by Neil Hunter
Cade’s face lightened, but he concentrated on locking the SPAS together, then he loaded the weapon.
‘You want to toss for it?’ he asked, still trying to be fair and objective.
‘No,’ Janek said. ‘I’ll go into the mine. You go look for Kate.’
‘You sure?’
‘You’ve got her on your mind. Without meaning to, you might allow it to cloud your judgment. And that could get you killed. I wouldn’t like that to happen.’
‘Thanks, pal.’
‘I was thinking - if you got killed, I’d have to break in a new partner.’
Cade just stared at him, not quite sure how to take the remark. For a few seconds he believed Janek meant it, then he caught the faint smile on Janek’s lips.
A moment later Janek began to laugh.
It began as a gentle chuckle, then rose until he was emitting a full-blooded, belly-shaking laugh.
Cade found himself grinning, not as much at the fact that his partner had laid one on him, but because Janek had found it amusing.
‘Glad you found it funny.’
Janek had sobered and was looking slightly embarrassed. ‘It was the look on your face, T.J. It was...'
‘Something else for you to figure out, pal. What makes people laugh and why.’ He patted Janek’s shoulder. ‘It’s hell being human.’
After climbing out of the car, Janek peeled off his outer clothing and pulled on a one-piece jumpsuit. He slipped on his shoulder holster, checking that his auto pistol was fully loaded. He placed extra clips in the suit’s zip pockets. The small tracking device went into the top pocket.
‘While we were on Platform-12, I ran a check through the Marine Corps’ main computer. I accessed information regarding Lexus freighters coming in from Earth. Only one has made the outward journey within the time scale, and according to the computer it’s still in dock. It could be a good starting point for you. You need to look for Lexus-6.’
‘How about you?’ Cade asked.
Janek picked up the transmitter. ‘I’ll be fine. Trust me.’
‘I do,’ Cade replied, powering up the car and reversing across the lot.
Janek watched him disappear from sight along the road leading back to Lexus City. He slung the transmitter from his shoulder by the strap and slipped into the shadows.
Cade left the car near the entrance to the port complex and made his way inside. He was armed with his .357 auto pistol, holstered under his leather jacket. Following the indicator signs, he headed for the freighter section. This was on the far side of the complex, away from the passenger terminal.
After a while he found his way barred by a closed gate. He walked on by, continuing along the same passage. The place was fairly quiet at this time of night.
He reached a secondary passage that was signed, Restaurant Access - Administration Staff Only. Cade took the passage. It led to automatic doors that allowed him to enter a self-service cafeteria. He saw that there were only two people in the place, seated at a table on the far side. He walked across to the long, shiny counter and helped himself to a cup of coffee from a dispenser. The other customers didn’t even look up from their conversation. Making his way to a table, Cade spotted a door that led through to the kitchens. He sat down near them and waited.
A few minutes later a pair of work droids came in from the kitchens.
They were armed with cleaning equipment. They started at the far end of the long room, cleaning the floor and also the tables.
The two customers in conversation finished their drinks and left as the work droids neared their table. The moment they had left, Cade finished his coffee, stood up and walked to the kitchen doors. He went through.
The gleaming, silent kitchen was deserted except for a number of domestic androids preparing food. One glanced up as Cade approached. Before it could speak, Cade took out his wallet and flashed his Justice Marshal badge.
‘Health department spot check.’
‘No one told me,’ the android complained.
Cade smiled. ‘Wouldn’t be a spot check if they did, would it?’
The android digested the logic, then nodded.
‘You in charge?’
‘Yes, sir.’
Cade checked the ID number on the android’s torso. ‘Fine, 5344-D. You’re doing a good job.’
The android perked up. ‘Thank you, sir. We try to maintain a high standard.’
‘I need to drop in on the freight-servicing bays. See if they’re as alert as you. Can I get through from here?’
The android led him through the kitchen to a side door.
‘Follow the passage to the end, then turn right. The freight bays are down there.’
