“A simpler way of life isn’t a cult, Grayson.”
“So, you really believe in it? You think there will really be a ‘reckoning’? You think one day the AI will overtake us and reveal there is some master plan? And the ascended AI are controlling us?”
“I don’t know,” Kylie spat the words out. “I won’t share headspace with something that might be under strict orders that I’m not privy to.”
“Then we get another AI,” Rogers said, his tone calm and his hands raised.
His voice startled Kylie. She had forgotten that she and Grayson weren’t alone. “What?”
“There’s a guy not far from here. He works on a station in the scattered disk—not too far from our destination. Mining operation, but that isn’t the only thing he trades in. It’s a safe port too, GFF and Maverick won’t hear about us while we’re there.” Rogers stood and touched Kylie’s arm. “If it’ll help Nadine, why can’t we do it?”
Kylie’s eyes widened in shock, and she glanced at Winter, who only nodded. “You both think this is a good idea?”
“If you won’t, I can,” Winter said. “No disrespect to your parents and what they set out to prove, but I don’t give jack about that. What I care about is Nadine, and I know you do, too. So either hook yourself up or get out of the way so I can do it.”
Were her parents’ beliefs really that arcane? Were they setting her back and putting Nadine’s life in jeopardy? Kylie felt like everything, even her own belief system was falling appart.
Rogers folded his hands. “And we know with Winter’s bedside manner, Lana will go screaming and running in the opposite direction.”
Kylie felt like she was being backed into a corner. Getting an AI in her head was the last thing she wanted. However, she also knew that if Grayson went in, there was a chance he’d rescue Lana and take her right to the SSF. Then Nadine would be lost—it was the epitome of a non-choice.
She tried to come up with another alternative, some way to go in alone. Nothing came to mind, but it did occur to her that getting the AI was short term. As soon as she got Lana, she could get the thing yanked. Kyle grasped onto that straw and spoke up.
“All right, I’ll do it.”
“Wait for a second,” Grayson held his hands out. “How can we even be talking about this? You’ll trust a black-market AI more than you’ll trust the alliance? More than me? Kylie—”
“Set a course, Rogers,” Kylie said and started out of the galley. The conversation, as far as she was concerned, had already ended.
“How does he even get these AI? Do you know? Do you even care?” Grayson pleaded from behind her.
Kylie really didn’t.
HEAVEN
STELLAR DATE: 08.41.8947 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Salvage ship Dauntless
REGION: Scattered Disk, Gedri System, Silstrand Alliance
Kylie stepped onto the bridge and gave a long, cold stare at the empty seat in front of the navigation console. It had been empty before, but never for this reason. Never because Nadine was captured and in mortal danger. That was on her, and, as Kylie sunk into the chair, what she had done weighed her down like a ton of stones.
“You didn’t approve of the mission,” she said to Rogers, who hadn’t spoken since she entered the bridge. “I know you didn’t. You told me as much and I promised to keep Nadine safe.”
“We promise a lot of things,” Rogers said without looking over at her. “No one can see into the future. If we did, things would be different, wouldn’t they?”
It was true. Things would be so much different.
“You did the best you could. When you made your promise, you meant it.”
His words lacked conviction. Instead, he just sat with a sad look on his face and Kylie was sad right along with him. “I think I’d rather have you yell at me.”
Rogers leaned back in his chair and stared out at space. “Right now, I don’t think I have the energy or the will to yell. All I can think about is Nadine and what she might be going through. Maybe that’s for the best now, to keep us focused.” He glanced back at her and Kylie was struck with how lost he looked. “But I don’t hate you, Cap. Sorry, if that’s what you need from me.”
Kylie didn’t think that’s what she was after, but maybe he was right. Maybe that was exactly what she was after. She swallowed and bit her lip. “Thanks, Rogers. Maybe what I really need is…acceptance.”
“Don’t we all?” He chuckled.
