The Master Key

by T. K. Toppin

  Disbelief half-fogged John’s mind. He gave her an angry scowl, which she ignored; her eyes were riveted to Ho.

  “Josie, my dear,” Ho grinned, collecting himself with a series of rapid blinks. “You’ve come to return my daughter. How very thoughtful of you. Blood is thicker than water, after all.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you.” Josie strode forward, Margeaux in tow. “I’ve come to help my husband kill you and make her watch. Ask her what she’s seen. Oops, I think she’s in shock right now. My bad.”

  Ho grinned. “You’ll have to catch me first.”

  A sudden flash of light flared—bright, blinding, painful—followed by thick smoke.

  A crash, a pulse gun discharging—phut—and John yelled in anger. He squinted, seeking Josie. She had slammed Margeaux against the wall, pressing the girl behind her back, and engaged her krima, holding it at the ready.

  When the smoke cleared, Ho was gone. John scanned the room, coughing. On the floor nearby lay Mwenye, clutching his arm.

  “How did he do that?” John demanded in rage. “Where is he?”

  “I told you,” Margeaux, sullen, said from behind Josie. “He’s very skilled.”

  “Kakuta?” John spread his arms in a fighting pose, ready in case Ho jumped out for attack.

  The Elite shook his head, a deep trench between his brows. “If he passed by me, I didn’t see. That flash blinded me for a sec. I’m still seeing spots.”

  “Governor.” John bent down to help Mwenye to his feet. “Are you able? Hail Sandvik and instruct him to shut down this sector as fast as he can. Ho does not leave this station. Understood?”

  “Understood.” Despite the obvious pain from the jagged hole in his arm, Mwenye sat at the console, his agile fingers dancing over them. “The closet exits will be the upper chambers. That’s where I would go if I were running.”

  “Then that’s where you’ll find me.” John spun around. One look at Josie was all that was needed for her to peel away from the wall to follow.

  “Kakuta,” John called. “Stay with the governor. When Captain Grosjean arrives, follow me to the upper decks. This ends here—today.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Ox was groggy and insensible with a thick dressing pad to his head, but Kakuta held him by the shoulders.

  Chapter 33

  Renna had a premonition. She saw herself dead. She always had premonitions and they were always of her dead. She reasoned her subconscious was warning her of dangers to come. Keeping her alive.

  In the most recent vision of her death, she lay on her back staring vacantly at a black and starless space after someone had shot a hole in her chest. At very close range. The thought made her pause and touch her chest. It ached.

  “What’s wrong?” Madds asked.

  They were walking briskly back to the mainframe, stopping for a moment to witness the destruction Agnes had caused a floor above. Madds had tried to contact John but there was no answer. Either he was busy killing Ho or…

  Neither Renna nor Madds wished to think about the alternative, so they quickened their pace and moved on. Agnes’s death and her torn body further darkened the mood Renna was already in. It may also have been prompted by the bloodbath they’d caused in their attempt to free the occupants in the chambers. Three dead techs and twenty-two dead mercenaries who had been foolish enough to draw weapons on them.

  Madds gave Renna a considering look to prompt her. He was never one for many words.

  “Nothing,” Renna replied. Even to her she sounded as if she spoke from a long way off. “Just that—wait. Wait a moment.”

  Renna frowned, her hand still touching her sternum. She massaged the dull ache of a phantom pain.

  “Rens, what is it?” Madds touched her arm.

  “Shh—listen. Someone’s coming. Scatter!”

  They faded into their surroundings. Madds seemed to dissolve into the shadows of a recessed part of the wall, while Renna crouched low near a water dispenser, twisting her body so any shadow she cast would look inhuman.

  Slow seconds passed. Madds would never question her psychic abilities, but she sensed his impatience. She began to wonder what was keeping the oncoming danger. Then she heard it, the unmistakable soft shuffling of a light tread with a quick pace.

  Renna smiled. Yes, right again.

  It was like her mind had stepped out of itself and shook her violently to rouse her, begging her to heed. She’d never doubted it before, so heed it she did.

