by T. M. Catron
By this time, the commotion had alerted the others, and Rance sprinted for the back of the store, picking up the stunner on her way.
Shoppers scattered, running into the rain or hiding behind counters. A bolt of tingling electricity brushed Rance’s left arm. Another one hit her right hamstring, sending her to the floor. Pain stabbed through her knee as it bore the brunt of the impact.
Rance’s right leg went numb, but she maintained her grip on the stunner as she slid sideways behind a curtain. More bolts sizzled past, barely missing her as she scrambled to get away.
Behind the curtain, long rows of shelves and locked cabinets lined a narrow hallway. Rance grabbed the nearest shelf to haul herself up on her good leg. She stood panting, pointing her stunner at the curtain. The mercs would be right behind, and Rance would shoot anyone who came through.
They didn’t follow.
The sound of their boots told her that the mercs had learned some caution. They waited on the other side of the curtain, perhaps getting ready to rush her. If one merc came through, Rance would stun him before he had a chance to aim.
But they wouldn’t do that. They would storm the doorway. She might be able to take out a couple, but the mercs would stun her until she was knocked out for a week. Rance calmed her breathing, waiting for the moment.
The suspense was more than she could bear, and she risked a glance over her shoulder. There were no doors, which meant she had run into the storage room instead of a back exit. She was outnumbered, trapped, and hindered by the dead weight of her leg.
Rance took a bracing breath and eased closer to the curtain. If her only way out was through that door, she would have to surprise them before they surprised her. She examined her stunner. It had several settings, including a knob for adjusting the amount of power in the bolts. Rance smiled and turned it all the way up.
The curtain parted, and a shaft of warm light spilled into the storage hallway. Rance aimed, her finger squeezing the trigger almost to the point of firing.
Instead of a mercenary running through, the police drone floated inside to hover at the door. It shifted around, its camera training on Rance. Larger than Rance’s head, the drone looked bigger in the storeroom than it had in the room beyond.
It gave Rance an idea. She transferred the stunner to her left hand. Changing the settings on her ZOD, she switched it over to targeting. It was a feature she rarely used, but as soon as she exited the storage room, it would give her a quick analysis of her enemies’ positions.
Feeling reckless, the captain leapt toward the drone. Hooking her right arm around the cold metal, she used it as a support for her dead leg while propelling herself and the drone through the curtain with her left leg.
She emerged shooting, careful to aim for anyone in a black uniform. Her ZOD did a perfect job of showing her targets scattered around the shop, and Rance had stunned three mercs before colliding with a man standing on the other side of the curtain.
The merc hadn’t expected her to use the drone to propel out of the storeroom at breakneck speed. Rance stunned him in the face before he could pull his trigger, and he hit the floor like a limp doll.
Instead of waiting for the remaining mercs to stun her, Rance let go of the drone. Her speed sent her into a roll, and her numb leg flopped around as she scrambled behind a nearby counter.
The drone followed Rance, and she shot it so no one could use it against her. The bolt of electricity bounced off the drone’s armored casing, knocking it back against a wall. It hadn’t been decommissioned, but it gave Rance time to crawl to the other end of the counter. She peeked out, shooting at the first black uniform she saw. According her to ZOD, there were two left.
The uniform shot back, and Rance ducked into her hiding place. It wasn’t much better than being in the store room, but at least here she could maneuver away.
“Stop shooting at us!” one of them yelled. “Where do you think you’re going?”
The man had a point. Soon they would flank her. If she got out of the store, more mercs or Unity would be waiting outside.
“Afraid of coming after me, Merc?” Rance shouted. At the moment, neither of the remaining mercs looked like they wanted to volunteer to be stunned.
“What did they do,” she taunted further, “send the noobs to catch me?”
“When we get done with you,” one of them called, “you’ll be out cold for a year.”
“My father won’t like that.”
The man snickered. “Is that supposed to scare me?”
That was odd. If Davos had sent these men to capture her alive, he would have placed great importance on her not being harmed. And, if Davos had hired these men, they would have been scared to cross him.
It only confirmed her suspicion that Davos had not sent these mercs.
“What do you want?” she yelled.
“Your surrender. There’s nowhere for you to go.”
Outside, warm sunlight streamed through a part in the clouds, brightening the store. Rance quietly slid around to the end of one desk. From there, she had a clear view of the doors. The rain had let up, and the light glimmered off puddles in the street. Surprisingly, no mercs waited outside. They would be on the way, though. Rance looked around the store, letting her ZOD scan for the remaining two mercs. One stood away from the counter, half-concealed by a support column. He covered the other merc, who was tiptoeing toward the other end of the counter. Neither saw her because of a broad-leafed plant at her end.
The drone saw her, though. It zipped over the counter to turn its camera on Rance, pointing directly at her.
She ducked behind the counter again as the second merc changed course and fired. Rance slid to the middle of the counter, pushed off with her good leg, and raised up enough to fire back. The merc hit the floor, but Rance couldn’t tell if she had stunned him or if he had ducked. She sank down again as the other merc fired.
