by M. R. Forbes
She turned her head, the same emotion flowing into her. They had known it was a possibility, but she had been hopeful she could get in and out of the Hole without Tibor’s former squadmates making an appearance.
There were only two of them at least, and she didn’t think either of them was White. They were too small and didn’t have the white hair that had given the leader of their group his nickname.
“Best to stay away from them,” the Officer said.
Hayley moved on without responding.
She would do her best.
15
Hayley continued around the crater, back to where the Officer had pointed. She made sure to get the Goreshin in her line of vision every few seconds.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw them vanish into one of the other storefronts. It had a large light-up sign in front of it advertising it as a bar.
Quark had been right. They didn’t appear to be worrying too much about their escape. At least not right now. The Nephilim knew they would have to get off the planet, and there were only so many ways to accomplish it.
She reached the Firehouse. At least, she hoped it was the Firehouse because the sign in front of it was invisible to her. It was the place the Officer had pointed to. A Trover was standing near the entrance, stopping each potential entrant and asking to scan their accounts to make sure they had the coin.
She reached beneath her coat, into a tightpack. Quark had prepped her for the situation, giving her a secondary account chip that would show a healthy, but not too healthy, balance. She approached the Trover, keeping it tucked away until he asked.
“Ten bits if you want to go in,” he said. His face was softly defined, spread across his skull like it was made of melting wax. His body was massive and muscular, his voice deep and friendly.
She held the chip out, and he waved his hand over it. The scanner vanished completely in his huge grip.
He turned it over, looking at the results, and then looking at her. “You an offworlder?”
“Just got here today,” she said. “Making a pickup for my boyfriend.”
“Why didn’t he come?”
“Because he’s an asshole.”
The Trover laughed. “Aren’t they all?”
“Damn right,” she said, mimicking Quark.
“I hope you’re packing,” he said, sliding aside and letting her pass.
Why did everyone keep saying that?
She entered the Firehouse, her head almost immediately starting to spin against the sudden backdrop of intense and voluminous color. She had to put her head down, covering her eyes while she tried to adjust to the overflow of information and the sudden intensity of qi flowing through the densely packed space.
She moved to find the wall, putting her hand out to steady herself against it when she did. She gathered her focus, looking out at the crowd again.
She was at the top of a series of steps, leading down to an open floor where hundreds of individuals were milling around. Some were gathered at tables; others were in the corners. The overwhelming majority were pressed tightly together, forming an impenetrable ring of qi around something near the center of the space. Tibor had said Jakell usually stayed near the northwest emergency escape, so that’s where she headed.
She couldn’t ignore the unmistakable sounds coming from within the circle of individuals on her right. Shouting and screaming, and the heavy sounds of flesh against flesh. Hard cracks. Thuds. A louder crack and the crowd erupted in cheers so loud it made her dizzy, forcing her to stop moving and wait it out. There was an anxious silence as she covered the last few meters, scanning the path ahead for someone matching Jakell’s description.
Behind her, a fresh fight started.
She ignored it, keeping her head down enough that the color wouldn’t become too much again, crossing the floor toward a small section in the corner where a half-dozen merchants had spread a bunch of items along the floor. She paused when she recognized one of the items, its dark shape obvious.
She shifted her attention to the individual standing behind the spread, a Skink. A lizard man. He was staring back at her curiously.
“Where’d you get that?” she said, pointing at the device.
“None your business,” he replied. “You want? You buy.”
She nodded. “How much?”
“Fifty-thousand.”
She nodded again. “Deal.”
“Deal?” the Skink said, surprised. “You no haggle?”
“I don’t have time to haggle. Do you want the coin or not?”
“Do.” He held out his hand to take her chip. The crowd exploded behind them again.
Hayley reached into her pocket to grab the chip, handing it over. He scanned it. “Authorize?”
“Authorized,” she said.
His tongue flicked out between his teeth, and he handed her the chip. “Is yours. Take it.”
Hayley crouched down over the device. It was the hardened com link from the dropship. It had survived the explosion, and the trader in front of her had either found it or bought it from whoever found it. All within the last few hours. Incredible.
She turned her attention to the rest of his spread. It was an assortment of more regular crap. Jewelry, guns, data chips of some kind she couldn’t make out the labels.
“Do you have anything else like this?” she asked, tapping the com link. It had survived because it was in a hard shell. There were other components that were equally protected.
“Do,” the skink said. “Not here. Come back to truck with me.” He pointed to an exit in the corner. Hayley watched his qi. He was probably lying.
Should she go anyway? She decided against it. She had what she wanted.
She stood up, taking the link with her. She froze as a smell reached her, already too close.
“What do you have there?” a deep male voice said at her back.
She turned her head. One of the Goreshin. Of all the damn shitty luck. When the hell had they come in? She followed the energy behind him. He was the only one here.
“What makes it any of your business?” she asked, hiding it from him.
“It’s my business because I say it’s my business,” he replied.
“I’ll call the Law Enforcer.”
