Maelstrom of Treason

by Michael Anderle

  “Do your best to keep it that way. I might not shoot a guy who comes uninvited, but a few punches wouldn’t be anything but a healthy brawl.”

  Emma huffed and disappeared. “Fools. Don’t tempt me, and you won’t have to suffer.”

  The MX 60 continued flying with precision and grace. Her hologram might be gone, but Emma was still in control and listening to the conversation. Erik didn’t mind. He’d been honest with both the colonel and Emma about where he stood. Betraying Emma to the DD didn’t make sense.

  “I didn’t just call you to pick fights with Emma,” the colonel continued. “I’ve got a new shipment of gear I’d like to deliver in the next few days. I thought it’d be best since we don’t know what your new boss has planned for you.”

  “She’s not my new boss,” Erik insisted. “Think of her as a new client. But while we’re talking about gear, the guns, ammo, and explosives are nice, but what about exoskeletons? A couple Army-grade exos could do a lot toward keeping Jia and me alive longer. I’m getting sick of having to fight everything that comes at me on foot.”

  Colonel Adeyemi didn’t answer for several seconds. “There’s no way I can do that. I’m already stretching things with your weapons dealer license. You could see about getting civilian models, but I can’t supply them.”

  Erik grunted in annoyance. “Not good enough, and if we bought them, we’d have an unnecessary trail leading to us. They’re missing too many features.”

  “I can’t do it,” the colonel declared firmly. “I’m handicapped by being in the Army. I’ve got people watching and caring what I do with weapons and equipment, even allegedly excess equipment, and there are hard limits on the amount of gear we can shunt to civilian dealers. And your new client doesn’t work for the Army, now does she?”

  “You’re saying Alina can get me exos?” Erik asked.

  “I’m saying it wouldn’t hurt to ask. If the ID wanted to borrow military exoskeletons, that’s a different situation than giving them to a civilian weapons dealer. Hell, she probably has some in a basement somewhere.”

  Erik nodded, the smile building on his face. He would send a message to Alina and arrange a meeting. It wasn’t like they needed to get it figured out that night.

  If he could get Jia up to speed on piloting exoskeletons, they would become even more difficult to take down.

  He’d had doubts before, but given the talent she was demonstrating with conventional piloting, it would be easy. Her martial arts skills meant she already had body control and attention to detail, and her recent training at the flight center proved she had superior inherent spatial awareness.

  All those traits suggested she’d make an excellent exoskeleton pilot. Her bravery and stubbornness made for a good combination for him and a deadly cocktail for their enemies.

  “Thanks, Colonel.” Erik nodded, liking his new plan more with each passing second. “I’m sure Alina can hook me up. Besides that, I’ll be happy for whatever you can give me next time we meet. Hey, what about a few mini-flitters and scout bikes? The more mobility options we have, the better.”

  The colonel laughed. “Talk to her, not to me. I can keep giving you what I have.”

  “I will talk to her, Colonel Stingy,” Erik replied.

  “Need I remind you that I gave you a laser rifle?” Colonel Adeyemi countered.

  “Yeah, but only one.” Erik fake-whined.

  The colonel cut off the connection, but Erik heard him chuckling before the silence hit.

  Erik headed down the hall toward his apartment. He was still thinking about his conversation with the colonel.

  The investigation into Molino would change with the freedom that came with not being a cop. That flexibility would make up for the doors closed now that Erik couldn’t flash a badge or arrest someone.

  Not a bad trade-off given the help from the ID, but what about afterward?

  He stopped in front of his door. His thoughts of the future had died on Molino with his unit. Revenge consumed him, and on the long trip back to Earth, it had filled his every thought. A future after punishing the conspiracy seemed pointless and formless.

  Or at least, it had.

  Erik didn’t need a therapist to know the reason for the change: Jia. If by some insane mercy of the Lady Erik survived his war of revenge, there was someone waiting for him at the end of the dark tunnel of vengeance.

  “I need to keep my focus,” he muttered under his breath. “Until the end.”

