by C. G. Hatton
DiMarco leaned his elbows on the table and said, “Tough day?” LC picked up genuine emotion. Maybe the guy wasn’t such a jerk after all.
Tierney growled. “Inventories.” He was thinking, how damned smart do you need to be to run a stock check that matches the damned data on a board with the damned stock you have on a shelf? But he didn’t want to bitch about his people in front of a newcomer. Diplomatic. Who would’ve thought it of a bunch of pirates?
DiMarco smiled and waved to someone across the courtyard to get their attention. The music was getting louder, a drum beating out a pulsing rhythm, and LC could feel the narcotic effect of the smoke rising from the metal cup tingling at the edges of his senses.
Steaming mugs and a basket of dumplings appeared on the table, the girls hanging around and flirting with DiMarco for a few moments before wandering back to serve other tables. The pilot watched them go then poured the last of the liquor into the tiny tumblers.
“To Tortuga,” he said, the words slurring slightly.
They drank then Tierney leaned forward and looked intently at LC. “So what do we have here, DiMarco?”
LC felt that chill again. He didn’t want anyone looking at him. Be invisible, Sean had said. He never tried to stand out, but he couldn’t help it. Olivia called him incorrigible and Mendhel had always laughed and said he couldn’t help himself. It was ironic – give him a tab to run and he vanished into thin air, put him with a group of people and he couldn’t stand aside and watch, not if something was wrong, not if someone was pushing where they shouldn’t.
DiMarco smiled, face creasing into that feral grin, and he pushed across the mugs. “Gallagher is going to fold,” he said. “He’d be a fool not to. He wants to run cargo and you’re offering to pay. It’s a no-brainer, even to someone like him. There’s no AI to interfere, the navigator is pretty good eye candy and the kid running the engine room seems capable enough.”
“What about the other one,” Tierney said, “the tech guy? What of him?”
DiMarco scowled.
LC had to stop himself laughing. Apparently they still hadn’t found Elliott.
“The guy’s a jerk,” the pilot said. “Don’t worry, we’ll find him. I’ve got Tanzi pulling the ship apart. As far as Gallagher goes, he has a decent crew and I don’t think he’ll run to the authorities. He has his own reasons for wanting to be out here with no questions asked. Like the rest of us.” He let that hang for a moment, then added, “Luka here has a bounty on his head worth ten thou a pop just for info.”
Tierney knew. LC could tell they’d already been talking about him. And they’d worked out that ten thousand for information meant a bounty of at least two hundred thousand. He picked up the mug and sipped at the steaming liquid.
“We don’t care what you did, Luka,” Tierney said, slow and careful. “Most people here have a price on their heads. We live in the cracks between society and we only do what we have to do to survive. You could do well here.”
It was some kind of ale in the mugs, cool and heavy, chilled by whatever was making the vapour. LC put the mug down on the table and traced a finger slowly around its rim.
He raised his eyes to meet theirs and said quietly, “I’m not staying,” and knew instantly that it was the wrong thing to say.
Chapter 23
“Never have we lost a field operative to the outside,” the Man said. He swirled the wine in the jug, blood red liquid splashing. “Why now?”
“LC’s different.” NG pushed forward his empty goblet. “He always has been. He stayed with us as long as he did because of Mendhel.”
They sat quietly as the Man filled the cups without a word. NG didn’t know what else to say. Losing Mendhel had been difficult for everyone. It was the first time they’d lost an active handler. The repercussions in Acquisitions had been ferocious and as Earth and Winter had increased security, conditions outside became harder and everyone had started making mistakes, the handlers and the field-ops. Everyone had been shaken. And having Legal sniping at his back hadn’t helped.
The Man pulled back his queen, easily moving her to safety. “It was your decision, was it not, to bring Legal to her new post?” he said softly.
The fumes from the wine had a bitter sweet edge. NG reached for his goblet. He ignored the question about Legal. “I don’t think LC intended to run. He just didn’t feel that he could come back. With good reason.”
