IGO: Sudden Snow

by Blue, RaeLynn

Darryl was so near to breaking Rojas’ face, Cricket had to look away.

  “None. No more,” Rojas croaked at last.

  When Cricket dared to look again, she saw that Darryl, however, had relaxed the pressure only a bit. Rojas’ eyes rolled over, showing whites, but Darryl smacked him across the cheek, drawing the angry pits back to him.

  “There are no others? Are you sure?”

  Rojas nodded.

  Cricket didn’t believe him. And for good reason.

  Chapter 14

  “So where is the commander?” Darryl asked again. His fingers burrowed deep into Rojas’ tanned cheek. He could feel a thin layer of muscle and bone beneath Rojas’ flesh. He locked the traitor’s head against the wall. His heartbeat, revved up on adrenaline, threatened to bounce from his chest, and right out onto Rojas’ uni. “Don’t make me ask you again.”

  Rojas gave him a one-finger salute.

  “Fine.” Darryl punched Rojas so hard across the face spit flew out of his mouth. The impact sent the younger man tumbling backward to the ground like a discarded bag. “Have it your way.”

  In the same efficient manner, Darryl spun around to Cricket. “I’m going in. Stay. Please, Cricket, don’t argue with me, baby. Stay here until I give the all clear.”

  Faint sounds of computers and life support cut through the shadows. A stillness blanketed everything. He allowed himself a swift look at her before stepping into the unknown abyss. With a deep inhale, he summoned his courage and ventured into the uncertainty. Only the illumination from the various consoles lit up small hunks of space. The spill from the lift’s opened doors gave a bit more light, but not much. Crouched low to the ground, he took slow deliberate steps, gun at the ready. Though he didn’t think anyone else remained on the ’shoe who was willing to shoot at him. They would’ve rushed him already.

  No new shots or calls met his hearing. Every movement he made seemed too loud -- even his soft boots resounded against the flooring. It was plausible and possible the mutiny was born and contained with Lee. Those traders were supposed to kill Darryl on the EPSS and take Cricket hostage or back to Wang.

  Neither of those things had occurred.

  Yeah, sure, I’m going to let that shit happen. Not her. Over my dead body.

  Lee had planned badly, leaving Darryl’s death to certainty when he should’ve worked on a contingency. No, Lee hadn’t expected him to step off the turbo lift and he damn sure didn’t expect Cricket to be with him.

  “Commander?” moaned a mournful voice through the shadow-filled room.

  Darryl’s eyes adjusted to the somber dark. Using his familiarity coupled with his eyesight, he steered toward the slope of the ’shoe’s lower level and upward to the communication console. The groan came from this area and Darryl hurried to the seat. Frantic, he groped the gloom until he brushed the mop of curls. “Kovacs!”

  The motionless lump of Kovacs’ body sprawled in front of his seat as if unexpectedly he’d collapsed from the chair. Darryl knelt down, putting his weapon on the ground, and eagerly sought out a pulse. Alive. Barely. The weak pulse beat feebly against his fingertips.

  “Sir… Lee… shot…”

  “Don’t talk,” Darryl advised, fury rising. “I’ve taken care of Lee.”

  Gritting his teeth, Darryl pressed his earpiece with his heart in his throat and fury spinning in his belly. Please be there. Come on, come on…

  “Medic,” he said, eyes returning to the lift where he spied Cricket hunched over the control panel. Crafty and smart, Cricket would get the lights back online. Darryl realized with relief that he wasn’t alone up here with this mess. Static rose and washed through the comm, but just when Darryl was about to switch it off, Dr. Krongkon’s voice shot through like steel through flesh.

  “I -- is… that… you, Sergeant?”

  “Yes! I’m on the ’shoe. Kovacs and Lars are injured. Send medics at once!” he roared. “I mean now!”

  More white noise drowned out the comms before the doctor’s steely voice punched through. “…only two are left. The primary lift is out of commission… tried…”

  “Use the emergency stairs behind the central heating duct!” Darryl shouted, but the comm fell silent. Tension smoldered inside him.

  Unsure if she’d heard him, he swept his gun into his hand and stood. Another traitor would’ve killed him by now if they were on the ’shoe. Hairs on his neck rose and the soft forced air caressed them, sending shivers down his spine. None of this would look better in the morning or when they returned to The Discovery. Reyes was going to eat his lunch -- and dinner too -- before this was all over and filed.

