by Megan Derr
"We don't have much time," Mendel said.
"Don't need it," Sean said. "They didn't put up much security—guess he saw no point, given the whole operation was so secret. Also, if it's Cohen, he's too cocky for his own good."
Bikendi made a derisive noise. "He would have to be, to launch a scheme like this."
Sean smirked. "Well, he'll pay for it. The others will be here soon."
"It's good to know there is a scheme afoot," Bikendi grunted. "I am damned tired of being here. Took the IG long enough."
"Cohen is cocky, but he's had help that is far too smart for anyone's good," Sean replied and disconnected from the system. "There, I've grabbed damn near everything. If Cohen tries to have it all wiped when the Auths show up, it'll be too little, too late." He tossed the datapad back to Mendel, then restored the in-lens and wires to his own boots.
He returned the faceplate to the panel just before more guards showed up—five of them, all pissed off. Sean grabbed the stunner on the table and shot two of them before the third got to him. The Hellcat launched at him, poison-tipped claws slicing through Sean's' shirt and the skin beneath.
Sean grabbed him, slammed both their heads together, then sank a fist into the Hellcat's gut and threw him aside, shooting him to put him out entirely. By the time he was done with the Hellcat, Mendel had taken out the remaining two guards. Mendel glanced at him.
"As distracting as you are in Rehab mode, I cannot think it prudent to pick all these fights."
"If they're busy quelling trouble inside, they're less likely to notice trouble coming from the outside," Sean replied.
Mendel grunted and helped him cast the latest set of unconscious guards out into the hall. "You're playing a dangerous game."
"Yes," Bikendi snapped in agreement. "I think by now you have made your point. Get back in here." When the door closed, he punched in a sequence of numbers that set off warning lights and locked down the laboratory. "There. It will take them some time to sort that out, since it requires top-level clearance to cancel a hazard state from the outside, and I am fairly certain no such person is currently on the premises."
"You're brilliant," Sean said.
Bikendi just sneered at him. "Yes, I am. It is amazing what the mind can do when it is not severely damaged by pointless combat."
Sean laughed. "So what do we do now?"
"Work," Bikendi replied. "I am not going to waste all my time here; I may as well get some use out of being kidnapped. The information I've gathered will be useful to my own work. Now, blood samples. Mendel, my notes are over there if you want to read through them while I deal with your partner."
Laughing again, Sean stole a quick, firm kiss from Mendel, then sat where he was told so Bikendi could draw his blood.
Chapter Nineteen
Planet 0000000 (Zero), Port Primus
Einn groaned in relief as he finally crawled free of the Shangri La. He never wanted to board another starship—ever. Slowly working out the stiffness in his limbs, he looked around to get his bearings.
It was hard not to gawk. He had always thought the tales of Zero must have at least been somewhat exaggerated, but near as he could tell at a glance, the tales were all true—Zero was beautiful. Einn could not tear his eyes away from the towering, shining building in the distance: the Palace of Eternity, the heart of the IG.
Someone bumped into him, recalling Einn to the task at hand. He was not there to stare like a babe fresh from his foundling cave; he was there for Cyan, and he would tear down the Palace itself to get him back.
Quickly moving away from the Shangri La, Einn wended his way through the maze-like port to the exit, heart kicking up a notch with trepidation. On most planets, the ports were public access. Securing ports was expensive and laborious, and most port workers had their hands full already. It was easier and cheaper to leave the ports accessible and take the odd hit of criminal mischief—and there were plenty of ports that benefited from criminal activity.
Zero, of course, could afford to secure its ports. Importing or exporting anything on Zero was expensive and difficult: licenses, tariffs, and all the extras of both that went along with certain goods. Zero had never lacked for funds, and it poured a generous portion of those funds into security.
Reaching the access point, Einn handed over his stunner to the guards manning the security station. He then walked to the exit, drew a deep breath, and let it out slowly, then activated his in-lens, calling up the appropriate key codes given to him by Jade. To his immense relief, they worked, and Einn wasted no time in fleeing the port. Out in the public areas, he stopped a guide, and asked, "Alexander Estate?"
