by Casey Lea
Free followed without hesitation and Spense stepped through the same opening before it could seal. A vacuum plucked at Free’s cheeks and he was lifted off the ground and sucked along the tube, with Spense floating beside him.
“Orders, sar?”
“Indeed. We need to strike back, Senior. If we hide behind our defenses they’ll eventually break through and take Blossom. We’ve got to make them run, but we don’t have enough ships or missiles left to do that.”
“So what do we do? Throw rocks?”
Free surprised himself with a laugh. “Exactly. And I need you to oversee the rock pile. Once we reach the outskirts we bail out and you head for the trade stores. We’ve been thinking too big, Spense. That’s our problem. We need hundreds of small discrete units. Like bullets. Send out such a hail that it doesn’t matter if some miss.”
The shadows on the other side of the transport became less blurred as Free began to slow. They must be coming up on Centria. It was fortunate escape pods, even those on pirate ships, were programed to land near population hubs.
They stopped and sank back to the floor while an iris opened in the side of the tunnel. Free jumped out to stride along a paved path and Spense ran to join him.
The route ahead was lined by buildings that were made of white stone and shaded by trees with creamy leaves and crimson flowers. There were gardens everywhere, and the path became marbled pavers following a wide river. Cream leaves and gold blossom floated along the water, while a sweet perfume wafted from the trees that were still in flower. Everything was perfect, disturbed only by a faint breeze and the lurid flowers still splashing across the shield above. Each explosion reflected in the river below, bringing fire to the blossom drifting there.
Free kept moving with Spense pacing him silently. The buildings grew taller, with more glass, as they approached the central city and his Senior finally spoke. “Where are we going to get bullets that can penetrate a ship’s shield?”
“Misty did it once.”
“Your daughter?”
Free hurdled a small stream that meandered across the path and Spense followed him.
“Ye. She had to board a ship surrounded by ice. She used metal jackets infused with an energy field to hold exotic matter.”
Spense broadcast horror and reluctance. “That would cut straight through anything.”
“Which is why she kept it quiet, but we need something special or Nexus is lost and we’re all dead.”
“Point taken, sar. But how do we do it? Exotic matter, along with a delivery system to hold it, isn’t just lying around the docks.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. The merchant ships have plenty of containers and we can use the port energy feed to charge them up and turn them into exotic matter holders.”
“But then we’d be stuck. Exotic matter costs a fortune and ships don’t usually need much. Our stock piles won’t be enough. They certainly won’t make hundreds of missiles.”
“Which brings us back to all those ships sheltering in our ports. They use exotic matter to jump into passage space.”
Spense stopped walking and Free slowed, but paced on. He had to take a deep breath and choke back impatience before he could stop too. The effort made him see stars, but he did manage to halt. “Drakkit, Spense, I need you on board, so process this fast.”
“You want to steal exotic matter from the merchants passing through?”
“They won’t be passing anywhere if the pirates win. Give them IOUs, but make it happen.”
Free walked back to grab his subordinate by the shoulder and drag him into motion again. He didn’t mean to be rough, but there was no time. “We need to get those projectiles made. Now.”
Spense finally started moving by himself and gave a sharp nod. “Then we let them loose on the bastards. Take out hundreds. Brilliant, sar.”
“I’m pleased you approve,” Free said and realized he was. Somehow the human had wormed his way past his defenses, which was dangerous.
He broke their eye contact and started to jog, but Spense picked up his pace to keep up.
“I need you out requisitioning ex-em, Senior Chen.”
“On it, sar. I’m just getting links to Lord and Lady IceFlight for you. I assume you’ll want their help with this.”
Double drakkit. “You assume correctly. As usual.”
“They’re not responding. I’ll use the Trade Commissioner instead. Just one thing, sar.”
“Ye.”
“Why does it make you angry when I get things right? I work hard to be a good senior and your reaction’s discouraging.” I wish he’d trust me/ like me.
