Operation Phoenix

by Susan Hayes

  “So, we’re going to be dressed in goofy outfits and trying to navigate a slick surface during this investigation? Wonderful. Please tell me there are no security cameras down here because if this gets recorded anywhere, Magi will find it and use it to make my life hell.”

  “V.I.D.A. automatically monitors the entire base, including the vault. I suppose I could ask her to suspend recording for a bit.”

  “She can do that?”

  “Yes, she can do that, but only for me, since I’m the base commander. Actually, she might do it for you, too. I have no idea how high a clearance you were granted.”

  “Who else has that kind of clearance? Does V.I.D.A. have a record of how many times that request has been made?”

  Instead of answering him, Trinity asked V.I.D.A. directly. “V.I.D.A., how many personnel have ever been granted IAF security clearances that allowed them to temporarily suspend surveillance recording anywhere on base, and what was their position?”

  The AI responded with her usual efficiency. “Hello, Lieutenant West. Each base commander is granted that level of clearance. There have been eleven different officers who have held that designation over the time that I have been active. The only other person granted that ability is Commander Rossi.”

  “Thank you, V.I.D.A. I’m going to request that you suspend surveillance while we’re down here and activate again once we’ve entered the mag-lift.”

  “Yes, Lieutenant.”

  “V.I.D.A., it’s Commander Rossi. What about Dr. Clarke?”

  “Hello, Commander Rossi. No other personnel on base, including Dr. Clarke, have ever been granted that level of access by the IAF. You and the lieutenant are the only ones currently able to do so.”

  “V.I.D.A., please send my team a complete list of every time someone has ordered you to suspend surveillance in the vault. Dates, times, and the name of the one issuing the order?”

  “Of course, Commander.”

  He turned to Trinity. “I’ll have Magi look into how many times it’s been deactivated and see if any of those times correlate to when thefts might have taken place.”

  She shot him an irritated look. “I already did that.”

  “I know you did. I read your reports. You didn’t have all the information we have now. Some of the corporations were slow to cooperate, but we’re getting a clearer picture of what happened, and when.”

  “I’d like to see that documentation. You really read my reports?”

  “All of them. You did a hell of a job. I just didn’t mention it until now because we weren’t exactly on good terms, and I didn’t want you to think I was buttering you up with false flattery.”

  She flashed him a rueful grin. “I probably would have thought that, too. Come on, the change area is over here. You’ll need to strip and then enter the automated decon-chamber. Follow the instructions. There will be a steri-cloth wrap for you to wear once you exit.”

  “You’re not coming in with me?” He was pushing his luck, but since they weren’t being monitored, he figured it was safe to tease her a little.

  “The IAF might be co-ed, but apparently the scientific community still likes their modesty. We’ll go through decontamination separately.” She arched her brow. “Unless you need me to hold your hand?”

  “I think I can manage, but if I get lonely…” He winked at her.

  She blushed, and he could have cheered right then and there. If she wasn’t going to shoot him down for that, then things were looking up.

  Trinity left Dax and entered the change room. It was as stark as everything else down here. There were a few cubby-style shelves for her clothes and boots and a couple of hooks to hang any other items. The only other item of note was the large red arrow that lit up every few minutes, indicating the way to the decon-chamber.

  It always made her laugh that the designers felt the highly trained experts who would use this facility required directions toward the only door that didn’t lead back the way they’d come.

  She unbraided her hair, stripped off her uniform, left it neatly folded on the shelves, and headed to the next room. She idly wondered how Dax would react to what came next. The chambers were beside each other, and the wall dividing them was frosted but still transparent enough she could see his shadow moving on the other side.

  “What now?” he asked.

  “Follow the instructions and diagrams posted on the wall in front of you,” she called back, already extending her arms and bracing herself for the high-powered jets of antiseptic solution that started the process. She sucked in one last lungful of air and shut her eyes as the warning chime sounded.

  Dax bellowed in shock as the barely lukewarm liquid sluiced over him, and she had to seal her lips against a fit of giggles. She knew from experience how vile the antiseptic tasted, and he must have gotten a mouthful when he yelled. He was still cursing now, though it was more of a muted mutter.

  After the forceful shower ended, she was directed to hold still as her body was hit with a full course of air blasts, sonic waves, and then another round of air blasts. By the time it was over she was dry, her hair was a tangled mess, and she was feeling slightly battered and abused.

  “You could have warned me this was a torture chamber!” Dax complained loudly enough that his voice echoed off the walls.

  “I could have, but what fun would that have been?” she called back.

  She left by another door, one that led her to a closet-sized room on the ‘clean’ side of the laboratory. She took one of the steri-cloth wraps from a stack and wrapped it around herself before entering the final chamber before the vault.

  Two steps past the door, she was caught up in Dax’s arms as he spun her around and pressed her up against the nearest wall. “You’re a brat.”

  She did her best to ignore her body’s needy response to his touch and focused on trying to form words. “Did you forget that? I’m pretty sure you and Travis used to call me that at least a dozen times a day.”