  “Commander?” he questioned as he saw one of the shadows shift forward from the floor closest to the commander’s chair. Groaning in ripe agony saturated the space, and he scanned the blanket of darkness. “Sir? Is that you?”

  “Darryl?” a raspy voice inquired. A pale hand crept out of the gloom and into the air as if reaching for life, for him.

  Hope buoyed inside him and Darryl sprinted to the spot, avoiding jutting chairs and rounded edges. Carefully, he peered down, afraid to look, but knowing he had to see for himself the carnage of Lee’s jealousy.

  The smooth gleam of the silver commander bars on his collar caught Darryl’s eye. He groped around in the dark until he found the commander’s thick, hairy wrist. With sluggish pats beneath Darryl’s fingers, the commander’s blood pumped against his two-finger pressure. Another one alive. Their casualties were light, only one dead -- Peterson, one of the security personnel.

  At that moment, the lights flickered on and Darryl’s gun was back in his fist faster than he could blink.

  “Whoa! It’s me,” Cricket squeaked, hands up, palms out.

  “Sorry, baby,” he said, only slightly aware he had used her pet name. He wanted comfortableness and something real, solid. She gave him that.

  She drifted to him, and she was an angel to behold. Her smile warmed him, settled his fear and confusion. “Got the lights back on,” she said. “I bet he didn’t expect us on the turbo lift.”

  Darryl nodded, not surprised that she’d reached the same conclusion he had. The urge to wrap her in his arms and hold her tight spread up something fierce. Cricket wielded her power to bring him to his knees. Never had a woman done this to him, but he liked it. Loved her actually. “Thank you,” he managed.

  They’d have to wait. He had other things to attend to at the moment. That didn’t stop his eyes from following her jean-clad ass’s sway as she walked away from him. Burning with mounting regret, he sighed.

  Darryl dropped his eyes back to the man in front of him. His breath hitched in his chest at the battered body, and he knew he had to get him to a sitting position. He put his gun in its holster and took hold of the commander’s forearms. He pulled him upright, and using both arms hoisted the commander to an unstable standing position. With slow guidance, Darryl let the commander’s body weight direct him into his seat. Darryl shoved his hand under his armpits, and grunted at his superior’s girth. The man was a full two inches taller than he.

  “Damn, you’re heavy,” Darryl growled. “You’ve got to go on a diet, sir.”

  Cricket chortled softly, making Darryl smile.

  Commander Taylor slumped back into the chair like a discarded doll, his face and torso splattered with dried blood. The commander’s pale blue eyes creaked open. “Lee,” he moaned against his swollen lip. He raised his head and it lolled as if on a broken neck. “Lee!” He tried to get up, surging with trembling effort to push himself off the chair.

  “Whoa, sir!” Darryl gently pushed him back.

  “Snow? Darryl? That you?”

  “Yes, sir. It’s me,” he said, his fury burning in his gut. How could he have let Lee do this to his commander?

  “Lee…” Commander Taylor slurred. “He…”

  “I know, sir,” Darryl said, stroking his superior’s sweat-drenched hair. “I took care of him. You’re safe. Rest.”

  Relieved, the o
lder man closed his eyes once more.

  Sickened, Darryl stood up. The commander resembled a poorly treated puppet. He intertwined his fingers to help rub out the pain from clocking Rojas and Lee. At that moment, a kind hand touched his elbow, and he looked into cinnamon pools of whirling emotions.

  Cricket gave him a soft smile. “The comms are offline, too.”

  “I was able to get in touch with the medics,” Darryl said, steering his anger into action. “It’s probably just switched to off for the horseshoe’s console. My comm is set to universal so I can contact and be contacted even off the craft. We must contact Captain Reyes. So, baby, I really need you to get the comms up and running.”

  With his eyes, he tried to convey the faith he held in her. She could do it. Sure, her training had been years ago, but the kind of conditioning the IGO gave only faded, it didn’t disappear.

  Cricket headed to the comms station. She touched the screen, poking through what appeared to be warning messages. The A.I. was still offline, but then Lee could’ve disabled it manually. There was still so much Darryl didn’t know.