He drank, the hot liquor and the bite of the stimulant rushing into his system. He knew he was being defensive. It had been all too easy for everyone to condemn LC as soon as he disappeared but NG knew what it had been like out there. Sitting cosy on the Alsatia, the loudest dissenters had no idea.
He kept the pawn in pursuit of the queen, relentless in his reckless attack.
The Man moved his queen again and looked up. “Did you ever at any point think we’d really lost him for good?”
•
Tierney sat back and DiMarco laughed. They thought he was young and stupid, only Tierney wondering what he could have done to be worth that much to someone.
“We’ll see,” the pirate leader said, not so much threatening as matter of fact.
“Hey, Jiro, do you remember Tanyenko?” DiMarco said, picking up his mug. “Jesus, that guy didn’t know what was good for him either.”
Tierney let DiMarco talk and LC listened to their stories, sitting back casually watching as the courtyard became more crowded as night set in. They weren’t trying to impress him or scare him, they were just swapping tales around a mug of ale. They had no idea where he could be from and no curiosity. The Thieves’ Guild was little more than a folktale this far out, a rumour and myth that had no grounding in the lives of the people out here. He doubted that any of them would even have heard of the Alsatia.
The mugs were topped up twice, then replaced by cups and a jug of something hot and sweet, scented with some kind of herb.
LC was starting to think he was going to fall asleep right there at the table when a guy walked up, nervous looking, wringing his hands, standing awkwardly waiting to be invited to join them. The surge of anxiety threatened to set off a pulsing headache behind LC’s eyes.
DiMarco and Tierney both sat up.
“For Christ’s sake, Tanzi, sit down,” DiMarco said, “and tell me you’ve ferreted out that jerk Elliott.”
Tanzi sat, perching on the edge of the bench, squirming, and pulling a face like he was in pain. The guy really needed to learn some relaxation techniques.
“Elliott, Tanzi. Where the hell is he?” DiMarco said, less than subtle and not disguising his irritation.
“We don’t know,” the guy said timidly. “We’ve used every sensor we have and we’ve searched every inch of that vessel and there is no AI and no way anyone else is on board. I swear it.”
“Could he have skipped out and run?” Tierney said.
Tanzi shook his head emphatically. “We’ve scanned the whole area. Are you even sure he exists?”
DiMarco snorted. “What? What the hell are you saying, Tanzi?”
The guy winced and LC had to concentrate not to wince along with him as his agitation peaked.
“We’ve reviewed footage,” he said, looking from Tierney to DiMarco and back like he didn’t know who he was more afraid of. “The captain, navigator, two engineers,” he looked at LC, “DiMarco, and the guy in the medical bay – that’s all we can see.”
“The guy in the medical bay?” Tierney said, frowning.
DiMarco shook his head. “Passenger. What the hell do you mean, Tanzi, that’s all you can see? Elliott was all over the ship. He was on the bridge. Tall, skinny guy.” He glared at LC as if he was expecting back up.
LC didn’t say a word.
Tanzi shrank into himself, shoulders bunched around his ears. “I’m just telling you what we found. That ship. It’s like it’s…” He stopped abruptly. Haunted, he was thinking.
LC almost laughed out loud, catching himself and coughing instead. Holy crap, th
at wasn’t completely unexpected. He should have known Elliott would have been playing games. He picked up his cup and sipped at the tea.
“Like it’s what?” DiMarco snapped.
“There’s no AI,” Tanzi said firmly, “we’re sure of that. No electrobe activity, no AI core, no veins so no AI. But things happen…” He tailed off, unsure of himself again.
DiMarco stood up and walked round to stand next to the guy.
Tanzi shrank away. “I swear, DiMarco. It’s like there’s something invisible on that ship. Stuff moves. Doors are locked then they’re not. We think we’re making headway getting into the ship’s systems then we’ll suddenly get thrown out. If there was an AI, I could get it, but there isn’t.”
