by S. J. Bryant
The outer door squealed as it opened. Captain Blanchard and Taylor followed the guard to the front of the cell.
"Clive tells me you have information," Blanchard said.
Kari stood straight, shoulders back. "Yes."
"Well?"
"I will tell you in exchange for the freedom of everyone here."
The other prisoners muttered, and Kari saw Gerbil trying to catch her eye and shaking his head. He wanted no part in her negotiations but that was too bad for him. She wasn't going to get her crew out and leave the rest of them behind.
"Ha!" Blanchard said. "Do you know how much the lot of you are worth on the slavers' blocks?"
Kari had no idea. Hell, she didn't even know what currency they used in this part of space.
"Ten thousand credits," Blanchard said. "More, seeing as it looks like you and some of your friends can fight. Do you think this information of yours is worth that?"
Atticus leaned toward Kari. "That's about twelve thousand tokens."
Kari nodded, grateful that at least one of them had traveled enough to know the value of things.
"I told you this was a waste of time," Taylor said. "She doesn't have two credits to rub together. Trust me, I'd know."
Aydin and the rest of Kari's crew edged to the front of the cage while the other prisoners shuffled away, backs pressed against the far wall.
"I've got information," Kari said.
"That would have to be a lot of information for ten thousand credits," Blanchard said.
Aydin leaned in close to Kari's ear and his breath brushed her face. "I hope you know what you're doing. You overstepped trying to bid for the other prisoners as well."
Kari glared at him. "Should I remind you that if I was only looking after my crew, it wouldn't include you?"
Aydin's face hardened and he straightened, turning away from her to stare at Taylor.
"Well?" Blanchard said. "What's this gold mine of information?"
Kari's heart fluttered and heat crept over her cheeks. "I have contacts in the Raxis system. They can get you cheap katium and other resources. They can also help you on-sell—"
A loud guffaw burst from Captain Blanchard. "You must be joking?"
Kari shifted her weight. "No… they can help you with—"
Blanchard held up her hand. "Did you honestly think that I'd be interested in a few two-bit criminals from the Raxis system? That place is a backwater barely worth the credits it takes to get there. And as for katium… I saw your ancient ship but I thought you were being ironic. Who in the Universe still uses katium drives?"
Heat continued to spread across Kari's face, her cheeks burning. She'd thought the information would be worth at least something, but Blanchard made it sound like she'd tried to sell empty casings.
A sour grin twisted Taylor's face and he shook his head. "Like I said, Captain, not two credits to rub together."
Kari felt Aydin's breath near her ear again. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Trying to bargain," Kari whispered back.
"With katium and information on the Raxis system? Why the hell didn't you offer her your left sock and be done with it?"
Kari hurled the metal bowl she'd used for lunch to the floor and her hands bunched into fists. She spun on Aydin but kept her voice low, hoping that Taylor and Blanchard wouldn't be able to hear. "Because it's all I've got!"
"It's worthless."
"How was I supposed to know that?"
"You could have asked me."
Kari's next words died on her tongue. Of course she could have asked him, he worked for a damn merchant in this part of space.
"Do you two need a room, or are you finished?" Blanchard said.
"I don't think Aydin will be able to close that particular deal," Taylor said with a leer and a wink. "If I'd had a couple more days though…"
Kari's stomach clenched as she lunged at the bars, meaning to claw Taylor's eyes out. "You sick bastard. I would never have even—"
"Whoa." Taylor snatched Kari's wrists as she thrust them through the bars. His muscles bulged as he held her pinned against the front of the cage. "As much as I like a bit of fight in a woman, let's keep things civil for now. I'd hate you to lose value before we get to the blocks."
Kari stared into his eyes but saw no sympathy, not even lust, just cold calculation. At the slavers' block, perhaps a job in the mines was one of the better options she could hope for.
"Step away," Blanchard said, as Taylor released her.
