“That’s the reason for the deceit. The QMs are putting on a show for everyone to see, both internally within Zodo and externally for all the other corporations. They want to portray themselves as going to great lengths to find a cure for the virus and provide salvation for the survivors on VGCP One, not to mention the rest of humanity. They are spending vast amounts of money and man hours to locate Zero Stock and bring them to VGCP Sixteen, but behind the curtains, they are doing their best to ensure that the Zero Stock never succeed.
“So, Mr. Stalock, Mr. Bell, when Zodo personnel back on Earth discovered Haley and Kettle, they abducted them and travelled through the verse gate to VGCP Eleven thinking that they were doing their part to find a cure. They had the best of intentions. They had no way of knowing that they were sending two sheep into a wolf den.”
“The last Zero Stock guy,” Soup said. “The one who went into the cave and blew up. Colonel Caurfo said it was a proximity mine set by the Yenshians or the Avecki. But it wasn’t, was it?”
Mr. Toad shook his head. “No, it wasn’t. Colonel Caurfo is innocent, by the way. He had no way of knowing that Zodo set the mine.”
“But Zodo employees were killed,” Dallas pointed out.
“All part of the deception. The QMs will cull some of their own to keep up the act. They’ve done it in the past, and they were willing to let Caurfo die this time. I should also point out that the gentleman you saw killed in that cave was not the first Zero Stock to that Zodo has managed to find. By our count, he’s the sixth. All of them have been killed in one way or another.”
“Holy shit,” Dallas said and leaned back in his own chair.
“What about Haley and Kettle?” Soup asked.
“They’re alive,” their host told them with a hand out reassuringly. “We didn’t know how Brennov was planning to kill them until the eleventh hour, so we weren’t able to completely thwart his attack, but we were able to send Colonel Caurfo a warning, which may have saved their lives. Brennov was able to have a bomb installed on the Kye-shiv that Haley and Kettle were being transported on. The idea was that it would go off when the Kye-shiv was well into Yensh air space, and Brennov could then blame the explosion on a Yensh anti-aircraft missile. Fortunately, our satellite imagery shows that Caurfo managed to get the Kye-shiv on the ground and evacuate everyone before the craft was destroyed.”
“Where are they now?”
“Here, take a look.” He manipulated the controls on his arm rest and activated a small holographic map. He then flicked the map with his index finger, causing it to spin to a central position between all of the chairs and increase in size until its edges nearly touched everyone’s knees.
Eliska watched everyone’s reaction. The two Marines were impressed, but Saeliko’s eyes were wide open. Eliska took pleasure in this; it wasn’t often that the Saffisheen failed to maintain a controlled composure.
The map was topographical, showing a mountainous landscape with several ranges intersected by valleys of various lengths and widths. Different colors sprawling over the contours indicated forested regions, rocky crags, meandering rivers and open plains. Here and there, small communities disrupted the course of nature.
“This is a Zodo live feed,” Eliska stated, noticing telltale makers next to a couple villages. Zodo used a different script from most other corporations.
“That’s right. We’re piggybacking their data streams.”
“How much access do you have?” Eliska inquired.
“Substantial. Up until now, our infiltration into Zodo’s systems has gone unnoticed, but we expect that to change shortly.”
“Why?”
“We had to make sure you weren’t tracked when you hijacked the Kye-shiv. We accessed their flight management control algorithms and faked a transponder flight path. We had to make it look like your Kye-shiv was flying directly to your research facility as per the registered flight plan. If they had noticed one of their Kye-shivs straying from its course, they would have raised alarms. It worked, but our ruse is up by now. The research facility will have noticed that the Kye-shiv didn’t arrive, and they will have sent messages back to ARCOB wondering what’s wrong. It won’t be long before they realize what happened, and once your two pilots actually make it back to ARCOB with their story, they’ll definitely realize what happened. They’ll know they were hacked. They won’t know who, but they’ll probably guess. It was a big sacrifice to make on our part, but we think it’s a worthwhile sacrifice.”
Dallas pointed to a collection of blue dots clustered at the edge of the map nearest him. “Who are they?”