“It’s Elliott, you moron,” the pilot said. “He’s fucking with you.”
Tanzi looked across at Tierney. “We’ve checked and double checked. There’s no living person on that ship.” He bit his lip and looked like he was going to say something but was thinking better of it.
“What?” Tierney said in that soft but persuasive voice.
Tanzi squirmed. “People are starting to talk. You know what they’re like when weird shit starts happening.”
“For crying out loud, Tanzi, Elliott is the ship’s tech guy. He can pull all sorts of crap.” DiMarco looked round at Tierney. “That’s all. He’ll be holed up somewhere.”
“There’s no life signs,” Tanzi argued. “I swear, we’ve swept the whole ship. There’s no one on board and stuff happens and I’m starting to run out of people I can send in there. They’re saying it’s haunted.”
There it was – he’d finally said it.
“I don’t believe this,” DiMarco said, exasperated. “I’ll find him myself tomorrow. And I’ll wring his scrawny neck.”
LC smiled to himself. Elliott would think this was hilarious.
Tierney looked at Tanzi and said softly, “Find him,” and the guy squirmed out of his seat and left, dismissed.
DiMarco was embarrassed and laughed it off, launching into more stories.
LC sat quietly and drank his tea. He was sitting drinking tea in the middle of the night with goddamned pirates. How civilised.
They talked for a while longer then Tierney made his excuses and left, more business to be taken care of despite the hour. DiMarco was still in the mood for talking and waved over more ale and dumplings. LC kept up easily, feigning an interest in the colony and DiMarco’s people that turned disturbingly into a fairly genuine curiosity.
The crowd around the bonfire grew as the night wore on. LC felt almost comfortable there, picking up from a few of the guys watching them a wariness that he was a newcomer and had been sitting with Tierney like they were old friends, but there was nothing to worry about. DiMarco was actually not bad company.
LC still couldn’t help glancing round every now and then. He caught a glimpse of two guys lurking at the far side of the courtyard, drinking and laughing with the girls but casting enough looks his way to catch his attention. They were both armed which in itself was nothing unusual but they were both watching him. It didn’t take a lot of effort to scan the crowd around the courtyard, home in on them and figure out that they were bounty hunters. He swept back round and closed in on DiMarco. The pilot was calm, glad to be home. No hint of betrayal. Sean had said they were probably following her. They could have been here by pure random chance but maybe she was right. Anyhow, it was time to go.
It wasn’t much later that DiMarco stood, stretched and offered to walk LC back to the safe house, not giving him any choice in the matter which was absolutely fine. The two bounty hunters watched them leave, watched the contingent of Tierney’s men follow them and decided against trying anything. LC managed to not smile as he walked away.
As they moved further from the courtyard, the town got dark and quiet, a chill permeating the streets and only their footsteps breaking the silence. LC could still feel the cloudy edge from the liquor and the narcotics even as the virus worked to neutralise it all.
DiMarco complained the whole way about Elliott. It was funny. The guild had tricks and gizmos they used to disguise life signs, nothing available on the open market or even the black market but there was nothing ordinary about Elliott so it wasn’t surprising the guy might have something like that. LC let the pilot rant and didn’t bother to argue.
There were armed guards outside the house. DiMarco stopped and spoke quietly with them then opened the door for LC.
“Are we under house arrest?” LC said, not really expecting anything else.
“It’s for your safety,” DiMarco said dryly. “You’ve got free run of the house but don’t try to go anywhere outside. You’re under my protection here. I can’t guarantee that someone else won’t get ideas if they hear about you.”
DiMarco left him there and the door was locked behind him. It was dark in the main room downstairs but a flicker of light was creeping under a door at the far end of the hallway and he could hear voices even though it was well past midnight.
