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down and his father was safe. A lone Threshian was leaning
against one of the support beams of a nearby building, this one in
human boots, trousers and shirt. Jon had never really thought about
why some of the aliens emulated humans while others did not. But it
was a lot easier to hide weapons in clothes rather than naked scales.
He also recalled that Threshians did not like the cold, and this was
not the warmest area of the planet, especially after dark. The
Threshian was keeping watch.
    Jon
walked towards the alien, meeting it eyes. “You need
something?”
    The
creature pointed a sharp claw at its throat. It was missing a
vocoder.
    “Strong
silent type, eh?” Jon said with a smile. “Don’t let
me keep you.”
    The
Threshian shrugged, but made no move towards the gun on its belt, it
simply turned and walked away. Jon watched it go, and then realised
that all he had done was dismiss a known threat that could easily be
replaced with an unknown one. The Threshians were going to be
watching the Jailhouse regardless, except now he had forced them to
do it less obviously. Live and learn, he thought, and continued down
Main Street. The lone watcher was the only Threshian he could see. He
was free to walk the streets unmolested by them.
    The
sky continued to redden, Threshold’s sun a sinking yellow
corona on the horizon. The Street Globes were activating
automatically from points on the first floor of each building. Jon
hurried, passing the point where Lucas Miller had been gunned down.
The body was gone, the blood stain washed away. The undertakers had
always been efficient in Argon. Light and laughter blazed from the
windows of The Colonial Captain. Jon ignored it, keeping to the
deepening shadows until he reached Doctor Forbes yellow painted
surgery.
    Ethan
Forbes was sweeping the floor with a broom when Jon arrived. A thin
rake of a man, he appeared older than his forty-seven years
suggested.
    “Evening,
Deputy,” he said as Jon entered reception.
    “You
can still call me Jon, Doc,” Jon replied. "It's my name."
    Forbes
leant the broom against the reception desk. Jon noted from his frown
that the Doctor was not happy to see him.
    “So,
what can I do for Threshold’s newest deputy?” Forbes
asked.
    “I
need you to come to the Jailhouse and visit my father,” Jon
said. “You were busy before?”
    “I’d
rather not,” Forbes said, looking away.
    “He
needs you,” Jon insisted.
    Forbes
took a deep breath. “Michael donates a lot of credit to this
surgery. I don’t think I could run it otherwise.”
    “Are
you refusing to treat him?” Jon asked, levelling his gaze on
the physician. He could understand Forbes reluctance, but he was
surprised that the situation had got so bad so quickly. Michael
really did have his claws in everything.
    “I…”
Forbes hesitated. “I don’t want to refuse, of course I
don’t, but, I have my practice to think of. I help a lot of
people, Jon. I fixed your broken arm once, you remember?”
    “I
remember,” Jon said. “Look, he needs you. We can go the
back way, we can wait until it gets darker, but he needs you.”
    Forbes
looked from side to side across his empty surgery, a pained
expression on his face.
    Jon
raised his hands far away from his gun belt. “I’m not
going to threaten you, Doctor. I’m asking you, please, help
him.”
    Forbes
closed his eyes tight, and rubbed his neck. “I’ll get my
bag. Can you tell me what sort of injuries to expect?”
    “He
has superficial cuts to his right shoulder,” Jon said as Forbes
disappeared into his consulting room.
    “Yes?”
Forbes voice echoed.
    “Also
he’s lost his right trigger finger and there is extensive
concussion bolt damage to the rest of his hand.”
    “I’ll
pack a regrow kit,” the Doctor shouted. “Anything else?”
    Jon
paused for a moment, steeling himself. Forbes probably knew anyhow.
“He needs Jopo H if you have any.”
    Ethan
Forbes reappeared in his consulting room doorway, white as a