Scent of Treachery

by Smith, T. L.

  “You’re hurt!”

  “We’re all going to be if they catch up with us.” Breeze shouted at Jayda, waving them to keep running. “Get us into the lab!”

  “Medical is closer.”

  “Too close!” She threw two more grenades and came to push the men carrying Nick. “Run!”

  Jayda tried, but the servos on her suit were down again. The men carrying her didn’t notice, picking up the pace as the explosions continued behind them. “Three doors past the med lab. What about Nick, he needs medical.”

  The doors to medical were only steps away, but there was no stopping. Another round of metal shards answered their grenades. One of the men carrying her flinched, but ran faster.

  “Computer, open lab doors, now!” She shouted over the chaos.

  Jayda and her escorts reached the labs and they thrust her in first. She staggered to the control panel. Holding the door open until Breeze dove into the chamber. The doors closed with shrapnel scraping up her backside.

  They were only in the decon chamber, not the labs. Jayda ordered a bypass to decontamination, forcing the lab doors open. “Yes, I know!” She shouted at the computer warnings she was violating protocol. The next doors opened as the outer doors thundered under the impact of the weapon Hendrix brought aboard. They wouldn’t hold long.

  Breeze realized as much. “I thought you said these doors were impenetrable?” She stood across from Jayda as the team stumbled into the lab.

  “Those aren’t, but these are core doors.”

  “What about medical?”

  “They’re part of the core too.”

  Breeze nodded, helping one of the team in, the backs of his legs cut up. “Good, though this wasn’t how we saw this going.”

  “Never is.” Jayda felt heat from the outer doors. “Get inside.”

  Breeze slipped through the doors, Jayda on her heels, letting the core doors roll back into place as the outer doors started gapping open.

  She waited until the locks cycled to red before she let out the breath she’d been unconsciously holding. Slowly she turned around, then wished she hadn’t.

  Blood smeared the floor. That sick feeling she’d had in her stomach from the moment she’d seen Nick’s face returned full force. They were all hurt, because of her, especially Nick. Visions of the past flooded over her. The agonizing cries of wounded, the heat from the explosion ripping Jack from her, ripping her world apart. Now it was happening all over again.

  Jayda squeezed her eyes closed as Breeze joined the two crewmen ripping Nick’s shredded clothes from his body. “We can’t remove this, not without a scanner to see if it struck anything vital. Damn! Do you have anything here? Any medical supplies? JAYDA!”

  Being yelled at snapped her back to the present, to the sight of a large wound on Nick’s back. A chunk of metal still embedded deep. “Just the basic kit.” She slipped around the edge of the room, pulling the red medical box from a cabinet. “Not enough for… this.” That knot in her stomach was only getting bigger. “I need to get over to medical for something better.”

  “Well, that’s not going to happen.” Breeze took the kit, flipping it open. “Yeah, this isn’t near enough. You’ve got nothing else in here?”

  Jayda went back to the cabinets, opening doors and drawers. “Some towel packs, a change of clothes... everything is in medical… except my prototypes.” She pulled out the experimental samples, piling them on the counter. “I need to get over to medical. Tell me what you need.”

  “And how do you think you’re going to do that?” Breeze snapped at her, trying to get a good scan from a device never meant for serious wounds.

  “The maintenance shaft.” Jayda dragged herself along the counter. Her suit still hadn’t rebooted. “It’s meant for the internal bots, but I can fit.” She reached down and slipped her fingers into a depression in the floor. The panel slid aside.

  “The sections are connected?” One of the men stuck his head into the hole. “Geez, that’s a tight fit.” He pulled himself up again and looked at Jayda’s legs. “You can’t maneuver that narrow space, not in the shape you’re in.”

  “Well, you’re not going to fit.” Jayda snapped at him, looking at the team, real walking wounded now. “None of you will, not even Capt. Breeze.”

  “If it’s made for maintenance bots, use them.” A voice chimed in. Lewis.

