by Laurie Bell
“A big shipment departed yesterday, another leaves tomorrow. I’m meeting one of the shippers tonight. A man named Kel. Said he’d sneak a gun out for me. I could ask about Telksh—maybe he’s there, you know, inside.”
“Does anyone other than Kel know about this meeting?”
“No one,” he puffed.
Toni glanced over her shoulder again, her neck tingling. The tunnel was empty. “Has this Kel met you before?”
“No.”
“Here’s the deal. You don’t go to the docking bay tonight, and I won’t give you up to the pit boss.” Mate growled behind Myres. The large man twitched and turned his head at the reminder of her partner’s presence.
She almost missed the flash of orange as Myres flung his arm in her direction.
Toni threw her head back, barely avoiding the second strike as he slashed again at her throat with a miniature phaseblade hidden between his fingers. She dove to the ground to escape the next attack. Mate launched himself at the mountain of flesh, slamming into Myres’ legs and forcing him off balance. As he fell, Toni drew her pistol and fired. The shot knocked the blade from Myres’ hand and took three fingers with it.
The large man screamed, dropping to his knees. He clutched at his hand and gaped.
“I don’t want to kill you, but I will, understand?” Toni snapped. What the khegh is he thinking?
Myres’ massive frame shuddered, breathing like a ship taking off.
“Make yourself scarce for a few days.” She turned the pistol around so that she gripped it by the barrel. “Sleep tight,” she said and hit him in the side of the head.
Myres’ stunned body flopped to the ground. Toni wrapped his bleeding hand quickly—she didn’t want him to die when she left him. “Mate, I hope you can get us outta here.”
“Of course, Boss.” With a shake of his entire body, the C-bot released a pile of dust from his coat.
“Let’s go. I don’t wanna have to give you a bath when we get back.” She looked up and down the corridor. “You know, pal, I swear we’re not alone down here.”
“I do not register any lifeforms on my scanners. You must be imagining it.”
*
“Kel ain’t here.” The guard grunted, shoving his pistol into her face.
Toni squinted at the weapon as if trying to draw it into focus. She jerked suddenly. Her hunch destabilized her stance and she stumbled back, staggering further. “What?” She threw a stammer into her voice. “But he said he’d be here. He had something for me. Did he leave it at the office?” Sniffing hard, she scrubbed her stained sleeve against her nose.
The guard didn’t hesitate. “I will shoot you if you do not evacuate the premises immediately.” Behind him, Toni could see another blur heading in their direction. Damned eyesight. Without her shades, the bright lights of the dock stung her eyes, making them water. She assumed it was another guard.
Pulling her sleeves down over her fingers, she twisted the material, her voice wavering, “But Kel said—”
The pistol in her face bobbed slightly. “Look, love, there was an accident, okay? Kel ain’t here. He’s dead.” The man’s face didn’t twitch as he said it but his lip curled and the barest head shake gave away his real thoughts. His glance to the nearest camera confirmed it. Kel’s death hadn’t been an accident.
Damn it. Toni raised her hands to her mouth. “What? Dead?”
“Just get out of here, kid. There’s nothing for ya here.”
She maintained her User gait until she was sure the guard could no longer see her. Straightening, she pulled her shades out of her waist band. Tapping the side, she called Zach.
His query bloomed up on the display.
Zach: Boss?
“Dead end. Literally. I was asking about a corpse. I’m heading back. These rags are making my skin burn, I need to get them off.”
On the walk back to the Blackflame, the kaleidoscope of bright reds, brilliant yellows, and collision of blue and green coral drew her gaze to the roof.
“While The Great Lake has a long history of adversely affecting highly visual species, such as the Anu, for everyone else the underwater splendor of Uxt is the end-all, be-all stopover of the Sector.”
A shock of lavender curls drew Toni’s attention to the nearby tourists gathered in a loose circle.
