“If I pull the trigger, there’s no telling what I’ll hit,” he murmured.
“I see that.” She touched the thrusters again. Left unattended, they would be over a very different part of Metis in just a few minutes and completely out of firing range.
“So what’s causing this?” Davey asked. “Has to be Jupiter. I’ve never seen it this close.”
“That’s most of it, yes. Metis is well within Jupiter’s geostationary orbit and barely outside the Roche limit.”
“Rash what now?”
Yvonne smiled. She’d never imagined the single physics class she’d taken all those years ago at the University of Ganymede would come in useful during her daily life. These days she used that knowledge more than her medical degree. “Ask me later if you want a science lesson. I think part of it is also that Metis is oblong. The mass, and thus the gravity, isn’t equally distributed. The gravitational center may not be quite where I think it is.”
“So you’re saying you can’t fix it.”
She sighed and flipped the extra monitor off. “Probably not, no.” She sat back in the pilot’s seat, eyeing the primary monitor showing their deteriorating orbit.
The comm went silent for a long minute. Yvonne stared out at the stars. In the distance, a bright spot crept across the sky. One of the Galilean moons probably. She’d bet on icy Europa given how it shone with reflected light. Another world, like this one, where the people lived in anguish. Matthew liked to talk about the inertia of civilization, and some days it was pretty easy to feel.
“We better hope they don’t need us,” Davey said. “No way I could hit a shot from this range without us being perfectly still.”
“I know,” she said. “But knowing them, you’re going to have to.”
“I don’t like leaving Grace without backup,” he muttered.
It had been hard to get him to let Grace out of his sight after Ceres. “She’s not the one I’m worried about,” Yvonne said. “I’m worried that Matthew and Abigail will decide to liberate Metis from the illustrious Dan.”
Davey chuckled. “Remind me to change my name if I ever decide to become a tyrant. Dan is almost as bad as Davey.”
She adjusted their orbit yet again. “If you go bad, I’ll just have Abigail sit on you and call it a day. Stay alert back there. If we hear from them, we’ll have to improvise.”
MATTHEW WAS RELIEVED when the majordomo returned after only a few minutes. He took another sip of his half-finished cherry soda.
“Finally,” Abigail grumbled under her breath. “I hate waiting.”
Braxton made a half bow. “Allow me to introduce my liege, the honorable and most excellent Warlord Dan.” He stepped aside to reveal the man behind him.
Matthew wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting. Probably someone that looked a little more evil. Or at least a little bit intimidating. Dan was neither of these things. Instead, he was a middle-aged man with a poorly fitting second-hand military uniform from one of the Martian colonies covered with self-awarded medals. His receding hairline ended in one of the worst comb-overs Matthew had ever seen. He met Abigail’s eyes in warning. He could see that she was barely keeping it together. The warlord might not look like much, but looks weren’t everything. He inclined his head respectfully to Dan and waited to let the other man speak first.
Dan eyed them curiously then nodded to his guards. The men backed off to the edges of the veranda. That was a good sign. Matthew kept one eye on the guy that had his gun. Just in case.
“Welcome, freelancers, to my humble abode.” He smiled a broad and wholly fake smile. “I hope that you have enjoyed your stay on Metis so far. You’ll forgive my tardiness. My first priority is the children. They are our future, after all.”
“Of course,” Matthew said. He lifted his glass and gave it a swirl, making the ice clink. “Your hospitality would make the Emperor of Venus himself blush.”
The fake smile softened into something more natural, but it still hid something sinister behind it. “Your flattery is observed but since you speak truth, I’ll allow it. What was your name again? Rex Fisher, I believe?”
Matthew nodded. “And this is my partner, Miriam.”
“You appear quite the formidable pair, that’s for sure,” Dan said, eyeing Abigail closely. “Now as to our arrangements.”
“We’re ready to provide additional security for your shipments of—”
Dan waved him off. “I’m afraid that’s entirely out of the question.”
Matthew cocked his head at the sudden shift. “I’m not sure I understand. If you’ve wasted our time coming out here, I’m going to be an angry man.”
