by C. G. Hatton
NG stopped, merged into the shadows, and concentrated, isolating the life signs and homing in on Hilyer. He wasn’t moving.
The Senson engaged with a dry, “Don’t. You need to extricate,” from Elliott.
Not an option. NG changed direction, backtracking to find a way through.
‘Don’t get me killed here, Nikolai.’
He wasn’t about to abandon the kid. He picked up his pace. More and more search parties were starting to flood into the area. From what he could pick up, the Wintrans didn’t know what they were dealing with and they weren’t tracking them or sensing them in any way. But even so, with that many bodies searching, it was just a matter of time before they ran out of options if they didn’t get out of there.
Sebastian stirred, a disturbing and cold essence inside. ‘You’re making a mistake.’
NG didn’t stop, heading directly for Hilyer. He ran along a beam, jumped across to a narrow rail and dropped down out of the darkness onto a gantry high above a maintenance area, feeling the sting of electrobes at the back of his throat. Hil was sprawled, unmoving, on the deck below.
Damn.
NG dropped down and ran forward, sliding down onto his knees to skid in to a halt beside Hilyer, placing a hand on Hil’s chest.
He was still alive.
‘Not for long.’
NG checked him over quickly, scanning around as he sat there in the open, trying to ease the pressure on the kid’s lungs and trying not to be drawn in by the prickling agony that was sparking through Hil’s body.
Hil gasped suddenly and curled up, swearing, muttering, “Oh crap,” breathing laboured and eyes squeezed shut.
‘Interesting…’
This wasn’t just electrobe poisoning. The virus was active, suddenly and ferociously active, fighting with the electrobes in the kid’s system.
Hil rolled over onto his back, groaning and cursing under his breath.
It was a hell of a time for the virus to kick in.
NG could feel search parties closing in.
‘Leave him,’ Sebastian hissed again.
That wasn’t going to happen.
NG shook his head and sent silently through the implant to Hil, “We need to move,” grabbing his arm and dragging him up.
They took three or four steps before the kid folded over coughing, stumbling to his knees. The wave of pure pain that hit NG was agonising. Consuming. It took a second to block it out and blink away the tears. Hil was close to passing out again, internal temperature shooting up and oxygen levels desperately low.
A hatch some way behind them clanged as it was flung open.
They could not afford to be caught here.
‘Damn right you cannot be caught here. One of Zang’s little cronies is on board, did I not mention that before?’
Of course Zang would have someone on board his battle cruiser – they were looking for LC.
There was a clanging of metal on metal below them. NG pulled Hil to his feet, hoisting the kid’s arm over his shoulder. They needed to find somewhere to lie low.
‘Zang has mobilised some of his most expensive assets. We should be flattered.’
Half running, half staggering along the narrow gantry, he could feel the pounding heartbeats of a thousand people as the desperate realisation that they were stranded dawned on them, the arrogance that came from an easy victory plummeting into panic, then anger.
More loud, clanging echoes began to reverberate through the deck, blast doors slamming shut as the crew initiated manual lock down.
‘They’re going to flush you out. Looks like we might be going to meet Zang after all. I had something rather different in mind when I suggested it…’
Hil staggered, coughing, threatening to sink to his knees again. It was getting harder to keep him upright and moving.
There was a hiss. NG glanced up, sensing the gas as he spotted the vents spewing out white mist. The Expedience was designed to carry prisoners – of course they’d have suppressant systems. He covered his mouth with his arm but the molecules hit his bloodstream with such a punch it was tough to neutralise it quickly.
Hil was pretty much a deadweight against his shoulder.
There were crashes up ahead and behind, heavy footsteps and yells.
NG shoved Hilyer to the side and spun, weighing up the full scale of the force closing in on them.
‘Don’t…’
They fired before he could try anything, FTH so the shots were muted in the enclosed space, yells and a pure adrenaline-fuelled focus emanating from the armoured and masked marines who suddenly had a target in front of them.
