Sabercat (Tommy Reilly Chronicles Book 1)

by T. L. Knighton

  The guard jumped and sprinted inside.

  As he waited, Tommy crossed his arms and ramped up the appearance of annoyance. Before long, a rail thing man in a short-sleeved, button-up shirt, tie, and sweat stains walked out the door with the guard, who promptly pointed to Tommy.

  The man approached Tommy. "Can I help you?" he asked, clearly not trying to hide his annoyance.

  "You Greenly?" Tommy asked.

  "Yeah. And you are?"

  He leaned forward, putting his face only a few centimeters from the supervisors. "What the hell do you mean you don't know who I am? I'm Tommy chafing Reilly, and I want my chafing shipment."

  Greenly looked at him incredulously. "Yeah, right. I want to see some ID."

  Tommy let out an exaggerated sigh, then reached in his back pocket and pulled out the government issued ID card. He held it up so Greenly could see it.

  He reached out with his pudgy fingers, trying to touch the card.

  Snatching it away, Tommy put on the smuggest look in his arsenal. "You asked to see it, not molest it. Satisfied now?"

  Greenly nodded, though his displeasure at it was obvious. "What can I do for you, sir?"

  "You've got a shipment in there that I need. Turn off all of your cameras and I'll show you which one."

  "What?" Greenly said, his voice cracking slightly.

  Tommy sighed again. "Shipment. Inside. Mine. Are the words I'm using too difficult for you?"

  "Well, sir…we weren't expecting you, so I don't have any authorization for a shipment."

  "Of course not, you moron. Why do you think you picked it up from that troublemaker, what was his name? Oh yeah, Wyatt. Hatcher had you snag it, and I'm here to get it off world as fast as possible," Tommy said. Then he stole a quick glance over his shoulder. "Not that I really want to talk about this out in the open."

  Greenly shook his head. "I'm sorry Captain Reilly, I really am. I'm not authorized to release this to anyone without Mister Hatcher's personal approval. If you could get him to call, I'd-"

  "Bah!" Tommy barked, feeling stupid as soon as the sound left his mouth. He then spun. "Jesus Christ, I have to do every chafing thing."

  Tommy stormed off, leaving Greenly in the dust. A few dozen meters later, he walked next to Harley who turned and followed to his side.

  "So, the terror of New Orleans couldn’t get middle management to budge?" Harley quipped.

  "Bite me," Tommy fired back without much venom to it. He didn't really think it would work for crap, but figured it was worth a shot.

  A few blocks away, Harley flagged down a taxi and they made their way back to Ringo's.

  Walking in, Max looked up at them hopefully.

  Tommy shook his head and look down. "Sorry," was all he said.

  The old man shrugged, his face saying that he didn't really expect it to work. "So now what?"

  "Plan 'B'?" Harley asked.

  Tommy nodded as a feral grin crossed his lips.

  "What's that?" Max asked, concern emphasizing the lines of his face, deepening the valleys.

  "We pool my crew's accumulated knowledge and get the shipment however we have to," Tommy said.

  Max's eyes darted back and forth between Tommy and Harley. "Huh?"

  Harley chuckled softly, then said, "The crew has some…experiences that granted them an opportunity to learn some unique skills. We're going to let them know what we need, and see what they can come up with."

  Max's mouth split into a huge smile. "They can do that?"

  Tommy nodded. "Oh, absolutely."

  ** ** **

  "Can't do it," Cody said, glaring at Tommy. "No way in hell."

  Not the warmest of responses, but he should have at least halfway expected it. It wasn't like any of them were particularly fond of how they learned those skills in the first place.

  "You don't have to," Tommy fired back. He stood at the end of the table while everyone but Harley sat. The first officer stood against the bulkhead behind him. "Just plan it. Harley and I will do it. We'll be the only one on the hook."

  Adele quivered in her chair, only barely holding onto her rage. So much for the cool, calm demeanor. "We are not criminals, captain. You said you knew that!"

