by Cary Caffrey
Like reeds before a sharpened scythe, soldiers fell around her. Sigrid emptied her fourth clip. The barrels of her twin recoillesses glowed red hot, the pistols hissing as the spent clips were ejected. She only stopped firing for a moment, but it was enough to leave her exposed.
Sigrid felt the warning, her PCM bleating its alarm. Too late. The girl came at her from behind, leaping, grabbing hold of her neck, tackling her and riding her to the ground, driving Sigrid's face into the hardened permacrete. Sigrid heard the crack of her skull hitting pavement, and the world spun about her.
The girl was on her back, her knees pinning Sigrid's arms to her sides. She grabbed Sigrid's hair, pulling hard and yanking her head back. Once, twice, three times she slammed Sigrid's head into the ground, as hard as she could. Sigrid felt her face smash against the unyielding permacrete. The second blow broke her nose; the third threatened to shatter her cheekbone.
Blackness loomed. Polite warnings sounded in her head as her PCM alerted her to the imminent danger the current situation presented.
I know, goddammit!
But something else clicked in. Something new.
Sigrid felt the burst of adrenaline shocking her system, a sudden reboot that set every one of her systems afire. The fog vanished from her vision; her head cleared instantly. The girl on her back felt featherlight, the knees that pressed against her arms like twigs.
Sigrid rolled hard, spinning herself over. With her arm freed, she came around for a roundhouse blow, connecting with all her strength and sending the girl sailing off of her. Sigrid knew she'd hit her with enough crushing force to smash the skull of any man. But of course, this girl was no man. She was not even human. Not anymore.
The girl was back on her feet, charging at her. Sigrid ignored the attack, slapping her hands away and shrugging off the blows. Her hand found the girl's throat, grabbing her and lifting her clean off her feet. The girl struggled, clawing at Sigrid's arm, gulping for air, but Sigrid held fast, squeezing ever tighter, watching the life, if it could be called that, drain from the girl's face.
"Don't fight me," Sigrid said. "Don't make me—I don't want to kill you."
Vacant eyes, inhuman, stared back at her. If she heard her, if she understood, Sigrid couldn't tell. There was no fear. No emotion. Sigrid saw the sword come up from behind, swinging down. But it was the flat end of the blade that clocked the girl on the back of her head. Sigrid felt the girl go limp; her struggles ceased.
Sigrid eased her to the ground. Plastic binders secured her hands and ankles. The battle was over. Scores of soldiers lay dead, the work crews having long fled the scene. Only Tarsus remained. He held his hands up; Miranda stood behind him with the sniper rifle aimed squarely at his back.
He had not survived unscathed. His face was bruised, and blood flowed freely from a cut above his eye. Miranda shrugged. "He wouldn't come quietly."
Tarsus glared at her. "I told you I surrendered."
Sigrid retrieved her pistols before approaching him. "You should have brought more men, Major Tarsus."
To his credit, the major actually smiled. "That thought had occurred to me."
"How many more are there?" Sigrid asked. "How many ships? How many soldiers? Where are they, Major? And where are they going?"
Tarsus shook his head. "You'll not find them. Not here. They're gone by now. This place has served its purpose."
"And what purpose is that?"
Tarsus looked down at the girl at their feet. "I'm sure you can guess."
"I don't need to guess, Major," Sigrid said.
From a pouch on her belt, Sigrid withdrew a data-uplink module. The girl in Portside had tried to strip information from Sigrid; she saw no reason she couldn't do the same. Kneeling at the girl's side, Sigrid inserted the uplink, interfacing directly with her own Primary Control Module.
It took but a second to make the connection. She'd thought to find a matrix not unlike her own, but what she found horrified her. The girl had a name. It was Victoria. But that part of her, the part that was human, that part had been obliterated, erased, washed away. Only the most rudimentary programming remained. She doubted even Dr. Garrett could repair this. There was nothing left to fix—the girl was gone.
"Is she alive?" Tarsus asked.
Sigrid shot a look his way, her eyes flaring with anger. "How can you ask that? Do you even care? Do you even know what they've done to her?"
