Storm Divers (Book 1 of The Fractured Republic Saga)

by Terry Mixon

  Jason’s eyes widened. “Seriously? I expected this little disaster to set us way back. This is great!”

  “You have no idea.” He held up his com so his friend could see the deposit amount.

  Jason’s eyes rounded. “Holy shit! That’s almost fifty percent more than what Double Dick was bragging he got paid. And he was probably exaggerating.”

  “That’s what I said. To myself. As I walked out with the money.”

  The little Asian man grinned. “We’re gonna party like never before, bro. I can’t wait to tell Cindy. She might make an exception for you now.”

  “Pass. How are we doing today?”

  They got down into the details of the testing schedule. He already knew where they were by heart, but he had to stay on top of the specifics if they were going to wrap up on time.

  As they went through it, his people came up singly and in small groups to make sure he knew they were thinking of him. It was heartfelt and a bit embarrassing, but he loved them all like brothers and sisters.

  He decided that he would have a party tonight, but it would be with the construction crew.

  Once they had everything covered, Adam gave Jason a steady look. “Houston said we should report the sabotage to security. I think she’s right. It might be connected to Zane’s disappearance.”

  “Seriously? You never even saw the guy. Why would something that happened a few months ago lead to this?”

  “I think it’s tied into Mars.”

  His friend knew all about the incident. They’d gotten drunk too many times for the story to stay a secret.

  “Wow. I can see we need to have another heart-to-heart.”

  “Make sure everyone knows I want to have a little get-together this evening. Just us. Just family.”

  Jason nodded. “Good call, bro.”

  Adam looked over his friend’s shoulder and spotted Jack Drake from the FTL team coming up the corridor. It was time to start coordinating the test flight and handover. Javelin was about to become someone else’s baby.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Rachel breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she’d ditched the reporter. What a disaster. If he put her face on some sports program, her career was over.

  He’d seemingly agreed that Hale and Zane were the real stories. The hints she’d dropped that Hale’s misadventure might be connected to his brother’s disappearance sent the man’s thoughts off in a useful direction. He’d made haste to start checking it out.

  She grinned. Hale wouldn’t thank her for the added publicity, but he’d brought it on himself. Let him deal with the consequences.

  Rachel arrived at the security checkpoint and waited impatiently for them to give her a thorough look. Once they were satisfied that she wasn’t armed or strapped with any kind of explosive, chemical, or biological device, they let her into the port offices.

  Since she’d called ahead, a lower level management drone was waiting for her. He barely looked old enough to shave regularly.

  He extended a hand. “Miss Price? Edward Langstrom, assistant to the vice president of port operations. We can talk in my office.”

  “Thank you for taking the time to see me.” She gave him a warm smile and shook his hand gently. Soft and feminine were more likely to get useful results here.

  The man led her to an elevator, and they took a lift down to about 0.8 G. His office was small, and he’d crammed it with knick-knacks. Small rocks seemingly from every single planet and moon humanity had visited.

  She nodded appreciatively. “You have quite the collection. Did you gather them all yourself?”

  He laughed and sat down behind the small but efficient-looking desk. “I wish. No, I bought them from a company that pays people to bring them back. I’m really proud of them.”

  Rachel took a moment to examine the collection more closely. She didn’t give a damn about his hobby, but her interest would make him more likely to cooperate, even though she didn’t expect to uncover anything.

  “This is really cool. Do you have one from every planet and moon?”

  “All of the rocky planets and most of the moons. See the little plaques certifying where they came from? Once I finish with the solar system, I’ll start collecting from the colonies.”

  The containers were marked with the planet and the area they supposedly came from. It was probably some kind of scam, like when companies offered to name stars and extraterrestrial planets after people.

  They probably all came from the belt. The cost to ship rock back from a place like Eris would be damned high, considering how far beyond Pluto it orbited. Why not lie and pocket the extra profit?

  Still, not her problem.

  She took the seat in front of his desk. “Again, thank you for taking the time to see me. Things are so crazy and I need to find out what happened to my fiancé, Zane Hale. He arrived here and then vanished. It’s been months and security isn’t doing everything they can. I’m sure of it.”

  The man’s expression sobered. “I’m very sorry to hear about that. I took the liberty of checking the arrival and departure logs. He did pass through customs, but he didn’t depart again. Whatever happened, it took place on the station proper.”

  That was about what she’d expected. “I’m worried that someone might have smuggled him back into the port and done something to him. Is there a way to be sure he didn’t come through another way?”

  Frankly, she was virtually certain he hadn’t. If Janus, or some part of it, had kidnapped him, they had a number of other ways to get rid of him.

  Langstrom frowned. “No one without the correct credentials can get into the port, even as a guest. We take security here exceptionally seriously. After the Disruptor attack, we instituted a completely new layer of checks and balances to be sure we kept the station safe.

  “I know a lot of places say that kind of thing and then hire security people at the lowest wages and hope nothing bad happens, but that’s not what we do.

