Operation Cobalt

by Susan Hayes

  Eventually, Axion had paid for their mistake. One day soon, Bellex would, too.

  Chapter Seven

  “I was gonna clear out your room if you didn’t show your face by the end of the day.” The unkempt man behind the desk looked at Dante with mild suspicion. “You ain’t been around for days.”

  “I had a hot streak at the tables and didn’t want to jinx it by walking away,” Dante shrugged as he pushed a stack of vouchers across the greasy, stained desktop. “That should cover what’s owed, and another week in advance.”

  The clerk snatched the money with greedy fingers, counting it before he bothered to respond.

  “Must have been some hot streak. You need me to keep your winnings for you? Got a safe in the back. Very secure.”

  “That’s the last of it. Lady luck didn’t stick around for long. Don’t suppose you know where I could find a job?”

  “Maybe. What you good at?”

  “Fighting and drinking, mostly.”

  The clerk snorted. “Drinking won’t pay the rent. Fighting…maybe. Lemme ask around.” His bloodshot eyes narrowed. “Any job I get for you, I’ll want a finder’s fee. Only fair, you know.”

  “Only fair,” Dante agreed. He had no intention of letting this waste of oxygen find him a job, but he had to keep up appearances.

  The clerk nodded and started to turn away, but then he paused and turned back to face him. “Nearly forgot. You got a message. Some kid left it for you a couple of days ago.” He wandered around the cramped office, rifling through the clutter and refuse for several minutes while Dante fought to hide his impatience.

  If there was a message for him, it had to be from Livvy or one of her crew.

  “Found it.” The clerk pulled out a tattered piece of paper and handed it to him. It had been a while since he’d seen paper, and took it with care, half afraid it would fall apart before he could read the note scrawled on it in uneven block letters.

  Go heer. Tawk to Jake. Go aftr dark.

  Livvy

  Beneath it was an address.

  “You know where this place is?” he asked the clerk, covering everything but the address with a thick finger before showing it to the other man.

  “That’s Jake’s place. Two blocks down, turn left, take another three-block walk. Big red sign.”

  “Thanks.”

  “If you value your eyesight, don’t drink anything but the beer.”

  He sighed. Why did clandestine meetings never happen at places with good food and decent drinks? “I won’t.”

  He shouldered his pack and headed upstairs to his spartan room. He needed to notify his teammates about the lead, prepare for this meeting, and see what Magi could dig up on the address and the owner.

  His comm chimed before he reached the door to his room. He checked, assuming it was Kurt or Aria asking for a status update. The name on the screen made him smile. Tyra had answered him. When he hadn’t heard from her in the last few hours, he’d assumed she wasn’t going to respond. After ditching her for the last few days, he wouldn’t have blamed her. He had never been so happy to be wrong.

  It didn’t escape his notice that she was using the nicknames for his teammates. He was happy she was bonding with them, but Trip and Magi were both good-looking guys. Cris was still pretending he didn’t have a thing for Aria, and Eric had a weakness for older women. Dante belatedly realized that volunteering for this mission meant he’d left Tyra alone with two of the galaxy’s most eligible bachelors. He slammed his fist into his thigh. Fraxx.

  He checked the room as they exchanged messages. What little he’d left here hadn’t been touched, and according to the motion-activated surveillance system he’d left running, nothing bigger than a lizard had been in the room since he’d left.

  He was laying out what he’d need for tonight’s meeting when Tyra’s last message came through. There was no missing her flirtatious tone, and he damn near cheered as he read what she’d sent. If she was ready for him to misbehave a little, then he’d be happy to oblige. A few flirty messages wouldn’t qualify as a distraction, and when he got back…

  He checked the time and swore. So much for not getting distracted. He still hadn’t checked in with the others, and the sun would be setting soon. He fired off one more message to Tyra and got back to work. Magi could send him the information while he made the walk to the address Livvy had sent him.

  By the time he reached the bar, he knew the layout of the place, the names of the staff, and he had enough information about Jake to know Livvy had pointed him in the right direction. The bar was nothing more than a front for Jake’s more profitable businesses: black marketeering and information peddling.

