The 28th Gate: Volume 7

Episode 1-1

Episode One

Erick WaltersonHunter’s Mentor

As I understand it, Hunter began each of his stories for you by describing a pertinent weapon. Far be it from me to deviate from his pattern. It might, however, surprise you to learn that Hunter didn’t acquire his penchant for exotic weaponry from me. I used firearms as tools, certainly, but never with such feverous passion as Hunter. Nonetheless, I shall endeavor to match the bravura of his descriptions.

Now then, if I do recall, Hunter detailed for you the Kobolt MLP 82 Ranger as his favorite sniping platform. What he didn’t share with you, however, is that before he ever used the Ranger, he… well, acquired a Kobolt MLP 7 Scout. From what I understand, these two firearms share a similar design, each built on a magnetic delivery platform with a modular and variable barrel assembly for versatility, although the Scout was intended for medium distances rather than the Ranger’s extreme distance abilities.

In truth, I was surprised when I learned Hunter had begun employing a Kobolt Ranger, but only because I remembered in great detail what had happened the first time he’d had an occasion to use a Kobolt Scout.

Tig Hayrix charged down the alleyway ahead of us. This was the first chase I’d taken Hunter on after we’d met, and I’d inadvertently introduced the notion to him by splitting a bounty as thanks for his assistance. I thought it would be a simple one. But we’d almost had Hayrix cornered when he’d spotted Hunter and bolted.

Hayrix glanced over his shoulder at us as we pursued, then flailed a small sidearm and began firing haphazardly at us even as he continued his flight. I dove to the side, taking cover behind a shallow doorstop, but Hunter just held his left arm in front of him and continued charging. I’d swear some of the shots had to have landed, but Hunter didn’t even slow.

A moment later, Hayrix reached an intersection and stumbled, casting frantic glances left and right before tearing away to the left. Hayrix didn’t know where he was going.

But I did.

“Hunter!” I cried. “Bear right!” I’d done my due diligence before we moved to confront Hayrix, so I already knew the two streets came back together just a short distance ahead—and the street to the right was the swifter route.

But as I hurried toward the street on the right, I watched Hunter barrel down after Hayrix directly down the street to the left.

Groaning to myself and reflecting on the countless irritations of working with an untrained partner, I hurried ahead, positioning myself in the middle of the next intersection. I even drew my warlock. It wasn’t loaded, of course—it rarely ever was—but just the gun’s formidable appearance often carried enough stopping power for my purposes.

Hayrix appeared around the not-so-distant bend, still looking over his shoulder at where I assumed Hunter must be. But when Hayrix realized I was ahead of him, he stumbled again, momentarily slowing. Even at that distance I recognized the instant of indecision on his face as he pondered whether he could bring his gun around before I stopped him. He was a fighter, ready to go down firing.

And then Hunter tackled him from behind, throwing the man into the air before landing atop him some distance down the street. Within an instant the smaller Hunter had pinned the larger Hayrix. He looked up and flashed me an excited grin as I approached.

“Well,” I commented as I handed Hunter a set of restraints. “I think it’s clear there are still a few things you’ve yet to learn. But you certainly show promise. Once we’ve finished here, perhaps you’d like to join me for another chase, and I’ll see what else I can teach you.”

When I first met Hunter, it would have been polite of me to say he was a terrible mess—a young man struggling to find himself after having escaped an unspeakable past. I didn’t know why at the time, but I later learned about his escape from Maunhouser and the drifting he’d done after. But when I looked past his constant air of anger and pain, I saw a glimmer of something greater.

He already told you about the rota he spotted me capturing a target. And I should say he accurately described his own assistance in the matter. My only addition would be that my offer to split the bounty with the boy was by no means a unique gesture. I’d done the same on other occasions in the past. Even so, when he expressed a keen interest to learn more about the duty of hunting, I saw an opportunity to strengthen the glimmer I’d seen within.

And I’m certainly glad I did.

Now don’t misunderstand me. Hunter wasn’t always easy to work with back then. He was still struggling with a lot. The very first rota I brought him aboard my small ship, a modified distance shuttle I called the Lelu, I told him in no uncertain terms that I didn’t allow drugs or mood-altering substances of any kind aboard my vessel. I could tell from the dull sheen in his eyes that he was using, though I didn’t know what. Nor did I really care. And he agreed readily enough.

I only caught him with the stuff once. It was a few rotas after he’d joined me and just after we’d finished handing Hayrix over to the authorities. I suppose I would have been within my rights to end our arrangement then and there, but instead I gave Hunter his first and only warning. I wasn’t about to judge the boy, mind you, and wouldn’t have blamed the boy for leaving. Instead, Hunter nodded and promised me it wouldn’t happen again, after which he tossed the stuff out. We spent the next three chases that subrev with Hunter suffering from withdrawal symptoms as he came off whatever in the twenty-seven gates he’d been addicted to.

But he never went back on that promise.

After that, I knew there was more to him than the anger and the pain and the thrill of the chase. And it was really only then, I believe, that I began to wonder if I’d finally found someone I could entrust to continue my work after I’d gone.

