by Jake Elwood
"Not without my equipment, no."
"Your equipment." She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "What equipment?"
"I have an analyzer back at my house," he said. "I've been developing it for decades. It can create 3D models of the interiors of Ancients devices. In most cases, I can figure out what the device is for."
Cassie felt her shoulders sag. "Your house has been ransacked pretty thoroughly by now. I doubt that it's still there."
"No, it's there," said Sykes. "It's in my safe. The AI would send me a message if the safe were opened."
"You have a safe?" She shook her head. "It's very well hidden."
"Well, apparently the galaxy is full of sticky-fingered parasites," he said, giving her a sharp look. "It seems you can't trust anyone these days."
She ignored that. "Do you think you could go home and get it?" she asked. "Then meet with us again. I'll bring the artifacts, and you can tell me what they do."
"Forget it," he said. "I'm not going anywhere near that house. Not any time soon." A haunted look crossed his face. "You don't know what those people were like." He looked Cassie up and down. "Well, maybe you do. They dropped some hints about knowing where my family lived." He shivered. "If they can't get their hands on me, there's no point in going after my kids. They'll be safe, unless I do something really stupid. Like going to the one place they know to look for me."
"It'll be safe," Cassie said. "There will be cops all over."
He gave her a bitter glare. "Do you really believe that, young lady?"
They sat in silence for a couple of minutes. Then Jerry said, "What if I go?"
Sykes looked at him. "What?"
"Tell me where the safe is," Jerry said. "Tell your house AI to let me in. I'll grab your doohickey and come back here." He looked at Cassie. "You can go get the artifacts. We'll meet back here with everything. What do you say?"
Sykes looked at Cassie. "Has he always been this dumb?"
"For as long as I've known him." She turned to Jerry. "Forget it. You'll never get past the cops."
"It's worth a try," he said, looking stubborn.
"I don't know," she said. "I don't much like the idea of getting arrested."
"You? I said I'd do it."
She snorted. "Like you'd stand a chance without me." To Sykes she said, "How about it, professor? Can we get into your safe?"
There was skepticism in his face, but also a grudging acceptance. "Yes," he said. "You could do it, if you could avoid being arrested or carried off by bounty hunters." He took the PAD, closed the star map, and tapped some buttons. "Stick out your hands." He scanned their right palms one by one. "There. Now Leonidas will recognize you and let you in." His gaze sharpened. "You won't have to blow any more holes in my walls."
"We didn't do that," Jerry said. "We shot at the people who did."
"All right, all right." Sykes shook his head. "I can't believe I'm telling burglars how to find my safe."
"I'm a bounty hunter," Jerry said. "She's the burglar."
"Really?" The old man raised one fat eyebrow. "Weren't you in my house too?"
Jerry reddened.
"You go to my bookshelf in the main room," Sykes said, lowering his voice. "Look for War and Peace. Leave it on the shelf, but touch the W on the spine, then the P. Then the W again, twice. That will open the hidden door."
It sounded like something from a kids' book. Cassie rolled her eyes and glanced at Jerry. His face was lit up with a delighted grin.
"Oh, for…. Okay, what next?"
"You'll see the safe," Sykes said. "There's an alphanumeric keypad. The code is A-L-I-C-E. Then swipe your hand on the palm reader. That's it."
"All right." She raked her fingers through her hair. "How will we recognize this scanner thing?"
"Atomic analyzer," he said. "It's almost the only thing in the safe. Don't grab anything that's inside a small envelope and you should be fine."
"Okay." There were a thousand ways this could go wrong, but it might work. "You'll wait for us here?"
"Of course not," Sykes said. "There are people hunting me, after all. I've been here too long already." He scratched his chin, thinking. "Meet me at the Solar Café next to the park. It's about five blocks that way." He gestured over one shoulder. "I'll come in about two hours."
"All right." Cassie looked at Jerry. He shrugged. "I guess that's it, then."
The professor was already standing, shoving the PAD into his pocket and heading for the door.
