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Source: collected/036-the-summoner-s-rulebook-episode-1.mp3
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00:00:00.100 Speaker 1 [piano music]
00:00:31.040 Speaker 1 [thunder] The Summoner's Rulebook. One: Never break the bond.
00:00:36.960 Speaker 1 Written in the margins, "Can you hand off bonds to others? Hmm, needs
00:00:42.920 Speaker 1 investigation." [metal gate opening] Kelter pulled on the metal gate to hell.
00:00:48.740 Speaker 1 "This the place?" "Yeah." The kid's accent was a charming Southern
00:00:54.860 Speaker 1 drawl coated in ten years of grime. It was ragged and dirty.
00:01:00.720 Speaker 1 Everything about him was dirty. "Good, now get out of here." "Okay."
00:01:07.780 Speaker 1 The kid looked at his feet and shuffled around. Kelter growled and turned to look at
00:01:12.120 Speaker 1 him in the eye. He took a deep breath of smoggy night air. Might be his last for a
00:01:17.320 Speaker 1 while. A long while, if he wasn't careful. "And yet, your feet ain't moving."
00:01:24.200 Speaker 1 The kid's head snapped up and met his eyes. Hard eyes always looked wrong on a young
00:01:30.120 Speaker 1 face. Never made his job easier. "I can help you.
00:01:36.500 Speaker 1 I know these tunnels. It's my home." His accent was getting thicker as he
00:01:42.480 Speaker 1 sped up. Kelter pulled open the gate and looked down a vertical shaft. Warm,
00:01:48.180 Speaker 1 putrid air wafted upward like the belch of some concrete beast. He heard the
00:01:54.040 Speaker 1 kid shuffle in beside him. [sighs] When someone was trying damn hard to get
00:02:00.080 Speaker 1 into trouble, sometimes it was best just to let them do it under supervision.
00:02:04.400 Speaker 1 "What's your name? Where are you from?" "Sterling,
00:02:10.560 Speaker 1 and nowhere." "Then you should go back to nowhere, Sterling, because this isn't your
00:02:15.600 Speaker 1 home anymore. If you come down here, you're just another corpse for me to clean up."
00:02:21.540 Speaker 1 Sterling's eyes glinted. The narrow whites of his eyes set brightly against his dark
00:02:26.820 Speaker 1 face. "They were my friends. I can help you find
00:02:32.700 Speaker 1 it." "Fine."
00:02:36.820 Speaker 1 Then he swung down onto the ladder and descended into darkness. What was another
00:02:42.480 Speaker 1 stain on his soul, anyway?
00:02:44.420 Speaker 1 [footsteps] The tunnels beneath New Terrace were
00:02:50.280 Speaker 1 surprisingly spacious. That was because New Terrace had been built directly on top
00:02:55.260 Speaker 1 of Old Terrace. Most cities had an undercity of some kind, but in New Terrace, it
00:03:00.480 Speaker 1 was a very literal undercity. Kelter had never been to this part before, near the
00:03:05.020 Speaker 1 industrial plants. They dumped a lot of caustic waste down here. Not even criminals
00:03:10.140 Speaker 1 would live here. "Nice place, Sterling." Kelter ran his hands along the
00:03:15.940 Speaker 1 walls, feeling for something unusual. It was a long shot, but most times you
00:03:21.900 Speaker 1 found your quarry by connecting a thousand tiny clues instead of finding one big
00:03:26.900 Speaker 1 one, and it was always quarry and never prey. Nothing he hunted down could
00:03:32.620 Speaker 1 rightly be called prey. "Say that again and I'll hit you."
00:03:38.500 Speaker 1 There was no malice in Sterling's words. Kelter had offered an insult, and the man
00:03:42.940 Speaker 1 had responded with consequences. It didn't matter that Kelter could decimate him. It
00:03:48.060 Speaker 1 didn't matter that he was defending a pigsty. He had to say it. The way Sterling
00:03:53.460 Speaker 1 lived, if someone thought you were weak, you were weak, and if you were weak,
00:03:59.000 Speaker 1 well... "Sorry." Nothing else needed to be said. Kelter
00:04:04.760 Speaker 1 finished his inspection. There was nothing on the walls. Kelter turned around and
00:04:08.960 Speaker 1 raised his lantern so he could see the other man's face. The orange light played off
00:04:13.300 Speaker 1 the dark stone in ways that cast odd shadows everywhere.
