CHAPTER FOURTEEN: DELIBERATION

"So, this deal, right? Where are you actually getting the weapons from?" It was still a long walk to London—but that was no longer a problem for Arthur. There were decisions to make now, and discussions to be had.At his question, James simply smiled."Secrets of the trade, pal.""Be honest with me, is the stuff you're getting from one of my warehouses?" Arthur knew the answer to this, but clarification would be nice."Uhh... maybe... yeah." James flashed that tired old smile again, still shambling along at Arthur's side."Can't blame you, it's quality stuff, isn't it? Inbuilt stabilisers, reverse recoil, the lot. All because of me." That may have been the first time since his surgery that Arthur had allowed himself to bask in his ego's warm light. For a second, those pins and needles and nasty aches were gone."Yeah, some kind of tech whiz you gotta be to manufacture that stuff. Still don't get how some genius like you hasn't found somewhere comfy to hide away.""I have. It's smack bang in the middle of London, as you would put it.""So what the heck are you doing in Yorkshire?" James asked, just a touch blunter than normal."I had to flee London, didn't I? Everyone was convinced I had some kind of company vault instead of a little bunker.""Do you have a vault, though?""No... well, technically, we had a safe deposit box in a Swiss bank, but that doesn't count. But back to the deal. I have an idea." There was a triumphant quality to Arthur's voice now."I'm listening. Go on," James said."So, you said you wanted to cater to the winning side, right? Piers, Ping, and all their bandit operations.""Yeah, I did. And it's Xing. With an X, that sounds like a z, but is supposed to be pronounced like a J.""Same difference. But I'm thinking, what if we create a power vacuum and become that winning side?" Arthur asked; the subtext was clear."You've known about these guys for, like, two minutes, and you want them out of the picture? Okay, Jesus Christ—keep going. How will you kill the strongest, best-armed, best-guarded bandit army, Einstein?""If we know Piers or Bing—""Xing.""Ming," Arthur continued, rolling his eyes. "If we know they're going to use the weapons personally, we tamper with them. Make 'em backfire." There was an almost devilish glint in Arthur's eyes now, as he gestured wildly. "For example, if they want a sniper, we give them a sniper. .50 BMG, whatever the hell they want. They test fire it. The round comes out the wrong end of the gun and gets stuck in a dirty little marauder's throat. You with me here?" "I... I'm getting it. Sorta. What if they don't use it themselves?" James asked, his smile faltering just the smallest bit. After a few minutes' thought, this guy wanted Piers and Xing dead, it seemed, at the same time."Right. That's when we take matters into our own hands. You know Alco, right? The UK's most advanced weapons manufacturer. Did you know about its AI and automation department?""Okay, stop it right the hell there, bud. You want to raise a robot army to kill London's greatest bandit ring just 'cause?" The fear in James's voice was audible now. In New York and London, he had seen all kinds of freaks. But this was lunacy to him. Freaking lunacy, that's all it was."Why not? You gotta get to the winning aide somehow, don't you? You should know about doing what you can to get somewhere. I checked the terminal's inbox, right? The one you gave me. I found a cease and desist aimed at you, reselling company assets in New York. Bloody thief." Arthur paused for a second, nodding to himself. "But I don't care. The past's the past, bygones are bygones. I'm offering a chance, a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity. Be on the winning side instead of aimlessly pandering to them. What do you say?"Arthur put out his hand, without any hesitation, the other one in his pocket ready to pull out the Dart MK II on James.The blighter shook his hand cautiously, gently."Good man." He dropped the grip on his gun, his free hand going to rest on James's. "You aren't gonna regret this one at all, James. Not if you know what's good for you." Arthur smiled, his grip firm, too firm. The other man reciprocated it, just barely pulling away from the handshake.