The Ganymede Legacy

by A C Bonesteel

  Kern got up from the couch while he massaged his hand and stood next to Yon, then the duo quickly walked over to them.

  Yon quickly began barking orders. "First. Eena and Will. You'll take the garbage out the front and head toward the maintenance level elevators to our south. You shouldn't attract any suspicion as long as you don't do anything to draw any."

  The group nodded as they listened to the orders. After taking a wheezing breath, Yon continued.

  "Don't look at anyone, don't talk to anyone. If anyone asks you any questions, ignore them. Kern and I will follow a reasonable distance behind to make sure you aren't followed. You're going to take the elevator to maintenance level three and head north until you reach waste transfer station three. From there, you know the way to Thrall's place. Assuming that no little mice follow your trail, we'll follow along shortly after you. Thrall has 500 credits waiting for each of us..."

  The woman named Eena listened as Yon detailed their plan then spoke when he took a pause.

  "What if we have the wrong guy?" she asked skeptically. "Thrall isn't very reasonable these days. If this is the wrong guy, he'll probably perform his little show on us instead."

  Yon grunted with frustration. "It's the one he wants, trust me. We're lucky he fell into our hands, so do your stupid little job and get paid. If you ask any more stupid questions, I will cut you to pieces. Now go!"

  Without further delay, Eena and Will quickly grabbed the garbage cart and pushed it into the next room. Yon and Kern waited to hear the smooth sliding sound of a magnetically sealed door open and close, then they followed.

  Annabelle followed them. She had one goal. She needed to reach into Yon's right pocket and get the antidote. Even if he noticed, she had to get it and then run for her life.

  Swiftly and silently, she kept close to Yon as he walked through a room filled with shelves of old books and magazines. When he reached the other side of the room, Yon pulled one of the books back on its shelf, and a concealed door opened before him. They took a quick look out onto the Grand Promenade, then stepped outside.

  With a burst of urgency, Annabelle stepped through, just behind them, and followed closely as they walked. She gave a quick look back and saw that the door she had just come through had no large sign above it to announce its name, and no windows. On the door, in tiny letters, the words "Old Books" were all that identified it.

  Annabelle hustled to remain even with Yon and Kern. As she followed alongside the two vile men, she waited patiently for an opportunity to reach into Yon's pocket and grab the antidote.

  She was fortunate that bustling crowds of people wandered this way and that along the Grand Promenade, and as a small woman inadvertently bumped into Kern, pushing him into his partner, she saw her chance.

  With the image of a graceful and practiced pickpocket in her mind, she reached her left hand down towards Yon's right pocket and slid it inside. She attempted to match her hand's motion with the cadence of his steps as her fingers found the bottle, clasped it, and pulled it out...

  Then, without warning, Yon drew his giant knife, spun around, and violently slashed the air behind him. The blade missed Annabelle's face by an inch, and she felt a light burst of air against her face from the violent strike.

  Annabelle recoiled from the blow, jumped back from him, but then unexpectedly smashed into a small child walking behind her. She lost her balance as she bowled the boy over and he cried out in terror. Then, she fell roughly onto the floor in the middle of a long queue of bustling businesswomen.

  Annabelle immediately felt the air leave her lungs as they were compressed by the full weight of one of the women. The woman tripped and fell in a clumsy heap next to her. Annabelle quickly got her wits about her and attempted to stand, but was immediately kneed in the back.

  Then, someone else stepped on her and she felt one of her ribs break.

  "Gah!” Annabelle screamed, but her voice was drowned out by the screams of the woman who had just tripped over her.

  The commotion drew the attention of passerby and must have looked ridiculous to anyone who didn't know that a cloaked woman was amongst them. Startled voices shouted about a man with a knife, caring bystanders attempted to sooth the fallen child, and others looked around wildly to see what had caused it all.

