d never work with Hsu. After all this time, he was still completely untrustworthy, even if they had used him on a job or two when his skill set was required. The Scot was good and Andy had always liked him; he just always had to find the most profitable angle for himself which was the problem. “So this kid, is he a protege of yours?”
Terry chuckled. “No, we’ve done a couple of jobs together but to my disappointment he has integrity. His name’s Theo Garnon, and he’s a former lieutenant in the British Army -- yeah, yeah, I know, but he’s not like most officers. Resigned his commission and took up the merc life for excitement as well as the cash."
“Okay, but I’m not hearing what puts him above any other merc.”
“Like I said, he has integrity. He’s smart and a quick learner. Kind of reminds me of you, MacDonald, when you were young. A little more charming, though.” Andy scowled as Terry continued with a grin. “There’s one more thing, something that could make a difference. He’s Immortal. Hsu’s kind. Our last job hit a few problems, and Theo was killed. Almost scared the shite out of me when he popped back up.”
It was something he and Hsu had discussed, and it didn’t surprise him that the idea had occurred to Sheridan as well. Andy was no longer in his prime, and had gone into semi-retirement for a while, just lending his expertise in maintaining and updating Hsu’s security systems. Then Danika was kidnapped and Lars killed. And it had hit them hard, pulling him out of what retirement he was enjoying. Now Marcus was retiring too. Optimally, they needed someone who could be a consistent presence while others came and went. Everything else could be learned, loyalty and longevity could not. A newly minted Immortal could also be a plus, rather than an older one whose own ego and grudges could get in the way. Stelios, for example, was considered briefly. Smart, strong, and one of the greatest warriors in history, but the Spartan easily considered himself a peer, at the very least, to Hsu and would not settle for taking orders from him. Yes, a new Immortal could work. “Send me his details, and I’ll take it from there.”
Terry tapped something on his phone. “You should be getting it. There is a finder’s fee, isn’t there?” He grinned, but there was no mistake he was serious.
“You’ll get compensated if he works out.” It was always good to keep Terry Sheridan onside, but Hsu wasn’t going to pay him anything before they’d even assessed the guy. Andy saw his shrug knowing they had a deal. He knew how Hsu’s organization worked just as they knew him.
( Read more... )