condensed master

Will Bonner
a second blow between his shoulder blades, propelling him forward on to his
forearms. His head was swimming but he did not lose consciousness. Turning
slightly, in an effort to get his bearings in anticipation of a further assault, he
became aware of the ferret man's legs only inches away from his face. Rage, and
the instinct for survival surged up inside as Will quickly gripped ferret man around
the legs, toppling him to the floor. Within seconds, they were both rolling over,
each trying to gain the advantage.
"You bloody swine, I'll kill you!" screamed Will, as he tried to use ferret man's
head as a battering ram against the iron leg of the table, but ferret man brought up
his knee into Will's stomach, breaking himself free. In the next moment Will found
himself looking down the barrel of a semi automatic service pistol, which seemed
to appear from nowhere. For a split second he contemplated retaliation, but
sensing his intention ferret man pushed the gun closer as a warning sign, and Will
backed off.
The pistol pointed briefly to Will's chair. "Get over there." Will staggered over
to the chair feeling the back of his head for signs of blood. The ferret man was also
reseated, the service pistol on the table in front of him, at the ready. He had lost
his hat in the scuffle, his hair and clothes were dishevelled, his tie askew. He was
breathing fast and heavy.
"We'll now get to the bottom of this," he said, pausing to catch his breath.
"Yesterday, when you were going ashore, up the incline to the gatehouse, you
dropped your wallet and shore passes fell out on the roadway. Someone picked
them up for you, didn't they?"
"Yes," replied Will in a wavering voice.
"Well, that person was one of our agents, he kept some of them for evidence."
This last statement was, in an odd sort of way, a breath of fresh air to Will. He
remembered the incident well. At last, some of the events of these last hours were
falling into place. All he had to do now was convince them that he had become
friendly with the guard at the gate, who had failed to take the passes, consequently,
they had collected in his wallet. This nightmare would then be all over.
The ferret man had by now regained his composure, and he was beginning to
posture himself for further interrogating. Will braced himself for more punishment,
but at that very moment the door opened, revealing the two army officers entering
the room. Ferret man snatched up his pistol, but not before they had noticed it.
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