Wraith spun his pistol around his finger, stepped closer, and then placed its barrel against Hector’s forehead. The timeslinger grunted and held his breath.
“Who’ll pay more for your ugly mug, huh?” asked Wraith. “I’d put my money on the XLS. Plus, they’re right outside. So how ‘bout we start there? Turn around!”
Wraith ground the gun into Hector’s back and forced him out into the bazaar. A semi-circle of XLS agents waiting outside took cover in the clutter of small shops and leveled automatic weapons at them. Wraith shouted, “It’s all right, boys! I got him! And, you can have him back. There is, however, a small finder’s fee.”
The XLS agents eased out of their hiding places and closed in on Wraith without lowering their weapons. Hector waited, watching the seven agents close in around them. If there were more XLS agents nearby, they were staying out of view. Hector took a deep breath and steadied himself.
“Name your price,” said Wraith, “or would you rather I–”
Hector grabbed Wraith’s gun, then ducked and twisted, sweeping Wraith’s back left leg out from under him. As Wraith lost his balance, Hector wrenched the pistol out of his hands and shoved him backward. The bald bounty hunter slammed into the floor. The XLS agents opened fire. Hector had seconds to react. Diving toward a storefront full of tapestries, he took careful aim at the grenades lodged into Wraith’s belt. It only took one bullet.
kkkkaaaaaaaabbbbBBBBBBGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
The explosion rocked the bazaar. Flames and debris scattered through the marketplace. Mayhem erupted. Shouts. Screams. Thousands of people stampeding for the exit.
Hector jumped to his feet and tried to use the hysteria to his advantage. Phoopft. Phoopft. Bullets punctured the tapestries all around him. Hidden XLS agents appeared everywhere. Hector returned fire and made for the parking garage while using the throng of people fleeing the warehouse as cover. He had to make it out before the police arrived and locked the warehouse down. His chances of returning to the Subdivision with Alexandra were shot. Only one option remained. If he wanted to be of any help to the Union, he had to get to the Exodus Project’s production facility.
