There was no response, his eyes quickly losing signs of life.

"How many more are there?" Jaxon asked. "Give me something useful, and I might let you live."

Again, no response. The killer took his last breath, his eyes settling into a sightless gaze.

"Dammit," Jaxon shouted. He holstered his MP-96 and raced toward his apartment. He was still several meters away when he heard the familiar clank and wine of the timeworn elevator come to a halt just to his right. Jaxon sprinted in between the garbage chute and a public recharge station and ducked out of sight.

The doors parted, but nobody got off the lift. Not at first. A cylindrical object flew out of the elevator door and landed near the middle of the courtyard. Moments later it began to spew a green-tinted fog.

Jaxon instantly recognized the smokescreen grenade and cursed beneath his breath. He was close, but wasn't going to get in without a fight. If he could just get inside his flat, he'd have everything he needed to hold off virtually any opposing force that came at him. He leaned out briefly to see his apartment door creak open. He realized at that moment that there would be no gaining access to the place he called home ever again.

He slinked back into his hiding space and quickly drummed up a new plan. The stairwell entrance was just a few meters to his left, and with the right distraction, he thought he could make it. Once inside, he'd expand on his plan of escape.

Without hesitation, Jaxon emptied all five grenades from the launcher at various positions throughout the habitation quad. The last shot he fired directly at the closing doors of the elevator, where the majority of the killers still stood. He could just make out the faint silhouettes through the fog. As each grenade began to detonate in rapid succession, Jaxon bolted from his hiding place and ran toward the park bench to reclaim his satchel. As he scooped it up from the ground, he saw three assailants lying awkwardly on the ground, decimated by the grenade blasts. There were two more fleeting through the fog, toward his apartment door.

Great, Jaxon thought. Out of sight-out of mind. They didn't even see him as he barreled into the exit stairwell.

Jaxon began taking the stairs two steps at a time as he reloaded his MP-96 and extra clip before slipping it back into his holster. As he ascended the stairwell, his mind replayed the events of his last few hours. He could not comprehend how he'd been able to live in secrecy for eight long years, then suddenly, have a whole team of assassins show up at his doorstep. They knew everything about him, where he worked-where he lived. Have I gotten sloppy? he wondered.

At level fifteen, Jaxon slowed his pace and inched up to the access door. Silently, he twisted the handle and pulled the door open an inch. Sector 15 was virtually identical to his own habitation level, and it was equally quiet. He re-latched the door and leaned into the center of the stairwell and listened intently. He tried to hear if there were any other footsteps on the stairway in either direction.

Silence.

He decided to go up two more levels, then he could reenter the streets of the station, and hopefully gain access to a lift that would take him to the promenade.

Nearing the limits of his exertion, Jaxon arrived at level thirteen, stepped out, and came face-to-face with one of the most beautiful women that he'd ever seen.

"Hi there, handsome. And you looking for a good time?" the voluptuous auburn-haired woman asked, wasting no time on pleasantries.

Realizing that he'd emerged in the entertainment district, which was known for its adulterous ways, he declined politely.

"Perhaps another time," he said, stepping around her, truly hating life right then.

"You don't know what you're missing," she hollered after him but refused to give up her position near the stairwell.

Jaxon slowly maneuvered through the crowd of scantily clad women and potential buyers until he caught sight of the elevator. He quickly changed direction and headed straight for it. As he did so, he inadvertently bumped into another prostitute.

"Pardon me," he said as he stepped around her and continued on his path.

"It's all right, I was only borrowing this particular spot until you came by," she said, sarcastically.

"Excuse me?" Jaxon asked, not sure he understood her.

"No, no. You appear to be in a hurry, and I don't want to take any more of your time, as it looks like you are in search of a friend," she said, again causing bewilderment to overcome Jaxon.

He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her fully. Jaxon wasn't ashamed to admit that he had frequented the entertainment district a number of times over the years, and each visit meant nothing to him except for the release. Human nature demanded it, and who was he to question that? But, through all those visits, he'd never encountered a creature such as this.

"Sorry, what did you say?" he asked.

"I said that you appeared to be looking for a friend and were in a rush. Are you so sure that your friend isn't right here in front of you?" she asked.

Jaxon contemplated her words. Her approach was definitely worthy of consideration, but his time was limited. Just as he was about to reject her, something flashed in his mind. Something about what she said. Was he looking for a friend?

"No? I guess I'm not the friend you're looking for," she said as she began to turn walk away.

Another great tactic on her part. Playing hard to get.

"As a matter of fact, I am looking for a friend," Jaxon said, realizing that she would be the perfect cover for him. The assassins were clearly looking for a single man and not a couple. He would just need her companionship until he got to the space dock.

She froze and turned her purposeful pouty face in his direction. "I don't know." She paused. "How do I know you're not just saying that to get me in the sack?"

"Well, that's a chance you're gonna have to take. I was thinking of taking a trip up to the promenade for an hour or so. Interested?" Jaxon asked.

A look of confusion crossed her face. "So, you really don't want to get me in the sack? You do know what this place is, right?"