Sebastian growled, withdrawing from the pain as FTH rounds impacted and armour-weighted punches hit home. NG fell to his knees, curling up, an almost overwhelming urge to lash out with a blast of energy tempered by a weakness from the gas that was pulling his senses sideways.
A vicious kick landed against his ribs with a crack and the hot metal of a gun barrel pressed against the back of his neck, burning into his skin. He could feel the trembling anticipation behind it as the pressure increased. FTH rounds at point-blank range were nasty and it was a vindictive son of a bitch who leaned in close, whispered through the mask into his ear, “Wrong ship to fuck with, mate,” and pulled the trigger.
Chapter 29
“You should have run tests.”
“There are a lot of things we should have done and should not have done,” he said. “It is irrelevant. What is, is.”
She leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees, the light of the fire a warm glow on her cheeks. “We run the guild on the back of our operatives. This virus? It has cost us dearly.”
It had. But without it, the outcome would have been very different.
“Where is Science with it?” she asked.
“Learning.”
“Did you consider giving it to Nikolai?”
He rubbed his fingers and thumb together, contemplating adding more of the black powder. “No.” That was a lie. He’d come very close to that, would probably have ordered it if events had not transpired as they had. “I couldn’t risk it.”
•
He spat blood onto the polished deck of the bridge and slowly raised his eyes to look at the uniform standing in front of him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
They triggered the device they’d stuck into the back of his neck and his knees buckled as another blast of pain shot through his spine.
As bad situations went, this was turning out to be fairly awesome. NG choked back a laugh. Someone grabbed a handful of his hair and punched him again.
They’d scanned him, detected the Senson and slapped a patch onto the side of his neck so he couldn’t contact anyone. He’d tried to find Duncan or LC but there was nothing clear.
He blinked and coughed, looking up.
The guy in the uniform was the captain by the look of his insignia, his demeanour and the way the crew were deferring to him. “Don’t make me ask again.”
The device was emitting a pulse that throbbed in time with his heartbeat, small shivers of persistent pain that were distracting but not debilitating. NG shook his head, trying not to throw up on the guy’s shiny shoes. It was taking all the effort he could manage to just keep the pain under control.
“Your security is a joke,” he said softly. “Your AI was too easy.”
That got him another blast from the device and the agony seemed to last forever. When it eventually ceased, he slumped forward, heart thumping. The noise in his head from the crew surrounding him was a ringing clamour of anger and disbelief.
He glanced sideways at Hilyer who was drifting in and out of consciousness, held up next to him by two guys in powered armour.
Someone slapped the back of NG’s head.
“Release my AI.”
“Can’t do that.”
“Who are you working for?”
“We’re not working for anyone.”
“You evaded our sensors and incapacitated our AI. Who
are you?”
NG tugged at the manacles restraining his wrists behind his back. He was slapped again and a gun barrel was nudged up under his chin.
The captain leaned in close. “Answer the question.”
NG shook his head. “I don’t…” The device sparked and it was suddenly really hard to concentrate, vision narrowing to a dark tunnel and a hot fever clutching at his mind. The small device became his whole world.
The captain nodded, signalling to someone off to the side. The gun that was pressed up against NG’s jawline vanished, whipping back hard to impact against his temple again.
Senses rattled. Fresh blood poured into his eye and trickled down his face.
Sebastian stirred, dark and disturbed. ‘Kill him before he kills you.’
They weren’t going to kill him. He’d had worse. Their interrogation technique left a lot to be desired. You don’t get intel from anyone by killing them.
The captain came close again. “Release my AI.”
Sebastian twitched.
The atmosphere on the bridge suddenly changed. Footsteps and the chill of a calm, cold newcomer.
“What do we have here?” It was a strong Wintran accent, the words carrying no emotion.
‘Gian Fiorrentino. Now this is interesting.’