  With foot traffic now slowed, and people fearfully moving away from the area, Annabelle ignored her pain and heaved herself onto her feet. She still clutched the metal bottle tightly in her hand, and she needed to administer the antidote. She expected Yon to divine her position based on the child and fallen woman's movements, but he was suddenly nowhere to be seen.

  Annabelle was careful to avoid bodily contact with anyone else as she urgently navigated through the onlookers and searched for a spot to rest. She quickly spotted a service corridor, ran into it, then leaned against its metal wall.

  With trembling fingers and tears streaming down her acid burned cheeks, she opened the bottle as fast as she possibly could, then poured the liquid within it onto her hands. With a sigh of relief, she brought her hands to her face and rubbed the antidote all over.

  Her tears of pain and fear slowly turned into tears of relief and ecstasy as the antidote did its work. Her pain melted away as the acid was rendered inert and unable to cause more damage to her.

  With a deep sigh of relief, she closed her eyes and collapsed onto the floor. She stayed there for what could have been hours as she expressed sincere inner gratitude for the great relief she felt. Nothing mattered to her then, except that the pain was gone.

  Finally, after the ecstasy passed, her mind cleared slightly, and she opened her eyes. She expected to see the Grand Promenade in all its beautiful glory, but instead, she saw a pair of black boots and slim legs standing on the ground before her.

  "I know you're there, Annabelle," a pleasant female voice informed her.

  Chapter 10

  Alice had been lucky to detect the gas grenade detonation at Club 111. She had been hot on her target's trail and was on her way to Hangar 111 when she had detected the blast. She could've ignored it, but her target had already been involved in one bar incident that night, and she thought it worthwhile to investigate.

  Low and behold, when she had entered the chaotic scene inside the club, Idi had immediately detected more of her target's spacetime echoes.

  And so, Alice pushed her way through the terrified throngs of humanity that were desperately trying to escape the gas-filled bar. Luckily, she was protected from the gas by the new array of implants the Council had given her. So, while everyone else was falling unconscious, she was able to wind her way to the back of the bar and follow her target's trail.

  After just a few minutes of tracking, the trail led her to the service corridor behind a place called "TOB." She paused there, thinking carefully what her next move should be.

  She didn't know precisely what had occurred in the service corridor, but she had detected the remnants of a second gas grenade. That was a sure sign that she should be on her guard.

  So, she began to hurriedly scan the area. On her third pass, she finally discovered something interesting. There were traces of highly concentrated allinium acid present in the corridor.

  "Allinium Acid..." Alice whispered disgustedly.

  She was more than familiar with the acid, and she knew that only a very depraved individual would resort to using it. It was extremely dangerous and hard to detect, making it an ideal tool for those with nefarious aims.

  The first trace was on the floor of the corridor. The second, much larger trace, was above the service entrance to TOB. After pinpointing the location of the more significant trace, she ran a scan around it and discovered a minuscule nozzle above the door. It was practically dripping with the acid.

  It was undoubtedly some primitive security mechanism, she realized. But what was it guarding?

  Alice appraised the door carefully. She wanted to get inside, but the presence of allinium acid gave her pause. That particular acid had
been used to torture captured Origin Council operatives during the war. The New Republic had used it to extract information from even the most seasoned operatives, many of whom had been Alice's friends.

  Allinium acid was extremely rare, illegal, and was only able to be synthesized from a plant that grew naturally on Callisto. When applied to the skin, the acid caused profound pain and intense psychoactive effects. One of Alice's fellow operatives had been interrogated with the aid of the acid. When Alice had rescued her from a New Republic base, the acid had caused irreparable damage to her mind.

  Alice was meticulously cautious as she inspected the door. It had a small, numberless keypad next to it. She would obviously need to enter a code to open the door, unless the keypad was a decoy, and only there for show.

  Before attempting anything, however, she needed to know what was beyond the door, so she quickly scanned for life signs beyond it. After a few seconds, three life signs about twenty meters away registered in her mind. Good, she thought. She wouldn't be taken by surprise when she entered.