Spense flushed and Free felt his embarrassment. That plaintive thought was supposed to be private and its sorrow shamed Free. He ran on and Spense stayed with him, although he remained busy on his com. Following orders, no doubt. Something inside Free unfurled, just a little.
“Alright,” he said. “My last truly-good senior tried to kill me. Gull was skilled, intuitive, independent and thoroughly likable. Then he betrayed me and my crew.”
They ran in silence for a second, until Spense grunted. “The merchants aren’t happy, but I’ve got a strike regiment meeting me in the warehouse district to help claim what we need.”
He looked across and caught Free’s gaze. “I understand our problem now, sar. Would it help if I was incompetent and surly?”
Free choked on something that felt like a laugh. “It might. Just leave the incompetence for another day.”
Spense offered a salute in response and spun away. He headed down a side street toward the city’s main warehouses. Free hurried on, but his heart was lighter than it had been. The sky was still bright with explosions, but the shield was holding, so perhaps there was hope after all.
He glanced up again and frowned. Clouds were appearing in the rumbling sky. The pirates’ constant bombardment was destabilizing the shield and could start to do damage to the world below, even if it held. The station controlling that protective field remained Blossom’s most vulnerable point. He wondered how many troops Magreth had found there to back her up.
Free swiped his wrist in a demand for data from the shield bunker and his Strike Leader’s image appeared, but she wasn’t looking at him. He could see the shield bunker behind her, as she stood braced before it with her legs wide and her expression ominously calm. She held her weapon at rest, pointing to the sky rather than the figure in front of her, but she was clearly blocking the way.
The hologram was being sent from a perimeter sensor, so Free could see Magreth clearly, but only the legs and back of the person she was facing. What was going on?
“My Admiral told me to slam this door and keep it closed. To anyone.” Magreth’s voice was deeper than usual and her lilting accent more pronounced. Whoever she was arguing with actually had her stressed.
“Your Admiral?” asked a mocking voice that was shockingly familiar.
“Darsey?” Free yelled and both women jumped.
Magreth’s blaster snapped down to aim at the sensor carrying his feed and Free flinched.
“Careful,” he ordered, “that shot would likely singe Lady Darsey.”
“Sorry, sah,” Magreth said smoothly. She hoisted her weapon back to port arms, but her expression when she stared at Darsey was still loaded. “I was trying to explain to the civilian that she can’t enter the bunker and needs to vacate its surroundings. It’s dangerous here.”
“I have to check the power feed and make sure it’s steady,” Darsey said reasonably and stepped closer to Magreth while turning to flash Free a smile. “I’m sure the Admiral will vouch for me.”
“Of course, but Strike Leader Mashishanga is right, Dee. The shield generator is now the prime target for our enemy and they’ve got someone on the inside who could attack at any time. I told you to go home where it’s safe.”
“Told me,” Darsey said softly and alarm swept Free. “The Council just voted emergency powers to me, Admiral. I’m in charge of all ou
r defensive technology, but your foolish subordinate refuses to accept that. She won’t even look at my pass.”
That was odd. “Magreth?”
“Sorry, Admiral, but I won’t be further distracted from my post. I can’t authenticate anything until I get some backup. Then I’ll give Lady Darsey my full attention.”
That was horribly odd. “How many troops are on guard with you?”
“None, sar. I found the bunker unprotected and this Lady trying to access it.”
“Yes,” Darsey agreed. “To see if the generator had been sabotaged. I knew there was something wrong when I couldn’t find any guards.”
Free realized he’d changed direction and was charging toward the shield bunker, which would take him several minutes to reach.
“Full alert, Strike Leader. I’m sounding the alarm and calling for support. Hold your position. Dee, can I respectfully suggest that you take cover? I’ll see you in two.”
He snapped the link without waiting for Darsey’s reply. Some things he didn’t need to hear, because Dee knew how to follow orders when the guano hit the jets. He entered full battle mode, careless of the power drain and a series of paved plazas went past in a blur. The gardens that followed meandered with the river, but Free went straight through them, ignoring the twisting paths. They could bill him for the shrubs. He crossed the river in a single com-powered leap, landing with a roll, and surged on.