  “We pay top money for the best we can hire and then test them regularly with an opposition team paid to breach our defenses. They get big bonuses when they do and then we patch the holes. No one could have snuck in here.”

  He sounded confident, but then he would, wouldn’t he?

  This was only part of her cover, so it didn’t matter if this angle failed. Still, she needed to play the role of worried lover convincingly.

  “I’m sure security is very tight, but he got out of the station somehow. Can you do some kind of check to make sure he didn’t come through again somehow?”

  Langstrom mostly hid a sigh and gave in. “I have his data from his arrival inspection. I can run it past the monitors at all entrances. It’ll take a few minutes.”

  “Thank you,” she gushed. “Thank you so much!”

  He worked at his comp for a few minutes and then leaned back. “The search is running. It won’t take long to come back with a negative reading and then you’ll know—”

  Langstrom sat up abruptly and stared at the screen. “I don’t believe it.”

  Shocked at the unexpected reaction, Rachel rose to her feet and stepped around the desk. She expected him to object, but he just stared at the image on the screen.

  There, just entering the port through some maintenance hatch, was Zane. He wore what looked like a port utility uniform and had a badge that looked damned real.

  Her “cover building” had just turned up an unexpected lead.

  * * * * *

  Adam finished his workday more restlessly than he’d expected. The events of the last day had left him feeling jumpy. Once they had completed the handover to the next shift, he and Jason headed for security.

  Security headquarters on Jove Station wasn’t much to look at. A plain but functional entrance led in to an equally bland lobby. One of the uniformed men at the desk waved them over.

  Adam walked around two officers wrestling a shouting man in handcuffs and stopped in front of the desk. “I’m here to report an attempted mu
rder.”

  That got the man’s attention. His nametag said Davis. “Who tried to kill who?”

  “I’m not sure who did it, but I’m the victim.”

  “Tell me what happened and I’ll enter it into the system. A detective will call you back once that’s done.”

  Adam explained the circumstances of the sabotage to the security officer.

  The man entered the information and gave them a final questioning look. “Are you sure this was sabotage? Couldn’t it have been equipment failure? Not to imply anything, but bad luck can kill you down there.”

  Jason shook his head. “No way. I found melted wires that bypassed the safety buffers. Someone put them there, so this was an intentional act.”

  Davis nodded. Whether that meant he believed them or was just acknowledging what the two of them had said, Adam had no idea.

  “If you’ll take a seat, one of the detectives will be right out.”

  Adam sat, and Jason dropped down beside him.

  “Do you think they’ll believe us?” his friend asked.

  Adam shrugged. “Probably. They have to look, just to be sure.”

  The detective turned out to be a tall, slightly overweight woman with a pugnacious expression and bright-red hair that seemed disinclined to staying put.

  She held out her hand. “Mister Hale. I’m Detective Amelia Quinn, homicide.”

  He admired her grip. “Detective. My associate Jason Chang.”

  Quinn shook Jason’s hand as well. “If you’ll come back to my office, I want to go over your statement in more detail.”

  She led them back into the maze of cubicles and then up an elevator to another floor. She stopped at a desk set in a small pond of similar desks.

  Harried-looking men and women occupied about half of them, either taking statements or questioning people in handcuffs. The air smelled of unwashed bodies and burnt coffee. All in all, it seemed just about like one would expect from a security station.

  Once they were sitting, she read his statement back and asked if it was correct.

  He nodded. “That’s right.”

  “First, let me say that I’m shocked you’re still alive,” she said bluntly. “Jupiter is nothing to dick around with. Have you considered taking up a safer hobby? Like bomb disposal?”

  He allowed a wry smile onto his face. “Good one. Seriously, someone tried to kill me. We’re not joking.”

  “Who hates you enough to want you dead? Another diver? A jilted lover?” She glanced at Jason. “A jealous partner?”

  “Well, this turned ugly fast,” Jason muttered. “I didn’t try to kill him. He’s my best friend.”

  “You’d be astonished how many best friends whack one another. And lovers, for that matter.

  “Let me be frank, gentlemen. People kill for just a few reasons, once you boil it down: because they lost it with someone close to them, money, or to take out someone they’re competing with in some way. While there are exceptions, they are few.”

  Adam nodded. “That makes sense. Well, I’m in competition with a number of people, but it’s not a zero-sum game. I don’t have to step on someone to do well. Neither do the other divers.”

  “I’m not sure that’s true. What about the games? There are only so many places at the top. Even discounting that, I hear there’s a big audience for the few of you crazy enough to dive. You make some bank on the videos and fame that generates. Even endorsement deals, am I right?”

  He reluctantly admitted she was right. “That’s not enough to kill over. The money all goes back into the ships.”

  “So, someone wouldn’t benefit from extra cash to put into their ship? That’s what we call motive here at security central. But that’s not the only avenue. Is someone pissed at you for sleeping with their girlfriend? Or boyfriend? Your choice on that one.”

  He shook his head. “No. It’s been a while and never someone else’s squeeze. Or even someone that anyone I know is interested in.”

  She made some notes on her comp. “Have you pissed anyone off so bad they might want you dead?”