  “Magi couldn’t have found out about this guy before? It would have been nice to have this information the last time I was here.” He growled under his breath, certain that Aria and Kurt would hear him. He’d set his comm to broadcast on one of the encrypted channels, ensuring there’d be a full audio record of everything that went down once he entered the bar.

  “Despite his claims, Magi is not all-knowing,” Kurt said, his voice conveyed by a micro-transmitter embedded in Dante’s left ear.

  “And you’re not invincible. Tell me again why you’re doing this meet solo?” Aria added, her tone disapproving.

  “Because you and Sabre couldn’t pass for disreputable types if your lives depended on it. The way you walk, talk, and move is straight up military, and there isn’t an IAF outpost for light years.”

  “I’m not sure if that’s an insult or a compliment,” Kurt replied.

  “You’re less than five minutes away. If shit goes sideways, you’ll know the same time I do, and I’m pretty sure I can keep myself alive for five minutes without your help.”

  “You’re just saying that because you took down three armed men with your bare hands the last time you were here,” Aria said.

  “And this time, I got to bring a blaster.” The ride inside the cargo crate hadn’t been pleasant, but it had allowed him to bypass security and bring along a few of his favorite weapons.

  He approached the address Livvy had given him. “Going in, now.”

  “Good luck,” both his teammates said, then lapsed into silence.

  The place looked like it might collapse at any moment. It was in the oldest part of the district, and time had not been kind to the neighborhood. The road was pitted with potholes. There were no sidewalks, only well-worn paths in the cracked and dusty ground, and the buildings had been blasted by the wind and weather for so many years there wasn’t a scrap of paint left on them. The only color on the whole street was the flickering red glow of the sign suspended over the front door of Jake’s like a welcome sign hung on the gates of Hell.

  Things didn’t improve once he stepped inside. The interior was dimly lit and reeked of stale booze, unwashed bodies, and other scents he didn’t even try to identify. The floor beneath his boots was sticky and uneven, and by the time he reached the bar, he was already looking forward to getting back to his room and having a long sonic shower.

  “What can I get for you?” The man at the counter asked in a voice that held no warmth or welcome. Even if he hadn’t already seen a holo, Dante would have been able to guess this was the man he’d come to see.

  “Information.” Dante leaned against the counter, which creaked under his weight.

  “I only talk to customers. What’ll you have?”

  “Got any Torskian ale?” It would be a minor miracle if they had any in stock, but the alcohol content would be strong enough to kill any bacteria it came in contact with, so it was worth a try.

  The man looked at him for a moment and then nodded. “Got a bottle in the back. Won it off a guy a while back. You want it, I’ll get it, but it’ll cost you.”

  “That’s fine.” Dante reached into his pocket and made a show of removing a generous number of corporate vouchers. “Keep the change.”

  Jake took the money, nodded, and walked away. “Be right back.”
>
  Dante stayed where he was, casually glancing around to get a read on the other inhabitants of the bar. He’d counted four on his way in, and from where he now stood, he could see a fifth, seated at the very back of the room. None of them looked threatening. He’d garnered mild interest upon entering, but everyone had returned to their muted conversations within a few seconds. There was no reason for him to feel uneasy, but his instincts told him something was off.

  He hummed a few bars of a song his mother had always loved to let his teammates know he was still alright.

  “All good?” Kurt asked.

  Dante hummed again, adding an affirmative note to the beginning of the tune.

  He was starting to wonder where Jake had gone when the big, burly man lumbered back into view. He held a pint glass in one meaty paw, and he was eyeing the glass with something like apprehension.

  “This stuff pours slower than shit,” he said as he set it down on the counter in front of Dante.

  “The slower the pour, the better the brew. At least, that’s what I’ve been told.”

  “I’ll take your word on that. I tried it once and couldn’t taste anything for three days.” Jake held out his hand. “Now that you’re a customer, name’s Jake. What can I help you learn today?”

  Dante took the offered hand and shook it. “Dante.” He’d kept his first name the same for this mission. It made things simpler. “A friend suggested I talk to you about finding a source for a pharma called cobalt.”