"Well," said Jerry, "let's follow the professor's good example and make ourselves scarce." He headed for the exit, and she grabbed her own PAD and followed.
They sat on a bench on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Jerry kept watch while Cassie called Roger. He immediately patched Lark through. By the sound of her she had to be hopping from one foot to another in excitement.
"Cassie! The police were here. They questioned us. Well, me. Roger played dumb and they ignored him. They said something happened at Professor Sykes' house, but they wouldn't say what. Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Lark. What did you tell the police?"
"Just what you said. I said you were here for an errand and I didn't know what, and that you never tell me anything and that I was supposed to be doing my lessons while you were gone." Her voice became reproachful. "You really don't tell me much, you know. And I probably should be doing some lessons."
"We'll get on that right away," Cassie assured her. "Are the police still there?"
"No, they said it couldn't have been me, so they left. They said you should call them when you come back. But there's a police robot by the gate. It looks like a vending machine, but it wasn't there until the police showed up. So I don't think you better come back yet. Not until you're ready to get arrested. Are you going to get arrested, Cassie?"
"Probably," Cassie told her, "but not today. Listen, I need you to do something for me."
"Sure! I'm ready. Do you need me to disable the police robot?"
"No!" Cassie rubbed her eyes and sighed. "Stay away from the police robot. Pretend you haven't figured it out. I need you to go out and get some candy."
"Candy?" Lark sounded baffled. "Okay. What kind?"
"It doesn't matter. Just go out, get something, and come back. Tell Roger first. He's going to scan for surveillance. I want to know what the police do if you leave the ship."
"Um, okay. Do you think they'll arrest me?"
"Only if you don't pay for the candy," Cassie assured her. "I want you to make several trips. Get a bag and take it with you. Let them get used to seeing you go in and out. Let them get bored with watching you."
"Why?"
Cassie looked around, made sure no one was in earshot, and said, "Because later I'm going to need you to smuggle me my gun and the Ancients artifacts."
Lark's voice dropped to a whisper, but she was so excited that the volume might have actually been higher. "Oh! Okay, Cassie. I can do it. You'll see."
"I know you can," she said. "You're the best partner I've ever had."
"Hey," said Jerry, pretending to be hurt, "I'm standing right here."
"Cassie?"
"Yes, Lark?"
"I'm the only partner you've ever had, aren't I?" Lark giggled and broke the connection before Cassie could reply.
"Kids," Cassie said to no one in particular. "Remind me not to procreate." Jerry was smirking at her, and she said, "What?"
"It's so cute, the way you pretend you don't like her."
"I DON'T like her." Cassie scowled. "She's moody, and, and… short."
Jerry snickered.
"Oh, shut up. I guess she's not so bad. But I'm looking forward to wrapping this whole mess up and dropping her into foster care somewhere so I can be done with her."
He laughed. "Sure you are, Cass. Sure you are."
"What?" she said. "I am!" Life without the brat underfoot was going to be great. She had a sudden memory of the excitement in Lark's voice, of how eager the kid was to prove
herself. And a lump rose in her throat.
Jerry turned away.
"Are you hiding another smirk, you big oaf? I knew there was a reason I ditched you on Bruma." She scowled at the back of his head. "Anyway, never mind the drama nonsense. How are we getting back into the professor's house?"
"We'll pose as reporters," Jerry said promptly. "With any luck they won't even leave a live cop onsite. If it's a live cop, we talk our way past. If it's just a robot or two watching the crime scene, we'll zap it and be gone before the cops can respond."
As plans went, it was far from foolproof, but she'd succeeded on longer shots. It had to be easier than the last visit to the house. "Fine," she said. "I'm calling Lark back."
"Why?"
"I want her to smuggle me my gun."
CHAPTER 22
The taxi coasted up to the gate of Professor Sykes' house. The gate stood open, so Cassie directed the taxi up the driveway. She squirmed in the seat. Her pistol was in a holster at the small of her back, poorly hidden by a snug silver jacket. She didn't have any really baggy clothes, and she found herself missing the professor's coat that she'd abandoned on the rocks nearby. It would have been perfect.