"Oh, yes. I know. It's just that, first, I want to take in a little of the festivities, and I would like to have you as my friend and companion for the next hour. After that, I'm game for whatever you have to offer."

She moved intimately closer to Jaxon and slipped her arm through his. "It sounds like a wild time, sugar. But, as you know, I work by the hour and ..."

"Say no more," Jaxon said as he slipped out a few hundred credits from his pocket and held them in front of her. She greedily swiped them from his hand, depositing them into her cleavage.

"Okay. Let's go have that blast that you're so looking forward to," she said as she led him to the elevator.

6.

As they waited for the elevator, Jaxon hoped that there wouldn't be any uninvited guests waiting for them when the doors opened. Encountering more assassins just then would have really pissed him off.

Thankfully, when the buzzer sounded, and the doors parted, they were greeted with an empty elevator car. Jaxon led his companion in and pressed the button for the promenade level. The doors closed, and they were whisked up the dozen flights quickly.

"Tell me, sugar. Who do I have the pleasure of spending time with?" the hooker asked.

Jaxon didn't hesitate. "Name's Martin. But my friends call me Marty."

"It's a pleasure, Marty," she said as she slid her arms around his chest. "My name is Starr, just like in the sky. And you know what?"

"What's that, Starr?" Jaxon bit.

"You know what my friends call me? They call me Starr," she said, giggling at her attempt at juvenile humor.

Jaxon chuckled politely as the elevator slowed for their arrival. When they stepped out onto the promenade level, the Founders Day celebration was in full swing. The lights were dimmed, and various strings of colored festival lights were strung throughout the tall rotunda. Rhythmic music filled the air from the live band at center stage. The frivolity-laced dance floor circled the band and was filled with hundreds of station residents, who thrust and gyrated to the music.

At several points along the perimeter, makeshift refreshment bars were put up, ironically near the multiple security booths on the level.

Panic began to set in. Jaxon was fearful that the carnage that had followed him all over the station the last few hours would trigger the station's security officers to pounce on him at first sight.

Wanting to avoid the feared situation, Jaxon led Starr onto the packed dance floor, casually scanning the crowd for suspicious activities. His well-trained eye would certainly pick up on anything out of place. To his delight, he only found inebriated celebrations abounded.

As they neared the center of the dance floor, the rhythm quickly overtook Starr's inhibitions, and she began to dance. Jaxon contemplated dismissing himself from the dance floor due to his rightful possession of two left feet but thought better of it. Being in the middle of the festivities was a perfect cover. Besides, Starr appeared to be having such a good time. He did his best to match her eccentric moves, dismissing the fact that he looked extremely uncoordinated. The image of a dancing squid filled his mind.

Then, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. Odd behavior from several men clustered at the edge of the promenade. As he bobbed and weaved with the music, he coyly studied every detail of the group. At first glance, they appeared to be simply out of place civilians, dressed in khaki trousers and sport coats covering beige button up shirts. Not dressed in the expected black attire as he'd recently experienced. Then, one of them unmistakably touched the skin beneath their ear and appeared to speak to no one in particular.

Shit. They have hypo-comms.

He quickly changed position on the floor, steering Starr in various directions in the promenade, so he could get a better look at the perimeter. Just as he'd suspected, he found three other clusters of casually dressed men, evenly spaced around the rotunda.

Suddenly, Jaxon felt a firm grip on his shoulder, yanking him backward. Instinctively, Jaxon's hand slipped into his jacket and rested on the hilt of his gun. As the momentum pulled him around, he fully expected to come face-to-face with one of the killers, but instead, came eye-to-eye with a very flamboyant man. Jaxon could only stare with bewilderment.

"Hey, man," said the ostentatious fellow. "What are your intentions here with the lady?" He nodded his head in Starr's direction.

Jaxon quickly realized who the man was. Clearly, he was Starr's pimp. Jaxon smiled and slipped his hand into hers. "Hey, we're just here for a good time. Everything's cool."

"Not from where I stand, Bud. The way I see it is that you need to close the transaction, or I need to move the merchandise along, you dig?"

Already expecting the shakedown, Jaxon wanted no additional attention drawn to him, so he quickly peeled an additional 200 credits from his wad and handed them over to the pimp. "I think this should cover Starr for the rest of the night. I'm just here to have a good time, and this should take her off the list, wouldn't you agree?" Jaxon said.

The pimp took the credits and quickly stashed them in his pocket. "I don't know. I think it should be more like 300," he said, taking a step closer to Jaxon.

Jaxon quickly scanned the crowd to see if any unnecessary attention was being drawn, but there wasn't.

"Hey, you're the boss," Jaxon said as he slipped an additional hundred credit note into the pimp's hand.

"Right on, man. I knew you'd see things my way. You two have a good evening, and I hope you tip her well when your transaction is complete," the pimp said before disappearing into the crowd.

Just then, the music set changed from a reggae beat to a modern ballad, and the movement slowed considerably. Starr slipped her arms around Jaxon as they began to wobble from foot to foot in sync with the beat. Jaxon placed his hands on her demure waist and moved her about the floor.

