Big Bad Claws

by Michele Mills

  An assassin had broken into her supposedly secure mansion and tried to kill her.

  Daniela didn’t love her and in fact wanted her dead.

  More assassins were on her trail.

  And now she was outside, trying to survive in the great unknown.

  Heavy breaths slowly turned into quiet puffs. Having a panic attack while running for her life was the last thing she needed right now. There was no time for anxiety and phobia to rear its ugly head in this life or death situation. And she had no freaking clue where she’d ended up. The transporter hadn’t been coded for a specific destination.

  Okay, okay, okay…what places in the four sectors were advanced or wealthy enough to afford transporters? There was only one transporter station on New Earth, but some places had stations in all cities, both big and small. Transporters were also on warships, space stations and colonies. Luxury space liners occasionally had personal transporters. Maybe she’d been sent somewhere urban and populated? But that also meant this transporter could be owned by a crazy-rich individual, or a criminal organization.

  Ugh.

  She pushed her long hair from her face and opened her eyes. All she saw was a darkened room, similar to the one she’d left behind. Well, at least she’d arrived intact and perfectly fine, and there wasn’t a crowd of peacekeepers ready to rush her off to containment.

  That was an improvement.

  The assassin’s plan for escape had actually worked?

  The disk powered down. Lila gingerly stepped off the platform and glanced around, trying to figure out where the hell she was. An unrecognizable language scrolled across the nearby screens on a display panel. Dammit. This made figuring out where she was ten times harder. Normally, beings sent via transporter were offered a language translation chip, if they needed, in order to smooth out their arrival at their next destination. Obviously, that hadn’t happened in her situation.

  Was this a planet, or a space station? There weren’t any windows or portals to let her know. The dimensions weren’t right for a personal-size facility. This had to be a larger, public station, just like the one back home. This meant employees would arrive at opening and find her here, and she’d be busted because transporter travel was strictly regulated in the four sectors. She had to get out of here.

  No one back home knew where she was. Even the female who’d sent her didn’t know where she’d ended up. Step one of the plan had worked. Now she needed to implement step two and find somewhere off the grid to hide for the next moon cycle so that the other assassins wouldn’t eventually pinpoint her location. But where?

  She walked over to the door. All transporter stations across the four sectors were essentially set up the same, which meant she was already familiar with this building’s layout and the security. She placed her palm on the locking mechanism, relieved when it slid open. This really was set up like the station on New Earth—locks were meant to keep beings out, not lock them in.

  She stepped into the dim hallway, feeling better. So far, this wasn’t as terrifying as she’d thought. Her heartbeat remained steady and her breaths were even. It helped that she’d arrived in a place that was quiet, indoors and familiar. Pin lights glowed along the darkened pathway, allowing her to continue forward. She placed her palm on a series of locking mechanisms that kept opening, until finally she’d passed through a final set of doors and into a torrential rainstorm.

  Rain slapped her face, letting her know she was planet-side. Oh gods, this was the exact moment the degree of difficulty increased. She’d forced herself to continue outside without pause. Her only option was to dart across the street, praying she wasn’t seen by whomever was the dominant species on this unknown planet, or snatched by something flying from the sky. She did her best to hide in bushes and in deep shadows, running in her pink pajamas through the wet streets of some rando alien city in the middle of the night.

  It was pretty terrible. Tears burned behind her eyes. Everyone back home would be stunned that she was outside in the elements like this. When the assassin had pegged her as a shut-in, it was the honest truth. She’d come a long way in battling her anxiety and was so far managing to avoid a panic attack. But for how long?

  She tried to keep her mind off of the downward spiral and the open sky above and focus on escape…and her kitties. Those two precious cats always lifted her spirits. Jasper and Abby. They needed her. The household staff needed her. The employees of the entire corporation needed her. And Gerard needed her to remain strong and alive. Most of all Gerard.

  Tomorrow morning the staff would return to find her gone. Her stomach twisted, thinking of how upset and worried they’d be. The cook, the groundskeeper…the people she spent her time with day in and day out. Would they think she was dead, or just missing? She knew that Ines, the lovely housekeeper, would take care of Jasper and Abby and make sure they were fed and safe. And the currency deposits for employee paychecks and household expenses were set to automatic, so they should be fine for the next moon cycle while she was gone. At least there was that. One less worry.

  Another roll of thunder boomed overhead.

  Lila whimpered, thinking of all she’d left behind. The familiarity. The structure. The routine. One moment she’d been home and the next she was running for her life. All because she was stupid enough to fall for Daniela’s lies. Heat raced across her body, causing sweat to form on her brow. Her chest tightened and her hands began to tremble.

  No, no, no.

  Lila closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She needed off the streets. But she didn’t know anyone here. The buildings were dark and closed, the streets quiet. And it was raining so damn hard. The beings of this planet were probably asleep or sheltering from the storm and she was the only crazy being running outside in the middle of the night.

  Deep laughter sounded from behind a building. She turned toward the sound. Ooh. Sentient beings? Finally, she could see up close what species lived on this planet. Lila crept close to the alley where the sounds originated. She couldn’t read any of the signage on the nearby public vid screens; it looked familiar, but she was having a hard time placing it. If she could just figure out what species lived here, this might give her a clue as to what planet this was.