“Not as angry as I. You’ve lied about your identity, Matthew Cole.”
Matthew felt his blood freeze solid. This was a bad thing, but it didn’t necessarily mean it was the worst thing. Not yet.
Dan continued unabated. “After all the trouble you and your crew have gotten into in the last year, did you honestly think that I wouldn’t recognize you? What other gaucho and earthtech suit clad woman could appear on my doorstep? My men recognized you the second your ship dropped you off.”
Abigail was giving him a told-you-so look. So this wasn’t going to be an easy job. He drained the rest of his cherry soda, unwilling to let it go to waste, and then shrugged. “Fame has its drawbacks.” He turned to Abigail. “Make a note that we can’t take any undercover jobs anymore.”
“It would have been fine if you had just left your hat on the Sparrow like I suggested.”
“What about you and that tin can?”
“Head in a jar, remember?”
“And I don’t go out without my campero.”
“You two can have your little spat later,” Dan cut in. “On this world, Warlord Dan is the law, and he does not take lightly to being deceived. You will tell me why you are here, or my men will cut you down where you stand.”
Matthew sighed. “I thought we were here to talk about a security job.”
Dan made a show of looking annoyed. “Please don’t insult me. We all know the famous gunslinger priest isn’t going to run security on a third-rate moon. Tell me what you want, or you both die.”
He turned to Abigail to stall. “What do you think?”
“I think this job was terrible and you’re firing Benny when this is over.”
“Good idea.” He glanced around the veranda again just to be sure of where his gun was one last time. “Okay, you might not believe me, but here’s the real reason we’re here...”
GRACE SLIPPED THROUGH the zoo, following the map in her head that she’d memorized over the last week. She only spotted one or two other people. Since outsiders were only rarely allowed into the Warlord’s zoo, there weren’t any guards except for the ones with the tour group, and only a few workers going about their daily tasks with the animals.
If she were being honest, she’d love to take her time here. She passed a pond filled with tall pink birds she’d never imagined and an enclosure with a giant black cat that looked like it could take her head off if it wanted. On the streets of Ceres, she and Davey had only seen stray dogs or cats, and occasionally some bats that lived in the tunnels. This place was pretty wild. Pity it was owned by a terrible human being.
She turned a corner into an alley between exhibits and found the door she was looking for. Locked, unfortunately. She tested the door for give. She could rip it off its hinges if it came to it, but it was probably better to keep quiet for as long as possible. Time to pull out the lockpick set she carried for just such occasions.
The lock was mostly designed to keep the curious out rather than the determined, and after less than a minute of testing it with a hook pick and tension wrench, she switched to a rake and had it open in seconds. She stepped through into a storage room, hand fumbling for the light switch. Supplies and food for the animals housed in this enclosure.
She found the door into the pen itself, which was thankfully unlocked. Inside was a neat and proper fake wo
odland, complete with plastic trees, some real shrubbery, and a bubbling stream of water. The perfect habitat for the last known breeding pair of red foxes in the solar system.
Grace frowned and looked around the enclosure. Where were they? They had to be here somewhere. A short, high-pitched voice barked behind her. She spun on her heels and spotted the male crouched low and staring her down.
“You’re kind of cute actually,” she murmured. “Except for the bared teeth. Put those away. I’m on your side.” She reached out and grabbed him with her bracelet. It let loose a shrill howl and thrashed in the air. Okay, bad idea. Somebody will hear the racket. She pulled a small dart gun out from beneath her jacket and aimed down the sights. With a puff of air, the dart hit its mark. It took nearly a minute for the thrashing to stop as the light tranquilizer took effect. From another jacket pocket, she retrieved a strong fiber sack. Gently she bagged the fox. “You’ll be able to breathe, I promise. Now, where’s your mate...”
She laid eyes on the den entrance. The hole in the ground was obvious now that she saw it. She peered down into it, wary of getting her face to close. “You in there?” she asked.