00:04:18.220 Speaker 1 You would think this many years in the business would give him nerves of steel, but
00:04:22.580 Speaker 1 in fact, it was the opposite. Experience had taught him there was everything to fear
00:04:27.900 Speaker 1 in the darkness. He stilled his heart with effort. "Take me to where the monster
00:04:33.280 Speaker 1 killed your friends."
00:04:35.940 Speaker 1 Kelter knew they were in the right place even before Sterling spoke. The tang of
00:04:40.760 Speaker 1 iron and the smell of feces hit his nose. "It was here. Crazy thing came right out
00:04:46.700 Speaker 1 of the darkness over there." Sterling pointed a shaky arm at the other end of the
00:04:51.520 Speaker 1 room. "Started pulling us through the door, one by one. Freakiest thing I'd
00:04:57.420 Speaker 1 ever seen." Kelter listened to his story, mentally taking notes of every detail. He
00:05:03.460 Speaker 1 tried to imagine the creature, tried to understand what it wanted. In this case, it
00:05:08.880 Speaker 1 was pretty simple. It wanted to kill. Most of them did. Still, he took it all in.
00:05:14.840 Speaker 1 What the creature wanted was always a reflection of what the person who brought it
00:05:18.520 Speaker 1 here wanted. The room was covered in blood and little pieces of people. Their
00:05:24.580 Speaker 1 meager belongings had been scattered everywhere in the attack. Nothing larger than
00:05:29.240 Speaker 1 stew meat was left. "I hid under that box there." He pointed at a cardboard box
00:05:35.300 Speaker 1 in the corner. "I listened to it chewing on my friends."
00:05:41.680 Speaker 1 Kelter just nodded. Now that the kid's story was over, he let the silence stretch.
00:05:47.900 Speaker 1 You'd be surprised what extra details people offered up just to fill that silence.
00:05:52.300 Speaker 1 "So... you really wanna find that thing?
00:05:58.240 Speaker 1 Why?" "Part of the job. I hunt monsters." You gonna kill it?
00:06:04.792 Speaker 1 Maybe. I'll banish it if I can. I'll kill it if I can't. Of course, there
00:06:10.732 Speaker 1 was a third option, too. It could just kill him. He was flesh and blood like anyone
00:06:15.752 Speaker 1 else. Kelter leaned against the blood-smeared wall behind him and set his lantern
00:06:20.612 Speaker 1 down. He lit a cigarette. I figure a little piece of trash summoner brought a couple
00:06:25.312 Speaker 1 bums down here. Wanted to test out his control on some real people. People no one
00:06:30.412 Speaker 1 would miss. Probably before trying something bigger.
00:06:35.292 Speaker 1 He kicked a chunk of human across the room with his boot. The victims were almost
00:06:40.172 Speaker 1 always people no one cared about. Almost no one, anyway. It was the people way down
00:06:45.492 Speaker 1 on their luck that always got hurt the most. He took a long, slow draw of his
00:06:51.072 Speaker 1 cigarette.
00:06:53.152 Speaker 1 Sterling started shuffling around uncomfortably. Understandable. He was standing on
00:06:58.292 Speaker 1 the remains of his friends. From the sound of it, he should have been among them.
00:07:04.472 Speaker 1 Kelter watched him carefully. You just gonna stand there?
00:07:10.392 Speaker 1 Yeah. Then he put his free hand behind his back as casually as he
00:07:16.192 Speaker 1 could. Sterling seemed to be unwilling to move closer. You said
00:07:22.512 Speaker 1 banish. What's banish? Kelter blew some smoke and
00:07:28.432 Speaker 1 waved it away with his cigarette hand. Disappear. How you do that?
00:07:34.492 Speaker 1 Well, the thing that killed your friends will disappear when I kill the person who
00:07:38.332 Speaker 1 brought it here. Another silence fell between them. You said you
00:07:44.192 Speaker 1 hunted monsters. An accusation. Kelter closed his
00:07:49.912 Speaker 1 eyes. This was always the hardest part. Best just to get it done.
