Double Bait (Stone Blade Book 2)

by James Cox

  "Links outside the service area, especially regularly-used ones, would draw more attention. Not good if you're trying to avoid attention."

  The final link in all the possible chains was a large estate even farther out of town. Rented, paid on time and occasional food deliveries. Nothing whatsoever to arouse attention.

  "Unsurprising," said Ferrel.

  "Truth," replied Micah, "Perhaps too much so."

  ***

  Robin began worrying. Everett gave her more and harder assignments and she fell further and further behind. More disturbing: he hadn't punished her for it. She didn't mind not being lashed but it disrupted Everett's predictability. She also noticed more people around the house. She didn't have full run of it but she could and did look out the windows. That plus Everett's distraction led her toward conclusions she didn't really want to consider.

  Some of Robin's mood spilled over to Gallaway. They didn't quite come to an argument about it but Gallaway did detect Robin's tension. She tried to help, and Robin appreciated that, but their limited communication plus the fact that Robin just didn't want to relate her feelings kept it from happening.

  "We'll make it," said Gallaway, "Somehow."

  Robin hugged her hard. It wasn't easy to believe.

  ***

  "Even more inhospitable," said Micah as he swept his caster across the grounds, "A hasty man might even call it hostile."

  "I concur," said Ferrel, "but also more to my liking. Five credits says he's there."

  "Taken," said Micah, "Pious question: how to crack it."

  "Same as before?"

  "Charles, my friend, I dislike repeating myself too often. Leads to pain and injuries."

  "So how do we take it," asked Ferrel, the two of them back in their room.

  An investigation of three of the other sites Ferrel found showed them as empty, and armored, as the first one.

  "Same as before," replied Micah, "but with a major modification. Vinsley went to a lot of effort to set up his anonymous links. It would be a ruddy shame to waste it." He called up some data. "Here's what I think..."

  ***

  The weak-chinned man scowled. His young associate, though now silent, had done enough damage already. He started a full report before he could be shushed and had given away far too much information.

  "You could just not tell them," said the burner.

  "If only it were that easy. No, my friend, I must dutifully report all that I know." He considered his next words very carefully. "See to it that I will not be reporting anything more... detrimental."

  "You could send it over the net," suggested the burner, leaving unsuggested a great deal more.

  "You're learning. But no, I cannot permit that either. When you walk where I do you will understand more. I hope by then you will also have learned."

  "Ahh. Slib. I guess I'll get some sleep now."

  "Good. You do understand."

  ***

  Robin powered down her terminals and waited. Lunchtime came and passed and Everett hadn't shown. Puzzled, she gathered her spools and started out the door.

  "Ahh, my darling. There you are. Come along, then."

  He met her in the hallway. Instead of going to the dining room he took her arm and escorted her to her room. A large suitcase lay on the bed.

  "Pack a few things, my heart," he said, "No more than a week's worth."

  "But... Why?"

  "Shhh..." He placed his finger across her lips. "Don't question, my darling."

  "Can... can I say goodbye to Lorna, then?" Robin felt a pang of dread.

  "No, my dove. You must think of yourself. Lorna... Lorna need no longer concern you. Hurry now, my sweet."

  Robin held the tears until he left, then let them go. They fell gently as she packed. When she finished she dressed herself for quick travel and, as well as her wardrobe allowed, for an easy change or two. When her door opened again Nels stood there. He offered her the choice of the knockout spray or a hypo. She chose the latter.

  ***

  Nightfall found Micah and Ferrel again observing the mansion at the end of the chains.

  "Looks like twenty to thirty," said Micah, "Based on the number patrolling times at least three rotations. They know we're here."

  "I don't see how," replied Ferrel, "We didn't even know until recently. I also checked hard for security and watchers when I ran my burns!"

  "Something or someone tipped them, then."

  "Abort?"

  Micah considered options. "No. Stay with the plan. We need the information in there, rather badly. I doubt Vinsley's there but something sure as hades is. Besides, it's only twenty to thirty."

