He spoke tentatively at first. “I just… I feel like we should stop while we still can. The university has insurance. All we’ll do is kill a bunch of innocent—”
“Shut up!” Brandon snapped. “I had to hear this shit all fucking day yesterday. And now you’re doing it again! Did you think we were playing these past two months? Did you honestly think I’d get cold feet and back out when we’re this close to getting everything we ever wanted?”
Jonah clenched his hand around a wrench and threw it across the room. “You’ve twisted my arm every fucking step of the way. ‘Do my essay for me.’ ‘Hack the grade files for me’ ‘Do this, or you’ll regret it.’ ‘Defy me and I’ll have your face beaten in.’ Sound familiar? You burning stars well know I wanted nothing to do with this. But like every other time, you see a way to get what you want quick and easy and you’re willing to sacrifice anything and everything to get it. It didn’t work then and it won’t work now. What even makes you so sure your ‘friends’ will let us join their little crew? And even if they do, what do you think they’ll have us do? Do you know why they hire people like us?”
Brandon didn’t say anything. He had his gaze fixed on the chip in the wall left by the thrown wrench.
“Do you? Because I have a pretty strong theory! Guess what happens if we fuck it up? Just guess. Think ahead a little more this time and pull your head out of your ass for one minute. We’re the fall guys, Brandon. We’ll take the blame for everything. Just like that test. Only this time, we won’t get kicked out of school. No, we’ll serve life sentences in jail. And your ‘friends’ will make sure to take care of us, right? Of course they will. After all, we held up our end of the deal. It’s not our fault the tech malfunctioned. It’s not our fault we can’t access all the bombs. Yeah. I’m sure they’ll see it that way. A random stabbing or maybe an exotic seasoning in our food will really brighten our day before we die.
“Oh yeah, and assuming we don’t fuck it up any more than we already have and they somehow decide to take us on, we’ll start at the bottom of the totem pole. And who’s at the bottom of the totem pole? The thugs. What do they do? I’m sure it’s more of the fucking same thing. You arrogant, self-entitled piece of shit. I’m done taking your orders. I’m done following your rules, and I am fucking done being the lackey. You’ve blackmailed me into going along with every crackpot scheme you’ve come up with, and all it’s done is dig us deeper into the hole. Well I’m not digging any deeper.” Jonah glared at Terrance, who was loading yet another box into the van. “Terrance, put it back. We aren’t going anywhere.”
Terrance froze. He lifted the box off the back of the van and turned toward the warehouse despite his disappointment. “We aren’t leaving? But I hate this place.”
“Terrance,” Brandon said coolly, “put the box in the van.”
The huge man stopped and opened his mouth to complain, then shook his head and turned once more. Some people couldn’t make their minds up.
“Stop, Terrance,” Jonah commanded. “Do you really want to kill all those people? Do you really want to be a mass murderer?”
Even holding the heavy box, Terrance managed a shrug. “It didn’t bother me when I did it before.”
Brandon and Jonah’s mouths both fell open in shock.
“… Before?” Brandon finally asked. He leaned forward on his tire perch. He’d always thought of Terrance as a small-time bully perfect for ordering around. This was something new.
Terrance shifted the box to get a better grip and nodded, completely calm. “Yeah. It’s how I got off my home planet. The place was a real shithole with nothing to eat but bitter vegetables that grow in the freezing ground. And it’s so cold, you can’t go outside without a full warmth suit.” He shook his head to clear the memory. “Man, I hated that place. I can’t tell you how hard it was to get off that rock.” He sighed and shrugged. “I wish I’d had a plan, though. It probably would have been a lot easier than killing the people who got in my way.”
“Burning stars and black holes, Terrance,” Jonah swore.
Brandon, grinned gleefully. “How many people did you kill?”
“I don’t know, boss. It wasn’t like I was counting. Seemed like a lot, though. And there was the whole explosion on the base. And once I was in the air, I had to shoot down a couple of defense carriers… Look, what do you want me to do with this box?”
“Holy fuck. I heard about that on the news! That was you?” Jonah muttered incredulously.