  Breeze rolled her eyes. “That’s why we put someone on the sidelines, to be our ears and eyes, and clearly brains.” She turned to the group. “Alright, assess wounds. Use the towels as temporary bandages, rip those clothes into strips to secure them. Not too tight, in case there’s debris in the wounds.”

  She got up, grimacing. “Lewis, tap in Taylor so she can start putting together a package for us. Dr. Maldonado, get on-line with your computer and start giving instructions, or whatever you need to do.”

  “Yeah…” Jayda forced her legs to move, still no servos.

  “Why can’t you walk? Were you hit?”

  Jayda twisted around to check her legs. No blood, but she could see several gashes up and down her legs. “My suit might be damaged.”

  “Long as you’re not wounded. Carter, help her.”

  As much as she hated anyone touching her, he settled her at the control console. Writing the commands was easy. The bot in the tunnel made scheduled laps of the tunnel, making sure the infrastructure of the core kept running, independent of the rest of the station, delivering air, water and power.

  She interrupted the bot’s schedule to limit it to direct pathways to and from medical. “Okay! Taylor, do you hear me?”

  “Yes, I’m on. Lewis filled me in that you have multiple wounded. I have a fast pack ready, full scanner, bandages, instruments… I’ll pull together whatever else you want. Breeze, set up your comm for visuals and I’ll talk you through anything complicated.”

  “On it.” She was back at Nick’s side. “The boss took the worst hits. He’s not looking good.”

  Jayda’s tight stomach turned to nausea. “First cycle coming your way. Your portal is on the back wall, under the workstation. When the bot reaches you, reach down and touch the red button. It will release the magnetic locks and you can slide it back up the tube. Tie the bag of supplies to the rear arm, then reactivate.”

  “Which way? Push it left or right?”

  “Left.” Lewis answered. “Your bubble is nestled between us.”

  “Here it is and…got it!” Jayda could hear Taylor huffing through the open line. “Okay, bag secured. Unit reactivated.”

  Jayda gave it an order to return her direction, turning back as Carter went to the hole. It only took a minute before the bot rolled up to the hole and stopped.

  Carter carried the bag to Breeze. Together they laid out the supplies. “Looks good, Taylor. Starting scans. Are you picking them up?” She went straight for Nick’s back wound.

  There was a moment of silence before Taylor responded. “You’re right, Breeze. That shard went deep. Looks like it penetrated his heart. If you try to remove it, he’ll start bleeding internally, more than he is already. I can’t talk you through this. He needs surgery. He needs to be here.”

  “Not helpful. We’re pinned down.”

  “Keep him immobilized. There’s pain killers in the pack, knock him out. Then make sure he can’t move around. At this point any movement can dislodge the shard.” There was an audible sigh from her side. “Finish your scan so I know if there’s other injuries.”

  “No, fix them first.” Nick whispered. His eyes opened as Jayda turned around. He rolled his stare towards her. “Do what you have to.”

  He was pale, barely conscious, but he was focused on her. Jayda slipped out of her chair and crawled over to him, leaning close while Breeze continued her scans. “You heard the doctor. Don’t talk. Don’t move.”

  Her heart felt like it was the one with a shard jammed through it. How had she let herself fall for this man? She couldn’t let him die. This time she would save him,
all of them.

  She wrapped her fingers in his, squeezing. “Don’t die. I’ll get us out of this!”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  When the drugs took effect, Jayda slipped her hand free. “There’s cushions in that far cabinet. Also some magnetic straps. Use them to secure him.” She turned around and stripped off the outer layer of her uniform, exposing the braces on her legs, the hard plastics cushioned by tight leggings.

  She unstrapped the braces, seeing why they’d stopped working. She’d taken several hits to her legs, but the braces had protected her. “Carter!”

  He jumped to help her back to her chair. Her screens came to life as her hands flowed over them. Two men stood in the main corridor. Hendrix had blown a hole in the outer door and was trying to cut his way into the lab. “Adams, you still aboard the GR?”

  “Yes, but I don’t have weapons to get to the pilot.”

  “Yes, you do. GR ship…hold!” Jayda looked over her shoulder. Nick was out, cushions prevented him from rolling, straps pinned him to the floor.

