An Eagle's Revenge (Across the Infinite Void Book 2)

by Ashley Grapes

  The hallway that opened up was not long. They slid along the wall and Talon perked her ears for muffled voices. It was times like these Talon was grateful to be a Sydces. Her species had acute hearing. The static from a radio scratched from behind one of the doors.

  “…good news is we made over a grand tonight. Bad news is, that ginger guy came in to Piedmill all wasted and carrying on about his friend that died today. He said he’s going to tell the police everything.”

  More static. “— forget…heard…job,” Talon picked up. Whoever was holding the radio was now out of earshot.

  Aberdeen and Talon looked at each other in a moment of teamwork. They had to put their tiff about hierarchy aside and decide what they would do next. It was agreed upon with a simple nod from each of them. Silently they withdrew their guns and prepared. The drug mules had not led them to the real people of interest and so there was going to have to be a little…coaxing.

  “Hands in the air!” Aberdeen charged in first.

  Each of the women focused on her original follow. Both sets of arms went flailing in the air, causing it to rain pills on their heads.

  “Damnit!” Blane swore. “I knew I saw you at Crazy Horse.”

  “You mean you let us be followed, you idiot?!” Vince shouted.

  “Actually, I followed you from Piedmont, so you’re both not very good criminals,” Talon shrugged.

  “So, you’re selling illegal prescriptions, huh, fellows?” Aberdeen kicked a bottle of Ambien. “Where are you getting this stuff?”

  They looked at each other with anxious expressions, but said nothing.

  “Is this your drug house? If I walk back there will I find more stuff?” Aberdeen started walking towards the hallway.

  “No!” Vince shouted. “This…this is my parents’ house. They work night shifts at the hospital. They have no idea what I’m doing.”

  “You live with your parents? Sexy,” she sauntered back over to Blane like the gun she was holding was a mere accessory. “We need to know who’s the brains of this operation.”

  “We…we can’t. They’ll kill us.”

  “Have they been known to do that?” Talon queried.

  “They could get away with it.”

  “Vince, shut your mouth!” Blane snarled.

  Aberdeen pushed her captor to the ground with her heel. “I don’t think you are getting the picture here, guys. Either you tell us who you were just having a conversation with or we’re dragging your ass into the police station. Possessing and selling prescription drugs is a federal crime that will forever be on your criminal record. Oh, and did I mention you will have a prison term.”

  “How about this,” Talon cut in. Apparently she was given the role of good cop. “You tell us their names and we will let you go back to the bars tonight. It’ll be like we weren’t even here.”

  “You won’t tell them it was us?” Vince stammered.

  “No. We just care about who’s at the top of this pyramid scheme.”

  “They’ll have a dick so far up their ass in prison they won’t be thinking about you,” Aberdeen explained rather vulgarly.

  “Cops.”

  “Viney, no!”

  Aberdeen shoved Blane again. “Technically, we are Ohmani State Investigators.”

  “No, they are cops. The guys who give us the pills to sell.”

  “How many of them are in on it?” Talon enquired.

  “Just two that we know of. Their names are Drake and Reed.”

  “What did they say to you over the radio?”

  It was Blane who divulged this time. “They said they would take care of him…the red-headed guy.”

  8 CONSPIRANOIA

  It was a race, and they were already behind. Chris had mentioned he lived close to Morten. They boarded a train going back towards the center of Providence while Talon searched for Chris’ exact address. Luckily, she had reviewed the manager’s file earlier that day.

  “Replay recording taken today at 4:09pm.” Blink blink. A small video played in front on the back of the seat in front of her and it was strange to know she was the only one who could see it. “Fast forward.” Blink blink.

  “Those contacts are prohibited for Security State Investigators, Talon.” Aberdeen spoke low, but it was obvious she was mad.

  “They were a gift. Stop.” Blink blink. “Here! 39-870 Poinsettia Lane, Apartment 8.”

  “A gift from who?”

