Treachery: Celestial Empires Book 2

by Raymond Cooper

  Honestly though, I missed those feelings of awe and wonder. I wanted to look out into space and feel my eyes grow wide and my heart speed up. I wanted those crazy feelings stirring in my stomach when we took flight. I wanted to look across the universe as we flew through it and believe in the endless possibilities again. I wanted that magic back.

  And in a lot of ways, I truly believed that it was Boygan and people of his ilk – the users and abusers – who'd stolen it from me.

  “Gemma,” Xavix said, turning to look at me. “What if I told you there was another way of going about this? One that didn't involve the deaths of thousands of innocents – or of your mother?”

  “I'd say I'm all ears,” I replied.

  Xavix punched a few buttons on the navigation console – engaging the auto-pilot, I assumed – and turned to me.

  “I've been analyzing Mr. Boygan's communications with you and I saw what appeared to be a window in the room.”

  “I noticed that,” I said. “But without being able to see through the window, we have no way of distinguishing landmarks or – ”

  “Actually, I did,” he replied. “It took some time, but I was able to use a set of algorithms in conjunction with radial thermo – ”

  I held up my hand to cut him off. “Explain it to me like I'm an idiot, Xavix.”

  He stopped and looked at me for a long moment. “Well, that certainly shouldn't prove too difficult.”

  I shot him an evil glare and gave him the finger. “Why haven't I had you melted down yet?”

  “I'm merely doing as you asked and looked up the word sarcasm, Gemma,” he said. “And I am attempting to incorporate it into my regular speech patterns.”

  Theron burst out laughing from his seat and I shot him a dark look, but couldn't suppress the smile that crept across my face. I shook my head.

  “Fine, smartass,” I said. “Do you know where the video was shot or not?”

  “I do,” he said. “They are on Cromia.”

  I looked at him, absolutely stunned. “Are you sure about that?”

  “Quite certain,” he replied.

  I sat back in my seat. Of course. It made perfect sense. Boygan would want to be there, be on hand, to witness his triumph. He would want to see, with his own eyes – all of them – what destruction he'd wrought. Not to mention the death of one Hugo Kysos. Boygan would want to be there, lurking in the shadows, so he could soak in all of the ensuing chaos and misery.

  “Do you think you can get a fix on exactly where they're keeping my mom?”

  “Based on the landmarks I was able to locate, yes, I believe I can.”

  My mind was spinning and whirling in a maelstrom of thoughts. And then it hit me. I had an idea – one I thought would actually work. We'd be able to save my mom, Kysos, and all of those people in line to be obliterated at the speech's venue.

  It was a big roll of the dice, but it was one I thought had a great chance to succeed.

  “How are you with electronics,” I asked.

  “I am skilled enough,” Xavix said.

  “I'm not bad with them either,” Theron piped up.

  “What do you have in mind, Gemma?” Xavix asked.

  I laid out my plan to them both. And the more I spoke, the more I thought it sounded plausible. It even ignited a small glimmer of hope inside of me.

  “I think that could actually work,” Theron said.

  Xavix nodded. “It is risky, no question,” he said. “But I also think it gives us the best shot of completing this mission with minimal loss of life.”

  “Not only that,” I said. “But it might finally take care of our Boygan problem once and for all.”

  I wasn't a cold-blooded killer, but Boygan's death would not be one I mourned or felt guilty about. He had it coming. And deep down, I felt a sense of grim satisfaction that I'd be the one bringing about his end.

  Theron, Xavix and I discussed the plan on the flight to Cromia. We went over every detail a thousand times over, searching for the flaws in the plan. When we finally hashed it all out, thought we'd accounted for every nuance – and made the necessary preparations – we finally decided to try and get a little sleep. Though, it ended up being more of a catnap than actual sleep.

  It felt like I'd just dozed off when Xavix's voice was coming through the intercom, letting me know that we were putting down on Cromia. I groaned and rolled out of my bunk. I'd just gotten to the bridge when Xavix set us down in the spaceport.

