Tiger of Talmare

by Nina Croft

"You arrogant bastard," she yelled. "Why should you be the only one that gets to play hero? Leila's my friend. My responsibility. It's my job to rescue her. Get your bloody finger off that bloody button."

  Zach pressed it. For a moment, ice froze her nerve-endings, then nothing.

  He came to stand over her, and she forced herself to calm down, think rationally.

  "Darla's asleep," he said. "I sent her off, told her I'd take over the watch."

  "And she trusted you? Stupid cow!"

  "She'll release you when she wakes up. I'll leave the box here. But I've altered the ship's course. By the time you get free, there'll be no point in coming after me."

  "Please, Zach, take me with you." She squeezed out a tear, and his lips lifted in that lob-sided grin.

  "Nice try, but not a chance." He leaned over her and kissed her briefly on the lips. "Goodbye. It's been a pleasure to get to know you after all these years. Be good."

  He walked away without looking back.

  "Goddamn fucking bastard. Get back here. Don't you dare leave me like this!"

  But it was obvious he wasn't coming back.

  The moment that truth sank in, Mel wished desperately for just one minute more. One minute to tell him she loved him. She couldn't bear the thought of him dying without knowing that.

  "Darla! Darla!" She shouted until her voice was gone and she could shout no more. She twisted her head, buried her face in the pillow, and realized she was crying. She never cried. Not since she was eighteen and had discovered what life had in store for her. Now she sobbed. He was going to die, and she couldn't even move. With that thought, her anger rose again.

  Whose fucking fault was it that she couldn't move? He deserved to die.

  She didn't hear Darla enter the room, just looked up and there she was, standing beside the bed. She peered at Mel, saw the cuffs, and her eyes widened.

  "Get these fucking things off me," Mel snarled.

  "So, he's run away?" Darla said. "Didn't like the odds? You know, I never really trusted him. I mean, how can you trust someone who eats people?"

  "He does not eat people," Mel ground out. "And he's gone to get Leila and kill Sanderson."

  "Oh." Darla was searching around the room. "I can't see the activator. Maybe he's taken it with him."

  "No, he wouldn't do that. Look harder." She tried to raise her head but apart from a slight lift, failed miserably. She let it drop back to the pillow. What the hell was Darla up to?

  "Ah, here it is."

  "At bloody last," she snapped. "Well, press the bloody button then."

  "No need to get ratty."

  "Darla..."

  Relief flooded her as the life returned to her body. She swung her legs around then shot up as she sat on her blastered behind. Zach had left the anesthetic spray on the table by the bed, and she picked it up and handed it to Darla. "Would you?" She turned and sighed as the cooling spray took away the pain.

  "Can we catch him up?" she asked, pulling on a pair of pants and a T-shirt. She glanced at Darla. "How come you're here, anyway? Zach said you'd gone off to get some rest?"

  "I couldn't sleep. Then I remembered I hadn't warned Zach about the tertiary engine—she needs a lot of babying or she cuts out—so I went back to the bridge. He wasn't there, and I noticed the second pod had been launched. So, I came here."

  "Thank God! I think I was about to spontaneously combust, I was so pissed off."

  "He's only been gone an hour, we might just catch him before he gets to the rendezvous point."

  "Right, let's go. But there's something we need to do first. Even if we all die, Sanderson is not getting away with this."

  "So what do we do?"

  "Get a wave through to the Intergalactic Agency. I need to talk to them. If they ask what it's about, tell them telepaths. Tell them we know what happened to the space liner that crashed ten years ago, and we know who did it."

  "Do we?"

  "Actually, yes—it was Leila. But don't tell them that. We're going to give them Sanderson."

  "And what is it you're expecting them to do?"

  Mel shrugged. "You never know, maybe they'll believe us and maybe they'll have some personnel in the area and maybe they'll decide to help us."

  "That's an awful lot of maybes."

  Back to Table of Contents

  Chapter Nine

  Zach watched The Revenge land with a feeling of inevitability. Here was yet another plan doomed to failure. He was losing his touch.

  Actually, he might have already lost it.

  Still, he couldn't get over the sense of anticipation as the hatch slid open and Mel emerged into the dim light. Darla was behind her, but he hardly noticed her presence, his eyes focused solely on Mel. She was back in tight, black pants, and long boots, a gun strapped to one thigh, a knife to the other. Her fingers hooked in her belt as she swaggered toward him.

  He almost smiled. He'd honestly never expected to fall in love. It was crazy. But crazy, nice. Or would be if they weren't all about to die.

  That made the anger start its slow burn inside him. Why couldn't she stay put?

  She came to a halt in front of him. Her eyes were narrowed, yellow, and cold. "Bastard."

  Zach grinned. But his smile quickly faded. God, it was good to see her, but he wished she hadn't come. He'd thought he was reconciled to this. Now seeing her again, he was filled with an urge to pick her up, carry her back onto The Revenge, and fly as far away from this mess as he could. He knew it wasn't going to happen like that. Still, he could try.