“Colonel Caurfo and his men.” There were too few dots. It was obvious that something had happened.
“Including Haley and Kettle?”
Mr. Toad shook his head and pointed to a section of the map closer to Saeliko. The hologram zoomed in, and three more dots appeared. “They’ve split away from the main group. Haley, Kettle and Sergeant Kemmen Vasper. It looks like they’ve decided to make a run for the Zero site by themselves while Colonel Caurfo draws off pursuit.”
“On foot?”
“That’s right. It’s a long way, but their pace is quick. It’s dark in Yensh now, so they’re running through the night, but if they’re able to maintain even half the pace they’ve been moving at, they should be there by early morning.”
“And we’ll meet them there?”
“It’s not that simple,” Mr. Toad said and began manipulating the map a third time. “Here’s Zero Site 1607. Both the Yensh and the Avecki maintain radar stations on site. In most cases, we’d hack the radar equipment, which would allow us to fly in undetected, but the junk they’re using is so primitive that it can’t be hacked. Somewhat ironic, if you think about it.
“The Zodo plan was to fly in to a clearing about four kilometers away, riiiiiggght . . . there. You can see a little plateau. They obviously won’t be using it now, so we could land there, and you could trek in on foot.”
Dallas took his eyes off the map and looked at Mr. Toad. “What do you mean, you?”
“That’s why you’re here, Mr. Stalock. Dr. Tannishoy and I are ill-suited to the task, I think you’ll agree, and my pilot stays with the ship.”
“You didn’t think to bring any of your own soldiers?”
“Sage Systems does have security personnel, but none with the training that you and Mr. Bell have gone through. We’re not Zodo. We don’t have a standing army. Plus, it was deemed by my superiors too great a security risk for us to put boots on the ground.”
“Huh?”
Eliska cut in. “He means that if Sage soldiers get caught and interrogated by the Yensh or Avecki, it could create blowback for the company.”
“But we’re expendable,” Dallas added and rolled his eyes.
“I don’t care,” Soup said. “I’ll do it. They need our help.”
Dallas shot a glance at his fellow Marine. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it. Of course we will. But that doesn’t mean I like being expendable.”
“If it’s any consolation, you have my sympathies.”
“It’s not.”
“Well, moving on then. After we land, we’ll pinpoint their location. They may well be at the site by then. If so, you’ll proceed to the site and meet them, and if all goes well, you can escort them back to the Cloudrunner after they’ve found out whatever they can about the Zeroes. If they’re not close to the site, we’ll adjust our plan and put you on an intersect path. You can meet them and escort them to the site. The whole time, I’ll be here in the Cloudrunner feeding the three of you information.”
“Three?”
“Yes, that’s right. You, Mr. Bell and Saeliko.”
“Hell no.” Dallas pointed a finger at the Saffisheen. “You don’t know what she did to us back on VGCP Eleven. I don’t trust her as far as I could throw her. Soup and I will do this by ourselves, thank you very much.”
“I’m afraid it’s non-negotiable.”
“I’m not negot
iating. She’s not coming.”
Mr. Toad pressed a command on his armrest and the map vanished. “You might need her down there.”
“Why? So she can stab me in the back when I’m not looking?”
“No, Mr. Stalock. You might need her because there are two possible complications that we’re currently worried about, and she might be of use solving both.” He put his right hand up and lifted his index finger. “First, we’ve been monitoring the communication between Colonel Caurfo and Sergeant Vasper. The latter, who is with Mr. Kettle and Miss Yoon, reported his suspicions that they were being hunted by local Yensh militia. That means that when you get on the ground, there is a possibility that you’ll need to help your friends fight off an unknown number of armed, angry men.”
He lifted a second finger. “We’re also worried about Zodo. They’re watching this unfold, too, and if they believe that Mr. Kettle and Miss Yoon have a good chance at completing the mission, they might send in a kill squad to finish what they started.
