Zeta Hack: A Paranormal Space Opera Adventure (Star Justice Book 3)

by Michael-Scott Earle

  “I’m Paula,” said the one with the lighter colored red blouse.

  “That helps,” I said. “I’d prefer to call you by the correct names.”

  “That is nice of you,” said Kasta.

  “Oi, Mate. You don’t need to worry about my girls. Just call them whatever you want. I don’t care!” Byron let out a laugh, but both of the women shook their heads and smirked.

  “What did you both do all day?” Kasta asked Z.

  “Adam slept, and I went shopping for this dress,” my friend said quickly.

  “It is beautiful,” Paula said.

  “Yeah, it is.” Byron nodded. “Really beautiful.” There was no mistaking his tone, and I had to push the beast back into my stomach.

  “You said you moved Pow-Pow. Is that how you met Huyan Kar?” I asked.

  “Yeah. I sold him a bunch to trade. He used to own a ship or something. Traded rhodium and drugs to different stations. He had a big haul, got a bunch of money, and started buying property in District B. He’s got a thing for this old style,” Byron said as he gestured to his suit. “Said he saw a bunch of it in ancient movies, thought it looked classy. It caught on, and he made a ton more money with his clubs and retail stores. He owns half the places around here now.”

  “Sounds like a good guy to be friends with,” I said with a half smile.

  “Yeah, Mate. He’s a good chap. Don’t get me wrong, I was doing fine with my own stuff, and I still run some gambling games on the side, but managing protection for his operations has been a good side gig. He lets me do what I want. He doesn’t want to get his hands dirty, but I kind of like it.”

  “And he is expanding into new areas?” I asked the question I already knew the answer too.

  “Yeah. I’ve got a lot of bodies, but no one with any brains, eh?” He tapped his bald head. “My girls and I like you and your girl. You know when to act polite and when to break faces. It’s a useful skill.”

  “I learned it in the Yakuza,” I said, but that was somewhat of a lie. The Marines were about respect. Respect for myself. Respect for their superiors, respect for my weapons, and respect for the enemy. If you respected your enemy, it was safer.

  “I heard of them. Had a bit of that going around in District D for a bit, but they got put down.” Byron shrugged. “Ahh. Here is Kar.”

  Byron and his twins looked away from us, but only the bald gangster stood to shake the newcomer’s hand. I stood as well, and Z pulled on my hand so that I could help her off the couch.

  Huyan Kar wasn’t what I expected. I had imagined a hard looking gangster in an expensive black suit. This man was short, pudgy, and wore a big smile on his face. In fact, he was smiling so wide at Byron that his eyes were just slits. He did wear a suit, but it was a baby blue color with pink pin stripes. Behind the man stood two tall brunette women wearing lace bodysuit lingerie, stockings, and shoes with heels as tall as the ones Z wore.

  “This is the guy I was telling you about, Huyan,” Byron said to the short man as he pointed at me.

  “Adam,” I said as I held my hand out. I knew the man was slave trading, and I really wanted to beat his smiling face in, but the violence wouldn’t have helped me free Eve or allow me to discover what was going on with the explosions.

  “Pleasure,” he said as he grasped the fingers of my hand. His grip was surprisingly strong, and the way he grabbed me prevented me from returning his squeeze.

  “We were gonna order dinner, you hungry?” Byron asked the pudgy man.

  “Hmmm,” Huyan Kar was still smiling, and he was still grabbing my fingers. The expression was a bit creepy now, and I felt the beast inside of my stomach growl.

  “He’s a good guy, Huyan. Took care of Jackal and his guard this morning,” Byron said.

  “Ahh,” Kar let go of my hand and then turned to the bald gangster. “Is Jackal willing to work for you?”

  “Yeah, Mate. He knows his place now. You’ll be good to roll out your club there.”

  “Good.” The smiling man looked back at me, and then he turned to look at Z.

  “This your woman?” he asked me.

  “Yeah,” I said as I wrapped my arm around Z’s slender waist and pulled her into me a bit.

  “Just one?”