"I'm not a scientist—"
"Nor are the people who did this, Major. They're monsters. And they have to be stopped."
"I know," Tarsus said.
Sigrid looked up at him sharply. "What do you mean?"
Tarsus took a breath, straightening himself. "Haven't you ever wondered how CTF found the facility on Scorpii? Who do you think alerted the authorities in the first place?"
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Foxes in the Desert
"You?" Miranda asked. "You're the one who tipped us?"
Tarsus shrugged. "It was the only way."
Sigrid rose to stand before him. She grabbed him by the collar and, to his amazement, hefted him from his feet. "The only way to what?"
"The only way to be rid of this place," Tarsus said, his feet struggling for purchase. "I wanted out. I want to get as far from this place as possible."
"I don't believe you," Sigrid said. "You've been working for him for years. It was you who first attacked Alcyone—"
"Taking that job was the biggest mistake of my life. Ask Selene. She'll tell you. Now, will you please put me down."
Sigrid obliged, throwing him to the pavement.
Tarsus landed heavily. He stared up at her, pulling at his collar. "Alcyone was a mistake. I lost everything that day. They took it all—my place in the Guild, my fleet. Trust me, meeting Harry Jones was the worst thing that ever happened to me."
Suko crossed her arms. "You'll forgive us if we have trouble caring."
"Then why stay?" Sigrid asked. "All this time? Why not leave?"
Tarsus chuckled. Bitterly. "Believe me, I tried. But Jones…he has a way. He made certain I had nowhere to go. One does not simply leave his service. He's quite mad, you know."
"Don't listen to him," Leta said. "He'll say anything to save his own skin."
Tarsus struggled to stand, straightening himself. He met Sigrid's stare full on. "There are over ten thousand troops in this facility alone. I could have come down here with an entire battalion, met you with the full brunt of our forces. But I didn't. They're a long way from here—looking for you. I made certain they were looking in the wrong places."
"Then tell me this," Sigrid said. "Where is he?"
"He's right here. He's waiting for you now."
"Where?"
"I'll give you the coordinates. But only if you promise to take me with—"
Sigrid swung hard, her fist striking the major square in the chin and knocking him clean off his feet. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.
"Sigrid!" Miranda exclaimed. "He was going to tell us—everything."
Sigrid stared at the uplink module in her hand; her fist closed around the tiny device. "I've got everything I need right here. I know where he is, and I know where those ships are heading." She keyed her comlink. "Trudy, are you there?"
The connection was spotty, but Sigrid heard Trudy's voice over the comlink. "Sigrid! Where are you? I lost contact—"
"Trudy, just listen. I want you to send word to Selene. Those ships that left here—we were wrong. It's not us they're attacking. It's not New Alcyone. It's Crucis Prime. It's the Mercenary Guild. That's where they're heading."
"The Guild?" Suko echoed. "Why on Earth would they attack the Guild?"
It was Miranda who answered for her. "Because, with those transponders equipped, the Mercenary Guild will have to assume the Council is moving against them."
"Jones is going to start a war," Sigrid said. Then she turned to Miranda. "As much as I hate to admit it, it seems the chairman was right. We have to warn the Gui
ld. We have to tell them."
"All right," Trudy said. "I'm contacting Selene. We're coming to get you."
"No. Wait. I want you to extract first. You'll need to pick up Leta and Agent Kane."
"What about you?"
Sigrid turned to Suko. Before she could even ask, Suko nodded; they both knew what needed to be done. "Suko and I are staying behind."
"Behind? But, Sigrid—"
"We're not done here, Trudy. We're going after Jones."
"Sigrid," Leta said. "If you're going, then I'm going."
"I'm sorry, but I need you to see Miranda to safety." Sigrid tossed the uplink module to her. "With this evidence, the Council might listen to her. We need her alive. I can't risk her getting out of here on her own." Her eyes fell to the unconscious form of the major on the ground. "Take the major—and the girl. Dr. Garrett, Lady Hitomi—they'll want to see her. Leta, this is important. I mean it."
"Sigrid," Miranda said; she reached out with a hand, an action Suko didn't fail to notice. "You don't need to do this. Jones is finished. He's done. It's over."