  “Not that kind of brat.” He was wearing a wrap around his waist, but it barely came to the midpoint of his muscular thighs. He was mostly naked and pressed up against her with a look in his eyes that made her heart race and her libido light up like a plasma torch.

  “There are different kinds?”

  “Oh yeah. There are bratty little sisters, and grown women who are spoiled brats…” he lowered his head until his lips were a hairsbreadth away from hers. “And then there are sexy, sassy brats who need to be spanked until their ass is pink and they learn there’s a price to pay for being bratty.”

  His words set her on fire, but there was no way she was going to admit it. Not here. Not yet. “Last time I checked, the IAF had banned all forms of corporal punishment.”

  His calloused hand stroked her cheek. “This has nothing to do with the IAF. In case you hadn’t noticed, neither of us is in uniform right now, Butterfly.”

  She glanced down at his naked chest, then raised her gaze to meet his. “It’s hard not to notice when you’re this close to me. And I thought I told you not to call me that?”

  “You told me not to call you butterfly girl, and I didn’t. You’re not a girl anymore, Trin. You’re a woman. One I want to get to know better.”

  The last time they were together she’d been young and inexperienced, and he’d broken her heart. She wasn’t that same girl anymore. The question was, had he changed, too? Enough to risk her heart a second time?

  “I don’t have any right to ask you for a second chance, but I’m doing it anyway. Say yes, Trin.”

  “Maybe.” She rose on her toes to kiss him gently. “But before I say yes, I want to know why you walked away from me the last time.”

  He grimaced. “You’re not going to like my reasons.”

  “Probably not. That’s not going to stop me from wanting to know. But not here. Not now.” She reached up to cup his face in her hands, marveling that they were back in each other’s arms again.

  “But soon.” He turned his h
ead to nuzzle her hand.

  “Soon. Until then, we’ve got work to do.” With that, she let go of him, expecting him to move away.

  “Until then, I’m taking this one on credit.” He leaned to kiss her, and her world exploded.

  This wasn’t a tender kiss. There was nothing gentle about the way his mouth slanted across hers. This was a no-holds-barred sensual assault that made her head spin. She moaned and opened her mouth, unable to resist him. That was the most dangerous thing about Dax; he had always been her weakness. For him, she’d risk almost anything, including another broken heart.

  They stayed locked together for what felt like an eternity. Skin to skin, mouths mated, their arms wrapped around each other like they might never let go. The thin fabric wraps they wore did nothing to hide their need for each other, and part of her was tempted to tear it away and give in to this madness before she had time to come to her senses.

  Instead of giving in, she turned her head and breathed in a lungful of cool air. It didn’t do much to slow the fire burning inside her, but it did help to clear her head. ”We’re supposed to be examining the vault, not each other.”

  “This is way more fun, though.” He sounded so disgruntled she snickered.

  “No argument there, but you were the one who wanted to come down here and look around. Once we’re in the vault, the cold should help get our minds back on the job.”

  He grunted in agreement and released her, backing away so that she was finally free to move.

  “Do we really have to wear those?” he pointed to the pink, floral-patterned jumpsuits that were neatly stacked on a table on the far side of the room.

  “Unless you want to go in there wearing nothing but that strip of cloth and a parka? Yeah, you’ll want to get dressed in something warmer.”

  She went over to the stack and found one in something approximating her size, then picked out the largest size for Dax and tossed it to him.

  He caught it one-handed. “You don’t need to go back to the dressing room to change. I promise not to peek.”

  “Uh huh. I know you better than that.” She grabbed a pair of the slip-on boots and headed back to the small change room to dress.

  She got changed quickly. The jumpsuits were a basic design, but they were functional and would keep them warm while inside the vault.

  “You decent?”

  “Not even close.” His flippant response was underscored with a tone of exasperation.

  “Is there a problem?”

  “Come here and see for yourself.”

  The problem was evident the moment she saw him. Apparently, Cleo hadn’t ordered anything in Dax’s size. The fabric was stretched taut across his chest and shoulders and hugged his legs like a second skin. A skin that was covered with pink and yellow flowers. He was scowling and tugging at the jumpsuit, muttering a string of curses in at least three different languages besides Galactic Standard.

  She burst out laughing. “That is not your best look.”

  “I’m grateful you shut off surveillance. No evidence of this could be allowed to exist.”

  “It’s not that bad. We’ve still got to put on the jackets, which are big enough to fit you and should cover up the worst of this fashion disaster.”

  He held up a pair of fuzzy pink boots. “I uh, could use your help with these. If I bend down that far I’m either going to tear the jumpsuit or cut off circulation to some of my favorite body parts.”

  “Give them to me.” She helped him into the soft footwear, and he helped her back to her feet. They donned two of the jackets, slipped on face masks, and finally dipped their hands in a liquid polymer that turned to a resilient gel the moment it was exposed to the air. Once they were both ready, they made their way to the massive doors that led to the vault itself.