Cade walked along the passage. He reached the junction and followed the android’s instructions. A few minutes later, directed by indicator panels, he found himself standing inside the freight-servicing bay. An assortment of craft was moored in the individual bays, some being worked on by crews of androids, others silent and deserted. The air was hot, and the crackle and blue flashes from welding arcs lit up the dark shadows. The rattle and hum of equipment rose and fell in irregular cadences.
Moving along the catwalk that ringed the service bays, Cade checked out the moored craft. In bay nine he found what he was looking for.
Lexus-6 was just under one thousand feet in length. It resembled a round-nosed cylinder in shape, with its flight deck at the tip and the huge engine pods housing the massive Mitsubishi ion-drive motors mounted on each side at the rear. Along the surface of the freighter’s battered, streaked outer skin were numerous equipment pods, antennae and guidance dishes. One of the engine pods had been removed, exposing the port engine. The banks of ceramic cooling fins gleamed in the half light. Work droids swarmed over the engine, fifty feet up from the service bay floor, operating from hydraulic gantries.
Cade saw that the main airlock was open, the freighter’s interior lit only by access lights. He crossed from the catwalk to the bay extension, and from there to the airlock ramp. He slipped in through the airlock.
The freighter appeared deserted. Its main lights were off, leaving the companionways in shadow. Cade located the information board just inside the airlock.
He checked the ship’s layout, finding that the crew quarters were on deck three. If anyone was on board, that was the likely place to find them.
He made his way through the empty hulk of the freighter, finding and accessing the floor ramps until he was on deck three. Cade paused, trying to pick up a sound that might indicate the presence of any of the crew. The only thing he heard was the ponderous throb of the giant electric turbines working on reduced power and coming from deep in the bowels of the ship. They would be generating the electrical energy needed to keep the ship’s ancillary equipment on standby.
Cade moved off again, stalking the companionways, his passage making no sound on the synthetic-rubber deck flooring. He checked out cabins and workstations, but apart from the soft pulse of light from equipment ticking over he saw and heard nothing.
He was becoming frustrated with his lack of success. Cade was trying not to allow his concern for Kate to affect him, but as time slipped away it was becoming increasingly difficult. He needed to know, one way or another, what had happened to her.
Then an android passed him ten feet away. It was moving with deliberate intent, carrying a tray holding a pot and mugs. Cade breathed in the aroma of coffee and saw the steam issuing from the pot. He watched the android moving away from him.
Hot coffee meant people on board, and people were a possible source of information.
Cade trailed the android as it progressed along the companionway. He stayed well behind, keeping to the shadows. It paused at a door that slid open at its approach and stepped inside the cabin.
Cade waited until the android returned, minus the tray. Once it had vanished along the companionway, he crossed to the door and waited for it to open. He slipped inside. He was in an empty crew room.
Clothing was strewn around, and there were signs of recently eaten meals.
Through another door that stood slightly ajar, Cade heard voices. Snatches of conversation were interspersed with the odd burst of raucous laughter. He eased up to the door. The voices became clearer, and Cade picked out the odd phrase here and there.
He slipped the Magnum into his hand as a precaution as he eased through the door.
The cabin was a recreation lounge fitted out with comfortable reclining chairs and low tables. There was an audio center and a large-screen television-video player.
Three men were lounging in the recliners. The tray of coffee had been placed on the closest table. A number of empty beer cans lay on the table. No one had touched the coffee yet. The trio on the recliners was too absorbed in the picture on the television screen.
It was the image of a naked young female taking a shower. The picture quality was sharp and bright. Every detail had been recorded explicitly as the camera roved carefully and slowly up and down the lithe form of the woman.
Something caught Cade’s attention as the woman turned, allowing the shower to rinse away the lather on her body. It was a familiarity in the form, in the subtle curves of the naked body. He told himself he was imagining things and that he was allowing his concern for Kate to distort what he was seeing.