  “Already?” I grumbled.

  “It would appear so,” Xavix said as he powered down theUmbra.

  Theron stumbled onto the bridge and looked around. His hair stuck out in a million different directions and his eyes were red and bleary as he rubbed at them.

  “You look like I feel,” I said.

  “I guess I shouldn't take that as a compliment.”

  “Yeah, probably not.”

  “I let the Cromian guard know that you were here to see Mr. Kysos,” Xavix said. “That you had an urgent message for him.”

  As if on cue, there was a banging on the hatch door. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, ran my hand through my hair, and did my best to make myself look presentable – and probably fell well short. I turned and walked to the hatch, opening it and stepping down to find four armed men standing there waiting for me.

  “Take me to your leader, boys,” I said.

  I walked with them as they led me through the crowded city streets. After a fifteen minute journey, we stepped into a large building – the venue for Kysos' speech, I presumed. The guards stood by as a man in a suit approached me, his smile wide – although obviously fake.

  “Ms. Sage,” he said. “Mr. Kysos is a very busy man, but he graciously – ”

  “Great, then let's not waste any more time,” I cut him off. “Take me to him.”

  The man's face darkened and his smile faltered a bit, but he quickly recovered. The guards behind me snickered quietly to themselves. They apparently had about the same opinion of the prissy little man that I did.

  I let him lead me through a warren of corridors until we reached a room at the far end of the building. I walked inside and found Kysos there, going over some notes. He looked up and smiled wide when he saw me – a genuine smile, not the plastic looking smile his aide had given me. Perhaps sensing my tension or maybe just seeing it on my face, Kysos motioned for everybody to leave the room. After a moment's hesitation, the prissy little aide turned and walked out as well, casting me a dark look on his way out.

  “Gemma,” he said. “Wonderful to see you. I didn't expect you.”

  “I didn't expect to be here, honestly.”

  “What can I do for you?” he asked. “What brings you to Cromia?”

  “I'm here to kill you.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “Do you trust me?” I asked.

  “Of course I trust you,” Kysos said. “That should go without question.”

  We were sitting in the room together and I'd told him everything. I shared the entire story that had led me to where I was sitting in that moment. By the time I finished, I felt wrung out and emotionally drained. My hands shook around the bottle of water he'd given me and my stomach was in knots. The full weight of what I was doing – what I was asking – was finally settling down upon my shoulders.

  “I know this is asking a lot,” I said.

  He laughed. “I'd say so,” he replied. “You're asking me to put a live transmitter – one that will guide a missile to this building – in my podium.”

  “It sounds absurd, I know,” I said. “But if this goes right, it won't be an issue.”

  “And if it doesn't go right?”

  I sighed. “Then a lot of people are going to be screwed,” I admitted.

  He sat back in his seat and ran a hand through his hair. I could see the stress and tension in his face, although he was doing a good job of holding it in check. I guess that in his position, he was used to having to control his emotions.

  “I
'm very sorry about your aunt, Gemma,” he said, his voice thick with sincerity.

  “Thank you.”

  “Do you think you can pull this off?” he asked. “I need you to be honest.”

  I nodded. “I'm not going to lie, it won't be easy,” I said. “I know where he is, but I have no idea what we're going to be walking into. I don't know how many men he has in the building or what his defenses are like. But yeah, I think we can get this done. I know we can get this done.”

  Kysos rubbed at his jawline and I could see the wheels in his mind turning. I was asking him to put a target on his back for me – in a very literal sense. He glanced at his watch and I saw a look of concern pass over his face.

  “The speech starts in just over two hours,” he said.

  “If this goes right, we'll have my mom back and Boygan will be out of commission long before then.”

  “If,” he said. “A lot of if's in this equation. I have to be honest and tell you that I'm a little bit nervous about it.”

