The Only Game in the Galaxy by Paul Collins Read Free Book Online

anyhow.
    Anneke woke to the sound of a door crashing in, followed by a clunking rattle as something landed on the floor. Then came a hissing sound and she whiffed a nerve agent.
    Oddly enough, it did not affect her. She supposed she’d been immunised against such things, or she was naturally resistant.
    Either way, she didn’t hang around long enough to find out. She sprang out of bed, naked, into the closet – not for clothes. She had inspected the safe house thoroughly before going to bed, checking out all the escape routes, weapons stashes and defensive capabilities.
    The closet door whipped shut behind her as she crashed into the back of it, flipping open a once-only door that, as its name suggested, could only be used once (till it was reprogrammed). On the other side of the door, she found herself in a narrow downward-sloping tunnel. Wall brackets held an array of weapons and anti-personnel devices. She snatched up a blaster and a portable field-generator harness, shrugging into it quickly and punching a red button set in the wall. This set in motion a series of defensive responses.
    Still naked, except for the harness and gun, she sprinted down the tunnel. Behind her, she heard a series of muffled explosions and several unhealthy screams. None of the protective systems were fatal, but some looked painful and at least one would cause an embarrassing rash for several days.
    As she ran, she wondered fleetingly who was trying to kill her. Judging by the current political situation, there were a number of contenders for removing a would-be RIM assassin.
    Hell, maybe Maximus had decided she was now a disposable asset.
    She ran along the tunnel until she reached a three-way, took the left fork and skidded to a halt several metres down. Above her, concealed in the darkness of the tunnel roof, was an aperture. She gathered herself and leapt straight up.
    She barely caught the ledge and swung herself up into a dusty cellar full of crates filled with wine. Pity. She could have used clothes instead. Fortunately, she wasn’t modest. She climbed the stairs, exited into a late-night bottle shop, startling customers, and made her way through to the back, finding a door that led into an alleyway.
    Anneke sniffed the air, and headed east, towards the river. She came to a main road in a disreputable part of town. Not many people were around, but there were far too many for a tall beautiful naked woman to be seen and not remarked upon. Then she saw something. Not ten metres away, dressed in an expensive leather trench coat, a pimp was manhandling a street girl. He slapped her hard. ‘Now get back out there, or I’ll cut you so bad they won’t hire you in a butcher’s shop!’
    Anneke waited until the girl hurried off then stepped out and whistled softly. The pimp looked around, his eyes wide. Then he smiled and sashayed over. Anneke slipped back into the shadows of the alleyway.
    ‘You ain’t one of my girls,’ said the pimp. ‘But you can join my crew any time you like.’
    Anneke smiled demurely. ‘Not sure I like the way you treat your employees.’
    The pimp snorted. ‘Now that’s none of your damn business, but why don’t I give you a spin and see how you do?’
    ‘I’ve got a better idea,’ said Anneke, and laid him out with three quick and highly painful jabs.
    Then she took his trench coat and slipped it on. ‘Thanks for the kit,’ she said.
    The man groaned, clutching his abdomen, his eyes rolling back in his head.
    Anneke hurried across the main street and entered a maze of alleyways. She reached the river a short time later and went into a thirty-storey building that abutted the water. She took a tube to the roof and made a mental map of her surroundings.
    Every instinct she had started pinging.
    RIM headquarters was opposite her on the other side of the river. To her right was the closest bridge, but as she looked she spotted half a dozen ‘obstacles’ – pedestrians who weren’t mere pedestrians. She