He pushed through the door into the kitchen where the others were sitting nursing a jug and cups that looked like they’d come from the same shipment as the ones they’d had in the courtyard. They’d probably been raided from the same ship.
They all looked up as he stepped in. They were tired and expecting him to have news, but it wasn’t really anything he wanted to share yet.
Sean poured him a cup of the tea and said, “So?”
He took a sip while he decided how much to say. It was more bitter than the stuff he’d been drinking at the courtyard.
“Are they going to let us go?” Gallagher said, slumped down with his arms folded on the table.
“No,” LC said simply.
Gallagher groaned. Thom seemed calm, tired but calm, that training kicking in again. He was tired and wanting to sleep but not wanting to miss out on anything that might happen.
Sean seemed to realise that LC wasn’t going to talk openly. She said, “Why don’t we all get some sleep?” and sent to him privately, “What’s going on?”
“What’s the sleeping arrangements?” he sent back.
“Two rooms, one for you guys and one for me.”
LC smiled. “Does your room have a window?”
Sean hid her smile with the cup as she took a sip of her tea. “Yes, it does.”
LC rubbed his eyes and stood. “I’m goosed,” he said out loud. “Let’s all talk in the morning.”
Sean followed his lead. As she eased her way past him, LC hooked a hand around her waist and fell into step with her, looking back over his shoulder at Gallagher and Thom with a wink.
“Yeah, subtle,” she sent. “Watch where that hand is.”
Up in the room, LC checked the window and threw his jacket on the bed. He stripped off layers down to one shirt and turned to see Sean watching him.
“There are bounty hunters here in town. They saw me,” he said and knelt to tighten his bootlaces. “We need to go.”
She was surprised, disturbed and relieved all at once. “Good. We’re ready.” We meaning her and her ship.
LC stood up. “I have to speak to Elliott first.”
“Why?”
He crossed the room and opened the window. “Don’t ask.”
She put her hands on her hips. “I’ll come with you.” She was worrying about him. She’d been worrying all night and she didn’t want to lose sight of him again. There was a disconcerting mix of emotions there that he didn’t feel up to confronting.
He turned and leaned back on the stone window ledge, feeling the cool air through his thin shirt. “You won’t be able to keep up,” he said softly.
“If DiMarco knows about the price on your head, others will,” Sean said. “You just said there are bounty hunters who know you’re here. I can’t let you risk your safety like this.”
“You can’t stop me.”
Climbing up onto the roof was easy. And once up there, it wasn’t difficult to find a route back to the
wall, jumping across gaps and balancing his way across beams between the flat rooftops.
He tried not to think about Sean. She’d slammed the window shut behind him and had been fuming, feeling inept which wasn’t something she was used to. She was thinking he was being reckless but he’d been accused of that so many times before, it was hardly going to make him stop.
Approaching the wall was more tricky. LC lay on the top of a flat-roofed house some distance away, watching the patrols and guard changes and timing the pattern. When he had it, he dropped down to street level and made his way through narrow alleyways to the edge of the town. There was a flat open killing ground running round behind the wall. He stood in the shadows of a building and watched. They were sticking to their routines strictly enough but with a casual air, not bothering to keep total blackout and talking loudly enough that voices were drifting through the night air.
LC picked his spot, timed the moment and ran, no noise, low profile, easily making it to the wall without attracting any attention. Climbing the wall itself was the most effort he’d exerted since getting shot and it was frustrating to feel the pull of weakness in the muscle but it was an easy up, nothing like the Wall in the Maze back on the Alsatia. He reached the top, stayed low for a moment listening then eased himself over the edge to climb down into the desert beyond.
He ran then, pacing himself and pushing it more than he should have done but it was good to feel the desert air in his lungs, dry and cool, feeling the oxygen flow. He ignored the ache deep in his right thigh and kept his stride steady and even.
He got half way out to the landing strip before he slowed to a walk. It was quiet out there, the black sky pierced by stars.
Something was different.