  "Why don't you two ladies just turn around and get yourselves back on The Revenge where it's safe, and let me do my job?"

  "Patronizing bastard."

  He shook his head. "We've been over this. There's no point in us all going down here."

  "Actually," Mel said, "we've got a plan."

  "Well, I suppose there's a first time for everything."

  "God, I hate sarcasm in a man. Just listen, will you."

  Zach listened as she spoke quickly, outlining what was supposed to happen. He was impressed. It wasn't perfect, but there was a chance, a very small chance, it would work. It really depended on them persuading Sanderson that they had no interest in coming after him. And Sanderson knew Zach too well to believe that. Still it didn't look like he had a lot of choice in the matter.

  He thought it over some more and frowned. "There're an awful lot of maybes."

  "So, what were you planning to do that was so much better?" Mel snapped.

  Zach lifted his T-shirt, revealing the four grenades strapped around his waist. "I was going to threaten to blow us all up unless he let Leila go. Once she was away, I was going to—" he paused and shrugged "—blow us all up, I guess."

  "Super plan. But I think mine's better."

  He sighed. "From a personal point of view, I'd have to agree with you. Right, Darla, you'd better get back to The Revenge."

  Both women stared at him, unmoving.

  "Bossy, isn't he?" Darla said.

  "What is it about a man," Mel replied, "that makes him think he's got to be in charge? Right, Darla, you'd better get back to The Revenge."

  Darla headed off, and Mel smiled at Zach. "I guess some people have it and some don't."

  Zach rolled his eyes.

  ****

  Mel waited until The Revenge took off then turned to Zach. He was eating her up with his eyes.

  "I didn't think I'd see you again," he said.

  "Well, whose stupid fault is that? You know, I still can't believe you did that thing with the cuffs. If we get out of this I'm going to slap them on you for a month."

  "Oh yeah, you and whose army?"

  "You think I couldn't?"

  "I know you couldn't."

  "We'll see."

  He moved fast. One moment he was a foot away. The next, he was right in front of her, her wrists clasped in his huge fists. He pushed her hands behind her back, transferring them both into one of his and plastered her body against him. Hi
s free hand slid up her back and into her hair. He forced her head up, and he kissed her. At the first thrust of his tongue, all thoughts of fighting vanished, and she melted, kissing him back hungrily. After a minute, he raised his head and stared down into her eyes. "See," he murmured, "easy."

  "You took me by surprise. It won't happen again."

  "Only because we're probably not going to live that long."

  She shook her head. "You're being negative."

  He leant forward and kissed her again, hard and fast, then released her. "Sanderson's here."

  She glanced up and saw a pod coming in to land. It circled before setting down just outside the clearing. The hatch opened and Sanderson emerged followed by three men. Leila was with them, and Mel studied her carefully. She appeared unharmed other than the bruising on her face.

  She lifted her head and stared at Mel, but her eyes held no expression.

  Sanderson came to a halt a few meters away. One of the guards remained close to him. The other two moved to the side where they had a clear view of Mel and Zach.

  "Let me do the talking," Mel whispered, then stepped forward before Zach could argue.

  "Look," Mel said to Sanderson, "I'm a pirate, I don't care who runs the Universe. You, the Intergalactic Agency, I really don't give a shit. So why don't you just let us go on our way and we won't disclose what we know about you to the Agency."

  Sanderson didn't answer. Instead, he looked at Leila. "Leila, tell me what they're up to."

  Leila walked past him and came to stand in front of Mel and Zach. She stared at them, her eyes cold and blank. Mel shivered. Something was very wrong here.

  "It's really quite simple," Leila said. "Tiger there, is a genuine hero, he's here to save me. How sweet." She leaned forward and patted his cheek. "But really, I don't need saving." Mel noticed she was wearing leather gloves and that Zach flinched back from her touch. "And Mel's here to save Tiger. She loves him. How very odd."

  Mel's eyes narrowed. "Leila, what's going on?"

  "I told you not to come," she said. "You should have listened to me."

  "We're going to get you out of here, Leila."

  Leila turned to Sanderson. "She's going to tell you that they have a communication set up with the Agency and that it will be sent unless we all get off here alive." She paused for a moment and looked back at Mel. "She's lying. There's nothing set up."

  Mel had been watching Sanderson, now she swung around to stare at Leila. What was going on? Leila was working with Sanderson, but why? Mel waited for her to continue, to tell Sanderson that the Agency already knew everything, that they were on their way to Talmare, but Leila said nothing further.

  "What's going on?" Zach whispered from beside her.

  Mel frowned. "How the fuck should I know?"

  "I could still blow us up."

  "Don't you dare." She turned to Leila. "Why?"

