Rebel (The Cat Star Chronicles)

by Cheryl Brooks

  “You look like you’re about to do that now, dude,” Rashe said.

  Roncas stuck her head in the door. “Val figured out the release sequence based on something you all did. Any idea what it was?”

  “Herp fingerprints on a medallion,” Kim replied. “I don’t think there was a password, other than for the Herp to identify himself to the controller.”

  “Must be a sensor above each door,” Rashe said. “Not sure how they would distinguish among the cages, though.”

  “Probably a number,” Onca suggested. “At least, that’s what it sounded like when he got Cassie out for me—although it might’ve been spoken in a different language.”

  “Makes sense,” Rashe agreed.

  “Think we can find him some clothes?”

  Onca was momentarily puzzled until he realized Kim had been referring to him. “Wouldn’t be the first time I walked through this district barefoot and naked. I’m more concerned about the girls. With all the sex pheromones floating around out there, if we let all of those ladies loose at once, there’s liable to be a mass gang rape in the streets.”

  “Crikey, I hadn’t thought of that,” Rashe said. He glanced at Roncas. “How far would you say we were from the Palace?”

  “Too far,” Roncas replied. “Aside from the fact that this place is, well…under siege.”

  “You’re shittin’ me, right?” Rashe said.

  Roncas shook her head. “I wish I was. There’s a mob out front—including the police—and according to the external sensors, Val says they’ve also got the rear exit covered.”

  “Hmm,” said Kim. “Considering the type of business this is, seems like these guys would’ve built in some sort of escape route.”

  “Do you really think they’re that smart?” Roncas snapped.

  Kim flapped a hand toward the unconscious Herp. “You mean this bunch or the ones behind it all? I’d say someone somewhere had some brains. The equipment here doesn’t strike me as being cheap—or easy to install.”

  Onca smiled at her. “You obviously have brains. Not so sure about mine anymore. Think they’re sort of…scrambled.” The room seemed to be getting darker.

  Or was it his eyes?

  ***

  Rashe sighed. “He’ll be out for a couple of days.”

  “Might give us enough time to figure out what to do next.” Kim knew from her own experience that Onca would wake up feeling perfectly well, but having him out cold for however long it took for his body to heal itself was inconvenient, to say the least. She glanced up as a ponderous tread sounded from the hallway.

  Shemlak stopped at the door. “Damn, these rooms are small. Obviously they don’t cater to Darconians.”

  “Not many brothels do,” Rashe said. “I think the Palace was the only one with enough space.”

  Shemlak nodded. “Onca let me take my wife in there once. Awesome place to fuck—whether you’re a Darconian or not.”

  Kim thought it best to let that pass. “Hey, how come you’re not guarding the door anymore?”

  “Val changed the password on the force field. It’s kinda funny seeing all those guys out there bouncing off the field yelling ‘fuck’ at the top of their lungs.” Shemlak let out a low, rumbling chortle. “Almost hated to leave, it was so entertaining.”

  “What’s the new password?”

  “‘Wings.’”

  Rashe rolled his eyes. “Should’ve guessed that.”

  “Yeah. But those idiots will never think of it.” Shemlak nodded at Onca. “Want me to put him to bed?”

  “Yes, but get that Herp out of here first,” Kim said. “He’s polluting the air.”

  Shemlak took Onca’s attacker by the foot and dragged him to the door. “How about I find some empty cages to put these guys in?”

  “Perfect.” Kim couldn’t imagine a better punishment than to have each of the perpetrators wake up in a cage. “Put them all in cages. Naked.”

  “Great idea—” Shemlak began, then shook his head. “Not sure I want to see a naked Cylopean. Herps are bad enough.”

  Rashe grimaced. “I fucked a female Cylopean once—or tried to. Had to give her money back.”

  Kim didn’t have to ask why. “What about the one I stunned?”

  “Still right where you left him,” Shemlak reported. “He’s inside the field, though. Guess we’d better lock him up before he wakes up and tries to fuck with the computer.”