But then the camera slid up over the curve of breasts he knew so well and focused in on the woman’s face.
A hard, cold fist slammed Cade in the guts as he looked into the face of Kate Bannion.
For long moments he stood immobile, unaware that his hand was trying to crush the handle of the Magnum.
Through the white heat burning inside his skull, he heard the muttered lewd comments of the men in the cabin as they stared at the image on the screen. He heard their words and their laughter, and the world went crazy.
Cade wasn’t aware of it but he was screaming like a maniac as he burst into the cabin, and the auto pistol in his hand swung up in a target-seeking curve.
Chapter Seventeen
Cade saw one man roll out of his recliner, grabbing for the handgun on his hip. He was halfway across the cabin by then, his momentum carrying him forward in a wild rush. He met the man as he came up from a crouch, the gleaming auto pistol trying to find a target. Cade fired first, putting a bullet through the left shoulder.
The impact drove the man off his feet to the cabin floor, where he lay moaning, his dropped weapon forgotten in the wash of pain flooding his upper body.
A wild growl of anger filled Cade’s ear.
He twisted in time to meet the rush of the oncoming assailant. This one was big, clad in a stained T-shirt bearing the Lexus logo. His stocky body bulged against the taut cotton of the shirt, and Cade glimpsed heavy biceps above the muscular forearms. He slammed into Cade, driving him across the cabin. A pained grunt escaped Cade’s lips as he was shoved bodily against the bulkhead, the back of his head rapping against the metal.
The pain acted as a stimulant, and Cade batted aside the man’s fist, then back-handed him with the auto pistol. A howl followed the blow as the man pawed at the bleeding gash in his skull. When Cade kneed him hard in the groin, the howling increased as he bared his teeth in agony, staring up from watery eyes.
‘I’m gonna rip your head right off...'
Cade jammed his elbow into his throat, feeling him gag, then whacked the Magnum’s barrel down over the crew-cut skull, and the man went all the way to the floor this time.
The survivor came at Cade from the side. He had a knife in his hand and he slashed viciously, slicing the sleeve of Cade’s jacket and opening a scorching gash in his arm. Cade twisted toward him, bringing up the Magnum, his finger steady on the trigger as he sought to ignore the image of Kate still on the TV screen, still naked, still washing, still rinsing herself off.
‘Put the blade down, or you’re finished,’ Cade barked. ‘Now!’
The man stared at death down the barrel of the massive auto pistol and thought the better of it. He tossed the knife across the cabin, cursing Cade wildly.
Cade slammed the door shut, placing his back against the cold metal. He could still see Kate over the man’s shoulder, and he felt the wildness rising again.
‘Where is she?’ he snarled. ‘And you’d better know.’
‘What? What are you talking about?’
‘The girl in the video. She was on this ship. Where is she now?’
The man swung his head to look over his shoulder. ‘You mean her? Jesus, man, you should’ve said if that’s all you wanted ... ’
Cade’s foot lashed out with a blow, and the man crashed to the cabin floor, clutching his thigh and moaning. Cade knelt by him, then dragged his head up by the hair and thrust the .357 against his temple.
‘Just be careful what you say next time,’ he said. ‘Now quit playing ignorant with me. You brought in a cargo of Darksiders?’
The man nodded, hardly able to speak.
‘The girl in the video was on board, as well?’
There was another affirmative nod.
‘Where is she now? And you’d better find your tongue this time.’
‘Somewhere in Six Domes.’
‘Where?’
‘I don’t know. That’s where Pardee sent her after he questioned her. She told him she’d only been with the Darksiders for a day before we picked her up. No time to get too much on us.’
‘And?’
‘Pardee...he roughed her up some but she stuck to her story. In the end he figured she was telling the truth. So he had her dumped in Six Domes. In one of the brothels they run for the miners.’
Cade’s anger rose again. His finger began to squeeze the Magnum’s trigger.
