Rogue Colony (Galaxy Mavericks Book 6)

by Michael La Ronn

  Its eye was sad. In it she saw her reflection many times in a kaleidoscope of crimson.

  The cloud floated away.

  “Come back!” she said. “You're going to pay for what you did!”

  She didn't know how she would make it pay. But she couldn't let it go.

  But the cloud drifted through a wall and was gone.

  She started to run down the hall to chase it, but a hand seized her wrist.

  A man in a white suit grinned at her.

  “Miss Lins, where do you think you're going?”

  Michiko resisted, but the man’s grip was stronger than it looked, and in the darkness, his crazed grin and raspy voice made her skin crawl.

  “Nice try,” Florian said, brandishing a handcoil. “Shut up and come with me.”

  The ship shook as it something struck it.

  Down the hall, Huxley appeared and waved to Florian.

  “Boss, they're cutting into the airlock!”

  Florian laughed.

  “Put on your best victim face,” he said. “We've got some visitors to meet.”

  As Florian pulled her, she spotted the alien’s eye gleaming at the other end of the hallway, in the opposite direction, blinking and watching…

  32

  “How did you know the secret?” Florian asked.

  His grip was rough and she couldn't escape. He smelled of watery cologne and sweat. His skin was a powdery white, and up-close, it looked like he was wearing a thin layer of makeup. Frizzled ends of hair stuck up out of his man bun.

  He put the handcoil to her head.

  “The secret,” he said, “how he hell did you know how to find the colony?”

  Michiko’s mind raced.

  She'd heard his voice before. It was familiar, so familiar in a creepy way, like she'd always known it, like it was branded into her memory, never to leave.

  “Did he send you?” Florian asked.

  And then she knew.

  He was the man in the other world. He was the one with his hands around her throat.

  But he was wearing black there.

  Now he was wearing white.

  Same suit. Same diagonal stripe across the chest.

  She didn't understand.

  The world…unless the colors were off and her mind played tricks on her.

  Or the colors in that world were reversed.

  Her head hurt thinking about it.

  “You think I was just going to let you escape without trying to figure out why the hell you were there?” Florian asked.

  “Where are my parents?” she asked.

  “Answer my question and I'll answer yours,” Florian said, dragging her.

  “I don't know what you're talking about,” Michiko said. “I don't know any secrets. I don't know about any colony. I was just trying to help someone.”

  “Bullshit!” Florian said. “That sonofabitch Sakamoto sent you, I know it!”

  “I don't know a Sakamoto!” Michiko said.

  “Bullshit!” Florian said. “I'm the only one who knows how to cross and it scares him! Well, listen up, Michiko.”

  Florian paused. His voice had grown more aggressive and desperate.

  “We’re going to put an end to all of this right now,” he said. “I can't wait to see the looks on Sakamoto’s minions’ faces when they break into the airlock and get riddled with bullets. Ha ha ha, it’ll be self-defense. No jail will be able to hold me. Aaagh!”

  They emerged into the airlock, which Michiko remembered from when she first entered the ship. Except now, it was dark and foreboding.

  Florian’s henchmen, all wearing white suits, were gathered in a line with their handcoils ready.

  At the end of the airlock, the bay doors buckled, and thin lines appeared at the top of the door and began to descend downward.

  Someone was sawing their way in.

  “They're almost in,” Huxley said. He looked at Michiko and shook his head.

  Michiko spat at him and he jumped out of the way and laughed.

  “Where are my parents?” Michiko asked.

  Florian put a hand over her mouth.

  “Your voice is annoying,” he said. “You're like a little chipmunk on repeat. Your parents are fine. You ought to be worrying about your own safety right now.”

  Tatiana entered with a handcoil. Her fire-red glasses shone in the dark.

  “Sir, we’ll have engines online in about two minutes.”

  “Perfect,” Florian said. “And the self-destruct mechanism?”

  “Undamaged from the pulse blast.”