While they danced, Jaxon continued to survey the crowd, looking for an opportunity to escape. To the left of their position, two guards stood on either side of the restricted lift that led to the space dock. As they continued to dance, Jaxon contemplated how he could possibly get around those guards and flee. Ironically, his pleas were answered as a fight broke out a half dozen meters to his right.

Despite the rift between a handful of drunk celebrators, the band played on as security swarmed upon the ruckus, leaving the elevator unattended.

"Hey, you want to get out of here?" Jaxon whispered into Starr's ear.

"You bet," Starr replied, clearly excited at the prospect.

Jaxon took Starr's hand and led her right up to the elevator doors. He quickly punched the call button then pulled Starr close and kissed her passionately. His thinking was that nobody would look twice at two amorous people in a passionate embrace.

As the seconds turned into minutes, Jaxon began to worry that the guards would return before the elevator arrived. Fortunately, his anguish was unfounded, as the doors parted a moment later. Jaxon backed into the elevator, maintaining his lip lock with Starr. As soon as the doors closed, Jaxon ended the kiss and quickly punched the call button for the space dock.

7.

"Wow, aren't you full of surprises?" Starr said.

The size of the elevator was twice that of the civilian elevators on the station, and it had walls and ceilings covered in polished aluminum. There were only three buttons on the panel: one labeled P for promenade, one labeled D for space dock, and one button that was ominously unlabeled and required an access key. Through all the years that Jaxon had been on the Taloo Station, he'd been to virtually every corner of its existence, including the space dock. He was surprised that he had not noticed the blank button before.

Jaxon's thoughts were interrupted when Starr pushed him back against the wall of the cab and kissed him firmly. Her hands began to caress his arms and shoulders, before working their way beneath his jacket. Jaxon grasped her hands, stopping her before she found the holstered pistol.

"Don't stop, baby," she pleaded. "I've never done it in an elevator before, especially one that is so off limits." She kissed him again and pulled her hands out of his grasp. She quickly dropped them to his waist and began unfastening his trousers.

"Starr, my dear. I think our time together is about to come to an end," Jaxon said, putting distance between him and the prostitute.

"But, honey, you paid for me for the entire night. I was gonna give you the best time ever," she whimpered.

"At some point in the next few hours, I'm sure I'll regret this, but I really have to go. You should return to the festival and enjoy your free evening. Consider that my treat to you for not having to work tonight."

As the momentum of the elevator slowed, Jaxon watched Starr's expression turn to sadness. He felt sorry for her. Leading such a lifestyle that she'd be disappointed for not being able to turn a trick was unsettling.

"If I go back down there, Robbie, my manager, will just put me back to work. He'll probably wonder what I did wrong to push you away so quickly."

"That's unfortunate. Can't you give him the slip?" Jaxon asked as the doors opened at the space dock. He stepped halfway across the threshold and paused, his body blocking the sensors to keep the doors open for a moment.

Starr's demeanor quickly transformed into fear. "What if I get back down there, and the guards've returned?" she asked, clearly more aware of the situation.

Jaxon contemplated that thought. If he took her with him, there'd be a good chance that she would be hurt or even killed without the proper training. He didn't need to be looking out for another person's life. As these thoughts passed through his mind, he caught a glimpse of movement in his peripheral vision. He squinted and saw two security guards standing still in the distance. Luckily, they hadn't seen him yet, and this new obstacle spurred him into action.

"Okay, new plan," Jaxon said, stepping back into the elevator. "I have two buddies down there that are stranded away from the festivities tonight. How about you go down and give them a good time? I'm positive they'll help you back down to the promenade level, er, after."

Starr's eyes perked up at the prospect. "Are they as handsome as you?" she asked.

"And more so," Jaxon said. He peeled off an additional 200 credits and tucked them into her cleavage, leaving his hand nestled in her warmth for several seconds. "That is for you. It's a little extra so you can give my buddies a night to remember. It's a surprise, so mum's the word on where you came from."

Starr adjusted her outfit and straightened her posture. "Sounds good, baby. Do you want me to give you a signal when the coast is clear?" she asked then winked.

Clever girl, Jaxon thought. Perhaps she'd do okay as a companion on the run. Before he could change his mind, though, she was out the door and walking down the platform.

Jaxon stepped out and stood behind a large support column at the edge of the bay. He leaned around and watched Starr seductively walk toward the guards. As she approached, she added a little bit more wiggle to her step and the guards did not seem to mind one bit. From his position, he couldn't hear their conversation, but their body language clearly indicated that they were pleased. After just a few moments of flirtatious banter, they all stepped into the security shack. As Starr followed them in, she threw Jaxon a thumbs-up then closed the door.

Jaxon gave Starr long enough to get things rolling before he headed out into the docking bay, which just so happened to be on the opposite side of the security shack. He was also concerned with the numerous surveillance cameras throughout the bay and hoped that Starr was good at her job. The guards' diverted attention would certainly be required.

After several minutes, Jaxon took in a deep breath and leaned against the side wall then strafed along the corridor until he was within a few meters of the security shack. He slowed his pace and noticed that on the adjacent wall to the door was a large window, giving a view of the entire docking bay.

"Shit," Jaxon murmured quietly. Yet another obstacle to overcome.