“Even with Oz’s ability to hack into things and put you at the front of the queue?” he asked.
She put the food on a plate while she was talking. Sitting down at the table to eat, she continued.
“Yes, even with that. Some of the verifications need to happen manually, so we have no control over that.” She thought for a second. “Besides, we’re trying to discourage him from doing things that are unethical.” She smiled slightly before taking a bite of leftover pancake layered with cheese and gherkin.
Joel was marginally impressed that she’d considered that, but wasn’t entirely convinced it wasn’t just a ploy. She was leading up to something, he could tell.
“Okay, so what’s the ethical workaround?” He asked.
“Well, I wondered if you would be okay with us operating through your company, to take possession of the ship at least. And as we develop the other pieces of the plan to take this operation off-world and build a base to deal with bigger stuff, I can set up a new entity to do that. It’s just we’re against the clock now, if we want to disappear efficiently and effectively.”
She stopped talking and took another bite of food, watching Joel over her bizarre sandwich.
Joel thought for a moment. “I mean yeah, sure. Anything you need. This whole thing is moving fast though, and I’m just not sure why it’s important that we get off-world so quickly. You really think that we’re in that much danger?”
Molly nodded and stacked some more cheese onto the next piece of pancake with her fingers and took a bite.
“I do.” She swallowed. “I think that we could probably hide for a few days by getting out of town, but that we’ll have to keep running. Remember, everything down to our vehicle, our money, and even our holos, can be tracked wherever we go within the reach of the Central Planet’s XtraNET.”
She watched Joel’s reaction carefully, wanting to make sure he understood.
“But not only that, since talking with Mac and hearing about the Syndicate, I think we’ve begun to go up against some damned powerful and determined people. These last two cases have been for a good cause, but think realistically about the future.”
She paused to take another bite of food, letting Joel chew on the tactical aspects of the bigger picture.
Joel considered it from his experience during the last couple of years. He reached up to scratch his chin. “You’re right. When you put it that way, if we’re going to be doing this regularly and pissing off high level assholes, there are going to be some pretty annoyed people sending thugs against us.” His eyes unfocused for just a moment. “We can’t do it from within the system. Hellz, we don’t even have prints in the system and eventually that can bite us in the ass. Finally, we can’t build the kind of operation we need while we’re on the run.”
“It’s funny,” he added. “I knew when we first talked about this that we might be biting off something large. But I was more excited at the prospect of having something worth fighting for; I mean, changing the world, one brick, one case, at a time. That’s pretty powerful shit. But I guess I was so high on the possibility of what we might achieve that I didn’t really think through the risks.”
Molly smiled sympathetically. “You’ve just been out of practice for so long.” She winked at him.
Joel bobbed his head in agreement. “You jest, but it’s true. I got caught up in the emotion of it.”
Molly’s heart tightened. “You’re still on board, right? You don’t want to change your mind?”
His looked over to Molly and winked. “Can’t get rid of me that easily. Just because I was one of the most successful independent…. Well, shit. I can’t sell that. So I was doing ok, bringing in some money and dying one day at a time finding lost husbands who seemed to be occupying someone else’s home at night. Do you know how much that sucks the soul out of a person, to always be looking at the underside of people’s moral ass all the time?”
Molly’s relief was evident in her face; Joel noticed especially that the skin around her eyes relaxed.
“Let me tell you something…” Joel pulled out a chair and sat down at the table with Molly. She had finished eating and pushed the plate an inch away to give him her attention.
“I got into the military because I wanted to change the world. The thing that’s great about the service is that you’re given the skills to not be powerless anymore. And you get put with a team of people with the same skills, and together you’re sent on missions. Some gigs change the world for the better. Others help maintain the status quo and the balance of power. The trouble is, you don’t get to choose.”
Molly was now listening intently.
“So then, you left because you wanted to be your own boss?” she asked.
“No, I left because I want to help change the world. Being the boss doesn’t appeal to me. Being a leader is just what I do when I have good people around me that want to pull in the same direction. But I got out because with each mission there at the end, I didn’t know if we were the bad guys or the good guys any longer.”
Joel took a breath, and released it, along with what seemed like a ton of tension.
“I guess, as I’m talking, I’m realizing that I am with you because I know that even though we might fuck up and have the wool pulled over our eyes, our intention is in the right place. Your intention is in the right place. In the right direction. And as such, Ms. Bates, I will follow you off-world, or to another system, or to the damn Pan Galaxy if that is where this effort to make a fucking difference takes us.”
Molly felt tension building in her throat. She tried to remain neutral, but this sentiment was a little overwhelming. She attempted to speak, but her voice got caught.
Joel noticed her eyes welling with tears.
He shook his head, a small grin forming around his lips. “Molly Bates getting emotional. Never thought I’d see that! Man, if the old squad heard about this, they’d never believe it.” He was talking lightly, as if trying to lessen the intensity of the conversation.