  “Good,” Florian said. “Listen up, everyone! When they bust through, blow them away. And if they survive, stick to the alternative plan!”

  “Yes, sir,” several of the henchmen said.

  Florian brought his lips to Michiko’s ear.

  “Why don't you see how we give our opponents a proper welcome? I want you to record it in your mind for Sakamoto’s sake, eh? Heh heh.”

  They watched as the saws slowly cut through the door.

  With a shrieking sound, the newly created square in the airlock door broke off and crashed to the ground.

  And then Florian’s henchmen began firing.

  33

  Zzt! Zzt!

  CRACK! CRACK!

  Zzzt! Zzzt! Zzzzzzzt!

  A bullet breezed past Michiko’s ear like a shrieking firework. She ducked, but Florian held her tight, firing his own handcoil, grinning madly.

  CRACK!

  Zzzt!

  CRACK! CRACK!

  The air thickened with smoke and heat as Florian’s men unloaded their handcoils at the airlock door.

  Then they emptied their rounds and reloaded.

  The dust cleared.

  Florian laughed.

  CLANG! CLANG!

  Three circular drone bots with saw attachments crashed to the ground, riddled with coil needles.

  They sparked and exploded.

  There was no one in the newly cut doorway.

  Michiko gasped.

  The dust settled.

  Guns clicked across the room.

  Florian harrumphed.

  Then—

  Two shadows burst into the room, firing.

  Florian pulled Michiko back and cursed.

  Zzzt! Zzzt!

  “Kill them!” Florian shouted. He dragged Michiko behind a crate and rested with his back against the crate, shakily reloading his handcoil with only one hand.

  “Ooof!”

  One of Florian’s henchmen collapsed to the ground, bleeding.

  “Damn it!” Florian cried.

  “Aaaaaah!”

  Another man fell and banged his head against the metal floor.

  Then, a tremendous flash engulfed the area, and—

  BANG!

  Florian’s men screamed at the same time, and one by one, they dropped to the floor. Many were groaning now. The sound of sparking and electricity underscored their groans.

  Florian grabbed Michiko and jumped up, holding the handcoil to her temple.

  “Stop it!” he cried.

  His men were lying across the floor. Some were dead; others were writhing in a net of electrical sparks.

  The shadows were no longer shadows.

  A black man in a white spacesuit stood with a handcoil pointed at Florian. He had an athletic build, short hair, and from his stance he looked like a soldier.

  Next to him, an Indian woman dressed in a black trench coat stood with two handcoils smoking from her hands. Her hair was in a ponytail and she had fierce brown eyes that almost glowed in the darkness. Michiko knew her—she was the woman in the woods back on Coppice. The mysterious one who was getting shot at. Lara Stella! Michiko was glad to see her.

  “Florian Macalestern,” the woman said, tucking a handcoil onto her belt. She pulled out a gold police badge. “You’re under arrest.”

  34

  “Drop your weapon and let the hostage go,” Grayson McCoy said, aiming at Florian. “You’re
outnumbered.”

  Florian grimaced, then laughed nervously.

  “You’re so rude,” he said. “First you storm in here shooting, and then you want to arrest me? Where are your manners?”

  Grayson fired a coil shot that barely missed Florian’s head.

  “Those are our manners,” Grayson said.

  “What are you arresting me for?” Florian asked. “Don’t I have a right to know, Miss Special Agent?”

  “The murder of Tavin Miloschenko and at least a dozen others,” she said. “I witnessed it with my own eyes.”

  “Ah,” Florian said. “Did you?”

  The question took Devika off-guard.

  “He’s toying with you!” Michiko shouted.

  CRACK!

  Florian hit her on the head with his coil. Michiko reeled and wanted to vomit.

  “You say that I killed Mr. Miloschenko,” Florian said. “His death was a shame, really. Oh, I was there, Miss Agent, but you say that I killed him? That’s awfully curious because that’s not how I remember it.”

  Grayson and Lara Stella aimed at Florian and did not reply.