  “Not likely—at least, not anytime soon,” Roncas said. “I stunned him again before I came down here to make sure he’d stay put.”

  “You’re one helluva henchman, Roncas,” Rashe said. “Ever done this kind of thing before?”

  “I used to work for a chocolatier. Damn stuff is almost as addictive as snard, and much easier to steal.”

  “Ah. That explains it.”

  Only Shemlak’s upper body fit through the narrow door. Fortunately, he had relatively long arms. Scooping Onca up from the floor, the Darconian laid him gently on the bed. Kim pulled the covers up over him and tucked them in. She smoothed his blood-matted hair back from his bruised face. He had been so brave to venture in here alone. True, he had found her friends, but look what that sacrifice had cost him—beaten to a pulp and nearly raped by a Herp.

  Shemlak was right. Onca did love her.

  Now all Kim had to do was keep him alive long enough to get him to admit it.

  Chapter 20

  “Before we open the cages, we need to check these other rooms,” Kim said. “We saw a nasty-looking Terran come in here while we were watching the door. The gods only know what he’s up to.”

  “He’s out cold in the control room,” Roncas said. “Apparently he was an employee, not a customer.”

  Kim had an idea he was both, but at least he was accounted for.

  “Can you hear me?” Val’s voice seemed to come out of the walls.

  “Sure can,” Rashe replied. “I see you’re getting a feel for their com system.”

  “That and other things,” Val said. “I’ve checked the other rooms on that hall, and they’re all empty.”

  Roncas frowned. “Not much going on here tonight. Makes you wonder how the place stays in business.”

  “I’m still trying to figure out how to open the cages,” Val went on. “But it would help to have someone to go down there to see.”

  The hesitation in his voice suggested that Val was still shaken by the fact that the girls truly were caged.

  Like he had once been.

  Although Kim had seen some terrible things during her life on the street, she had been spared the part about being locked up. Val had started his life as a prisoner. He had an incredible amount of freedom now—could actually spread his wings and fly—but anyone could understand the horror he felt upon encountering a situation such as this.

  Kim’s own sense of duty had grown far beyond the desire to rescue her buddies. There were at least thirty girls trapped in this horrid place.

  And so far, she hadn’t seen Dalmet.

  “We should probably talk to them before we let them out,” Kim said. “We’ve got to assure them that they’re safe now, and beg them not to go haring off into the street only to be captured again.”

  “Good idea,” Roncas said. “I’ll go with you. Jatki’s already down there doing her best to keep them calm.” The Zuteran’s normally smooth brow was furrowed with concern. “What are we going to do with all of those girls? Onca’s house isn’t big enough, and even if we could get them there safely, what’s to stop these thugs from finding us? Onca isn’t exactly inconspicuous, you know. He’s the only Zetithian man on the planet—and if we can’t even trust the cops…”

  “There’s always the Palace,” Rashe said. “If it’s supposed to be closed, maybe they won’t look for us there.”

  “Yes, but Onca owns that building,” Roncas pointed out. “If the higher-ups really are involved in this scheme, we wouldn’t be safe there, either.”

  Kim understood the problem. Howeve
r, if there was one thing she knew about, it was how not to be caught or found. “Abandoned buildings have sheltered us before.”

  “But the Palace isn’t abandoned—” Rashe stopped as his lips stretched into a diabolical grin. “We could hide them at the Pow Wow and every other legitimate brothel in the southern district. Val could fly them out one at a time.”

  “Or we could shuttle them over in Onca’s speeder,” Kim said. “It’s got a cloaking device. Val could fly one of us out to get it.”

  Roncas put up a hand. “What’s to stop anyone from shooting him out of the sky?”

  She had a point. “We’d need a diversion,” Kim said with a nod. “We could boot all the bad guys out the front door. That might help.”

  “Don’t forget you’ve got a gang of Darconians on your side,” Shemlak said. “A bunch of us storming out of here would scatter the crowd enough that no one would notice Val flying off the roof.”