  With live guards patrolling the grounds Micah worried less about alarms or deadly traps. They found several and Ferrel neutralized them but nothing like the relay houses. Working around the guards and within the darkness he and Ferrel planted some surprises of their own. Then they waited.

  Micah nudged Ferrel. It was well after midnight and all the guards on patrol gathered and started for the back door. An equal number met them coming out. Micah took a breath and raised his rifle.

  Thwipp! Thwipp! The two guards farthest back might have gasped as the blackout-laced needles hit their necks but they had time for nothing more. One of the other four turned to look but by then Micah needled him too, followed in quick order by his three fellows. The sedative would keep them all unconscious longer than Micah planned to stay around. As he broke down the rifle and stowed the parts Ferrel did a quick search of the bodies. He found IDs, keycards and comms. He and Micah each took one of the latter.

  The mansion spanned three floors and a basement. Unless Vinsley changed radically he and his guests would be on the top floor with guards and others on the lower ones. Ferrel opened the doorway into a small anteroom. No one occupied it but three of the just-relieved guards sat in the kitchen beyond it. Micah needled them before they could even register any surprise.

  Silence!

  Micah's combat training took over and his world narrowed to threat, target, fire. He felt Ferrel behind him and his needler as a part of him. They swept the first floor and basement easily. Against civilians, police or rookie Marines the guards might have had a chance. Against Micah they had none.

  Clearing the second floor took a bit more time but offered no challenge. Toward the end, though, one of the guards managed to raise the alarm. The comms noised up as someone began gabbling orders to others.

  Ferrel raised his comm and hit a button. Bright light reflected off his eyepiece, he winced and then nodded to Micah. Success! Every antipersonnel device Micah found at any of the relay houses detonated. After a second the voice on the comm took on an anxious tone.

  The doorway at the top of the stairs to the third floor burst open and six figures ran through. Unarmored, still, so Micah and Ferrel continued with their needlers. Micah fired three times and Ferrel four and six unconscious guards rolled flaccidly down the stairs. Micah raced up to plant a demo pack against the door.

  An explosion rocked the house, sending Micah tumbling off the last step.

  "Comm package," grinned Ferrel, "They tried to call out on the house line!"

  This floor had an outside balcony on several rooms. Ferrel scanned upward, looking for exterior electronics. Negative. Micah lifted him up long enough to plant a cable and anchor. Ferrel hoisted himself the rest of the way, planted a second anchor and unfolded a thin optical probe. He looked around carefully and motioned Micah upward.

  Using anchors and excessive caution the two of them moved sideways. The only third-floor balconies lay on the other side of the house but this side had plenty of windows. Ferrel located one without any major alarms, neutralized the simple ones there and opened the window.

  Bedroom. Dark. Figure bound on the bed. Before Micah could register more the doorway opened and a guard came through. Micah fired his needler.

  "Rut!"

  This man wore armor! The needle bounced off and he pointed his blaster at Mi
cah. Micah thumbed the needler to full auto and fired on the man's hand. None of the small projectiles penetrated but they threw the hand back long enough for Micah to draw his blaster. As the corpse fell he pulled Ferrel into the room.

  Motion in the hallway! Micah and Ferrel moved to cover it and, after a brief battle, darted out and finished clearing the floor. Micah slapped a demo pack on the doorway leading downward, just in case. By his calculation he, Ferrel and Robin were the only ones conscious or alive.

  Ferrel regarded the bound, gagged and hooded girl on the bed. At Micah's nod he began freeing her.

  "Well, luv," he said, "This is turning into a full-time..."

  Ferrel's breath hissed as he removed the hood. Micah had his blaster drawn and level before the sound died.

  A total stranger stared up at them!

  ***

  Lorna Gallaway stared at the men, her mind numbed and saturated with terror. The tubes on their blasters looked big enough to pass a hoverbus and no emotion whatsoever crossed their faces.