Kari took a single step away from the bars and resisted the urge to rub her wrists where he'd ground the bones and tendons together in his tight grip.
"Right," Blanchard said. "Do you have any other pearls of information you'd like to share with us?"
Kari gritted her teeth and shook her head.
"Then we can confirm that this has been a complete waste of our time," Blanchard said, turning to go.
"How much for me and my crew?" Kari said.
Blanchard turned back. "Based on your katium drive and your Raxis system slang… more than you can afford."
"How much?"
Blanchard shrugged. "Maybe twenty thousand."
Kari trembled. She didn't want to give up her most prized possession, but what other choice did she have? She drew a ragged breath and tried to stand straight. "You can have my ship."
"What?" Blanchard said.
"In exchange for our freedom, you can have my ship. I just ask that you drop us at the nearest hospitable planet." She hated to leave the other prisoners behind—hated even more to sell her ship—but she'd find a way to return and take everything back, including the other prisoners.
"Captain," Blanchard said. "You sure better hope you're prettier without all that dirt on you, because you haven't got much smarts going on."
"What?" Kari said, ready to start throwing punches, regardless of the cell's bars.
"I've already got your ship. Or did you forget that part?"
"It's registered. The authorities—"
"Please," Blanchard said. "My team can wipe registrations faster than you can wipe your ass. The ship is mine."
With that, Blanchard and Taylor turned and strode down the passage, through the door, and out of sight. They left the guard behind who glared at Kari through the bars. He jabbed a fat finger toward her. "I warned you. You wasted their time, and I'm going to waste you."
"There now, Clive," Gerbil said, stepping forward and putting himself between the guard and Kari. "She didn't mean any harm. You saw she genuinely thought her information was important."
"So, she's just stupid," Clive said. "Still going to stick to my word."
"Now, Clive," Gerbil said. "What would Blanchard do if you damaged some of her merchandise?"
Clive scowled but he didn't try to reach through the bars, and instead turned and stalked out of sight.
Gerbil sagged and then looked at Kari from beneath heavy brows. "You're lucky."
"Thank you," she said, doing her best to sound sincere.
"Just keep us out of your trouble."
Kari nodded once and stomped to the back of the cage where she sat with her back against the wall. Her crew—including Aydin—came to join her, huddled in a tight circle. They'd taken to talking with their hands covering their mouths or turned away from the cameras. They had no idea if the pirates could still hear them, but it was better than nothing.
"What the hell was that?" Aydin said, not worrying about keeping his voice low.
"I was trying to get us free."
"With worthless information and a ship that she already owned? I knew you weren't the brightest bulb in the LED display but stars be damned!"
"Insult her one more time," Ryker said, brandishing his spoon at Aydin as if it were a knife.
"Put it away, Ryker," Kari said. "I can stand up for myself." She wouldn't admit it out loud, but inside she was cursing herself twice as much as Aydin. She'd been stupid.
"I knew I should have taken care of things
myself," Aydin said.
"And how exactly would you have done that?" Kari said.
Aydin glared at her but said nothing.
"If I might intervene," Atticus said.
They all turned to look at him.
"In my experience, all situations come down to resources. At the moment, we're disadvantaged because our captors have everything. In order to fight back, we must assess and gather our own assets."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Aydin said.
"It means turn out your pockets," Ryker growled.
Atticus nodded.
Kari sighed and dug deep into each of her pockets. She didn't think Atticus would find anything useful—they'd all been thoroughly searched and their weapons removed by Taylor before they even got to the space station, but for the moment she was happy to let him take charge. At least it meant she could breathe for a few seconds and not feel like everyone was watching her.
How could she have been so stupid? She should have asked Aydin's advice before she tried talking to the captain but she couldn't bring herself to apologize. Somehow, she still blamed him for what Taylor had done on Ghost, but was it really his fault? Wasn't he as much a victim as any of them?
