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As she crept up the stairway, Donna could see shadows moving and caught
snatches of conversations that indicated a number of people were around and
involved in eating, sleeping, tending the injured or repairing weapons. She
stopped bothering to sneak; it was only going to make her stand out more. She
walked blithely into the second storey entry of an ugly looking block with
bars on the windows, acting as if she had every right to be there.
Once inside she travelled down a short corridor with two doors off it before
coming to a stairwell at the end. She tried the door on the left and found it
open. Slipping inside, she found a darkened office with worn furniture covered
in teetering piles of parchment. A brass-framed baseline cogitator burbled
quietly in one corner, its bone keys ticking out a slow rhythm. Hearing
footsteps coming up the stairs and voices in the corridor, Donna stepped
smartly behind the door as they stopped outside.
Yes, and the fact remains that there s nothing that can be done while we re
besieged, warrant or not. She s not going to show up here anyway. This in a
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tired-sounding baritone.
You can at least post warrant fliers, Hanno. As chief watchman I d have
thought that was your job, a sneering whisper replied.
The first voice turned cold. I ll not dance to your tune, Bak. I ve got
bigger fish to fry as you well know. If you want some help, go down to the
slop shops. There s plenty enough gun-scum there too precious of their hides
to risk them on the rampart. Go form a purge if you want. You can start right
outside the gate.
Shallej will hear of this!
Well, tell him he can come right down and we ll discuss it man to man if you
like. No? Then you better get going. I d offer you a drink but I don t really
like you, so get lost.
Footsteps retreated, the door opened and a man came in, dropping a
heavy-framed pump shotgun on the desk. He rubbed a hand over close-shaved grey
hair and massaged his thickly muscled neck before reaching for a bottle on the
desk. The hand had a blocky, black Aquila tattoo on the back of it, and a
number.
Same old sins, Hanno? I m disappointed in you, Donna said in her most
seductive tones.
Hanno dropped the bottle and half-whirled around, grabbed for the bottle in
mid-air, caught it, juggled it and finally caught it again after slopping
some. He glared at her.
Damn it, harlot, you almost cost me the last liquor this side of Slag Town.
Mad Donna laughed out loud for the first time in days. I need your help, and
it sounds like Kell has rather nicely just filled you in on the details of
why.
His hand was on the butt of his well-oiled bolt pistol. You ve got some nerve
coming here. Hanno sounded angry. It s my sworn duty to protect Dust Falls
from people like you and Bak: outlaws, bounty hunters and anyone else who
thinks they can shoot the place up or settle a score here and breach the
peace. Well, not on my watch.
A bolt pistol was great for a fire-fight but was a liability in a fast draw
where its heavy magazine made it difficult to pull cleanly in a hurry. Really
slick operators learned to overcome this by hip firing simply angling the
pistol in its holster to let off a first round before drawing the gun. You
could spot practitioners by the way they strapped their gun high on the hip
with an open-toed holster. Well, practitioners and posers anyway. Hanno
strapped his bolt pistol high on the hip, and he wasn t a poser.
Hanno, if you point that hand cannon at me, I ll have to take it off you. You
know you wouldn t like that. Donna shifted slightly and there was an almost
palpable aura of menace in the movement.
Hanno froze and then relaxed his grip slightly. I can t have you running
around in Dust Falls right now, he said, his voice calming to stern
disapproval. Not now.
Yes, I met the new neighbours on the way in. I can t say I like them much.
If you were sneaking around on your own out there you re lucky to be alive.
So far we ve had to listen to them skinning and cooking four men who thought
they were savvy enough to sneak out. Hanno shook his head and took a pull at
the amasec. Some people are born stupid and they die stupid.
I can look after myself.
Hanno put the bottle down, realising it gave away the fact that his hands were
shaking. He asked her bluntly, What will it take to get you out of here? You
know that by rights I have to report your presence to the bounty hunters,
unless you re prepared to kill me to keep quiet.
Don t think I haven t considered it, especially cause I heard you talking to
Kell Bak. When the hell did that bastard show up anyway? I nearly broke a nail
myself getting here this fast.
Just over two shifts ago he came in with a couple of ratskin scouts. The word
is they set out from Glory Hole with two pack slaves as well, but they didn t
make it through. Knowing Kell he probably sold them to the scavvies.
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They didn t try to stop him getting in?
They let any extra warm bodies in more mouths to feed, see. They just don t
let anybody out. He looked at Donna, seeing her as if for the first time.
Throne, you re a mess. You look like you ve been dipped in the sump. Is that
blood?
Some of it, not mine. And brains, also not mine. And a lot of stings too,
which are mine and I wish they weren t. She tilted her head coquettishly.
Forgive me for not bathing acceptably before presenting myself, noblesir
Hanno, but I was breathless to be by your side.
Hanno pulled a sour face and was about to retort but he refused to be baited.
Why are you here, Donna?
I need to take a quick peek at your guilder manifests.
Incredulity cracked Hanno s shaky self-control like breaking glass. I knew
it. Like there isn t enough trouble here, you want me to make more by letting
you assault the guilders.
Look Hanno, all I know is that a guilder contacted me in Glory Hole and
arranged a meet. When I got there I found Kell and Shallej waiting to jump
me. A slight distortion of the truth, but it would have to do. I hightailed
it over here as fast as I could because, after Two Tunnels, this is the best
place in the Underhive for checking up on guilders.
Two Tunnels was a sprawling settlement at the bottom of the most well-trodden
paths down from Hive City. At some point the wares of most guilders passed
through there on their way up or down. Dust Falls occupied a similar position
in relation to the Abyss; any guilder caravans moving up or down it came
through there. Sump Lake and its surrounding strata of compacted scrap held
some of the richest prizes to be found in the Hive Bottom, so much so that
even though it remained almost completely uncharted and extremely dangerous
(even by Underhive standards), no guilder could stay away from it for long.
You re an outlaw D onne. You chose to walk that path. Bounty hunters will
come after you wherever you go. Hanno was consciously trying to reassert his
control of the situation. He obviously didn t like this talk of guilders one
bit.
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