  Rashe frowned. “Have we got any way to access the roof?”

  “If we don’t, we can create one.” Shemlak smacked his fist into his palm as though itching to tear the whole place apart. “We could also carry the creeps who work here and pitch them into the crowd.”

  “That is, if there still is a crowd,” Kim said. “There might not be if we wait until morning. I’m guessing the potential customers and anyone else who joined in the mob would’ve given up and gone home by then, and we’d only have the police to deal with.”

  Shemlak nodded. “True. If we sit tight long enough, we might be able to simply walk out of here.”

  “And go where?” Roncas reiterated.

  “No, wait! I’ve got it!”

  All eyes turned to Rashe. “The Statzeelians! They walk around with women chained to them all the time. Who would recognize most of these girls anyway? Val could fly them out one at a time, drop them off with one of the twins, and they could go strolling down the street without attracting any attention at all.”

  “Might take a couple of weeks to do that,” Roncas said.

  “You got anywhere you need to be?” Rashe countered. “I mean, what with you and Onca being retired and all.”

  “We’d have to get the girls in better shape and pretty them up a bit to pass for a Statzeelian’s woman,” Roncas said. “They’d also need the proper clothes, and I don’t know if you noticed, but there weren’t any Statzeelian girls in those cages.”

  “Speaking of which, we’ve got to get them out of there,” Kim said. “C’mon, Shemlak. Drag those Herps into the—what would you even call a room like that? The living room?”

  “How about the prison?” Once again, Val’s voice seemed to come out of nowhere. “I’ve figured out the release command for all of the cages. Better get down there.”

  Kim was torn between freeing her friends and remaining with Onca. All he needed was to sleep, but still…

  Ganyn came stomping down the corridor. “Where’s my sweet Onca?”

  “In here,” Shemlak said. “This Herp tried to bugger him.” The culprit dangled from the Darconian’s grasp like a plucked chicken.

  “You bastard!” Drawing back a fist, Ganyn gave the Herp a kidney punch that he would undoubtedly feel for the rest of his life. “Out of my way.” Shoving her brother and the groaning Herp aside, Ganyn wiggled through the narrow doorway. “My poor Onca,” she crooned, running a surprisingly gentle hand over his forehead. She glanced up at Kim. “You all go on and take care of those girls. I will guard him with my life.”

  Kim didn’t doubt that for a moment. As bodyguards went, no one could possibly be a better protector than a love-struck Darconian. She leaned over and kissed Onca’s cheek. “Be right back.”

  Throughout this entire evening, Kim had known she might never see Onca alive again. Her most sincere wish had been granted. Now it was time to grant the wishes of thirty slave girls whose fate might very well have been her own had Onca not intervened.

  This rescue wouldn’t have been possible without him. His courage, his sacrifice, and his pigheaded determination to go in alone… She owed him and his friends so much. Unfortunately, their battle wasn’t over yet. Squaring her shoulders, Kim led the way down the corridor.

  Kim had seldom seen so many smiling faces when she joined Jatki, but a deafening cheer went up when Shemlak and Draddut swaggered into the cavernous space dragging the unconscious thugs behind them.

  Cassie raised her voice above the din. “Is Onca okay?”

  Kim nodded. “He just needs to rest for a while, and he’ll be fine.”

  “I certainly hope so,” Cassie said. “He’s our hero!”

  Kim wasn’t sure what to make of that. Would being the hero of so many adoring ladies make Onca forget her? Possibly. Then again, being the only Zetithian among them gave her a decided advantage. Shaking off that momentary doubt, she focused on a more pertinent detail. “Where’s Dalmet? I haven’t seen her.”

  Cassie’s electric-blue eyes filled with tears. “Peska and I are the only new ones. We don’t think Dalmet was ever brought here.”

  Barely suppressing a groan, Kim stiffened her spine. “There are supposed to be other brothels like this in the city. Don’t worry, we’ll find her—even if we have to tear down every last one of them.”