The guide smiled at him, though Einn supposed it was not programmed to do anything but smile, and replied in smooth tones, "Private Sector 3, Division 5, Estate 35-12548. Does that help you?"
"Yes, thank you," Einn said, and walked on, slowly finding his way to the transport platforms and getting in line for the one that would take him to Private Sector 3. When it was finally his turn, he stepped onto the platform and called up the necessary codes, though it took him a moment to locate them—and he was somewhat surprise that Jade had been so thorough. But he supposed that thoroughness was one of the things that made Jade so dangerous.
Einn wondered how long he had until someone finally deactivated all his access codes; hopefully not until he had saved Cyan. He really wondered how Cyan was going to get them off Zero, but there was no sense in worrying about that until he had Cyan. One cliff at a time, he reminded himself.
After arriving in the necessary sector, he checked a display map, then went to another transport platform, breathing another sigh of relief when his codes continued to work. Stepping out of the transport station when he arrived, he again found himself unable to do anything, but gawk. Shaking his head at the ridiculous amount of wealth towering around him, Einn checked a street board, used his in-lens to double check directions, and walked off toward the Alexander Estate.
When he reached it, he went back to gawking. This was the home Cyan had surrendered? Had walked away from without even a backward glance? This was what he had given up to settle for Rehab? It was beautiful, made of dark red stone with glass windows. Green grass covered the yard, though it was barely visible beneath the profusion of rosebushes. Einn shook his head at them: at least fifty bushes of Mars and Vrill roses. Such an extravagance made him dizzy. A walkway of bright white stone wended its way through and around the bushes, leading up to a door of dark green that matched the shutters framing the windows. Einn had never seen such a pretty, frivolous house.
He also saw no way in. Activating his datapad with his in-lens, he opened a security scan program, in-lens flashing as it analyzed the house and grounds. His datapad chirped faintly where it was still in its holster on his thigh, then sent back a confirmation that there were no security systems in place.
That was an out and out lie if ever he'd heard one, which meant it was an even nastier system than he'd been hoping to deal with—but he couldn't say he was surprised. Anyone who could afford roses like that, in that quantity, could afford the best security in the stars.
So how was he going to get in?
Einn kept walking, not wanting to draw attention to himself. He would make an attempt to break in once dark fell and hope for the best. He didn't have time for research or even much preparation. He really wished he had his magics right then, but he could still feel that awful muffled feeling in the back of his mind that told him he didn't. Whatever his bravado, being able to stick to things and heal himself were two things he greatly appreciated being able to do, and they would have been useful for climbing blind.
Worrying his bottom lip, Einn wandered around until he found a small, tidy-looking pub. Ordering a beer at the bar, he settled into a corner and contemplated his dilemma. There had to be a way in; he refused to be so close only to be flummoxed. He sipped at his beer and pulled out his datapad, running through what was available—legally and otherwise—on the types o
f security systems that could be guarding the Alexander Estate.
He looked up at the sound of someone approaching his table, reaching reflexively for his stunner before he remembered he'd had to leave it behind. He looked up—and froze in surprise when Raoul sat down across from him. Einn frowned.
Raoul smiled and drank his own beer. "You look remarkably healthy for someone crammed into that crawlspace for nearly two days."
"I've been in worse places for longer," Einn said. "We're adapted for it, you know that. What do you want?"
Raoul didn't reply as a waitress came up with a basket of fried Tehari. The sharp, salty smell made Einn's stomach growl. Raoul ate one, then nudged the basket toward Einn. "Eat. You'll need your strength."
Einn wasn't going to argue; it was possible the food was poisoned, but that was a sloppy way to get someone. If Raoul wanted him dead or captured, he'd already be out. "Take this, too," Raoul said, and tossed a small bottle filled with a dark green liquid into the basket. "Death by poison is not nearly flashy enough for a pirate."
Fishing out the bottle, Einn looked at it warily. "He found a cure for the poison that fast?"
