Swedenborg 16

16       

There. There. There.

He fired again and again. The bodies piled up.

He ducked as if he was being shot at, fired … a knocking.

Muttering a curse, Art put the game on hold.

“Yes,” he snarled.

“It’s Stas,” a voice came. “Stas Dadlez.”

The name sounded familiar. Then Art smiled.

“Yes,” he said, “come in.”

He turned the computer console around.

Stas entered the room and nodded.

“I made the contact,” Stas began.

“And he seems open to meeting again?”

“Yeah, he seemed agreeable.”

Art snorted. “Mr. McMann always tries to be agreeable.”

“I’m going to suggest we get together outside class. Study together. Maybe meet some of his friends. I already met one.”

“Oh?”

“Some blonde teaching assistant. Kinda hot.”

Could it be? But of course, Frank was staying with that faggot Plantir.

 “Liza Lotechewski?”

“Yeah, that was it,” Stas smirked. “I’d like to get to know her better.”

“By all accounts, she likes male friends. Lots of them.”

Stas snorted.

“She is someone else we want watched, so go ahead,” Art said. “And Staples?”

“He didn’t say anything weird in class. No religious crap. He looks real sick.”

“Yes. I don’t think he will be with us long.”

Art fell silent, lost in thought. Stas waited expectantly.

Art looked at him and snapped, “All right, fine, Keep it up. Now you can go back to your internship.”

Stas left. Art nodded.

Things were going well. Just as he’d planned.

When Soehner had heard that Staples was coming, he told Art to keep tabs on him. Art had done some checking, and found Stas was enrolled in Staples’ class, and was looking for an internship. A meeting had been enough to convince him Stas was open to a bit of spying, for a slighting larger stipend.

That Frank was in Staples’ calls to was a bonus – and that through him Art could have contact with Plantir and now Liza was gravy.

It was going to be a good summer.

He pulled the game up.

A good time for some killing.

He fired. Another body.

I’m going to win this time.

Pax et bonum