by C. G. Hatton
“You do know there are cameras here, don’t you?” I said, cocky, probably too confrontational but I didn’t like this asshole, didn’t like what he was doing to Genie.
He turned and had hold of my jacket before I could react. I let him, waiting to see what he’d do.
He leaned close and growled into my face, “Imogen Kilkenny is mine. Stay away from her.”
I laughed again, probably not smart. “No, I think I’m her guest this summer, Aki. Her choice. And seriously, there are cameras.”
He laughed then and leaned closer, breath stinking of whisky. “And my father’s personal guard are on duty tonight. I can do what I want.” He let go and shoved me away. “You are a chicken-shit runt from Earth and you are not welcome here.”
I wasn’t about to let them goad me into making the first blow. I smiled and leaned forward. “A chicken-shit runt that Imogen prefers over you, Aki.”
Tenaka flew at me, clenching his hand into a fist, drawing it back and thrusting it at me. I dodged easily, balancing my weight and shielding my left arm, feet taking up position, other elbow moving and about to take him down, when there was a sharp, “Boys,” behind us.
Mrs K.
We both backed off, Tenaka straightening his jacket and holding his head low, sheepish.
I kept my chin up, looking Imogen’s mother in the eye, not sure which side she was going to take.
His two buddies disappeared fast as Imogen appeared behind her, expression dark, sending to me privately, “Are you okay? What did he do?”
I didn’t get a chance to reply as Mrs K gave an icy command. “Akihiro, take Imogen inside.”
Not taking my side, then.
I shouldn’t have cared but I sent Sienna a quick request to follow Imogen. “I don’t trust him not to hurt her,” I sent and got a reluctant affirmative back.
Mrs K waited until they’d gone then seemed to relax a notch, doing that breathing thing again, inhaling slowly. She had a slender flute of champagne in her hand. She raised it and took a sip, walking out to stare over her domain, letting a long drawn out heartbeat pass between us.
I managed to stay still, hardly breathing, not sure if I should stay or go.
She didn’t look at me as she murmured, finally, almost too quiet for me to hear, “I know you have the means to access a database by remote,” switching to the Senson to add, “You want to impress me, Felix Dennison? The code is Corun Sigma Three, cypher Twelve Zero Two.”
Shit. I accessed it fast, scanned through the data and wasn’t even done before she turned, pierced me with a look and said equally as quietly, “Now give me one reason. One reason why an alliance with the Old Earth Empire would benefit my corporation, my family, more than an alliance with Aries. Right now. One chance. One reason.”
Chapter 16
She took a sip of her champagne, maintaining that eye contact.
Something had made her change her mind about me and I had no idea what.
I’d seen what she was after in the data. She wasn’t being subtle. But it had been well obscured.
Get this wrong and I’d probably be shipped back to Earth before breakfast. Get it right… and I could condemn an entire colony of people to unwanted attention from UM. I couldn’t win. I tried to slow my heart rate.
“Leeden 5.” I said it quietly, heart in my stomach. I knew no one on Leeden 5, had no connection with the place and I knew exactly what would happen. I shouldn’t have said it. I should have laughed and walked away. Just concentrated on how I could last there long enough to get into that vault.
Mrs K was testing me, judging whether I was worthy to be invited into a life that I knew was never going to be mine. Any possible time I could have with Genie was measured in weeks, if not days, and then that would be it.
She waited even longer then said to me with a strange edge of humour in her voice, “You are permitted to unbutton the jacket after dinner.”
I breathed, calm and steady as I undid the button on the jacket.
“And loosen the tie.”
The knotted bow came undone easily to hang loose around my neck. I took a chance and undid the top button of the shirt as well.
It didn’t seem to offend her.
“Now,” she said, raising her glass, “why do you say Leeden 5?”