“And Grayson? You don’t think he threw us under the bus?” Kylie asked because Rogers’s opinion was important. He could always see what was really going on and what wasn’t. He didn’t lie, didn’t throw punches. If he believed in someone, it usually meant Kylie should, too.
“I think when the gunfire broke out, he was surprised. Did you see the look on his face? When you said Maverick had no idea who Lana was?”
Kylie had to admit that she hadn’t. She had been so angry, she hadn’t seen anything.
“He was as shocked as the rest of us. I don’t know if that means the SSF was just plain wrong or what, but he’s in the same boat we are. For better or worse, we’re all in this together.”
She wasn’t sure about that. “How much longer until we arrive at your friend’s station?”
“Another ten hours or so.”
Ten hours until she permanently changed her brain. Well, wasn’t that nice? “I think I’m going to grab some rest and then focus on dinner prep. I apologize best on a full stomach.”
Rogers turned his attention back to his console. “If it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll skip dinner.”
“It’s not all the same to me. We all need to be together. Now more than ever. If we’re going to get Nadine back, secure Lana, and keep the SA off our backs, we need to be on the same page.”
“We’re going to need a lot more than that, Captain. We’re going to need a stars-be-damned miracle.”
* * * * *
“Heaven? Your friend operates out of Heaven?” Kylie exclaimed.
“Yeah, it’s the perfect place. Everyone is welcome in Heaven. No one judges you here,” Roger’s replied with a sweeping gesture.
“Pretty sure they got that metaphor wrong,” Winter grunted.
“So, Maverick, Harken, the GFF, none of them will try to take us out here?” Grayson asked. “I can’t see how everyone on this station will just ignore the bounty on our heads.”
“That’s the appeal of Heaven,” Rogers said. “It’s a safe zone. Everyone respects that—the system wouldn’t function if there weren’t places that worked as neutral ground.”
“So long as we grease the right palms,” Winter said.
“Well, Heaven doesn’t run on goodwill,” Rogers replied with a grin.
“Still,” Kylie turned tossed her hair to get a clear look at Grayson, “why don’t you have your AI keep an eye on things just the same. Make sure if a communication goes out to Maverick, Harken, the GFF…. Hell just see if he can tap all the off-station comms. Even if we don’t get hit here, we still need to know what’s waiting for us when we undock.”
Grayson nodded. “Consider it done.”
Winter stared at Kylie a second longer than he needed to. So, she threw Grayson a bone and included him in things. She didn’t want him to feel worthless, but rather part of her crew—for now.
“You don’t need to worry about it,” Roger said. “Like I said, a place like this couldn’t run in the trade it does if it ratted out ships that had bounties on them.”
“I’m well aware of how it works,” Grayson said with a heavy sigh. “But like I said, I’m worried that the bounty on our heads might be large enough that someone on this station won’t care.”
It was a point worth considering.
Rogers’ board lit up with a message, and he glanced down at it. “Got our berth, taking us in. We’ll have seal in twenty minutes.”
Kylie turned to Winter and Grayson. “Stay here just in case something goes wrong. We need the
Dauntless ready to take off if there are any problems.”
Grayson’s eyes showed that he took exception to that, but he didn’t say anything aloud.
“I won’t have what happened on Jericho happen here. Stay with the ship. Defend it, if necessary, and if there’s any sign of trouble, we’ll get out.”
“If there was a way to talk you out of this, I would. Just be careful. And have her back,” Winter said to Rogers.
“I won’t let her out of my sight.” Rogers and Winter clasped their hands together in a brief, but firm, handshake before it was time to go.
Once the ship docked, and the credits exchanged with the right people, Rogers and Kylie cycled the airlock and stepped onto the small station. It wasn’t a flashy joint, but a place that worked well and worked hard. The people they passed all kept to themselves and looked like they would rather be just about anywhere else but out here in the scattered disk. But work in Heaven paid well and sometimes that was all that mattered.
“Just let me do the talking. I sent a message that we were on the way told him what we needed, but sometimes Finn can be a little…tricky to handle.”