NG raised his eyes to look towards the voice. The guy was wearing a slick suit, corporate executive, different breed to the militia that were crew here and an arrogant confidence in his demeanour that was chilling.
Fiorrentino was Zang’s right hand man, rumoured to be his great-great-nephew or some such and considered his heir by some in the hierarchy of Zang Enterprises. Devon had always said the man was overrated and liable to destroy the corporation if left to his own devices hence the motivation for Zang to stay alive as long as he was.
The captain stepped back. “See what you can do,” he said dismissively. “I have a ship to run.” He walked away.
Fiorrentino smirked, looking at Hilyer. He reached and peeled the patch from NG’s neck then stepped back, keeping eye contact, undisguised curiosity burning in his mind.
The Senson engaged abruptly.
“Thieves’ Guild,” he sent. Smug, no question there.
NG didn’t react. The device was still humming an agonising melody into his synapses.
He sent urgently on a private tight wire, “Angel?”
“NG?”
“We might have messed up here…”
‘Don’t worry, he doesn’t know who you are,’ Sebastian murmured, ‘but he knows Hilyer. Can you feel the hate?’
“If you want to get out of this alive, you will release the AI,” Fiorrentino said out loud.
“Release the colonists.”
That elicited a smile. A feeling of something like admiration flitted over the guy’s mind. He had one of the goddamned Thieves’ Guild on his knees in front of him, bleeding and at his mercy, and the cocky son of a bitch was making demands of his own.
He sent privately, coldly, “Where’s Anderton?”
NG managed to smile back, breathing still hard and concentration wavering. “Not here,” he sent back.
“We want our package.”
“We don’t acknowledge your blackmail as a legitimate contract. Come to us direct next time you want something. It’ll cost you a lot less.”
“Where’s the package?”
‘He wants it for himself,’ Sebastian hissed suddenly. ‘He wants the elixir for himself. He has no intention of delivering you up to Zang.’
NG laughed. And he thought the internal politics on the Alsatia were complex?
That didn’t go down well. The pain from the device increased a notch. He could feel Sebastian working to neutralise it.
Martinez was trying to get through to him but it was hard to focus. “Get LC and get onto the Duck,” he tried to send, not sure whether he managed it. “Find Gallagher. Find out where it happened.”
Fiorrentino pulled a gun out from beneath his jacket, making a show of checking the magazine and cocking it before pointing it at Hilyer’s head. “Release the AI.”
“Kill him and you never get it back,” NG said.
Another smile. The guy knew fine well that it was Zach Hilyer being held there and had no intention of killing him. He casually prodded Hilyer in the side with his gun barrel, hatred burning beneath the cool exterior.
Hil stirred slightly. His hands were bound behind his back, face bruised.
Fiorrentino looked up, still smirking. “No one messes with the Thieves’ Guild, right? Isn’t that what you say?” He was keeping it private still. He obviously didn’t want anyone else on board to know. He stepped forward, the smile dropping and a hard edge appearing in his eyes. “We want our package. Where’s Anderton?”
NG blinked, the blood starting to clot one of his eyes closed. “Where’s Zang?”
There was a shake of the head then, exaggerated disapproval as if the guy was talking to a child. “You’re not in a position to bargain. You have nothing. The Thieves’ Guild is finished. Zachary here made a serious mistake by attacking us. Power shifts. Your time is over. Done. And all it took to precipitate your downfall was a petty betrayal by a pretty girl. Anyone would think we had her mother killed to put her in such a vulnerable position…”
‘He’s lying. Let me loose and I’ll kill him slowly.’
“Where’s Anderton?” Fiorrentino sent again, taking another step forward.
NG shook his head slowly, needles of pain sparking behind his eyes. “I’ll talk to Zang.”