Kheris had been in that data. A load of others. Disputed planets in the Between, pretty much equally Earth or Wintran, the Empire or one corporation or another exploiting mineral deposits, heavy metals, rare earth elements, with no care for the locals, the suckers who had to work in guaranteed dangerous conditions and bring up their kids with next to nothing. I didn’t just say Leeden 5 because it wasn’t Kheris. As an asset it wasn’t obvious and it wasn’t on anyone’s radar, which meant no one was going to fight for it. But recent surveys all pointed to a potential new resource, if you interpreted the data from multiple sources. And from what I’d seen in that brief glance, no one had put it together yet but Zang were sniffing around. The Dennisons had controlling stakes in the mining company currently operating out there, but the costs were exorbitant, rising above viability fast, and it was a fine line whether they’d stay. Even if a new source of revenue were discovered, it wouldn’t make sense to invest that heavily to get to it… unless you had a hefty input from another interested party.
I bit my lip. “Because you have experience in that kind of tough environment… and we don’t.”
She took a sip of her champagne, the gemstones in her earrings sparkling in the light spilling out from the doorway as she made each delicate move.
“Very good. Make no mistake, young man, I’ve been taking quite an interest in you over the past week. I’ve seen how you speak to Imogen. Seen you helping the staff clean up after meals… taking the time to teach Beatrice differential equations… the walk…”
It took me a moment to catch on. I’d given Bea a piggyback home after a ten-mile hike Genie had insisted we go on. The kid had been limping with really bad blisters. Hadn’t said a word. For all their privilege and pampering, these corporate kids were tough, believe me. Groomed from birth for the boardroom. Show no fear, show no weakness. Even at home, especially at home, in the safety of their own family. And like I said, Bea reminded me of Freddie. She’d refused, stubbornly and in pain, and only conceded when I’d said she’d have to walk the last half mile on her own so no one would see. I hadn’t realised Mrs K knew about it.
She raised her eyebrows. “However, you do realise, don’t you, that even if my daughter does have feelings for you, any relationship you could ever have with her will be purely superficial and could never be made public. You might have escorted her here tonight, but that was very much as a guest of the family.”
I started to shake my head, not sure if I was supposed to say something.
She raised her hand to cut me off anyway. “Understand this, Felix, I care who my daughter marries… I don’t care who she sleeps with.”
Holy shit. My stomach was hollow. I didn’t know which way to turn to not screw this up.
She didn’t give me the chance and simply turned away herself, pausing to look back at me. “You seem to have made quite an impression on my husband. I agree with him, you have an enviable penchant for understanding politico-financial nuances across the line. That could be highly profitable for both our families. And I agree with my daughter, you have something about you that makes me almost wish I were thirty years younger.”
I think I just blinked.
She gave a hint of a smile. “Now go inside and rescue my daughter from that bore of a man-child Tenaka.”
We stayed for another two hours, two long hours, Genie introducing me formally, no doubt on her mother’s instructions, to every acquaintance and business associate at the event. We didn’t get as far as Ennio Ostraban but I did get to meet his personal assistant, and when Genie suggested we speak to Ballack, I veered her away and feigned interest in a research associate who was touting cryogenics and stasis pods as a way of elongating lif
espans.
I hadn’t seen Mr K since dinner and I didn’t see Mrs K again until we got into the car to leave. Seemed like the social event of the year was nothing of the sort. It was business… every overly-polite, champagne-tinged sparkling moment of glamour and spectacle just another opportunity to negotiate. It would probably still be going on over breakfast.
By the end of our evening, when Genie finally sidled up to me and whispered that maybe we could sneak away, my feet were hurting and my knee aching more than they’d ever done on Redemption with its enforced marches in all weathers carrying full combat equipment.
There was a line of cars waiting outside, staff in uniform handing us our coats as we left, a security detail meeting us with all the slick professional manoeuvring of a presidential escort.
Sienna was shown to the front car, Jensonn to the car at the rear, same as they had been getting here. Not ideal, and Sienna wasn’t totally happy but it was the Kilkenny’s show. Mrs K’s bodyguard held open the door for us to climb in and got into the front seat next to the driver.
