by Celeste Raye
"You're wrong, both of you. You haven't cost the big boss anything. He just goes around the obstacles you set up. He can receive shipments on this side of the station form those he doesn't mind learning of his treachery, and he still takes profits from the other owners. If he falls short of money, he'll take theirs. Don't you see? What he can't receive he takes from Delti Utopia 6. The missing women are most likely a part of that. He can't risk bringing new bodies in, so he's taking them off the streets whether they agree or not," Aisaak ranted.
"What missing women?" Mariana asked.
"I had hoped this could wait until later, but I guess not. Women are disappearing from the city, including the sister of Aisaak's friend. Constantine knows about it from his spies."
"I saw a cargo of women on Alpha Beta," Tika reminded them.
"He knows. I told him and Constantine. What he says makes sense. He thinks everything belongs to him anyway, so I can see him grabbing unwilling women off the streets. I do, however, think he's wrong about shipments arriving on this side of the way station. Constantine and the derelicts would have seen something. They wouldn't have confronted anyone, but they would have mentioned it."
Tann could tell Aisaak was still wary of him. It was a lot to take in at an opportune time, and this was far less than that. "There is much more to reveal. It will have to wait. Aisaak needs rest and time to assimilate what we have told him with what he knows. You and the children should take some time to consider what you just learned as well. Your opinions would be an asset to me."
"How can you keep these secrets from your captain? Doesn't he demand to know everything?" Aisaak's mind had finally come to realize where he was: a pirate spaceship.
"Pirate crews aren't as forthcoming as other spaceship crews. Everyone has secrets. As long as we all do our duties and share any bounty we come across, legally or illegally, no questions are asked. I've proven my worth and loyalty, as have Mariana and Tika. The boys are not as trusted yet."
"Then you've done things that the law would not countenance. How do you reconcile that with your conscious?" Aisaak inquired.
"It eats away at me all the time. I weigh the good against the bad and hope that the balance tips toward the good. I don't like it or the fact that I've brought a wife and teenagers into the mix, but my heart says there are many to save and I'll follow it as long as possible. You are right to be wary of my motives. Sometimes, I wonder myself. Enough now. Get some rest."
Chapter Thirteen
***Irene***
She'd been dreaming, and it was a lovely one. In it, she'd rewritten the aftermath of her lovemaking with Aisaak. He'd held her close and professed his love for eternity. She'd vowed to be his bride, forsaking all others. They went on to seal those proclamations with another round of sex.
However, the explosions that reached her ears were not from the fireworks they made together in her dream. The building shuddering and the acrid smoke filling her room were reality. Suddenly, fully awake, Irene suspected the bar had been set on fire once again. She ran from the room to discover it was so much worse than that.
The stairs were impassable; dense black smoke roiled upwards. Going down them wasn't an option. Staying put on the third floor wasn't either. She chose to take the stairs to the roof. How she would get from there to the ground, she would work out as she went. She prayed Jimbo had awakened before her and made it downstairs safely, because the second floor he lived on was engulfed in flames.
Reaching the roof, she had to gasp for air. Her lungs burned intensely from sucking in too much smoke, a chemical-tinged smoke. Looking over the side of the building, she saw the most frightening thing of all. The security guards who could have helped her lay dead upon the ground, blood flowing into the dirt from the holes in their chests and heads. This wasn't the work of an impulsive, angry fool as the liquor-soaked, burning rag had been. It was a planned, calculated attack meant to kill.
Irene knew without having to be told that anyone who had been inside the bar when the bombardment began was now as dead as the guards. During her beautiful dream, they'd been dying. She would join them if she didn't discover a way off the roof. It was warming beneath her feet, and she could see it undulating at the front of the building, rippling as it prepared to collapse.
Help was coming. She could hear the sirens on the unmanned water cruiser that would have been summoned when the heat reached a specific temperature. Water wouldn't put out the chemical fire or get her off the roof. The cruiser's sensors would pick up the fumes, calculate the source, and send for the proper resolution, but that would be too late to save the bar or Irene. She was certain that had been the plan all along.
