The Assasin's Tale

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-THE ASSASSIN’S TALEBy: Jeff Hendrickson Nim Nim Kintz did not like his new role as chief assassin for Atif Borse, and he could care less that it was Kamil Nefto, a Priest of the Tri-Union who had informed him of promotion. It wasn't the killing that bothered him; the Common Rules of Assassination were very precise and to the point. It was the cancellation of his last 50 years of life that really pissed him off. He’d saved everything he made and was counting on spending it all in the last 25. That was all just smoke now. The high profile didn’t thrill him too much either. A chief assassin had money and was required to spend it. Private coaches, genetic reinforcements and bio-electronic implants, ForgetMe-Not treatments, bodyguards; all were de rigueur, and all he could live without. And then there were the "Rules". The oaths you had to recite, the witnesses you had to inform and, just before you carried out your task, the prayer you had to say with the intended victim. There was never any fighting or pleading; the Rules clearly forbade that. He was in the last 50 years of his life agreement and he didn't have time for all this pageantry. He fully understood that in fulfilling his obligation he would achieve realization, and he didn't give a shit. All Nim wanted to do was live out his remaining 50 years and die peacefully in his sleep, the way any civilized man did. He did not believe in, or desire, the afterlife. Not even when he had an iron clad contract guaranteeing it, and not even if he could achieve it within the year. As he sat, fastened into his lounge, watching the effects of weightlessness on a few trinkets that managed to escape confinement as the ship hurtled in it's low orbit towards Santa Fe South, he thought back over the previous 6 days and the series of events that put him in this less than savory situation. Nim and Rayee Meet Kamil Nim and Rayee Bir, his assistant, had just finished eating at their favorite food pit. It was OK, as food pits went, for the food anyway. It was the side shows and the staff that kept them coming back to "The Drugged Cowboy". Nim particularly liked the magic show on Thursday nights, and the objects the performer swallowed. He liked women like that. It was an unusually chilly night, and a bit dimmer than normal. In the last few weeks there had been trouble with the filtration system in this sector which almost always meant that it would be darker and dingier, and of course the smell was to be expected, but that didn't explain why it was cold. Nim made a mental note to have Rayee check on it when they got to his coach. He hoped he wouldn't have to wear a mask. The damned things were a pain in the ass to him. If Rayee had had to wear one he wouldn't feel so silly. Huh. Androids. He shrugged at the thought and pulled his flak-jak in tight so the closures would take. Rayee broke their silence. "You seemed to really enjoy your meal Nim. I will never understand what humans see in all that liquid you consume. Of course, your bodies are mostly water, but..." "But," Nim cut him off, "when a guy gets a chance to drink 250 year old Dondaminian Scotch to finish off a meal, he doesn't say no Rayee."