  "All my adult life, I've been a freak. Now I have a chance to be with people of my own kind, to do what I was born to do. Besides, he's promised to tell me where my brother is." She glanced back at Sanderson. "You promised you would tell me if I got them here. Where is he?"

  Sanderson shrugged. "No reason why not. After all, your friends won't be leaving here alive. Your brother is in a compound beneath the garrison on Talmare." He smiled at Zach. "Right beneath your feet all that time."

  "So what about that little chat you promised me?" Zach asked. "I was looking forward to it."

  "Well, you see, Leila here has told me that the information has gone no further, so I'm afraid we're going to forgo our little talk. I was rather looking forward to it as well, but you do seem to have an inconsiderate habit of wriggling out of entanglements. So this time, we're just going to get it over with. Leila, come away now. Leave your friends." He held out a hand.

  Mel knew something was up; this wasn't going down as Sanderson planned whatever he thought. She just had no clue how it was going down. But whatever was going to happen, it had better happen fast because their two guards were drawing their weapons, aiming them, their fingers tightening on the triggers.

  Zach took hold of her hand and squeezed.

  She glanced at him. He was staring at Leila.

  "Bitch," he muttered.

  "Shh," Mel whispered. "Just be ready."

  "Ready for what? To die?"

  "Ready for anything."

  Leila took a step toward Sanderson. She was tugging off the leather gloves. Glancing back over her shoulder, she smiled at Mel as she took Sanderson's outstretched hand. It was a smile of such malicious pleasure that Mel suddenly had an inkling of what was going to happen. It seemed to occur in slow motion. She stared at their joined hands then up at Sanderson's face, saw the moment the pain hit his system. His eyes widened, he pulled away from Leila, stared down at his hand in horror. He started to scream.

  At the sound, the two guards covering them swung around.

  "Now," Mel yelled at Zach.

  They moved together. She leaped forward toward the closest man, kicking the weapon from his hand. Whirling, she kicked again, this time hitting him in the throat. He fell to the ground and Mel lunged for the blaster, picked it up, and shot him through the heart. She straightened up, looked around. Beside her Zach had taken out his guard.

  Sanderson was still screaming, frantically rubbing his hand against his clothing. "What have you done?"

  Leila smiled. "Poisoned you, of course. Don't bother trying to get it off. You're already dead."

  She turned away from him. The remaining guard had been looking on bemused, now he grabbed at Leila, and she gripped his bare arm. "That was pretty stupid," she murmured. A moment later, his screams joined Sanderson's.

  Sanderson writhed on the ground, blood erupting from his eyes and nose, blossoming into open sores across his skin. Finally, the screams stopped, and low animal moans trickled from his throat. Mel moved to stand over him. Leila joined her.

  "Shouldn't we shoot him or something?" Mel asked.

  "No, I want to see how the poison works. It's supposed to literally boil the blood."

  "Ouch."

  "Quick though." Sanderson had gone still and Leila nudged him with her toe. "Dead." Behind them, the guard also stopped moving. "About a minute, I reckon, I thought it would take longer."

  Zach came up beside her. "Does someone want to explain what the hell just happened?"

  Leila cast him a disinterested look. "Not particularly." She nodded at the bodies. "But hey, if you're feeling hungry, Tiger, go ahead, help yourself."

  Zach scowled.

  Mel touched him on the arm. "I think Leila had a better plan than we did."

  Leila grinned. "Too bloody right I did. Though, honestly that was never going to be much of a challenge, was it?"

  Mel glanced at Sanderson. "So, how did you do it?"

  "Well, as I told you, the problem was getting the poison on the subject without touching it yourself." She raised her right hand and waggled her fingers. Mel had to force herself not to step back. "Lend me your knife," Leila said.

  Mel passed her the knife and watched as she seemingly pushed the blade under the skin of her palm. A clear, thin membrane dislodged itself, and she peeled it off and held it up on the tip. "Impermeable membrane, impregnated with poison. How cool is that?"

  "Really cool," Zach said. "Get rid of that thing."

  Leila scuffed a hole in the sand with her boot, dropped the membrane, and covered it over.

  Across the clearing, the engines of Sanderson's pod fired up. They all looked up at the sound.

  "That's the rest of Sanderson's bodyguards deciding there's nothing left to guard," Zach said.

  "Do we let them go?"

  He shrugged. "Why not?"

  Mel watched as the pod took off and disappeared. It occurred to her that they were all still alive. She'd honestly expected to die here. She grinned.

  "What?" Zach asked.

  "We're alive, and Sanderson's dead." She took a deep breath. "There's something I wi
shed I'd told you, when you left me back there on The Revenge."

  "Hmm?"

  Oh God, could she do this? She swallowed, licked her dry lips. "I..."

  "Oh for pity's sake," Leila snapped. "There's no nice way to do this, just tell him!"

  Mel glared at her. "This isn't easy, you know."