00:07:56.672 Speaker 1 I did say that. He took another long drag of his cigarette, but
00:08:02.352 Speaker 1 didn't blow it out. The tension was a dry tree branch, bending,
00:08:08.972 Speaker 1 bending. Sterling stepped backwards out of the lantern light. Kelter saw
00:08:14.852 Speaker 1 hard eyes on a young face, slipping into the darkness. I thought you were trying
00:08:20.832 Speaker 1 to help me. Kelter blew out the smoke and took a wide step to the left.
00:08:27.032 Speaker 1 Sorry, kid.
00:08:29.812 Speaker 1 A low, agonized groan shook the wall behind him. Iger was a fast summon. The mortar
00:08:35.712 Speaker 1 in the wall was a good conduit. The mud behind the wall, even better. The wall
00:08:40.952 Speaker 1 cracked and split open. A river of warm, dark red blood spilled from the crack.
00:08:48.072 Speaker 1 Kelter heard Sterling running out of the room as the first bloody appendage broke
00:08:52.992 Speaker 1 through the stone womb behind him.
00:08:57.212 Speaker 1 Find him. Kill him. Kill yourself after.
00:09:03.832 Speaker 1 The words weren't necessary, but he always found it easier to command out loud. He
00:09:08.192 Speaker 1 snatched up a lantern and took off after Sterling.
00:09:15.092 Speaker 1 Yeah? Screw you, too. Something the size of a car pounded out of the room and leapt
00:09:20.432 Speaker 1 over him into the darkness, barely clearing his head. A rain of warm blood from the
00:09:24.972 Speaker 1 summoning splattered his back. It landed, kicking little bits of shrapnel into the
00:09:29.392 Speaker 1 air. He saw the Iger twitch once and lunge in his direction. Plucky one. He narrowed
00:09:34.672 Speaker 1 his eyes and jabbed it with his will. The beast shivered, tried to speak again, but
00:09:39.592 Speaker 1 Kelter felt the bond fall completely into place. I won't tell you again.
00:09:45.912 Speaker 1 The Iger leapt out of his lantern light and in the direction Sterling had run,
00:09:49.992 Speaker 1 sending little tremors through the stones each time it landed. Kelter didn't bother
00:09:54.072 Speaker 1 tracking the man. Instead, he followed the summon. Igers worked well in darkness.
00:09:59.272 Speaker 1 They were easy to bully, too. No time for a contest down here. Kelter ran at full
00:10:04.832 Speaker 1 speed down the dark tunnel. Putrid water rushed in a river between the two walkways
00:10:09.212 Speaker 1 on either side. Each breath of air was heavy, dank. A man screamed
00:10:15.152 Speaker 1 ahead. A series of long, horrible sounds rising in pitch each time.
00:10:21.952 Speaker 1 A tremor shook the walls.
00:10:25.412 Speaker 1 A wet, meaty sound as a person was reduced to a stain on the wall. Kelter
00:10:30.632 Speaker 1 slowed and bowed his head. It was over. Then he
00:10:36.632 Speaker 1 felt the bond break. What the? Electric blue light filled
00:10:42.672 Speaker 1 the tunnel. Heavy footsteps approaching. Kelter felt again for the bond to his Iger.
00:10:47.892 Speaker 1 It was gone. In his experience, if the summon died, the summoner quickly followed.
00:10:54.572 Speaker 1 He was a master summoner. But he wasn't just a master summoner. He was a closer.
00:11:00.752 Speaker 1 A good one, too. There were no special rules for summoners except one. In the eyes
00:11:06.512 Speaker 1 of the law, and more importantly, in the eyes of the family, whatever your summon
00:11:11.332 Speaker 1 did, you did. Whatever it did. That was the deal.
00:11:17.512 Speaker 1 If you brought a monster into this world, you were responsible for what it did. And
00:11:21.912 Speaker 1 most importantly, you were responsible for sending it back. And if you didn't, or
00:11:27.352 Speaker 1 couldn't, because you brought in something bigger and badder than you could control,
00:11:31.752 Speaker 1 well, that's when they would call someone like Kelter. If you couldn't close the
00:11:36.552 Speaker 1 circle, the family would. For twenty-one years, he'd kept his kind in check.