  “I have to be honest and tell you that I am too,” I said. “But, Boygan has my mother and he put me in a corner. And when I'm backed into a corner, I'll fight like hell.”

  “As I've seen with my own two eyes,” he said.

  We sat in silence for a long moment as he weighed it all out in his mind. He would be running a huge risk and he knew it. It could not only cost him his own life, but the lives of the thousands who were going to be filling this venue.

  “I'm putting my faith in you,” he said. “Because I trust you. And because I know how – tenacious – you are. If anybody can get to Boygan, it's you.”

  I stood up and took his hand – and after a moment, pulled him into a tight embrace. He stiffened at first and seemed uncertain. But he eventually gave in and embraced me in return. We stood like that for several long moments, only parting when his aide walked in and cast a dubious look at me.

  “You're needed, Hugo,” he said.

  “Fine,” he replied. “I'll be there in a moment.”

  The prissy aide looked at me again and walked out, closing the door a little harder than was necessary.

  “I don't think he likes me very much,” I said.

  “Don't take it personally,” Kysos replied. “He doesn't like anybody all that much.”

  I handed Kysos the transmitter Boygan had given me and he looked at it like it might explode in his hand. Not that I could blame him for his unease. He looked up at me and gave me a small smile.

  “Don't let me down,” he said.

  “I won't.”

  ooo000ooo

  “Are we ready?” I asked.

  “Everything has been prepared,” Xavix said.

  “Okay,” I replied. “It's time to do this.”

  Xavix handed me a pack that I slung over my shoulder and a hand-held device. I pushed a couple of buttons on the hand-held and the route I'd need to take to the building where Boygan was holding my mother appeared. It wasn't far – maybe a fifteen or twenty minute walk from the spaceport.

  “Hiding in plain sight,” I said.

  “I want to come with you,” Theron said.

  “We've been over this,” I replied. “I need to move fast and avoid detection. Your Air Alliance uniform is going to stick out like a sore thumb out there.”

  I put on the cloak and pulled the hood up over my head. It wouldn't totally obscure my face, but it would have to do.

  “Is the other device in the bag?” I asked.

  Xavix nodded. “It's functional and ready to be deployed.”

  I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. My stomach was still in knots and I felt sick to my stomach. I closed my eyes and pictured my mother's face – remembered seeing how terrified she was. Remembered her face when Boygan murdered my aunt, who was sitting right next to her.

  And then remembered that I was her only hope. I was the only one who was going to be able to get her out of this mess.

  “Okay, I'm ready,” I said.

  “Good luck,” Theron said.

  “We'll be here waiting for you,” Xavix added.

  I reached down and touched the butt of my weapon, finding a small sense of comfort in its weight on my hip. I walked down the ramp and out into the crowd, each step away from my ship and toward Boygan's building increasing the tension in my body.

  The mass of people in the streets were flowing toward the venue – and I was stuck trying to push against the tide. I clung to the side of the buildings and moved forward, toward Boygan's building – much to the chagrin of people trying to pass me by going the other way. They cast annoyed looks at me as they had to go around me in their haste.

  “This isn't a one way street, you know,” I said.

  That remark only earned me more dark and annoyed glares from the people on their way to hear Kysos speak. He had that effect on people – he made them want to listen. He made them believe. Made them feel included. And he seemed absolutely genuine. It was something I thought was rather admirable –and incredibly rare in politicians.

  I was less than a block from my target, walking along a path between two large buildings, when a hand reached out and pulled me down the alley. I didn't have time to react, let alone scream, when a large man pressed me up against the building, his body close up against mine. He held a hand over my mouth and a gun jammed beneath my chin. He stared at me and a flicker of familiarity triggered in my brain. He was one of Boygan's men.

  “What are you doing here, Ms. Sage?” the man asked, his rank breath blowing in my face. “Shouldn't you be delivering a package to Hugo Kysos?”

