“Parents? You mean both of them?”
“Er... yes, dear.” Her mom came back into view again. “I’m sorry to break it to you like this, but there is a lot we need to fill you in on. It’s becoming mission critical now.”
“How can you both be spooks? I… you ran a business. I got you into trouble.”
“No dear, we got ourselves into trouble. And that’s why we had to change our cover and why your father retired.”
“But…”
Lance leaned forward, taking up the screen and blocking her mother out. “Molly, it’s all going to be okay. I understand that this is coming as a shock. I’m sorry. If I’d known, I would have done this differently. But it’s going to take you a little time to get back, and there are some things I’d like you to think about.”
Molly nodded obediently. Her eyes looked stunned, but no longer was there a trace of fear. More confusion as she reevaluated everything she had ever known.
Lance explained to her briefly about the impending threats they’d uncovered. “We’ll relay our intel to you so you can review it en route, but you might also find that the team members you left behind are already all over it, too.”
“Paige and Maya?”
“Yes. ADAM has noticed they are working on it from another angle. I’ll let them fill you in.”
“Okay. So, what do you need me to do?”
Lance’s face was severe. He put his cigar down and looked into the camera. “Big picture? Protect the citizens. Don’t let this organization take over.”
Molly felt the world spinning again. “This is huge!” she protested. “I can’t do this.”
Lance sat back in his chair, looking momentarily irritated. Then immediately, his face softened. “Seems we selected the wrong person to discover Gaitune.” Molly couldn’t tell, but she thought she saw a hint of a smile.
Molly’s expression changed. Her back straightened. “No sir, you did not. This is what we’ve been working toward. We’ll get the job done.”
“Thank you, Ms. Bates. Keep me posted.”
The call disconnected. Molly felt herself reeling from shock. She sat for several minutes staring at the dark patterned carpet. She was vaguely aware of people walking past, looking at her, probably wondering what she was doing. She didn’t care. She needed time to process. To understand. To rewrite history in her own mind.
I need a drink.
Bar is back the way you came.
Thanks, Oz.
Lance’s Office, Aboard The ArchAngel, Sark System
Carol closed her eyes, frowning. “So, what do we do?”
Lance leaned forward in his seat and looked from Carol to Philip and back again. “I think that’s something we should talk about when your daughter gets back to the system.”
“When will she be back?” Carol asked spontaneously.
“Soon. In the meantime, why don’t you both head back to Estaria and get moving on what you can piece together? I’ll have Barb relay some key details to you to help you out.”
Philip shifted on the spot. “But we talked about this. I’m retired.”
Lance smiled an enigmatic smile. “You’ll probably want to come out of retirement for this. They’re going to need you.”
“But I’m old,” he protested, looking to his wife to back him up. “Too old for running around and gathering intel!”
Lance sat up and looked directly at him. “Not too old to teach the next generation.”
“Spycraft?”
“Yes and no. More counterintelligence. And whatever it takes to keep the population safe from hostile takeover.”
Carol interrupted. “You mean a coup?”
“Potentially,” Lance agreed casually. “It will be sneakier than a coup, though. The people won’t even see it happening.”
“We haven’t got the resources for this,” Carol protested.
“Oh, I think your daughter can be incredibly resourceful. You just need to sit down with her on her turf. We’ll fill her in on our conversation when she reports in. But in the meantime, you two should get back to the surface and ready yourselves to be on board with this. Or otherwise. If you’re not in, I understand. But it would be a waste of good people if we can’t count on you. And we won’t be able to guarantee the outcome of things to come…”
Philip glanced nervously at his wife and then at Barb, who seemed equally concerned by the conversation. “We’ll be ready,” he confirmed. “We’ve got to be.”
Carol fiddled with the edge of her jacket nervously. It was now the only thing that gave away the fact that she was still feeling emotional. Or that her world had been turned upside down. Anyone else walking into the room at that point would have assumed that she was in complete control. Her deportment, the expression of her face, everything pointed to signs that this woman was in control.
She glanced down at her holo and poked at a couple of screens. Then she leaned forward, grabbed the drink that Barb had set to one side, and downed it in one. She looked to the general and nodded, and then to Barb. “Thank you,” she said kindly, patting her arm.
And then she got up and marched out of the room.
Philip waved awkwardly, faffing and muttering goodbyes and apologies, and trotted after her.
Lance watched them leave.
“Sooooooo…” Barb cooed, trying to read the general’s expression. “Mission accomplished?”
Lance sighed and stood up. “Too soon to tell. I think the rest is going to be down to Ms. Bates Junior when she arrives back.”
Barb nodded once. She picked up Carol’s empty martini glass and placed it back on the general’s drinks tray. “Alrighty then, boss. I’ll let you get on. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”
“Will do, Barb. Thank you. You did an excellent job!”
“Any time.” She waved, wandering out of the office. Then she stopped. “Actually,” she said, pausing and turning back to him. “Next time, there will be conditions. An exchange. That woman is… intense!” She grinned.