  She slid her eyes toward the sound, counting the footfalls. Another four seconds and whoever came would be visible.

  Ho appeared around the corner, his face twisted with a scowl. His movements were swift, but he kept looking behind like a man pursued. He carried a pulse gun in his hand and at his hip, a holstered krima. Sensing danger, he froze, mere feet from Madds and Renna. He sniffed the air like an animal.

  In a flash he extracted his krima, engaged it, and took a step back. Ready.

  Madds peeled out of the shadows and faced Ho with a small, tight smirk. “I’m sorry, you cannot pass.”

  “Then I’ll have to kill you.” Ho cocked his head. His eyes shifted, sensing the presence of another. “Come out. I know you’re there.”

  Renna stood and pushed off from her hiding place, bracing her body, ready, her mind sharp and wary. She may still be alive, but the danger was still there and sending her senses haywire. To make matters more unsettling, they were in an oval-shaped observation gallery that connected to the elevators that went down to the central levels. Above them was clear tempered glass, the vista of endless black space beyond. She wanted, badly, to touch her chest again for reassurance.

  “Trying to run, are we?” Her calm voice belied her frazzled senses.

  Ho smiled, flexing his wrist so that the krima turned with a lazy, mesmerizing twist. The double-pointed lasers glowed in evil amber. He touched the wall with one laser point, sending a crackle of light spitting out like fireflies. Then he was airborne, literally scaling the wall, slashing with the krima as he did so. From his other hand, the pulse gun coughed out at Madds, who stood closest.

  Renna dived to one side. Madds dipped low. Ho catapulted off the wall, twisting in the air. The krima nicked Madds on the right shoulder just as Madds hit the ground in a roll, ready to flip over and shoot at the flying Ho, who was now upside down, slashing with the laser. Madds hissed in pain and his weapon clattered to the floor, his arm useless. Madds continued the twist, still on his back, and rolled away into the shadows.

  Ho landed on the ground, then bounded up again into a back flip. He lined his pulse gun’s sights on Renna, extending his arm. Airborne, he pulled the trigger—phut. She bounced up and mimicked his back flip. The shot went wild, missing her by feet.

  She landed first and snapped her arms out before her—two contact explosives flew from her sleeves and aimed their way to Ho. By the time Ho landed, they would sink into his exposed torso.

  But the moment Ho’s feet touched the floor, he pistoned up again, as if on a trampoline. The contact explosives whizzed by beneath him. He turned in midair, aiming with his gun again. The explosives landed behind him, made contact with something solid and popped like balloons.

  Renna was ready for the second shot, anticipated it. She turned her body sideways, feeling the disruption of air as the shot passed her.

  That would’ve been the chest shot…

  Ho aimed again, fired. She dodged that as well—calm, relaxed, like a fluid dance move, her arms swept out like water reeds to help maintain her balance and momentum. Peace had returned to her. She knew the danger had passed. She would live.

  From the corner of her eye, she saw Madds dig out his own contact explosives. Using his left-hand, his right one was clutched close to his body, he threw them from his prone position. The angle was wrong, but he didn’t have time to correct it. The man was perpetually on the move, making it difficult to pin him down. The explosives flew. One snagged the edge of Ho’s pants and popped. Ho snarle
d as his trouser leg smoked. Angered, Ho twirled through the air then, in a bright flash and smoke, slammed against Renna’s head. Then he was gone. Renna clutched her head. It felt like Ho’s foot had done the job, but with all the smoke and dizzying lights, she couldn’t be sure.

  At least I’m still alive.

  She sniffed the air; it was heavily laced with a sweet narcotic smell. It would account for the slight vertigo.

  Smart man. Renna rubbed her head. Small dose of a disorienting drug to ensure dizziness.

  The president found them minutes later, still prone and coughing away the last of the bitter smoke. Josie crouched by Madds, inspecting his injury. The topmost part of his right shoulder was slashed and scorched black. Blood was just pushing past the singed area and soaking his shirt. He’d administered quick first aid on himself, but without much luck. Josie helped as quickly as she could.

  “I’ve had much worse. Go. Get him!” Madds struggled to a sitting position, glancing at John. “The man is full of tricks. Be careful.”