She was once again choking on the smoke and had given up all hope when a familiar shape appeared overhead. Tears filled her bloodshot eyes. There was a gold dragon above her. She called out for what she hoped wasn't an illusion. "Aisaak! I'm here!"
The emotions she received in return didn't belong to Aisaak at all. They were from someone scared beyond belief. Irene sensed the fear, guilt, and confusion inside a child, a female who was regretting her actions.
"Don't leave me!" Irene cried out, her voice hoarse and gravelly from smoke inhalation. "Give me your talons to cling to. Please, they can't see you through the smoke. You're safe. Please!"
The dragon heard her, despite her trouble speaking and the noise all around. To her relief, a claw lowered close enough to touch. She grasped it with all the strength she had left. She slipped an inch or two almost immediately, but the ground wasn't that far away, and her feet touched it before she could count to three. She let go, and the dragon, which she now knew was much smaller than Aisaak's, rose back into the sky, leaving the massacre behind and Irene alone.
Irene had been placed behind a large metal container that protected her from the flames and hid her from the battle she realized was continuing around her. It was an all-out war. She coughed up black phlegm and drank in the clearer air near the ground. It hurt so much to take those breaths.
She was flat on her belly, too sick and tired to move, when she heard, "Well, well, look who survived. We can't have that, can we?" Krane taunted. "I went to all this trouble to get rid of you and yet here you are. You thought you'd outwitted me again. It doesn't matter now. I defied the big boss with this attack, and he'll make sure I die today, so why not have some fun? How about some torture?"
She saw the blade flash as he pulled out the knife. He grabbed her by the hair, exposing her neck, and scraped the edge of the knife across it. The cut was shallow and harmless, yet extremely painful. It produced enough blood to satisfy Krane.
"That one's for my lip," he told her. "This one's for the weredragon's interference." He made three shallow strokes over her upper chest.
"You're marked as mine now," he cackled, staring with pleasure at the bloody K. "Your sweet sister wasn't as big of a challenge as you. Then again, she didn't have Jimbo or a Naga to protect her. The men seem to like her, even more so when she fights. I'm sorry I never got the pleasure of her company. There was no use searching for her. She's ruined, and you wouldn't have liked how she's changed."
"Shut up!" she growled. "You're not good enough to speak of Savanah."
Krane pulled her hair tighter, forcing out a scream from her raw throat. "Are you brave or just trying to make me end this quicker? There's no need. I'm bored with you anyway. There are better ways to spend my last hours alive."
Irene kicked with all her might, jerking her body sideways. Krane fell backward, pulling out a wad of her hair. The large knife was still clutched in his hand.
Irene started scooting away, pushing herself along with her hands and feet. Krane made it to his knees and was ready to spring forward when Irene glanced at something over his shoulder. He flipped around, swinging the knife in an arc. It found a target, slicing deep into Jimbo's abdomen.
Irene screamed as blood bubbled from the wound. Jimbo didn't fall. Instead, his hand came up holding a huge shard of glass from one of the broken windows. He used hi
s last bit of strength to slam it into Krane's jugular. Both men crumpled to the ground.
"No, no, no," Irene cried, the multitude of tears making rivulets through the black soot on her face. She crawled to Jimbo and lifted his head into her lap. "Don't die. Don't leave me all alone. Why did you come? You should have run. Oh, please, stay with me."
"Promised to protect you with my life," he mumbled. "Fulfilled it. Go to doctor. Safe there."
"I'm taking you, too. He'll fix us. It's okay. We'll be fine."
"Not me, love. Just you," Jimbo said, his eyes closing. He sighed once and was gone.
Irene stayed there, rocking him and letting the drama go on around her. She heard snippets of the battle, but her fear of death was gone. If someone found her, so be it. Aisaak had left, Jimbo was gone, Savanah was lost, and she had no home. Why bother surviving? Irene muttered to herself, "You wasted your time and efforts little gold dragon. You should have left me where I was. Jimbo might have lived. I did this. Everything is my fault. Aisaak was right. I'm a mistake. I'm so sorry, Mom and Dad. I shouldn't have talked Savanah into leaving home. She'd be safe. This battle wouldn't have happened. Forgive me, please."