  She peeked around the corner of a tall building and saw the shadowy outline of two beings in rain gear standing and talking. Godsdammit, it was so far away and dark, she couldn’t make out their species, and she couldn’t understand their language, it sounded like grunts and snarls, but she could see the glint of their peacekeeper badges. Uh oh. She turned and swiftly ran the opposite direction, rain dripping off her face and her kitten slippers squishing on the pavement.

  Typically, she’d run straight to law enforcement for help, but in this situation hiding and remaining off-grid was the only way to stay alive. If they found her they’d arrest her for illegal transporter travel. They’d enter her in the criminal database and that would be the end of that.

  She had to stay alive, because she couldn’t let that evil bitch, Daniela, gain control of the Garabedian fortune. Who else would Daniela seek to destroy on her path to ultimate power? Gods knew what she planned to do with the corporation and their employees. And what about Gerard? And Roberto? Would Daniela kill them too? She couldn’t keep her cousin and the CFO around—they’d been loyal to Dad. In fact, Gerard hated Daniela with the intensity of a thousand suns and had blamed her for every ill in his life, to the point where Lila had ceased to believe his rants. Now she knew he’d been right all along.

  Holy crap, it was cold now, and she was so, so very tired. And could she be more pruned and wet? Her feet were killing her. Tears clogged her eyes. She really, really needed somewhere to stop and rest. Food and drink would be nice too, but mainly somewhere out of the cold and rain, where she could hide and wait for morning. Keeping her mind and body together this whole time was exhausting. She needed to rest and come up with a new plan. But where could she hide? All of the buildings appeared to be office, retail or high-ri
se apartment buildings with locked entrances.

  Finally, she turned a corner and saw the edge of a dense jungle. It was dark and quiet. Damn. Going into a jungle with dangerous predators wasn’t a good idea. Staying in a busy town that would soon reopen with beings starting their day wasn’t an option either.

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

  And then she found a street that seemed to lead out of town. She walked down the street determined to leave no stone unturned in her search for somewhere to hide. And then a building appeared on the left, at the end of the street. This wasn’t a main road, it turned out to be a dead-end street with only one lone house at the end.

  She stepped closer, emboldened by the fact that it was darker and quieter here than anywhere she’d seen so far, with no other housing nearby, so less worries about being seen. The housing she’d passed in the settlement, even in the dark rain, had all looked shiny and new, but this street seemed older and on the edge of the settlement.

  Upon closer inspection the building looked condemned. The porch was slanted, and a rain gutter hung at an angle, spewing water onto the walkway. This place was a mess and looked barely habitable, with a wall of jungle behind and overgrown foliage in front.

  Which made it a perfect place to hide.

  Lila ran up to stand under the leaky front porch. She paused and glanced around, checking yet again that yes, this was a place where no one lived. The jungle encroached, and it looked completely abandoned. She stopped at the door, surprised to see the dim glow of a security system next to the dented panel. This decrepit building had power to maintain security? It had to be an old back-up system.

  She placed her palm over the entrance lock. What if it didn’t work? Was it broken? Would it remain locked and not let her in?

  Then what would she do?

  At this rate she’d end up sleeping in the jungle, eaten by predators. Or caught by the local peacekeepers for breaking and entering, which would be a tragedy. They’d enter her in the universal criminal database and the assassins would be on her in a hot second.

  Or she could end up in the throes of an extreme panic attack, while caught outdoors.

  She chewed on her lip.

  The lock lit up, examined her palm and retinas and then the door slid open. She blew out a relieved breath. Wow.

  Lila stumbled inside, freezing and wet. The door shut behind her, sealing out the wind and the rain. She stood there, shivering with cold and fear. Were there lights? She cursed under her breath, because even if there were lights, she couldn’t turn them on, someone might see from the outside and notice. Derelict housing that suddenly lit up at night would bring the dreaded peacekeepers.

  Dammit. She had no way to create light to find her way around. She’d left her tablet behind because it was coded to her and would make her traceable. So she was standing there, like a girl from ancient times, wishing for a candle.

  Large windows at the front of the room let in the moonlight. Her eyes adjusted to the dim glow. She carefully walked through a cluttered room with an unusual amount of chairs. Everything was so dark, it was hard to see but she could feel the grit on her fingers and coughed at the dust that floated in the air. Her teeth chattered as she progressed. It was filthy and a giant mess, but at least the building was still intact, and the roof wasn’t leaking. She was very lucky to have found this empty dwelling. Hopefully she could hide out here at least until daylight.

  She paused and lifted her chin and took a deep breath. Hmm, this place smelled strangely good, with a light manly scent.

  Manly?

  She blinked and glanced around. What type of species would have males whose scent she thought smelled good? A scent so strong it could cut through the cobwebs and clutter? Where the hell was she? That tantalizing scent was confusing. The outside of the house looked overgrown. It had been difficult to navigate a rainy entrance covered with dense foliage. But, how could a scent linger in a vacant building?