“Now, I read your profiles. I know about this country of yours, the United States of America. I have read about the Marines and their capabilities, and I trust in your resolve to get the job done. On the other hand, I have also read three comprehensive studies on the Concord of Mael and its Saffisheen warrioresses. The research on their capabilities is, shall we say, convincing. Mr. Stalock, my role here is to maximize our chances of success, and if we leave Saeliko here in the Cloudrunner when there are enemy combatants trying to harm your friends, that’s not maximizing our chances.”
“You can’t trust her. You don’t know . . .”
“I also read the Zodo report detailing your experience with Saeliko on her home world. I know what happened to you, Mr. Stalock, but the fact remains, there is a chance, however small, that her assistance might make the difference between life and death in the coming hours.”
“Yeah, but in the opposite way. She could kill me down there. I’m surprised she didn’t already try to kill someone on the ride here.”
Eliska guessed this was an appropriate moment for her to add her two bits to the discussion. “You know she’s right here, right?” She waited for Dallas and Mr. Toad to look at her, and then at Saeliko. “Instead of arguing about whether or not she’s going, maybe you could ask her if she even wants to go. She should have a choice in this, too.”
Everyone turned to Saeliko, who was looking at Dallas with her green eyes. Eliska tried to read Saeliko’s thoughts but couldn’t. It was neither anger nor amusement in that look, but something different altogether. Dallas’ face was much easier to read. The young man was acrimonious.
“Dr. Tannishoy is right,” Mr. Toad said and then addressed the restrained woman. “Saeliko,” he started, clasping his hands in front of himself and putting his elbows on his knees. “I’d like to make a deal with you.” He waited for a reply, but Saeliko was still looking at Dallas. Mr. Toad forged ahead regardless. “I understand that Mr. Stalock and Mr. Bell are motivated to help their friends because they are . . . well . . . friends. I also understand that you might not feel as obligated to offer your assistance, so I’d like to make it worth your while.” He paused again, waiting for a sign of acknowledgment.
“I’m listening,” she said after a few seconds of silence. Eliska noted that those were the first words she had spoken since meeting Mr. Toad. Her eyes were still focused on Dallas.
“Good. I think it’s important for me to start by stressing that my employers see you in a different light than QM Brennov and the others at Zodo did. Brennov saw you as a resource to exploit. He viewed you as a soldier from an inferior culture who he could use to his advantage. He wanted to turn you into a pawn to manipulate in his personal fiefdom. Sage doesn’t share that view. We see you as a potential partner; you’re someone we can engage with on an equal footing. You’re an individual with a tremendous amount of valuable experience, and we are interested in working with you to find ways in which we can both benefit. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Eliska was careful not to wince as Mr. Toad asked the question. She knew without looking at Saeliko that she wasn’t buying the man’s sales pitch. Saeliko was young, but she wasn’t gullible, nor was she going to be lured in by flattery. Mr. Toad had no doubt just lowered himself a few notches in Saeliko’s eyes.
“Violence is cleansing.”
There was a long pause as everyone in the passenger hold of the Cloudrunner attempted to derive meaning from Saeliko’s declaration. She was still looking at Dallas.
“Excuse me?” Mr. Toad asked.
“She’s not talking to you,” Eliska stated quietly. You’re not important to enough to her yet, she almost added but held her tongue. Mr. Toad wasn’t that different from other corporate types after all. Despite his speech about equality, it was obvious that he perceived Saeliko as existing two or three rungs down the developmental ladder.
Mr. Toad looked perplexed. Good. Eliska felt reassured by this, though she wasn’t sure why. She still trusted her initial instincts about the young man from Sage Systems; he wasn’t a bad person. He was attentive and often deferential. Maybe even modest. But his judgment in handling Saeliko was wrong. Now he was going to have to deal with the repercussions.
“Who’s she talking to?” he asked.
Eliska pointed to Dallas. “Him.” Dallas, for his part, was staring back at her and frowning.
“You know it’s the only way.”
Eliska recalled the two of them facing off against one another when they had boarded the Kye-shiv back at ARCOB. She had told them to stow it and act like adults. Now she realized that she had made yet another mistake in dealing with Saeliko. The woman didn’t just stow problems away. She faced them head on.
