Caretakers (Stag Privateers Book 2)

by Nathan Jones

  The young man immediately surged to his feet when Aiden arrived, grim determination seeping into his usually blank features. “Let's go. We need to get to the control room before the base's defenses are fully mobilized against us.”

  Aiden wondered if that meant the robots that had been chasing them. Ali seemed to think so, since she left behind one of their two captured combat androids to seal the entrance and slow pursuit. The other one ran at the front of their small group as they wove through side corridors, towards their destination.

  He found it a bit funny that in spite of losing and gaining stolen robots, they were once again back to a team of four. “Hey android!” he called ahead softly. “You're our new Fix.”

  “Acknowledged,” the hulking automaton said in its reassuringly synthesized voice, “this unit's new designation is “Fix.”

  Aiden literally couldn't tell the difference between his destroyed robot and this one; once they got it programmed the way he liked, Fix would be back to his new self again.

  Which was more than he could say for the half dozen slagged robots they passed on the way to the control room. Or the fried defense turrets and security cameras. After the frantic fight they'd just had to get this far, it felt almost too easy when they made their way unopposed to the final stretch of corridor before the control room.

  From the looks of it their destination was still sealed, while the last survivor of Ali's advance group of combat androids hunkered behind cover just ahead, exchanging fire with two more down a hallway. Aiden was still analyzing the situation as the gunner and Fix moved to join the firefight, and Ali rushed the control room's reinforced door with a KFM.

  That was a sight to behold, since in the companion's hands the force she could bring to bear for the device to multiply was far greater than any human. So much so that it damaged the super resilient weapon as well as the door; by the time she'd hammered out a hole big enough for her to slip through, the KFM was little more than a club made of dense materials.

  Ali threw a stun grenade through the opening, a device designed to generate a carefully calibrated magnetic field that brought instant, temporary unconsciousness in living organisms, while not being strong enough to damage electronics through even the most basic EM shielding.

  Then she dove through the hole she'd made, so quick she looked as if she'd been sucked through by explosive decompression. Aiden heard the hiss of cauterizers from within, and for a frantic moment wondered why the prototype robot that was worth as much as his ship had elected to lead the charge instead of one of their captured androids.

  Then he heard her voice, disconcertingly doubled, as she apparently said the override codes for two combat androids simultaneously. He cautiously approached the hole, just in time for her to call, “All clear, my love! The control room his ours!”

  Aiden peeked through to find Ali leaning over a console, typing furiously without seeming to notice or care that her head was on fire.

  Or well, technically it was just her hair, and for that matter it had been the wig of her disguise; it was mostly burned off by a shot that had barely missed destroying her, with what remained smoldering and coals slowly working their way up the strands like countless tiny fuses.

  Aiden ducked through the small hole, noting the dozen or so ERI employees who'd holed up in this room for safety during the lockdown. They were all sleeping peacefully, although judging by how some had landed when sudden unconsciousness hit, it would probably be an unpleasant awakening in a minute or two.

  Especially once they realized their facility had been taken.

  He kept his cauterizer out, in case of trouble, but lowered it as the blood red lights stopped flashing and the sirens abruptly cut out. In spite of the trouble they'd had getting here, and the fact that they'd lost Fix and the gunner had been injured, he was still surprised everything had worked out this smoothly in the end.

  He cocked his head to get in touch with the crew still on the Last Stand. “We've almost got the station, boy and girls. Get ready to come help us loot this place of anything valuable, as much as we can fit in around this cargo we were hired to steal.”

  Chapter Eight

  Scientists

  “Are you sure you're okay?” Lana said, trying not to let her frantic worry show as she fussed over Dax. Which probably didn't accomplish much more than getting in the way of the ERI medical bot trying to treat his arm.

  She wanted to throw her arms around him, offer some comfort. But even though she'd never experienced being burned herself, at least not that she remembered, she knew it was painful; her boyfriend probably wouldn't appreciate her squeezing it, even if he'd been administered painkillers.

  Dax forced himself to smile for her, although his expression was more disciplined than she'd seen it for a long time. “I'm alive and the wound isn't life threatening. I'll be okay once this bot tells me whether I'll recover full use of my arm.” His smile turned sickly in spite of his best efforts. “What good is a gunner with half his utility gone?”

  Lana's heart broke at half a dozen things about what he'd just said. She couldn't find any words, so she leaned in and gently but firmly kissed him.

  “Excuse me,” the bot said in a polite but impatient electronic voice. “I require uninhibited access to the patient.”

  Across the control room Barix, working at one of the consoles, snorted. “You and the Blank Slate have that in common,” he told the little robot.

  Lana felt her cheeks heat, surprised the slight man could still goad her like this, even after all this time. Dax reached out and patted her arm with his good hand.

  Then she jumped when Aiden clapped a firm hand on her shoulder, steering her towards the door. “Come on,” he told her cheerfully. “The twins will work on securing the station and orbital platform for us, and Ali's already remotely raiding the computers for useful information. With the gunner in treatment and Fix a cooling puddle of metal and composite a few corridors back, I might need your help securing this cargo our benefactor sent us for.”