“Okay, here’s the last thing I want to say, and then I’ll shut up.” His voice was the gentlest she’d ever heard it. “Molly, you saved my life.” He paused, his eyebrows furrowed together, “Well to be fair, you killed me first, but then you raised me from the dead. I suppose I’ll be able to get free beers on that story for a long time. At least some good will come out of it.”
She snorted, then slapped a hand over her nose.
He grinned. “You’re a leader through and through if you let yourself be. And yeah, sometimes your methods are a little intense, but there are going to be times where that intensity is going to save lives.”
He pointed to her and then himself, “We’re going to need that. So, I guess what I’m saying is…I owe you. But more than that, I want you to lead this effort. I want you to take charge of this whole bigger picture thing. I can’t do it. It’s not me. You’re the driver behind this whole initiative. But as long as you want to lead, I will be there to support you. Every. Step. Of. The. Fucking. Way.”
Molly had tears streaming down her face. Still unable to speak, she nodded, and mouthed the words, “Thank you.”
Joel got up and found the paper towels on the counter. Peeling a couple sheets off, he handed her the towels to wipe her face.
“Just don’t ever expect me to give you advice on girly shit or anything. I am not into that kind of support…” He winked, and she giggled through her tears.
After the hug she thanked him again, still too overwhelmed with her own emotions to really respond.
“I’ve got to get the car refueled before my trip to Spire,” she said finally, swapping out her old paper towels for a few new sheets.
“Sure. Go do what you gotta do. I’ll be here.” Joel lightly punched her arm and Molly left, looking forward to the long drive ahead to get her shit together once more.
“Oh, and you should probably name your new friend,” she said, looking at the sphinx before
she left.
Klambratun Park, downtown Spire
Dewitt approached the designated park bench. Mr. Andus was already there, looking out at the park and the fountains. It looked like he was genuinely enjoying the peace and natural beauty of the place.
Dewitt knew better.
Placing himself at the other end of the bench, he crossed his legs and pulled out his holo, pretending to catch up on messages.
Andus acknowledged him as you would a stranger, and then looked back out over the lake, taking in the breeze.
Finally he spoke.
“I hear your man disappeared.”
Shit. Dewitt knew Andus would already be aware. He had never been able to work out how the hell he got his intel.
“Yes. Garet Beaufort is missing, but we still have the girl. We suspect he won’t go far without her. She is still going about her life as if nothing has happened.”
“So you’re planning to take her out as well?”
“She was the one who copied the files onto a pod and then gave them to him. I don’t know what else to do.”
“It’s a shame. She has been loyal till now.” Andus spoke mostly with indifference, like one might mourn an old cleaning rag that had been worn out. “Do we have any idea what prompted this sudden turn of allegiance?”
“We can only think it was the boyfriend. She hasn’t had any contact with other known threats. Nor has he, from what we can tell. We’re still looking into it.”
“Might I suggest that it was an idiotic move to be keeping those records in the first place?” Andus’ voice was even and steely.
Dewitt forced himself not to shudder. He knew only too well what Andus was capable of, but to show fear was to show weakness. He’d seen Andus’ form of justice enacted first hand, and he had no intention of finding himself in that same compromised position.
“It was, and I’m truly sorry. I will fix this. But…” he hesitated, wondering if he should push it.
His mouth got away from him. “…but you don’t exactly foster trust.”
Andus pursed his lips and shook his head, minutely. “And now, because of your trust issues, you risk exposing us all.” There was a short pause, “This is hardly a justification.”
“Sir, I have my best men fixing our problem. It will be resolved in short order.” Dewitt desperately tried to reassure his leader, knowing now was not the time to mention the hiccup with O’Farus.
“If by your best men, you mean the duo commonly known as Henrik, we’re all in trouble. Those two morons couldn’t find their way out of a paper bag.” A sneer crept across Andus’ thin gray lips.
“Not Henrik. I’ve got others in my employ.” Dewitt stumbled over his words, trying to maintain his composure. “It will be resolved. You have my word.”
“Let’s hope so, Mr. Dewitt. If you were to be exposed, the group and I cannot be caught anywhere near this. We will need to distance ourselves from any association with you.”
“You mean I’m on my own?” There was shock in his voice. He’d given his life to this group, and when he needed them most he was at risk of being cast out. Abandoned.
“That’s exactly what I mean, Mr. Dewitt. Clean it up. There is too much at stake.” And with that, Mr. Andus got up and ambled away casually, as if he were continuing a simple walk in the park. The pale skin of his face tilted up towards the sunlight as he left.
Dewitt sat for a moment, waiting for the panic in his chest to subside. The shock had affected him more than he had imagined when he’d played out the worst-case scenarios in the wee hours of the previous few nights. Normally collected and composed, he now hunched over with his head in his hands and elbows on his knees. This wasn’t the same man that people had seen a few hours before delivering a confident address. Nor was it the Senate official who schmoozed his way through the downtown restaurant to represent the Syndicate’s interests with Medifair.
