Ice Baron (Ice Chronicles, Book One (science fiction romance))

by Green, Jennette

  Anya spent the next precious minutes delicately probing into Gorno’s computer infrastructure. Emelie appeared to have complete access to every detail of Gorno’s system, including security cameras in every corner of the city. Amazing. Anya wondered if Onred knew. And she wondered why the girl wanted such wide ranging access. Did she like spying on all of Gorno’s operations? Darker ideas entered Anya’s head. Did Emelie spy on people? Maybe blackmail them? Or did she merely like the power of knowing that she could single-handedly run Gorno? Perhaps even more disturbing, Emelie clearly could undermine all systems from her own workstation.

  Might be interesting to investigate Emelie’s personal files.

  Anya glanced at her watch, and allowed herself one minute. Swiftly, she scanned folders. Nothing. Then she had the bright idea to enable hidden files. One folder popped up, outlined in purple. It was simply named, “Astana.”

  Heart rate accelerating, Anya clicked on the folder and another single folder appeared, named “Virus.” She gasped, mind racing. Michael was right. He had said a computer virus had attacked Astana’s satellite and computer systems. It must have infiltrated and disabled Astana’s system before her family was abducted. That meant the virus had been planted prior to the kidnapping. It could have lain dormant for days, or weeks…or since Onred and Emelie had visited Astana for the peace talks.

  More facts clicked together. Marli had given Emelie tours all over Astana. Emelie had expressed interest in Astana’s technological breakthroughs. Just as Onred had now, she realized. Emelie must have seized one of those opportunities to introduce the virus into the computer system. Probably the children’s network, which would explain the puzzling fact of why that system had been corrupted.

  The virus had been planted while her marriage—and peace—to the Altai baron were being negotiated.

  Anya drew an unsteady breath.

  From the beginning, Onred had never intended peace. All along, he had meant to destroy Astana. Relief, mixed with a terrible grief gripped Anya’s heart. It wasn’t her fault. Fleeing her marriage had not caused Astana’s destruction. But somehow that knowledge only made the truth seem all the more terrible, because she could have done nothing to stop it. The two-faced Altai leader had planned Astana’s destruction from the beginning. The death of her people was written into this computer code.

  With a trembling hand, Anya clicked the folder named “Virus.” An executable file and a “readme” file appeared. She read the text file, and then closed her eyes in disbelief. The solution to defeating Gorno lay right here, in Emelie’s computer.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  “You can’t do that, you know.” Emelie’s thin, quiet voice spoke for the first time.

  Anya shot her a narrowed glance. “Just watch me.”

  “He’ll kill Joshua. And Marli. And the others.”

  For the first time, Anya understood what Joshua had faced when he had ordered the hit on Yegor and his warships when they had rescued Damon. Did the good of the many outweigh the needs of the few? In this case, was Gorno’s destruction more important than the possible survival of her loved ones?

  Anya smiled. It must not have looked like a nice one, for Emelie paled still further. Her dark, heavily outlined eyes looked like coals in her white face. Anya pulled the bomb from her belt. Using her extra set of plastic, stretchable handcuffs, she snapped it onto Emelie’s throat. She made sure it wasn’t too tight, so the girl could breathe. Horror widened Emelie’s eyes.

  Anya dragged the girl back into the other room. Conversationally, she said, “Does your father love you, Emelie?”

  “I don’t know.”

  The chair stopped with a squeak before a plain white wall. It could be a wall anywhere. Onred would have no clue where his daughter might be.

  “When I broadcast, I’ll have to gag you,” Anya told her.

  “I’m not frightened of you.” The girl’s pale lips pressed tightly together.

  “Maybe you should be,” she suggested. “Your father is about to kill everyone I love. I would do anything—anything—to stop him.” And it was true. Anya felt like she stood at the edge of a precipice. What did she have to lose, besides her soul? She would gladly give that in order to save Joshua and her family. She looked steadily into the girl’s eyes. “I’ve already killed six people today. What’s one more?” Of course, those were all in self-defense. Not premeditated murder, like this would be.