  She continued on, determined to find somewhere in this house to rest. It was eerily quiet here. No vermin. No bots. No signs of life whatsoever. How long had this building been abandoned? Why had the occupants left?

  At the back of the front room she found a hallway lined with doors. She turned and slowly made her way down the dark hall, feeling her way along the dirty walls, hoping to find somewhere to rest. The pleasant scent seemed to grow stronger as she moved down the hall. Sunshine, soil and wood, with a note of spicy manliness. The beings on this planet must smell terrific if even their vacant buildings smelled good.

  She stopped at the last door in the hallway, where the scent was strongest. It just seemed logical to try this room first as a place where she could possibly rest.

  She put her hand over the lock. It easily opened. Strange. Did this world even believe in locks? Did they just let strangers right on in? If so, why bother with locks at all?

  She walked in and a night light lit up. Was it coded to just anyone? She had no idea. With the small amount of light, she could see much better. The room was cluttered with boxes and furniture, very much like the front room. Dust and grit filled the air. There was a spacious bunk, a chair, desk and a cabinet. Everything looked dusty and strewn about, and nothing had its own place, which bothered her immensely.

  There weren’t any personal objects, but because of that manly scent she’d detected, she assumed a male used to live here. How long had it been since this house had been vacated? She wondered why they’d left and who used to live here.

  Lila walked up to the cabinets and opened one and gasped at a collection of sharp, vicious weapons. She immediately slammed it closed. Why would anyone leave those behind? Was the owner coming back for them? Was she invading someone’s house or was she hiding out in a condemned building?

  She sat on the edge of the bed and thought it through. The outside looked like the building was about to collapse. The inside was a cluttered mess—and that was all she could see in the dark. If the lights were on, she was sure it would be much worse. But this room, the room where the scent was strongest, also seemed unoccupied. The bed was made but maybe there was still a cleaning bot left behind trying to do a bit of work?

  But it smelled very, very good, which made her want to stay.

  She scanned the room again and this time noticed another door. Oh, thank gods, there was a restroom. She rushed inside and used the surprisingly high-tech toilet that still worked. At least the house had some residual energy left for this too.

  Her clothes were soaking wet and dripping water onto the floor. If she could just get this wet clothing off and wrap herself in a warm blanket, she’d feel so much better. Exhaustion hit her hard. She pulled her long, dark, curly hair into a tight grip and squeezed the water out. Then she kicked off her slippers and peeled off her top, pants and underwear until she was entirely naked. She crossed her arms over her chest, which immediately lessened the chatter of her teeth.

  A nearby mirror reflected her bedraggled appearance through the dim light. She wasn’t exactly a raging beauty—more of a too-thin, too-tall plain young woman with long black hair, dark eyes, blindingly pale skin, small breasts and narrow hips. She’d inherited Dad’s distinctive nose, and everyone said she looked just like him. So she’d left it alone.

  She let out a heavy sigh, padded out of the restroom and quickly laid out all her clothes to dry on the backs of chairs and on any available hooks in the wall. The bed looked clean enough, although it was hard to tell in the half-lit room, but she was just that desperate for warmth and rest. Whoever lived here wasn’t coming back and she was only staying until first light anyway. In the morning she’d figure out her next step.

  She pulled back the covers, lay down and closed her eyes. Worry and fear flooded her heart and mind, but then she turned her head and buried her nose in the pillow and inhaled that addictive scent, which was strongest right here.

  Immediately she felt better.

  Out of all the millions of locations that the transporter could’ve placed her on, wh
y had she ended up here on this planet? And where the hell was she? She had no idea.

  Logically, she should be frightened of trying to sleep naked in an alien bed but…Lila snuggled under the covers, inhaled some more of that tantalizing scent, and managed to fall into a deep sleep.

  3

  “The front door is unlo—”

  Zayzon bumped against Chief, cutting his oldest brother off and shoving him forward a step.

  “Umph.”

  They were all exhausted from the double shift at the mine. And it was hard to hear anything over the incessant pounding of the unseasonable rain. The moisture shield covering Zayzon’s mining gear did a good job protecting him against the elements, but on Timbur there were worse things to fear than the weather.

  “What?” Scar yelled from behind. “What did he say?”

  Zayzon shook his head. “I don’t know. Couldn’t hear.”

  “I said,” their Crew Chief replied, raising his voice and gesturing towards the porch, “I said…the front door of our domicile is unlocked.”

  They all collectively tensed.

  “Unlocked?”

  “Holy hell.”

  “Exactly.” His older brother turned and glanced down at the row of resolute males crowding the porch. “Take positions,” he ordered.

  All seven of them swiftly moved into place and readied for combat without a second thought. They’d trained hard for this eventuality. The click and hum of energy weapons powered up down the line. Zayzon took lead and glanced back at the fierce Xylan miners lined behind him, checking for their readiness, then he turned and gave Chief a curt nod.

  Everyone knew what was at stake here—the last time they’d found a front door unlocked was the night they’d discovered both their parents murdered in their beds and the masked gang of killers still in the house, ready to take them down. Zayzon and his brothers had been surprised then, but this time would be different. No one would catch them unaware again.

  “Go.”