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As they neared the coach, Rayee's sonar picked up someone moving towards them from just around the corner. One of his functions, as well as a primary responsibility, was reconnaissance. He had a special retrieval sonar which read all the info contained in a person's brainchip. He could then cross reference with The Clean Observer, the information megacomputer, to assess any personnel situation. With a few exceptions, everyone received the brainchip during the 4th year of their formal education. Every month thereafter, the info was updated to include such things as illness contracted offworld, jobs worked, credit established or revoked, jail terms served, pending lawsuits, implants received, genetic alterations, any type of skin work done, or special degrees earned. The person simply went to a Clean Observer Center, supplied the technician with their disky, and in 20 minutes all updates were complete. When Rayee read this person, he found one of those exceptions. "Somebody's coming Nim, and..." he started. "So, what time is it? People are still allowed out," he reminded the android. "Yeah, I know Nim, but this one is very strange. I can't get anything from The Clean Observer. I think it's human, or close to it, but there is absolutely no info listed. There are no weapons, that I can detect. About six five, 200 pounds. And it seems to be looking for you. That's all I can get. Oh, it’s a her. Her name is Kamil Nefto and she's a priest of the Tri-Union," he finished. No sooner had he said that, than there she was. She was one of the most visually stunning people Nim had ever seen. She was all of six five, had a bald, shiny waxed head, and the traditional accouterments of a priest; loose wool shawl over a skin tight alumi-poly body suit. He asked his aide quietly, "We know her, Rayee?" "I don't believe so, Nim," Rayee answered. Her long but feminine strides put her upon them instantly. "Good evening gentlemen. My name is Kamil Nefto," she said, extending her right hand out and up, palm facing Nim, fingers splayed in the formal greeting. "I am pleased to meet you Nim Kintz, and you as well Rayee Bir." They both touched their hands to hers, in turn, and bowed. "It doesn't surprise me that a priest of the Tri-Union of Zhehut knows who I am, but it does seem odd that you would have business with me. State your purpose," said Nim, trying to stay on his best behavior. "We have a mutual friend. Atif Borse, at G," she said, smiling easily. "Borse? He's no friend of mine, I just work for the guy. How do you know him, if you don't mind my asking? I don't want to seem like I'm doubting the word of a priest, but Atif Borse just doesn't go around sending people to me, influential or not," Nim asked, not without a hint of suspicion. "That's quite alright. I just left his office 15 minutes ago. He said I'd find you here." "I'd like to apologize for Nim, Priest Nefto," offered Rayee, shifting to android etiquette, "but he has a certain set of rules he goes by and sometimes forgets his manners when in the presence of one such as yourself. Please forgive us." "That's enough out of you Rayee. Why don't you go to the coach and wait, huh? See if you can get Borse on the vidline," he instructed, and dismissed his assistant. "O.K. Ms. Nefto, how can I help you?" "Oh, I don't need help. I'm here to help you." "You're here to help me?" Nim did find this puzzling and took a long, serious look at the priest. Nim wasn’t a small man, but even at 6’3” he still had to look up to her, which he found uncomfortable, so instead, just looked off into the night as they spoke. "Yes, that's right. In fact, I'm the only one that can help you. Your entire life has led you to this point, Nim," she began to assert her position, "and now I'm going to lead you to the next phase. In two weeks, we'll be meeting with Atif at his home in Santa Fe South. Until then, you and I and Rayee are going to get to know one another very well." She paused. "I haven't been to Australia in a long, long time. Why don't you two show me what Sydney has to offer?"

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Nim could only stare, dumbfounded. He'd been working for Atif Borse for 35 years now. Borse ran one of the largest and most powerful companies on Old Earth, which insiders called "G". The formal name of the company was The Ground Zero Multiplanet Business Partners Conglomeration, and it had a hand in such things as mining, bio-electronic engineering, colonization, communications, and populace control to name only a few. He was also one of the most vicious and disgusting men Nim had ever known or worked for. Nim took care of enforcing certain rules and regulations of the company, and Rayee was assigned to him as Info Specialist. He said over his shoulder to Rayee, "You got Borse yet?" Rayee stepped out of the coach, and over to where the two stood, "I got him Nim. I don't think he's too happy. You'd better come quickly." "I trust you have a very good explanation for this call, Nim," began his boss, Atif Borse in cold, tight words, "it's not often that I find you questioning my orders." "Atif, look, I'm not questioning you directly. Priests can find out a lot of things they’re not suppose to. But hey, if you sent her to me, that's fine. I got no problem," he answered, wiping a bead of sweat off his cheek, cursing his arrogant boss under his breath. "I'm so glad we understand one another." And he was gone. Nim climbed back out of the coach, thinking to himself. O.K. So Borse sends me a priest of Zhehut. What the hell am I suppose to do with her? Two weeks I'm stuck with her, and then we go to meet Borse in Santa Fe South. For what? Rayee can't find any info on her, so I can't even set my hand right. Will you look at her? She's the biggest damned fem I ever saw. OK Borse. You want to play some little game with a priest? Fine. I'll get you for this you bastard. I'll get you. They all slid into the coach as Nim began to fill in Rayee on the reason for Kamil Nefto's visit, which wasn't much at this point. He decided to get their bearings set for their next destination, and on the way he would question the priest further. "Rayee. Ms. Nefto wants us to show her the sights of Sydney. Got any ideas?" "Hold on," shot in the priest, " let's not be so formal here, huh? Call me Kamil. Rayee, I insist that you do also. Override your protocol 6CL-88S. New protocol 15INF-4. Reset now," she instructed. Rayee was silent for a moment. "Why thank you, Kamil. Where we go depends on you. Do you prefer food or vice?" "Vice Rayee. I ate with Atif before I came. Take me to Nim's favorite place," she said, smiling slyly over at him. "I don't think you really want to do that, Kamil. That's not a place for ladies. Let alone priests," Nim tried to explain. "Then that's exactly where I want to go. What's the place, Rayee?" "That would be Gipetto's. We go there 3 nights a week," the android replied. "Kamil, really I..." Nim began to protest. "Not another word from you. I've seen more things than you could possibly imagine. I've had to witness many bizarre rituals to complete my training and I assure you, what we see at Gipetto's will serve as an enjoyable release for me, and nothing more. You do want me to enjoy myself, don't you Nim?" she asked, pinning him. "By all means. Let's get out of here, Rayee," he said, and let it drop. He now knew a little bit more about his priest. Aside from the fact that all priests of Zhehut were female, they got around. Just what she was referring to when she said she'd witnessed rituals, he still wasn't sure, but if she had seen some of the ones he'd seen, then they were playing the same game, by the same rules. Rayee plugged himself into the coach controls by way of his fiber optic nerve extension, the end of which stuck through a special hole in his shirt just above his waist on his right side, and set the course for Gipetto's, which lie on the other side of town. As the coach began to rise to their assigned travel altitude of 650 feet, he called the club for reservations, as this was not one of