"I can hardly believe the sun hasn't even set yet," Jerry said. "It feels like ages since we were here."
"It's been a busy day," Cassie agreed. She made herself stop fidgeting and scanned the front of the house. To her relief, there were no police in sight. Jerry actually had a set of press credentials. He said they were even genuine, except that they were in a fake name. His persona of "Anton Anderson" was a fully-authorized member of Interstellar Wire and Holo. The plan was to call Cassie his assistant.
However, the front of the house appeared deserted. She hopped out of the taxi, tugged her jacket straight, and looked at Jerry.
"Easier than I thought," he murmured, and led the way to the front door.
The door stood open. Jerry went through first, Cassie on his heels, her hand behind her, close to her pistol. Jerry made it three steps into the house before a floating silver sphere flew in from the kitchen, hovering at chest height. There was a camera on top, a stun turret on the bottom, and a band of bright red paint around the middle with the word POLICE in stark white.
Cassie drew and fired in one smooth motion. A fat spark hit the drone and it dropped to the floor, leaving a dent in the floorboards.
"We won't tell the professor that was us," Jerry said. He moved into the living room. They scanned the rows of books until Cassie spotted War and Peace. One volume, she noted in surprise. She'd assumed it was two books. She tapped in the code on the spine.
Something clicked deep in the wall, and a meter-wide section of the bookshelf slid backward, then glided to one side.
"Neat," said Jerry. "Now, a secret room would be even better, but this is not bad." He stepped into the gap in the shelf. There was a steel sheet running from floor to ceiling, and a blank screen at stomach height. He pressed his right hand to the screen.
A keyboard appeared under his hand. He punched in the word "ALICE", then tapped a green circle.
With a low hum, the steel sheet slid to one side.
The safe was much bigger than Cassie had expected. It ran from floor to ceiling, and it was more than two meters deep. She pictured the floor plan in her mind. The bathroom would be on the left, the pantry on the right. Both rooms had irregular shapes. It was almost impossible to notice a meter and a half of missing space.
"Neat," she agreed, and followed Jerry inside.
There were shelves along one wall, most of them empty. She saw some shallow trays with documents in them, and a little box full of data and credit crystals. At the very back of the safe was something that could only be the atomic analyzer. It was not much bigger than the cube of the Ancients, built of gleaming silver metal and white plastic, with a couple of data panels on the outside and a handful of trailing wires with wide, flat contacts on the ends. It was hardly less mystifying than the cube and egg.
Jerry scooped it up. "Hey, it hardly weighs anything." He took the dangling wires in his free hand and followed Cassie out of the safe.
There was a young woman in a police uniform standing in the middle of the living room. She gaped at Cassie, then grabbed for her gun.
Cassie reacted without thought, springing forward, catching the barrel of the rising gun with both hands. The cop would be able to summon help with a word, so she drove her knee into the woman's solar plexus. Her knee hit the flexible surface of the cop's light body armor, which absorbed much of the force, but the air in the woman's lungs puffed out in a pained gasp.
"Sorry, Miss," Jerry said, stepping up beside the cop and punching her just under the ear. The woman collapsed, leaving her gun in Cassie's hands.
Footsteps sounded from the entry hall, and a man's voice said, "Kata? Are you in there?"
Cassie lobbed the cop's gun into the safe, cringing at the clatter. Then she grabbed the fallen woman's left arm and leg, gesturing urgently with her head. Jerry grabbed the right arm and leg, then followed Cassie's lead as she led the way toward the safe.
They slung the cop into the safe, backed out, and Cassie slammed the door.
"Who are you?"
Cassie turned. There were two cops in the doorway to the living room, big men with suspicious expressions. One man had a hand on the butt of his pistol. "Who are you?" he repeated. "And where's Officer Melenez?"
She took a quick look around. The safe was closed, but the bookcase was still open. Jerry was red-faced and looked flustered. She was sure she looked the same.