“An incredible feat of engineering, the theme park sits atop the colorful coral rising out of an ocean, rumored to be the largest this side of the Sector-core. Near the docks at the entrance of the park, you can see through the transparent plasteel directly out onto the edges of the reef. We are beneath the coral. Astounding, isn’t it?”
Rolling her eyes at the oooohs and aaaahhs, Toni shambled past.
“Oh Xendia, they even get Users here. Look, her skin’s as transparent as the roof.”
“Honey, don’t stare.”
Scowling Toni hunched over further and tucked her hands into the sleeves of her oversized stained pullover. Stupid tourists, bane of existence everywhere.
The first thing she did when she reached the safety of her ship was change into her usual outfit (easy-to-move-in trousers, low-heeled boots and her second favorite shirt), and then fixed her agent’s star firmly to her vest. The outfit said she meant business—well, all but the rainsilk shirt. She was still fuming at Tubby for the stains on her favorite shirt. Today, she wore green. She holstered her pistol at her thigh and pulled a small backpack out of storage. Time for plan B.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Why did I think this would be a good idea?” Toni grumbled, keeping her voice low so the echoes would only travel back to where Mate crawled on his haunches behind her.
“You said it was to avoid the crowds.”
“Yeah, I said that, didn’t I.” Prying eyes would be better than traveling the many pipes and ducts that weaved in and around the underwater air system lining the sub-level’s ceiling. Her knees and wrists ached by the time Mate called a halt. Toni eyed a smudge on her sleeve as she reached for the panel Mate said was their exit point. Her crawl left her covered in dust, and itching like a crazy woman. She didn’t want to think of the costly cleaning bill she’d pay at the end of this mission. Ha! She mentally shrugged. I’ll add it to my expenses. She needed new shirts anyway.
Running her fingers along the panel’s edge, she blinked deliberately, holding for two seconds to change the display settings of her shades and pulled her mini decoupler wrench from her bag. The bolts securing the screen to the vent walls wouldn’t shift. Not even a creak. Fortunately, there was no laser-trap wired into it. She drew her pistol, twisted the base, turned her head, and fired. The adjuster connected to the grip silenced the weapon’s high-pitched whine and lowered the intensity of the laser, making it perfect for melting metal catches, bolts, and the lock of the occasional bar fridge.
Unfortunately, the sustained beam quickly heated the air inside the enclosed space. After burning through all four securing bolts, she holstered her pistol and braced her slim body against the sides of the vent.
“On three,” she whispered, pushing her fingers through the screen’s slates.
Mate nodded.
Toni pulled her knees up for more leverage. “One,” She let her breath out slowly. “Two.” She breathed in again, this time deeper. “Three.” And yanked.
The screen didn’t budge.
Mate snorted. Toni tried again, this time harder. Nothing happened. “Khegh it!”
“Need help?”
“What makes you think that?” For a moment, she sat in the dark staring at the kheghing piece of useless metal. “Come here.”
The C-bot leaned into Toni’s side, his weight pushing her off her heels. Grabbing onto his fur, she pressed down on the center of his back, activating a panel only her handprint could open. A small door on the C-bot’s chest swung loose. Toni connected a thin wire from Mate to the immobile screen. “On three, I want you to pull.”
The wire wound taut. “Ready.”
“Three.”
The scr
een didn’t move.
“Stuff this.” Toni drew her pistol, twisted the adjuster to high and fired.
“I would be surprised if nobody heard that,” Mate growled, winding in the wire and the screen’s remnants up with it. Toni gingerly touched a cooling edge to help Mate free it and together they jammed it into the tunnel in front of them. She blinked again to return her shades to their usual setting. Beneath them lay a long, narrow room stacked high with crates. She sat back. Bright light streamed in through the hole, highlighting the amount of dust coating her partner’s brown fur. She imagined she must look no better. With a sharp tug, she checked his harness was wrapped securely around his body. “Ready to fly, pal?”
“When I fly, I would rather be inside a very well-built ship.”