  “Uhhh. Yeah?” I looked over at Byron with a questioning look.

  “You must have at least two women,” the smiling man said. “More is better, but at least two.”

  “Why is that?” I asked.

  “If you have one, she thinks she owns you. They are ridiculous creatures. If you have two, they each begin to learn their place.” He gestured over his shoulder at the two beauties behind him. “We will sit with you.”

  The short man and his women moved to the other couch, and we all sat down. Z and I were across from Byron and his twins, and Huyan sat with his two women on my right. As soon as we all sat, Byron raised his hand, and a woman wearing white lace lingerie walked over.

  “Bring us some food,” the bald man asked the waitress. She opened her mouth, but the man just shook his head “A bunch of stuff, and more bubbly. We have much to celebrate.”

  “Yes Mr. Jacobs,” the woman replied before she moved away.

  “Bubbly huh?” Kar asked. The expression on his face didn’t change. He was still smiling, and his teeth looked too perfect in the dim light.

  “Yeah, Mate. I’ve paved the way for you to open up in a new district. This is what you wanted, eh?”

  “Yes. It does make up for the bank job.”

  “Oi, Mate. That wasn’t my fault. They thought I’d hire them if they hit the bank,” Byron said.

  “Why would they think that?”

  “I dunno. They were fucking idiots.”

  “Did you figure out who stopped them?” the smiling man asked, and I leaned forward a bit.

  “No. Some fucking giant walking cat or something. The video feed got fried, and no one in Larns’ force knows shit.”

  “A giant walking cat?” Huyan tilted his head.

  “Yeah, Mate. Man who turned into a cat. He was with two dames, and the fuckers hit one of them. Then the man turned into a cat and ate them, or something.”

  “How was the video feed fried?” Huyan asked, but his face didn’t lose his smile.

  I felt Z squirm a little in the couch next to me, and we both turned to Byron.

  “I dunno, Mate. Someone busted the fuck out of their data feed. Doesn’t matter though. The fuzz already thinks I’m responsible for ninety percent of the crime in this District. Even if these idiots say they aren’t working for me, Larns is still going to think I ordered them to do it.” Byron shook his head and then raised his glass to drink again.

  “Have you heard the other news?” Huyan asked through his wide smile.

  “I hear lots of news. What are you referring to?”

  “Out of District E,” Huyan replied then he looked at me. “Have you heard?”

  “No,” I said carefully. “What happened?”

  “Ian van Toreg is dead,” Huyan Kar said as he turned back to Byron.

  “Shit! How?”

  “He was strangled. No one saw what happened though. I’m surprised you haven’t heard anything about it.”

  “I don’t have guys over there. You know I keep things local. You have men over there?”

  “Jared was over there earlier today talking with Ian.”

  “Uhhh. Mate, why was Jared talking with Ian? I thought you were working only with me?” Byron grabbed his drink and took a sip.

  “You aren’t dealing with the things I need to be dealing with in that district,” Huyan said as he turned to stroke the cheek of one of the women sitting next to him. The woman leaned closer so he could touch her face easier and she closed her eyes as if she really enjoyed his caress.

  “Like what?” Byron now seemed upset, and I saw his twin women tense in their seats.

  “The security units there were beaten up by a giant walking tiger. That’s why I asked you if you heard about i
t.” Huyan Kar shrugged and then turned away from his woman to look at Byron. “Maybe there is some truth to the rumors?”

  “How did you find out? Is there video?” Byron asked, which was good since I would have if he hadn’t.

  “No,” Huyan said. “No feed.”

  “Nothing? Where did the attack happen?”

  “Tube station and the harbor?”

  “What the fuck? You think this is Larns?” the bald gangster asked.

  “I doubt it. She’s not smart enough. Where would she get a big walking cat that knows how to fight? These are strange times. Besides, we won’t have to worry about her after tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, Mate. That’s good news,” Byron said. As soon as he finished speaking, three scantily clad waitresses showed up and laid various plates of food on the table between us. They were plates of finger foods, and Byron dug in first.

  “Who is Larns?” I asked after the waitresses left, and everyone had filled tiny plates with a few pieces of food.