Somehow, Sigrid doubted that very much. She knew, as long as he was alive he would keep after her. And if not him, someone else. "I came here to send a message. I don't intend to leave here until it's delivered."
Leta reached back, retrieving the case harnessed to her back. She opened it now, withdrawing its contents.
"Ms. Novak…" Miranda said. "Are you sure?"
Sigrid stared at the nuke; the hybrid device might be small, but Sigrid knew it was powerful enough to bring the entire complex down around them. "Ms. Kane, I'm more certain than I've ever been. I don't want anyone to forget what happens here today."
"There are people here," Miranda said. "Workers. They're innocent of any of this."
"I know. Trudy, is the chairman still with you?"
"He is."
"Put him on."
"Ms. Novak?"
"Chairman," Sigrid said. "You said you wished to help us."
"And I meant it. Whatever you need."
"Then help us now. In exactly forty-two minutes, this factory is going to be a crater. I need you to contact the local security. This entire facility must be evacuated by then. Do you understand?" There was a pause. Sigrid waited, wondering if she'd lost contact again. "Chairman Gillings?"
"Ms. Novak…I'm afraid that is quite impossible. Contacting security will reveal my involvement in this affair. Council would not stand for it. I'm sorry, but it can't be done. I can't risk—"
"Trudy," Sigrid said, "kill the chairman."
Through the open comlink, Sigrid heard the crash, chairs being toppled, glass breaking, the muffled sounds of a struggle, ever so brief.
"Ms. Novak! Wait!"
Sigrid smiled. "I'm sorry, Chairman, I'm having trouble receiving. Is that a change of heart I hear?"
"Yes! Yes, Ms. Novak, I'll do it. I'll make the call. Forty-two minutes. The place will be evacuated. I swear."
"See that it is, Chairman. If one worker dies here today, I will hold you personally responsible."
Sigrid caught Miranda chuckling at her side. "He won't be happy about this—nor will the Council."
Sigrid flipped the switch, activating the bomb. In forty-two minutes it would all be over.
"I don't care. Now go, you haven't much time."
"We'll wait for you at the rendezvous," Leta said. "As long as it takes."
"All right. But, Leta, if you don't hear from us, when you think you've waited long enough, I want you to take the Morrigan and make for the Relay."
"Sigrid, we're not going to leave you behind."
"Leta, the Guild has to be warned. Promise me. This is too important. I don't need to remind you what the Condottiere did for us. Lady Lawther came to our aid when we needed it. I won't turn my back on her now. Promise me, Leta."
Slowly, reluctantly, Leta nodded.
"Now get out of here. Both of you."
Together they helped Leta and Miranda haul Tarsus and the girl, Victoria, into the lone remaining transport. With Suko at her side, Sigrid watched the shuttle clear the pad, rising upward on its way to rendezvous with Trudy.
Only one task remained.
Jones had escaped, but this time she knew where he was headed. Victoria's database had provided her with the location—a place far from here, deep in the desert.
"We need transportation," Sigrid said.
Suko looked up at the open portal and the retreating shuttle. "Looks like they got the last flight out."
"I think one of those will better suit our needs," Sigrid said, directing Suko toward a row of parked Longspurs.
"All right," Suko said. "But I'm driving."
*
Sigrid held tight to Suko's waist, pressing herself against her as Suko ignited the thrusters of the Longspur. Gunning the throttle, she dived forward into the tunnel in pursuit of their prey. Alarms sounded about them—the evacuation order was given. At least Gillings had done his part.
The tunnel rose sharply, climbing toward the surface. Suko drove them faster, accelerating, screaming up the tunnel at 278 kph. Sigrid saw the opening—closing before them, twin metal doors sliding shut. There were soldiers here, waiting for them, barricades hastily erected to block their way. Two turrets swung around, firing, tracers arcing out, flashing by over her shoulder.
But it wasn't enough, not to stop the two determined girls from completing their mission. Suko rocketed past them, accelerating, up and over the barricades; grenades dropped from Sigrid's hands ensured there would be no pursuit.
