Will Axton ever remove the bling on his forehead?
Bling.Axton liked that term.
âWell⊠I mean.â
Even if he hadnât thoughtof the implant in that fashion before.
âItâs kinda stuck inthere. Surgical implant and all.â It was a brand that all Dahl soldiers bore inassorted forms â an emblem of their allegiance, a symbol denoting designationand connoting obligations and their burdens, a corporeal demonstration of adecision, a design that imprinted in far greater permanence and importance thanmetal fastened to his forehead. âKinda hard to remove without taking a chunk outof my skull too. âThough I figure thereâs some parties interested in performinâthat procedure.â He had made his fair share of enemies both under Dahl and onPandora, and hardly any of them were qualified or equipped to operate on him withany other implement than a firearm â assuming any even entertained the alternative.
Not that the extractionof the implant was impossible. It wasnât.
Dahl had at their disposalthe resources to install, alter and, presumably, extract the implant, able to accomplishits installation and modification with such precision and proficiency that the soleemotion Axton associated with the operation was appreciation for the respitefrom his responsibilities. The potential for pain in its elimination did notplease him.
âI dunno? Would had tohave thought about it some more.â He hadnât an answer â not at the moment, notwhen the notion and its proposal was one that was new and unknown to him, onethat was improbable approaching impossible in his situation. âGuess Iâm notagainst it, if it could happen. ButâŠâ
The chain around his neckseemed to hang much heavier.
âAdds to the appeal, yâknow?Badass with a Past. The Big â well, sorta big, â Strong Soldier. Just, uh, not astoic or serious one.â He dismissed complaints about his âdesignâ being âgenericâor âmediocreâ or âunexceptionalâ as nonsense. Either they were blind, oblivious,or in denial to insist upon dissatisfaction when exposed to his splendor. âDoesnâthurt to have another edge over the competition, yeah?â