  “It’s interesting you say that,” Emma replied. “Because there is unusual system activity in your apartment, including with the cameras. There’s a high probability that someone is inside your apartment and has taken measures to make sure they aren’t being recorded.”

  “Eternal Dragon holdovers wanting some revenge?” Erik drew his gun. “I’d be impressed.”

  “If it were that level of manipulation, it’d be easier for me to unravel,” Emma replied. “This is a higher-quality enemy.”

  Erik let a lopsided grin take over his face, casual ease suffusing his body, even with his weapon out. “Talos wouldn’t do it here. They’d expect me to be ready. And we sent that message earlier. Maybe a certain friend of ours is in town. You never know with her.”

  “I notice you aren’t putting your gun away,” Emma observed.

  Erik shrugged. “Better to be safe than acquire unexpected and unrequested brain ventilation.”

  “I’m going to miss you when you die.” Emma snickered. “You’re nothing if not amusing.”

  “Open the door. Once I’m inside, close it.” Erik pointed his gun at the door. Trusting his instincts had gotten him this far, but every man was wrong a couple of times in his life.

  The door slid open. Erik stepped in, sweeping the room with his weapon. He stopped when he found a smiling Alina standing behind his kitchen counter. Unlike many times he’d talked to her, she wasn’t in a specialty Intelligence Directorate stealth suit or disguised.

  The vibe of her dark blue suit clashed with her long cyan ponytail.

  “You could have just sent me a message about meeting somewhere, Alina,” Erik replied, “instead of messing with me at home.” He holstered his weapon. “And why didn’t you arrange some weird password crap?”

  “There are times, based on intelligence, that I’m more worried than others.” Alina glanced at the door. “And I have people watching this location now that you’ve agreed to work for me. It’d be a mistake for anyone hoping to avoid my investigation to come anywhere near here.”

  Emma appeared. “Interesting. I still can’t perceive her. She’s using more advanced tech than she has before.”

  “Sometimes it’s good to be careful,” Alina replied.

  “You said people are watching this place?” Erik asked.

  “Sometimes people are wrong.” Alina stepped out of the kitchen, revealing she’d been holding her flechette pistol. With a quick movement, she tucked it into a holster under her jacket. “And it’s good to keep you both on your toes. It’d be a terrible waste of resources if you ended up dying soon.”

  “I can hear her,” Emma admitted. “Can’t see her, but I can see everything else in the apartment. I’ll have to develop countermeasures against that.”

  “Good plan,” Alina suggested. “As you found out in your recent case, the thugs are catching up. The race only ends when one side dies.” She sauntered over to the couch and took a seat, crossing her legs at the ankle. “So, my modern-day Perseus, what did you need?”

  “Exoskeletons,” Erik announced. “Military-grade. If you’ve got something better than that, I’ll take it too, but I’m tired of fighting without the best gear.”

  “I’m not Generous Gao, Erik.” Alina snickered. “Nor Santa Claus, or even a genie.”

  “If the Goddess of Death wants her lackeys to kill people, she needs to give them the weapons they need.” Erik shrugged, not caring if she was offended by the nickname.

  Her mouth twitched into a frown. “Oh, is that y
our argument? Everything I provide for you risks leaving a trail. You understand that, don’t you?”

  “And a couple of exoskeletons leaves a bigger trail than a ship?” Erik raised an eyebrow in challenge.

  “In a way, it does.” Alina uncrossed her legs. “And you’ve done well mostly not using that kind of equipment. Many of your upcoming assignments will require more subtlety, not less. There’s a narrow window in which you’ll be effective.”

  The colonel’s words haunted Erik. The Intelligence Directorate was planning to toss him aside, but he didn’t care. He’d just make sure he found the conspiracy before the ID stopped helping him.

  “Is ‘subtlety’ a different way of saying ‘firepower?’” Erik asked. “Because I’m not going to be running around collecting evidence to send to some prosecutor.”