00:11:42.372 Speaker 1 Amateurs like Sterling, mostly. People with a little talent, but not enough sense.
00:11:47.872 Speaker 1 Just people who got in over their heads. Either way, the circle always closed. It
00:11:53.592 Speaker 1 was a hard truth, but a necessary one. Right now, all twenty-one years of experience
00:11:59.532 Speaker 1 were screaming at him to do one thing. Run. His feet hit the
00:12:05.324 Speaker 1 cobblestones without another moment's hesitation. He ran fast, but not so fast that
00:12:09.924 Speaker 1 he fell. He'd caught his own fair share of runners after a fall. The lantern swung
00:12:15.104 Speaker 1 around wildly. A warbling scream shook the passage behind him. Electric blue light
00:12:21.104 Speaker 1 lit the passage. His heart hammered, but he didn't dare to look back. There, up
00:12:26.264 Speaker 1 ahead, was a narrow tunnel. He flung his lantern against the far wall on the other
00:12:30.304 Speaker 1 side of the Piss River and slipped quietly into the tunnel. He had to turn sideways
00:12:34.924 Speaker 1 just to fit. Kelter closed his eyes and shuffled quickly but quietly through the
00:12:40.604 Speaker 1 tightening space. It wasn't very deep, but it wasn't like he had a lot of options.
00:12:47.584 Speaker 1 Electric blue light lit up the sewer beyond his hiding spot. Kelter pushed himself
00:12:52.044 Speaker 1 deeper into the crack. He felt his chest unable to expand. His shallow breathing
00:12:56.544 Speaker 1 quickened, straining for air. Still, he pushed himself deeper into the darkness.
00:13:01.464 Speaker 1 Then he held his breath and went still, ignoring the animal part of his brain still
00:13:06.804 Speaker 1 screaming for air. Long tendrils slipped into his view. Each tendril was as
00:13:12.824 Speaker 1 thick as his leg and covered in layered chitin, like the body of a millipede. Bright
00:13:17.624 Speaker 1 blue lights pulsed at their tips. The lights flared, and then the tendrils darted
00:13:22.184 Speaker 1 into another direction to flare the lights again. More tendrils slipped into view.
00:13:27.464 Speaker 1 They licked at the air with their lights, slid along the ground. Some even dipped
00:13:31.804 Speaker 1 briefly into the sewer sludge, searching. Kelter closed his eyes. It was only
00:13:37.844 Speaker 1 a matter of time until they wormed their way into his little hiding place. Then he
00:13:42.944 Speaker 1 would be plucked out and turned into stew meat, just like Sterling's friends had
00:13:47.764 Speaker 1 been. That lying sack of... He could try to summon something bigger.
00:13:54.164 Speaker 1 That would take time, though, and it wouldn't be quiet. He could try to control this
00:13:58.264 Speaker 1 thing with his own will, but that was even worse. Will-breaking a summon was an
00:14:02.904 Speaker 1 academic exercise only. Anyone who thought otherwise had never tried it while
00:14:08.084 Speaker 1 staring down a monster's throat through its open mouth. So sure, if whatever horror
00:14:14.164 Speaker 1 Sterling had called up would just sit pretty for 30 minutes while he mentally
00:14:17.784 Speaker 1 wrestled it, he might be able to will-break it. After that, he could make it dance
00:14:22.124 Speaker 1 and cook him breakfast. But it didn't matter because it wasn't going to happen.
00:14:27.004 Speaker 1 Kelter felt a little tickle in his chest. His body was betraying him. Any
00:14:32.844 Speaker 1 second now, he'd cough. Well, he figured he may as well go out with a bang
00:14:38.624 Speaker 1 then. He made connection with the mortar and the mud behind the walls and started
00:14:43.464 Speaker 1 forcing his will into the material. A curious tendril found the other end of his
00:14:48.044 Speaker 1 hiding spot and started sneaking inside. Ah, blood and guts. Here we
00:14:53.724 Speaker 1 go. A blinding blue light pulsed a foot from his face. He screamed.