  Talon couldn’t very well get Bale and Teddy in trouble. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “I will be putting this in our report tomorrow, Agent Terry,” she threatened.

  “Fine. But don’t you think they might come in handy?”

  Aberdeen crossed her arms and her teeth clattered as she clenched her jaw. Her partner couldn’t refute their usefulness, even if they technically were prohibited. “Make sure you have them recording when we go in there.”

  Breaking into an apartment without a warrant was pretty hard to do without IRID credentials. Her contact recording would show the exigent circumstances behind the two entering the premises without the paperwork. Luckily, the door was unlocked. Talon and Aberdeen snaked along the hallway, until they heard Chris cry out for his life. The sound sent them into attack mode.

  “Drop your weapon!” Aberdeen was yelling.

  A shot fired and Aberdeen twisted her shoulder around the corner to safety.

  “Hold your fire!” a man bellowed. “Who the hell are you?”

  “Ohmani State Investigators,” Aberdeen yelled from behind the wall. “Who the hell are you?”

  “We are police officers. What is your business here?”

  “We received critical in — ”

  Talon nudged Aberdeen hard in the ribs. They promised they wouldn’t sell out the boys.

  Aberdeen shot Talon a piercing look. “We received critical details about a theft in which Chris seems to be involved. We came to question him but it sounded like he was in danger.”

  The cops laughed. “Just a misunderstanding. We received a disturbance call and came to check it out. We’re just really drunk right now, aren’t we Mr. Harrdock?”

  Chris blubbered something indecipherable, but whether it was from intoxication or fear Talon did not know.

  “Chris, are you alright?” Talon asked.

  The silence was just a scant too long. “Yes, I’m fine. I just drank too much tonight is all.”

  “Come on out, you can speak with him,” the other officer said casually. “Chris and us go way back to high school. We were just giving him a hard time.”

  “Put down your weapons,” Aberdeen yelled. “It’s just a precaution.”

  “Absolutely.” Four guns thumped to the floor. “We’re unarmed, ladies.”

  Aberdeen led the way around the corner with Talon close at her back. Their arms were still outstretched as they studied the situation. One of the cops was tall and covered in tattoos. The other was incredibly plain looking, and much older.

  “Wow!” the older one crowed in astonishment. “I’m moving to Ohmani!”

  They devoured the two with their eyes. Aberdeen continued to point the barrel with one hand as she tugged her dress down with the other. “Thanks. Kick your guns towards me, please.”

  Both men looked at each other the way true partners did when they were in sync. “We will do anything you say.”

  Both men stepped to kick their guns. What happened next was so fast, neither registered the attack in time. Darts flew from their boots. One pierced Aberdeen in the stomach and she went falling to the ground, paralyzed. Another dart flew into Talon’s shoulder. She managed to twist the puncture site toward the ground, and just for good measure, press her trigger finger in their direction. The cops scrambled for cover as a bullet flew in their vicinity. They were too busy cowering to see the dart in Talon’s shoulder rip out as she made contact with the hardwood. She felt no pain because the paralyzing agent’s effects had already taken hold. Based on previous experience, she knew she ha
d another minute before feeling returned to her body.

  “That bitch tried to shoot me, Drake!” the older one yelped. “What are we going to do?”

  “Isn’t it easy? We get to set-up a double murder suicide.”

  “We’re not supposed to…anymore.”

  “Yeah, well, the circumstances call for it. I think she’d understand.”

  “It’s not too bad of an idea. They would just assume he killed them for getting too close.”

  Talon knew motor control would return momentarily, for the pain in her shoulder was beginning to pulse in a high-pitched welcome. When the two men turned to tie Chris up, Talon grabbed the dart and shoved it up her sleeve. Aberdeen was watching her.

  “More murder suicides occur in the bedroom than any other room in a house,” Talon pointed out.

  “She’s helping us stage her own death better,” the older one chuckled. “What an idiot!”