He laughed. “Go ahead. He knows how things are, even if you don’t. Now, are you going to let me see it, or do I have to make you?”
Hayley hesitated a moment, trying to decide what to do. She didn’t want to start trouble. Not here. Not now. Her mission was to stay under the radar.
So much for that.
“Here,” she said, turning and holding it out to him.
His qi shifted. He looked at the com link. “You just buy that from this skink?” he asked.
She nodded.
“How much?”
“Fifty-thousand.”
“I’ll give you one hundred. Only because I’m feeling generous.”
“It’s not for sale.”
“I can take it if I want.”
Hayley clenched her teeth. Damn it. If she let him have the link, how long would it take to rig something similar? She glanced back to where she had seen Jakell. He had disappeared. Probably because the Goreshin was there. Frag.
“Forty-five thousand,” he said.
“What happened to one hundred?” she asked.
“Pain in the ass discount,” he replied. “Want to make it forty?”
“I don’t want any trouble. My boyfriend sent me here to pick up a com link. Ours was damaged on the way to Kelvar. Please?”
Pleading was better than fighting.
“I know the ship that came from,” the Goreshin said. “Assholes on it killed my brother earlier today.”
“Really?” she replied. “Where are they now?”
“Around here somewhere.” He grinned. “Don’t worry. We’ll catch up to them. Commander’s got their scent already. They’re holed up close by.”
Hayley watched his qi. He wasn’t lying. Why
was he telling her everything? Because he knew who she was, and was trying to get her to reveal it? Or because he didn’t know who she was, and he didn’t care to keep it secret?
“Are you going to hand it over, or what?” he asked. “I don’t have all fragging night.”
The crowd behind the Goreshin cheered again, the fight apparently ending. Hayley had an idea. It was probably a bad idea, but what else did she have to lose? If she let him have the com, it would take hours to find Jakell again and buy the electronics to rebuild one, hours during which the Nephilim would close in on Quark and Tibor. If she didn’t let him have it, she would have to fight him on his terms.
“I have another idea,” she said, pointing toward the crowd. “I’ll fight you for it.”
He laughed. “You’ll fight me for it?”
“Yup. What do you say? Scared?”
He laughed harder. “You can’t win, little girl.”
“Maybe, maybe not. You don’t know my boyfriend. He’ll break up with me if I don’t bring back the fragging com.”
“Your boyfriend’s an asshole.”
“I’ve heard.”
“Fine. I’ll fight you.” He kept grinning. “I’ll even keep one hand behind my back to make it more fair.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
“It’s fine. You’re going to lose anyway. You got a name, kid?”
“Bailey,” she said.
“Cute. I’m Grun. Come with me. Let’s set up this little dance so we can both get on with our lives.”
16
Hayley stood in the center of a circle of individuals from all over the galaxy. The majority were human, as most of the planets had been settled by humans. There were a number of furry Curlatins, a few Trovers, and even a couple of insectoid Plixians. Their qi energy was intense, a rainbow furnace of excitement and spectacle and eager anticipation to see her get her head mashed into the floor.
She shuddered from her place opposite Grun. What the hell was she thinking? What the hell was she doing? Bad idea? This wasn’t just a bad idea. This was the stupidest thing she had ever done in her life. The Colonel couldn’t take on the weakest of these Goreshin. And she was going to have a chance against this one?
She focused inward, on her breathing. She had to stay calm, or she wouldn’t even be able to see him coming, especially with all the other noise around her. It was a good thing Grun stank of cheap booze and drugs. At least she would smell him when he got close.
“You’re a brave human,” the fight’s organizer, a too-small Atmo said. “You do know you’re going to lose, right?”
“We’ll see.”
“Be glad it’s Grun. He’s the kindest of those freaks.” He lowered his voice to say freaks so Grun wouldn’t hear him. “Their leader, White? He would rip your throat out without hesitation, and the fights are supposed to be submission, not to the death. But who the frag is going to question him, you know?”
“I’ve never seen White,” she said.
“Good thing for you. Three and a half meters. All muscle. That’s when he’s human. When he goes monster? Just run. Anyway, Grun will go easy on you. That’s the only good news I’ve got.”
“You’ve been very helpful, thank you.”
The Atmo laughed, nasally and high. Asshole.
Then he walked toward the center of the ring. The crowd started to quiet in response. Hayley undid the clasps on her coat, shrugging it off. She still had one more layer on over her lightsuit to hide it, and she had left the broken anti-grav unit behind. The tattoos were visible, though. She could only hope nobody with a good view of her had been in the market earlier.
She heard a few of the individuals near her whistle at the sight of the intricate linework. She ignored them, still trying to steady her nerves. She shouldn’t be here. She shouldn’t be doing this. She was going to lose the com link.
She glanced over to where it was sitting, off to the side of the ring. She needed it. She had to know the fate of the Quasar.
The fate of Nibia. Her mother.
It was the right thought to have. Fresh energy poured into her sore muscles. She was going to kick Grun’s ass.