00:14:59.724 Speaker 1 It wasn't bad. A warrior's scream. Maybe. He'd heard far worse as he watched people
00:15:05.244 Speaker 1 die. Maybe he would still hear worse. Fortunately, it wouldn't last long.
00:15:10.244 Speaker 1 "Stop. Sterling, just call it off. I'll make it
00:15:16.004 Speaker 1 disappear. Please." [crying] Kelter tried to
00:15:21.924 Speaker 1 yell, but he wasn't capable of yelling anymore. Instead, it came out as a desperate,
00:15:26.504 Speaker 1 wheezing plea. It sounded much more like the dying words he was used to hearing.
00:15:32.084 Speaker 1 Something grabbed his leg and pulled. He felt something crack in his ankle under the
00:15:35.964 Speaker 1 tremendous pressure. More tendrils reached into the crack, pulling him free in
00:15:40.484 Speaker 1 violent tugs. He let his grip on the stones slip, knowing his fingernails would come
00:15:45.624 Speaker 1 off if he didn't. As soon as he lost contact with the wall and the summoning inside
00:15:50.844 Speaker 1 it, all hell broke loose. When you stopped a summoning, it wasn't like what happened
00:15:56.844 Speaker 1 in the stories. A little puff of purple smoke, some sparkles maybe. An
00:16:02.524 Speaker 1 explosion of gore detonated through the wall. [explosion] A
00:16:08.484 Speaker 1 wave of stone and flesh and blood pressed him to the ground, and Sterling and his
00:16:13.664 Speaker 1 monster were swept into the nearby sewer river. It was an old trick, something
00:16:19.184 Speaker 1 learned from an old friend, someone far, far better than him. Deafened by the
00:16:25.123 Speaker 1 partial summoning but prepared for it, he acted on instinct. Kelter ignored the
00:16:29.544 Speaker 1 scrambling mass of limbs and tentacles and grabbed the floundering man instead. He
00:16:34.104 Speaker 1 lifted Sterling's shoulders just far enough out of the stinking river to put a knife
00:16:38.344 Speaker 1 to his throat. A small knife, but large enough. "Tell it that if you die, it
00:16:44.044 Speaker 1 dies too." "I- I know. Do it."
00:16:49.984 Speaker 1 The creature finally pulled itself out of the current. For the first time, Kelter
00:16:54.304 Speaker 1 got a good look at it. It was big. A long, slender body with a mane of
00:16:59.904 Speaker 1 glowing tendrils. Its head had no discernible eyes, just a triangular snout that
00:17:04.944 Speaker 1 opened to reveal countless jagged teeth. A mouth, then. Whatever it was, it was a
00:17:10.584 Speaker 1 killing tool, plain and simple. It wasn't advancing, though, and that was something.
00:17:16.244 Speaker 1 "It doesn't believe you." Good. If he could understand at all, then the bond
00:17:22.204 Speaker 1 wasn't totally broken. "Yeah? Let's find out." He pressed the knife harder
00:17:28.104 Speaker 1 against Sterling's neck until a thin line of red ran down. The creature stepped
00:17:33.284 Speaker 1 backward with eerie grace. Kelter cursed inwardly. It was smart. Never a good
00:17:39.084 Speaker 1 thing. "Now we talk. How did you summon it?" "I don't know."
00:17:44.704 Speaker 1 "Try again." "It, it came to me in a dream and told me. I don't
00:17:50.544 Speaker 1 know. Don't kill me, man. I didn't mean to. I don't know. I swear I don't know. They
00:17:56.344 Speaker 1 were my friends." Of all the things he'd heard a dying summoner say,
00:18:02.244 Speaker 1 this had to be the most bizarre. It came to him in a dream? That
00:18:08.268 Speaker 1 was like claiming you'd received the complete blueprints for a flying car in your
00:18:12.388 Speaker 1 dreams and then had gone on to construct it. And yet, here was his flying
00:18:18.448 Speaker 1 car. Kelter tightened his grip on the knife. However fantastic the story,
00:18:24.908 Speaker 1 it still only ended one way. The circle always closed.
