“You’re not feeling guilty?”
“Didn’t you hear? The asshole fucking titty-grazed me on purpose while trying to slit my throat! Doesn’t that sound like the kind of guy that needs to die?”
Letha laughed. “You’re the right person to talk to after a night like that. It was fucked. I mean it. Royally, completely fucked.”
Aisha tilted her head, then peeked back at the new guy in the cargo pants.
“What about him?” she asked. “Would there be a problem if I, you know, got down with him?”
“You’re acting more horny than usual all of a sudden.” Letha then realized what must have happened, and hit her in the shoulder. “You got a bid!”
“Ugh, fine. Yeah. They want me to go down on three guys before tomorrow morning. They said I have twenty-four hours. It was right after I tried to fit Trunk in me, and it just wasn’t happening. Ever have one of those massive burritos that has everything in it, and you just can’t figure out how to get it in your mouth? It was like that.”
Letha couldn’t respond in any way other than another laugh.
“So, I was already frustrated, and when the bid came in I was like ‘damn right, I’ll suck those dicks.’ And now,” she shrugged and sighed. “I mean, I still think it would be fun, but I kinda regret accepting the bid. You know how much they hate you when you go back on a bid you’ve already accepted.”
“Don’t do it.” Letha clasped her on the shoulder playfully as they walked. “We’ll get those three cocks in your mouth, or die trying. Hell, maybe you’ll get lucky and we can get three in there at once?”
“They’d still be smaller than Trunk!” Aisha said with a giggle and a shake of her pigtails. “Fun to play with, painful to do anything else with.”
“Anywhere other than here, that thing would be considered a weapon.”
Now both women were laughing, and when they looked back toward Trunk, he glanced at them, nodded, and continued mumbling to himself.
“Everything okay back there, big guy?” Letha asked.
He glanced between the two of them, and for a moment Letha felt bad, wondering if he’d overheard them and was offended.
He snorted and spit a wad of thick mucus on the ground. “Fucking Grinder.”
“That still bothering you?”
“I tried to keep her outta my mind last night, but the fact that I haven’t ended that bitch’s life yet is eating away at me. I’m about to explode.”
Letha frowned, not sure if he was really talking about Grinder, or about the promise. She wanted to punch herself for always being so sexual, but hey, that’s just how she was.
“Keep at it,” Letha said. “You’ll get her, I’m sure of it.”
He nodded, staring off again absentmindedly. Letha noticed Pierce watching them, so she told the others to go ahead, then dropped back to him and his female friend.
“When we get to base, I want to get you with Trunk, have him train you on how everything works,” she said. “Both of you. You need to see the way we do business, and he needs the distraction.”
“That crazy-looking guy?” Pierce said, nodding toward Trunk.
She chuckled and nodded. “He’s obsessed with killing someone out there. Don’t worry about it. We aren’t far now.”
The woman pointed at the others ahead. Pierce nodded, and she walked on ahead. When she was gone, Pierce explained that she was mute.
“Ah, that’ll be interesting.” Letha watched the girl as they walked, then studied the path as she spoke. “You saved my general, I won’t forget that. Still, something seems off about you. You’re holding something back.”
“Is that so?”
“I think it’s the case, yeah. What is it?”
He chuckled nervously, ran a hand through his hair, and said, “There’s a lot about me I’m holding back. I’m not sure what part you mean.”
“Right. Sure.” She rolled her eyes. “Just saying, it’s going to be a lot easier to trust me if you tell me. And you know what I’m talking about.”
He nodded. “I do, but… not yet. Not with the cameras everywhere.”
She peered around and saw that indeed there was a camera following them. The morning after Reckoning Day, viewers would be hungover and sleeping in. The bored ones and those unable to get back to sleep would tune in, not minding the view of scantily clad men and women, some with clothes torn like the recruit who’d had her shirt hanging half-off in strips. There was always a reason to watch.
“Fair enough,” she agreed.
They walked on for a while, continuing to speak about their lives before this and the generalities of what it really was like to be here, not just what people knew from watching. He seemed to be fairly familiar with it all. Soon she saw the line of trees she had chosen long ago as the marker for their base.
They crested the last hill before the base would come into view, and everyone froze, then ducked. As they took cover, they could see that the base had not only been hit, but a sizable force was occupying it. Letha counted at least thirty fighters. This wasn’t just a tactic to take her out, it was to humiliate her, to teach her that she was out of business, no longer welcome on this planet.
As they were hiding there, Aisha crept over to her side, along with Brink and Kale.
“What do you want to do?” Brink asked.
Letha bit her lip, then shook her head. “If we go in there, we’re dead. Right now, we can’t make a stand against that many fighters. Maybe if we took them out one by one, but if they left the cameras on, there’s no way we’ll get there undetected. Thanks, Aisha.”
“When it was us holding the base, that was a good thing,” the younger woman countered.
A group of another ten people exited the main opening, conversed briefly, and then several broke off. Trunk tried to leave in a flash, but Letha had him by the arm.
“What’re you doing?” she demanded.
“Grinder, she’s right there!” he insisted, yanking away.
Letha shared a look with the others. “Fine.”
