Death Dealer

by T. G. Ayer

  Lyra asked.

  Nerishka said as she pushed to her feet and dashed toward the groaning woman.

  The assailant lay crumpled on the floor, half propped up against the wall. Her helmet had been torn from her head and now hung onto her shoulder, revealing a grey-green complexion and eyes so dark they appeared lifeless.

  Lyra grunted.

 

  The woman groaned and blinked, staring around her, visibly stunned. The moment her eyes fell on Nerishka, the assassin pushed against the wall and surged to her feet.

  Though shocked at the woman’s determination in the face of her injuries, Nerishka was ready for the first blow. The assassin produced a short blade in each hand and began to strike wildly at Nerishka’s face and torso, every attack more desperate than the previous one.

  Nerishka side-stepped, avoiding the blade and reaching for her lightwand at the same time. There was no longer any time to waste. With a single, swift movement, she drew the weapon, activated the light blade and plunged it into the assassin’s side.

  The lightwand cut through the woman’s armor like butter and sliced halfway through her torso. A moment later the green-faced woman teetered on her feet, then sank to the floor where she collapsed on the scorched carpet, staring up at the ceiling.

  Lyra supplied the information before Nerishka could even ask for it.

  Crouching beside the woman, Nerishka scanned the white hair tied in a high ponytail at the top of her head. The woman’s green-hued face was covered in dark red tattoos, with only a small percentage of skin still visible.

 

  Nerishka shook her head and then stared around the trashed room.

  Lyra suggested.

 

 

  Nerishka left the bedroom and studied the living area, then frowned.

  She walked around the apartment, examining each of the paintings on the walls, every overturned sofa and chair, every book that lay in the numerous stacks and shelves that littered the room. she muttered, rifling through a collection of boxes on the lower shelves of a floor-to-ceiling bookcase.

  Lyra said.

  Nerishka headed over to a large trunk, lifting the lid to find more books and folders.

 

  Nerishka shut the trunk and took a deep breath. she murmured as she searched the room again, cycling her vision in case she missed something small.

 

  Lyra began to replay the message Karsin had sent to Nerishka via Director Jeriah. It would have been made weeks ago, but Nerishka knew enough about Karsin to know he was pedantic, that he always planned in advance. Even in the event of his death.

  After a few seconds, she sighed.

  said Lyra with a chuckle.

  Nerishka ignored her and ran the recording again. She replayed the recording two more times before she paused the video, a smile forming on her lips.

  The clasp holding his cloak together at his throat had changed direction twice during the recording. Lyra asked.

  But it was more a rhetorical question, which Nerishka ignored as she was already spinning around and studying the messy disaster that was Karsin’s apartment.

  Beside the table, crumpled on the floor, lay the cloak in question. Nerishka hurried over and grabbed it, searching the neckline and finding nothing.

  The cloak was in keeping with the semi elegant style of the city’s residents. Nerishka began a search of the room again, this time turning things over and looking inside and under everything that lay on the floor.

  When the main room offered up nothing, Nerishka returned to the bedroom and tossed the already rumpled bedclothes, then let out a small cry. Twisted among the sheets was the cloak in question, identified by the bland navy-blue ornament on the clasp. Nerishka pulled the clasp free and said,

 

  A DEEPER GAME

  STELLAR DATE: 10.06.8948 (Adjusted Gregorian)

  LOCATION: Palomidae Hotel, Eshnunna

  REGION: Anahita, Ayra System (Independent)

  Nerishka closed the doors to her suite and released a passel of drones to sweep the room. Whoever her enemies were, she had to assume they could have learned enough about her to know where she was staying.

  It wasn’t too likely—given that both times they’d attacked her in locations connected to Karsin—but it was a possibility.

  The drones didn’t pick anything up on their broad sweep, and she set them to do a more intensive scan while dropping into one of the room’s plush chairs. Morning light had begun to brighten the room, and she let out a sigh.

  That had certainly been a long night.

  Now she stared at the gem clasp that rested in her palm. she asked Lyra.

 

  replied Nerishka as she searched the gem for a clasp or a release button. After manipulating it a dozen different ways, the gem clicked and opened like a flower, the domed top slipping into six separate pieces and falling open to reveal a datapod.

  Nerishka lifted it free and closed the clasp, slipping it into a pocket. she said, staring at the device.

  came the AI’s reply and Nerishka grinned. A few seconds later, Lyra said,

  Nerishka said as she retrieved the datapod and inserted it into a buffered reader. It was entirely possible that the enemy had taken the real data and left this as a plant for her, so she set the reader to apply its full multi-layered defenses before connecting to it.