“Okay,” Mr. Toad said. His voice was uncertain. “Can somebody fill me in? What’s going on?”
“It’s eating you up inside.”
“You’re full of it,” Dallas told her.
“You’re a coward. Even Shen had more courage than you.”
Silence returned to the Cloudrunner. Mr. Toad began looking back and forth between Eliska and Soup, apparently hoping that either of them might provide a little clarity. Eliska wasn’t going to give it to him, and it appeared Soup wasn’t in the mood either. And anyway, Eliska wasn’t quite sure if she even understood what was happening. She did know that there was a lot of unfinished history between these two.
Dallas stood up.
“Don’t,” Soup told him. Dallas ignored him.
“Come on,” Saeliko said softly. The side of her mouth curled up in something halfway between a smile and a snarl. “You need this.”
He took a step forward. “I told you to stop talking about her.”
Saeliko rose to her feet and took her own step forward. Despite the wrist restraints, she looked relaxed and at ease. Eliska had seen Saeliko go into attack mode before, so she knew how quickly the woman could go from relaxed to vicious.
They both took one more step forward. They were within arm’s reach of each other now. Dallas was the taller of the two, but not by much.
“I was sad when she died so quickly,” Saeliko said softly. And then, in almost a whisper, “She should have suffered more.”
Dallas punched her hard in the side of the head. The blow sent the Saffisheen spinning a hundred and eighty degrees and down toward the chair she had been in moments earlier. She managed to stay on her feet and rotate around to face him again, blood welling out of a laceration on her left temple.
“Harder!” she yelled. “Hit me!”
He rammed a fist into her stomach, and when she bowled over, he threw a fast right uppercut into her face, causing her head to whip back. Again, she didn’t go down, although she stumbled backward three steps. More blood appeared, this time between her lips. She spit out a mouthful.
Soup was on his feet now. He stood behind Dallas and put a hand on his friend’s shoulder, which was a mistake. Dallas turned just enough to shove Soup backward, and then he re-t
argeted Saeliko and ran at her. He bellowed out a roar just before he launched himself at her and tackled her, shoulder to the midsection.
Eliska could have sworn that she saw a macabre smile on her face just before the impact.
They slammed into two seats and bounced onto the ground with Dallas on top of her. He screamed out another roar before punching her a third time in the side of the head. Then he wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed.
“Stop it!” Eliska screamed. She found herself out of her chair, though she didn’t remember getting up. She put her hands on Dallas’ shoulders and tried to pull him backward, to no avail. He was far too strong. “Help me!” she yelled at Soup.
But Soup didn’t come.
Saeliko began making a gasping sound as she struggled for air. Dallas didn’t let go. He only roared some more, a deep guttural sound that was more animal than man. Saeliko’s body tensed up and convulsed, and a grumbling, grunting sound came out of her bloody mouth. Dallas was killing her.
“Help me!” Eliska screamed again. Mr. Toad was beside her now. He looked at her and hesitated, but after she gave him a pleading look, he lent his strength to hers and tried to pull Dallas off his victim. They succeeded only in dragging him backward. His hands were so tightly locked around her neck that she was pulled along with him.
Eliska switched tactics. She let go of his shoulder and knelt beside him. She put her mouth next to his ear and tried to speak as calmly as she could. “Dallas, you have to let her go. You’re not a murderer, Dallas.” He blinked his eyes hard once, and then a second time. “This isn’t you, Dallas. You’ve proved your point. Don’t kill this woman, Dallas. Please don’t do this.”
A third hard blink, and then he let go. Dallas looked at his own hands for a few seconds, after which he maneuvered himself off of Saeliko’s body and into a sitting position next to her. He looked at his hands again.
Saeliko wheezed in pain. Eliska bent over top of her and examined the tattooed warrioress. Saeliko sucked in more oxygen in convulsing gulps, but it was obvious that doing so was arduous. She rolled over onto her side, and blood began dripping from her face onto the floor of the Cloudrunner.
Zero Site 1607 Page 19