  “Idiot,” I said, trying to muster up some confidence. “I already did it. The package is at the venue. I'm here to see Boygan and to get my mother back.”

  “That wasn't the plan,” he said.

  “Plans change.”

  “Not without Mr. Boygan telling me first.”

  The man had me pressed against the wall, hidden behind several large dumpsters. I couldn't be seen from the street – which meant, I had no help coming. I inched my hand under my cloak, hoping I could get to my weapon without him noticing. The man was large, but he wasn't necessarily all that bright.

  “Move that hand another inch and I'll blow your head off,” he said. “I'm going to contact Mr. Boygan and see if we can't get this all straightened out.”

  “Excuse me.”

  My eyes grew wide at the sound of the voice – Theron. The man holding me turned around, his weapon at the ready, but Theron moved quickly, putting his shock baton against the man's chest. There was a sizzling pop sound and the blue glow of electricity. The man's body grew instantly rigid and he dropped his gun to the ground with a clatter. He started to shake and spasm as Theron held the shock baton to him – probably a little longer than necessary.

  Eventually, he let the man fall to the ground, unconscious. His breathing was ragged and he was drooling pretty badly, but he'd eventually wake up. Grabbing his weapon from the ground, I pulled out the charge, disarming it, and dropped it into the dumpster. Then I wheeled on Theron.

  “What in the hell are you doing here?” I snapped. “You were supposed to wait at the ship.”

  “You're welcome,” he said. “Now, shall we go and get your mom and finish this mission?”

  I was surprised. Theron stood there sounding confident when he spoke. Looking confident. He didn't look like the scared boy who'd started the mission with us. Maybe he was growing. Maybe there was more to him than I'd thought. There was no question that he'd probably just saved my life.

  I glanced at my watch and a bolt of adrenaline shot through me when I saw that we were running out of time.

  “We don't have time to argue,” I said. “Let's go.”

  We made our way through the crowd and found ourselves standing at the rear of Boygan's building. I looked up at it. Twenty stories high – at least. And if I knew Boygan, he was going to want to have a clear view of the fireworks. Which meant he'd be up high. Which probably meant my mother wo
uld be up high as well.

  Probably.

  And it was the uncertainty of the situation that made me glad to have some help.

  “Okay, we're going to have to move quickly,” I said. “We're going to have to do a floor by floor search to find – ”

  Theron smirked and shook his head at me. “How can you possibly be such a luddite?” he asked. “And captain your own ship?”

  “Yeah, I'm not going to even pretend to know what that word means.”

  “Give me your hand-held,” he said.

  I handed it over and couldn't believe the transformation I was seeing in Theron. Maybe I'd been all wrong about him. Maybe he actually had what it took to be in a leadership position in the Air Alliance after all. He keyed some things into the handheld and then turned and scanned the building with it, starting at the bottom and working his way to the very top, closely watching the screen the whole time. When he was finished, he handed it back to me.

  “There are six life forms on the top floor,” he said. “And two on the floor just below it that I can see.”

  I looked from him to the hand-held and back again. “How did you – ”

  “Air Alliance training,” he said. “They teach us all kinds of fun stuff. My guess is that it's your mom on the floor just below the top.”

  “Makes sense to me.”

  “Then let's go.”

  Without waiting for me to respond – as if I had anything to say anyway – he turned and entered the building. I followed him through the door and we made our way over to the lifts. They both stood open and as I looked at them, a thought passed through my mind.

  “If this building is abandoned,” I said. “It's going to look pretty suspicious if the elevator starts up.”

  “I was just thinking that.”

  “We have to hope that they think it's the guard you put down out there.”

  I stepped into the first elevator and pushed the button for the top floor and then stepped into the second one and pushed the same button – as well as the button for the floor below it. It wasn't much, but about all I could hope for was to create some confusion for them. Theron followed me in and we waited for the doors to slide shut, the knots in my stomach constricting painfully.