Brandon homed in on the revelation. Now, he had a greater hold on Terrance than Jonah did. Like Brandon, he was willing to kill. Two against one was always better. “Put the box in the van, Terrance. We’re sticking to the plan.” He looked smugly at Jonah. The only reason the man was still breathing was because his brains were useful and he had good instincts when it came to reading a situation.
Read this one, mother fucker.
Terrance took the box to the van.
Jonah tried to voice his protest one last time. “But—.”
“But nothing,” Brandon interrupted. “I’ve already sent the auto-arm signal. Those bombs will go off in less than two hours and there’s nothing we can do to stop them. Now I’m telling you, Jonah. Don’t question my orders again. After this, you can forget about going back. Those bridges have already burned. Either you move forward with me or we kill you here and now. What’ll it be?”
Jonah’s shoulders slumped helplessly.
“That’s what I thought.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Armaros, Theron Techcropolis, Tesla University of Technical Arts, Campus Grounds
How Merry and Vlad found time to flirt and track Brandon and the others simultaneously, Fred had no clue. Things were a little too personal in there for comfort, so he stepped out for air. The familiar smell of kava soon drew him toward a local coffee shop. Yes, a little caffeine would provide the perfect pick-me-up, just what he needed.
Suddenly, a massive concussion ripped through the air and he staggered. A swirling green fireball of acid melted the arts building. He watched helplessly as people disappeared in the fog. He heard their dying screams and the terrible silence that followed as the roiling green poison expanded, swallowing the PE building as it grew. Toxic vapors tickled the inside of his nose. Students and professors alike fled in panic, but those closest to the selvanium cloud couldn’t outrun it.
A distant explosion boomed from somewhere behind him. Fred turned and saw another acid cloud blossom in the distance. The megascrapers’ exteriors couldn’t handle the corrosion. The walls gave way, and the three-hundred-story steel complex crashed, destroying everything nearby while simultaneously dispersing the deadly cloud across downtown in a lethal rush of wind.
In a matter of seconds, the city had become a parlor of death.
And it was all Fred’s fault.
The noxious cloud headed his way. Fred stopped gawking and turned to run at full speed. He sprinted past the library, watching helplessly as a black-pantied, topless Jayne stood beside a bomb on the building’s steps. It looked like she was talking to someone, but Fred couldn’t see anyone else there. A few strides brought him within hearing distance.
“I just need you to turn off and everything will be okay,” Jayne cooed to the bomb.
“I have a job to do. I have to go off. That is my purpose,” the bomb responded.
She stroked the side of the armor casing tenderly and whispered into its display. The tips of her nipples brushed against the countdown screen when she leaned over.
Didn’t she know you couldn’t seduce a bomb? And the timer was so close to zero. She was too busy sweet-talking to realize the danger.
The cloud reached him and the clothing melted off his body. His skin began to peel in unbearable, searing pain.
The last thing he saw before his eyes melted in their sockets was Jayne kissing the countdown timer as it hit zero. The bomb shouted, “I’m cumming!” and the metal casing burst forth in a gargantuan green ball of acid
.
+++
Armaros, Theron Techcropolis, Tesla University of Technical Arts, Physics Building, Basement
Fred woke with a horrible scream. Sweat clung to his skin and stung his eyes. His pupils had dilated, becoming wide and expressive. He panted as he got his bearings and realized he was in the physics basement. Merry and Vlad were still staring at her screen as she tracked the bombers. They didn’t even look his way.
Jayne dashed into the room, ready for a fight. When no enemy presented itself, she rushed to Fred’s side.
“Fred, are you okay?” she asked.
He groaned and curled up on the floor.
Jayne called to the two geniuses, “Guys, what’s wrong with Fred?”
Vlad waved his hand dismissively. “I had to give him something to relax. He was freaking out too much. Don’t worry about him. He’ll be fine.”
Jayne pulled Fred’s eyelids open only to see glazed-over whites. He mumbled to himself and drooled on the floor. “Burning stars, what did you give him, Mantar tranquilizers?”