  “The way I remember it, you were given a dose of medication,” Florian said. “I don’t think you can be sure of what you saw. I don’t think anything you saw can be even be admissible in court.”

  “Let’s find out, shall we?” Lara Stella asked. “Let the hostage go. This is your final warning.”

  Florian dropped his handcoil. Then he kicked Michiko in the back, pushing her toward Grayson.

  Grayson grabbed her and pushed her behind him.

  “Gonna be okay,” Grayson said, turning his head slightly toward Michiko. “Just stick with us, all right?”

  “Go ahead,” Florian said. “Arrest me then.”

  “Drop to the floor,” Lara Stella said.

  Florian fell to his knees, put his hands over his head, and clucked his tongue.

  “Do you have any idea how much money I have?” he asked. “You know that I can hire super attorneys, right? I can go after everything you own and there’ll be nothing left of your career. So let me ask you, my fledgling cop: are you sure you want to do this?”

  Lara Stella clapped a pair of handcuffs on his wrists and pulled him up.

  “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of intergalactic law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?”

  “You have a hearing problem,” Florian said. “I just told you I’d sue you like it was nineteen ninety-three.”

  “You’ve been read your rights,” Lara Stella said. “With them in mind, do you wish to speak to me any further?”

  “Mmm, no,” Florian said. “I do not wish to speak to you any further without my attorney present. And then you’re going to get an earful…”

  Grayson grabbed Michiko with one hand while looking around the room at the groaning henchmen.

  “You okay?” he asked. “What’s your name?”

  “Michiko Lins,” she said.

  “You must be the one the Galactic Guard was looking for,” Grayson said.

  “Huh?” Michiko asked.

  “It’s all right,” Grayson said. “Let’s get you back to safety.”

  Grayson pressed a button on his helmet. “Hey, Eddie. We just took Florian into custody. Keep the ship steady.”

  “Sweet,” a male voice said. “Man, I wish I knew how to handle a gun like you two. I would’ve been Mexican swiss cheese right about now.”

  “Don’t doubt that,” Grayson said. “And Eddie, will you get a change of clothes ready? We’ve got a hostage whose probably a little cold right now.”

  Michiko grinned.

  Lara Stella grabbed Florian under the arm. Then she looked around at the henchmen and said, “Don’t go getting any ideas. We’ll be back for each and every one of you.”

  Lara Stella was intense. She looked like she had never smiled a day in her life.

  “Lara Stella, it’s so good to see you,” Michiko said.

  “What?” Lara Stella asked. “Who is Lara Stella?”

  “I thought that was your name,” Michiko said.

  The woman puffed. “It’s Devika. Devika Sharma.”

  Michiko’s eyes widened, and she paused, thinking.

  “Wait a minute,” Michiko said. “You lied to me!”

  Devika shrugged. “Grayson, let’s get out of here.”

  And then, one by one, the lights across the airlock turned on. The ship’s engine purred to life, and a warning klaxon beeped.

  An explosion rippled across the outside of the ship.

  Grayson’s radio beeped.

  “Grayson, uh, we’ve got a little problem,” Eddie said.

  “What is it?” Grayson asked.

  “The ship’s moving. It just severed our connection. We can’t reconnect unless we take out their power again. It’ll be another hour until we can use another pulse blast.”

  “Crap,” Grayson said.

  Florian laughed. “I take it you’d like to stay for dinner.”

  The ship’s computer beeped and a computerized voice spoke.

  “Attention all passengers: ship armed. Standby for self-destruct.”

  35

  “Ship will self-destruct in five minutes,” the computer said. “Please evacuate immediately.”

  Devika grabbed Florian by his tie.

  “Disarm it,” she said. “Now.”

  Florian shrugged. “Security mechanism. This ship is a rather valuable investment. If I can’t have it, no one can.”

  “Final warning,” Devika said.

  Grayson turned on his radio.

  “Eddie, how are we looking?”