They were outside now and on the surface. There was panic everywhere, chaos. Disaster warnings blared out, urging the enclave's population to evacuate. Workers and soldiers alike hurried through the streets, rushed along by alarms.
"There are roads," Sigrid said as Suko brought the charging Longspur up and over yet another walled barrier, sweeping around a building and down an embankment.
"Shortest distance to a target is still a straight line."
"Well…be careful!"
"Hey, who's driving here?"
Sigrid shielded her eyes as Suko blasted away at an APC that attempted to block their path. The armored carrier blew apart, with Suko practically driving straight through its burning wreckage.
"See," Suko said. "Straight as an arrow."
Sigrid's PCM recorded their speed at three hundred and forty-two-point-seven kph. Just about the maximum velocity of the Longspur. Suko drove it like a wild woman, determined to catch their fleeing target.
With the sun rising behind them, they left the clutter of New Shēnzhèn behind. Factories and tenements quickly gave way to the sweeping desert wastes. Somewhere out here, in all that blowing toxic dust, Harry Jones was waiting for her.
Sigrid swept the area forward and back with her sensors, but she couldn't detect any sign of their prey. It didn't matter. She knew exactly where he was going. In that moment when she'd interfaced with that poor creature, Sigrid had caught a glimpse. There was a place out here, hidden somewhere in the desert. That's where he would be, and he expected Sigrid to follow.
"There!" Suko said. "I've got him. It. At least, I've got something."
Sigrid scanned forward, sweeping the horizon. The Longspur's radar showed it too. A distant blip. Suko veered to intercept.
The target was ahead of them and moving fast, but Suko was catching them. At six kilometers, Sigrid saw it. She zoomed in, scanning, locking on. It was them, the very same armored truck that had fled the factory.
But it wasn't alone. A single Thunderhawk shadowed it, flying escort overhead.
Sigrid felt her muscles tense, her arms drawing more tightly around Suko's waist. She could see the truck plainly now, struggling at its maximum velocity of only 200 kph. She was slow, but she was not completely helpless. Four missiles launched from the side-pods blasted toward them.
"Jammer!" Sigrid said. She pointed over Suko's shoulder to the control console. Suko thumbed the center switch, bringing the
Spur's defenses online. The jammer performed its magic, working to confuse the guidance systems of the incoming missiles, sweeping them aside to detonate harmlessly against the desert floor.
Suko fired back. Two 30 mm cannons mounted on each side of the Longspur belched out round after round, but at this range the heavy plating of the APC shrugged off the attack.
No more shots were fired from the truck. There was no need. The Thunderhawk peeled off, swinging around to come at them from behind. Sigrid looked back over her shoulder long enough to see the chain guns mounted in its nose whirring up, charging. The desert offered no cover, no quarter.
"Where's our air support?" Suko griped. "That thing's going to tear us apart."
Sigrid agreed. They were thoroughly exposed.
"Get us closer!"
"Closer?"
The Thunderhawk closed on them, its nose bearing down—close enough for Sigrid to see the maw of its twin mounted guns aimed squarely at her.
"Closer! Suko, quickly."
Without a word, Suko braked hard. The hulking troop carrier couldn't match the swiftness of the maneuver and shot past them, just meters over their heads. It banked hard, weaving, trying to turn, trying to bring its weapons to bear on its prey, but Suko stayed with it, matching its every move and keeping them squarely beneath the belly of the gunship.
Sigrid looked up, felt the crushing blast of its four thrusters roaring down on them. The Thunderhawk might not be able to fire on them, not from this angle, but the armored truck was also getting away. Sigrid was not about to let that happen.
"Do it, Suko."
"Sigrid—"
"Now!"
Sigrid felt the blast of the Longspur's vertical thrusters firing, pushing them up, rising fast and bringing her tantalizingly close to the underside of the Thunderhawk. At the last instant, the pilot must have sensed her move. The large craft rose up, pulling sharply away.
She had no choice. Sigrid braced, leapt, pushing with all the force she could muster. For a moment she thought she'd misjudged, saw herself tumbling back to Earth. But her outstretched fingers found the rounded edge of the Thunderhawk's landing strut.