“Thank you,” he said, loping off in a direction that would cut off Grinder from the base.
“He’ll be outnumbered,” Brink said.
“He can handle himself,” she replied. “Plus, we can’t stay here. My thought? Follow the group, taking them out when we can, but let one escape. One of us can see where they go. Then we have a base to strike, at least temporarily.”
They agreed, then started sneaking back. They hadn’t gone more than a few feet, though, when they spotted a scout and ducked.
“We don’t want him to sound an alarm,” Letha said, “or that whole group back there will be on us.”
“Let ‘em come,” Brink growled.
She waved him off, waiting. The man was meandering their way, a high-powered semi-automatic at the ready. As soon as he was within range, Kale made for him. The man saw him too soon, took a few steps back and opened his mouth to sound the alarm.
His shout never came. Pierce was up in a flash, plunging a blade into the man’s neck several times, then dropping him and finishing the job by cutting his neck clean open.
As he wiped the blood on the guy’s pants, Pierce frowned. “You might want to be more careful.”
Kale balled his hands into fists, opened his mouth like he was about to argue, but he closed his mouth and nodded. “My mistake. Thanks for watching my back.” He put out his hand to help Pierce up.
The group stalked after their prey, getting closer. Only another few paces and they found their first body. Apparently, Trunk was taking them out already. They walked faster, but only saw more bodies and body parts. None of them were Trunk, but none were Grinder either.
“Dammit,” Letha said, putting her hands on her head. “New plan. We’re getting Aero, if his base hasn’t fallen, then we reach out to every son of a bitch who has ever requested an alliance. If they’re still open to it, we accept. No matter what.”
“No matter the cost?” Kale asked.
&nbs
p; “Fuck that. We aren’t paying them shit, but we will be their allies, and we sure as hell are going to take out Fireshot. And I mean now. No more waiting.”
“Sounds like a good time.” Brink’s eyes shone with bloodlust.
The others were ready, though the recruits all had that look of worry in their eyes. Letha knew the feeling—they were wondering if they had hooked up with the wrong warlord, set themselves up for an early death.
All but Pierce, who instead held himself with the confidence and determination that she had started to recognize in him. She was going to find out what his secret was, and sooner rather than later. They started to head out, but Letha walked up alongside Pierce again.
“Just to be clear, this isn’t going to end in chest bumps and high fives. You realize that, right?”
He grunted, nodded, and looked at the others ahead of him.
“We’ll be fine. I’ll protect you,” she said.
His jaw tightened. “That’s not what I was thinking.”
She nodded, then studied him a moment longer. “Listen, buddy. I’m going to take you in, make you one of mine, maybe even let Aisha over there put your teeny weeny in her mouth.”
“Excuse me?” he blinked.
She laughed. “As tough as your act is, you’re such a Noob. So, last chance before I make up my mind about you. What’s it gonna be?”
The others were almost out of sight now. He sighed, then knelt, shielding himself in case cameras were watching.
“I’m not here to compete… I’m here for other reasons,” he whispered. “I believe some people here didn’t actually volunteer.”
“Yeah, no shit. I’m one of ‘em.”
His eyes widened, caught off-guard by that. “You’re serious?”
“Buddy, if you hoped to find only one or two of us, you’re in for a surprise. There are a lot more than that here against their will, and that’s just among the people I’m familiar with. We have a whole damn planet, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Well, shit. That makes my job easier.”
“Does it?” she stood now, studying him without hiding her skepticism. “Tell me, then, what you hope to do with these people?”
“I’m going to get them out of here, shut down the black-market trade in people, and return Planet Kill to what it was meant to be.”
With a nod of approval, she waved him on to follow her. “Don’t count me in on that list, but I think I like you. I just might help you, if we can live through this latest setback.”
“And if not?”
“If not?” she laughed. “Well, then, Mr. Bigshot, you’ll be dead. It won’t matter. All of us will be, and none of this will have mattered. Let’s not have that happen, deal?”
He swallowed. “Deal.”
“Good. Now, keep your eyes peeled. I saw how fast you are, so I want you at my side in case the shit hits the fan.”
They hurried to catch up with the rest, Letha feeling much more secure now that she had more of an idea of what was going on with this guy, and that they would soon be reunited with Aero to form a plan.
23
Pierce’s Initiation
Planet Kill, Aero’s Base
They found Aero’s camp and quickly set up guards in case any attacks came. While at first Pierce had stood back, watching Letha work her magic from a distance, he couldn’t help but want a closer view. She finished making her arrangements with Aero, and as Pierce approached she was telling some of her runners to run off to other potential allies, to not stop until they had their own damn army to match Fireshot’s.
Despite not really being part of Letha’s camp yet, Pierce took comfort knowing he and Essie were safe for the moment. He was about to ask where he was needed, when Letha turned to her generals and said, “Get them all relaxed. Make sure they’re ready to move if needed, but they’ve worked hard, and they’ve lost their base. See that they unwind and have some fun.”
“On it,” Brink replied, and they quickly spread the word that it was playtime.