  “Negative, man. Ship’s moving pretty fast now. We’re going to have to play catch up.”

  “No,” Michiko said under her breath.

  She was going to die. She was going to blow up in a ball of flames and there was nothing she could do about it.

  “How do we deactivate the self-destruct?” Devika asked.

  “You’re asking a highly technical question to a non-technical person,” Florian said. “I’d recommend you say a prayer.”

  Devika and Grayson looked at each other, then nodded. Devika unlocked one of Florian’s handcuffs, shoved him toward the wall with the palm of her hand on his cheek. He crashed against the wall, yelling. Then Devika secured the empty handcuff to a steel pipe on the wall.

  “If we’re going to blow up, you’ll at least blow up in handcuffs,” Devika said.

  Florian laughed.

  Devika and Grayson ran out of the airlock, and Michiko followed.

  “Bravo!” Florian said. “Aren’t you a brave band of galaxy mavericks? Save us, save us all!”

  Michiko looked back at Florian, who seemed to be enjoying the entire exchange. He waved at her, wiggling his fingers.

  “Toodles, Michiko,” he said.

  A shiver went down her body. Then she turned and followed Devika and Grayson, running as fast as she could with her bare feet slipping here and there on the hard floor.

  “You ever disarmed a self-destruct mechanism before?” Grayson asked.

  “Never,” Devika said.

  “That makes two of us,” Grayson said.

  “Our first bet is the engine room,” Devika said, starting down a staircase.

  Grayson grabbed her.

  “Are you crazy?” he asked.

  “What?”

  “That’s the worst place to start,” Grayson said. “This whole ship is gonna heat up something awful before it explodes, starting with the engine room. It’ll be like descending into a volcano.”

  “Then what’s your suggestion?” Devika snapped.

  Grayson pushed past her.

  “Bridge,” he said. “Our best hope lies on the bridge.”

  “That sounds reasonable to me,” Michiko said.

  Devika frowned
at Michiko. Then she motioned for her to run.

  “The bridge it is,” Devika said as they ran down the hallway.

  Grayson radio beeped. A woman spoke.

  “Grayson?”

  “Hey, Keltie,” he said, brightening. “I hope you’ve got good news for us.”

  “Unfortunately not,” Keltie said. “From where I’m sitting, the ship is picking up speed.”

  “Where are we headed?” Grayson asked.

  “I don’t know, but I think you’re about to jump into hyperspace.”

  “Damn,” Grayson said.

  “Get to the bridge,” Eddie said. “Knock out some goons while you’re at it. Otherwise, the moment your ship blasts into hyperspace we’ll lose communication.”

  “Eddie, can you follow us?” Devika asked.

  “I can, but if you guys are going to…well, you know—I’m not following that closely.”

  “Got it,” Grayson said. “And I don’t blame you, my man. Keep a visual on us. We’ll take care of the rest. Isn’t that right, Michiko?”

  “Umm, yeah,” Michiko said.

  Grayson was incredibly calm, like someone having tea. Why wasn’t he freaking out like her?

  The ship’s intercom beeped. A woman spoke.

  It was Tatiana.

  “Hux, we’re a go. How’s it looking from the engine room?”

  Another voice came onto the intercom.

  “Hotter than hell down here,” Huxley said. “But go ahead and release the Mechanical Octopi.”

  “Octopi?” Tatiana asked. “Is that grammatically correct?”

  “Just release the damn things!” Huxley cried. “Those fools will never get off the ship now.”

  “The hell?” Grayson said.

  “Hey, Tat!” Huxley said frantically. “You’re not using the public intercom, are you?”

  Silence.

  “Oops,” Tatiana said. “I’ll see you in the escape pod.”

  Then the intercom went dead.

  A boom sounded elsewhere in the ship. And then metal footsteps skittering like rain.

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” Grayson said.

  “Neither do I,” Devika said.

  They ran.

  36

  They came to two blue double doors that were clearly the entrance to the bridge.