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answer would be. No weapons allowed
on station. Chest rising and falling with each heavy breath, he let
out a pained whine. How could he have been so foolish? “Now I have
no way to kill Rister.”
    Unless he wanted to strangle the man
with his bare hands, he’d have to come up with some clever way to
get him to die. Unless…
    Foggy images from his ale induced haze
flitted through his mind. The Nidi techs hadn’t seemed all that
bright. Who was to say the security guards were any wiser? With the
controls so lax he might very well find a way to break into the
weapons stash and then go in his merry way to hunt Rister. Even
though that meant he’d have to visit the area Rister had just
abandoned, taking a chance he wouldn’t return. Of course, sitting
here in his quarters didn’t qualify as any better an idea. Rister
would eventually come. And when he arrived, Grison wanted to be
ready.
    Underneath his feet, the
floorboards said, “ Kill Rister. Kill
Rister.”
    Taking the direction to heart, Grison
scrambled up and headed out the door.
     
    Security was flooded with
idiots. They jostled Grison as they raced through the hall, never
bothering to say “ excuse
me .” In fact they nary even gave him a
look, if they noticed him at all. Grison simply wandered into the
security area like he belonged. But before he reached the weapons
locker, he was jerked through an open doorway. Recognizing the
holding cell area, he tensed, preparing to fight.
    Ballantine spun him around. “There you
are, doctor. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you. Didn’t you get
my calls?”
    He shrugged, hiding the fact his heart
rate had gone light speed. “I was busy.”
    She shook her head. “You’re too late.
Rister’s escaped and he’s coming after you, said he’s going to make
you pay.” Her hand latched onto his arm and held fast. “You need to
get off the station immediately.”
    Grison’s eyebrows rose. He’d seen the
vids, hadn’t she heard the alarm? How foolish she must be. “But I
can’t get off the station. Nidi’s on lockdown. No ships going in or
out.”
    “ You can use the
transporter. Victim safety protocols allow for an emergency
beam-out.”
    “ And where would I
go?”
    “ Anywhere, doctor, that’s
far from Rister.”
    Ah, she wanted him to run. But to turn
tail and escape, just when he’d been prepared and even quite eager
to fight, seemed the wrong choice. Desire to kill Rister pounded in
his temples. “I simply cannot do that.”
    Ballantine guided him toward the
doorway, a pacifying smile gracing her lips. “I know a lot of
people are afraid of the transporter, but believe me, doctor, it’s
your only choice. I’ve already loaded your bio-scan into the array.
The machine will recognize your imprint and immediately load the
program. All you have to do is step into it, and you’ll be
transmitted to a safe place instantly.”
    He squared his shoulders. “I’m not in
danger here, Ballantine. I’m perfectly safe.” He watched her mouth
form a little “O.” Not wanting to listen to anymore of her
nattering, he released himself from her grip and passed through the
door. Outside, the hall had fallen silent.
    Not a soul lined the
corridor, the hustle and bustle of a few minutes before had ended
and given way to nothingness. Grison stood silently for a moment,
looking both ways almost convinced this was a hallucination. But
nobody came. Relieved, he crept toward the weapons locker, hand
outstretched. Upon opening, he discovered it too, was empty.
Snarling, he slammed the door shut. Metal on metal clanged, the
bang echoing through the hallway. He was surprised the little nurse
didn’t come running. When she didn’t he gathered his
thoughts. Plan, I need a new
plan.
    So far, all his efforts had garnered
him zero weapons. Plus, no personal ones were allowed on the
station. But what about the vessels docked at the loading bays?
Surely they carried arms. Liking this new idea, he started down the
hall.
    He