Return to Duty

by Elizabeth Hollows

  Briefly, Jay debated arguing or refusing, but he decided that behaving would be better for him in the long run. He stood, taking a place in the center of the room.

  “Step outside your cell.”

  Jay followed the next command. There was another agent in the hallway and they bracketed him on either side. They had energy guns just waiting to be used if he attempted to escape. Jay let them lead him through a dozen twists and turns. If they were trying to confuse him, it wasn’t working. Jay was good at memorizing layouts and he already had a mental map from his ship to his containment cell and now to wherever they were going. He doubted he’d have the chance to use the information to launch an escape, but it was reassuring to know that he could, if given the opportunity.

  Eventually, they stopped at a gray door that almost blended in with the wall. One of the agents pressed a hidden keypad and the door slid back to reveal a small room. It had a metal table and two chairs bolted to the floor, but no other furnishings. Jay was directed to sit in the chair facing the door. He obeyed, and once he was seated, they locked the door and left him alone.

  Jay looked around curiously. Why aren’t they chaining me to the furniture? If it weren’t for his manacles, this could almost be considered a friendly chat. Jay tapped his fingers against the table. What’s their game?

  There wasn’t a clock in the room, but Jay had a good internal watch. It hadn’t been longer than two minutes before the door unlocked and opened. A man with graying hair, sharp eyes and a generic, easily forgettable face stepped inside. He shut the door before taking a seat opposite Jay. He had a hand-held datascreen, which he placed on the table. The screen was blank but the agent soon started typing. Information flooded the screen and the man ignored Jay to swipe through it.

  “Jay, also known as Jaybird,” he finally said.

  Reports and images were selected and dismissed. Each one had a picture of Jay’s winking mugshot in the corner. It was IA’s dossier on his criminal activity.

  “Wanted for a host of crimes across the galaxy,” the agent continued. “Petty thievery, public nuisance and public indecency…” The agent raised his eyes to hold Jay’s. “And implicated in a dozen high-scale heists of jewelry, gold and priceless artifacts.”

  Jay kept his face blank and his lips sealed. He’d been implicated but never charged, and as long as he said nothing incriminating, it would stay that way. Yet the agent didn’t push him on the subject. He changed it.

  “But, more importantly to us…”

  The agent tapped the upper right corner of the datascreen and turned it. He pushed it across the table toward him. Jay glanced down instinctively and gritted his teeth at the photo of himself—young and bright-eyed—from what felt like a lifetime ago.

  “The honorably discharged Major Heath Chapman, a specialist in stealth and extraction.”

  Looking back at the agent, Jay remained silent. The man pulled the device back and moved through a different set of information, this time with Jay’s service photo in the upper corner of the screen.

  “You were a highly decorated officer, one of the finest operatives trained in the last decade.” He looked back at Jay. “It’s a shame you turned your talents to crime, Major.”

  “I was discharged,” Jay said, glaring at the man. “I don’t have a rank anymore.”

  “That’s where we might disagree.” The agent turned off the datascreen and put it to the side. He rested his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers. “We know of the warrants out for your arrest, Major, but we also know that you witnessed Zanik Taziv’s kidnapping.”

  Jay frowned. “I don’t see how those two things fit together.”

  “The Kada’rah orchestrated the kidnapping that you witnessed,” the agent said bluntly.

  Jay’s stiffened. The Kada’rah was a violent and power-hungry criminal syndicate. They were ruthless and controlled a large portion of Asam. It was no surprise that they wanted to gain influence over the moons too.

  “We have known of the threat to the Taziv family for some time,” the agent explained. “The youngest son was the easiest target for the Kada’rah. We are appealing to his father to let us handle the safe return of Zanik. We want this resolved peacefully.”

  Jay narrowed his eyes. “Why would the IA care about the kidnapped son of a Qui who ignores galactic laws?” Jay’s smile was ironic. “Or do you just want the Taziv family in your pocket rather than the Kada’rah’s?”