It was a half hour drive back to Camborne.
One thing I’d learned on Kheris the hard way, and at the guild an even harder way, was how to stay awake when I was beyond tired. It was four in the morning. Genie kicked off her shoes, snuggled into my shoulder, my arm around her, and was asleep in minutes. Mrs K looked across at us and gave a kind of knowing smile, approval of sorts.
It was a life that wasn’t mine. And I should have known better.
After about ten minutes, we took a sharp turn.
That wasn’t right.
Left, here, didn’t lead to Camborne.
I had to force myself not to sit up. “Sienna…?”
There was cursing and a restrained, “Roadblock. Our guy is turning around. We’ll catch up to you. Jensonn?”
I missed what he sent back but I could see in the driver’s mirror that his car was following, and presumably Sienna’s somewhere behind that. It was fine.
Except there was a distinct change in atmosphere. The door locks clicked.
Genie’s mother seemed oblivious.
I sent a fast hack into the vehicle’s core system, not expecting much other than traffic reports, and was thrown out with a jolt that made my eyes water.
“Sienna…” I sent. “What are you…?”
The connection cut as a spike of intense pain lanced into my Senson, at the same time as an immense bang behind us, the car slewing across the road, rocked by a shockwave.
My head banged against the window, hard, as I felt the car going over. I braced myself, shielding Genie as best I could as we fell, tumbling, the car rolling and skidding onto its roof before it crashed. I banged my head again and only half registered the muted blast of another explosion behind us.
There was a second of vague confusion, ears ringing, far off voices, Genie waking and shouting to me, shaking me, her mother barking at the driver.
Any attempt to link to anyone on the Senson sent sparks into the back of my eyes.
I blinked against the pain, looked up and saw the bodyguard in the front seat twist round and press a gun against the driver’s head.
Holy shit.
There was the sharp crack. Blood spattered against the dividing window as the driver slumped forward.
Genie screamed.
The car doors were being opened before I could do anything, head still spinning, vision blurred, and I was dragged out into the freezing cold darkness of the streets. Not rescue. Whoever it was punched me hard in the face and slammed me up against the vehicle, pulling my arms behind my back, agonising sparks flaring up my left arm, what breaths I could snatch laced with smoke and the bitter tang of blood.
I didn’t stop to think, thrust my head backwards to crack against the asshole pinning me, and turned, dropping my weight and shoving him away from me with a sharp jab to the throat as I kicked his legs out from under him.
I started shouting to Sienna as soon as I was clear. Gunfire was erupting from all directions. I turned. There was a limo on its side behind us, flames licking up out of it, dense black smoke billowing out into the chill air of the city.
Something hit me hard against the back of my head and my knees went. Screw that. I didn’t hesitate, rolled and swept low, flooring whoever it was behind me, coming up and lashing out to take down another guy who was trying to grab my arm. I could hardly see straight but I could make out Genie being held by a guy in combat gear, her mother being thrown to the floor by her own bodyguard, and a harsh voice shouting, “No, don’t. Finish them off. We just need the kid.”
I staggered to my feet, spun, and barrelled into the guy holding Genie, flooring him with an elbow to the nose, and moving to turn on the bodyguard, only vaguely registering that he was raising a gun and aiming it down at Mrs Kilkenny. I shoved myself between them, grabbed his arm and twisted. There was a bang and heat exploded out along my ribs. I rode the adrenaline, drove my knee into his crotch with a crunch and punched him as he fell. I kicked him in the head to make sure, kicked away the gun and staggered back, looking around.
There were others moving in. It was Jensonn’s vehicle that was burning. As I turned, looking for Genie, the limo’s power core blew. I flinched away as sparks and debris exploded out in a shower of flaring heat amidst the thickening smoke. I couldn’t see Sienna but I could hear her yelling my name, hear others barking out curt commands in military precision as the cracks of gunfire closed in.
