Brain Storm (30 page)

He positioned himself between Smith and Holz.

Remo seemed to fade in, as well. He moved away from Chiun, toward Lothar Holz.

Holz stood, shuddering. The spastic contortions his muscles were making made it difficult for him to focus. He saw Remo moving toward him. He braced himself for an attack.

"I would stay back if I were you. I have all your programming," Holz bragged, sneering. He tapped his forehead. "It is all up here."

Remo's face was unchanged. "Then it's time I crashed your system," he said, flatly.

Holz flew at Remo, hands flashing frenetically. He threw everything he had in one assault. Every Sinanju move the computer link had loaded into his mind. Holz went for the complex, but Remo opted for the elementary. When the PlattDeutsche vice president was within arm's reach, the broad side of Remo's hand cracked down against Holz's temple.

Holz felt the pressure in his skull. The new eyes Sinanju had given him were still quick enough to see the hand pull away. The pain in his brain joined the crescendo of agony that had been building in his spine, and in a white-hot moment of pure torture every pain receptor along his entire nervous system fired in perfect, harmonic torment.

The intense, horrific, excruciating anguish he suffered seemed to last an eternity. In reality, it was only a matter of seconds.

Lothar Holz was dead before he hit the floor.

Smith stepped over from his bed. "Your suspicion was correct," he said to Chiun. The Master of Sinanju bowed slightly.

"How did you know it wasn't him back at the warehouse?" Remo asked, glancing away from the body.

"Because I use my eyes for seeing," Chiun said blandly. "I do not yet know what it is you do with yours." He clapped his hands. "Come, Remo. Remove this refuse from the emperor's bedchambers.

We go." With that, Chiun marched boldly out the door and down the stairs.

Remo stared after him for a few seconds. Finally he turned to Smith. "You'd think I would have wanted them to rewrite his program just a little," he said, grinning broadly.

With a reluctant sigh, he hefted the body of Lothar Holz up onto his shoulders and followed the Master of Sinanju out the door.

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• Warren Murphy - Destroyer 112 - Brain Drain