  “Major Chapman…” The agent remained calm and composed. “There is a fine balance maintained on those moons. It is a balance that benefits not only the criminals but IA too. We do not want to see it disturbed.”

  Jay didn’t like where this was going. The agent’s voice was too smooth and his information too freely given.

  “What does this have to do with me?” he asked suspiciously.

  “You are a specialist in stealth and extraction, a decorated soldier trained to work on almost every planetary terrain.” His words were offered as facts as opposed to honeyed praise. “You are also a man who has spent the last five years becoming familiar with the more gray and illegal areas of society.” The agent held Jay’s gaze. “There are many IA operatives positioned across Asam and its moons, but removing them to work on this would endanger their lives and their missions. There are no soldiers of your skill-set nearby who are available and enlisted—”

  “Hold on,” Jay interrupted, holding up his hands in the universal symbol for ‘stop’. “You’re trying to recruit me into a rescue mission?”

  The agent picked up the datascreen once more and pulled up a new piece of information.

  “Zanik is an innocent civilian in the hands of an organization known for torture.” He showed a picture to Jay, giving him a good look at the young, smiling Qui. “The Intelligence Agency is offering to deactivate and dismiss all the outstanding warrants for your arrest if you accept this mission and reenlist for the time needed to complete it.”

  Jay slumped in his seat, feeling shocked. “You’ll wipe my slate clean if I help rescue a Qui?”

  “Yes,” the agent answered.

  But it just can’t be that simple, can it?

  Then again, going up against the Kada’rah would make most people run away with their tails between their legs. But Jay had run dozens of missions in active warzones. A criminal syndicate might be cruel and vindictive, but they couldn’t take out an entire squadron in one hit. They couldn’t do any worse than what had already been done to him—but Jay shut the door firmly on those unwanted memories.

  There was a good reason that he’d ripped himself free from the Universal Collective and their Armed Forces Division. He couldn’t trust the UCAFD and he’d wanted nothing more to do with them. It was why he’d thrown himself into the life of Jaybird. He’d been discharged, free to do what he wanted with his life.

  Now how the tables have turned.

  IA could be just as bad as the UCAFD, but what were his choices? Reenlist and lose any outstanding warrants or take his chances with whatever authorities the IA turned him over to? And what if they were telling the truth about not having a soldier nearby who could do what they needed?

  Jay’s gaze fell to the smiling face of Zanik, and his thoughts soon turned to Bryce. The waiter hadn’t wanted anything to happen to the Qui. Could he really leave Zanik to the mercy of the Kada’rah? And what about Bryce? What was the IA going to do with him?

  “What about the person I was with?” Jay asked. “Bryce, the waiter from the diner… What’s happening to him?”

  The agent raised a single surprised eyebrow. “He’s not your concern.”

  “He damn well is,” Jay argued. “Bryce is innocent and I want him kept free of any retaliation from the Kada’rah.”

  Narrowing his eyes, the agent studied Jay. It seemed to take an age before he admitted, “We’ve already made arrangements to hide his identity. He’s not your concern, as he won’t be returning to Vicente. You helped him remain undiscovered, and we will keep i
t that way.”

  Jay relaxed. He felt better knowing that Bryce would escape this mess in one piece.

  “Now, will you agree to our terms, Major Chapman?”

  Jay debated it a few moments more. He didn’t want to enlist again, didn’t want to go on another mission, but he was low on options. An unpleasant future awaited him if he declined. Freedom and the chance to start afresh beckoned if he accepted.

  “I’m only bound to serve for as long as the mission takes?” Jay asked, still feeling wary.

  “Yes,” the agent agreed, his expression already filled with triumph.

  He pulled up a service contract on the datascreen and pushed it toward Jay. Reading it through, Jay was impressed at how quickly they’d drawn it up. It was a simple agreement, free of fine print or loopholes. It specified that he would work with an IA agent familiar with the syndicate who had experience in the field. Jay didn’t doubt that the agent would keep a sharp eye on him to make sure he played his role. The agency wouldn’t trust Jay to stick to his word. He might be a thief with a useful past, but Jay had been a soldier for most of his life and the brotherhood and respect for those who served on the front lines never went away. Whoever they teamed him up with, Jay would fight them to his last breath.