  Jayda went back to her comm. “Adams, forget about the pilot. GR ships use explosives charges to dig out ore samples. They’ll be in the cargo bay, along with remote detonators. Use your imagination planting them, then get your ass and the detonator back to the station. We got a bot available for you.”

  “Yes, ma’am. On it now.” She could almost hear a sinister laugh from the other side of the link. “Lewis, how’s the ship?”

  “Set her free. The bots got her far enough around the bend they don’t have a clean shot at her. Got her up to the hull. Our guys are pissed to be out of the fight.”

  “Well then, let’s give them something to do. Do they have oxygen packs?”

  “Yes, ma’am, plenty.”

  “Good. Strap them up with magnetic brackets, straps, whatever you have. They’re going for a ride. Send two of them on bots out to Platform EX2. Load up four barrels. They need to circle the station and come up where Snead can’t see them.”

  “What are they going to do?”

  “Give me a few minutes to finish that plan. Just do it.” Jayda’s hands flew over the computer terminals, getting scans of the enemy ship and doing her calculations. On a side monitor she watched the crewmen exit their portal, straddling bots. The bots were designed to transport materials, so they’d grab the barrels and return to the station.

  When they returned, Lewis turned over control of the bots to the men. They skimmed the surface of the station, slowing down as they came up under the enemy ship. Jayda passed on the final instructions.

  Only after the last man was aboard his bot and sliding back into safety did Jayda activate the station audio. “Intruders, this is Maldonado. What do you want?” Hendrix heard her and stopped his cutting efforts. “What do you want, asshole?

  He tipped his head until he found the surveillance eye, grinning up at her as he had in the med lab. “Maldonado. You’ve made this much harder than it had to be.”

  “Yeah, not even going to respond to that comment. What do you want?”

  “You got something my boss wants.”

  “Still a stupid answer. You’re attacking my station and my guests, but this was set up, not the actions of marauding bandits. Someone sent you here. Who? Why?”

  Hendrix stepped closer to the lens, sneering. “You! Apparently my boss wants what you can do.”

  “Is he insane? I… make… perfume!” She said it, but found irony that only days before she’d been offended when Taylor said the same thing to her.

  “Come on, pretty. You don’t think I believe that.” Hendrix held up his fingers, rubbing them together. “They want this magic stuff, the medicine.”

  Jayda sat back, staring at the man. He’d pocketed the gloves, getting some of the ointment on his fingers. She’d inadvertently proved she had it, so there was no point playing dumb. “He wants to steal medicine? I’d have handed it over if you’d asked, before you started trying to kill us. I’ll give it to you now, if you get off my station.”

  “No, he wants how it’s made and the person who makes it.”

  “WHY?” Jayda leaned closer to the monitor. “He can’t steal the process. It’s already in patents.”

  “Your patents are delayed, contested. Time for him to get what he wants from you. What happens after that…” Hendrix grinned.

  “Contested?” That explained not getting the messages she’d been waiting on. “Who? If he’s going to steal my secrets then kill me, I deserve to know who it is.”

  Hendrix gave a bit of a frown, then shrugged. “Barron. Lou Barron.” He hoisted up the weapon. “The Dolan 4 just got in the way. Sorry.” He started cutting again and Jayda didn’t stop him, leaning back in her chair.

  “Who’s Lou Barron?” Breeze spoke up when the silence went on a bit too long.

  “No idea, but clearly he’s interested in pharmaceuticals. Interested enough to kill.” She leaned forward again and tried to open an interspace comm. She doubted she’d be able to. Snead would have hit the antennae array first. “Could be a fake name, but that doesn’t matter. Whoever contested my patents is behind this. If I’m not around to prove otherwise, and they get the process out of me, they win.”

  “And since we’re witnesses... it must be pretty damn good drug to kill for it.”

  “It’s not just a drug.” Jayda knew it was too hard to explain in a few words. “Used with nanotech, it will advance restorative medicine to… I don’t know… it was supposed to go into testing as soon as the patents cleared.”

  “Restorative medicine?” Breeze looked around at the shredding wounds of her crew. “Could probably use some.”