Lance chuckled. “No problem, Barb. I appreciate it. Have a great trip. I’ll see you when you get back.”
“Sure. We’ll have you and Patricia around.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
Barb continued out of the office, leaving the general alone for the first time since the Bates fiasco had started. He sat back in his chair, picked up his cigar, and popped it in his mouth. He stared into space for some time, replaying the events of the last several hours.
Entertainment Deck, Bronislovas Trading Outpost, Kirox Quadrant
The wedding reception was well underway. Drinks of all kinds of origin were being knocked back by dancing and laughing guests. If Joel didn’t know better, he would have thought this was a normal, happy occasion and not the wedding of the daughter of the sector’s most feared criminal. He took it all in, nursing his drink and standing with his elbows against the bar.
Sean came over and took a refill from the bartender. “So, what do you think?” he asked, gesturing with his newly freshened glass at the party in front of them.
Joel leaned closer to be able to hear him over the music. “I never thought I’d see you getting married!” he said.
“Yeah, me neither,” Sean confessed. “Just kinda happened.”
“Don’t worry,” Joel said a little quieter and making sure Karina wasn’t around. “We’ll get you out of it. Can’t be that difficult. Bet this sim deck thing doesn’t even count.”
Sean turned and looked at him seriously. He shuffled closer so they wouldn’t have to raise their voices as much. “I’m… not sure I’ll be wanting to do that.”
“What do you mean? You didn’t seriously intend to marry this girl?”
Sean nodded. “Well, not originally. But…”
“Sean Royale!” Joel exclaimed. “Are you telling me this wasn’t just a ruse to get out of some tight corner?”
“It was… to begin
with. But… you know.”
“But you can’t know this girl. You’ve only been gone a few days.”
“Actually, we do have history.”
Joel laughed. “You dark horse. What else have you been keeping from us?”
Sean shrugged and finished his liquor. “That is above your clearance level!”
Joel shuffled a little closer to him so the two men were now elbow to elbow, leaning on the bar, looking out at the guests making mistakes they were going to regret in the morning. “So seriously, bud, what is it? Why are you marrying this girl for real?”
Sean sighed. “I feel like I need to. I can’t really explain it, but some of our history, I was… selfish. I had to choose between the job and her, and obviously, I chose the job. But where has that got me? I mean, sure, I have a good life and a good team. But when everything has been about the mission for such a long time, you start to wonder—”
“What else there is,” Joel said, finishing his sentence.
Sean nodded.
Joel raised his glass to clink with Sean’s. “Well, here’s to finding out what else there is!” The two men toasted Sean’s new beginning and continued drinking well into the night, barely moving from the same spot.
* * *
Molly perched on a strange anti-grav barstool at the bar. It floated and morphed as if it didn’t really have a fixed form. But strangely, she didn’t feel seasick. Or like she was going to fall off it anytime soon. She idly wondered if it emitted some kind of brain wave stabilizing signal. It wouldn’t have surprised her. It was the same tech used on the sim deck.
She noticed Joel and Sean propping up the bar at the opposite end of the large entertainment suite. Having persuaded the bartender to leave the bottle of tequila with her, she alternated between staring blankly at the bottle label, pouring, drinking, and watching the others cavorting on the dance floor.
Unsurprisingly, Brock was stealing the show with his dance moves. It seemed he was able to pick up any style of dance with any species. Molly barely knew half of the strange beings that were at the wedding party, let alone their customs or dance moves. Brock was good at making friends.
Occasionally, Crash and Pieter would join him, but they seemed to be a little more reserved, despite the free alcohol that was flowing. She’d noticed even Jack put in an appearance now and again, although she didn’t seem to be drinking.
It was probably a good thing, she thought, considering they were technically on enemy turf.
Molly became aware of someone sitting in the stool next to her. She turned, seeing someone dressed in white. It took a moment for her to register that it was indeed Karina, the bride.
“Hey,” Karina ventured. The bar man handed her a glass, and she scooted closer to Molly. “How are you liking my party?”
Molly rolled her lips, thinking for the polite and socially correct thing to say. “It’s a very nice party.” She paused, trying to make an effort, despite her conflicted feelings. “Congratulations,” she added, pouring Karina a drink. “I hope you’ll both be very happy together.”
Karina accepted the drink and clinked glasses with her. The two then downed the liquor. Molly refilled the glasses.
“You don’t approve,” Karina stated flatly.
Molly had done her token politeness. “I do not,” she agreed, downing another shot.
Karina shifted on her anti-grav stool. “I understand. If my friend ran away and then showed up married, I would have questions, too.”
Molly ignored her and poured another drink.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Karina tried again, this time with less gentleness in her voice.
“Loss?” Molly smarted. “I haven’t lost him. You think he’s going to go along with this scheme you’ve got cooking up? I can tell you he will not. He’s going to wake up in the morning and realize that all of this was a big mistake, and he’s going to get back on our ship and fly out of here as quickly as he flew in.”
Karina looked affronted. “I don’t think you know Sean very well.”
“I know him a hell of a lot better than you do,” she retorted, taking another drink.