This was more like the man who had been exposed for murdering his own wife all those years ago, when he first pledged his allegiance to Mr. Andus in exchange for a professional cover-up.
This man was close to falling apart.
Chapter 13
Safe house, fifty kilometers west of Uptarlung
Joel found Molly sitting up on her bed, as he had countless times since they started living here. It had become her office, where she would hide away from other activity in order to think and “get shit done,” as she had called it.
“Hey,” he knocked on the open door. “Garet just made the transfer. We’re good to go on that ship purchase whenever you’re ready.” Joel made a face, “I think we are in the wrong business. Politics, or at least some factions with the business area, seem to pay well or opportunities present themselves around lunch meetings or something.”
Molly looked up, her face lighting up at the prospect of buying a real spaceship. It wasn’t every day a girl got to make that kind of purchase.
“Ah, excellent. Might be worth talking through with Garet the possibility of him having to come off-world with us for a little while until things cool down here…even if this all goes our way.”
Molly was optimistic, but she didn’t know how this was going to go. Neither of them could predict that.
“Yes, good plan. He’ll need time to adjust to the idea, but as long as we can persuade Paige to come with, he’ll probably be agreeable.”
“Super.”
“What you up to?” Joel asked as casually as he could.
“Just about to pick out a ship that we can actually afford the down payment on. Oz has got a couple of good potentials lined up, and he managed to figure out some creative financing to get us going. But I think we’re going to also filter for those that are available right away.”
“Sounds like a plan. I agree with the sooner the better. I’ve been thinking about this location, and there are only so many trips we can make without them finding us. Even with our maneuvers and anti-radar paint.”
“And picking up our own pizza!” Molly joked.
“Exactly!” Joel grinned at her.
“Any news on our pilot and engineer yet?” she asked, still in operations mode.
“Yep, two meetings tomorrow. Downtown Uptarlung. Both ex-military. Did some finagling with some old contacts from the service. These guys aren’t special ops or anything, but they’re still shit hot at what they do, which is keeping birds in the air. They should be good for this next phase of expansion.”
“Great. And when we have the resources and the need for more specialist skills, we will find the means of reaching them?”
Joel nodded, “Right. At this rate we seem to be gathering something of a reputation already.”
“How so?” Molly was genuinely amazed that anyone could really know what they were up to.
“Ah, you know…from calling up clients, and people getting in touch after the Health Corp thing went live. People talk. And they especially talk when it comes to operatives who can get shit done.”
“Well, that sounds like it’s good for business. The danger is going to be remaining accessible to potential clients while not having the dirtbags be able to trace us.”
“Yeah, something to think about as we solve these other problems, I guess.”
“Hey, did you think of what to call this little guy yet?” Molly indicated to the purple sphinx that was curled up on her bed, snuggled up against her crossed legs.
Joel looked at him in a way that said, “aww”. Being all military and manly though, he resisted the urge to vocalize it.
This time, Joel shook his head. “I thought about it, but haven’t been able to come up with anything. I’ve never really been one for pets.”
“Hmm,” Molly mused, putting her metaphorical thinking cap on. “He seems kinda wise, don’t you think? Like he’s operating on some higher consciousness.”
“You’re not going to get all etheric and shit on me, are you?” Joel teased.
“No. I�
��m not into all that. But…you know there was this ancient Earth philosopher. Neechie or something.” She started looking something up on her handheld holo. “He suggested that there were different levels of consciousness. Like not knowing you’re enslaved, to realizing you’re a slave, and then being able to break free of the bonds and live a truly creative, expansive life.”
“How do you spell that, though? Sounds complicated.” Joel wasn’t convinced.
“That’s what I’m looking up, now.”
"You know some dead philosopher on a planet hundreds of star systems away, but you can't spell his name?"
"You know that's practically a dead language, right? Are you going to grade me on spelling his name, or knowing his name?” Molly didn’t even look up, but Joel noticed the tiny smile on her lips.
Joel smiled generously. "I'll grade on a curve."
"Damn right you will grade me on a curve!” she laughed.
“Okay, so it’s spelled N-I-E-T-Z-S-C-H-E.” She paused, and an evil grin spread across her face, remembering something. “But you don’t have to call him that. You can spell it however you want, if that’s too difficult for you to remember.”
Joel recognized the glint of revenge in her eye and tone of voice.
“Are you trying to get me back for that time when I let you write up the weapons reports, and had you spell the names of the different guns phonetically?”
“You bet I am, you patronizing arsewipe!”
“That was hilarious. Good times.” Joel was holding his sides, snickering as he tried to not let his humor spill over to outright laughter.
Molly frowned back at her friend. “Yeah, I know you thought so. I think the whole squad took to spelling them wrong in their reports for weeks afterwards. Captain Lugdon told me all about it at one of the parties. I had no idea until he told me. But YOU! You were meant to have corrected them for me, before they went on record. Last time I trust you on something like that.”
The Ascension Myth Box Set Page 12