  “We could just scream you know,” Aberdeen suggested provocatively, and winked at Talon. “We heard the cops here were dumb, but I’m surprised at just how neuronless you actually are. You’re even worse than the LBI.”

  If Aberdeen was trying to berate and bait, it certainly worked. The taller one walked over, a vein pulsating in his temple. “There’s no one to hear you scream. But just for insurance —” Drake hit Aberdeen square over the head with the butt of his firearm, knocking her out cold.

  “Damn, Drake,” the other one said, sauntering over. He reached for Talon’s gun and tucked it into his waistband. “Do I need to do the same to you?”

  “No,” Talon answered, careful to stay motionless.

  “Mm, my, my, you are pretty.” A finger moved an auburn lock from her face and traced her jawline. Her stomach was against the ground, and it lurched as she felt a hand slide underneath her to grasp one of her breasts. He kneaded the soft tissue, and it was all Talon could do not to succumb to anger and break his fingers.

  “Come on Reed, we don’t have time for your dick right now.”

  “Can’t I just have a little fun with her while she’s alive?” he licked his lips.

  “Hurry up, you’ve got five minutes. And you better not leave any DNA.” Drake effortlessly picked up Aberdeen and carried her down the hall.

  Reed turned Talon over and slowly unzipped her jacket. “You are perfect.” He lifted her shirt to reveal a flat stomach and unbuttoned the top of her jeans. “I’ve never been with a Sydces before.”

  Talon’s eyes grew wide with horror. Only a few more seconds…

  “Don’t worry, I’ll wear protection.”

  As Reed’s attention went to unbuttoning his pants, Talon used her ring and index finger to feed the flight of the dart up her palm and held its barrel tightly. Before he knew what hit him, she stabbed the dirty cop in the neck, and he yelped in surprise.

  “You bitch!” he growled as his muscles became anesthetized. “Drake!”

  Talon pushed Reed’s shoulder up, so that he became her very own human cover. She grabbed her pistol from his waistband and fired generously at Drake running down the hall.

  Pow! Pow! Pow!

  Drake pierced his own partner’s back and Talon covered Reed’s eyes with her forearm. She didn’t want to see the life drain from his eyes. Like a coward, Drake ran back into the room and came out carrying the unconscious body of Aberdeen. He was using her as a human shield. Talon followed Drake’s side stepping into the living room, but wouldn’t risk taking the shot. Talon didn’t know what effects drinking and recent paralysis would have on her firing abilities.

  Drake disappeared around the corner and Talon used the opportunity to jump to her feet and go after him. Just as she charged into the living room in a blazing fury, she was knocked to the ground by a zooming PAHC. By the time she recovered her balance, the tattooed criminal was hovering out the door. He was getting away from her.

  “Mmm…mmmm!” Chris came bouncing down the hall with bounded hands and feet. Talon ripped the sock from his mouth. “Thank you! Thank you for saving my life!”

  Talon looked at the dead cop on the floor. Drake was now her only lead. “You better not hurt my partner or I will kill you myself. We are not done here.” Talon ran and retrieved Reed’s PAHC. How hard could it be?

  The board had a pair of slip-in foot slots that reminded her of a snowboard’s. When she glided her foot into them, she could feel a set of controls with her toes. She pressed up against the top of the small space and she flipped backwards, her head almost slamming into the ground.

  “Hands up!”

  Another officer had flown into the apartment with a gun pointed at her chest.

  “My name is Agent Talon Terry. I’m an Ohmani State Security Investigator. May I reach for my badge?”

  “Slowly.”

  She slowly reached into her inner jacket pocket and retrieved her identification. Talon then put her gun down and walked backwards five steps. The policeman hovered over and took her badge. He was older with mostly grey hair, but in phenomenal shape.

  “What is going on here? I responded to the sound of gun shots. Is that Officer Vanlin?”

  Talon explained as fast as she could what had happened. The officer nodded at first in calm acknowledgement, but as the story continued his eyes grew wide in shock and by the end of it his fist and jaw were clenched in sheer outrage.