  Jake’s ginger brows raised. “Does this look like a pharma den to you? I deal in booze and information, that’s it.”

  “And that’s what I’m here for. Information. I’m trying to track this shit down, but nobody seems to know where to find it. I’ve got friends who would love to be able to offer pharma with that kind of kick.” He took a sip of his ale and was surprised at the quality. The place might be a rathole, but somehow, they’d gotten their hands on some premium liquor.

  “Your friend sent you on a wild comet chase. There’s no cobalt. Not anymore.”

  “You’re telling me you don’t know anyone who has even a single dose? That’s all I need. If I can get that to my friends, they can figure out how to replicate it. The finder's fee would get me the hell off this rock.” He kept sipping the drink while he talked. His Torski constitution could handle a little booze.

  Jake lowered his voice. “I heard Bellex banned the stuff when it started killing their workers. Seized the whole supply. They’ll tolerate damned near anything, but only if it doesn’t affect their production schedules.”

  “There’s got to be some left over, somewhere. I’m willing to pay. If it’s a fair-sized sample, I’ll even pay in scrip.” Scrip was hard currency, far more valuable than the vouchers corporations paid their workers. A voucher had to be redeemed at a corporate-controlled business, and most of them were specific to the company that issued them. Yet another level of control the corporations maintained over their workforce.

  Jake shook his head. “I can make some inquiries, but I can’t make any promises.”

  “I appreciate the help.” Dante raised his glass in thanks before taking another, longer, drink. If there was any cobalt left in the district, he had no doubt Jake would find it. Hard currency was a powerful motivator.

  The barman nodded to the drink. “How’s the ale? Never had someone in here who actually knew what it was supposed to taste like.”

  “It’s good. Whoever you won this off of had expensive taste.” Dante tried to set the glass down, but the counter seemed to tip away from him. He ended up slamming the drink down.

  “Glad you’re enjoying it. I wasn’t sure how I was going to slip you enough of the drug they gave me without you noticing the taste. Good thing you didn’t order the beer.”

  Fraxx. He tried to reach for his weapon, but all he managed to do was thump himself in the chest with his arm. His legs felt like rubber, and the room was starting to spin. Black dots danced in his vision, blotting out Jake’s jeering face. Furious, Dante lashed out at what he hoped was the barman’s head. His fist smacked flesh, and Jake grunted in pain.

  Dante kept swinging wildly, connecting with about half his punches. He knew he was going down soon, but every second he fought back, his team was closing the distance. If he could just stay on his feet until they got there…

  The next time he swung, his right leg gave out, and he dropped to his knees with a bone-jarring crash that drove his teeth together. Something hard and heavy slammed him from behind, and then there was nothing but a rising tide of pain as blows rained down on him from every direction. As the dark waters of unconsciousness washed over him, he held onto the hope that Kurt and Aria would get to him in time, even if it meant listening to Aria say ‘I told you so,’ for the next six months.

  Tyra was in her quarters, playing cards with Nico when her door chime sounded. “No peeking,” she told him before setting down her cards and crossing the small space to the door. “Who is it?” She asked, raising her voice so it carried through the metal door.

  “It’s Commander Rossi.”

  She pressed a button on the keypad and the door slid open. Dax stood in the corridor with Cris at his side. Neither of them was smiling. “Commander. Is everything alright?”

  He gave a sharp shake of his head. “I apologize for the intrusion, but something’s come up. May we come in?”

  “Of course.” She stepped back, clearing space for the two men. Her quarters weren’t spacious. There was a single bunk, a small table with two hard-backed chairs, and not much else. Dax spotted Nico at the table and turned to Cris. “Can you take Nico out for a few minutes?”

  “Sure.” Cris gestured to Nico. “Come on, you little card shark. You promised me I’d get a chance to win my money back. I want a rematch.”

  Nico grinned and scooped up the cards, along with the remains of his winnings – a stack of cookies. “Double or nothing?”

  “You’re playing for money? He’s a little boy!” she exclaimed, overdramatizing the moment for Nico’s benefit.