The shield generator was in a bunker that nestled between two low hills, the nearer of which appeared in less than a minute. Amazing what terror-induced panic could do. Free skirted the clover covered mound to reach the bunker’s entrance and skidded to a halt.
Darsey and Magreth were toe-to-toe, with Dee glaring at the officer who was doing her best to watch both her and their surroundings. A new tension twisted Free’s gut. It wasn’t like Dee to be difficult. Not with missile strikes still turning the sky to fire.
“Coming in,” he warned Magreth, who flicked her eyes his way. If she was relieved to see him she didn’t let it show.
Dee swung round with much more animation. “We need to get inside, before this mound explodes because the spy’s done something like planted a bomb in there. The guards are definitely MIA, so anything could have happened. Tell your flunky to move.”
Tendrils of unease flowed up Free’s throat to choke him. He had to clear it before he could speak. Darsey never called people ‘flunkies’. She must truly feel pressured.
“You look pale, Dee, and we’ve got this now. Why don’t you go check on Wing? He’s not answering his com. Weren’t you supposed to be having a romantic night?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed. “We had a fight, which is none of your business. Jeeze, Free. I’m the best scientist the Alliance has. Just let me in.”
“No,” Magreth said before Free could answer. “Go. We need to do our job.”
Darsey’s shoulders hunched, but she didn’t bother answering. Instead she offered Free an apologetic smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“I guess I’d better leave then. I’m sorry to be a nuisance. Not thinking, I guess. I’m scared, Free, that’s all. Terrified they’ll break through to kill my family and I need some reassurance. Would you check the shield’s okay? Please? I’ll wait over here.”
Darsey moved away, jogging round the foot of the other hill, so she could just see over the rising green of its flank.
Free blew out a breath and shared a look with Magreth. She shrugged and he realized he was being paranoid. Darsey felt off because, as Jace would have said, she was freaked out. That was all. He walked to the door and Magreth stepped aside.
It took almost a minute for the mechanism to verify his passcodes and DNA, but finally a series of clicks sounded and the heavy door cracked. It sprang ajar and Magreth helped him pull it wider. A dim light showed inside and he felt the hum of working machinery.
A choked scream from Darsey made Free and Magreth leap for cover behind the open door.
“Free,” she wailed and he was moving without thought.
She called out again. “I’ve found the missing guards.”
He accelerated, charging round the hill and had to stop so fast he went down on one knee. Dee stood off to the side, with her hands over her mouth, while in front of him was a mound of bodies. They lay twisted at all angles, each run through in turn by a length of steel wire that linked them all together, like broken beads threaded on a bloody necklace.
“No,” he breathed, trying to comprehend the strange attack. “How did the wire impale them all?”
“Like this,” Darsey said and pain punched through his wrist.
Free looked down in time to see the mist of his shattered com float away and the pain turned to agony. A sharpened metal skewer had stabbed his wrist. It kept on going, pulling more of its length through him, while the sharp point at its leading end swayed back and forth, searching for more targets. He fell and it dragged him with it. A scream escaped him and he felt horror from Magreth.
“Sar?” she yelled, but didn’t leave her post by the door. Good soldier.
“Shut it,” he tried to call, but the words were a gasp. He tried harder. “Close it.”
Free didn’t know if Magreth heard him, because the wire darted round the hill and jerked him with it. The world turned to black shot through with red and it felt as if his hand was being torn off. He tried to go with it, scrabbling on his knees to follow the leash impaling him.
The pressure eased and Free almost fainted. It took a second to force his eyes to focus and he saw Magreth had almost pulled the door to. She reappeared from behind it, stepping out to push it fully shut. The wire struck, but she saw it coming. She ducked back and was mainly behind the door when the skewer hit.
