Bounty Hunter

Chapter 60

"The key to going up against greater numbers is chaos," Val said after the rumbling receded. "The lower levels have just lost their oxygen supply, and the failsafe systems should've automatically sealed all vents. That means everyone underground will be forced to come up for air."

"I didn't realize this building had lower levels," Reuben said.

"It has two levels below this one. It's where all the servants are, the barracks, and the control centers. That means there's about to be a whole lot of people smashed into the atrium," Val explained.

Joe disarmed the unconscious guards. He kept a blaster for himself and handed the other to Rex. Of the two keycards, he gave one to Reuben and kept the other.

Val and Kit led the way through two sets of doors. Joe followed with Reuben safely behind him, and Rex covering their rear. When Val glanced back, she frowned. "You're limping."

"Long story," Joe said.

Kit opened the third door, flooding their ears with the sounds of panic and shouting.

Val glanced back. "Try to keep up."

She picked up the pace. She and Kit pushed against the rattled crowd of servants and murcs making their way outside. It was like running against a strong wind. Joe had had no idea how many people were living in the building. Most looked to be servants in dirty, tattered clothes. His gut turned sour. Gabriel Sloan had been running on slave labor right under Joe's nose, and he'd never noticed it. That Joe hadn't seen it meant that he didn't want to see it, and he realized that he'd long since broken from his ideals of a free world. He was no better than the Sloan brothers for allowing people to be used like that.

He gritted his teeth and pushed through the crowd. The fleeing people, including the soldiers, were panicked enough that they didn't pay any regard to the pair of hunters walking through the atrium in exoshields. The group of five rescuers made slow progress through the tide until they passed Sloan's office door and reached the next entrance.

"How do you know he'll be inside?" Joe asked.

"Because he has a safe room in his personal residence," she replied swiftly.

Kit swiped his keycard, and the door marked PRIVATE opened to a small foyer. They stepped inside to meet a pair of murcs standing guard at the next door. The pair didn't react when they saw Kit and Val, but when they saw the hunters behind them, they startled and rushed to raise their weapons. Kit and Val fired first, each taking down one guard.

Val grabbed a blaster off a fallen guard, and held it out to Reuben.

"That wasn't so hard," Rex said.

Val looked over her shoulder. "We're not even inside his residence yet."

Kit placed his ear against the door before looking back. "I can't hear anything."

Above the door, a sign read, Know thyself.

Rex giggled. "I know every inch of myself, some parts better than others."

Val turned to him and winced.

Joe slowly shook his head and walked past him toward the door.

Kit opened the door. Blaster fire shot out through the doorway.

Everyone ducked. Val pulled out two small balls and threw them through the opening. "Cover your eyes and ears!" she yelled.

Joe barely had time to close his helmet's sensors before the flash grenades went off. When he reopened them, he saw Val motioning for him. "Exoshields, take lead."

Rex gave a drawn-out sigh and hoisted his blaster. "If you're gonna go, go memorably."