  “Trust me, those girls will be grateful, whether Dalmet is with them or not.” Cassie’s voice sank to a whisper. “This is the most horrible place you can imagine, Kim. And to think, I used to like sex. Not sure I ever will again.”

  Kim didn’t know how to respond to that—aside from the fact that she knew of at least one man who could change the mind of every inmate in the building without breaking a sweat. Onca would only have to purr to have them all clamoring for his attention.

  Well…maybe not all of them. There were a few species represented there that Kim had never even seen before. One girl looked more like a bug than a humanoid. She even had wings.

  “We’ll do our best to free all of them,” Kim said. “Onca plans to establish a home for street kids—that is, if we don’t wind up in jail. The police are either in on this racket or they’re being paid to look the other way. None of us will be able to rest easy until we figure out who’s behind this—and we’re guessing it’s someone with a great deal of power.”

  “Onca’s idea sounds really nice, but I’d like to get the hell off this planet,” Cassie confided. “I’ve always heard that anything goes on Rhylos, and you can see where that got us.”

  “We might get some things changed eventually.”

  “Shed enough light into the darkness and it loses its power to frighten?” Cassie’s words held a ray of hope. Unfortunately, the skeptical manner in which they were uttered diminished them a bit.

  “Something like that,” Kim agreed. “I—”

  She was interrupted by Val’s voice over the comspeaker. “Get ready, everyone. I’m going to disable the locks.”

  The cage doors swung open and the girls all ran from their prison cells with shouts of triumph.

  Kim was hugging an ecstatic Cassie when the entire room plunged into darkness.

  As screams rang out around her, her first thought was of Onca. Ganyn may have sworn to protect him with her life, but had they left the door to his room open or was he trapped inside? She was about to dash off to check on him when Shemlak’s rumbling tones stopped her.

  “No worries,” he said. “We’ve got glowstones.”

  Kim’s excellent night vision enabled her to see better than most of those present. Even so, she was heartened as a small stone in Shemlak’s palm began to glow, its radiance growing in strength until the entire room was filled with light.

  Draddut winked at Kim, holding up another glowstone. “Thought they might be useful on a night raid.”

  “No shit, dude,” Rashe said. “We might have to fight our way out of here after all. This isn’t a matter of the lights simply going out for the night.” He glanced at Cassie. “Is it?”

  She shook her head. “It never gets that dark in here.�
�

  Kim groaned. “They’ve cut the power to the building, haven’t they?”

  “Yes, and with the force field disabled, they’ll be breaking down the doors soon,” Shemlak said. “We’d better set up an ambush and be ready for them.”

  Draddut nodded his agreement. “That main corridor is fairly narrow with the access halls to the control room and the cell block branching off from it. Positioning ourselves there would be useful—although we’ve already seen how easy it was to take out the control room.”

  Rashe scratched his chin, smearing his war paint. “You know, for a bunch of cooks and waiters, you guys seem pretty well-versed in warfare.”

  Shemlak shrugged. “On Darconia, most males are trained for battle. Our females say we’re too volatile to be good for much else.” With a swipe of his heavy tail, he slammed the two Herps against the wall. “Perhaps they’re right.”

  A blast from the main entrance shook the building, drawing screams from the girls and a growl from Rashe.

  “I suppose claiming to have taken the employees hostage would be useless at this point?” Roncas ventured.

  Draddut rolled his huge eyes, their normally cavernous pupils constricted by the light from the glowstone he still held in his hand. “Would you trade their safety for thirty girls?”

  “Well, no…” Roncas admitted. “Just a thought.”

  Val came running in from the control room. “There’s a lot of debris by the main door. Might take them a little while to clear it.”

  “They may not even bother with that,” Shemlak said. “With the main entrance blocked, they’ll probably focus their attention on the rear exit, expecting us to escape that way.”

  Jatki moaned, cracking her knuckles in patent despair. “Trapped like rats.”