The Kiss - Lewis Shiner, ebook
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//-->the kissb yl e w i ss h i n e rHe came around the corner with the Walther out and ready. The Russianwas standing in the middle of the alley, hands shoulder high, well awayfrom his body.“Wait,” the Russian said.He looked helpless enough. Martin moved closer and put his back againstthe alley wall so he wouldn’t get any surprises from behind. “All right,” hesaid. “Talk to me.”“Believe me,” the Russian said, laughing. “It was no more pleasant for methan for you.” He was young, thin, with short brown hair and intense blackeyes. “You must know I’m Russian.”“I could taste the Sobranies on your breath.”“You know the work of Dr. Zoshchenko.”“I’ve heard the name.”“Immunology. He is working to find a cure for the retrovirus.”“ai d s, you mean.”“Among others. Several kinds of retrovirus.”It was starting to snow. That in itself was nothing new in Finland inNovember, but Martin wasn’t dressed for it. “Get to the good stuff.”The Russian nodded. “He found what he wanted. To put it simply, it isanother virus. One that makes the retrovirus devour itself. This new virus isdelicate. It can only survive inside a living carrier. It can be passed from personto person, but it is not airborne, you understand?”“Kissing would do it.”“Yes.”“Keep talking.”“Zoshchenko is a patriot. Once our side has the cure, then the retroviruscan become a weapon of war. Some of us do not want this. Zoshchenko willnot listen. We decided the West must have this knowledge.”“Why me?”“There are not so many Americans here. Your true profession is known tous. We hoped you would believe us.”Martin could still feel the Russian’s mouth on his own, the Russian’stongue forcing its way in. The sandpaper rasp of the Russian’s stubbled chin.Sitting stunned just long enough for the Russian to get out the door.“It acts quickly,” the Russian said. “In a few minutes you will begin to runa fever. Two hours from now you will be healthier than you have ever been.”Or, Martin thought, I’ll just be too sick to help myself, and I’ll carry somefiendish new plague home with me. He stared into the Russian’s eyes. He sawsincerity, hope, fear. All the things he saw in the Director’s eyes when theDirector lied about the Iran business, the things he saw in the eyes ofPresidents and station chiefs and pages in the Capitol building. Instincts wereno good any more.2lewis shinerMartin shot the Russian through the heart.The silencer killed most of the noise, and the snowfall got the rest. He tookthe Russian’s overcoat for warmth and then he buried the body in a snowdrift.It might just have been the effort, but he was starting to sweat.He sat against the wall of the alley. If the Russian was lying, he told himself,he would know it before much longer. He should have strength enough to doone thing. He turned the Walther around and looked into the frayed silencer.He put both thumbs against the trigger and braced his elbows on his knees.He waited.©1991by Lewis Shiner. First published inThe Edges of Things,September,1991.Some rightsreserved. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs3.0License. To view a copy of this license, visit171Second Street, Suite300,San Francisco, California,94105,u s a.
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