  “She is captain of District B’s security forces. A real hard-nosed bitch. She’s fucking hot though. I’d love to get her alone in a room somewhere and have some fun with her.” The bald man chuckled, but his twin women frowned slightly.

  “What’s going on tomorrow?” I asked.

  Huyan looked at Byron, and I wondered if I’d overstepped my rank by asking the question. Z’s body was leaning against me on the couch, and I felt her tense.

  “She’s getting a surprise audit by her bosses tomorrow,” Huyan finally said. “Some bad stuff is going to happen while they are there.” The man’s strange smile seemed to get even larger. I didn’t even know the color of his eyes because of his ever-present smile.

  “Ahh. Sounds like she deserves it. Should make business good for us,” I said as I took a bite of food. It was some sort of meat wrapped in baked bread. It was saltier than I expected, and my stomach growled with hunger. Even though I’d eaten a bunch before I took a nap, I was still coming off seventeen days of fasting and a shift to my tiger-man form.

  “Yeah, Mate. It will be good for us,” Byron said.

  “Anything I can do to help out?” I asked before I ate another small piece of the salty food.

  “How long have you been on Queen’s Hat?” Huyan turned his freaky grin in my direction.

  “A few days,” I answered.

  “Ahh. You have a ship?” he asked.

  “Yeah, but engines are busted, and I’m out of food. Looking for some work for a few months so I can afford to get her repaired,” I answered carefully.

  “How’d you break your engines?” his grin seemed to grow larger.

  “I dropped out of hyperspace by accident,” I said.

  “Ouch,” Byron commented. “Why’d you do something like that?”

  “Poor planning,” I answered, and realized that the two blonde twins were studying me closely. Their eyes were both blue, but a bit darker shade than Z’s.

  “What dock are you--” I guessed Huyan was about to ask me a question, but then he looked up from the table. Another man approached us, and I glanced over to see Jared Wes.

  “Boss,” he said as he nodded at the smiling man. Then he turned to the bald gangster, “Byron.”

  “Hey, Mate. You look like you’ve been running.”

  “Yeah. Huyan, can I talk to you for a second?” the man asked as he looked at Byron and then over to me.

  “What’s going on?” the smiling criminal asked.

  “I’ve found the packages, and well… let’s talk privately.”

  “Listen, Jared, I can help you all. Also, my new man is a real bruiser. If you need help breaking faces, he’s your guy.” Byron nodded over to me.

  “I don’t need help from you or any of your dumb fuckers,” Jared spat.

  “And that’s why your boss works with me for protection and not your skinny ass. You’ve got no--”

  “And that is why I do the real work, and you just guard doors, ass.” Jared glared at Byron and then turned back to Huyan.

  “It’s fine, Jared. You can tell us what is going on,” Huyan said through his smile.

  “We’ve found Larns and her safe house. She has the girls there, and ten of her guys. None of them are on your payroll, but one of ours got their location by transponder feedback.”

  “Ahhh. This is very good,” Huyan said.

  “What does he mean by girls?” Byron asked.

  “What do you fucking think I mean? Dumbass,” Jared spat.

  “The missing girls everyone thinks I’m taking?” Byron asked with a sigh.

  “How do you think I’ve been paying for all the new property? How do you think I got the bombs?”

  “You’ve been slaving?” Byron asked, and the bald man seemed to actually look shocked.

  “You’re a fucking idiot. Of course, we’ve been taking the girls. Who else would do it if it wasn’t you?” Jared groaned.

  “Oh, I suspected.” Byron turned to Huyan. “How long has this been going on?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Rhodium is fine for profit, but I couldn’t get any more without a ship, so I needed another source of revenue,” the smiling man said.

  “What about your clubs, the hotel, your shops, and restaurants?” Byron asked.

  “That’s how I bought them. It’s the way of the world. People want young flesh for whatever purpose. When I started, this district was a shithole like all the others, but now you can see what I created. It’s all from selling the undesirables.”