  Her first indication that tonight would be different came with dinner. Donnel appeared instead of Robin and tossed a mealpack on the floor.

  "Eat fast, sluttie," he'd said, "I'm going for shackles now."

  He returned soon, leered at her then bound, gagged and hooded her.

  "Nar," said Donnel when he returned, "Ruddy shame wastin' good food on you, sluttie. You won't be appreciating it or needing it either. Flames, I oughta make one good use of yer, though."

  She'd flinched away from his hands forever before Everett's voice called him away.

  "Don't worry, sluttie. You still got one use left in yer." His parting words.

  In the eternity that followed Gallaway tasted every possible flavor of fear that existed. Worse than any she had ever known before. It suffused her and numbed her, draining the life and will from her.

  Then something happened. The voices outside the room jabbered and yelled. She heard the door opening, gunfire and things falling. She focused her concentration on breathing.

  Only on breathing.

  Only breathing.

  Rough hands ripping at her binds.

  Two strangers. Words. She tried to hear them.

  ***

  "Burnit," said Micah, slamming his fist onto a table, "Burn it to hades!"

  "Steady, my brother," said Ferrel.

  Micah took a sharp, calming breath. "Bind her hands and bring her along. This cannot be coincidence."

  Ferrel did so and finally managed to get the fearful lady to her feet. With a sharp glance at Micah he prodded her ahead. It didn't take long to find the computer room; it took Ferrel longer to neutralize the door.

  "I doubt any value here," he said, "If Vinsley trapped the door that hard he won't have left anything."

  Surely enough, once Ferrel finished disarming the rest of the room they found nothing.

  "Terminals securely purged and thermex set to melt them," said Ferrel, "Blank chips and spools with other nasty surprises awaiting an unwary soul to move them. There is nothing here."

  "Then we need to leave."

  Micah drove in silence. They didn't return to their room, instead they rented another one. The lady looked similar to Robin. Too much so to be coincidence. When Ferrel had the room secure he sat in a chair squarely facing her, blaster close to hand.

  "Who are you and what were you doing at that house?"

  ***

  With death only close and not imminent Gallaway finally found her tongue.

  "L-lorna Gallaway. I was a prisoner." The weakness of her voice shamed her.

  "By whom?"

  "I-I don't... don't know. Everett." Robin's description fell far short! How could she possibly have deemed either of these men warm or friendly?

  "Everett who?"

  "I... I don't..." She tried desperately to gather her wits. "Are... Are you Robert and Carl?"

  ***

  Micah held his reaction hard, not showing any of it.

  "Who are they?"

  "They're f... They're friends."

  "Friends of yours?"

  "N-no. Hers. Th-they..." Her head dropped. "P-please don't kill me. P-Please... don't..."

  "Look at me!" Micah cupped her chin and forced her to meet his eyes. He looked hard. "Slib. Don't give me a reason and I won't kill you." He put away his blaster. "Now. Talk."

  Gallaway took several breaths. "I... I have a friend. Robin. Macy. She t-told me... she wasn't guilty..."

  She felt like a limp, wet cloth. The man wrung her story out of her without pity or mercy. He pressed for details and brought out information she didn't even know she knew.

  "Slib," said the man finally, "You're right. I'm Carl and that's Robert. We're Robin's friends and we're really trying to find her."

  "Tell me about those chips," said Robert, "Do you still have them?"

  "Yes," she said weakly, "Both of them."

  "Where are they?"

  "I swallowed them."

  Micah scowled at Ferrel. He could see the grin just short of popping out.

  "I'll go," said Micah, "You see if she checks."

  "Ch-checks," asked Gallaway weakly.

  "Not to worry, luv," said Robert, "If you're genuine I'll find that missing person report."

  ***

  The young burner returned to his room but not to sleep. He checked his current monitors, nothing, and switched to the net overall. He knew within broad tolerances where action might happen, now he only needed to find it when it did. As he observed he began working out probabilities in his head. Two of them had optimal outcomes but data pollution might corrupt them, or even prevent them. If so, what course should he take? One of his monitors triggered and then another. He switched to them and took in the data.