  “We’re playing for vouchers, and this kid counts cards better than some professional gamblers I know.” Cris tousled Nico’s hair and led the boy out of the room.

  Once the door closed, she dropped the act and turned to face Dax. “What’s wrong?”

  “I need you to go to the med-bay and start prepping for a trauma case. Trip will join you shortly and act as your assistant. I’d like Dr. Castille moved to a room across the hall, but only if you think he’s ready to leave the med-bay.”

  Her training took over. “I need information, starting with an ETA on my patient and who it is. Can you tell me what happened? What’s their condition? And why aren’t they being taken to a med center on Bellex?”

  Dax’s expression darkened. “It’s Dante. He was following a lead and walked into a trap. He’s been taken.”

  Her heart twisted in her chest, but she locked down her reaction and tried to stay focused. “I’m going to need specifics on his current status.”

  “He was drugged and went down fighting. His backup didn’t get to him in time, and his attackers managed to move him before they arrived. We’re tracking him. His current status is unknown until we can retrieve him. When that happens, I need you to be ready. We can’t take him to a local med center because we don’t know who we can trust down there.”

  “And there’s a good chance they won’t know how to adapt treatment to his Torski heritage, either. You’re correct, he needs to be brought here. I’m going to need access to his medical records. There’s a tissue cloning system on board, right? I’ll go to the med-bay and start synthesizing blood type-matched to Dante. Do we know anything about what he was drugged with?”

  “By the time you get to medical I’ll see to it you have everything you need. His files, whatever information the field team has on what happened, you’ll have it all.”

  He gave her a grim smile. “We will get him back, Tyra.”

  She managed a tight-
lipped smile in return. “I know you will, and once you do I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him alive. He saved my life twice, it’s time I balanced the scales.”

  “I’m glad you’re here to take care of him.” Dax paused, then added. “He’s having trouble admitting it, but Dante’s glad you’re here, too.”

  She snorted. “We’ll see how he feels about me after I’ve had him at my mercy for a couple of days in the med-bay. Sergeant Stubborn is about to find out what it’s like to be the one getting ordered around.”

  Dax's eyes twinkled with momentary amusement. “Sergeant Stubborn, huh?”

  “I think it suits him better than Buttercup.”

  “So do I. While you’ve got him hostage in medical, you might want to ask him how he got that name.”

  “I will.” She pointed to the door. “I should get going. The second they have him, I want to be patched through to their comms. I’ll walk them through treatment and they can give me a full report on his condition.”

  “You got it.”

  They left her quarters and split off. She set a brisk pace as she headed for the mag-lift that would take her to the medical bay. Despite Dax’s confident words, there was no way to know if his team would get to Dante in time, or what shape he’d be in when they did find him. All she could do was prepare and hope that Dante was strong enough, and stubborn enough, to come back to her.

  Chapter Eight

  “Dante. Hopefully, you’re awake and hearing this. We’re coming to get you. Hang in there.” Aria’s voice was a tinny whisper in his ear. He’d heard her message repeated several times now, but he had no way to respond. His jacket was gone, and so was his holster and weapon. His comm was in his jacket pocket. No doubt they’d destroyed it as soon as they found it. Fortunately, that wasn’t the only trackable tech he was carrying. The earpiece was tagged, too.

  He was secured to a chair by what felt like cables, and more of the same stuff bound his arms and legs. Whoever had done it had taken care not to give him any slack to work with. He was trussed up so tight he couldn’t even take a deep breath. Not that he was going to be doing any deep breathing for a while, not until his busted ribs healed. He’d taken inventory of his injuries once he’d woken up, and the list was longer than he liked. His face was battered, one eye was swollen closed, and the coppery tang of blood on his tongue told him he either had a split lip, some loose teeth, or both. He couldn’t see his hands, but judging from the pain and the fact he couldn’t move the right one much, he’d guess it was badly broken. He was a bruised, bloodied mess, but his ego had taken the worst beating. He’d fraxxed up. Badly. Livvy had betrayed him, which meant he’d misjudged the girl - something he didn’t do often. Now, instead of working on the mission, his teammates were putting themselves at risk to rescue him.