Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #13 April 2015 | Page 55

“This document gives you more details about the man
we want you to find for us. He is living somewhere in
the asteroid belt, hiding out among the people that live
there eking out what they can away from what we call
civilised society.” Bennett paused. “No doubt it suits
him.”

Colfax grinned at the prim man opposite. “You seem
to have some idea of that, all I know is he’s there and
you want him. There isn’t a lot in there to colour in
between the lines.” Colfax tapped the cover of the file.
“You don’t even have a vidpic of him for me to go on,
only a mocker.”

“You don’t say in here why you want him.” Colfax
tapped the side of his bag.

“For one obvious reason Mr. Colfax. We don’t actually
know what he looks like. He changes his face a lot,
more than one plastic surgeon has our target to thank
for his new car.”

“That is something else you need not concern yourself
with Mr. Colfax. Suffice to say, he is a very dangerous
fugitive, and he will be hard to find.” Bennett sipped
his tea. “That is why we asked you for your services.”
“I suppose I should be honoured.”

“So this is?”

Bennett shrugged. “That is for you to decide after
doing the job, Mr. Colfax.”

Bennett pursed his lips. “A best guess based on his
bone structure. There isn’t much else to go on. We
do however have something that might help, a DNA
sample.”

“What else have you got?” Colfax finished his coffee
and made a face. “I’ve drunk mud that tastes better.”

Colfax shook his head. “If I have to scan everyone I
find that might be more trouble than it’s worth.”

“The target, as you no doubt have read, flies well below law enforcement radar screens. Every agency on
the planet knows he’s got all his fingers in every illegal pie you can conceive of: drugs, money laundering,
prostitution, slavery.” Bennett sat back, going quiet as
a family squabbled past. “He’s too clever to be directly involved of course, but he orders them, there is no
doubt of that.”

“We can help a little bit there.” Bennett opened his
case and pulled out a small device, no bigger than Colfax’s palm. “The latest in DNA detection. Turn it on
and it does all the work. As you know everyone spits
a little when they talk, this detects the residue and
instant DNA check. Amazing what you can do with
technology. You also have this,” he pulled out a small
earpiece. “It beeps when the DNA it detects matches
the target. Then you just need to find the source. Hopefully it will be of some assistance.”

“He has quite an organisation; you have to give him
that.” Colfax ordered another coffee against his better
judgement.
“Yes, he does Mr. Colfax, but out in the asteroid belt
it will be somewhat diminished. Enough, we think, for
you to find him.”
“Diminished, but not gone.” Colfax assessed the situation.
“That is true; he will have protection, but we believe
you will be more than capable of dealing with it. Your
skills are, shall we say, extensive.” Bennett sat back.
“More than a match for what you might encounter.”

“Still looks like a needle in a haystack job.” Colfax
finished his drink. “What if I fail?”
“You won’t, we have faith in you. And even if you did,
we will still pay you in full.” Bennett rose from his
seat. “We will be in touch when we have more information Mr. Colfax. Enjoy your flight.” He started to
walk away then stopped and half turned. “Good luck,
Mr. Colfax.”
On the shuttle, Colfax put away the file. The cabin
lights dimmed, and he felt the engines fire up to take
them out of orbit. The attendants came through the
cabin, checking seatbelts and the overhead storage

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