  “Yeah, probably.” Jayda pointed to the stash she’d piled on the counter. “The unmarked tubes, more than enough for these wounds. Use gloves.” She returned to her console, glaring at Hendrix, who seemed convinced he’d gain access.

  “Adams to Lewis. Thanks for the bot. How about getting me aboard?”

  “Got you covered. Dropping you into the nearest bot tube.”

  Jayda listened to the exchange, watching Hendrix, waiting until all the loose ends were in place. She waited several more minutes, until she could control her inner rage. “Adams, stand-by. Do not detonate until ordered. Everyone, remain secured where you are until you hear otherwise. Understood?”

  She got confirmations from everyone, then opened the ship’s comm again, opening a line to the GR ship. “Intruders… INTRUDERS!” She shouted, forcing the comm to full volume. The men in the corridor covered their ears. Hendrix backed off the door again. “You get one warning to exit my station. The door you’re trying to cut through is core density. We are inside the core. You’re not!”

  Hendrix squinted at the door, then at the surveillance eye. “Even core materials can be cut through. Otherwise we’ll wait you out.”

  “Then you’ll wait without oxygen when I evacuate the station.”

  “You have wounded.”

  “Med lab is inside the core.”

  “Food and water!”

  “Inside the core. Entire inner circle is core.” She saw his lip wrinkle up. “I suggest you get your asses off my station.”

  “What’s to stop us from coming back in environmental suits? We got a week before Alliance comes in. We can finish destroying the Dolan and still get to you.”

  Jayda leaned closer to the audio feed. “I’m going to… blow up… your ship.”

  “You’re… unarmed!” Hendrix scoffed.

  Jayda sighed, loud and long. “I’m surrounded by... explosives. Didn’t Boss Louie tell you that part? All those storage platforms surrounding the station? Jayda snickered as menacingly as she could. “Highly explosive materials. I’m sure Louie didn’t tell you that before perfume, I built weapons of mass destruction. I was very good at it.” Jayda looked to the external images. “Snead, take a good long look at your engine ports, then at the station’s horizon.”

  There was silence, then cursing.

  “What?
What’s out there?” Hendrix backed out of the antechamber, into the corridor. The two men made room for him. “What’s she done?”

  “There’s barrels strapped to our engine ports and they’ve moved the Dolan into position to shoot them up our ass.”

  “That’s right. Me and my little robot friends have been out here for years. I can maneuver a warship with them.”

  Breeze came to lean over Jayda’s shoulder, getting her first look at this plan. “Damn, you are good.” She leaned closer. “Hendrix, if I were you I’d back on out of here before she blows your ship up. Long as you use maneuvering jets, you can get far enough away to not be a target.”

  “You won’t vent. You got people out here too. Wounded.”

  “No we don’t.” Taylor spoke up. “While you were going after Dr. Maldonado, we cleared out our people.”

  “You still want to bet I won’t vent? Start running, asshole.” Jayda flipped a switch and red emergency lights started flashing throughout the station. “Ten…” She dropped her voice down to a calm, cold growl. “Nine…”

  “Fall back!” Snead shouted over their comm. “Their weapons are fully charged.” Hendrix glared up at Jayda once more before running back through the corridors.

  The surveillance system followed as Jayda continued counting. They reached the portal. “Three…two…” The two wounded pirates had already jumped to the GR ship. Hendrix shoved the two men with him through. The GR portal cycled shut as Hendrix dove for safety.

  Jayda hit the emergency disengage for the airlock. Her portal door rolled shut, but not trusting the seals would hold anymore, she shut the bulkhead doors on either side of the bay.

  The station’s magnetic clamps ripped themselves free of the GR ship and it drifted only as long it took Snead to engage side jets. The ship moved off, following the curve of the station to break target with the Dolan. Once clear, they headed out towards the perimeter.

  “Well, Snead. Tell your boss, Lou Barron, you failed.”

  “We’re not done!” It was Hendrix whose face filled the screen. We’ll disarm these explosive and come back for you. We don’t quit so easy.”