“I don’t think so, princess,” Karina shot back. The softness had gone from her voice. She sounded arrogant. Like she suddenly owned Sean. And every domain over him.
“Who are you calling princess, Mob Princess?”
Okay, Molly, now would be a good time to walk away.
This bitch thinks she can just come along and change everything.
Molly!
No.
“No, I’m not having it!” she said out loud to Karina. “You think you can flutter your eyelashes and tear Sean away from everything he knows and loves… for what? A life in the mob? A life on the run? You’ve guilted him into doing this. And you’re going to damn well undo it!”
Karina was on her feet, taking up a fighting stance. She pulled her high-heeled princess shoes off one by one, throwing them down against the bar. “You can think again! You’re just an angry person. And you’re jealous.”
“Jealous of what?” Molly shouted back, climbing off her stool. “Of a daddy’s girl who gets everything she wants? Who has an aimless life… and thinks that marrying a soldier is her ticket for a life of adventure?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about!”
Molly could feel the fury coursing through her veins. She grabbed the nearest thing that she could use as a weapon: the near-empty tequila bottle. “Oh yeah, and I suppose you’re going to tell me?” she shouted.
They didn’t realize but the music had stopped and people were looking at them.
“Princess, what are you doing?” a voice called out from the crowd. “Stop this at once!” It was Karina’s father shouting from the middle of the dance floor.
Brock was mid-lift with some scaly creature and ended up putting her down. Before he could replace her on the floor, Joel and Sean came running across the dance floor.
Sean immediately stood in front of Karina, and Joel stood between them, pulling Molly to one side.
Joel held her arm tightly, taking the tequila bottle off her. “Come on. This isn’t you. You’re just stressed out…”
Sean had his hands out defensively. “It’s okay, Molly. It’s all going to be okay. Karina isn’t planning anything.”
“The hell she isn’t,” Molly shouted over Joel’s shoulder.
“Come on, let’s take a walk.” Joel led her out of a side door to the bar and out into one of the large, luxurious corridors. “Come on, walk it off. This isn’t who you are.”
Molly’s eyes started to stream, putting mascara down her face. She stumbled a little, slurring her words. “I just don’t understand why he did this! He didn’t have to. And it’s not like he loves her. He’s just trying to be a good person and rescue her from her shit life.”
Joel sighed. “I think it’s a little more complicated than that. But if it helps, I don’t think he’s planning to go anywhere. I mean, other than home with us.”
Molly wiped at her face. “Did he say that?”
“Yeah,” Joel stepped closer to her. “It’s all going to be fine. Everything will be the same, only—”
“He’ll be married?” Molly interjected. “I mean, what are we going to do? Set them up with a couple’s quarters on base? And then listen to their arguments every night?”
Joel laughed. “Who said they’re going to argue?”
She shook her head and scuffed at the floor with the toe of her boot. “That’s what all married couples do. They act like they’re so in love in front of people, because having a wedding and a marriage is a big-ass ego trip for them, and then behind closed doors, they do nothing but shout and yell and make each other miserable, until one of them leaves.”
Joel narrowed his eyes. “Is that what you think?”
“That’s what I know.”
Joel didn’t say anything. Instead, he carefully waited until he cou
ld get close without fear of being punched. Tequila bottle in one hand, he hugged her as she sobbed.
“Why is it that I end up being the bad guy?”
“You’re not the bad guy,” he told her. “You came out here to save his ass… and you’re still just trying to do that. It’s just the threat isn’t carrying a gun.”
“So, you agree? You think she’s trouble?”
“I didn’t say that. We need to trust.” He felt Molly’s body tighten and start to pull away. “But verify,” he added.
Molly relaxed again. She hugged him back.
“Come on. Let’s go get you cleaned up. And maybe a mocha.”
She pouted. “I’m not allowed to drink mocha.”
“I’m allowing you, just for tonight,” he told her.
“So, I don’t sleep?”
“Okay, good point. I’ll find you something without the stims then.”
He started walking her toward the restrooms. “Off you go. I’ll be right out here. If you’re not out in a few minutes, I’m coming in after you. Gender taboos be dammed!”
Molly almost giggled through her tears as she headed into the restroom.
Chapter 16
Bronislovas Trading Outpost, Kirox Quadrant
The next morning, there was a knock at Molly’s door.
…the fuck?
It’s Joel.
Where am I?
In a hotel room. On the Bronislovas Outpost still.
Molly clamped her hand to her head. She winced, but even wincing hurt.
So much for an upgrade.
It’s okay. Now that you’re conscious, I can metabolize whatever it is. I didn’t want to stop you sleeping.
Molly felt something like a shot of adrenaline whooshing through her body. Her eyes flew open, and like a shot, she was up and out of bed.
So, you can control the nanocytes?
Yeah, I’ve been toying with them in the background. You wouldn’t have noticed.
So, this means I can drink mocha again?
Well, I wouldn’t go deliberately trying to mess with your system like that but—
Okay, good to know.
There was another knock at the door.
The Ascension Myth Box Set Page 188