  "Interesting," he muttered.

  The next chain of events terminated at a very low-probability place. Or not, given what he now knew. A curious query routed its way through the net. Tracing it took no effort and he set his loggers to record the information it found.

  His superior gave him a list of trustworthy people. Now was the time to use it!

  ***

  Gallaway jerked awake when Carl slammed the door. He tossed Robert a bag and walked to the fresher. When Robert dumped it she saw tubes of meal paste, bulbs of juice and some medicine packs.

  "What are your plans for that," she asked.

  Robert grinned at her. Robin was wrong! His smile was not warm or welcoming at all!

  "Well, lady," he said, "I fear our first evening together will be less than pleasant, for truth. I'm going to get those chips out."

  All the blood left her face. "Y-you're not... not going to... cut them out... Are you?"

  He chuckled. "No, Lorna, we're just going to help nature take its course."

  Robert pored over the chips, occasionally taking notes or correlating them with something else. Carl napped on the bed closest to the door. Gallaway lay back in a chair drinking juice to rehydrate herself and concentrating on not being miserable. It could have been worse. She tried to convince herself of that. Robert didn't start cutting and the chips hadn't worked past her stomach. She cracked another bulb of juice and started sipping.

  Robert mumbled something to Carl, who woke instantly. Then they both gathered over the terminal. To her it seemed Robert tried mightily to convince Carl, who didn't want convincing. Then Carl sat in front of her again.

  "Just how well do you think you know Robin Macy?"

  "I was ready to defend her." Carl still scared Gallaway but at least quick answers mollified him. "I was convinced she was innocent and that's not easy to do. I know the CA wanted her, and very badly."

  "Did you check her records before her arrest?"

  "Of course! Top of her class, high marks in everything, very high in technology. No juvenile record, no incidents at school. She didn't deserve that accident!"

  "What about her aunt?"

  "I tried to contact her. The CA gave me a desist order."

  "Her e
mployer?"

  "Wrighten? High marks and good evals there. She was fast-tracked for advancement. Why are you asking me this?"

  Carl paused before answering. "Bluntly, we're not convinced she isn't working along with Everett and his group."

  Aghast, she looked at Robert.

  "He's right. Until your claim checked out we weren't sure about you, either."

  She felt an icy chill at this. "Are you? Sure, I mean."

  "For now," said Carl.

  "Help me understand this," said Gallaway, "You thought Robin was... was working with that... bastard?"

  "Basically true."

  Are you CA?"

  "No," said Carl, "Or yes. Whatever you want to believe. What matters is this: we have a good idea where she and Everett might be. We intend to find them."

  "And?"

  "The problem is this," said Robert, "You'll be with us. If Robin is as she claims then she really is in trouble and lots of it. We'll have a decent chance of rescuing her and taking Everett. If not we'll be walking straight into a trap. That's we as in the three of us."

  "But..."

  "You're going," said Carl flatly, "As of now we mostly believe you. That is irrelevant, though, because I'm not going to kill you and we can't afford to let you go. So. Anything you can tell us might well save your life."

  Gallaway swallowed hard. "I still say she's innocent."

  "Fair coin."

  Chapter 14. Under Arrest?

  Micah dumped the last of their equipment into a bag. He went to their other room to gather their things and abolish all traces. Ferrel worked on the details and Gallaway... Gallaway represented an unknown quality. Micah believed Ferrel and Ferrel believed her. That meant Robin was in a lot of trouble. He finished carefully. They needed to go to Refuge Major soonest and that meant a long trip. Still, the one detail he missed might be the one that caught them.

  Though he broke no traffic laws returning Micah did bend a few. Ferrel and Gallaway sat facing the door.

  "FREEZE PERP!!!"

  Four CA officers stepped out of the fresher and more charged Micah from behind. He gave a good account but their numbers plus his reluctance to kill them turned the battle against him.