  “That I know already.” John nodded, then scanned Renna with his sharp eyes.

  She clicked her tongue and gave him a wink, still holding her head. She had known John all her adult life. He understood. He shook his head.

  “Not your fault, Rens.” John squeezed her shoulder before sprinting away.

  Josie followed. Trailing behind them like a forgotten ghost was the evil girl, Margeaux. Something like desperation clouded the girl’s eyes, like she was seeking the truth no matter the cost to her sanity. She looked very much like a young child—scared, alone, and seeking comfort. Renna felt a stab of concern for her.

  * * *

  Until we reached the escape chambers, following John in our hunt for Ho, I had forgotten all about Margeaux. My mind buzzed with the chaos. Too many people I knew and cared for were hurt or dying, if not already dead. I’d had enough; the stench, the numbness of fear, the nearness of death…of war.

  It had to stop—it just had to.

  We found him, about to press a button to open one of the doors to the escape chambers. We were in the launching area, having passed through the reception foyer, where mercenaries and Scrap Yard personnel lay dead and scattered. It was ripe with evidence that a battle had taken place earlier. Maybe Madds and the other Elites had done this. I wondered for a moment where the others were. Madds had taken two others with him, and they weren’t around when we passed them in the corridor. Just Renna.

  The place was deserted. Two wrecked droids were in pieces near Ho, making humming noises. Like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, he stared at us, mouth agape. I glanced behind me. Margeaux stood poised, a bird about to fly. Renna was making her way cautiously to join us.

  Ho smiled, recovering from his surprise. He pressed the button. The door slid open with a soft hiss. He put one foot inside.

  “Father!” Margeaux jumped forward.

  I whipped my hand out in reflex and snagged her collar.

  “Father, you can’t leave me here!” she screamed, hysterical.

  Ho lingered, watching his daughter. He opened his mouth to say something, then changed his mind with a series of rapid blinks.

  I wasn’t sure why, but I found myself walking straight toward Ho. John called out to me once, put his hand on my shoulder to pull me back. I jerked free and kept closing the distance to Ho. In my other hand was my krima, which I held poised near Margeaux’s neck.

  Ho backed into the chamber and reached out to close the door. I lurched forward and stood in the doorway. He jumped backward and trained the pulse gun on me.

  We stared at each other.

  Margeaux’s ragged breathing vibrated through her. What was I doing? Had I gone mad as well? Was I really going to kill this girl just to stop Ho? Would that even stop a man like him? I wasn’t sure of anything anymore, but I wanted Ho stopped. Badly!

  “I can’t let you leave.” To my surprise, my voice was calm and even.

  Ho, still backing up, edged his way to the control deck and grinned. “Step inside, why don’t you. We can have a family reunion of sorts. I’m about to leave, myself. I must say…I am very disappointed.”

  “Things not going your way? What a shame.”

  John’s hand gripped my neck. “Josie, step back. Let him go.”

  The escape chamber was actually a very large shuttle. Once you entered from the tail section, which was attached to the station, it opened into a wide central area, uncluttered but for guardrails. Beyond the rails, lined along the walls, was seating. Spaced evenly at four points on the sides, exits doors bracketed a wide expanse of windows. At the front lay the control deck, navigational consoles, and cockpit. Through the large and impressive domed window, one of the deep-space war cruisers was visible, squatting like an obese bullfrog at the water’s edge.

  From this position, the chamber, one of many, sat poised for take-off. These chambers ringed the central launching area like pins in a pincushion.

  “No, I can’t,” I replied to John without looking. “It has to stop.”

  “I agree, but not like this.” He squeezed my neck in comfort. And in a whisper, “We don’t have to give him the girl. We can still use her. He’s lost; he knows it. Let him go.”

  As long as I stood in the doorway, Ho couldn’t engage the engines—this much I knew. It was a safety mechanism on all shuttles. But the moment I stepped away, the door would slam shut and lock.

  “Yes, listen to your husband. Let me go. And give me my daughter.” Ho extended a hand, beckoning Margeaux. She cried in silence, her thin shoulders jerking up and down.