  7

  Trinity was tired of scans and passwords. They both had to go through one last set of security verifications to access the vault. Once the system was convinced they were supposed to be there, a green light flashed, and they had just enough time to fit their masks over their faces and pull up their hoods before the double doors slid open. A mass of cold air rolled into the change area, and they both huddled deeper into their hooded jackets.

  “The décor leaves a lot to be desired,” Dax said, his words muffled by the mask he wore.

  That was an understatement. The vault was little more than a vertical shaft lined with cold, gray metal. The walls of the shaft were checkered with squares, each marked with an engraved plate. A thick metal pillar ran down the center of the shaft, its gleaming length marked by red and green lights that blinked and twinkled like tiny stars. It was a silent, somber place that felt more like a cemetery than a science lab.

  Dax stepped through the doors and onto the catwalk that wrapped around the outer rim of the vault. He wandered over to the railing and looked down into the darkness that hid the bottom of the vault. “So many soldiers rest here.”

  She’d said something similar the first time she’d been down here, and Dr. Clarke had corrected her.

  “These are samples, not people. Their bodies rest elsewhere.” he’d told her. She hadn’t agreed with him then, and she still didn’t. This was a tomb, filled with the remains of some of the bravest, most capable men and women to ever serve.

  She joined him at the railing. “That’s another reason I want to be part of finding the thief. These men and women agreed to donate their bodies to science, not to have their genetic material stolen and used to create cyborgs. I can’t imagine any of them being okay with their descendants being enslaved and used as pawns in a war they never signed up for.”

  “Me, either. I’ve read the files on this place, Trin. Some of the things that go on here…” He shook his head. “I don’t think these people had any idea what they were signing up for.”

  She turned to face him, an icy knot forming in her stomach that had nothing to do with the sub-zero temperature. “What are you talking about?”

  “It would be easier to show you. We can add it to the list of things we need to talk about once we’ve got this job done.” He waved a hand at the vault. “This is going to take a while.”

  “How many samples were stolen? How big is the list?”

  In answer, he walked over to a console set beside the door and called up several files. “Three hundred and eighty-six. But you’ve already examined nearly a third of them.”

  “That’s going to take hours. Maybe days! I had no idea so many had been stolen.”

  He flashed her a smug grin and winked. “V.I.D.A., can you deliver the item I gave to your drone last night?”

  “Of course, Commander Rossi. It’s already been put through decontamination and is ready for use.”

  The lights on the center pillar began to strobe, and a robotic arm descended from overhead. The arm was normally used for retrieving the samples from storage. It could be controlled remotely from the labs upstairs, but the scientists generally let V.I.D.A. oversee the process of removing the samples from their liquid nitrogen bath and delivering them to the labs via her fleet of droids.

  “What did you have V.I.D.A. bring you?”

  “You’re going to love this. Not as much as Magi does, but that boy has an unhealthy obsession with all things tech.” The arm stopped its descent and extended toward them, holding out a metallic tray.

  Dax lifted some sort of device off the tray and held it out to her. “This is a wide-range scanner that can detect even the most microscopic traces of biological matter.”

  “How wide is the range?” she asked.

  We can have the entire vault scanned within two hours, maybe less. The most time-consuming part will be moving the platform down a level between sweeps.”

  “Or, we can operate the arm from here and have it move the scanner for us. We might actually avoid frostbite that way.” Though it was cold, between the specially designed garb and the heavy coats they wore, they weren’t truly at risk of frostbite.

  “Good thinking. I’
ll set it up so that anything it finds shows up on the monitor if you can get the arm programmed. And if you’re worried about frostbite, I’ve got plenty of body heat I’m happy to share.”

  She started to roll her eyes, then realized between her mask and the hood, he couldn’t see her expression. “You’re an incorrigible flirt.”

  “I know. Is it working?”

  They got to work at their assigned tasks, and a companionable silence developed between them. It was hard to believe that they had fallen into old habits so easily, and it made her apprehensive. What if he hadn’t really changed? Was she was letting old feelings affect her judgment? The chemistry between them was hotter than ever, but chemistry had never been their problem.

  She finished setting up the interface between the scanner and the monitor quickly. V.I.D.A. had already added it to the network, which made her job simpler. The AI was always doing things to make everyone’s job easier. In the beginning, Trinity had been wary of the computer program. V.I.D.A. had biological components in her design and her programming was light years ahead of any other AI Trinity had ever come across. Over time, though, she had come to realize that despite V.I.D.A.’s advanced design, the AI was nothing more than an extremely useful tool.

  “I can hear the gears in your head grinding from over here. What are you thinking about, Butterfly?”

  She turned to see him watching her from the other side of the platform. “Travis. You. Me. What I’m going to do now that I have the answers I’ve been searching for. Pick one. You hit me with a lot of information last night. I guess I’m still processing.”

  “I know.” He crossed the space between them in three long strides and took her gel-coated hands in his. “Your hands are freezing.”

  “So are yours.” She chaffed his big hand between her fingers, taking care not to tear away the thin barrier of sealant. “Once the scanning starts, we should go back and grab the heavy gloves. I was so busy laughing at your flowery fashions I forgot about them.”