  Emelie’s eyes widened. Tears glimmered. “Don’t. Please.”

  “Please?” Anya retreated to the kitchen to find a rag that would serve as a gag. She also found tape, and returned to Onred’s daughter. “‘Please’ goes nowhere with me. You’re a murderess. You’ve killed thousands of people. Don’t you think you deserve to die?”

  “I didn’t!” Emelie gulped out. “I didn’t mean to.”

  “You didn’t mean to?” Anya said in disbelief. “You created the virus. You installed the virus in Astana’s computer systems. And somehow you think it’s an accident that thousands of people died?”

  “I knew he’d disable Astana, but not…” Emelie sealed her lips. Her features hardened, as if retreating inside herself.

  “You did it all because your daddy asked you to,” Anya said in a patronizing tone.

  Hatred gleamed in Emelie’s eyes, and her lips sealed more firmly.

  Anya was suddenly weary and sickened by the hateful cat and mouse game she played with Onred’s daughter. Could Emelie possibly be an innocent pawn in Onred’s game? Having younger siblings, she could easily see how Onred could plant the idea of making a virus in Emelie’s mind. He’d make it sound like a challenging, fun game to a computer genius. He had probably spent extra time with her, encouraging her. The girl may well have lapped up his approving attention.

  Or, perhaps Emelie was just as viperous and lying and manipulative as her father. Whatever the case, Anya truly did not want to hurt the girl. Unfortunately, in order for her plan to work, Emelie would need to think she would. Therefore, Onred would believe it, too.

  “Open up. Time for the gag,” she ordered.

  When Emelie refused, Anya pulled out her sharpest, most wicked looking knife from her belt.

  Tears in her eyes, Emelie obediently bit down on the wash rag.

  Anya taped it securely in place. “Good. Now we’ll see just how much your father loves you.”

  * * * * *

  Joshua woke up. He wished he hadn’t. His head pounded, and it felt like a thousand needles poked into his skin.

  “Call the boss. He’s awake.”

  Joshua slumped, feigning unconsciousness again. He needed time to think, and to plan an escape.

  Something sharp poked into his skull, but beyond a faint twitch of his fingers, Joshua did not respond.

  “He’s out. That last blast would have fried an elephant.”

  “What, Boss? …Okay.” A telephone beeped. “Tie him up. Take him to the others. He’ll execute them all at the same time.”

  “When?”

  “Now. Or as soon as he can set up a camera in the room.” A rough chuckle grated.

  Electrodes popped from Joshua’s body and hard hands shoved him sideways, so he toppled onto the floor. It was hard to stifle his reflex to break the fall, but he managed to land on his good shoulder. Ropes trussed his hands and feet, and men carried him quite a distance. A door opened, and the men heaved Joshua inside. He landed hard on his back, the breath knocked out of him. The door slammed again.

  Tentative hands touched his face. “Joshua? Are you alive?”

  His eyes slitted against the bright light. “Marli.” The little girl’s bald head swam into view, then Elise’s joined her. “Untie me.”

  Marli vigorously shook her head. “I can’t. They’ll kill you. She cast a fearful look over her shoulder. “They’re watching,” she hissed. “Pretend you’re dead.”

  * * * * *

  Anya set her small phone to “video record” and set it on a table facing Emelie. Her stomach churn
ed with distaste for what she was about to do. Murderess or not, Emelie was only a child. Unfortunately, Anya must terrify her.

  The camera recorded Emelie’s unblinking, wide gaze for a full minute, and then Anya advanced toward her with the frightening knife gripped in her fist. Emelie’s eyes grew wider the closer she came, and when Anya grabbed the teenager’s hair and pulled her head back, exposing her neck, a muffled cry tore from Emelie’s throat. Anya pressed the blade against the tender skin. She felt sickened by her actions, but managed to level a hard glare into the camera.

  “I’ve got your daughter, Onred. If you kill Joshua or any member of my family, I will kill her, just as she, with her computer virus, killed Astana. Listen closely. Bring everyone to the main shuttle bay. I will exchange Emelie for them there. You have fifteen minutes.”

