Silver and red decorated the sides of the buildings on Victory Way. Not unlike the canyon on Beaumonde it was the perfect place for an ambush, a channel to funnel your enemy into your sights. Rohon didn’t think of the masses teeming below as his enemy, but the parallel came to mind none-the-less. It had been a long time since he could just look at a sight like this-towering marvels of engineering, gleaming chrome, vibrant colors, music and cheering-and be elated. Now every event was an operation; every trip a tactical sum of risk versus reward; every meeting a possible trap. Sitting in the office of the Alliance politician had every hair on his neck standing on end. He listened for any sound that might betray ulterior motive even while the man prattled on about the need of the Alliance to maintain peace and harmony for the benefit of all and the betterment of the future of mankind.

“…is why you were chosen for this,” the man was saying. “Mr. Rohon,” he smiled at that. It seemed no one ever knew what to really call him, “we want you to tidy this up. The man you delivered the, um, item to said you were his first choice.” Again the deception of knowledge. Sometimes it was better to seem more ignorant or more informed than one really was. In this case, the politician, some upper middleman named Ocher, was unsure what he knew and didn’t want to give anything away. Rohon turned from the window and faced him.

“In other words, your chemist, Run-di wants me to find the two escapees from his chemical prison and ensure no one else knows about the chemical weapon you’re developing?” Eyes wide, mouth hanging limp, small beads of sweat appearing on forehead, hands shaking almost imperceptibly, yes he had shaken the politician. This Ocher was really an amateur. Why had they used him? Probably expendable. In fact, Rohon thought, Ocher was probably his next mission. But for now…

“What is the latest on them?” The man hesitated a moment and blinked several times. He was trying to get his mind back on t