"The lady cop?" she said. "She's in the safe. I think she's locked in." She gestured at the sheet of steel behind her. "We're reporters. With IWH."
The cop's eyes narrowed. "You shouldn't be here."
"That's what she said. She was quite annoyed. She said something was wrong with her drone, and she was alone here, and we needed to leave the premises. We were arguing with her when the shelf slid back and the door opened." Cassie gestured at the open bookshelf. "She walked in to take a look and the door just clicked shut."
"What's that?" the cop said, gesturing at the atomic analyzer.
"Portable recording studio," Jerry told him. "Does lights, sound, holo, everything. Hardly weighs a thing, too. I could demonstrate—"
"No." The two cops moved forward, the lead cop keeping a hand on his pistol. He was careful not to turn his back on Cassie and Jerry while his partner looked at the safe.
"I want you two out of here," the lead cop said. "Go stand outside. Don't touch anything. I'll be out to talk to you in a moment." He watched them as they walked out of the living room and into the kitchen.
The moment they were out of sight, Cassie and Jerry doubled their speed. They were nearly running as they cleared the front door. They piled into the taxi, and Cassie gasped, "Swan Bay! Um, take us to a good restaurant."
The taxi said, "I could recommend the Blue Parrot, or—"
"Yes. The Blue Parrot. Go."
The taxi rolled down the driveway and Cassie sagged back in her seat. "Oh, my God. Let's not do that again."
"No," said Jerry, "let's not."
They picked up Lark on a street corner near the landing field. She was lumbering along, barely able to stand upright under the twin burdens of a backpack containing the cube and egg and a shoulder bag with all of Roger's circuits and chips. There was no safe place to stash the girl, so Cassie brought her along to the rendezvous.
Sykes was waiting for them in a private room in the back of the Solar Café. His bushy eyebrows climbed his forehead when he saw Lark, but he didn't say anything. Lark sat down, put Roger in his shoulder bag in her lap, and watched quietly as Lark put the two artifacts on the table. Jerry set the analyzer on the table beside him, but the professor was gazing at the cube and egg, oblivious to all else.
"Fascinating." He lifted the egg in his hands and tilted it, letting the ceiling light play across the pale surface. "In perfect condition, if I'm any judge." He set the
egg down, tried to lift the cube, grunted, and settled for examining it on the table top.
"Do you know what it is?" Cassie prompted.
"No, like I told you, I'd need my…. Oh, here it is." He picked up the analyzer and moved it closer. He tapped away at the panels on the front of the analyzer, then started attaching wires to the cube. When every wire was attached, he went back to tapping at the panels.
Cassie watched for a while. "So, if it's part of some terrible weapon, don't you think you should be, you know, careful?"
Sykes looked up long enough to give her a frosty glare, then turned back to his examination.
"All right, then. I'll just keep my opinions to myself." She watched Sykes work for a time, then stuck her tongue out at him.
"I saw that," he muttered without looking up. He pulled every wire off the cube, then attached them all to the egg. "Hmm."
It was very difficult not to ask him what "Hmm" meant. Cassie stared at him, trying to bore holes in the side of his head with her eyes.
After an intolerably long time he looked up. "This is absolutely fascinating," he said.
I will not grab him and shake him. No matter how badly he seems to deserve it. Shaking the old buzzard won't help. "Can you elaborate, Professor?"
Instead of answering, he removed three wires from the egg and reattached them to the cube. Then he pushed the cube around until a different side was facing him. There was a triangular lump sticking out of that face of the cube, and he turned the egg over in his hands until he found a triangular-shaped opening on the end. He looked up. "This should be interesting," he said.
And plugged the egg into the cube.
The artifact began to hum. Lark gasped, Jerry stiffened in his chair, and Cassie felt a chill wash over her skin. The table vibrated, and she saw dust lifting from the floor and dancing around in elaborate swirls.
Sykes pulled the egg free from the cube. He wore the expression of a little boy who's just pulled one over on his teacher.