  Tommy nodded as he held his hands up, desperately trying to placate the crew. "Yeah, I do. And I'm not asking you to become criminals. Besides, this is technically Max's property. We're just getting it back for him."

  "I will do it," Michelle said quietly.

  He turned and looked at her, unsure of his own ears. "What was that?"

  "I will do it," she said again, her voice louder, bolstered by something that sounded like defiance.

  "Why?" Adele asked, looking at the French girl as if she were growing a new appendage out of her forehead or something.

  Michelle shrugged. "I don't like people who think they can take what they want. They disgust me. This man? Hatcher? He thinks the world belongs to him. I do not mind making it so he learns it does not."

  Tommy allowed a slight smile to tickle the corners of his mouth.

  Dianne walked into the galley, her eyes wide with surprise. Tommy couldn't help but think she should be used to that by now. "Are you really going to do this?" she asked.

  Tommy took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, I am. If I can get these guys to help me, at least."

  "Boss, you know that if we help you plan it, we're accessories at the very least. You and Harley? You're not pros. You're going to get caught, then they nail the rest of us. With our records?" Cody said.

  Dianne's eyes darted to each face, bouncing her gaze from one to another. "What do you mean, 'records'?"

  Tommy's eyes seemed to dance all over the room as he stammered, "Well, let's just say that, as far as official channels are concerned, most of the crew have had a, well, colorful past."

  "How colorful?" She asked, her eyes now firmly locked onto Tommy and her voice hard as diamond.

  "We were innocent," Cody said, his own voice taking on a hard edge of its own.

  Dianne's eyes still locked on Tommy, "Yeah, heard that before."

  Cody erupted out of his chair, knocking it back against the metal floor. "Chafe you, sooka! I didn't know my damn family was Triad. They tried to keep that from me, but the cops? They didn't give a damn, just rounded me up with the rest of 'em. My brother even tried to tell them, but no one cared. I did four years I didn't owe, and now some sanctimonious rich sooka is going to act like that?"

  "Easy, Cody," Tommy said in a quiet, even tone. "She didn't mean anything by it."

  "Bull," Cody said as he turned and started pacing the room. "You want to know why we're here? Because the captain is the only one who would take us on. Every damn one of us. I got busted for what my family did. Adele did time because of deermo that's not even illegal on most of Earth. Michelle…"

  Michelle looked up, her pale face oddly serene. "And Michelle really did do what she was accused of. I do not regret it, either."

  Tommy tore his eyes off of Dianne and looked at Michelle. "You've got nothing to regret."

  The French woman smiled. "I know."

  Dianne shook her head in disgust, then turned and stormed out from the galley.

  Cursing under his breath, Tommy followed her into the passageway. "Hey!" he yelled.

  She spun and glared at him. "What?"

  "You've got a lot of nerve," Tommy said, his fury filtering into his voice.

  "Me? You had me on a boat with a load of criminals!"

  Tommy laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, I did. I didn't think you would really care, not since they all did their time. Weren't you the one back in school saying we were punishing them twice? Once when we locked them up and then again when they couldn't find a job?"

  "That's different, that-"

  "That's the same damn thing, princess. Cody? He already told you what he did. They hit him up with crap that was just in the house. He didn't even live there for God's sake. He was studying at UCLA and came home for the weekend. That's it."


  "Yeah, but-"

  "No," Tommy interrupted again. "No, buts. Adele…you know what her crime was? What she did to make you so terrified of her? She fell in love. Too bad for her it was with another woman. That's a crime in Nigeria. Still. Six years for that. Her girlfriend? Murdered in prison. But hey, you just stay up there on your high horse."

  Dianne crossed her arms, her glare intensifying. "What about Michelle? She admits to doing whatever it was, and you? You're telling her not to regret it. What the hell, Tommy? What did she do?"

  "Oh her? Michelle was a computer prodigy. When her parents were killed in a car accident, she and her little sister got shuffled off to her uncle's house. The disgusting bastard spent half the night raping her, and the other half making her hack into people's bank accounts and steal money for him. When he turned his attention to the sister, she took a kitchen knife and slit the sick bastard's throat," Tommy said as he stepped forward.