  Alina let out a quiet scoff. “No, you aren’t, but that doesn’t mean everything you do will involve death and destruction. Remember, the primary goal of the Intelligence Directorate is ostensibly to collect intelligence. Taking down dangerous threats is important but secondary.”

  Erik laughed. “You’re hiring the wrong guy, then.”

  “No, I’m not,” Alina insisted. “You’ve made a splash, but you’ve also done a good job of not only uncovering local conspiracies but making good progress against Talos and whoever might be allied with them. You’re a natural investigator, just as you’re a natural warrior, and as much as I’d love for Fate to deliver you to some epic fiery destiny, we sometimes have to help it along outside of ancient myths. There are people out there who need to be stopped, and I’ll use every tool available to me to do it, including you and Jia.”

  “You going to give me the exos? If you want me to hunt assholes across the galaxy, I need the tools for when those assholes get frisky to do that.” Erik headed toward his kitchen. He needed a beer. “Take it out of my fake pay.”

  “It’s real pay,” Alina replied. “For a real job, even if what it entails won’t be public.” She nodded. “I’ll see what I can do, but it’s not going to happen overnight. We need to be careful about this.”

  Erik opened his refrigerator and pulled out a bottle. “Want one?”

  “That’s okay.” Alina stood. “I think we’re done here.”

  “And you can’t take an hour for a drink?” Erik inclined his head toward the beer.

  “Perhaps in the future.” Alina walked to the door. “But until then, I don’t have time to relax.” She opened the door with a quick slap on the access panel. “I’ll be in touch.”

  Alina disappeared into the hallway and the door closed. Erik lifted his beer, gulping down half. He shook his head and laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” Emma asked.

  “She puts on a good front, but I think I finally found a woman more uptight than Jia.” Erik downed the rest of his beer. “Sometimes it’s good to relax, and I’m the guy devoting his life to vengeance.”

  “If you say so. Poisoning yourself to relax is one of the odder things fleshbags do.”

  “Sure.” Erik grinned. “But that’s what makes us so interesting. Hey, there’s something I need you to look up for me. I need to make my own preparations, regardless of what Alina ends up doing.”

  Emma eyed him. “Always interesting.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Jia did her best to keep her hands in her lap and her heart calm.

  She stared out at the relaxing flow of flitter traffic and thought about how the MX 60’s seats hugged her body so well. Anything she could do to distract herself from looking at Erik and think about the cryptic words he’d offered at the end of their workday. She’d never been so unsettled by two simple sentences.

  “I want to show you something. It’s about time I did.”

  Jia licked her lips. When she’d pressed Erik, he’d hadn’t offered any more details. That wasn’t typical Erik, and she’d spent the last twenty minutes trying to figure out where they might be going.

  A restaurant for a date wouldn’t warrant such secrecy, and if it involved the conspiracy or a case, he wouldn’t hold back details. She took a deep breath. Wherever they were going was far more special.

  Erik slowed his flitter before maneuvering out of their lane to head toward a nearby commercial tower. He dropped several levels and arrived at a typical sprawling parking platform filled with normal flitters, most not looking expensive. That wasn’t a problem. The best places for romance didn’t need to be filled with corporate VPs.

  She’d chosen to leave that lifestyle behind.

  Curiosity burned in Jia, but she didn’t ask where they were. Not knowing was exciting, too. The MX 60 settled down in a convenient spot near an entry.

  “We’re here,” Erik declared. He opened his door and slid out of the flitter. “Come on. It’s almost time for our appointment.”

  Jia’s gaze dropped to the floor. “Do we need anything special?”

  She had long since stopped being bothered by the reflexive desire to bring along heavy ordnance. Better embarrassed than dead.

  Erik shook his head and motioned to the door. “Just yourself.”

  “If you say so.” Jia exited and caught up with Erik, still curious as they stepped through the door. Rather than leading to a wide-open hub, it opened into a narrow hall lined with doors and modest signs. She followed Erik as they walked briskly down the empty corridor, their footsteps echoing.

  Erik stopped halfway down and nodded at the door. “We’re here.”