Kylie’s brow furrowed. “You are friends with this guy, right?”
Rogers waved his hand in the air in a so-so motion. “Friend might be a slight overstatement.”
“Why didn’t you say something before?”
“Because you didn’t want Grayson to have any more ammunition to argue with you. We didn’t need it, either. You know that. If we had to go back to Trio to get you implanted with an AI you didn’t want…”
It would’ve taken forever and day. Kylie got that. “What’s so special about your friend?” It didn’t go unnoticed that Rogers was carrying a non-descript package wrapped under his arm.
“He’s a foodie.”
Kylie raised an eyebrow. “A foodie?”
“Yup. It isn’t just that he likes food. He loves food. It gets him off in ways you and I get off on…well, you get the picture.”
“So…what you’re carrying is…”
“The bribe. He’ll love this stuff so much, he’ll be begging for more.” Rogers gave Kylie another wink and Kylie chuckled softly.
They headed down a flight of stairs that led to what looked like an even seedier section of the station. The lights were dimmer, and those they passed wore cautious expressions—never making eye contact.
“They just don’t want anyone up in their business. C’mon.” Rogers paused at a door at the end of the hall and banged his fist against it. “It’s Jim Rogers.”
Funny, Kylie always forgot Rogers had a first name. She hadn’t used it in so long.
The door opened wide enough that they could wedge themselves through, and then it automatically shut behind them. They found themselves in a long hallway with a dozen video cameras watching their every move. Kylie followed Rogers down to the end, where he disappeared through a door on the right. Kylie had a bad feeling about what lay ahead but couldn’t turn back. They had already lost too much time, and Nadine needed them.
Nadine needed her.
She turned the corner to see a big man with dreadlocks and a more varied array of mods than Kylie had ever seen on one person. He stood, and two of his arms stretched up while the other pair placed hands on his hips “Rogers.”
“Finn, my man.”
Finn crossed both sets of arms. The muscles on the limbs rippled and bulged, showing off his rich tapestry of tattoos. The colors seemed to all blend together, almost as if they were in flux, moving across his skin.
Nevermind, they actually were.
“Good to see you,” Rogers said, flashing his warmest smile. “This is my friend that needs your services.”
“Kylie,” she offered Finn her hand for a shake but she wasn’t sure which of his four hands to offer it to.
Finn glanced at it before accepting the handshake with his top left hand. “You’re in the market for an AI? I have several good ones. Ripe for a new home. They’re in the farm, been kept isolated almost too long. They’ll be eager to be paired off with someone new. We offer them,” Finn stroked his long beard and chuckled, “incentive.”
“Does it hurt? How long will it take?” Kylie asked, trying not to wonder what sort of incentive Finn was talking about.
“Whoa, you don’t trust my establishment here?”
“She trusts you,” Rogers held up his hand. “I vouched for you. I don’t do that for just anyone.”
“I suppose you don’t.” Finn gave him the once over, his eyes resting on the package under Rogers’s arm. “Is that it?” He licked his lips and Kylie saw that his tongue was forked. He must have gotten it done on purpose—there seemed to be little, fine hairs on the tip. Gross.
“Always.” Rogers handed Finn the mysterious package and Kylie raised her eyebrows. She had no idea they had anything onboard that Finn would want.
He held it to his nose and inhaled long and deep. “Ahh…bacon. By the stars, this is the stuff right here.”
Kylie gave Rogers a sidelong look. That was her bacon, damn it. No wonder he didn’t want to tell her what it was.
“We have more where that came from if you do a good job. Organic, raised planet-side. No nitrates or vat-grown stuff,” Kylie added
Finn chortled with excitement, and Rogers slapped Kylie on the back. “Told you you’d like her.”
“Follow me.” Finn pulled back the curtain at the rear of the room, and they stepped into what looked like a lab that also appeared to double as a weapons locker. Kylie glanced at Finn. “Seems you keep your business diversified.”