  Once the information began filtering into the reader’s sandboxed honeypot environments, she continued. get the report to Jeriah, and then for her to send someone to investigate? It makes more sense for me to do something now. While I’m here.>

  Lyra’s avatar shook her head solemnly.

  Nerishka continued,

 

  Lyra threw up the files on a holo in front of Nerishka who paused in surprise at what she was seeing. Karsin’s files were a duplicate of Fletcher’s. But every single one of them included the unredacted details that she’d been missing.

  said Lyra, her voice low and sober in Nerishka’s mind.

 

  Lyra highlighted Xerxes, the next planet closest to the Ayra System’s star, <—has been flagged as a possible origin point. A substantial portion of the victims—if not all of them—originate from a settlement at those coordinates.>

  Nerishka frowned and shook her head.

  The files named Arraphka as the city nearest to where patients had shown up with symptoms. Still, far too much of the relevant information—like what the secret project was—remained locked behind added encryption.

  Nerishka grunted in annoyance.

  Lyra added.

  Nerishka shook her head, seeing Karsin’s face again, the memory of finding him dead still haunting her.

  asked Lyra archly.

 

 

  Nerishka grunted in reluctant agreement.

  Lyra ended with a flourish in her tone that Nerishka could almost see.

 

  Lyra let out a strained cough.

  asked Nerishka, already worrying.

  She’d been looking forward to getting her hands on her lab-pod filled with botanicals from Valkris, a little impatient now as her stock of rendered toxins had begun to run low. She’d waited years to receive this particular package and she couldn’t afford to leave it behind when she escaped Anahita.

  Lyra let out a soft groan.

  Nerishka mused, more to herself than Lyra.

  Lyra’s tone was doubtful.

 

  Lyra chuckled.

 

  TEAMWORK

  STELLAR DATE: 10.06.8948 (Adjusted Gregorian)

  LOCATION: Palomidae Hotel, Eshnunna

  REGION: Anahita, Ayra System (Independent)

  Nerishka hadn’t brought much that she couldn’t leave behind in a hurry. Which meant packing up wouldn’t take long. She’d been on missions before where fleeing within minutes of her assassination was the smartest thing to do if she wanted to keep breathing.

  But she still had to maintain both her cover, and the appearance that she hadn’t been fazed by the two attacks on her life. Whoever had killed Karsin had also attempted to eliminate Nerishka, and she had no clue where they’d sneak up on her next.

  Nerishka dusted her hands off and then said,

  The AI paused for a moment.

  Nerishka shook her head as she surveyed the suite.

  Lyra responded archly.

  Nerishka lifted a brow. She suppressed a smirk as she turned and headed toward the carved headboard and her secret hiding spot.

  Lyra replied airily.

  Nerishka’s browed furrowed as she replied,

  The AI gave a resigned sigh.

  Nerishka asked, tugging the narrow case out from behind the headboard. She tapped the biolock and double-checked the weapons and toxins hidden within. All was as it should be.

  the AI said, her tone somewhat haughty.

  Nerishka’s smile turned into a grin.

  Lyra’s avatar rolled her eyes.

  Lyra threw up the details of the contact on the holo and Nerishka set the secure bag beside the rest of her luggage. The image on the holo startled her and she let out a deep sigh. she muttered.

  Lyra asked, sounding affronted, as though Nerishka shouldn’t be critical of it merely because it was the AI’s intelligent choice. ex-TSF and an ex-Hand agent—although I’m not sure how one gets to be an ex-Hand agent. He has excellent contacts in this system and beyond. And he even has a small team on call.>

 

 

  Busted.

  Lyra prodded. Nerishka didn’t respond, which resulted in a chuckle from her AI.

 

 

  Nerishka let out a resigned sigh.

  Lyra sighed.

 

  Lyra let out a soft sigh.

  Nerishka pursed her lips. She didn’t want to elaborate. Lyra knew too much already.

  Dresden and Nerishka had met when he’d been part of a squad she’d used almost a century ago. A lot of water had passed under their bridge since, and she didn’t want to have to face the man again.

  Not that she’d done anything inherently wrong. Liar. Just leaving the guy without a word of explanation kinda meant there would be ramifications when she did see him face to face again.

  she said, heaving a deep sigh.