  “I need the access code to override the lockout,” she said, glancing over her shoulder, seducing him with a glance.

  “Beta 670421,” Darryl called.

  At once Cricket replied, “I’m in.”

  Lee expected Darryl to be dead. So, he’d staged a mutiny, not anticipating Darryl’s return to the craft. I’ve got to live long enough to be in her arms again. He sighed. Focus! Think! Think! I’m the head of security.

  She reached down and removed Kovacs’ earpiece. Slung over her delectable ear, the earpiece looked as if she’d used it all her life.

  The side paneling to Cricket’s right slid back on Dr. Krongkon’s wiry frame. A group of medics, none in lab coats but in the white one-piece of IGO nurses, fanned out. They began assisting the injured and taking out the four metallic beams for creating transportation stretchers.

  Darryl’s blood slowed as his adrenaline decreased. The threat had been neutralized. Allowing himself this small victory, he went to Cricket but stopped short of touching her. Engrossed in the scrolling text on the monitor, she hadn’t noticed him. Or so he thought.

  “I see you,” she whispered, but didn’t turn around. “The EPSS comms unit is going nuts. Says we were due out of port an hour ago. Give me a minute to work out the details.”

  “Sergeant Snow,” cracked Dr. Krongkon from behind him.

  “Yes?” he sighed, turning away from the enchanting view of Cricket’s generous ass, with regret on his tongue

  “We’re going to have to transport Commander Taylor to the medical bay. He’s lost a lot of blood.”

  She removed two metal rods from her oversized lab coat pockets. In sharp tugs, she extended them out until they stretched well over six feet. She held them up and clicked a button. Green beams connected the two rods and she laid them on the floor. A few others hurried over to them. They set it in front of the commander’s chair and set to transferring Commander Taylor to the stretcher.

  Darryl’s stomach clutched hard and he winced. Let him be all right. I should’ve stayed on board. Rojas and Lee played me like a fool. They knew I’d want to be with her. Anyone watching us the last three days would’ve been able to see my love for her. Those two had counted on my jealousy, my protectiveness for her.

  “Sergeant!”

  “Yes,” Darryl answered, blinking back to the room. “What is it?” He didn’t care about his tone.

  Dr. Krongkon eyed him wearily, her iron rod personality quivering for a brief second before solidifying. “Until the commander is better, you’re in charge.”

  “What?” Darryl exclaimed, scowling. He hadn’t heard her right. She couldn’t have said what he thought she said. He gazed at Cricket who gave him a thumbs up sign. Her lips moved as she spoke into the earpiece, but he couldn’t hear her over the roar of his blood racing through him. He commanded The Inquiry?

  Dr. Krongkon had knelt beside the now moaning commander. Two nurses were gently rolling him onto the transportation stretcher. Several more nurses pooled in through the side panel entrance and began racing about looking for wounded. Three of them were in the turbo lift and anxiously attending to Lee and Rojas.

  One of them shouted, “What happened here?”

  Dr. Krongkon’s sharp eyes moved to him. Erect and ancient against the buzz of activity, she said to the wide-eyed private, “Ask him.” She nodded in his direction.

  The fresh girl, for she was hardly older than nineteen, turned to him expectantly. “Sir?”

  “Help the medics. You and you, hey, in the black! Secure those two in the lift and take them down to the brig!” Darryl ordered, falling effortlessly into the role he had performed part-time for years. “Administer their medication and see to their injuries there.”

  Cricket met his gaze and smiled. She pressed the audio button. Darryl heard the crackle of static ripple across the ship’s intercom system. “Attention all Inquiry staff and personnel,” her husky voice commanded, “until further notice, Sergeant Snow is commander of The Inquiry per IGO authorization code Sigma 701743.” She ended the announcement and blew him a kiss.

  The inexplicable feeling of happiness pounced and soaked him in its tight embrace.

  Chapter 15

  Four Days Later on Mars Outpost 1

  Darryl’s eyes were like wells, deep and sunken, circular vats of emotion so turbulent at times Cricket found it arduous to tread in them. Unlike those moments, those amber stained orbs calmly met hers and held her prisoner, like he’d done to her heart. His buzzed hair brushed the naked curve of her thigh as he reclined, his head in her lap. He stared up at her as they lay on his sizeable full foam mattress.