  It read “Fantasy Simulations.” Jia’s heart rate kicked up. What kind of fantasy did Erik have in mind? Going from fake dating to fantasy simulations was a big jump, especially since they hadn’t discussed it.

  “Uh…” Jia couldn’t finish her thought. Her stomach felt like a Zitark was trying to claw its way out. Her last boyfriend, Corbin, had never made her feel like this.

  “Come on.” Erik opened the door.

  Two narrow hallways led off from a tiny reception area. There weren’t any chairs or anything else of note in the room, other than a bored-looking man sitting behind a tiny reception desk barely as wide as his body. He was reading on a data window projected onto his desk.

  The receptionist looked up and smiled. “Oh, Detective Blackwell. Your room is ready. Did you need any help implementing the custom program?”

  “Nah. I’m good. But thanks.” Erik nodded toward one of the narrow hallways. “Follow me.”

  Jia looked down at her clothes, wondering if she was overdressed for whatever they were about to do. Maybe she was underdressed. She had a decent number of sexy dresses, but lingerie was in short supply. Corbin had treated sex the same way he treated taxes.

  It was a wonder they’d lasted as long as they did.

  The pair continued on in near silence, Jia’s breathing growing increasingly ragged with each step. She’d never thought this was how the night ended.

  When they finally stopped, she tried not to be disappointed by the nondescript door and simple identification. She didn’t know what she’d expected—perhaps some exotic suite name—but it wasn’t a plate reading Simulator 34a.

  Jia could imagine the Pacific Tactical Center didn’t want clients doing anything that required the place to be cleaned later. She’d read about specialty places that catered to amorous scenarios, but it wasn’t anything she’d thought much about.

  Erik opened the door and entered the silver-floored white room. Despite the resemblance to the simulation rooms at the tactical center, it was far smaller—not much larger than her living room.

  “You got the scenario set up, Emma?” Erik asked.

  Jia grimaced. She’d forgotten about the AI. The idea of Emma paying attention while they were doing anything riled Jia’s stomach.

  Why the hell had Erik gotten her involved? There was no way he didn’t care.

  “Yes,” Emma replied. “Everything will be to your specifications, down to the most absurd details.”

  Jia stepped inside, her knees wobbly. Everything had
gone sideways in seconds. The door slid closed behind her.

  “What’s this about?” Jia managed to get out, her voice shaking.

  “I thought it was time,” Erik explained with a smile. “We’ve been together for a while, and it’s ridiculous that we haven’t done this earlier.”

  “R-really?” Jia blinked. “It wasn’t even like we were together at first. I mean, together together, so it makes sense we waited to do certain things.”

  “Uh, sure, I guess.” Erik furrowed his brow, clearly confused. He gestured around the room. “You’re probably wondering why we’re here instead of the tactical center.”

  Jia nodded, channeling all her self-control to keep her face smooth. Emma could undoubtedly detect her elevated heart rate, but if the AI knew what was good for her, she would keep her holographic mouth shut, or Jia would figure out a way to sew it shut.

  “The problem with the tactical center is, it’s better for scenarios that require individual freedom of movement,” Erik explained. “But that means its physics is based on your body. It’s not as good for simulating vehicles or that kind of thing. This place is better for vehicles, but not things that require individuals to walk around a lot.”

  “Vehicles?” Jia stared at Erik, trying to imagine what was coming next. For all their frank discussions, they hadn’t discussed sex much. He could be into all sorts of surprising things. And apparently, it involved vehicles. She frowned.

  He had a perfectly good flitter outside.

  “Yeah.” Erik nodded. “And the VR we have on the Rabbit won’t give you the proper sensations.”

  “Proper sensations?” Jia swallowed. “I’d never thought about it like that. I mean, uh... It’s not like I haven’t thought about it, but I’ve never thought about doing it in a place like this. Not that I’m saying no. It just takes a little getting used to. You have to understand.

  Erik smiled. “Oh, so you figured it already? I wasn’t sure if you would.”