The stun guns were designed for close range. Rance doubted the merc hiding behind the column could have hit her. Instead of waiting for him to move within range, Rance grabbed the drone for a second time. It vibrated as it tried to pull away, but she wrapped her arm tightly around it, using it as a floating crutch while she shot wildly at the mercs.
Unable to control the drone completely, Rance let it pull her upward. She lost her footing for a moment and shot at the column while hanging in the air.
She let go, dropping precariously on her one good leg. The merc on the floor had been hit, but he still had control of one side of his body. He fired, and the bolt sizzled over her head. Rance fired back, hitting his good shoulder and incapacitating him completely.
The other merc took advantage of his opportunity and sprinted between columns to get within range. Rance fired at him, but her bolts didn’t do anything to him, either. Instead of waiting, she hobbled to her feet once again, her foot tingling. The effects of the stunner were wearing off. If she played her cards right, she might be able to hobble away in the next few minutes.
If she survived that long.
The last merc was angry, and his next shot went wide. She ducked while he grabbed closer cover. Rance fired back to keep him in his place. A light on her stunner turned red, signaling that it needed to charge.
Great. The extra power was draining the battery pack sooner than she had anticipated.
Rance moved around the perimeter of the store, working her way toward the door by using the clothes racks to hide. She kept her stunner trained toward the column where the last merc was hiding. Rance would have to spring across a large open space in front of the door to get outside, but her leg wasn’t going to cooperate. The merc would have no trouble running out to stun her.
Instead, she grabbed a bulky, padded bodysuit and held it up for cover. It wouldn’t protect her completely, but she hoped it would absorb any energy bolts long enough for her to get away.
The pesky drone followed. If she didn’t stop it, it would follow her out into the street. At this rate, it had captured c
ountless photos of Rance; there wouldn’t be any doubt about her identity now. Using her ZOD, she fired quickly. This time, the energy sent the drone through the holos and into a mirror. The glass shattered, littering the floor with sparkling slivers. Seeing his opportunity, the merc came out of hiding and fired. Rance held the bodysuit in front of her face as she dragged her bum leg to the door, making sure to protect her good leg. The suit absorbed the shots, which made little poofing sounds as they hit the fabric.
A brief sizzle, and the merc quit firing as his battery ran down. Rance peeked out to fire back. He dove behind a rack, but she managed to hit his foot as he went down. He cursed.
Elated, Rance continued her hobble toward the door. A few more seconds and she would be outside. She looked at her stunner. It might have one more shot in it before it died, too. She hoped the merc didn’t have an extra battery pack.
The merc stood again and fired, dashing that hope. Rance moved behind a store android, trying to line up her shot. The merc must have known her battery was low because he kept moving, working his way toward her. The android moved away from Rance. She grabbed its shoulder for support and followed.
“How can I be of assistance?” it asked.
“Shut up,” Rance hissed, although the merc probably knew her location anyway.
“If you are unhappy with your purchase, I can—”
“Move outside.”
The android began moving toward the nearest counter, away from the door. “I am not allowed outside unless you need me to load your purchases into a vehicle. If you would like to purchase—”
Rance gave up and let go. She sprinted for the door as best she could, keeping her stunner trained on the merc’s last known location. The automatic doors had been disabled, so she would have to physically push them open.
His head popped up just as the police drone charged her again. Surprised, Rance fired at the merc first. She missed, but he was forced to move. The drone flew strangely, zipping toward her in a series of circular arcs. Rance lined up another shot and pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened—the battery was dead. The captain tossed the stunner aside and slid the doors open wide enough to slide through. She closed them again, hoping they would deter the drone.
She dragged her leg out into the drizzling rain mixed with intermittent sunshine, looking for something to hide behind. Rivulets of dirty water ran down the street, pouring into the sewer. People had started moving out into the strengthening sunlight, and Rance knew she only had a few seconds to get away. When that last merc reached the door, she needed to be out of sight. She dragged her leg down the pavement, gaining curious looks from passersby.
Rance turned the corner onto another street. The more she moved, the more feeling returned to her leg. She thanked her lucky stars that they hadn’t tried hard to stun her at first, or she would have been captured half an hour ago.
Chapter Six
Rance turned off targeting and used her ZOD to navigate into more crowded areas. Separated from her crew and away from the safety of her ship, she had little alternative to getting lost in the streets.
Ahead, a crowd had gathered outside some sort of dispensary, a perfect place to hide in plain sight. Rance slowed and tried to walk as normally as she could—no sense in drawing more attention to herself than necessary.
The crowd had packed in like rations on a ship, so tight Rance had to resort to elbowing people to get through. The crush grew until the center became a wall of people watching a big display above their heads. Unable to force her way forward without creating a scene, Rance looked up too.
The gigantic display showed the Star Streaker in a shot from last night. Its bronze-colored hull gleamed dully in the light from the windows above. Rance almost yelped before remembering where she was. Security video showed her ship landing on the pad above and six people running out of it. Then an official Unity officer came on screen.