The voice beside me was quiet and calm. “Get my daughter out of here.”
Mrs K was slumped against the fender of the car, a dark stain spreading across the front of her evening dress.
“Go,” she ordered.
Sienna was yelling me to get out of there.
I spun, saw Genie staring at me, grabbed her and ran.
I had to slow to a walk as figures started appearing through the smoke, some running to help, some gawping and rubbernecking, sirens wailing in a weird off key tone to join the cacophony of shouts and screams. I threw a glance behind us as we made it to the sidewalk, my right hand gripping Genie’s, the other hugged around my ribs. Any of the goons in black combat gear that I could see started backing off as others in uniform emerged to control the scene, all lit by a tinge of flashing blue and red from the emergency vehicles that were screeching up. A fire and rescue drone flew in low overhead, dousing the flames with suppressant, vying for airspace with a news crew buzzard that was probably already filming live to the streams.
Genie squeezed my hand and started to veer towards the police officers. I almost let her lead me that way, except the back of my neck was tingling with a bad feeling that made me hesitate.
I muttered, “Wait,” and held back, squinting through eyes that were stinging with the mix of smoke and chemical rain that was being sprayed down in torrents.
“What?” Genie looked back at me, eyes widening, as if she was realising for the first time how bad this was.
She dragged on my hand but I pulled back.
“No, wait. There’s something wrong.”
When I was on Kheris, no one had ever questioned how I knew there was trouble coming our way, and on the Alsatia, as much as the guild psychs tried, they could never figure me out. In that freezing cold back street of Winter’s capital city, I knew something was wrong before I saw it.
One of the Kilkenny bodyguards was striding towards the lead police vehicle, gesturing and leaning in close to speak to the officer who was getting out, flashing a badge and shouting out orders. Another figure climbed out of the other door, a big man, straightening his jacket as he joined them.
All three of them turned and looked right in our direction, lit by spotlights that had been thrown up to illuminate the scene.
My stomach clenched.
I almost fell to my knees and threw up right then.
It was McIntyre.
Chapter 17
I veered Genie away, biting back a curse, and slipped behind a couple of EMTs that were
running towards the stranded vehicles.
She resisted but I was stronger.
“What are you doing?” she hissed. She threw her arm out, gesturing wildly. “Felix…? The police are right there.”
“We can’t trust the police,” I muttered.
“Don’t be stupid. Why…?”
“That guy with the police…” I faltered, a lump in my throat, a weight in my stomach, keeping my voice low and backing away, taking her with me further into the shadow of the buildings.
I had no idea how to explain. The crowd of onlookers was growing. I pushed her through.
“Felix…?”
She was trying to stop me and every time she pulled my arm a stabbing pain was shooting through my chest. I could feel warmth trickling down my ribs, something sticky leaking through my fingers.
I tightened my grip on her arm.
“Can you use your Senson?” My voice sounded a million miles away.
“No. Can you?”
If we couldn’t use them, presumably that meant no one could use them to track us.
I edged her into an alleyway between the slick mirror-glass windowed high rise buildings, out of sight from the road, trying to figure out past the ringing in my ears if anyone was following us.
“Felix, what are we doing?”
I had to get us into cover. We were both wearing formal evening clothes and Genie had a glow about her that transcended reality. I’m not kidding, she was otherworldly. We stood out a mile.
I bundled her along, my footsteps crunching in an inch of frost, shielding her from the street, bumping into doors with my shoulder until one opened.
“Let me know if you get through to anyone,” I breathed as I pushed through, edging her aside and nudging in ahead of her even as I pulled her behind me.
It was the backroom of a bar. High end, corporate money throughout. There was a vid playing too loud. Voices. A clink of glasses and a hum of machinery. City folk on their downtime, playing late into the night before another day at the stock markets. Oblivious to what was happening outside.