  “We both know as soon as I hand her to you, you’ll kill us. I’m not as stupid as you think. The girl stays with us…unless…”

  “That is true. But as you are family, I might reconsider. Killing you, that is.”

  “I’m touched.” I inched forward and sensed John bunching up close behind me. He stood guarding the doorway now. “But I just can’t do it,” I continued. “I can’t let you continue with this madness.”

  “It’s a gift I am offering to the world. Can’t you see that? Your niece wanted that for everyone.”

  “No, sorry. I don’t see it. And I can’t recall ever hearing Fern confess to wanting that in her ramblings. She was selfish and greedy and wanted it all for herself. She didn’t want to share. Why do you think she hid all her data?”

  Standing ten feet from Ho, I looked back at John, still in the doorway. His face was tight with concern for my safety, and a little bewildered at my behavior.

  I turned back to Ho. “You see…I knew Fern. Granted, she was still a small girl, but you could still see her personality. She was happy, she was loved, and she was gentle. Somewhere along the line, something inside her changed—snapped. It may have always been in her or it may have been caused by outside influences. I don’t doubt that my presence in that basement helped much, but I can’t change that. She had a choice when she was older. She chose. Instead of a normal life, she chose an unnatural one. It consumed her—it destroyed the little girl I once knew. She’s now a stranger to me. The Fern I knew no longer exists. She created a madness that people have been craving since the beginning of time itself. And then you come along and want to sell this madness to people. That’s just wrong.

  “I mean, yes, I hear your logic. Like I said, people have been after the fountain of youth for eons! Fuck, I nearly did it—not for that reason, but…you see what I mean? Even stasis pod technology is risky, dangerous. Especially to the mind. People can get carried away, like how Fern did. And where will it stop? When you’ve got millions of forever-young people populating the world, never dying? And what’s to stop you from doing it on yourself, just so you can keep making your millions? Keep getting richer? And, on a real personal level, if the blame for Fern losing it points back to me, then all the more reason why I can’t let you do this. You’re like a branch on a tree that needs clipping off when it starts to rot.”

  Ho shook his head with a laugh. “Do
n’t be so high and mighty with your issues on morality!” He raised his gun, aiming it at me. He had a clear shot—Margeaux wouldn’t be harmed since I towered over her. “You bore me with all this. Now, I am pressed for time. Hand me what’s mine.”

  “No,” I persisted. “I won’t.”

  “Stop it!” Margeaux screamed. “Father, is it true? About Fern, about her cloning herself—that we are the outcome of her own clone? Is that all true? Please, tell me!”

  Distracted, Ho waved his hand. “Of course it is. What of it, girl?”

  “But you didn’t know about this before, did you? I mean, how could you, right?”

  “No, he didn’t,” I replied for Ho. “And when he found out, one would think it would’ve brought him to his senses. But it didn’t. Because he is just like her.”

  “Look, enough of this.” Ho took aim.

  I tensed, holding Margeaux closer, my krima almost touching her neck.

  “Don’t do this, Ho,” John said from behind me. He sounded much closer. I didn’t dare turn to see.

  “Margeaux stays with me,” I said. “Put the gun down.”

  “No.”

  Ho fired.

  I actually saw the disruption of air—it curdled into vibrating coils before it jetted out toward me. I twisted sideways, flinging Margeaux away and dropped to the floor like dead weight. The pulse shot over me and slammed into the wall behind with a hacking noise.

  John had vanished from the doorway and was airborne, soaring high above me, twisting and turning like an acrobat, aiming straight for Ho.

  They contacted like a battering ram meeting a thick and solid wall, and hit the floor locked to each other like lovers. Twisting and rolling, they sprang apart, keeping low and tensed, fighting cats eyeing one another.

  “Are you hit?” a low voice behind me.

  I spun around and clapped onto yellow eyes. My mind froze.

  James!

  Anger at the very sight of him and his smug face speared through me. I blinked in shock, snatched myself up off the floor, and brought my krima forward. “You—what the fuck! How are you here?” I looked beyond him. Renna! Where is she?