“If you have seen this ship, report it immediately,” he said.
What did they mean, if you’ve seen it? They had it right in front of their noses. Then the video showed another clip, at dawn.
The Star Streaker was gone.
Hot blood pounded into Rance’s face. Someone had stolen her ship while they were taking the stairs down!
Rance braced herself. In a moment, her face would be on-screen too. She looked around in panic, realizing that anyone who looked would recognize her.
Then someone pinched her elbow—hard. She turned and saw Roote.
“Come on,” he whispered.
Relieved, Rance followed him back through the crowd. He didn’t seem to have as much trouble cutting through them as Rance had. People parted before him like water before the prow of a boat. Within a minute, he had left her behind again as Rance struggled on, wishing the numbness would wear off faster.
Roote turned, saw Rance lagging behind, and went back to her. She put her elbow on his shoulder for support as they navigated through the throng of people and then ducked into an alley. Rance leaned against the wall to catch her breath.
The alley was so narrow that only two people could walk side-by-side. Large containers lined the walls, taller than Rance or Roote. A sharp smell of hot metal engulfed them, causing Rance to breathe through her mouth instead of her nose. The alley didn’t have any ventilation—and it was stifling.
“What happened to your leg?” Roote asked.
“Stunner—Doxor Planetary Squad.”
“Mercs came after you? How many?”
“Five, but I’m sure there are more.”
Roote looked at her suspiciously. “How did you get away?”
“They underestimated me.” Rance smirked.
Roote’s look didn’t change. “You got away from five mercs on your own?”
“Don’t look so surprised, sunshine. I’m resourceful.”
He regarded her a moment, seemed to accept her answer, and then jerked his head down the alley. “Ready?”
Rance didn’t ask Roote for more help walking, partly because of her pride, and partly because of the way he was acting.
Further down the alley, the smell grew stronger, like the locker room in the XFA after a training session, only a hundred times more putrid. At some point in the past, the buildings had been connected to each other, bringing the alley to an end. Doors led off on both sides—at least fifty, all locked. Rance and Roote checked each door, trying them all while keeping an eye on the entrance.
“Stop!”
They turned at the same time. Far down, two Unity soldiers ran down the alley toward them. Another police drone hovered over the entrance. It looked beat up, and flew crookedly—the drone from the shop. It must have followed Rance and led the soldiers right to her. At this point, she hated drones.
Rance turned to Roote, panic rising in her throat like bile. Or maybe it was actual bile, because she felt like puking. “I’m not going back with them,” she said. “No matter what happens now, I don’t think they’ll do anything to you. Especially since you just started with me.”
Roote smiled grimly. “I doubt they’ll be lenient with me.”
The Unity soldiers were getting closer, running flat out now, faster than Rance had ever seen Unity soldiers run. Come to think of it—something was wrong with their uniforms. Fewer badges, no official insignia. Then Rance realized they were wearing light armor.
Ten seconds away. Rance looked up, hoping for a ladder, or stairway, anything to help them out of their situation. Nothing. Her heart pounded in her chest, beating unmercifully against her ribs. She couldn’t run even if they had a destination.
They were trapped.
“Captain, there was something I wanted to tell you.”
Rance turned to look at Roote. Another war was playing out across his face. He reached behind to his satchel. “You sure you don’t want to just go back to Xanthes and get married?” he asked. “Sure you want to spend your life running?”
Heat rose in Rance’s face. “I’ll go to priso
n before I marry Harrison McConnell!”
Roote nodded and looked at their attackers. “Okay then.”
The first soldier reached them. Rance braced herself for a fight even though she couldn’t win against their armor. Instead of going for Rance, the soldier reached for Roote. Then everything happened so fast Rance couldn’t keep it all straight.
Roote whipped his arm around, bringing a short baton out of his satchel while crouching into an attack position. As the soldier grabbed for him, the baton extended into a long pole so fast it looked like black lightning. With one swipe, he struck the soldier in the throat with a thwack. The soldier crumpled to the ground.
Seeing the first go down, the next soldier dodged Roote’s swipe with the baton. But Roote had already adjusted, and his second strike sent the soldier sprawling on his face. The third assault hit the man’s helmet with a resounding crack, and the dark soldier went still.
Roote straightened, bringing the long baton down to rest one end on the ground. He leaned on it, panting, sweat beading on his face. And then Rance realized—he wasn’t holding a baton.
It was a staff.
She stared at it a moment, trying to work out what she was seeing. Then she looked back at Roote’s face. The war there was gone, replaced by grim determination and satisfaction. Her insides, already jumbled into knots from the chase, jumped up into her throat.
“You didn’t learn that at the Academy, did you?”
Chapter Seven
“Afraid not,” Roote said. Then he bowed with a hand over his heart. “My name is Solaris. At your service, Captain Cooper.”
Rance stood with her mouth open. It was unprofessional and made her look like an idiot, but she couldn’t hide her shock. Then the gears clicked into place. “We helped you escape Xanthes.”
“Yes. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Did Harrison know?”