  Adam sighed. “It’s been a while and it was never public knowledge. I’m sure that isn’t the reason.”

  Quinn raised an eyebrow. “The plot thickens.”

  “I used to be Republican military. I can’t get into the classified parts of my work, but I was involved in the action on Mars ten years ago.”

  The detective frowned. “That was a Disruptor plot, wasn’t it?”

  “No. The Free Mars movement killed the governor and his staff.”

  Her expression cleared, and she nodded. “I remember a little now. A bunch of people were killed in the fighting. How were you involved? As a foot soldier?”

  “I was in command of the team that secured their headquarters. Mistakes were made and people died.”

  Quinn sat back. “Well, that would surely make you a target. Why would they wait so long for revenge? Was your role common knowledge?”

  He shook his head. “No. They don’t release names for special operators. No one could easily find out it was me, much less where I went after I got out of the service.”

  “Maybe it took them a decade to make it happen.” She leaned forward. “Have you noticed anyone paying undue attention to you, Mister Hale? People spying on you or tracking your movements?”

  This wasn’t going the way he’d planned. Anything he said was going to make Price look like a suspect. Though, he supposed that was still possible. He really wasn’t cut out for this spy shit.

  “My brother supposedly came out to Jove Station looking for me. I never saw him, and it’s been months. His fiancé arrived yesterday looking for him.”

  Quinn checked her comp. “I see the reports and the investigative notes. The woman is Rachel Price?”

  He nodded.

  She rubbed her chin. “It says here that your brother just vanished. Why didn’t you come looking for him after we contacted you? It says here you were quote, uncooperative and surly, end quote.”

  Adam smiled sourly. “Zane and I weren’t close. We haven’t been for a long time. I didn’t care that he’d vanished. I still don’t.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Yet it might be part of the background on the attack. What do you think of the woman?”

  He shrugged. “She really cares for Zane. She wants to find him. That doesn’t lead back to the sabotage. It had to be someone with knowledge of how our ships work to do it. I think that counts her out. Besides, I’ve spent a little time with her and she doesn’t seem the type.”

  “That’s something I’m more qualified to determine than you, Mister Hale. I think I have enough background information to start poking my nose where it belongs. I want to send a tech out to examine your ship. Today.”

  Jason nodded. “I have it torn apart. I was looking for other sabotage. I can take someone there right now, if you like.”

  “Let me call someone to meet you in the lobby.”

  She transferred her gaze to Adam. “Be careful, Mister Hale. If someone wants you dead, they’ll try again. Vary your routine and be mindful of things around you. If something seems off, call security. I’d much rather expend effort on something that turns out not to be threatening than to have to cart off your body. Clear?”

  This time his smile was fuller. “I’d rather avoid that, too. Thank you, Detective Quinn. If you need anything else, just call.”

  She escorted them back out to the lobby and left them there.

  “Do you think they’ll catch whoever did this?” Jason asked.

  He shrugged. “I hope so. Looking over my shoulder for the next attempt would suck.”

  His com rang. It was the number Price had given him.

  “Hale.”

  “We need to meet. I found a clue about your brother.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Rachel met Hale at a diner down the corridor from the one they’d used this morning. It was less of a pleasure to eat at. The coffee was vile, and the sandwich she order
ed looked like someone had sat on it. Without pants.

  She looked around carefully for the guy who’d been tailing her earlier, but he seemed to have found something else to do. She’d keep an eye out while meeting with Hale in case he returned.

  Hale arrived a few minutes after she’d started eating and sat down across from her. “You really should run your meeting locations past me. This place sucks.”

  “Tell me about it.” She dropped the sandwich and pushed her plate away.

  “I visited the port this morning. It turns out Zane snuck in the same day he disappeared. They’re not sure how he jiggered their security precautions, but I have some ideas.

  “In any case, he went in, but never came out. The guy I talked to promised to get back to me, but I doubt that will happen. Frankly, I’m surprised he told me as much as he did. I think he was in shock.”

  Hale frowned. “Why would Zane be sneaking into the port? If he was investigating Janus, that makes no sense. Yes, they run the port, but it’s not like anything there is connected to what he was looking for.”

  “He obviously felt differently.”

  “We know someone that works there,” Hale said. “You met her last night. Cindy Stevens.”

  “What does she do?”

  “Something administrative in the cargo department.”

  Rachael nodded. “We’ll probably need to talk to her at some point. Zane obviously thought those ex-RIS spies had some connection to the port. We need to figure out what that was before security gets involved.”

  He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “About that. My boss suggested that I go talk to security about the sabotage. When I spoke to the detective, she drilled in on the Mars incident. I didn’t connect you with that, but she knows you’re here looking for my brother. She’s going to put two and two together.”

  She sighed. Just one more complication she didn’t need.

  “Don’t worry about it. I think you probably made the right decision. Security needs to look into the sabotage. They have more resources than we do, and word is no doubt getting around. If there’s any evidence, they’ll find it. While they investigate that, we’ll keep looking for Zane.”