  She turned off the camera and replayed the video. Good. She would broadcast it on Alpha after she had taken care of a few more details.

  Hatred glared from Emelie’s black eyes.

  Anya smiled grimly. “You were perfect. Now, I’ve got another present to prepare for your doting father.”

  Anya retreated to Emelie’s computer command center. Following the girl’s blessedly explicit installation instructions, she shot a copy of the virus deep into the heart of Gorno’s communications system. She shot another into the security network, which would hopefully disable Gorno’s shield so the military air strikes could hit their marks, and another into the environmental controls. She would set the detonation timers after she had accomplished a few more tasks.

  It helped that all of the systems were wide open to receiving the fake packets of information, thanks to Emelie’s full access to the system. She wondered how Emelie had broken Astana’s codes and accessed the computer system—although, to a computer genius, hacking them had probably been simple.

  It seemed poetic justice to serve the same destruction on Gorno as Emelie and Onred had unleashed upon Astana. And yet the hardest part lay ahead. Rescuing Joshua and her family from execution might well prove impossible. Onred certainly would not release them in the shuttle bay. Of this, she felt certain. However, if she could divert Onred from guessing her true plan, maybe she’d have a chance to rescue them.

  She checked the security channels, and accessed every camera feed in Gorno. It took long, nail biting minutes, but finally a picture flickered into place that lifted her spirits. Marli, Elise, David, and Joshua were held captive together in one room. David lay in a fetal position in one corner. Marli and Elise hovered over Joshua, who lay on the floor, too, struggling against his bonds. Why weren’t her sisters helping him?

  Joshua unexpectedly freed his hands, and then sat up and untied his feet.

  Suddenly, Marli whipped a glance over her shoulder. She cried out. Burly men charged into the room. Joshua leaped to his feet, but a blow to his jaw sent him reeling backward before he could straighten. Joshua spun and punched a foot into the man’s throat. The guard went down, clutching his neck.

  Three more guards rushed into the room. Before Anya’s horrified eyes, two men pinned Joshua to the wall and the other punched his defenseless body until his face was battered and bloody. Eyes swollen shut, he slid sideways.

  “Stop it!” she screamed. “Stop it. Oh, God help him,” she whispered.

  The guard delivered one final blow to his stomach, and Joshua toppled over, torso twisting at an odd angle against the wall. In the corner, Elise held a weeping Marli. The guards glared at them and stomped out.

  Anya pressed her hands to her face, trying to control her sobs. Joshua looked dead. Oh God. He couldn’t be. He just couldn’t be!

  She pushed the tears from her eyes, trying to rally concentration and strength of purpose. It was time to move. If ever she could help them, it would be now. Jaw clenched hard, she layered Gorno schematics on top of the holding cell’s location. They were on the sixth floor. Air duct schematics offered direct access. She loaded it all into her phone’s GPS, and set the timer for the viruses to detonate in one minute.

  Last, and finally, she broadcasted her video with Emelie on Alpha.

  Before leaving the dining nook, Anya paused, looking back at Emelie’s command center. Images already blurred on the screen. The virus, doing it’s work?

  She would have to leave Emelie here, alone. If Onred’s daughter managed to free herself, she might be able to shut down the virus before it had a chance to finish its destructive work. Anya couldn’t allow that. But she couldn’t stomach shooting the girl, either, even on blue laser.

  Holding her weapon steady in both hands, Anya shot yellow fire into each of the three computer consoles. Their screens went black. The virus was already safely embedded deep in Gorno’s computer networks. Emelie’s computers were no longer needed.

  Anya ran from the dining room. Fury and hatred blackened Emelie’s gaze. Anya had cut to the girl’s heart. Good. She left without a backward glance.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Out in the hall, Anya swiftly strode for the fire escape stairs. She passed a woman and a man, deep in conversation. Neither paid attention to her, thanks to her fake uniform shirt. Inside the stairwell, she sprinted for the sixth floor. Halfway up, all of the lights blacked out.

