The Policeman (a short story) The Dead Planet Series

By Drew Avera

It is 2400 years in the future and Serus Blackwell is a policeman. His job, though, is not to uphold the law, but to kill political targets within the Syndicate, the centralized government on Mars.

Follow Serus in this short story that sparks the beginning of the end, for a future that is darker than you think.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Drew Avera
• Release date: Jul 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311239075

Drew Avera

I am an active duty navy veteran. I'm married with two kids and I live in Virginia. My first book, Dead Planet, was released in March 2013.

Book preview

The Policeman

(A short story)

the Dead Planet Series

By Drew Avera

Published by Drew Avera at Smashwords

Copyright 2014 Drew Avera

I could feel my communicator buzzing in my left breast pocket as I strolled through downtown Archea. My intent to ignore the call was secondary to my need to finish my assignment. To say that I didn't have time for this was putting it lightly. In the last year of working with the Agency I have put down at least twenty hits, most were a standard procedure of tracking and killing, but this one was different. My target was a woman who was a newer member of the Syndicate, at least for now. My brief had stated that she had been embezzling money through a series of contracts in order to build up her wealth. Apparently personal growth and success in the organization known as the Syndicate, a group of business class criminals was a no-no.

The hardest part of tracking this woman was that she bore a resemblance to my sister, Kara. I had seen a holographic display of Ms. Taggert and it had caused my blood to turn cold...briefly. My programming had kicked in and dulled the personal attachment that I was associating with my target which would allow me to focus on the task at hand, to kill her.

Downtown Archea was alight with activity. The solstice festival which was underway was a week-long celebration that had roots to our earthly beginnings. I'm not sure of the significance, but it gave most people an opportunity to lay back and consume copious amounts of alcohol and opiates. The party atmosphere was both distracting due to the sights, as well as making it hard to find Ms. Taggert, whom may or may not be dressed in festive costumes like most of the people in the square.

You see anything? my associate Thom asked as he appeared from behind the shadows of an overhang. He was fresh out of training and had been assigned to me as my protégé. Mentoring in the Agency was something liken to a big brother program for at risk youth. It was designed to serve a noble purpose, but most mentors misused their authority and destroyed the relationship between themselves and their fellow policemen. I felt a responsibility to do things differently, though. Perhaps it was part of my consciousness that was still intact from before the brain washing known as programming.

Nothing, You? I asked more as a way of reassuring the fact that he had done everything in his power to track our target. Sometimes a question that you fail to ask yourself can be the difference between turning over all of the stones, or just turning over the wrong ones.

No, sir, he said. "I even took the opportunity to survey Pontiff White's Palace to see if he had