  Right, Aiden had made it pretty clear that they weren't supposed to say Elyssa's name anywhere it might be overheard or recorded, and especially not in the ERI facility they were raiding. He didn't want them using each other's names either, for that matter, although he hadn't gotten on her case too much when she'd accidentally slipped up and yelled Dax's name when she saw his horrific injury.

  Lana followed the captain and adult companion, along with one of the combat androids that Aiden had apparently already named Fix to replace their lost one, as they ducked out of the control room's ruined door and headed deeper into the facility. The cargo they'd been sent for was in the highest security area, which thankfully was a breeze to get through now that they had the control room along with Elyssa's access codes.

  As they walked, the Dormant kept her eyes peeled for a specific device, or if necessary similar devices that could be modified, that would greatly aid her mission.

  She was a little irked that Fix had been destroyed, after the trouble she'd gone to reprogramming it. But since she'd already memorized the list of override codes for the facility's combat androids, she supposed she could always do the same for Fix's replacement.

  Or replacements. She cleared her throat. “Since there are a bunch of combat androids here, should we fill up our crew with more of them?” She needed to know what assets she'd have to work with.

  And, it had to be mentioned, the Blank Slate liked the idea of having plenty of fighting robots around so the gunner wouldn't have to put himself at risk anymore. Not that she particularly cared what her dominant consciousness thought, but it was less aggravating to work around her when she wasn't fretting.

  Aiden shot her a startled glance. “That's an idea,” he admitted. “They might also make valuable cargo. People are always looking to buy combat androids for security, although smart people are leery of getting secondhand ones, since they can't be sure the override code is still a secret.”

  Duh. “So we m
ight have two or three Fixes?”

  Ali spoke up, sounding slightly distracted to convey that she was still working on processing the facility's databanks. “Since we're being hunted by this Deek task force, it's likely they'll send more boarders at us via mini rift. It wouldn't hurt to have more security aboard to repel them.”

  The captain nodded. “And it would be nice to be back up to the standard light cruiser complement of ten crew, even if four of them are combat androids. How long would it take to get them safe to bring aboard?”

  “Not long,” the companion assured him.

  Aiden grunted, pausing at a security door as Ali and Belix in the control room worked together to get them through. “All right, then. I guess we'll also have Fix 2, Fix 3, and Fix 4.”

  The Dormant receded, and Lana rolled her eyes. “With those kinds of unoriginal names, I should probably be happy with the one you gave me.”

  “Indeed you should, Lana Ensom,” the captain replied, ducking through the security door as Ali finished opening it. Then he stopped, staring off to his right.

  Lana followed Ali through the door to find that they were in a small observation room, with one entire wall made up of a single pane of glass that allowed a slightly overhead view of a much larger room. This one looked to be a combination of lab and workspace, with dozens of cubicles in one half and tables full of gadgets related to robotics in the other.

  “Um, Ali?” Aiden said quietly. “I thought Elyssa's intel said this facility only had fourteen people on staff.”

  He was looking at the few dozen people in the cubicles, some standing and looking around anxiously, but most huddled fearfully beneath their desks; even though the lights were no longer flashing and the warning klaxons weren't blaring, they still looked spooked.

  To Lana's surprise, the adult companion didn't reply. She was staring through the large observation window, the watery hazel eyes of her disguise wide with shock. It was obvious she knew the people inside, or at least one of them. Which wasn't terribly surprising, considering her memory contained a healthy chunk of all the information on the allnet, including more than a few census reports and population lists.

  “What is it?” Aiden demanded. “Who's in there?”

  Ali turned to look at him. “My . . . parents.”

  * * * * *

  Aiden stared at his companion blankly, noticing that Lana looked equally confused. Even the new Fix seemed to be regarding her quizzically.

  Ali noticed their reaction and finally turned away from the window, looking equal parts excited and saddened. “More accurately, the people most influential in the development of the adult companion prototype. Some of the most brilliant minds at HumanAssist Enterprises, which only employs the best.”

  “Except they're hard at work in an Elson Robotics Initiative facility,” Lana said slowly, furrowing her brow. “Did they change jobs?”

  Aiden stared down at the couple dozen men and women below, ranging from around Lana's age to a few decades older than him. They didn't look like some of the smartest people in the universe; there weren't even any Ishivi down there, although he certainly wasn't complaining about that.

  Looking at them, huddling down there in their high security room, he felt a sinking sensation in his gut as an unpleasant realization dawned. They were obviously prisoners, forced to work for the competition against their will, and he had a feeling Elyssa had sent him and his crew to pick them up.

  Only, if she'd simply meant for him to rescue these people from ERI she would've told him, since who doesn't like a rescue? Especially one that paid so well.

  But she hadn't. She'd been closemouthed and vague about what they were picking up here, and had referred to them as cargo. Someone else referred to people as cargo as well: Deeks, with the slaves they took.

  Aiden grit his teeth. His old crew member had to have known how he'd react to this. Which meant the Last Stand probably wasn't here to free these people from ERI or the Movement, but to kidnap them and take them to a new group who wanted them. Possibly even Elyssa herself.

