The Collector by David Luna Read Free Book Online

repaired arm badge. “You took an oath to uphold the mission of the Agency, now go fulfill it.” Mazer exits without need for further discussion.
    Neil remains in the shadows of the conference room staring at Jimmy’s projection until Slayter slaps him on the back with a grin.
    “Interrogation 101. Class in session.”
    ******
     
     

Don’t Walk Alone
    There was a girl walking alone at night when she was suddenly attacked and taken to a transfer tunnel. There she was sold to a corrupt guard who ultimately had her hauled off to the facility for processing in exchange for a bounty.
    They call these Bounty Hunter Collectors, and are completely unsanctioned. While the Agency has strict procedures, these individuals do not. Who wants to walk to the SectorLink as a group? Eeeeek!
    -Quado
     
     

6
    L oraine peeks out the front curtain just as Slayter and Neil pull up in their truck. She panics. Within moments, BANG BANG , Neil knocks on the door.
    “Lesson one,” Slayter instructs as he pushes Neil aside. He steps back and braces himself, about to thrust his foot forward and kick down the door when suddenly it whips open, revealing Loraine.
    “Yes?” she asks, out of breath yet trying to mask it.
    The Collectors storm in, the screen door still barely on its hinges. Neil searches beneath Ben’s cot. Ben looks worse than before, his stomach even more bloated.
    “What are you doing?” Loraine protests.
    Slayter rips through the cabinets beneath the water purifier and tosses jugs of urine aside. They spill over.
    “Stop it! What are you looking for?”
    “Just tell us where your son is,” Neil bargains.
    “Ben? Michael? Thomas? They’re all here,” she pleads.
    Wrong answer. Neil throws the cushions off the rotted sofa, then cuts back the lining to search inside its wooden base. This is clearly not the first time Neil or Slayter have conducted a thorough search for a Breacher, knowing all the hiding spots.
    In the back room, Slayter flips over a twin bed as Thomas and Michael, the other two of the triplets, cry. Neil scours through the dresser drawers, finding Jimmy’s black flag stuffed far in the back. He shows it to Slayter. “He’s been here.”
    Returning to the main room, Michael and Thomas huddle off to the side, devastated as Slayter violently grabs their mother. “Where is he?” he demands. Loraine flinches, her hands flailing for cover. “These flags aren’t magic. They don’t just reappear.”
    Just then, Neil spots a thick crack in the floorboards near the table running perpendicular to the planks. Loraine sees this.
    “Okay, I’ll tell you.” She waves to steal Neil’s attention. “You. Hey you. Come over here, I’ll tell you.”
    Neil ignores her, drawing closer to the floor anomaly, resembling a trap door. He squats down to pry it open when suddenly, WHACK , the wooden flap bursts upwards and knocks Neil back. Jimmy leaps from the hole and bolts for the door, but Neil gets a hand out and trips him up, then pounces on him.
    “Mom!” Jimmy shrieks.
    “No, not Jimmy. Take Ben instead,” Loraine begs. She reaches for sick Ben, but Slayter yanks her back.
    “He’s not worth anything,” Slayter growls. “Now who did this? Who brought him back?”
    Loraine breaks into tears watching Neil bind Jimmy’s hands, first her partner and now her son.
    “Who’s your contact in the Brigade?” Slayter shouts.
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    “Mom, tell them,” Jimmy insists.
    Slayter shoves her over the chair, then picks her back up. He’s violent as he manhandles her. “I’m not going to ask again.”
    Just then Jimmy blurts out, “The Collector! He brought me back.”
    Slayter looks to Neil. Neil shakes his head, taken aback. “I trained Wade better than that.”
    “It was late last night when he showed up with Jimmy,” Loraine confirms, bittersweet as she smiles at her son. “I thought my Jimmy was gone for good, but there he was. Your partner told me to hide