00:18:31.208 Speaker 1 Sorry, kid. Kelter lifted the hood of his trench coat and pulled on the car door
00:18:36.408 Speaker 1 handle. He winced as he put weight on the ankle. The door handle popped off with a
00:18:41.068 Speaker 1 crack, and the car door slowly opened on its own. Piece of junk.
00:18:47.268 Speaker 1 He could get it fixed now, though. Hell, he could replace the whole car now. He got
00:18:52.608 Speaker 1 out of his car and walked across the rain-swept streets. It was still early morning,
00:18:57.728 Speaker 1 but the bounty station was lit up like a diner. Some business never stopped. A grim
00:19:03.788 Speaker 1 reminder that his enemies, his real enemies, never stopped working. It didn't matter
00:19:08.808 Speaker 1 how good you got. It didn't matter how determined you were. You couldn't outwork the
00:19:13.668 Speaker 1 family. Kelter pulled open the front door and briefly considered letting his coat
00:19:18.248 Speaker 1 drip all over the floor. It was petty defiance and misdirected. These people did the
00:19:24.308 Speaker 1 family's work, but blood and guts, so did he. Everyone did. He hung the coat
00:19:30.228 Speaker 1 instead and approached the plate glass. The cast around his foot clicked on the tile
00:19:34.668 Speaker 1 floor. A familiar face lit up on the other side. Hey, Kelter. Didn't think we'd see
00:19:40.528 Speaker 1 you again. Slide your papers through. Jenny opened the little metal door in the
00:19:45.268 Speaker 1 plate glass, and he slid his report through. Honestly, I didn't think I'd be back
00:19:49.908 Speaker 1 after that one. Well, we're glad to see you.
00:19:57.768 Speaker 1 Okay, looks good. Say the oaths, and I'll get you on your way.
00:20:03.428 Speaker 1 Kelter hesitated, and Jenny looked up. Not a good time to hesitate.
00:20:10.948 Speaker 1 I swear the circle has been closed. She raised an eyebrow but didn't comment,
00:20:16.568 Speaker 1 thankfully. His reputation was worth something at this station, which is exactly why
00:20:21.308 Speaker 1 he came here. Sorry about your ankle. It happens. Cast comes off in two
00:20:27.188 Speaker 1 months. Any casualties? All in the report, but nothing I
00:20:33.008 Speaker 1 caused, except, you know. Jenny nodded once, then counted out a stack of
00:20:38.788 Speaker 1 bills on the other side of the glass, slid them into a manila envelope, and opened
00:20:42.948 Speaker 1 the door to slide the payment through. On behalf of the family, thank you for your
00:20:47.668 Speaker 1 service. He hated that line. He'd always hated it, even before he hated
00:20:53.408 Speaker 1 them. Kelter didn't kill for them. He never had.
00:20:58.808 Speaker 1 Kelter? Kelter, is something wrong? No, nothing's wrong.
00:21:05.348 Speaker 1 And yet he just stood there.
00:21:08.728 Speaker 1 I can recount the money if you'd like. The terms were set when you took the
00:21:13.588 Speaker 1 contract, but you've been good to us. Do you want me to get Derek? Yeah,
00:21:20.188 Speaker 1 that'd be good. Okay, come on back.
00:21:24.908 Speaker 1 Jenny's high heels clicked, and then the heavy locking mechanisms behind the wooden
00:21:28.948 Speaker 1 door clanked and turned. Jenny smiled warmly at him. There were volumes of questions
00:21:34.768 Speaker 1 written in that smile, though, but he didn't answer them. Couldn't answer them.
00:21:40.428 Speaker 1 This was not business as usual. He'd come to this station for a reason.
00:21:46.348 Speaker 1 Mostly because he might walk back out of it alive. Maybe. The contract manager
00:21:52.288 Speaker 1 leaned back in his chair, and it made a tortured sound. His office was warmly lit,
00:21:57.848 Speaker 1 clean, and fresh-smelling. Wood paneling and plush green carpet. Real hardwood
00:22:03.788 Speaker 1 furniture and blinds. It was just enough to give the impression of wealth and power,
00:22:08.688 Speaker 1 but not so much that he hit you over the head with it. Derek drummed his fingers on
00:22:13.568 Speaker 1 the desk while Jenny set the contract payment between the two of them like a live
00:22:18.328 Speaker 1 bomb, then rushed out, still smiling as she closed the office door. They would all
00:22:24.028 Speaker 1 be smiling right until the very end.