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their regular nights. He requested an inner circle room in the back gallery for the 2:00 AM show, and mentioned that they may need an extra bottle of booze, as they had a rather large guest attending tonight. He unplugged and focused his attention on the conversation in the back. "No, no, no Nim. You have to understand one thing. I am here to make this as painless for you as possible, but right now I can only tell you that you are ready for the next phase of your life agreement. It is much more involved and important than anything you've done to date. You must trust me implicitly, and unfailingly. Rayee will be reprogrammed in Santa Fe South to serve this purpose as well. That's all I can say for now. Relax, Nim. You'll be pleased. You've been chosen for a very special position. “Enough of this chatter. Rayee, when do we get to your club?" she asked, shifting her attention off Nim. "We're just reaching altitude now, Kamil. We will be there in 13 minutes. We have a room for the 2:00 show. Are you comfortable? I can program the coach to any specifications you require." "I'm fine Rayee. Thank you," Kamil answered, settling into the soft, compliant upholstery of Nim's plush, impressive coach. I'm just fine, she thought to herself, as the coach began accelerating towards their destination. At the Club "Come right on in little lady," said the doorman, smiling down on Kamil. "We've got just the thing for you. You alone tonight?" "Out of the way Kale," Nim growled to the brawny doorman as he caught up with Kamil at the front door. "She's with me." "Nim! How are you? I didn't see you back there. Welcome. Welcome." Kale was a very sarcastic bastard. He pulled Nim aside after Kamil went in. "Where'd you get this one, old man. She's gonna kill you. Or are you going to get Rayee to help?" "You're a real comedian Kale. Tell me, do you like waking up every morning?" Of course Nim couldn't make good on his threat personally, but the doorman knew that Nim Kintz had ways to take care of anything. And that included rhino skinned, smart-assed flunkies. It would take 6 men to bring down a guy like Kale, all 7'8" and 450 pounds of him. That would be 6 regular men, which Nim wouldn't bother with. He would get 3 men who had had the same rhinoceros skin graft work that Kale had; who toted laser canons under their coats and ate dogs for breakfast. Guys like this were quite literally, human tanks. When the government finished using them for their own little fun and games, they erased their brainchips and all cognizant memory and graciously provided monsters like these to private industry. Kale knew they could dismember him one piece at a time and mail each piece to a member of his family. Nim Kintz was a guy he would never push too far. "OK Nim, calm down. I was just joking," he half-heartedly apologized, and chuckled to himself as Nim and Rayee escorted their giantess in. They were greeted immediately by a host. "Good evening Mr. Kintz. So nice to see you again. We have your room ready, follow me please." "Thank you, Erdic. Who's on tonight?" asked Nim, leading Kamil and Rayee into the bowels of the cavernous club. "I think you'll enjoy the performance tonight. It's a new act we've just arranged. They come from Chin-da-Hepte in Andromeda, and they call themselves The Red Dwarves. Here's your room. Enjoy." And with that, he ushered them into a lushly appointed room with the wall opposite the door being all glass, from floor to ceiling, wall to wall. It was now dark. As Kamil surveyed the room, she found a panel on the wall next to the door with an array of controls. As she was about to ask about them, Rayee came over and began to work them. The lights dimmed to a soft shimmer, just enough for them to see. As he did that, she noticed the window begin to