She was curled up and sleeping when the doctor discovered her. The battle had ended and he'd been tending the injured. Bodies were being removed from the rubble. Clean up had begun. The doctor lifted her carefully and carried her to his office. Her breathing was ragged. Obviously her lungs had been damaged by the chemical smoke. The medical center was full. He felt she'd be safer with him. He was saddened to see Jimbo lying there, but he was beyond help. The woman wasn't.
Intravenous fluids and oxygen were the initial form of treatment. Once they had been started, he began the task of washing away the black soot. He had to cut off her torn, scorched clothing and toss it in the trash. As he washed her, he was happy to see there were no burns. He cleansed the shallow cuts Krane had made, growing angry when he realized she'd been marked with the man's initial. He covered them with medicine and lightly bandaged them. They would scar, and she would have a constant reminder of Krane's evilness.
He left her to see to the patients at the medical center. Some had burns, while others had been wounded in the battle. He'd never seen anything like that day on Delti Utopia 6. The big boss had turned against Krane's followers, and a war for supremacy had ensued. Krane had to have known he would be destroyed for disobeying his orders. Even the doctor had heard that the big boss didn't want Jimbo's bar touched. It was one of his biggest profit makers, and the big boss was already angry over the first attack. He didn't care about Krane's humiliation at the hands of Irene and Aisaak. He'd get to them when he was ready.
Not only had Krane turned the bar into ashes, but he'd also killed forty tourists who had been inside and ten more out on the streets. The authorities would be swarming all over the city instead of just the space dock. The big boss had to show them he was willing to remove bad seeds like Krane or be part of the investigation. He had too much at stake to allow that.
Irene was awake when he returned, but she hadn't moved a muscle. She was crying silently, her shoulders shaking with grief.
"I have to check your throat for swelling. I don't want your air supply cut off," he explained as he touched her neck. "It's better than I thought it would be. Are you getting enough oxygen?"
Irene turned her face away without answering.
"Just a nod will do," the doctor clarified. "I know it hurts to speak. It will get better in no time. Do you want something for the pain? I believe it's safe to give medication now that I know your throat isn't swelling shut."
She shook her head from side to side. She didn't want the pain to end. She felt she deserved it and tried to tell the doctor. Only a croaking sound was emitted.
"Don't talk anymore. We'll find another way to communicate. Would you like a handheld communicator?"
Irene nodded. He raised the head of her bed, so she was more comfortable to type out her words. She wrote, 'How many?'
"I'm guessing you want to know how many are gone. Fifty tourists, six of Jimbo's employees, ten guards, and twenty-five combined from each side of the battle. I'm certain you already know about Jimbo and Krane since I found you with them."
'Why?' she wrote.
"Krane's anger overwhelmed him. He disobeyed a direct order and destroyed the bar. The big boss needed to show his power, and there was a war."
'Why not leave me?' Irene typed.
"You needed aid, and that's what I do. You wouldn't have died anyway, if that's what you're thinking. Since your throat isn't swelling, I can guarantee you would have lived. You should be ashamed of wanting to die. Jimbo's sacrifice would have been for nothing. Show him some respect. He was a good man."
The tears began all over again as she wrote, 'I know. Sorry.'
"Rest now. We'll see if you can swallow in an hour or two. Warm tea might wash away some of the sting and soot inside. Keep the handheld. Push the top right corner if you need anything. It will summon me," the doctor explained.
Chapter Fourteen
***Aisaak***
"Where's Tika?" Tann challenged the boys.
York looked to Drake for guidance. Neither wanted to explain her absence, but they were worried. She should have returned by now. Her impetuousness always got her into trouble. Maybe this time she hadn't been able to get out of it.
"She wanted an adventure, that's all," York mumbled. His pale snakelike skin shimmered in the daylight.