  "Idi!" Alice ordered in her mind. "Scan this door and tell me how to get inside."

  "One moment, Alice," Idi replied.

  The rapid results of the myriad of scans Idi performed flashed through Alice's vision as she considered what could be behind the door. It could very well be a trap, and it had been many years since she had seen any armed conflict.

  She was out of practice, true, but when the Council had prepped her for her mission, she had undergone a complete optimization protocol. All of her old operative implants had been upgraded.

  An integrated bio-projectile system had been installed in her wrist, and that would give her a perfect option for close-quarters combat. As she understood it, the system was loaded with a variety of projectiles, and she could fire them from a barrel embedded in her skin.

  From somewhere deep in her mind, a memory of Shonn nudged into her thoughts. They were sitting together next to a large boulder. Shonn was bleeding from a massive wound on his forehead.

  "We'll be okay," Shonn declared. "You can get us out. You got it."

  "I hope I still got it," Alice whispered. "Goddamn it, Shonn, I could really use your help right now..."

  "Please focus, Alice," Idi calmly requested, and Alice immediately banished the memory.

  "Sorry..." Alice thought as she returned her attention to the present.

  She hadn't had to use many of her new implants, thanks to the help of Idi. But, if whoever was behind the door to TOB proved confrontational, she would quickly learn what they could do. With a quick mental query, she activated the system and prepared for armed conflict.

  "The door is locked using a primitive analog mechanism," Idi informed her. "The mechanism is linked to a crude security measure that will eject acid if the keys are pressed in the wrong order, or with the wrong tempo. By backward-analyzing the system, I have determined the correct code and tempo."

  Alice was still amazed at the efficiency and accuracy Idi offered. "Great! What is the correct code and tempo?"

  Idi hesitated a moment before replying. "I recommend you surrender motor control to me for a moment and allow me to enter the code. There is a possibility of human error if you are allowed to input the code.

  Even though it made her uncomfortable, Alice knew she had to agree. "Okay, Idi, you can move my right hand for three seconds, then give it back immediately."

  Alice received the request for consent in her mind and immediately transmitted her acceptance. Then, she watched with amazement, and as her right hand moved toward the keypad and pressed several keys in a slow and irregular rhythm.

  When the final keystroke landed, the door opened with a soft clunk and revealed a narrow corridor lit with a dim green light.

  "Yes!" Alice thought as she stretched her fingers to ensure they were back under her control. "Thank you, Idi!"

  From within the room at the end of the corridor, Alice heard the sound of voices. Without pause, she enhanced the sensitivity of her auditory implants.

  Instantly, she could hear a man speaking his part in what seemed to be the end of a hurried conversation.

  "...I will cut a piece off of you. Now go!"

  Alice raised her right arm and began to sneak down the corridor. Somewhere ahead of her, she heard something sliding across the metal floor.

  As she entered the room at the end of the corridor, she crouched stealthily as two men appeared. One was tall and one short, and they were leaving the room to enter an adjacent one. They hadn't noticed her, and they seemed distracted by whatever it was they were doing.

  Before following them, Alice scanned the room and was slightly surprised to discover that there was a cloaked person there. Based on the distorted life sign, it was a woman, and she was using a high-quality cloaking device. The men hadn't paid any mind to the cloaked woman, and they probably didn't know she was following them.

  Alice watched the cloaked woman follow the duo into the next room. Then, she peeked past the doorway and watched as the small man pulled a book off of one of the shelves. A concealed exit opened and all three quickly left TOB and walked out onto the Grand Promenade.

  Before following, Alice had Idi scan the area.

  "There are spacetime echoes here, Alice," Idi revealed.

  Excitement lit up Alice's mind. Her target had been there, and probably not by his own free will, based on what she had just seen. According to his file, he had always worked alone. He had never worked with a partner and hadn't maintained a long-term relationship. He would not have mobilized a team of people to help him escape the station.

