BZRK (BZRK 1)

“If we are to succeed, brother.”

Another long silence.

“Six targets,” Benjamin said with a deep sigh. When he sighed, it stretched the flesh between their heads, slightly distorting Charles’s mouth. “Four men, two women, all surrounded and watched. Each requires a fully resourced team, a main twitcher, a relief twitcher, housekeeping, security … a minimum of ten people per team. And each is a potential target; each presents the possibility of discovery.”

Charles sighed. “Bug Man. Kim. One-Up. Alfredo. Dietrich.” Pursed lips. “Burnofsky. Six at the top level.”

“Average age, what, seventeen, if you leave out Burnofsky?”

“Twitchers,” Charles said, and made a snorting sound. “Young and arrogant, intelligent, and unstable by definition.”

“Twenty-two more at the second level. Seventy-one at third level.”

“Risky and useless respectively, for this kind of work.”

They looked down, all three eyes now, at the cards.

Benjamin placed his finger on the one that read “Chancellor of Germany.” And pushed it to the side. “He’s likely to lose in the next election. A waste of resources.”

“Five, then,” Charles agreed. “U.S., China, Japan, India, and the U.K.”

“Five.”

“Not later, but now.”

“Now,” Benjamin agreed with finality.

Their dog, a beagle, came trotting across the polished wood floor and rubbed against Benjamin’s leg. Charles took a treat from a

jar on the desk and dropped it into the animal’s mouth.

“There you go, Maisie,” Charles cooed. “Good girl.”

“That dog of yours,” Benjamin muttered. “Why does she always rub against me?”

They went then to take their shower but were interrupted by news, brought to them by their body servant, Hardy, who was an old man with a wonderful ability to resist flinching when he looked at his two charges.

Hardy handed them a pad, open to a message. They read it as Hardy helped them out of their tailor-made clothing with the unusual zippers and openings.

“The trap,” Benjamin said.

“The Vincent flytrap,” Charles said, and that bon mot gave them both a hearty laugh.

(ARTIFACT)

To: Vincent

From: Lear

Proceed to equip Plath and Keats.

Note: The UN General Assembly attack must be stopped. No one’s life or sense of morality is more important than that goal.

Follow orders, Vincent. It will be your salvation.

(ARTIFACT)

To: C and B Armstrong