The professor’s brows lifted. “Ooh, no. But do you know where to get some? I haven’t done tar-tran since I was your age.” His gaze drifted to the ceiling as his mind played an electron loop from his youth. “Now that’s a high I won’t forget. I fell in love with the most beautiful girl. We cruised around low orbit looking at the lights of the planet and made love. It wasn’t until the high faded that I realized she was a figment of my imagination. Oh, she was perfect.”
His story piqued Merry’s interest and she looked up from her tablet. “What was she like?”
Vlad’s voice softened. “I don’t remember.”
Her brow twitched into a slight frown.
“Well, what did you give him then?” Jayne asked irritably.
“Vlad gave him weed gummies,” Merry responded. “He’s super stoned and maybe experiencing some mild hallucinogenic effects. He’ll be fine.”
Fred muttered something that eventually translated to, “You said it was candy. Not cool.”
Jayne shot the professor an accusing stare, but he was unmoved. “See? He’s fine. Talking in full sentences and everything. Well, mostly. And now his nervous energy isn’t distracting us.”
Jayne wasn’t a big fan of drugging allies, although she had drugged numerous people in the past on various missions. Just not people she worked with. And usually with something less fun than weed gummies. No time to fret over that now, though. They still had a bomb to take care of. She strode to the jammer and hunched over Merry’s shoulder.
“How’s the trace coming? Any signs yet?”
Merry grinned. “You got here just in time. I burrowed past the security program that caused the delay. And now, with my new hack in place…” Merry entered a command into her tablet. A few seconds later, a map of the city appeared with a glowing red dot pulsing in the middle. “And there they are. 157th street and Arbash, surface level.” She pushed herself back on the rolling chair Vlad had been kind enough to unearth from all the junk and spread her arms wide, beaming in success.
“Nice job!” Vlad squeezed her shoulder.
“You’re sure this is accurate?” Jayne didn’t have time for any more fuckups or failures. No one did.
Merry smirked. “Yeah, hot stuff. It’s accurate.” Her gaze lowered to Jayne’s hip, where a handgun was tucked into a black leather men’s belt. “Whoa…you’re packing heat. Are you going to like—” She mimed shooting a gun.
“I’m sure as hell not wearing it as a fashion accessory. Look, I’ve got to go. You’re coming with me in case they move. Bring your tablet.”
Merry froze, her jubilation fading instantly. “Uh…I prefer not be in the line of fire. You can take my tablet and—”
“This isn’t a negotiation, Merry. You’re coming with me. You can hang back when I go in and neutralize them.”
Merry sighed reluctantly and grabbed her tablet. “Fine. But once you’ve got them all restrained, I get to fuck with them, okay?”
It was an unusual and somewhat concerning request, but Jayne didn’t have time to argue. She shrugged and helped Fred to his feet. “You’re coming too. You know these lunatics. That means you can help us figure out if they’re telling the truth or not when we question them.”
He nodded, his high shifting into a mellower phase. “Yes. Okay. I am feeling very good about this.” Suddenly, he hugged Jayne. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
She pushed him away after an awkward moment. “Right. Erm…do me a favor? Let’s hold off on the hugging until this is all over.”
Fred nodded bashfully.
Vlad sparked up a half-smoked spliff. “So, I stay here and hold the fort?”
“That’s right,” Jayne confirmed. “And this time, don’t leave. I don’t care what type of class you might have. Stay here until you hear otherwise. Got it?”
The professor took a hit and gave her a mock salute. “Ma’am, yes, ma’am!”
She shook her head and looked at her makeshift hit squad. A porn-loving goth, an irresponsible stoner professor, and a dweeb who sold weapons, had a crush on her, and was so stoned he had gotten distracted pulling the drawstring on his hoodie back and forth.
“I bought this hoodie used… Imagine the lives of all the people who wore this hoodie.”
Jayne rolled her eyes. Oh, boy. “Let’s move!” she ordered and strode across the basement. Merry and Fred hurried to catch up. They might not have been academy trained, but so far, they’d done pretty well.
Now, they merely had to find and disarm a dirty bomb.