‘No,’ the man screamed. ‘It’s Pardee you want. Lexus security chief. He sent her. Said he didn’t want her to die too fast. It was his idea of a joke. He’s a sick son of a bitch.’
‘Where do I find Pardee?’
‘He’ll be in Six Domes. At The Ring.’
‘The Ring?’
‘Club where they run fistfights. Out-of-work miners who need money. It’s illegal, but everybody turns a blind eye.’
Cade pushed him away. He stood up, his mind working frantically.
Kate was here, and she was in trouble.
He turned to leave, then paused. The Magnum swung in toward the TV set. Cade blew it apart, then did the same to the recorder below it.
‘If you’re thinking about calling Pardee to warn him - go ahead. Because I’d like him to know I’m coming to get him.’
He left the ship, returning the same way he had entered the service bay. On his way back through the kitchen, the android he’d spoken to looked up.
‘Did you give them a good report, too, sir?’
Cade shook his head. ‘No. They’re a messy bunch. Garbage lying all over the floor.’
The android looked suitably shocked.
Cade made his way to his car and swung it away from the port complex, picking up the road for Six Domes. He floored the pedal, sending the sleek vehicle full tilt along the smooth lane.
There were no delays. When he reached Six Domes, he drove around until he spotted a group of miners heading for a noisy bar. He rolled the car to a halt and climbed out.
‘Maybe you fellows can help me.’
‘Yeah?’ one of the miners said. He eyed Cade suspiciously. ‘And maybe we can’t.’
Cade grinned. ‘Hey, don’t give me a hard time, guys. I’m new around here. I need some directions.’
‘So where do you want to go?’
‘I’m supposed to meet an old buddy of mine at some joint called The Ring. You know it?’
The hostile miner began to chuckle.
‘He wants to visit The Ring. You know what that place is?’
‘Sure. Place where a guy can watch a good fight. Right?’
‘Yeah. But it’ll cost you plenty to find out where.’
Cade was beginning to lose patience. He stifled his urge to lay on
e on the belligerent miner. Instead he pulled out a handful of bills and waved them under the guy’s nose.
‘It’s important I get there.’
The miner held out a big, scarred hand. ‘Gimme.’
Cade peeled off a couple of hundred.
He knew he was paying too generously but he didn’t care, so long as it got him what he wanted.
‘You that eager, maybe you’ll hand over more,’ the miner said.
Cade’s temper snapped. ‘You’ve more than enough for a few directions.’
The miner grinned. He closed his fist over the money and started to turn away. ‘More than enough to keep me in beer tonight. Now haul ass out of here, shithead.’
Cade grabbed his shoulder and swung him around. He hit the miner once, crushing his nose with a hefty swing. The man went down howling amid a great gushing of blood, and the money fluttered to the ground. Cade scooped it up, then faced the miner’s buddies. They were watching silently, offering no resistance.
‘The offer stands,’ Cade said holding out the cash.
‘Jenks always was a stupid mother,’ one of them said. He took the money and gave Cade his directions.
Back in the car, Cade checked the rear mirror and saw the miners hauling the groggy Jenks to his feet.
He drove through the deserted back streets, searching for the address he’d been given. It took him a good quarter of an hour.
Lexus City and Six Domes had changed a lot since his stretch with the Marine Corps. Then the place had been wilder, with little law and order. The asteroid was still under development and had the atmosphere of a frontier town. It was tamer now, but there was still the unruly element, with enough crime and violence to keep the security force busy - those who weren’t on someone else’s payroll. It was the main reason why Cade and Janek had come in with false identities.
The Ring was located in a former dance club, and from the outside the place looked deserted. Cade parked the car and picked up the SPAS. He had a feeling he was going to need some backup on this one. He approached from the side.
There was a guard on watch by the side door with a squat SMG in his hands. He wasn’t very good at his job. There was no concentration and even less alertness. Cade managed to get within three feet before the guard realized he was being stalked. By then it was too late. The SPAS looped around like a heavy black club.