  Just centimeters from Dianne, he spoke quietly, "That is my crew. I chose them. You? You used to talk about picking people who were the best available and not worrying about the little crap. After Harley and I got picked up, that was what I tried to remember. I kept asking myself, 'What would Dianne do?' Every time I wanted to do the right thing, I remember you and the things you used to talk about."

  Tommy turned and walked away. After a few meters, he turned again and said, "I never thought you'd be like this though. Just goes to show you."

  He made his way back into the galley. The crew stared back at him, the look in their eyes made him uncomfortable.

  "What?" Tommy asked.

  The crew looked at one another as Harley stood there, a stupid grin on his face. Finally, Cody said, "When do you need a plan by?"

  "As soon as you can. I'd probably make some crack about needing it yesterday, but I'm just not in the mood," he replied, letting go of his anger.

  "We'll do it," Cody said. "Just try not to get caught, alright? I just started getting used to you."

  Chapter 7

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  The loud knocking on his cabin door ripped Tommy from a dream that seemed much more interesting than the real world. Already the dream slipped from his conscious memory, but he tenaciously held onto the fact that it involved him, two beautiful vid starlets, and a sandy beach. "I'm going to kill someone," Tommy muttered as he rose.

  The covers slipped from him, revealing his shirtless form as he stepped toward the door. As he opened it, he saw that Dianne stood on the other side.

  "What?" he snapped.

  "I'm sorry," she said softly. "You were right."

  He turned and walked to the table and sat in one of the chairs, then glared at her. "I know I'm right. I just…" Then, he leaned forward and said, "When the hell did you become a chafing hypocrite?"

  She stepped into the room, taking his movement as permission. "I don't know. I didn't even realize it. I just…"

  "You just never had to actually face it, huh?"

  Reluctantly, she nodded.

  Tommy rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "You should know, you're really not alone on that."

  "Oh?" she asked, her tone making it clear that she would have to be convinced.

  "Yep," Tommy said, charging in. "A lot of people say they support whatever group of folks you want to name…until they find themselves actually dealing with them."

  "Hypocrites, you mean?"

  Tommy nodded, and hated every millisecond of it. "Yeah, but not intentionally. They really believe what they're saying, just like you did. But there in the face of it?"

  She sat, forcing Tommy to shift so he could still look at her. Angry as he was, he kept feeling the urge to just look at her.

  "Honestly, I can kind of understand it," Tommy forced himself to say. "I hate admitting it, but it happens. People like us, we're raised in a different world. We don't have to come face to face with stuff like that. Even someone like you, who goes out and tries to be part of the real world, it's hard. Folks like my crew? They won't come to you because they know the score. I only got the crew because everyone knew I was desperate."

  "Then why do I hate myself for feeling like this?" she asked, moisture forming in the corner of her eyes. "I said those things last night, and everything…everything I'd ever believed was right there. You were doing exactly what I wanted other people to do, and I was angry at you for it. I hate that I said those things, but…"

  "You hate that you meant them?"

  She nodded, the moisture forming teardrops that ran down her cheeks.

  "Do you want to know what you really hated?"

  Tear filled eyes looked back at him.

  "You really hate that you'd said people who did that were rotten human beings. You hate everything you said about the other side, and suddenly you were confronted with that. You hated it because if you were right, you were talking about yourself and didn't even know it."

  She considered for a moment, then shook her head, like she was trying to sling the thoughts from her brain.

  "There's something you have to remember though."

  "Oh?" she asked as she looked into his eyes, hopefully.

  "The fact that you hate that? That means there's hope for you," he said with a smile.

  She laughed, the sound somewhat odd when filtered through the crying. Still, Tommy would take it.

  "Now what?" she asked with a soft smile.

  Tommy took a deep breath. She wasn't going to like this, and he wasn't going to like what was coming next much himself. "Now is the hard part. You've got to earn their trust back."

  Her eyes swung up to the overhead as the tears started again.