As we continued working together, Hunter and I developed a strong functional rapport. I gave Hunter more and more leeway so long as he followed my general directions. And once I felt he’d learned enough of the details, I resolved to offer Hunter a test to assure myself he could take over for me after I retired.

We had just retrieved a nice little bounty on Allego IV, and I’d been out celebrating that evening. I awoke the next morning to find Hunter already in the cockpit of the shuttle, searching through available listings.

“Anything of interest?” I asked, propping myself in the doorway.

“Yeah, a couple,” he replied. “Thought you might like this one.” He pointed to a listing, but I didn’t bother inspecting it.

“And what of your interest?” I asked.

He just shrugged. Hunter was often noncommittal, happy to rise to whatever job I set him on. But it was time for that to change.

“I was thinking this might be an occasion for you to take point, my boy.”

He frowned at me. “You mean pick a job?”

“Yes, indeed,” I answered with a smile. “And so much more. I believe you’re more than capable of leading an entire chase. You pick our target, and I’ll support you however you decide. But you’ll be the one with the final say in our decisions.”

He nodded slowly as he considered the proposition.

“Interested?” I prompted.

“Yeah,” he finally answered, as something of a smile crept across his face. “Yeah, I think I am.”

“So, my boy, what is your plan of action?” I asked as we approached the small cantina Hunter had identified on Allego IV. “Perhaps a coordinated capture?”

He glanced around and then shook his head. “You watch the door. I’ll go get him.”

I almost voiced my concerns, but instead I held my tongue. I wanted this to be his decision, and so it would be. As such, I watched with more than a hint of reservation as Hunter strode through the broad doorway and into the serving area beyond.

I must confess I often wondered if some of his Maunhouser enhancements didn’t help him identify targets, because he didn’t even slow as he continued toward his selected bounty, Edwit Fadar, seated at a table along the far wall. Without so much as a muttered word of warning, Hunter hit the man with a compact electric stunner. Fadar’s body wasn’t even yet limp before Hunter chucked him over one shoulder and started striding back toward me at the door.

One of the establishment’s servers seemed a touch perturbed by this turn of events—and reasonably so—but I waved her away, assuring her we were simply collecting a legitimate bounty. Then, I fell in beside Hunter as he threw Fadar into the back of my dirt cruiser.

“Easy,” Hunter said, flashing me that rare grin of his. Then he settled in behind the controls as I took the passenger’s seat, reflecting that Hunter had indeed picked a straightforward job—and had also done well in choosing so. After all, I approved of an easy jaunt for his first contract. All that remained was to turn Fadar in at the local constabulary for Mystix Corp, one city over.

If only it had been so simple.

Fadar awoke a few subchrons later. Despite his experience by that point, Hunter had forgotten that the stunner he carried wasn’t nearly as powerful as the heavily modified PDD I used. And in his haste, Hunter had also neglected to bind our target. So, no sooner had Fadar awoken than he began thrashing in the back of the cruiser.

Hunter spat a muttered curse and shot me an accusatory glare. “Couldn’t have reminded me?” he growled as he pulled hard on the controls that would bring the dirt cruiser to a halt.

I smiled. It wasn’t often I’d seen Hunter act so flustered. “I suppose I could have. But I bet you’ll remember the lesson better this way. Besides, didn’t we agree this would be your job?”

Hunter just growled again. And then Fadar leapt out of the back and set off at a dead run down the empty street.

Hunter spat another curse and sprang after him, barely waiting for our transport to skid to a halt. I followed a moment behind, after having ensured the controls were safeguarded—since even I had limits as to how far I’d let Hunter fall on his first job in charge.

By the time I rounded the back of the dirt cruiser, Fadar had lost most of his lead. He was, I’m willing to admit, surprisingly spry for such a slender fellow. But Hunter was faster. And with that artificial leg of his, Hunter was a prodigious sprinter. Fadar threw a harried glance over his shoulder just in time to see Hunter diving toward him, stunner already in hand.

“I didn’t do it!” Fadar cried, dodging to the side as Hunter landed and missed his first swing. “You’ve got the wrong guy!”

Hunter didn’t even reply as he sprang at Fadar again, and this time the man caught Hunter’s arm and, by sheer luck alone, managed to dodge the stunner a second time.

“I’m telling you that bounty isn’t for me! Please! They set me up!”

Hunter pivoted on his left leg and this time caught Fadar’s closest hand in his synthetic fist. Then he drove the stunner into the man’s exposed ribs. Fadar shuddered once, then crumpled into Hunter’s arms.

Hunter threw a glance over his shoulder at me. “Go get the cruiser,” he called. “And then bring the restraints.”

We were heading for my shuttle beyond the edge of town so we could ferry Fadar to the neighboring corporation for our bounty when we came upon a security checkpoint for the city’s controlling corporation, HedGer Corp. Two of their aerial attack craft were parked on either side of the street with clusters of local corporate personnel conducting checks of each passing vehicle.

Hunter shot me a glance and I shrugged. It had been a while since I’d seen such a concerted search, but with the various mutual pacts the two corporations on the world shared, I doubted we would have any trouble passing once we explained our purpose.