[Story Thread] Third Moon Syndicate

Post by **dire51** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 6:09 pm

I saw a couple of the other writing threads, so I thought I'd start one myself. This is the prologue to a story I wrote a couple of years back, part of an ongoing series I'm co-authoring with a friend.

Feel free to leave feedback, if you wish.

***

The Chronicles of the Raven: Third Moon Syndicate
by Rob Strangman and Sam Roberts

Prologue

England. Night.
2051.8.07

In one of the nicest homes in London, the lights were all out, save one. A balding, middle-aged man in the lit room slowly counted out money from a briefcase lying on his desk. He smiled to himself as the stack of bills next to him got bigger.

Finally he stopped counting.

"Five hundred million pounds," he said softly to himself, and began replacing the money in the briefcase.

He closed the briefcase and stood up. He swatted at a sharp stinging in his neck. Probably some kind of bug, he thought in irritation.

His hand never made it to his neck.

His muscles locked up and he toppled forward, his entire body rigid. He struck the floor face-first, dropping the briefcase as he fell. The briefcase popped open and the bills spilled out.

"Ow! What the bloody hell?!?" he exclaimed.

"Neurotoxin," said a voice behind him. A woman's voice with an American accent. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Who's there?" he yelled. He felt a foot nudge his side and flip him over on his back. He started to say something else, but felt the words die in his throat when he looked up.

A beautiful young woman stood over him. She was slender but well-developed at the same time. A form-fitting black leather jumpsuit accentuated her curves. Her straight blonde hair hung down around her shoulders and, he noted with apprehension, she had a small but lethal-looking pistol strapped to her right leg.

She noticed him staring at her and casually placed her right foot on his abdomen. He grimaced and closed his eyes as she applied pressure.

"Who... are you?" he gasped as he opened his eyes. She didn't reply. Instead she held up a small, tube-like object.

A blow gun.

"The toxin's powerful but doesn't affect your ability to speak or think. It just shuts down the majority of your motor functions," she continued as if he hadn't said a word. She removed her foot from his abdomen, leaned down, and looked directly at him.

"That was a bad idea, Trent," she said. His eyes widened at her casual mention of his name. "My employers aren't happy with what you've done. They frown on those who sell their secrets."

"But... but..." he stammered, his eyes now wide with fear.

"Save it," she snapped. "I don't care what your reasons were. All I care about is that I was hired to kill you, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

With that, she straightened up and drew her pistol. She aimed it between his thighs.

"Wait," Trent pleaded. "I can make you a deal. I have connections. Surely there must be something you want that's worth whatever your employers are going to pay you."

Her finger tightened on the trigger, but she held her fire.

"Okay," she said after a few seconds. "I'm looking for a man named Hawkins. A Sicilian capo, and a very slippery one at that."

At the mention of Hawkins' name, Trent's eyes narrowed.

"So you're looking for Grant Hawkins, eh?" he said.

The woman looked down at the man, surprised. "You know where to find him."

"Oh yes," Trent chuckled. "But I'm not sharing any information with you unless you agree to spare my life."

"My employers won't like that."

"No, undoubtedly they won't."

The woman straightened up, then holstered her pistol. She reached down and helped Trent to his feet. The toxin was wearing off. He was somewhat able to move on his own again.

"Fine," the woman said. "I won't kill you."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"How do I know you won't lie to me about Hawkins' whereabouts?"

Trent shrugged, conceding her point. "I guess we both have to take our chances."

He turned back to his desk, wistfully eying the scattered bills on the floor. He examined his computer's monitor for a moment.

"It may be of interest to you to know that I did some... 'work'... for Hawkins a short time ago," Trent said. "Let me just check my... would you mind turning your back, please?"

"Yes."

Trent sighed and positioned his body so its bulk was between the screen and her line of vision. He pulled up a document containing a complex, almost unmemorizable code number, then reached inside his jacket.

He froze before he had his hand even halfway in the jacket pocket. The woman pressed the her pistol's muzzle against the back of his neck.

"Slowly," she instructed. "No tricks."

"No tricks," Trent repeated. He slowly pulled a small datapad out of his pocket and activated it. Then, at the code screen, he slowly punched in the number he'd pulled up.

"One second," he muttered. The screen lit up, showing lists of codenamed files. He selected one marked BLOOD PUDDING, then read the information contained within.

"As of six months ago, Hawkins had his base of operations in the Burg Lichtenberg, near Thallichtenberg, Germany. Have you ever heard of it?"

"No."

"It's in the district of Kusel in Rhineland-Palatinate. It was a national landmark until its purchase by a private corporation in 2031."

The woman didn't reply. As the seconds ticked by, Trent started to get nervous.

"Is that all?" she finally said.

"Yes," Trent said, certain she was trying to rattle him.

More silence.

"You have what you need!" Trent finally snapped. "Now keep your part of the bargain!"

Still no reply. Trent finally summoned to the nerve to turn around and face the mysterious woman. He inhaled sharply, then turned around.

She was gone.

Trent exhaled slowly. Damn, he thought. So much I have to do, now: Change my name, get out of the country... He turned back to the computer.

...to find himself face-to-face with the barrel of the woman's pistol.

Trent realized with a start that the woman hadn't left, but before it could fully register in his mind she pulled the trigger.

Post by **dire51** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 4:02 pm

Out of curiosity, does anyone want to read what happens next?

Post by **Limewater** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 4:06 pm

dire51 wrote:Out of curiosity, does anyone want to read what happens next?

If you post more, I'll read it. I may not leave any good feedback, though.

I was pretty busy when you first posted, and didn't give a response. I was pleased at the hot chick content, but there was a disturbing lack of ninjas, imo.

Post by **dire51** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 4:11 pm

Limewater wrote:If you post more, I'll read it. I may not leave any good feedback, though.

I was pretty busy when you first posted, and didn't give a response. I was pleased at the hot chick content, but there was a disturbing lack of ninjas, imo.

That's funny re: the lack of ninjas. I just haven't gotten to them yet!

Okay, I'll go ahead and post it when I get a chance. I do appreciate feedback, of course, but if you don't leave any that's fine too.

Post by **dire51** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 4:29 pm

[chapter removed, thanks for looking]

To read the full story, go here.

Post by **dire51** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 10:57 am