It didn’t try to stab Magreth, but instead slammed into the heavy bunker door. The hatch swung shut and smashed into Magreth’s right side. She shrieked as the door’s safety mechanism threw it open again.
Magreth staggered out, her armor crushed and blood running down her dark fingers. Her eyes were wide and white, while her left hand groped at the air, trying to find the weapon she’d dropped. He saw apology in her glazed look before she fell.
It was very quiet on the bloody grass in front of the bunker. The sound of tearing from the sky seemed more distant than before. Nothing to worry about.
Darsey’s imposter stepped over Free. He tried to bite her ankle as she passed and caught only her com field. She laughed and stooped to bend over him.
“Do you like my worm-wire? I’m just as good an inventor as she is.”
Free took a deep breath and made a grab with his good hand. He clutched the Darsey-double’s throat, but her com protected her again and she shook him off. She backed up to hurry into the bunker.
A minute passed.
The shrieks from above turned to full-throated roars and the ground shook under Free. The rumbles this time came from the earth, not the sky. Blossom was defenseless and the true bombardment began.
24
Playing Both Sides
The ground heaved under Free and each movement made his stomach heave too. The sound of battle was shattering and he didn’t hear Darsey return until she slammed the bunker door. He looked up and she gave him a sweet smile that made his chest ache. Where was the real Dee?
“Where’s my wife?” a voice yelled above the storm.
Fake Darsey spun and Free hunched round further to see Wing on the crest of the hill. A missile hit the city behind, to outline him in flame, but he kept his feet. The ground stopped jumping and he strode down to join them, holding his outstretched arm steady and his com pointed at the imposter.
She tensed and shot a glance at Free. He glared back, letting her know that if she tried to use him as a shield she’d have a fight on her hands.
The wire tugged at his wrist, making him groan, and its sharpened point rose from the ground beside him.
“Look out,” he croaked as it sliced toward Wing.
His brother dropped to t
he ground so the twisting spear missed, then plucked a sword from his com and before the wire could strike again sliced off its tip. All tension disappeared from the metal length and it flopped to the ground.
Free wanted to flop beside it, but tugged it free instead. His stomach turned over and he dry-heaved, even as he staggered up.
“Down,” Wing snapped and pushed Free back to his knees.
The world spun round and when it steadied fake Darsey was walking toward him. No, toward Wing who was standing over him.
“Stop,” Wing ordered and Free could hear the hum of his brother’s com as it reached full blast power.
The imposter smiled and tossed her hair back, while she kept on coming, her gaze fixed on Wing. Her mind was completely confident.
“You can’t shoot me,” she murmured. “You know you can’t. This is a mistake. It must be. I’m your one true love. Keep looking in these big blue eyes. That’s right. It’s me. You know you can’t-”
Wing shot her.
His com flashed and his arm jerked up, the sharp crack coinciding with fake Dee flying backward. Wing launched himself after her, taking off so fast he kicked dirt back into Freefall’s face. Free had to blink furiously and scrub at his eyes with his good hand to see what was happening.
The imposter rolled over and pushed herself to her feet, but Wing was on her with his sword. He swung hard, connecting with the flat of the blade, not the edge. The weapon slapped the side of her head and she went down face first. She lay there, splayed in the soft earth, while her hands twitched as if searching for help.
Wing was at her side in an instant and a tap of his sword to her wrist caused her com to emergency release. Like most high-tech bands it was programmed to let go if there was any risk to the owner’s limb. It prevented messy theft and Free was relieved. Fake Darsey looked too much like the real thing for him to watch her suffer.
However, he had a more pressing problem. He pushed himself upright, cradling his wrist and stumbled to the bunker. Magreth was curled in front of it as if still trying to block access, so he had to step over her unconscious form to reach the sealed door. It was a challenge, but he leaned against the wall to swing one foot over then the other. It hurt, but what didn’t? He entered the code with shaking fingers and clung to the door frame so he could lean back far enough for the hatch to swing open. A few more steps and he reached the console.
