TKR AU

By TT Snim

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Prolog

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Sitting, back slumped and head lowered, Kyle Stewert fingered the rim of his unopened can of beer. He had been debating with him self weather or not to open it for a while now. When he had sat down on the gritty wood floor the sun had just been climbing over the skyscrapers out side his panoramic window. Now he was engulfed by the hot white rays.

He knew in the back of his mind his apartment manager was expecting him to pay the first months rent. The money was there, sitting in front of him on a cardboard box that had been turned over and used as a table. Other than that box there was nothing else in the dingy room that could could count as furniture. In fact there was little in the whole apartment to sugest any one was renting it.

His manager had repreimanded him the day before for leaving it go as thus for so long. he had insisted that Kyle get some furniture. Or at the very least a desent bed. A sleeping bag on a foam pad was bad for the back. Kyle had promised he would look for one after he payed the rent.

Just as he was about to make up his mind weather or not he would move, posibly to do his one chore for the day, there was a soft knock at the door. Instinctivly he pulled his 44 Magnum from his coat and aimed it at the door. The knob rattled and the latch clicked, causing the one bariar between Kyle and the out side world to be loosed. A man's face eased in between the thin door and it's frame.

“Kyle? It's me, Rick.” The man was in his later years. His hair was salt an peper gray and he had a pare of thick glasses on. “Can I come in?”

Kyle gleared for a moment before letting the gun down.

“Thanks. I heard you were back in the states.” He enterd and closed the door behind him. “We were all woried sick when we heard what had happened. When Cladius called telling me what went down...” The man hesitated when Kyle's grip on the gun tightened. “Sorry, touchy issue, I know. I wasn't thinking again. Heh, you know me, I'm not the thinker. Any way I spoke with your manager. Said you hadn't setteld in yet. Looks like he was right.” At this the man paused and looked around. He spotted the cardboard box and the money that was on top of it.

“I see you got the cash I sent you. Do you need more? It'll be a fiew weeks for the paper work to be filled out. But you know how that goes. It's easier to resurect a man from the grave than get the govenrnmet to pay him.” He chuckled for a moment before shaking his head. “You need to do some thing,Kyle. You can't just sit here for ever. You have to move on.”

Kyle snorted and fingered the rim of his unopened can.

“Look, I can tell your not in a good mood so I'll cut to the chase. Remember that oganization, FLAG?”

Kyle nodded slowly.

“They want you.” He pulled an envalope out of his pocket and held it up. “The want you soon.”

When Kyle made no move to reach out for the envalope Rick sighed and set it on the card board box. “Listen, If you don't take this then...”

“Then what?” Kyle sudenly snaped and gleared. “Every terorist and communist group on Earth knows my name. I'm a dangiorus man now. You shouldn't even be here.”

“Then I'll know you have given up.” The man said quietly.

Kyle hund his head again.

“One week from now I'll be out on dock 17. There will be a boat and a paycheck. All you have to do is show up with this paper work filled out.” He opend the door and stepped out. “One week, Kyle, dock 17.” The door swung shut.

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