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glow and lighten. A long, low sofa arose from a recess that opened in the floor, just in front of the window. She began to detect an aroma and realized that it was one used to heighten the senses, and to arouse. She tingled as she deeply breathed in the intoxicating scent, and Nim escorted her to the sofa. "The show is about to start Kamil. Would you like a drink?" asked Nim, directing her attention to the bar in the right rear corner. "Yes I would Nim. Can you make a Chronic Tonic?" "Rayee. A Chronic Tonic for Kamil please. I'll have the same," he told Rayee, somewhat nervously. He still didn't know just what to expect from this lady and was a bit apprehensive. She leaned into him and whispered into his ear, "This is so exotic, Nim. Does Rayee get into this as much as you?" Her hand was on his thigh and she squeezed lightly. Her inspiration did not go unnoticed, and he tried to answer her without stammering. "Rayee finds it interesting that humans need this kind of stimulus. Of course, none of this is surprising to him; he is part human even though certain centers have been suppressed. Oh look, they're starting," he said, distracting Kamil as a strange, sinuous music filled the air. On stage were four very odd looking creatures. The "red" part of their name obviously came from their skin color. Or was that fur? It was hard to tell at first as the lighting was dim, and smoky. Three of them were only about 4 feet tall and looked like humans. Very tiny humans. As the lighting came up a bit, it was apparent that they were covered with a very short, dull fur. Two of them were male and the other was no doubt female. She was very attractive and had on a kind of harness that wound it's way around her arms and legs, across her midsection just below her bare, fuzzy breasts, and seemed to finish in the back, where a hook attached her to a cord that hung from the ceiling. The fourth performer was, or looked like a 15 foot long python. It had a black leather hood over its head with a slit just big enough for its tongue to dart through. The female was raised off the floor by the rope and harness set-up and the snake-like creature was placed on a platform underneath her. She was then lowered to within about three feet of the reptile, and it was suddenly revealed that the animal had another head where its tail should have been. This one had the same leather hood, but was twice the size of the one at the other end. As the smaller head began to raise up towards the dangling fem, Nim remembered that a woman priest was next to him on the sofa, and he began to feel a bit embarrassed envisioning what was going to happen next on stage. But, he felt a hot breath at his neck, and a hand at his crotch. When the entire, naked mass of his large priest pressed him down into the sofa, he could only guess at what the Dwarves were up to. At that point though, the show seemed a bit irrelevant.

Kamil At the time Kamil Nefto, Distinguished Priest of the Tri-Union of Zhehut, contacted Nim Kintz, she was 670 years old. She would actually reveal very little about herself to Nim although Rayee, when he received his new programming, would know more about her than any human did. And that included Atif Borse. Atif was actually subservient to Kamil, a fact he, Atif, never knew. Although her bio-electronic components made up a large percentage of her body, Kamil was not an android for she still had the capacity of original thought. Her systems merely allowed her to perform her duties flawlessly. Her last assignment, she had imagined, would be as perfect as all that came before. But, the Tri-Union decided that now was the time to exercise it's sense of humor. She could picture the three-as-one planning her last gig. Kamil has a perfect record. She has served us well. Let's give her a nice easy one so she can coast into termination. Oh, I don't know, I rather thought we should play with her a bit now, it's the last chance we'll get. I suggest something to throw her off balance and really make her sweat. Let's pick a low tier commoner, a