  Pressing his finger to the screen, Jay didn’t second-guess as he signed on the bottom line. He sat back with heavy limbs. He was a soldier once more.

  The datascreen was taken from him and the agent stood. He pressed a button on his belt and the chain of Jay’s handcuffs deactivated. The cuffs followed it, opening and falling onto the table. Jay rubbed his wrists.

  “You will be taken to your quarters, where you can shower and change. You will meet Commander Willis and Agent Fox for a debriefing in one hour. Understood, Major Chapman?”

  Rising to stand, Jay gave a small, ironic smile. His voice was a light drawl, as opposed to the crisp agreement expected from a subordinate. “Yes, sir.”

  The agent didn’t complain. He turned on his heel and left the room. He spoke briefly to the man outside before walking down the corridor. Jay made his way over to the waiting agent.

  “If you’ll follow me, sir,” he said. “I will take you to your quarters.”

  Jay went without protest, following placidly behind a man who was now his subordinate. The routine of command structures and rank floated back over him like a long-forgotten dream. His walk shifted automatically, changing from a lazy, careless slump to straight-backed and sharp. He might have thrown himself into being Jay for five years, but he’d been a soldier for a decade before that, and some habits died hard.

  When they reached the sleeping quarters he’d been given, he dismissed the agent. Jay ignored the bedroom to head for the bathroom. He stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower. The hot water pounded down his shoulders as he washed off the grime from the dumpster. His mind drifted as he thought about what he was getting himself into. The Kada’rah wasn’t an enemy anyone wanted to make. He hoped Agent Fox truly was an expert on the syndicate and knew better than to be foolish. Fox was a member of IA—a spy, by all accounts. He should be smart enough to follow Jay’s judgment out in the field. It would be tough and dangerous, but if they succeeded in rescuing Zanik, Fox would have a gold star on his record and Jay would have a clean slate and the gratitude of Hezon Taziv.

  The thought made Jay grin as he turned off the water and toweled himself dry. He’d never squander being free and in the favor of a rich and powerful family.

  Wrapping the towel around his waist, Jay stepped into the main room. It was an interesting mix of emotions to find the brown and gray UCAFD uniform waiting for him on the bed. He supposed the IA had clothing on hand for every occasion that their agents might need. It didn’t mean Jay’s hands weren’t heavy and his mind filled with memories as he pulled on each familiar layer.

  When he’d finished and looked at himself in the mirror, it felt like he was being sent back in time, though his haircut wasn’t standard issue and the clothing a tad big. It didn’t designate him as a major, but it still felt like his old uniform. It was like being back there, about to walk into a new battle just because his commander had given an order. Jay swallowed and looked away. He could hear plasma gunfire, feel blood slick under his fingers and remember the cries of the men he’d trained with, fought with and formed friendships with. The memories were loud in his head, impossible to block out. He was grateful when a knock came on the door, jerking him from his thoughts.

  “Come,” he forced out, his voice rough.

  The door opened. This time it was a female agent. “I’m here to take you to Commander Willis, sir.”

  Jay nodded and gave the room a quick glance, making sure he had forgotten nothing. Assured he was as presentable as he could be, Jay followed the agent out of the room and down a new set of hallways. It was a silent affair, with nothing but the echoing of their feet on the metal floors for sound. It gave Jay too much time to think.

  How would he handle being in the field again? What orders would IA have for him? The UCAFD had a rhythm and structure that Jay knew. He had once been able to stretch their orders to the breaking point without reprisal. He’d known his men and who to trust on the battlefield. This was new territory, and although he could slide into his old skin with more ease than he’d ever had as Jaybird the thief, this was different enough to leave him tense. He cracked his knuckles—an old habit he’d picked up from a fellow major—to reduce some of his nerves. He was grateful to reach the briefing room and have something new to focus on.