"Constantine is very good at what he does," Raoul said. "He also worked nonstop to figure that out, but don't feel too sorry for him; he'll make a tidy sum from selling the formula. Drink it."
Einn obeyed, grimacing at the bitter taste, but not complaining otherwise—it was, after all, a cure. He chased the nasty taste with a few bites of food and a swallow of beer. "So what else do you want? You're not here just to be altruistic."
"My job is to protect Pyotr. I know everything that happens on his ship and in his office. No one boards the Shangri La without my being aware of it. Pyotr does not approve of your actions, but he doesn't condemn them either." Raoul tossed something else into the basket.
Einn ate another bite of tehari, and then picked up the little box. It was the length of half his finger and not quite half again as wide, made of black metal, and stamped with the infinity symbol of the IG on one side. The other side was stamped with a maker's mark he only recognized as one of the best in-lens makers in the IG. Why was Raoul giving him an in-lens case?
Flipping it open, Einn stared in bemusement at the two in-lenses inside, nestled in violet silk. The fine electronics around the edges glinted in the dim pub light, and the in-lens glass was so fine, he couldn't even really see it. "One for you, one for Cyan," Raoul said. "Don't let them fall into the wrong hands, though even if they did, they'd be useless. Those things are gremlin built, and it would take another gremlin to crack them. Never stops people from trying—and occasionally succeeding—though."
"Why?" Einn asked.
"Pyotr doesn't believe in wasting resources. Rescue Cyan. A ship will be waiting for you in Port Tertius, dock 3, section 21-B."
"Copy that," Einn said, deciding that questions would just have to wait until Cyan was safe. "Thanks."
"Oh, don't thank me," Raoul said with a grin, and set something else beside the basket, out of sight of the rest of the bar—a stunner, Einn noted. "Welcome to Internal Affairs. Don't screw up." He finished his beer, then stood and left as abruptly as he'd arrived, leaving Einn alone once more.
Einn picked up the stunner and smoothly tucked it away in his jacket. He carefully removed the in-lens he was already wearing, then picked up the one marked with a small 'E' in the silk in front of it. Fitting it over his right eye, he blinked to settle it into place. He froze while it activated, initializing information flashing across his eye, feeling the thrum as it verified his identity and searched out whatever it might need to connect to. Einn verified his datapad with a thought, then put the in-lens into rest.
How in the stars was it going to get him into the Alexander Estate? But even as he thought the question, the in-lens flashed back into life, bringing up codes, schematics, and a dozen other things that had Einn scrambling to put it to rest again.
Right. Expensive, sensitive equipment. Stars, he preferred working with old-model, black-market mod equipment. Putting aside thoughts of his late-night activities for the moment, he enjoyed his beer and snack, then called the waitress over and ordered a full meal and a fresh beer.
As dark fell, Einn paid for his meal and made his way leisurely back to the Alexander Estate; by the time he reached it, full dark had fallen. He kept walking, then slipped in behind the house, heading down a smaller, less ornate walkway to a massive back porch and up to a set of glass-paned double doors. His in-lens flashed as it transmitted access codes when he passed through invisible gates and flashed again when he reached the doors. They opened with the faintest click. Einn slipped inside and closed the door again behind him.
Inside, he called up the house blueprints, keeping them up as he moved carefully through the house. He froze on the stairs when he realized, too late, that someone else was on the stairs—
The bottom dweller who had collared Cyan. Einn reacted, but the other man reacted first, shoving him into the wall. Einn barely noticed, far more interested in the way his hand had reflexively stuck to the wall. He had his magics. So a ship was waiting for him, huh? Einn laughed.
"What's so funny?" the man demanded, slamming Einn's head into the wall. He then closed his hand around Einn's throat and squeezed. Einn didn't bother to tell him both were futile efforts, that he'd have to try a lot harder to injure or suffocate a Fornarian.
"Your face," Einn replied, and pulled the stunner Raoul had given him, firing almost before he'd fully aimed it.