To her surprise, a series of sharp barks came from deep inside, and for the briefest of seconds, she glimpsed a flash of red. Quick as lightning, she snatched it, and despite a good deal of scratching and howling, she was able to haul out the vixen and tranquilize her as well.
“You could have come easy,” Grace grumbled, “But no. You had to fuss.” She carefully laid the fox beside her mate in the bag and gently threw them both over her shoulder. Time to get out of here.
A sneeze from behind her made her jump to her feet. On the other side of the enclosure’s glass wall stood the entire tour group of children along with the half dozen guards. Most of the kids were smiling. Most of the guards were wide-eyed, mouths dropped open in shock.
Grace sighed. “Aww man...”
HE’LL TELL THE TRUTH, Abigail thought. That’s what he always does. When cornered, Matthew will tell the truth, hoping that his enemies will be decent in spite of all evidence to the contrary.
“We’re here for your red foxes,” Matthew said, just as expected.
Warlord Dan raised an eyebrow. “Our red foxes? What are you... Oh don’t tell me that professor sent you. It was him, wasn’t it? What’s his name? Professor...” He trailed off, making a hand spinning gesture with his hand.
“The client is irrelevant,” Matthew said. At least he’d had the presence of mind not to directly incriminate the ecologist from the University of Ganymede, though his hasty interruption was as good as pointing a finger. “The question is, are you willing to make a deal, or do I set loose the Shield Maiden on you?”
That was her cue. Abigail straightened to her full height and towered over the nearby guards. Not that she wanted a fight right now. Matthew was a sitting duck out in the open.
“Please. Don’t insult me,” Dan said. “You can’t possibly fight your way out of this.”
“Hmm,” Abigail hummed. “I like these odds. I was just telling Matthew on the way here that I wouldn’t mind ending your little regime.” She narrowed her eyes in a deadly threat. “Which I will do, by the way, if this comes to blows. I’m sure the ancestor of yours that was brave enough to take over a zoo would be incredibly disappointed if you lost it to a single woman.”
Matthew laid a hand on her arm. “Easy. There’s no need for that if the Warlord gives us what we came for.” She could see the corners of his mouth slightly turn upward. She also saw his hand move beneath his poncho. His comm. He’d turned it on so Yvonne would know they’d run into trouble. “So what will it be? Can we work this out like civilized people, or do we fight it out like the animals you keep?”
“You’re a century too late for civilized, priest,” Dan said. He turned and pointed at a trio of towers visible on the far wall past the zoo. “See those turrets? Each one has a shoulder-mounted thumper aimed at this veranda.” He turned to face Abigail. “There would be some collateral damage, but I have little doubt that’s more than enough firepower to take down even the famous Shield Maiden. And once you’re gone, the priest will be easy enough to dispatch.”
Abigail felt her insides coil up on themselves. This might be a problem.
“DAVEY,” YVONNE SHOUTED into the comm, “Do you have a target on those towers?”
He peered into the scope. “Yeah, I see them. But at this range and with the orbit being screwy—”
“You might take out the keep, or the zoo, or innocents in the town instead.”
“Right.” He took the controls for the thumper and gently tried to sight in on one of the towers. It was an impossible shot to make with any confidence. “Yvonne, what are we going to do?”
“I’m thinking.” She paused and he heard her sigh through the comm. “Hang on. I’m going to give you that shot.”
Suddenly Metis spun out of view and the engines roared. Wait. She was burning the main engines and not the maneuvering thrusters? What was she doing?
“Yvonne...”
“I said hang on. You’re going to get that shot. You’d better not miss.”
He gripped the controls and felt the sweat bead on his forehead. “Well, when you put it that way, there’s hardly any pressure at all.”
“STOP HER!”
Grace sprinted blindly through the zoo, clutching her burden desperately to her chest. The foxes weren’t big, but together they had to weigh fifteen kilos, making running an awkward affair. She’d carry them with her bracelet, but then she’d be defenseless when she ran into the warlord’s goons. From the shouts behind her, they were gaining.