She tossed a frayed piece of string to the ground in the middle of their circle where a small pile of useless junk had formed. What did she care what Aydin thought? Or if he cared about her apology? It wasn't as if he'd been especially polite to her either. No. Better that they just stay out of each other's way and once they got free of this mess they'd never have to see each other again.
Good riddance.
CHAPTER 15
Atticus did his best to ignore the trickle of sweat that traced down his spine and dripped onto the top of his ragged pants. He hadn't meant to speak up or offer the others hope, but he'd seen the cracks start to appear in Kari's composure and he couldn't let that happen. If Kari lost control, then what hope did any of them have? So, he'd done the only thing he could and asked for resources to tinker with.
A sorry pile lay on the ground in the middle of their circle. A few bits of string, their bowls and spoons—crusted with dried gruel—and some gum that Ryker had found on the bottom of his shoe.
"This can't be all," Atticus said. He tried not to let his panic bleed through into his voice but it lurked just beneath the surface. He'd spoken up, and dammit, now they expected him to work some kind of magic?
He glanced at the other prisoners, but they turned away, avoided his gaze. He wasn't sure what had happened between Gerbil and Kari but he got the impression that the other prisoners wanted no part in whatever escape plans or trouble was brewing. Too bad for them, they might not get a choice.
Wren fiddled with her belt, squeezing along the lining, until a thin sliver of wood poked free of the leather. She gripped it between thumb and forefinger and plucked it free, then repeated the procedure twice more. The final piece—they looked like toothpicks—had a tiny dot of red ink on its end.
"Don't touch the point of that one," Wren said, laying it next to the others. "The poison will kill you in less than a minute."
"What about the other two?"
"They'll kill you in ten."
"Right," Atticus said, keeping well clear of the three toothpicks. "Does no one have wires or batteries, anything?"
"Of course not," Aydin said. "They took everything valuable off us."
Atticus sighed and rubbed his face. He knew Aydin only spoke the truth, but damn, what he wouldn't give for his tool bag and a good set of circuits. Then he could have rigged up an alarm system, or jammed the gates open, or destroyed the ship's navigation. As it was, he might be able to sling a few poisoned toothpicks at the next guard that came in, but that wouldn't get them anything except death.
"Alright now," Ryker said, gripping Atticus' shoulder and giving it a firm squeeze that made the muscles spasm; the big man didn't know his own strength. "This isn't just down to Atticus, or Kari. We're all in this mess, and we all have to find a way out."
"If we dunk the poison in our gruel, we'll have a way out," Wren said. She didn't look at them, but instead stared at the middle-distance somewhere behind Atticus' shoulder. She'd said almost nothing since Taylor had captured them, and when she did speak it was usually with similar, morbid ideas. For whatever reason, she blamed herself for them all getting captured and as much as Atticus had tried to shake her out of it, she remained firmly lodged between homicide and suicide.
Ryker rubbed his eyes. "Right, that's an idea. Thank you, Wren. But let's try to come up with something else before we resort to that."
Atticus nodded and caught Ryker's eye, giving him a small smile, hoping he understood Atticus' gratitude. It took a lot of heart to keep positive in a situation like this, and Atticus wouldn't have been able to do it without Ryker's support.
"He's right," Atticus said. "Where there's a will, there's a way. Let's think creatively."
"The cameras have wires, and two emergency batteries each by the looks," Piper said.
"Yes," Atticus said. "Good thinking, Piper."
"We can't start dismantling the cameras," Aydin said. "They'll be here faster than flies on shit."
Piper's face fell and she tucked her knees up under her chin.
Atticus glared at Aydin. The other man had the decency to look embarrassed. "A small hurdle," Atticus said. "But a good idea. Piper is thinking of resources."
"Right," Aydin said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Um, then, the doors will have wires and stuff as well?"
Atticus nodded. Good. The mercenary wasn't a complete idiot and he had at least tried to make Piper feel better.
"Optius circuitry with sentium processor," Piper mumbled.