  He turned to Ali. “What do the records say about these people?”

  She hesitated. “They were working at a small production facility back in our home galaxy, making the final preparations on the adult companion line for official release. Elson Robotics Initiative, using the Movement Fleet, has declared war on HumanAssist Enterprises, and this was one of the first blows they struck. They're calling companions abominations, an offense to humanity's peak civilization. Although ironically enough, they also collected dozens of companions to take apart and reverse engineer for their own use, and are forcing my creators to do the work for them.”

  None of that was filling him with confidence about what Elyssa had in mind for these scientists. But before he jumped to conclusions and did something stupid, he should probably try to get the full picture.

  Aiden turned towards the door across the room that led down to the lab/prison, motioning curtly for the others to follow. “Let's go talk to them.” But after only a few steps he paused, glancing back at Ali. “I'm sure I don't have to tell you to lay low in there?”

  She nodded, looking resigned. “I'll do nothing to hint that I'm a companion.” After a brief hesitation, she added. “I have to point out, though, that even with my disguise, as intimately familiar as they are with my programming they may recognize me even so.”

  He'd kind of been afraid of that. He was tempted to tell her to head back to the ship, or at least stay out of sight of the scientists down there. But she was his best fighter, hands down better than even Fix or the gunner, and if they ran into trouble down there he wanted her close by.

  “Well, you can't be the only prototype they've released early,” he said. “I guess it doesn't matter as long as they don't know which specific model you are, or that you're stolen, and you don't reveal our identities.”

  “Never, my love,” she said fervently, seeming relieved to be allowed to remain where she could keep him safe.

  Nodding, he continued briskly down to talk to the HAE eggheads.

  The scientists in sight screamed and hid when Aiden stepped through the door, especially once Fix joined him. He'd say that confirmed they were prisoners, although there hadn't been much doubt. “Calm down, people,” he called. “I'm not with ERI or the Movement, I'm a free agent.”

  After a few seconds an older man cautiously emerged, nervously running a hand through his thinning gray hair as he looked them over. He was soon followed by a tall, willowy woman in her late 20s or early 30s, who wore glasses of all things; combined with her sterile white uniform, they somehow made her seem more like a bookish cerebral type than any of the others. Almost enough to hide that she was reasonably attractive.

  “What, um, exactly is going on?” the older man said, voice trembling slightly.

  “That's what I'm trying to figure out,” Aiden replied. “Quick question . . . would your company hire a dangerous criminal organization to free you from slavery?”

  The two scientists glanced at each other. “That's an odd question,” the woman said hesitantly. “Although no, they'd almost certainly send companions from our private security force.” She glanced past him at Ali and Lana, then back to him. “Can you tell us what's going on, now?”

  “What's going on is that I was apparently sent to fetch you,” Aiden said. “On that note, who are you?”

  The man gave him a confused, somewhat concerned look. “You were sent to rescue us, but you don't know who we are?”

  Rescue was probably not the correct word, considering what he knew so far. Which didn't please Aiden at all. But that was a conversation he was going to have with Elyssa as soon as he could. “I'm afraid not. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?”

  After exchanging glances with the woman with him, the scientists' apparent spokesman straightened. “I'm Deren Linus, Head of Quantum-Level Neural Signal Deliv-” he caught Aiden's blank look and paused, coughing. “That is to say, I was a middling executive
at HumanAssist Enterprises before the Deconstructionist Movement raided our facility and, ah, involuntarily enlisted me and my colleagues in projects for their own corporation.”

  Well, that confirmed the Deeks had declared war on HAE. Aiden knew there was no love lost between that mega-corporation and ERI, the Movement controlled competitor. But to try to take them over or destroy them? That sort of action would disrupt most of the explored universe.

  Of course, when had Deeks ever cared about disrupting things? “The Deeks are attacking your corporation?” he asked, just to be clear.

  Linus looked a bit surprised. “You didn't know? The Movement has been maneuvering to move against us for years now, but they finally did. They've been raiding facilities, intercepting shipments and deliveries, robbing or destroying warehouses and infrastructure. They seem determined to completely wipe HAE out.”

  The woman, apparently deciding she'd been kept out of the introductions for long enough, stepped forward and offered her hand. “I'm Terra Sarr. I guess my old position at HAE doesn't really matter at the moment, does it?”

  Hard not to be impressed by someone bold enough to offer a handshake to armed strangers under these circumstances. Aiden took her hand, finding her grip cool and firm. “A pleasure, Miss Sarr.”

  The bookish woman nodded at his crew members standing behind him. “Sorry if I'm a bit confused, but who exactly do you represent and what do you want with us? It's clear you're not with HAE, even if you have an adult companion with you. Our stolen one, since all others are accounted for.”

  Aiden winced and bit back a curse. Well, so much for keeping Ali a secret. “I think you're mistaken.”

  Sarr shrugged. “If you say so. Believe me, a stolen adult companion is the least of our worries at the moment.”

  Reassuring, assuming they were telling the truth. “So you're not going to try to hijack her?”