The man dropped like a rock on the stairs, and Einn blasted him again for good measure. Holstering his stunner, huffing in annoyance, Einn dragged him down the stairs and into an empty room. Using the man's own clothes, Einn tied him and gagged him, then removed all his weapons and comms. Those he dumped in another room, then he locked both of them before finally returning to the stairs.
As he walked, stunner drawn this time, he made a mental note never to anger Pyotr Kavalerov. It was creepy—even frightening—how much power he had, and all the ways he was willing to use it. Einn did not like the idea of the IG having so much access to his private home.
At the top of the stairs, he called up the blueprints again and got his bearings. It really disturbed him that the map marked where Cyan would be. How had Pyotr—or whoever set up his in-lens—known where Cyan would be? Shaking the thought off as distracting, Einn moved quickly down the hallway to the appropriate door.
His in-lens flashed, displaying the necessary codes for the door scanner to read. After a moment, there was a muted click and chime. Einn pushed the door open and slipped inside, then pushed it closed again.
It took only a moment for him to spot Cyan on the bed. Relief flooded through him so hard and sudden, he trembled with it—but it turned to white hot rage as he drew closer and saw the scratches and bruises, the chains and that stars-damned collar. Reaching the bed, he lightly touched Cyan's cheek—and jumped when Cyan reared up, eyes wide with fright. "No—" Cyan froze, stared at him. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Einn cautiously moved close again, reaching out to him. "Cyan?"
"You're dead," Cyan whispered.
"What?"
"Well, well," said an all too familiar voice. Einn whipped around, raised his stunner—and reeled back when the bastard from before punched him in the face. He dropped, swearing and kicking out blindly as his eyes watered with pain. Looked like he knew how to hit a Fornarian after all.
"Rall, stop!" Cyan snarled.
Rall started to reply, but Einn used the distraction to land a more solid kick, and Rall went down with a cry, landing half on top of Einn. He struggled to get Rall off him, wishing irritably he had that handy little light trick of Karmikel's.
Einn screamed in surprise when the room filled with a burst of brilliant white-gold light, wondering why the hell it didn't hurt his eyes—
Questions for later, he thought, and with a snarl, shoved a temporarily blinded Rall off. He dove for his lost stunner—only to be ki
cked just as the light faded away. He saw Jade from the corner of his eye and wondered where the stars he'd come from. A wet, startled noise made them both turn and look to see that Cyan had gotten hold of a dagger and slit Rall's throat. Dropping the knife, Cyan fumbled with what looked like a control mechanism of some sort, and Einn saw Jade with an exact copy.
Einn knocked Jade to the floor and pinned him there, sticking himself to the floor even as he screamed in pain when Jade's nails sank into his skin.
He heard the burst of a stunner firing, then another, and Jade went limp beneath him. Einn slowly clambered to his feet, wincing at the bloody marks on both his sides, swearing as his healing magics made them sting all the more during the process of repair. He turned to look at Cyan, still tethered to the bed, but free of that awful collar. "Are you okay?"
Cyan laughed, a ragged, broken sound. "You're really—they said—I thought you were dead."
Einn closed the short distance between them and caught Cyan up, kissing him so hard Cyan's lip split. He groaned, the feel and flavor of Cyan a balm. "I'm not dead."
"The Temperast?"
"They are dead. Are you okay?"
Cyan gave another of those shaky laughs. "I will be. I can't believe you're alive. They said you were all dead except for Sean and Mendel. You're alive, and you came for me—"
"I'll always come for you," Einn said fiercely, and kissed him again. Eventually, he drew back, and said, "As much as I love to see you naked, you need clothes if we're going to get out of here. Can you move? You look pretty banged up."
Making a face, Cyan said, "I've been beat worse by Traxens, if not quite so methodically. I'll be fine for a bit and can rest on the ship. I'll have to raid Jade's room; I don't have any clothes here that will fit."
Einn tried to picture Cyan in Jade's ornate robes, and simply couldn't. Instead, he stole one last kiss, and then turned away to search Rall and Jade until he found keys to the chains. "I'll be back," Cyan said when he was finally free. "See to it Jade can't escape; he's going to Rehab this time."