She slid around a corner and ran past an exhibit of monkeys. If they missed her turning the corner, she might be able to slip away undetected.
The monkeys all clustered at the edge of the glass and started shrieking at her.
“Traitors,” she muttered and started running again. If she didn’t find a way to lose them, she’d have to switch to carrying the foxes with her bracelets. There was no way she could keep this up.
A pair of guards ran around the corner, weapons drawn and trained on her. She skidded to a halt. “Hey, don’t shoot! Your boss wouldn’t want his foxes to get hurt.” She left out the part about her being bulletproof, but they didn’t need to find out about that until later. As it was, the guards shared a quick look. Behind her, she heard more enemies. “And now we’re all here to see the monkeys,” she said. “Great.”
The monkeys kept howling, clearly having more fun than Grace and the guards combined.
She was going to have to surrender for now. Close quarters like this were dangerous, and too many of her foes had closed the gap. She might be able to take out a gunman, but even one in grappling range was a deadly threat.
“I’m setting the bag down. No one freak out.”
Then there was a sound like an explosion in the sky above, and a hurricane of wind flattened all of them to the ground.
ABIGAIL WAS THE ONLY one on the veranda to keep her feet. A quick look at the sky showed a rapidly decelerating Sparrow. Its downward-pointing engines created the terrifying backblast that lashed at the keep and zoo.
“Yvonne, you mad woman.” Abigail dove for the poor guard that had taken her shield and reclaimed it. Those thumpers weren’t going to hold their fire for long. She had to get Matthew and get out of here.
With a deafening roar like thunder, the Sparrow leveled out, its nose pointing slightly at the sky as it circle-strafed around the compound.
Thump, thump, thump went the rear-mounted main gun. Each blast was followed by the cacophony of shattering stone as the towers surrounding the keep were blown apart in quick succession. So much for that threat. With the engines no longer pointing straight down, the wind had subsided, and the warlord’s men started to regain their footing.
She plowed through them, sending them scattering like billiard balls.
Matthew had regained his weapon as well and dropped a few particular
ly ambitious thugs before turning on Warlord Dan. The man squeaked and ran into the zoo with Matthew hot on his heels. Abigail leveled her shield and turned on the remaining guards rallying against her. It looked like she had her own work to do.
MATTHEW CAUGHT THE fleeing despot in less than two hundred feet, tackling him to the ground in front of a warthog exhibit. Dan’s eyes went wide with fear as he tried to scramble away from Matthew, but it turned out the man was neither in good shape nor much of a fighter, but rather a glorified zookeeper on an ego trip. In a matter of seconds, Matthew had him pinned to the ground.
“Wait! Don’t... Don’t hurt me!”
“Why would I do that?” Matthew asked. He rolled the man over onto his face and secured his hands behind his back with a plastic tie. “I still have to make sure we get what we came for, and besides, I need some collateral to make sure your men behave.” He hauled Dan to his feet, giving him a gentle nudge back toward the veranda.
Above him, the Sparrow drifted on its landing thrusters, rear-mounted thumper pointed at the keep. Maintaining firm hand on his prisoner, he flipped his comm on. “Nice flying Yvonne. Good shooting, Davey.”
“You guys okay down there?” Yvonne asked.
“Fine for now. I’ve taken the illustrious warlord into custody, and—”
“Have you heard from Grace?” Davey interrupted.
“I’m okay, too,” Grace interrupted from her own comm. “I had to beat up a bunch of guys, and there’s a tour group of terrified kids running around down near the monkeys.”
“Do you have the breeding pair?” Matthew asked.
“In the sack over my shoulder,” she said. “I’d like to get them out of here. I’m afraid I’ll hurt them running around like this.”
“Okay, round up the kids and stay put. We’ll come to you.”
They’d nearly made it back to the staircase leading up to the veranda when the majordomo, Braxton, stepped out of the bushes where he’d been hiding. “Oh, thank God,” he said. “You’re not going to let him go when you leave, are you?”
After Moses: Wormwood Page 2