  "Relax," he said, desperate to comfort her. He put a hand on her arm and said, "They'll give you a chance. You just have to understand that you hurt them pretty bad, you know?"

  Her head slowly nodded, indicating she understood, and Tommy felt his shoulders relax. He didn't realize until that moment he would need to take his own advice.

  Another smile, then he said, "Just relax. They like you well enough. After all, you feed them. You can use that."

  She nodded again, a little quicker this time, then she stood. Tommy stood as well, years of manners overriding his earlier annoyance.

  "Thanks," she said. "Are you still mad at me?"

  Tommy rolled in his lips and blew out his cheeks for a moment. Her eyes widened, like she was bracing for the worst. That was exactly what he was going for. "Nah," he said, shifting his expression to his easy smile. "I couldn't stay mad at you."

  She smiled back.

  Just as Tommy was going to tell her again that all would be well, she cleared the meter between them and locked her lips onto his.

  Shock soon gave way to rapture as he found himself reciprocating. His arms wrapped around her tiny waist as he pulled her closer. Her arms wrapped around his neck as they kissed deeply.

  When she finally pulled away, Tommy fought the urge to pull her back. Her lips were like a drug, and he wanted more.

  His eyes wide, he stared at her in both shock and joy. The shock wasn't surprising to him. The joy, that may have been more surprising than the kiss.

  "Uh…wow," he said, then mentally cringed. Oh yeah, Tommy. Smooth.

  The corners of her mouth turned up. "Yeah," she said. "That was…"

  Tommy nodded, still wide-eyed and smiling like a blithering idiot.

  "So…"

  "So," Tommy replied.

  "I, uh…I should probably get back to my cabin. I've got some calls to make, if that's okay."

  "Uh, yeah. Yeah, that's fine. I probably need to check with the crew anyways, see if they came up with anything."

  "Okay, so, I'll see you later?" she asked.

  Tommy nodded and said, "Yeah, absolutely. Do you, maybe, want to get something to eat later?"

  "Sure," she said. "That would be nice."

  "Okay," he said. "Talk to you later then."

  "Alright," she said, then turned and left his cabin.

  I
n her wake, Tommy stood in the middle of his cramped cabin like an idiot. He found himself mouthing the words, "Do you, maybe, want to get something to eat?"

  He shook his head, desperate to knock the stupid loose. "Way to be cool, Reilly," he muttered as he grabbed a shirt and slipped it on, then left the cabin.

  The galley was filled to capacity. Michelle had her pad out in the middle of the table, a holographic image of the warehouse hovered half a meter above the table. Adele and Cody stood nearby, quietly discussing something.

  "Morning," Tommy said.

  The three crewmembers jumped, like a gunshot had gone off instead of a greeting.

  "Damn," Tommy said with a chuckle. "You three are jumpy."

  Cody glowered. "Well, you stay up all night trying to figure out how to break into a secured facility to steal a few dozen tons of precious metals and let me know how you hold up."

  "One word for you. Decaf. It's going to be big," Tommy said. His comment elicited a number of flying projectiles to rush through the air at him. Luckily, the all were relatively soft, though he regretted not catching the bagel Michelle tossed. He was hungry.

  "Alright," Tommy said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "What do we have? Anything?"

  Adele shook her head negative. "Not that just two people can pull off."

  "What do you have?" he asked.

  Michelle punched some buttons on the keyboard resting in her lap. "The only entry points are front and back, all using biometric keypads. Every door inside uses them too, and permissions are in place to prevent anyone entering anywhere they're not supposed to be. Then it takes two people's biometrics to open the loading docks, which also sends quancom signals to SolTech headquarters on Earth."

  "Well, that sucks," Tommy said.

  "Indeed," Adele said, "but that is not the worst part."

  "Oh?" Tommy asked with a raised eyebrow. After all, it seemed to be plenty bad enough as it was, though not insurmountable by any means.

  The pilot nodded and said, "Yes. The worst part would be that it is constantly manned. They maintain a full crew, twenty-four hours a day."

  Tommy cursed under his breath. That would make things interesting to say the least. It didn't make it impossible, though.