  “I need to find Drake,” Talon finished.

  “There are GPS trackers on the PAHC’s. We can track it electronically.”

  Captain Smith pulled out his tablet and tapped on its screen. “He’s running all right.” He pulled out his walkie-talkie, “This is Captain Smith. Send out an alert that officer Drake Lombardi is now armed and dangerous and has been hereby stripped of all ordinational rights. I’m going to need an ambulance at my present location and I will be in pursuit to capture Officer Drake. I need all available officers in the vicinity to assist. He’s moving through the Windhorse tube now. Keep an eye on him and let’s communicate on channel 4.”

  “Okay sir, there’s a train at the ground station heading southbound through the Windhorse tunnel. I’ll call and tell them to wait for you.”

  “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Captain Smith turned a dial and tucked the radio back in his belt.

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “Ma’am, it takes officers weeks of training to master a PAHC.”

  “You better teach me fast then.”

  Talon received weeks of training in a minute-long instructional lesson on the controls within the feet slip-ins. Her left foot controlled altitude. Pressing up caused the contraption to go higher and pressing down caused her to descend. Her right foot controlled acceleration. Pushing down translated to going faster and pushing up caused breaking. It had a built in gyroscope for controlling direction.

  “I’ll go slowly at first but if you don’t start catching up…”

  “Leave me,” she agreed.

  Five seconds after leaving the ground she hit her head on the rafter above her. She moved forward and accelerated trying to keep up with Captain Smith but undercompensated on the lift, banging into the paling and sending her feet flying over her head. She held on as she flipped around, clinging to the metal. The Captain was being incredibly patient, but it wore thin when she finally made it across the pit to the other side only to slam into a coffee stand, sending cups and brewers clanging to the ground.

  “If you can make it, I’ll be at the metro station about two kilometers west on the ground. You can’t miss it,” he yelled over his shoulder.

  Talon didn’t blame Captain Smith as she watched him dip over the railing and disappear out of view…she would have done the same thing with a dangerous man on the run. Hell, she had left her partner banged up and laying on the rafter for the same reason. She closed her eyes and relived Chris’ attempted murder scene and Morten flipping over the railing to his death…a death that would relentlessly haunt her every night. It motivated her to stand and focus as much of her brain power as possib
le on the controls.

  Talon kept her right foot at a constant pressure, sending her moving forward. She leaned right and then left to make a wide berth around a group of bewildered civilians, and then she pressed her left foot to the ceiling of the sole, and she flew up over the top of a railing. She decided, after being rightfully humbled, that the route taken by Captain Smith, though probably faster for him, would be through difficult terrain. She decided she had a better chance of getting there in one piece by going in straight lines…down. She found the nearest skyscraper and plummeted, hugging the glass windows on her descent. On the ground she found the nearest road facing west and hovered above the few automated cars on the tracks. She reached the outer wall of the lava tube, which contained the tracks of the maglev train. It appeared that the ground trains were the only ones that actually connected different lava tubes.

  As she traveled along its length, she saw the train that was waiting for Captain Smith. He had to already be on board and so she tried to hurry before the doors closed. In the distance she saw three other officers on PAHCs come from above and fly through the doors into the train. She caught up just in time, diving into the car just as the doors were closing. She yanked the strap of her backpack from the jaws of train’s sliding doors and walked through the cabin towards the four men in uniform

  “I’m impressed!” Captain Smith praised as the maglev moved forward. “This metro goes south to the nearest city Shambhala…a Buddhist colony. The PAHC’s top speed is 80 klicks, so he’s got to get off there or try to make it to New Pans, which is over 160 kilometers from here so I doubt it.”

  “Where does he think he’s running to?”

  “I don’t know. The Shambhalians are a peaceful people, but they can’t give him immunity and there’s no other way in or out except for this tunnel.”

  If Drake killed any innocent people, Talon would kill him. She breathed the promise in over and over as they traveled through the underground metro system to the next lava tube. Captain Smith’s radio came alive.