Drake spread his webbed fingers in supplication, "Don't blame us. She doesn't listen to reason. When she gets something in her head, it's impossible to get it out."
"Did she go to the derelict encampment?" Tann was asking when Aisaak stepped from his room.
"Farther, sir. She wanted to see the lights of the city. She promised not to land," York replied.
Tann was seething. He'd warned her about leaving their hiding place. She could lead the big boss's men straight to them and the derelict pirate encampment. The truce he and Torbin's crew had with Constantine would be shattered. She was also in danger in the city. Young girls weren't faring well there. He'd have to alter his plans and go after her if she didn't return soon. He'd give her one more hour. He wasn't going to cut her any slack with punishment this time. Flying would be forbidden for a least a week.
"I'm not staying," Aisaak chose that moment to inform Tann. "We don't exactly see eye to eye on the current situation. I have nothing against your opinions and won't fight you on them, nor will I reveal your location. Lend me a COM link, and I will find the little Naga and let you know where she is. I'll send her back and the COM link, too."
"Thanks for the offer, but she's my responsibility. I was planning on going with you and aiding you in your search. If you could wait a day, I'll settle the issue of Tika and leave her for Mariana to contend with. Our differences shouldn't matter so much. Neither of us has any love for the big boss. We both want to know who he is and stop his reign. As a cop, the disappearances of the women are a great concern to me. We have more in common than we do differences," Tann argued.
"I will accept any aid I am given. However, I can't wait a day. I said some things to Irene that hurt her and I must make amends. I also discovered many things about myself last night, and they reflect a change in my future. I would like her to be involved if she can forgive my ignorance. Waiting even a day could worsen her thoughts of me,"
Aisaak concluded.
"She means much to you. I can understand and value that sentiment. Mariana and I didn't get off to a good start either. I was hardheaded and fought the attraction. Thankfully, fate overruled my stubborn denials, though Mariana went through some pain first. I will follow when I can. York, give him your COM link," Tann ordered.
"She's here! She's here!" Drake shouted.
Everyone looked to the sky and observed Tika's return. Tann and Aisaak shared a frown. Her flight wasn't quite straight. One wing seemed to have less power than the other.
"She's been injured,"
Aisaak stated, drawing gasps of concern from the boys.
She landed awkwardly in the grass, the injured wing drooping. Tann, Aisaak, and the boys hurried to her side to inspect the damage. Tann's anger fled upon seeing the burn. The poor kid had flown a long way in pain. Punishment for her transgression had already been meted out.
"She must stay in dragon form to be treated," Aisaak proclaimed. "Do you have the necessary salve? If not, I can gather the herbs to make it."
"After Mariana's illness, I saw to it that medicine for all species was well stocked. Drake, go and tell Mariana to bring the burn salve. The blue jar is for weredragons."
"Tika, stay as you are. I will make it better soon. Can you tell us what occurred?" Tann asked her.
"I disobeyed you. Forgive me, please! It hurts. I could endure it until I saw home, then the pain got so much worse."
"You were scared and in shock. Seeing your home eased both and the pain became foremost in your mind. That is why it worsened. You knew you were safe and could let go. You are forgiven and always will be. We are a family, and our love will never end regardless of mistakes," Tann replied. "Aisaak, you should take that into consideration. Irene will always forgive you if she loves you."
"I saw her! It had to be her. She called out to you, but I saved her," Tika blurted.
"Is that how you were burned?" Aisaak asked, gritting his teeth. He was trying to remain calm and not shout at the injured teenager, but it was difficult. "Was she in a fire?"
"It was awful!" Tika exclaimed. "I was watching the people from the sky, enjoying their laughter and the lights. There were explosions on the east side of the city. It took only moments for the heat to reach me. Everyone was running. There were gunshots and laser blasts. An entire army of men ran from the main casino. They were heavily armed."
She was so involved with telling the story she relaxed her wings and the pain lessened. She didn't notice Mariana arrive and begin administering the salve.