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real nobody and assign him to a high level position, say, a governor. A governor? No, no. Let's make him an assassin. Nim’s Assignment Everything about Nim Kintz's life agreement had been preordained. And while that was not unusual, in his case it was extraordinary. He was not born on a high tier, and therefore was not suppose to have access to the best that life agreements had to offer. But The Clean Observer had chosen him, and now he had to exercise his rights and fulfill his assignments. The information that was encrypted to his brainchip was not of his knowledge. No one knew what the initial insertion was, except The Clean Observer. Kamil had been commissioned by The Clean Observer at that time to contact Nim when he had 50 years left on his agreement. She was to perform the ceremony inducting him into the Brotherhood of Assassins, and it was written that she would perform this in the company of Atif Borse and Rayee Bir. It was at the completion of the ceremony that one single piece of info would be revealed, and send Nim Kintz on his path to realization and then, to his afterlife. She informed him of his new assignment one week before their departure to Santa Fe South, so that he could prepare. "I've been chosen to be what?" Nim screamed in disbelief. "The Chief Assassin of Atif Borse? This is what you came to tell me? Because if it is, you can just turn around and leave and we'll pretend all of this never happened!" "Are you serious Nim? I'm shocked,” replied Kamil, faking emotion. “Do you know what people would do to get into your shoes right now? Forget that you can legally kill people, and that you can have Forget-Me-Not treatments and all the finest implants available. You get full realization and a guaranteed afterlife Nim! Outside of Chief Assassins, that kind of stuff is only available to 10 select people a year, and they have to pay dearly for it. Afterlife isn't even available to priests. This is my last year Nim and you are my final assignment. My agreement is up when I withdraw your assignment and The Clean Observer has refused to renew me another term. She insists that I step aside now and make way for others. You have one piece of info buried in your head that is the key to all this and no one knows what it is except The Clean Observer. She put it there when you received your brainchip and it will only come out at your initiation ceremony. There is nothing you can do, Nim. Accept your destiny. Rayee’s reprogramming will ensure that you carry out your instructions."

Rayee Rayee Bir was not a typical android, but Nim Kintz never knew that. Created on the silicon world of Mehefar 3, Rayee was a functioning model of the greatest intelligence. He knew many things about Nim that even Nim himself did not know. He even helped place Atif Borse into power after the Great Challenge destroyed all the so called "super powers" of that era. Now he was to be reprogrammed to ensure Nim's successful venture. The Tri-Union created Rayee for special purposes and put him in and out of service as circumstances required. Though his knowledge of the Tri-Union was limited, all the stores of knowledge contained in The Clean Observer were at his instant recall. He was in many ways, a mobile unit plus. The “plus” was advanced recon sonar, encrypted override audibles, NRF/Holocom, various recording functions, and a particularly nasty arsenal of weapons and other such gadgets. And now The Clean Observer had a special, insidious task for him. Rayee was going to see to it that Nim Kintz carry out his orders. His orders will be to assassinate Atif Borse. The Clean Observer

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The Clean Observer was like a part of, or a partner to, God. It shared this same relationship with Old Earth, just as God and Old Earth shared a relationship. This was the TriUnion of Zhehut . The only people who knew of this relationship were the priests, and they were bound by a code of silence, keeping this knowledge secret. Kamil Nefto, Distinguished Priest of the Tri-Union of Zhehut was the conduit; the power of this union in the flesh. Nim Gets Prepared Nim’s plans were quite different than Kamil's at this point and although his strategy wasn’t complete, only a few more things needed to be put in place, and all would go well. During those six days, he'd gone ahead and gotten some work done, to keep Kamil off his back. First he had the implants set in. Nim felt best starting there since implantation was no longer in the experimental stages and success rates for most devices was 100%. He got an audio receiver first and went for stereo since it was all paid for. By going for the stereo audcom he ensured that there would never be any distortion or disorientation. Single channel coms tended to disrupt hearing and balance for a couple of months after being set in place. Next was a Video Array Displaying Communicator with Neural Response Functioning. An NRF/VADCOM had amazing capabilities. Any visual info could be sent directly to him via satellite relay. An amber light in his upper right vision field glowed softly to alert him of new information. He could access it at anytime by thinking the command word, or phrase. He began to realize that all these new gadgets were going to make him less and less dependent on Rayee, which in some insidious way he liked. And it was at that moment, with that one single realization, that Nim Kintz went off on a tangent. He devised a plan that would allow him to get even with Kamil and Borse for stealing the last 50 years of his agreement. It didn’t matter to him that they were following the orders of someone, or something else. They were his tools for getting even. He would need to call in some favors and his first contact would be a dealer in black market com implants. Gar Pheke dealt with mercenaries, smugglers and pirates, speculators; anyone who used advantages to get what they wanted, no matter the cost to themselves or the unsuspecting souls caught on the short end. He was shopping for an override interpreter. This would allow him to read all of Rayee's encrypted codes and to sabotage his programming. He could then turn Rayee into a harmless bio-machine and send him off to get lost somewhere, like a little puppy dog. He would see to it that Rayee Bir was never found. Pity, he thought, Rayee was a good guy. That thought never entered his mind again. And with Kamil, all he had to do was mess up everything. He wondered how best to accomplish that, and it came to him. He would make it all look like Borse, that arrogant son of a bitch, was responsible. Screw with my last 50, I'll destroy your world. He figured it would take 3 more favors. The Tri-Union The Tri-Union was quite pleased with itself. This Nim Kintz is proving to be a very resourceful character. Yes, he is, isn't he? Too bad he's male. He'd make a good successor to Kamil. Oh well. There's nothing that says we can't change the rules. Why shouldn't a man be a priest? Men aren't cold enough. Or compassionate enough, or smart enough, or...we could go on and on, but we'll never know unless we try. Let's kick it around for awhile, that's an awfully large responsibility for a man. I wonder if we should allow him to deprogram Rayee? Oh, yes. Definitely. Santa Fe South