  The computer virus. Had it already attacked the environmental systems?

  Using only the metal rail as a guide, she hurried to the sixth floor landing. Gaining access to a room—any room—was her next goal. From there, she could climb into the air ducts and crawl to the room where Onred held Joshua and her siblings hostage.

  She peeked into the hall. Floor lights edged the dim passage. People hurried from one destination to another, talking to one another in agitated murmurs. Anya slipped into the hall and followed a slim, dark-haired woman who held a clipboard. The woman hurried right, down an adjacent corridor. A quick glance at GPS schematics told Anya it led to Command Central.

  She smiled grimly to herself. Hopefully, Emelie’s virus would wreak more havoc there than a bomb ever could. Anya continued down the passage, matching the hurried pace of the others. Surreptitiously, she tried door handles as she passed. None moved. Finally, she stopped before one that read “Conference Room.” She swiped her key card. When it flashed green, she took a page from Joshua’s book and strode inside as if she belonged there.

  It was dark inside, except for the faint glow of a computer screen imbedded in a conference table at the far end of the room. Unfortunately, three bulky men hunkered over it. Bluish gray computer light illuminated their faces. One man looked up and frowned. He reached for his collar. “Secur…” Anya shot him. He spun left, clutching his shoulder, and sagged in his chair. Impossible to tell if he was dead. Passed out would do well enough for now.

  The other men ducked behind the table, and Anya dove behind a chair. Unfortunately, the chair legs provided little protection from the lasers. Fire shot toward her, and she shoved the chair over. The narrow chair back blocked the laser beam. That time. But it provided scant protection for most of her body. She shot at the men’s bulky frames. One cried out and clutched his arm. The other fired at Anya again. The laser caught her boot, and for a second it felt like her foot was on fire. She turned her laser on “stream” and swept it under the table, hitting everything in its path. The other man gasped and collapsed sideways. The winged man still moved, but slowly. Anya fired again, and he stopped.

  No more time to waste. She leaped onto the conference table. Her computer phone indicated that access to the air ducts should be about…here. She poked the ceiling, and a square of diamonite moved. Swiftly, she rose on her tiptoes and pushed it aside, then grabbed the ledge and swung herself up by her fingertips. Elbows on the steel frame, she hoisted herself up. No air blew in the pitch black vent. The heating systems might already be compromised. She could only hope. Anya switched on the phone’s flashlight, replaced the diamonite square, and crawled fast for the holding cell.

  A tremendous blast shook the floor beneath her knees, and she crouched lower, trying to
keep her balance. Gorno’s shield had fallen. Had Richert’s warships struck the vulnerable city? Or Donetski airbirds? At this point, she supposed it didn’t really matter. All the same, she wished she could see what was going on outside.

  Her phone beeped when she was fifty meters from Joshua’s holding room. Alpha channel. She kept crawling, but watched the feed.

  The shadowy scene made her gasp. A burly man pressed a gleaming knife tip into Marli’s neck.

  “Surrender now, Anya Dubrovnyk. In the shuttle bay. One minute. Or your sister dies.”

  The video feed went to static.

  Anya crawled faster. The holding cell should be about…here. A narrow grating appeared and she peered through. Her breath caught in horror. Dim emergency lights lit the room. A guard held Marli by the hair, with the knife still poking into her neck. Another man gripped Elise. Both David and Joshua lay sprawled on the floor, unmoving. A third man guarded the closed door, and a camera on a tripod stood beside him, filming the unspeakably ghoulish proceedings.

  “Almost time for night-night,” crooned the bald bruiser who gripped Marli. Rolls of fat bulged up from the base of his skull. “I’ll make it nice and easy on you. Hold still, like a good girl.”

  Tears streamed down Marli’s cheeks. Her eyes looked wild, terrified.

  Anya shoved her laser muzzle flush with the grating, hands shaking. Marli’s body blocked the man. His face was too near her sister’s. How could she get a good shot at him? She wasn’t a skilled markswoman. The side profile of Elise’s guard, however, was partially exposed. A bigger target to aim for.