“Then why are you with me and the Blackflame?” She grinned. “Down you go.” Toni released the rope through her fingers inch by inch and watched him drop.
When he reached ground, she unclipped the rope via a small remote. Grabbing a pair of gloves from her backpack, she tied the rope to the panel and tugged. It held. She lowered herself down. The broken panel slipped when she was halfway. She landed hard, knocking the wind from her lungs. Rolling, she just avoided the panel and rope that slammed into the ground beside her.
“Boss?”
“I’m good.” Breathing hard she flipped her shades to a scanner and checked for surveillance devices. Nothing flashed.
The large roller door at one end of the room was a concern. It would require a motor to rise. A panel next to it looked to be an infrared scanner—no doubt only the correct retinal scan or a door remote would open the door. She got close enough to check the make and model. “Maybe I can hack it.” The engraved plate read Mark 70–29. She whistled. Serious security. “Yeah, maybe not. Mate?”
“I can run the calculations but it will take time.”
“Don’t we have access to the specs? Zach?”
Zach: Not in my database.
“Find them.” In the meantime, she spun back to examine the rest of the room. Mate stalked around one lone crate. Its side was buckled, and skid marks on the floor pointed to the reason why it was not stacked as neatly as the others. Mate pressed his nose close to the ground as he scanned it. Toni noted the symbols, an X over three interlocking circles. It was supposed to contain ranic fruit.
“I do not sense a thing, Boss, and that includes ranic fruit.”
Toni concurred. Nothing registered on her enhanced vision either. Moving closer, she tapped the side of the crate. It echoed. Screwing the adjuster on her pistol again, she aimed at the sealed lid.
“You do not know what is in there, Boss.”
“If it was something dangerous, you’d have got a reading, right?” Patience was not one of her strong points. One of these days, it was going to get her into trouble. She fired a tight beam at the top edge of the lid. Her pistol whined loudly in the otherwise silent room.
“Of course, it could contain something I do not have the programming to scan for,” he warned.
She ignored him. A moment later, she released the trigger. “Not again!” She hit at the lid with the butt of her pistol and sighed. The crate was unmarked. What do they build these things with?
“Maybe it is better that it did not open,” Mate suggested. Toni shot him a furious glare. “Then again, what would I know?” He pointed his nose to the ceiling and at the hole above. “No security came before, presumably they will not hear us now.”
“Presumably.” She glanced around the room again. A large pole leaned against the wall. She carried it back to her partner. “Why do things the easy way, right?”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
She slid the edge under the lid and pushed down with all her weight. The lid wobbled.
“You know I would love to help you, Boss, but unfortunately …”
“Yeah, you’re not exactly built for opening crates. I know.” She grunted as she pressed down. The lid cracked at the corner. Anchoring with her full body weight, the seal broke with a pop. Toni and the bar crashed to the ground. The crate’s lid sprang away in the opposite direction. Pain radiated up her spine from her landing. Ow! Blinking back shocked tears, she said, “Well, we’re not dead yet, pal.”
“‘Yet’ is the operative word.”
Toni climbed to her feet and waited for approaching footsteps.
“Nothing on scanners,” Mate said.
“Good.” After a pause, she added, “Keep scanning.” Stretching onto her toes, she peered inside. “Oh, gods.”
Mate looked up. “What?”
She didn’t answer.
“Boss? Toni …? Hello, Agent Delle!” Mate’s voice shifted from bewilderment to concern when she didn’t answer. “HEY!”
Toni spun, reaching for her pistol. “What?”
“What is in the box?” he asked in a tone just below optimal volume.
“Xendia. Just say something next time. You scared me half to death.”
Mate did not reply.
“There’s some sort of metallic sheath wrapped around the inside of the crate. That’s what’s blocking our scanners.”
Mate’s low growl indicated he was not willing to wait much longer. Toni lifted a long black weapon from the crate. It was incredibly light. There appeared to be a small metal box in place of the usual long-distance sight. She blinked to engage her glasses and flipped through the settings. The information didn’t make any sense. She held the weapon out to her partner. “I can’t get a read on this.”