She hoped.
She looked across the ring to where he was standing. He was wearing basic black utilities. Simple clothes. The pants were made of an elastic material that would stretch when he changed. The shirt? He pulled it off while she was looking at him, revealing a fit chest and stomach beneath.
His fitness level didn’t matter. She knew who and what he was.
The Atmo in the center of the ring raised his hands. The front row quieted, raising their hands too, so the rest of the crowd knew to be quiet.
“I bet a hundred on you,” a female voice said softly behind her. “Odds are a thousand to one, so if you win, I’m fragging rich.”
She turned her head back, looking for whoever had spoken. She didn’t see anyone.
She looked back to the Atmo. He had dropped his hands and was scampering out of the way. Grun was running toward her, and the crowd exploded in excitement.
Nobody told her there wouldn’t be any fragging fanfare!
She met Grun’s charge, sprinting toward him. The change in his qi told her she had succeeded in surprising him. She had been betting nobody ran forward.
He slowed as they neared. She didn’t. She jumped up, using the added strength of the lightsuit to get a little more height. She kicked out at him, and he brought his arm up and blocked. She used his arm to adjust her weight, continuing to spin and bringing her other foot toward his face. She wanted to see if he would honor his promise to only use one arm.
He did. Her foot found his jaw, cracking into it. His head turned slightly, and she went past him and landed, turning back his way.
He stopped and spun. He was grinning widely.
“Nice,” he said. The blow hadn’t actually hurt him.
She crouched low, waiting. He continued to smile, charging again, leading with a series of quick punches. His qi telegraphed every one of them, and she slipped from one side to the other, always letting him get within a centimeter of her body but never letting him touch it.
He let up, taking a step back, more impressed than before.
“I think I love you,” he said.
“I have a boyfriend,” she replied.
“He’s an asshole.”
“So are you.”
He growled softly and came in again, adding his feet to the mix. Once more, she ducked and moved away from him, only having to physically block him a couple of times. She glanced back. He was still managing to push her toward the perimeter. If she didn’t have room to maneuver, he would pound her in a hurry.
“It’s like you know where I’m going to punch before I punch,” he said. “You have ESP or something?”
“Not exactly,” she replied.
He came at her, leading with his right hand. She ducked to the side, and he kicked out with his foot. She hopped over it.
His left hand came darting in toward her head, a speeding bullet she wasn’t expecting. She got her arms up just in time to block it, the force of the block sending her reeling into the crowd at her back. They caught her and pushed her toward Grun.
“You promised,” she said, both of her arms hurting from the blow.
“I didn’t know I was fighting a fragging ninja,” he replied. “Fair is fair.”
“Fair enough.”
Her fear was fading with her adrenaline and her confidence. She had already lasted longer against him than she thought she would. Then again, he hadn’t changed yet.
He came at her once more, using both arms and both feet, a series of blows she recognized as the martial art Takega. She matched the attack with the proper defense. She had been practicing in the fighting style since she was five years old. Back when her only dream was to be a Republic Highly Specialized Operational Combatant like her mom.
She caught each of his attacks, but she was getting tired, and she had no room to move. She neede
d to get around him somehow.
She timed his movements, his qi flashing red at each appendage before a strike, his body fluid and dynamic. Was he the best fighter of the bunch, even if he wasn’t the strongest? Or were they more screwed than she had thought?
Whatever. She had to figure something out. She couldn’t match him in stamina, and time wasn’t something of which she had a limitless supply.
She had to take a risk, and hope it paid off.
He threw another punch. She started shifting to the left, his hand whooshing past her face on the right. He followed it up with a jab, and this time she didn’t move at all. She let the punch connect, hitting her hard in the ribs. It hurt like hell, even through the lightsuit.
It also pushed her to the side, away from the wall of individuals. She hit the ground, rolling quickly to her feet as Grun moved in to finish the job. She took two quick steps forward, bouncing high into the air, her lightsuit carrying her over the Goreshin’s head. He turned, changing form and leaping at the same time, reaching out and catching her foot, grabbing her and pulling her back down.
She cursed as she hit the ground, the impact sending waves of pain through her body. He was still being relatively gentle. With his claws, he could have removed her foot if he had wanted to.
“Good try,” he said. “You almost had me there.”
She looked back at him over her shoulder. He was calm. Confident.
“Do you submit?” he asked.
She didn’t want to, but she had lost. She nodded. “I submit.”
He let go of her foot. The crowd went crazy. Hayley looked back to where she had heard the woman. A dark form was retreating away from the crowd.
She rolled to her feet. Grun was still looking at her. His qi was changing. Anger. Alarm.
She realized why. She didn’t need to look.
His claws had torn her pants, revealing the lightsuit beneath.
He knew who she was.
17
She reached under her pants at the same time she turned, sprinting toward the com link. She pulled the visor out of its tightpack, slipping it over her head while she moved. Grun growled behind her. The crowd quieted, expecting fresh action.