  Around them the crash of waves smashed into a simulated sea and the olfactory sensors pumped manufactured scents of salt and fish into Darryl’s quarters. They’d kept the bed but the rest of the space had been transformed to a naked strip of beach, complete with glaring sun and clear, crisp azure sky. The breezes tasted of salt and sun block, and the rays brushed across her nude arms with warmth and heated caresses.

  “How did it go today?” Darryl asked, shifting his eyes from her and out to the picturesque sea.

  “Commander Ashe is one tough cookie,” Cricket confessed, staring out into the tranquil blue as if it could somehow steer her to clarity. “She’s quick and determined. She managed to get Wang detained on Titan’s Outpost until his actions can be investigated.”

  Suppressing a shudder, Cricket tried to still the quiver pressing into her spine. Ashe didn’t so much frighten her. No, the senior commander simply loomed over her like an approaching thunderstorm cloud. Ashe suspected everyone of everything and she’d implied the mutiny onboard The Inquiry resulted from Cricket’s arrival on the craft -- not before. As the catalyst, Cricket couldn’t deny things spiraled out of control, but the seeds of jealousy, hatred, and greed were sown well before she came to them.

  And long before she met Darryl.

  “That’s not it, is it?”

  She sighed and looked down to him again. Amazing how well he knew her in such a short time. They’d been at the Mars Outpost for the last few days and between his debriefings, her hearings and interrogation, and then his interrogations, they’d barely had time to solidify what began on The Inquiry, but now, as the urgency lessened, they’d managed to wrestle this tiny slip of time.

  His eyes locked onto hers and he smiled. “Ashe is seasoned, bitter and a bit anal about her cases,” Darryl said, rubbing Cricket’s calf.

  He lay perpendicular to her. His head rested on her thigh, and her other leg was tossed over his torso, where he stroked it. Those tiny circles of pleasure spiraled lazily up and down as if making invisible crop circles on her flesh. Naked, his skin touching hers had once more ignited a fire she thought had fanned out after their last sweaty moments of lust. She wasn’t even sure he knew the arousal his touch generated inside of her.

  “…and Lee is court martia
led. Commander Taylor notified me today of my promotion to junior commander.”

  “Yes!” she squeaked, then bent down and kissed him lightly on the mouth. “That’s wonderful news!”

  But Darryl wasn’t smiling. His face had grown serious. Those beautiful eyes rolled out to the sea once more and he said, “We got our assignment today. In two days we’re leaving for Saturn.”

  “Saturn?” she asked as if the planet’s name was foreign. “Two days.”

  Too fast. Too soon. She had at least a week more of interrogations before they’d restore her to active duty. As a scientist, she could work from any location. Still, the absence of Darryl’s presence in her everyday life would carve a hole which only time would be able to plug.

  At that moment, Darryl’s quarters announced a visitor. Darryl rolled upward to a sitting position. Cricket leapt up and tugged on a shirt and a pair of pants.

  He gave her a quick sweep before saying, “Come.”

  The doors swished backward and in stalked none other than Commander Ashe.

  Darryl rose sharply from the bed, locking his legs in IGO salute. “Commander Ashe, ma’am.”

  Cricket didn’t move. Her heart slammed in her chest as if beating out the warning of nerves. What did the good commander want? Why hadn’t she sent a comm before just showing up at his quarters?

  The blonde bombshell nodded in Darryl’s direction. “Congratulations on your advancement, JC Snow,” she said.

  Her voice was like crushed ice. True to form, Cricket shivered at the sound of it grating against the soft, calm waves of the sea.

  “I am not here for you, Snow, but rather your good scientist, Dr. Moore,” Commander Ashe said, her green eyes reflecting the holographic sunlight. She moved across the sand and walked past Darryl.

  Instinctively, he pivoted, keeping himself between the commander and Cricket.

  The eyebrow above Commander Ashe’s right eye lifted. “I mean her no harm, Snow. Stand down.”

  Darryl hesitated before stepping aside. His antics hadn’t gone unnoticed. She shot him a small smile, one of cold daring. With a brief nod, she met Cricket’s eyes once more. “Listen,” she said, and folded her arms over her chest. “I am here unofficially. I understand JC Snow is set to leave port along with the rest of the crew for The Inquiry in a few days.”