  Huyan Kar’s words and manner habit of smiling made my skin crawl. The man was obviously seven layers of psycho, and I hated that I couldn’t just kill him right now. He was an evil man, but I needed to get evidence against Izetta Baccala so that Juliette would let Eve go.

  “You started ten years ago, eh?” Byron asked.

  “Yes. You remember. I didn’t think you were following my career that closely,” Huyan said to the bald man.

  “I have been.” Byron smiled and then pulled out a revolver from his coat. “This is for my sister,” he said.

  Then the gangster blew half of the smiling man’s brains all over the back wall of the club.

  Chapter 14

  The two women sitting next to Huyan Kar screamed as blood sprayed across their faces. Z shouted, jumped into my lap, and then tried to scurry over the other side of the couch to get away from the bald gangster. Jared had also shouted with surprise, and the man took three steps back from the table.

  Kasta and Paula were not surprised by Byron’s shot, and they stared at Kar’s dead body with absolute hatred.

  “You killed--” Jared started to shout, but Byron turned his gun toward the other man.

  Jared was reaching into his own coat, but he didn’t get his pistol out in time. Byron’s shot wasn’t great though, and it hit the other man in his left shoulder instead of something vital. Jared bounced back against the railing protecting the mezzanine from the drop to the dance floor, and he calmly leveled his pistol at the bald man.

  I moved to knock his arm away before I could think about the repercussions of my actions, but both men fired their guns at the same time. Byron’s punched Jared through the left side of the chest, killing him instantly, and Jared’s bullet blasted half of the bald gangster’s face off.

  “Shit!” Z and I shouted as we watched Byron’s head snap back. The two blonde women didn’t even flinch when their man was killed, and I let out a shocked gasp when I saw why.

  Byron’s head was made of an alien mesh of tubes, glowing computer parts, and dripping black oil.

  The bald gangster wasn’t a man. He was some sort of machine. An android or something. My eyes fixated on the blinking lights inside of his skull. It looked almost like a real brain, only made of clustered resistors and other glass circuitry.

  “Oh, my fucking--” Z started to say exactly what was on my mind, but the men outside the arched entryway of our private space jumped in with their guns drawn.

  “They shot each other,”
I said as the men pointed their pistols at me. I heard a bunch of screaming down below, and I guessed people were fleeing the club. It would only be a few more minutes until the cops came, and I didn’t want to have to tell Juliette the only three men who had any connection to Izetta Baccala were now dead.

  “Put your guns down,” the Paula ordered without even glancing at the men. Both women were still looking at Huyan Kar’s corpse. They didn’t even seem to care that Byron was dead, and their reaction made my skin crawl, then I remembered he was an android, and the pieces started to fall into place.

  “What the hell happened?” one of the men demanded as he pointed his pistol at me.

  “Get your gun out of my face,” I said. “Byron shot Huyan. Then he and Jared shot each other.”

  “That’s what happened!” one of the brunette women cried as they both sprung from the couch. The one who didn’t speak wiped the blood off her face and then they both ran out of the room.

  “What do we do?” the men asked the blonde women.

  “Clean up Jared and Huyan’s bodies. You work for me now,” Paula said.

  “Uhhh. I’m not working for a dame,” the other man said.

  “Then it looks like you are out of a job,” Kasta said as she stood. Paula followed her example and the both looked to Z and me.

  “What do you want me to do?” I asked.

  “Pick up Byron’s body,” Kasta ordered me as she pointed to the android corpse.

  “He’s a fucking machine? What the fuck?” Z asked.

  “Did you work for Byron or Huyan?” Paula asked the pair of the armed men. “I can’t remember.”

  As the woman spoke, four more men pushed into the room. They looked at the three bodies, and the confusion was plain on their faces.

  “I worked for Byron,” the man she had asked said, and the other one nodded.

  “How about you four?” the strange woman asked.

  “We worked for Jared. What the fuck happened up here?”

  “He mentioned something about knowing where Security Captain Larns had secreted away some slaves.”

  “Yeah…” one of them said hesitantly. They had their guns drawn and looked down at the weapons as if they wanted to use them, but didn’t know who to shoot.