Free WE HAVE CONTACT (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 12) by Michael Anderle

that she lost none of the conversation.

    “We are going in through the back,” Zedong spoke, his voice soft, to Ting, “I’m going to meet Si here. He is, or at least was, in charge of the intelligence group for this area.” She nodded her understanding as he opened the door, pushing it open enough that she could easily walk in behind him.

    The place was of medium size, and only partially busy. Ting noticed that there was one guy, rather large, sitting in a booth across from the bar. The wood floors were scarred by table and chairs over the many decades.  

    And stained by dropped booze and food.

    The lingering scent of cigarettes overlaid with the fresh was annoying to Ting. She hated these old bars that sold food, the stench was beyond annoying to her. Her Empress hadn’t provided her an option to push the General to select better locations, so she had left the places to his discretion.

    General Sun, Ting noticed, shook hands in a particular way with this contact as well. She stopped watching the two of them and glanced about the establishment, noting the twelve other men and two women in the place. Most were drinking, a few smoking.

    Ting listened to the two men as she watched everything else.

    “General, the news has a large price offered for your head. The Chairman is not pleased with your escape.”

    Zedong shrugged, “I was surprised at the intervention myself Si. However, the group which took over the plane is very powerful and are looking to form relationships with important people. People that will have good opportunities,” Zedong looked casually around the restaurant, “when upper management changes, Si.”

    Ting noted Si grab his little whiskey glass to lift it up in a toast as Zedong whispered her name, “Ting.” She turned to see them clink their glasses together.

    It was the click of a pistol being taken off of safety behind her that alerted her to the danger.

    Ting dropped in place, legs splitting as she laid her head down all the way, touching the floor. The first shot was fired over her head, the bullet embedding itself in the wood and clay wall, pieces blowing out, showering General Sun and his intelligence man. Ting’s eyes melted to yellow, her teeth changed.

    An ambush then? She might not know what to say in polite company, but Ting understood an ambush well enough. Her first responsibility would be to take the General with her. If that was not possible, then to make sure he couldn’t talk.

    Ting pushed off the floor with her arms, the claws on her hands already two inches long. She reached for the General’s neck as she looked to see where she could push off of the wall. The second shot hit the floor where she had been.

    Her right foot, nails grasping into the wood of the table, pushed off as Zedong started looking up, his hands covering his face as best as he could from the bullets flying, but all he could see was the two yellow eyes of death coming for him.

    Ting noticed he didn’t look afraid, more like a man who had previously accepted his fate.  

    That meant she had failed her Empress as well. She reached down and sliced through Zedong’s neck with her right hand. Her left foot, with claws, used Si’s face and skull as a platform to push against as she turned around.  

    She felt the burn of a bullet crease her leg.  

    That tore it ... Ting changed.

    Her growl escaped her lips, her fury in the pain of her wounds making the sound echo loudly in the confined space. Her senses expanded, increasing her sensitivity to the sounds of heartbeats, people shouting, moving objects, guns being pulled and cocked, as Ting pushed off of the wall, aiming towards the middle of the floor.  

    She bounded from the midst of the open space and jumped towards the bar where the barkeep was busy ducking as bullets started tracking her. Bottles exploded as she caught the edge of the counter top and started running down its length. A uniformed man came out from a side room, lifting