Pierce joined the others and sat between Aisha and Brink at the fire. Kale walked up and joined them, while Aisha offered Pierce a drink without saying what it was. He knew better than to ask. It was best to accept with gratitude and drink along with Letha’s generals, despite not having earned his stripes or even a battle name yet.
He had, however, saved one of her generals from death, maybe more than once. He decided that was why he’d been invited to drink with them instead of alone.
There was plenty to celebrate. Letha hadn’t sliced his head off, and nothing had indicated that his missing wife was among the dead so far. His gamble to take on this mission and put his own life in danger was already worth it. He now had a legit chance to find out the truth. Mara could have been forced to come here instead of running away as he’d feared.
“On Planet Kill, we celebrate as if there’s no tomorrow,” Aisha told him. “Because there might not be.” She handed Pierce another mug. “Don’t be a lightweight.”
“Trust me,” Pierce joked. “I’ll be the last man standing tonight.” He beamed with excitement and anticipation as he spoke.
Aisha furrowed her brows, curious why he was so happy. “What gives, Noob? You haven’t even earned the right to be blooded yet. Why the smile?”
“I’m here for more than credits. I’m here to find someone I love,” Pierce said. “And now I know I’m on the right path.”
“Ugh,” Kale blurted out. “Sentimental bullshit. Don’t get too attached to anyone here. Better to get what you need and not think too much about it.”
“He’s got a point,” Brink said. “Hanging on to your attachments from Earth or whatever planet you’re from will only hold you back.”
Brink, Kale, and Aisha cheered together. “Skol!” They downed their mugs in one gulp.
Rodrigo snickered at that, which drew Pierce’s attention.
“You have some criticism for me, too?” Pierce asked.
“Nah,” Rodrigo answered. “Just think you’re funny is all.”
“How’s that?”
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Rodrigo said. “Someone coming here to get back to the life they had on Earth. Doesn’t add up. People come here to change their life. And you came to get back to yours. It’s funny. It’s ironic. It’s stupid.” He chortled and sipped his drink.
“Yeah,” Brink said. “You must have a good gig back home if you’d want to take whomever you’re looking for back there. What’s your job on Earth?”
Pierce grew uncomfortable. He shifted on the ground and tried to hide his discomfort by gulping down the moonshine they’d shared with him. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Try us,” Aisha insisted.
The four of them grew still and stared at Pierce motionless, awaiting his next words.
“Uh,” Pierce said, unsure what to do now. He should have spent more time on his cover. Letting them know anything more specific was going to make him vulnerable. If he told them the truth about being an Agent, they were likely to sever his head here and now. Plus, Dregg had warned him about how ruthless Letha’s harem could be. This was no joking matter. Yet, when he thought of Dregg, he remembered that he seemed to make light of everything even when he was at his most serious. Maybe joking around was the way to go.
“I’m an Interstellar Agent, here to investigate illegal trafficking on Planet Kill, and I chose to risk my life for a shot at finding my missing wife,” Pierce said, with a straight face.
Silence filled the night air. He’d gone and done it now. Any second, one of them was going to pull out their massive blades and remove his head from his neck. Pierce did all he could not to shut his eyes and wait for his impending death.
Instead, the others burst out laughing all at once.
“Good one,” Aisha said. “An Agent giving up his career to come here for love. Nice.”
“Too good,” Brink laughed, barely able to get the words out, choking on his drink. “I was wor
ried there for a second that maybe you were a mole for Fireshot’s camp. But if you’d make up something like that, no way are you a spy.”
Kale was rolling on the ground, slapping his hands to the dirt. He’d spilled half his drink.
Rodrigo chuckled too, but at a much lower volume. His eyes kept flitting back to Pierce. Sizing him up, like he wasn’t on the same page as the others. Pierce wondered if it was simply that Rodrigo was the subtle type, or if it was that he suspected that Pierce had just shared the naked truth, put it out in plain sight so that it would appear silly.
Pierce gritted his teeth and willed himself to pry further. “You’re not all right, are you?” Pierce asked Rodrigo, quietly enough for the others not to notice while they were busy laughing.
“All right?” Rodrigo asked, suspicious. “It’s becoming increasingly impossible to survive on your own here. Someone’s up to something. It’s not just warlords coalescing against Letha. Something’s changing. Every day, death is more likely. And now you’re here with a cockamamie story that would put a hell of a target on your head. You’d be bringing this camp into even more danger. The answer to your question is, yes. I’m all right. Who doesn’t like things to be more difficult?”
“I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not,” Pierce said. “You’re kind of hard to read.”
“And you would know that because of your years of interrogation training?” Rodrigo asked, coyly.
“Yep,” Pierce said. “That’d be it.”
Rodrigo finally took a large gulp from his drink. “Relax. I’m not going to kill you in your sleep. Don’t need to. You won’t last a day out there. But if what you say is true, many people would ally with you, and many others would do anything to bring you down. Killing a volunteer Agent would be worth its weight in gold for the viewers. So the sooner you leave on your personal quest, the better for all of us.”
“Noted,” Pierce said. “The sooner the better for me, too.”
“Then we’re agreed,” Rodrigo said. “Do what’s needed, then scram.”
Planet Kill Page 18