  The people she had just discovered had probably captured him and were transporting him somewhere else. She needed to track them, and when the opportunity presented itself, get him into her custody.

  "This is going off the rails..." Alice thought. "I didn't anticipate our target would get kidnapped. I don't think I'm ready for this..."

  "We must track him and retrieve him," Idi urged. "I will tell you what to do, but you must obey me! Wait fifteen seconds, then follow them!"

  Alice nodded. She was out of her element, but Idi was going to guide her. All she had to do was follow Idi's recommendations, and she would be fine.

  When Idi gave her the okay, she pulled on the same book the small man had, waited for the door to open, and stepped out onto the Grand Promenade.

  It was busy, and several hurried passersby sped in front of her as she exited. She patiently waited for them to pass, then scanned in both directions and detected the cloaked woman heading south.

  Alice pursued her and gained ground until she was ten meters behind. Then, she slowed her pace to maintain a safe distance. The cloaked woman was now walking right next to the kidnappers.

  "Scanning..." Idi informed her. "Displaying Council files now."

  Almost instantly, a Council file summary appeared in Alice's vision. It was for one Kern Antoles, Osiris Engineer, Third Class. His file photo matched the face of the larger man. He had no warrants, no outstanding taxes, and only one infraction for minor possession of an illegal substance. The relatively clean file surprised her. She had known Council Officers with a longer record.

  "Load tracking beacons," Idi ordered. "Fire immediately."

  Alice realized she was automatically obeying Idi's orders and felt a moment of worry.

  "Load and fire, Alice!" Idi ordered.

  Screw it, Alice thought. Idi knew what she was doing.

  So, with a quick thought, she programmed her bio-projectile system to load an adherent tracking device, then raised her right hand and fired it at Kern's back. The barrel in her wrist emitted a soft hiss as the tracking device shot out. It flew through the air silently, then stuck to his back.

  "Good," Idi stated.

  Another file immediately appeared in Alice's vision. She rapidly processed the data and identified Kern's smaller partner as Yon Antoles. He was the registered owner of the antique bookstore, TOB, but also had Osiris maintenance level cleara
nce.

  She immediately fired another tracking device and successfully stuck it to Yon's back. Then, she turned her attention to their cloaked pursuer, who was still walking close to them.

  Alice prepared to fire a tracking beacon at the cloaked woman but stopped in her tracks when Yon suddenly reached into his pocket. Alice jumped back as he pulled out a large knife and slashed wildly at the air behind him.

  After his maniacal slash, his eyes immediately locked onto Alice's. Then, he jumped away from her and began to sprint away. To Alice's slight dismay, Kern began running away at the same moment.

  "Shit!" Alice swore.

  "Don't worry, Alice," Idi confidently replied. "I am now tracking them. Follow the cloaked woman. We must question her!"

  Idi was right. She could've chased them, but there was no point. It would only put them on their guard and make them more dangerous. Idi was tracking them, and she could find them whenever she wanted.

  Alice turned her attention to the cloaked woman and watched as a crowd of women trampled her. Alice winced when a sharp stiletto dug into the woman's sternum, and more people tripped over her.

  She hadn't yet identified or attached a tracker to the cloaked woman, and she might be able to gain some valuable intel by questioning her. She needed to find out what part she had played in capturing her target. Yon and Kern would have to wait.

  Alice had the privileged view of being able to see the cloaked woman as she was barreled into by another bystander.

  "Wait..." Idi commanded.

  Alice obeyed. She waited until the crowd of people slowly dispersed, and the cloaked woman was finally able to get to her feet and move away. Alice followed stealthily while Idi displayed her file.

  Darcy Annabelle Persephone the Third. Only twenty-one years old, no occupation listed, and owner of a substantial credit balance for one so young and unemployed. The woman had definitely played a role in her target's kidnapping, Alice thought, and she needed to interrogate her.

  Alice watched and followed, careful to avoid detection as Annabelle moved into a service corridor.