+++
Avalon Space Station, Espionage Academy
Alfonso soared through the air with a jetpack strapped to his back. Wind rushed by as he flew past the buildings on the outskirts of the academy. Bars and brothels mingled with embassies and corporate offices. The space station was a hub of politics and business and wherever there were rich and powerful people, there were establishments to cater to their desires and their exceptional income. Many important—and often illegal—inter-government deals were made over drinks at one of these bars. Many important and often horny men rid themselves of their stress with the pleasures of the flesh in the brothels.
All the fucking and illegal deals made for a great place to learn espionage. There were ample opportunities to train cadets in blackmail, extortion, seduction, and surveillance. Alfonso himself had an alter ego as Linden Harmony, the man who could get you whatever black-market item you desired. All those secret dealings gave him plenty of info and leverage should he ever need it.
The academy itself was an open secret. Technically, it was a government training facility, and its students were training for high-level bureaucrat jobs. Tourists and people passing through thought nothing of it, but all the locals knew the real deal. The academy was home to the federation’s spy training program, and many of the top retired agents taught there.
Agents like Professor Ana Levitsky, more commonly known as the Sapphire Heart Eater. She’d spent years undercover as a Torsa extremist, designing bombs for them while secretly mapping out their operational structure. The raids on Nadilar and Therocule Six that resulted in the complete eradication of the Torsa movement on those planets were due to her work. But so were the bombings of many, many other cities. Most people thought the galaxy would have been better off if she had never infiltrated the underground, but she had her orders, and she followed them.
Alfonso slowed and lowered altitude as he reached the academy grounds. No unauthorized flight was allowed over the campus. Levitsky was a harsh instructor and she’d given him a B in his intensive when he deserved an A. When he told her that, she’d scolded him outright.
“If you deserved an A you’d be in the field, not the classroom. You got a B. You understand the material, but you aren’t an expert. Learn more, and when things count, you’ll stay alive.” It was a flawed argument, but she held all the power as the teacher. And unlike Jayne, he wasn’t one to ruffle feathers unnecessarily.
>
Alfonso checked his rented jetpack in at the academy gates’ pack hub. “Whatever company owns the things must make a fortune,” he grumbled. The quick trip to the academy had cost him eighty-seven credits.
As he entered the hub and walked through the academy, Alfonso smiled and nodded at people. He’d cultivated many friendships, believing people were more likely to do what he wanted when they liked him rather than when he tried to strong-arm them into it. It was another example of how he differed from Jayne, who always insisted on doing things herself. The fact that she called in a favor from Alfonso at all gave him hope that her outlook was changing.
He soon reached the far side of campus and took a lift to the upper floors. He stepped out onto a level reserved for instructors’ private residences. He checked down the corridors, checking for anyone who was milling about. If he was seen there, it’d be a problem. Many instructors slept with their students. It could give someone leverage over him, whether it was true or not.
Luckily, the hallway was empty and Alfonso walked calmly to Professor Levitsky’s quarters. The wall pad that controlled her door was supposed to be unhackable, but that merely meant a challenge to cadets. Alfonso had always preferred the hands-on, boots-on-the-ground approach, so had never developed a knack for hacking. Fortunately, he knew plenty of cadets who were, and in his first year he’d traded some coke for an app that used statistical averages and probability to generate the most likely codes built into the locks programming. Every few months, the app would require an expensive upgrade, so he would trade another eight-ball for the update. He’d figured out that the same person trading the app was responsible for the upgrades in the first place. It was a pretty good scheme, and Alfonso could afford to let it slide. There was no need to cause a fuss when he could keep things smooth and reap the benefit.
He held his phone over the pad. The app scanned the lock’s inner-hardware, and quickly ran through several million 12-digit number combinations. Even with basic lock pads, this process could take several minutes. Alfonso checked up and down the hallway and carefully listened for footsteps. Being suspected for sleeping with a professor was one thing. Getting caught breaking in was and entirely different ball game. The randomizing series of numbers slowed down and finally stopped on the numerical signal. The lock beeped and turned green.
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