  The agent knocked on the door and, once she’d received permission, she opened it for Jay to walk through. The room was spacious, with a large table capable of fitting six people, though there was only one man present. He stood beside the table, wearing a dress uniform that defined his rank as commander. There was a datascreen in his hand and two others on the table. The commander paused his perusal of the information to give his attention to Jay. He itched to salute, but quelled the urge.

  “Major.” He directed him toward a chair. “Take a seat. We’re waiting for Agent Fox.”

  The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on Jay. Two hours ago, he had been a criminal waiting to be charged and jailed. Now he was an officer enjoying the respect and courtesy of his rank. It was as if the last five years had never happened.

  Jay smiled wryly and murmured a half-hearted “Yes, sir.”

  He took the nearest chair facing the door, wanting to observe Agent Fox when he arrived. Jay looked over the commander in the meantime. He’d never heard of Commander Willis, but that meant nothing when dealing with the IA. The man was older than Jay, with shrewd eyes and long-healed burns on his neck and throat. It was obviously a wound sustained in battle from being too near an energy blast. A single war wound wasn’t enough to allow him to trust a man, but Jay had found that those who’d served and suffered in battle were more critical and careful of the missions they sent their soldiers on. They didn’t want others to suffer the way they had. It boosted Jay’s confidence, and when he heard a knock on the door announcing Agent Fox, he felt ready for anything.

  His thoughts changed the moment the agent entered the room. He walked with sure footing and was dressed in the standard black attire of an IA agent. His black hair was slicked back and when his blue eyes caught Jay’s, there was something uneasy in them. He was almost wincing and Jay could understand why.

  “Agent Fox, Major Chapman,” the commander remarked, a hint of amusement in his voice. “I believe you know one another.”

  Jay didn’t glance at Commander Willis. He was too busy staring at Bryce, the waiter he’d thought was innocent of everything, the person he’d been trying to protect and the man who was an IA agent undercover on Vicente.

  Jay hadn’t expected the bite of betrayal to hit him as hard as it did.

  Chapter Three

  “Major Chapman,” Bryce greeted.

  Jay clenched his fists. The urge to punch him was strong. How much of this was
a setup? How long had Bryce known who and what he was? Anger coursed through Jay and it made his greeting bitter and accusatory. “Bryce.”

  Agent Fox’s cheek twitched, the only sign of his discomfort.

  “Tristan,” he corrected.

  Of course, his name was part of the lie.

  Jay scoffed in disgust and looked away from him. Everything that had happened on Vicente had been a fabrication. Bryce—no, Tristan—had only been flirting with him to gather information and pass it on to the Intelligence Agency. No wonder they’d known he’d take their offer of reenlistment. Tristan had probably been the one to suggest it.

  What a fool he’d been. The signs of Tristan’s duplicity had always been there if he’d only paid attention, rather than letting slim hips, bright eyes and an attractive grin distract him.

  “Agent Fox,” Commander Willis said, his sharp tone drawing their attention. “Take a seat.” Tristan instantly obeyed, sitting opposite Jay. The commander glanced between them. “I understand this is not what you expected, Major, but Agent Fox was doing his job on Vicente and I expect you both to do the same here.”

  Jay was still angry at the deception, but there was little he could do about it. He had to work with Tristan if he wanted to gain his freedom and complete his contract with IA. Everything that had happened on Vicente and the attraction he’d felt… It all had to be put aside. He was a soldier on a mission and Tristan was an agent following orders. There was nothing more to it.

  He felt Tristan’s gaze on him but refused to catch his blue eyes.

  “Yes, sir,” Jay acknowledged the commander’s request.

  A beat later, Tristan did the same. Commander Willis accepted their words and took a seat at the head of the table.

  “As you know,” he began, “the Kada’rah took Zanik Taziv.”

  He tapped on his datascreen and Tristan did the same, prompting Jay to open his own. It displayed a wealth of information on the syndicate and the Taziv family. Jay’s lips twitched bitterly. How much of the information had Tristan collected while posing as Bryce?