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The lights of Santa Fe South began to show on the horizon as the ship approached for a landing. Kamil and Rayee were up and about, busying themselves with last minute details before meeting with Atif Borse. Nim had used the 5 hour trip to finish and fine tune his plan of action. He had memorized Rayee's manual codes and would insert a fingerprint that would lead directly to Borse. The most powerful favor he called in was one for information, and he got much more than he was looking for. While trying to dig up some dirt on his slimy boss, he found out that Kamil was actually his boss’s superior. He also found out that Borse never knew that fact. Nim counted on it looking like he found out, and had sabotaged Rayee in order to weaken Kamil's position. As they touched down at the terminal gate, Nim asked Rayee to help him with something and insisted that Kamil go ahead to meet the coach that was waiting. "No, please Kamil, go ahead. I just need Rayee to redo one of my locks. Security check in Sydney screwed it up and if we don't reset it before I get off, I may never get my bag open again. We'll catch up in just a minute or two, you go on," he convinced her. When she was gone and they were alone, save one last attendant left shutting down, he recoded Rayee. "Rayee, cancel codes 14GTY through 64GTP now. Override protocols 1AB-6 and 0AB3 now. Release subsets 67, 68, and 71 now. State your name." "Rayee Bir." "State your designation." "Recon android. Major. Multi-system overlapping. Primary code F14-W9999." "Override primary code F14-W9999. New primary code, nil. Your name is Tomis De Jans, and my name is Atif Borse, security override code R40-2349786 Pluto. You have a flight leaving in 35 minutes, here is your itinerary. Study it and report to Gar Pheke upon your arrival. He will handle you from there. Is that understood?" "Quite clear. Thank you, Mr. Borse." And with that, Rayee Bir ceased to exist. The android picked up his bags, left the ship and was gone. Well, that was easy, thought Nim. And the timing is perfect. We won't be able to look for him if we're going to make it to Borse's. Now, to get Kamil in the coach and on the way. He hurried out and found Kamil waiting. "What do you mean, Rayee's gone? Where could he be, Nim?" asked the priest, her face a look of disbelief. "That's what I'd like to know. He took off right behind you. He didn't even fix my bag codes. When I came out of the ship, he was nowhere. I can’t believe this. We’re not going to have time to look for him now, though. We’ll notify Borse and security here what’s happened. With any luck, he’ll show up in time for the ceremony. I don’t know what the hell could have happened. Do you know of anybody who might not want this ceremony to happen?” “What? Oh, well, no. Why would anyone want it stopped? The only people who know about it are us. And Atif of course. Outside of that, no one else should know.” Kamil’s thoughts whirled. This is marvelous. Rayee has disappeared. The Clean Observer found this assignment important enough to have him reprogrammed, and now he’s gone. What could he have been needed for? And what is it that Nim is suppose to do that would require Rayee’s assistance to the extent that they would want to reprogram him? Nim cut off her train of thought. He tried to sound concerned and uninvolved. “Do you have any idea what Rayee was suppose to do in this, ah...” he searched for a word, “indoctrination?” “None,” Kamil answered flatly. She considered confiding her anxiousness to Nim, but held back, realizing that she, a Priest of the Tri-Union of Zhehut, was in charge and had better act like it. “Has Rayee ever done this before Nim?” “No. That’s why it’s so strange. He would never act impulsively, or independently. Someone had to have fooled with him. You knew how to reprogram his protocol.”