“That’s one way of looking at it. A lot of people get weapons for mods, so the work blends together.” He slapped her on the back and Kylie coughed without meaning to. Damn, he was strong. “This chair is for you. Hop on.” Finn turned and walked to the rear of the room while Kylie stared at the reclining chair with a pounding heartbeat.
She didn’t really know about this. Rogers took her hand. “I’ll stay with you, if that’s what you want.”
“Please,” Kylie said. “I don’t want to appear weak, but—”
He smiled. “I won’t tell anyone.”
“You might be a better friend than you are a pilot.” Kylie pulled herself onto the chair and tried to relax. She leaned her head back and clasped her hands together.
Rogers scowled. “Did you just insult my piloting skills?”
“I’m not really sure,” Kylie snickered nervously and cast an eye at Finn as he entered the room with a woman whose otherworldly appearance took her breath away.
The newcomer appeared to glide across the floor, her movements measured and precise, more synthetic than human. Her skin was luminescent, and her limbs seemed almost too long, impossibly slender. Her head was an elongated oval with wide cat eyes with a mass of tentacles flowing off the top. She tilted it side to side as she walked, as if she was searching for something.
“Gert here will do the procedure. She hasn’t fried a brain in over twenty years.”
Oh, great.
Gert gave a silvery laugh, and the tentacles on her head lifted up and danced around her face. They glowed, and silver sparkles danced along their length and arced between them. Her tight, single piece of clothing—which Kylie now suspected was maybe just her skin—changed color from a sedate blue to a light green streaked with yellow. “More like nineteen, but who’s counting? I do all my own work, do you like it?” She twirled, and her tentacles flowed out around her before settling down again.
Kylie nodded. “Love it. Your look is very unique.”
“Isn’t it, though?” Gert purred like a cat and Kylie watched her neck pulsate. “I tell you, honey
, once you start, you just can’t stop.”
“Like potato chips,” Rogers said.
Finn’s eyes widened. “You have some? If you could get me some of those, I would throw in some weapons. Plasma clips.”
“Done,” Kylie said. “Now if you don’t mind—”
Finn grunted. “I really like you guys. But first, we talk business. The credits?”
“Ready to move as soon as Kylie wakes up and we have proof you didn’t kill her.” Rogers winced. “Sorry, Cap.”
None taken? Kylie couldn’t find the breath to answer. “Let’s just make this quick.”
Gert leaned over. “Call me Gerti if it makes you feel better, honey. Now start counting backward for me from ten and soon you’ll be asleep. When you wake up, there will be new neuron pathways in your brain and you’ll have a headache. It’ll take three days for your brain to figure out how to work properly again. You probably won’t be able to move for a few days, but once the AI helps you adjust, everything will get better exponentially.”
Three days? Three days. God, Kylie couldn’t remember the last time she was still for an hour, let alone days. Could she even do it? She wasn’t even sure.
Kylie sighed and gazed up at the ceiling. If this is what it took to save Nadine…. If this is what it took. “Ten… nine… eight… seven…” She gasped as they injected her with an anesthetic and rush of cold assaulted her brain.
She was ready to quit. Kylie wished she hadn’t agreed and wanted to shout out, but her mouth wouldn’t open. Nothing would work. Her mind was beginning to drift away.
If she continued to count, Kylie lost all memory of it. Her eyelids became heavy, and they closed.
COMING AROUND
STELLAR DATE: 08.42.8947 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Finn’s Mod Shop, Heaven
REGION: Scattered Disk, Gedri System, Silstrand Alliance
Grayson stood in Finn’s outer room, arms crossed, staring at a display showing a variety of rather terrifying mods. He rested his back against the wall and tore his gaze from the display to look at the motionless curtain at the back of the room. Kylie was behind that curtain and had been for twelve hours. The procedure was done and had been a success, so why wasn’t she awake yet?
Close Proximity - An Aeon14 Space Opera Adventure (Perilous Alliance) Page 18