“I am recording a low sonic vibration.”
“Suppose Telksh succeeded with the mag-rifle design? Mate, the crate is full of these things.” She peered around the room, counting the number of crates. Her heart thudded painfully at the number. Someone was starting a war.
“You think he sold them to Gallian?”
“I don’t know, but I’m taking one. It’s been a while since I sent Ant a present.” She tugged the strap hanging off the weapon over her shoulder.
“What do we do with the others? We cannot leave them here to be distributed.”
“Blow ’em.” Toni stared at the crate.
“Do you not think they will notice someone blew up the store?”
“We’ll find out soon enough.” She pulled three palm-sized globes from the inside of her backpack and ran her thumb over both buttons, debating how best to use them. Green set the grenade to explode on impact; red set the internal timer. There was no way she was letting these guns out into the public. Toni pushed the red button and lowered the grenade into the crate.
“Ah, Boss?”
“Quiet.” Behind the open container, she armed two more mini-explosives and placed them between two columns of crates. Not wanting to take a chance these things might withstand the strength of the blast, two more from her bag were rolled in the opposite directions.
“Um, Boss?”
“What?” she asked, arming the last bomb.
“The door?”
Toni’s head swung rapidly back and forth—there was only one exit. Without the remote or the correct retinal pattern, that door was not going to open. “Zach?”
“There is a backdoor key for military and planetary security but I cannot raise the programmer.”
“Zach, in future, I want all those backdoor codes. Shenghi.” She had about fifty seconds left before the first bomb exploded. Why didn’t he say something earlier? I really need to stop and think these things through. Sweat broke out across her body; there was nowhere to take cover from the coming blast. Each grenade only contained a small charge, but who knew how the rifles were going to react to the explosion. “This won’t stop them trafficking the weapons,” she said, her brain working furiously on an escape. “It’ll only screw with their schedule, but that’s a plus at least. You know how these guys love their schedules.”
She positioned herself against the far wall and crouched. Mate joined her laying down to face the wall and block her body with his more resilie
nt form. Hopefully, she’d judged the distance correctly. “If we’re going to do this, let’s really get their attention.” Sucking in a deep breath, she pitched the last globe with all of her strength. It hit the center of the far wall and exploded. The tremor knocked her flat. The wall blew apart.
Toni scrambled to her feet. The two agents ran for the hole, followed almost instantly by a second giant blast. Hot air rolled over them, blowing them to the ground. With her head covered by her sweaty palms, she chuckled, her cheek pressed against the grimy floor. Guess those rifles were fully charged.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Automatic fire-extinguishing systems kicked in, spraying the entire area with thick white foam. Toni’s skin tingled and stung from tiny cuts and burns. Sounds were muffled, her ears ringing. Even so, she could just make out the many pairs of feet converging in their direction.
“That would be our cue to exit.” Mate said.
Toni shook her head. “We’ve still got work to do.” She pulled her trousers away from her clammy skin and swept dust and building particles from her hands. The smell of burnt wood, carbon, and foam hung heavily in the air, forcing a harsh cough from her lungs. They had to get out of here.
“I have movement coming up on all sides,” the C-bot said.
She’d already spotted the bobbing lights in the distance.
Khegh it! A plan … a plan would be icy. Eyes darting in every direction, she waited for inspiration to strike. Nothing. Her pulse, slowed since the explosion, was ramping up again as the number of footsteps increased. “Then we go down,” she said.
“Down? Down where?”
“Down there.” She pointed to the duct in the floor. “Unless you’ve got a better idea?”
“Sure, the air vents worked so well for us earlier. Why wouldn’t down work too?”
“If it ain’t broke …”
She ran to the grated panel. It shifted sideways easily. Huh, should have gone this way before. Toni ushered Mate in ahead of her and climbed inside, sliding the panel closed behind them.
*