They all turned to stare at her, Aydin with his mouth hanging open.
Piper dropped gaze to the floor. "If we had an access panel I could open it. They won't have changed the maintenance override code which for Optius is seven, nine, A, one one. But that model relies on a central hub. No remote override."
"You happen to know the Optius maintenance codes?" Atticus said. He knew a few, for the common household devices, but not security systems.
"I know all maintenance codes."
"But—"
Piper's head snapped up, her brilliant brown eyes boring into him. "When I was locked up I vowed to learn every code so that they could never keep me trapped. That's why they had me drugged." She pressed her fist into her forehead, leaving red imprints. "So my brain wouldn't work."
Atticus tried to get control of his thoughts. He could have guessed at the door mechanics and come up with something similar to Piper, but he'd been studying gadgetry and electronics for most of his life. She'd been locked in a damn asylum. And to memorize every code for every make and model of system? Mind boggling. "That could come in handy," he said, breaking the awkward silence that had descended over them.
"If we find a way to get that poison into Captain Asshat and her crew's food, we might not have to fight at all," Kari said.
"Where's the fun in that?" Ryker said with a grin. "Although I'd rather have my guns back if we're going to be fighting."
"Good," Atticus said. "That's an option. We'd just have to find a way to get it into their food supply." He did his best to sound optimistic, but the plan was far-fetched at best. Sneaking poison into their captors' food from inside a prison sounded pretty impossible to him.
"If you create enough of a distraction," Wren said. "I could sneak out, provided the door is open."
Atticus nodded. "But if they catch you outside, they might—"
Wren locked her fiery eyes on him. "They won't catch me again."
"Wren is right," Kari said, leaning forward. She seemed to have regained some of her former spark which gave Atticus heart. "If she can get out, she could waltz through the ship and kill the lot of them before they knew what was happening."
"No offense," Aydin said. "But I think I have the most experience. If anyone is getting out I should—"
"I could kil
l you three hundred and forty-seven ways right now," Wren said, turning her cold stare on him.
Aydin rolled his eyes. "Now is not the time—"
"Sitting down," Wren said.
Aydin looked at Wren, then at the rest of the crew. "Look, I'm sure you're good with a gun or whatever. But this isn't going to—"
One moment Wren sat with legs crossed and back straight, the next she swung her arm around, snatched up the toothpick with the red dot on the end, and held it a fraction of an inch from Aydin's neck.
She was still sitting cross-legged but her face was close to Aydin's, staring directly into his eyes.
He eased away from her, putting distance between his neck and the toothpick.
"Would you like to see the other three hundred and forty-six?" Wren said.
A trickle of sweat dripped down the side of Aydin's face. It caught the dim lights and dribbled off his chin.
"Um, right," Aydin said.
Ryker burst into loud laughter that made the rest of them—including the prisoners huddled at the other side of the cage—jump. "Ah-ha, she got you good, mercenary!"
Aydin scowled. "I'm no mercenary. Besides, she caught me by surprise."
Wren raised an eyebrow and placed the toothpick beside the others.
"I wouldn't provoke her if I were you," Ryker said. "I thought I was a good fighter when I first met her too. Learned I was wrong the hard way. Let me save you a lot of trouble and bruises and just say that she'd beat you in a fight, every time. If any of us are getting out of here, it's her."
Aydin opened his mouth, then closed it again before bobbing his head once. "Fine."
"Good," Atticus said, doing his best to ease the tension. He couldn't be sure that Wren wouldn't demonstrate method three hundred and forty-six, just to make Aydin flinch. But she seemed happy enough to stay where she was, sitting with straight back and not looking directly at any of them.
"I think Wren has the right idea," Ryker said. He leaned in close and spoke toward the ground in a low whisper so that cameras wouldn't catch him. "Our best option is for her to get out of here and make a start on neutralizing those bastards. We'll never all be able to get out at once, but maybe just her… she might stand a chance."