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“Don’t be absurd, Nim. Why would I want to sabotage the ceremony? This is my last assignment, and if I’m to be terminated with accolades, this thing has to work.” Kamil was just short of being furious. “How could you even imply that?” Nim rebounded quickly. Had he gone too far? “Sorry. Sorry. Calm down will you? That’s not what I meant. All I meant was if you know how to do it, then maybe someone else does too. See?” Whew. “Now, who are the candidates as you see it?” “I can’t think of any,” she answered, apologetically. “Well, how about Borse? Would he have any reasons?” Nim knew he was taking a chance with this, but, he had to try. She accepted it better than he thought. “Hmm. I don’t think so.” She paused as a thought struck her. “Wait. Why not Borse?” Then she realized she was about to reveal information that Nim wasn’t privy to. And she had no way of knowing that he already knew about Borse’s subservience to her. Not even Borse knew that. She wondered if it really even mattered at this point. This is my last gig and I’m gone. The way things are going, I’m not leaving with honors anyway. O.K. “What do you mean, Kamil?” “I think Borse may have found out something he wasn’t meant to know. You’re not privileged to this either but I’ve got nothing to lose by telling you now,” she said. As she began to continue, Nim cut her off. “Hold on Kamil, I’m receiving something. It may be Rayee. One second.” He accessed the message. “No, it’s from Borse. Wants to know where in hell we are, and if we plan on showing up. I’ll call him.” “Don’t say anything about Rayee,” Kamil demanded. “But Kamil, he’s not going to show up with us. Don’t you think Borse will notice? Even if he did do it, he’ll have to act innocent.” “I want to see his face when you tell him,” she said, almost purring. “And then what are you going to do?” he quizzed. “I’ll think of that then. As I started to tell you before, I control Borse through The Clean Observer and the Tri-Union. If he found that out, which I think he did, then he could be trying to foul up the ceremony to increase his leverage with the Tri-Union. Which is stupid because the Tri-Union would know he did it.” Just then, something dawned on her and her eyes glazed over. “Holy shit. They’re setting me up. The Tri-Union wants to see me fall.” Oh, if only she knew. Nim had to think quickly. How should he act now? How would a completely innocent man act in this situation? He almost felt sorry for her. Had the Tri-Union allowed him to send off Rayee? Was she right about them wanting to see her fail? “Whoa there. Why would they want to do that?” “A sick sense of humor. A final test. How do I know? They’ve thrown me curves before, I guess I should have expected this. Rayee was key to this somehow and his disappearance leaves a big hole. Forget it. Call Borse.” “Hey, that means I work for you, huh?” “Yes. Call Borse. Say nothing about Rayee.” The Ceremony They reached Borse’s compound in the mountains 10 minutes before the festivities were to begin. Borse acted like he could care less that Rayee was missing. He found this all terribly inconvenient and just wanted it all to finish. Kamil began the proceedings with two readings from scripture. Neither meant anything to Nim. They were pretty much just words to him. Then it was his turn. “Kneel before me Nim Kintz, chosen assassin for the service of Atif Borse and repeat these words.”

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Nim paid attention just enough to repeat the oath. He remembered promising to notify witnesses to be present and to killing swiftly with no remorse. Kamil then retrieved a small device from a nearby table. It had four wires with little clips on two of them and what looked like electrical connectors with rubber tips on the others. She put a clip on his right earlobe and then on hers. She put the connector in his left ear; the rubber made a tight fit. Once again she did the same with herself. She held the base unit in her hands, flipped a switch and Nim went blank. He remained kneeling but was mentally void. Kamil was now tapped into his brainchip and had to pass several secured banks to get to what she needed. When she passed through to the final data store, she revived Nim. They would both hear his orders while Kamil recited them. The central purpose of his entire life was about to be revealed. All that he had done in the past meant nothing at this point, in relation to his future, which was now an afterlife with full realization. He would be allowed to converse with the Tri-Union regularly and to live forever in the bliss and harmony of heaven. And still, he could care less. Kamil broke his remorseful trance. “And, it is hereby declared that Nim Kintz, chief assassin of Atif Borse will carry out the execution of...of,” Kamil’s eyes grew large in disbelief at the information she was receiving. She thought for a second that it must be a mistake, but realized it was not. The Tri-Union did not make mistakes. “Please do continue Kamil,” shot in Borse, loudly. She looked back at the man, a bewildered look of horror on her face. “It’s you. The person Nim is to kill is you, Atif Borse.” The Tri-Union chuckled as Nim got up to call a witness.

THE END

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