Fiorrentino laughed. “You’ll talk to me,” he sent, keeping to the private link. “You’ll release the AI and you’ll tell me exactly where we need to go to find your other little bastard thief and the package he stole from us. You’ve lost. Face it. What’s the point in fighting any more? Trust me, I can make this a lot more painful for you.” He raised a hand in a casual gesture, beckoning, and said out loud, “Time to find out exactly who you are.”
NG sensed someone move in behind him and closed his eyes as an autoinjector hit his neck with a sting. Two of the shots were Banitol, another was a stimulant and god knows what else.
Someone was trying the Senson again but he couldn’t even tell who it was, never mind concentrate to reply.
Sebastian was getting more and more agitated.
‘Yes, I’m fucking agitated. This guy is going to kill you. You should kill him now. Be damned with the consequences.’
The drugs flooded into his bloodstream, almost overwhelming his senses. It was tough to neutralise it all with everything else he was dealing with. Multicoloured flashes sparked behind his eyes.
“What’s your name?” Fiorrentino said.
It was shockingly tempting to answer honestly and he opened his mouth to say ‘Nikolai’, catching himself just in time, a rush of adrenaline making his heart pound.
“What’s your name?”
NG raised his eyes slowly and said instead, slowly and deliberately, “Sebastian.”
‘Oh, fucking hilarious.’
“Well done, Sebastian. That wasn’t hard, was it?” Fiorrentino stepped back, folding his arms.
If there was any such thing as orchestrated fate at work in the universe, Thom Garrett’s warship would turn up to the party any minute now.
It didn’t.
‘Nikolai…’
Coming round was a slow and painful realisation that he’d lost consciousness at some point and had no idea what he’d done or said.
‘Don’t worry, you said nothing,’ Sebastian murmured sullenly.
There was a sting against his neck and NG was hauled to his feet. A gun barrel pushed against the back of his neck again.
‘It’s not FTH. Be careful what you do here, Nikolai…’
His chest felt like it was on fire.
‘How long was I out?’
‘Not long. They got Hilyer awake and made him watch while they kicked you to the floor. He didn’t tell them anything either. I never knew these youngs
ters could be so resilient. He told Fiorrentino to go fuck a goat. That didn’t go down well.’
‘Where is he?’
‘The infirmary. He reacted badly to their drugs. It didn’t look good.’ He sounded pleased. ‘They had to resuscitate. I’m not sure he survived.’
NG felt sick but right now he couldn’t spare the effort to scan around for anyone. After the kicking he’d just had, it was taking all his effort to stay upright, calm his breathing and figure out what was broken.
‘Two ribs. And they cracked that bone in my cheek again. Except for that and the knife wound, I’m fine…’ Sebastian said dryly, ‘thank you for caring. The Earth warship just dropped out of jump by the way.’
The Senson still wasn’t shielded. NG sent a fast, “Angel? Elliott?” and lost the connection as something heavy hit the back of his head. Senses swirled for a second and he would have hit the floor except they were holding him up.
He blinked and raised his head.
The captain was standing there, calm in the centre of a maelstrom of activity, thinking that the warship was going to attack. How could it not? Hostilities had been escalating and the damned pirates had claimed to be Earth colonists when they had finally surrendered. He’d written it off as a desperate ploy by outlaws. Nonsense. Until an Imperial warship dropped out of jump.
A hand grabbed NG’s face, demanding his attention, and Fiorrentino loomed into his line of sight. “Where’s Anderton?” he demanded, private through the implant.
“You want me to tell you? Release the colonists.”
“Trust me, you’re in no position to bargain.”
Fiorrentino released him roughly and stepped away as the captain turned to look at them, face like stone, grim determination colouring his thoughts. He was thinking that it was an act of outright aggression, that he had two prisoners of war here, this was clearly beyond the simple clearing action of a pirate colony. He was very aware that anyone who could take out a military grade AI that easily was of high strategic interest. Way too much strategic value to his own career if he handled this right. “Why are you here?” he said.
‘You’ being Earth. Why is an Earth warship here was the real question.