00:22:28.088 Speaker 1 Is it the money? It's not the money. You know, most closers don't have a
00:22:34.048 Speaker 1 problem with this part, Kelter. Job's not done till you take the money. You know
00:22:39.268 Speaker 1 that. Listen. He leaned forward in his chair and whispered instead.
00:22:45.228 Speaker 1 Listen. I say you turned in the wrong papers. I still have to hire another
00:22:50.868 Speaker 1 closer, but I'll get someone slow or someone you trust. But if you run, I
00:22:56.908 Speaker 1 have to put the hit out. You understand?
00:23:01.408 Speaker 1 Kelter laughed once. It was laced with sarcasm. Derek was taking a huge risk giving
00:23:07.408 Speaker 1 him an out. Risking everything, really. Something stirred inside Kelter. That
00:23:12.728 Speaker 1 something always got him in trouble. Derek pounded his desk once in frustration. His
00:23:18.608 Speaker 1 face was turning red. I closed the circle, Derek. Of course, of course. I'm not
00:23:24.508 Speaker 1 saying you didn't. Then he slid the money envelope forward another inch. So
00:23:30.348 Speaker 1 take the money. The sound of boots and chains echoed down the hallway outside.
00:23:36.788 Speaker 1 A lot of boots. Take the money, James. Kelter
00:23:42.548 Speaker 1 reached for the envelope, but couldn't quite pick it up. He just couldn't.
00:23:49.288 Speaker 1 He could fight his way out. That wouldn't end well. Every bit of material in this
00:23:54.128 Speaker 1 place was fabricated to be a terrible conduit. It'd take him 20 minutes to summon
00:23:59.028 Speaker 1 something. I don't care if you throw it in the damn sewer the moment you leave, but
00:24:03.208 Speaker 1 take the money, James. A baritone voice was talking to Jenny. The line of boots had
00:24:08.128 Speaker 1 stopped just outside the office. Kelter spared a glance for the door. I will know
00:24:14.012 Speaker 1 He's in here, but give me just a second. I know that we can come to some resolution.
00:24:18.412 Speaker 1 Was she trying to stop them? That was beyond reckless. And
00:24:24.272 Speaker 1 so was this. The office door flew open. A man with a chin like a
00:24:30.212 Speaker 1 mountain stared fire and hatred at Kelter. His uniform was tidy, covered in little
00:24:35.672 Speaker 1 gleaming badges.
00:24:40.312 Speaker 1 Kelter sighed, then he picked up the envelope of money. He walked past the man and
00:24:45.472 Speaker 1 gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. Sorry about that, Buford. I thought I was
00:24:50.132 Speaker 1 getting stiffed. Turns out, I just can't count.
00:24:55.832 Speaker 1 Buford growled back at him. Not unlike the prisoners he kept, really. You just
00:25:00.452 Speaker 1 couldn't see his chains. Kelter looked down at the money in his hand. They all had
00:25:06.132 Speaker 1 chains. He'd killed a lot of people, but he wasn't willing to kill his friends.
00:25:13.632 Speaker 1 As he left, he made a point of not looking back at the half-men chained together in
00:25:17.992 Speaker 1 the hallway behind him. They reminded him too much of himself. Jenny was standing
00:25:24.012 Speaker 1 next to her desk when he got back to the entrance. She shook fiercely. I'm sorry,
00:25:29.672 Speaker 1 Jenny. Don't ever do that again. Then she turned sharply and walked away.
00:25:35.812 Speaker 1 James Kelter closed his eyes and bowed his head. He'd failed today. He'd failed and
00:25:41.432 Speaker 1 almost gotten two good people killed in the process.
00:25:46.112 Speaker 1 Don't think I'll get the chance to do it
00:25:48.012 Speaker 1 again.