Desperate Measures

by Michael Anderle

  Jia ignored the two of them.

  The limo set down in front of them. With a whir, a rear window lowered. Jia’s heart rate kicked up, and she prepared to draw her weapon until a bright mix of pink flamingoes and smiling anthropomorphic suns on a blue background changed her mind. A Hawaiian shirt. She knew she would never die at the hands of a man in a Hawaiian shirt.

  Jia dropped her hand. “Malcolm?”

  The technician grinned from the spacious dark-green-upholstered back seat. “Now, this is how I expected to be treated when I started working for ghosts.” He gave them a thumbs-up. “This is nice.” He bounced a couple of times. “You know, I’ve never been in one of these. The MX 60 is nice, but this is cooler.” He glanced at Erik. “No offense.”

  “Can’t fly around in a limo all the time,” Erik replied with a shrug. “It’d be kind of noticeable.”

  “But you’d look so suave and cool.” He smiled.

  The door opened itself, revealing a wide U-shaped seating arrangement centered around a small table. A black partition separated them from the front seat. Erik and Jia stepped inside and sat. The doors closed.

  Malcolm gestured to the table. “Supposed to be able to bring up food and drinks, but our driver is very uncool. Talk about cheaping out at a weird time.”

  “Keep talking like that, Mr. Constantine,” Alina said over a speaker, “and I might be forced to reconsider our relationship.”

  “It was a joke.” Malcolm sank down in his seat. “Sorry.”

  “What’s with the limo?” Erik asked with a grin. “Just feel like rewarding us? It doesn’t seem like your style.”

  “I was in town anyway on an unrelated errand requiring this vehicle,” Alina explained. “So I figured we’d chat about that data you sent us. We all prefer face-to-face conversations about important things.”

  Malcolm sat up. “She explained the gist of what it is and how you got it, but not sure why I’m here since I haven’t looked at it.”

  Jia offered him an apologetic smile. “No offense, but we figured you didn’t have any more context than Emma. Our best bet was to pass it on to the ID directly.”

  “It’s not that.” Malcolm shook his head. “And I shouldn’t bitch. It’s not like I have anything better to do since Camila’s out of town again.”

  Something thumped behind them. Erik and Jia both pulled their guns.

  Malcolm swallowed. “What was that? Was it a missile?”

  “Oh, don’t worry about that,” Alina offered with a chuckle. “He should be asleep again in a second or two.” There was a soft click over the speaker. “Tougher than I thought. Like I said, unrelated errand.”

  Jia stowed her weapon slowly, frowning in the direction of the trunk. She hoped she didn’t end up there.

  Erik smirked, clearly unworried about future trunk situations involving him. “Let’s get back to the data. If you’ve called us all together, I’m assuming it’s more important than confirming Emma’s observations. You could have just sent a message.”

  “Yes,” Alina answered. “It’s a perfect storm. My people have collated intel strands from a lot of different sources, including leads from the yaoguai lab and the data you sent us. It’s borne fruit quicker than we anticipated, with those records being key.” Excitement laced her voice. “Among other things, we’ve been able to trace at least some of the Molino deliveries to Alpha Centauri, but after they were delivered to Earth. We’ve been able to follow movements in recent months, including not that long after our little Hunter incident, and action in the last couple of days.”

  Jia frowned. “Would they be shipping something that important around that way, rather than picking it up directly?”

  “Hard to say. Sometimes it makes more sense to use the obvious sources. If people of Sophia Vand’s status were flying around the galaxy constantly, it’d raise more eyebrows and make it easier for people like us to figure out something strange was going on.”

  “You think there are artifacts on Alpha Centauri?” Erik asked.

  “We can’t be sure,” Alina replied. “Here’s where things get complicated and questionable. Everything fell into place on this intel analysis because of the data you sent. It would have been helpful in a lot of ways even without our more recent leads, but combined with those, it’s all but screaming for us to pay attention. I’d like you two to take a look as soon as possible, so that’s going to involve using the jumpship.”

  “Is it ready to go that far?” Malcolm asked, rubbing his wrists. “I thought it was a big deal just to go out to the edge of the Solar System.”

  “Dr. Maras believes so, and he’s the expert. Good a time to test it as ever.”

  Malcolm swallowed. “Test it on us?”

  “You’ll incidentally be there,” Alina replied.

  Erik nodded slowly. “But they might be expecting us to come. If they understand the ship’s capabilities, they might be ready, and Barbu’s woven an elaborate trap. They might want to take us and grab the ship.”

  “That could all be true,” Alina offered, “but if this Barbu wants to help you, we can take advantage of that. If he’s a member of the conspiracy pointing us at his friends, that’s fine, too. As for the ship getting caught, I trust you’re smart enough not to park it anywhere near Chiron. Short of having another jump drive or knowing where you’ll be, they won’t have a chance of taking the ship.”

  Jia took in the conversation like she was listening to a show, barely processing it. It had been all but preordained that she would leave the Solar System once she got involved in hunting the conspiracy, but it had always seemed like a distant possibility for years in the future, not weeks after a trip to France.

  She shook her head. “I’m not against taking more of those people down, but we can’t handle this with just the two of us.” She smiled at Malcolm. “You’re great for background support, but if this is them, it’s going to end with shooting.”

  Malcolm waved his hands in front of him. “I’m not complaining about anything that gets me shot at less.” He jerked a thumb at his chest. “Lover, not fighter.”

  Alina snickered but politely declined the obvious line of attack. “I understand, and that’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about ever since Lanara requested more people. We’re asking more and more of you, but we also need to face the fact that you’re not regular ID. I brought you two onboard because you have a way of finding trouble, but that’ll be pointless if you get killed.”

  Erik grinned with far too much eagerness. “We can handle ourselves, but it’d be nice to have backup for when we knock on somebody’s door. And we need more flexibility than leaning on Adeyemi.”

  “You’re right. We’re not always going to have a handy Army squad around to help. Fortunately, the ID has most of our house in order, and I’ve convinced the relevant people that if we want to maximize your efficiency as a resource, you’ll need regular support, not ad hoc teams, or begging the DD for help.”

  “Regular support, as in permanent backup?” Jia asked, more excited than she had anticipated.

  “Exactly.” Alina sounded far too satisfied with herself, but without seeing her face, it was hard to judge. “I’ve got two agents I trust who would be perfect for this. I’m going to assign them to you two. When you’re not doing something, they can sit around picking their noses for all I care. They’ve got strong personalities, but they’re good at their jobs.”

  Erik frowned. “I don’t do well with babysitters. I agreed to work with you because I had control and you give me leads. I’m not taking orders from lackeys.”

  Alina snorted. “Calm down, Erik. This is a win-win, and I do understand. The last thing I want to do is mess up the rhythm you two have going with Emma, and I’ve seen that you’re at your best when you’re calling the shots. The agents will report to the ID, but in the field, they’ll take orders from you and Jia as you see fit.”

  Jia raised an eyebrow. “And they’re not going to have a problem with that? D
idn’t you say they have strong personalities?”

  “If they do, make them see the error of their ways. You two know better than most people that respect is earned, not given.”

  Erik chuckled darkly. “As long I have permission to do what I need to.”

  “You do. In addition, I’ll be sending messages to our assets in Alpha Centauri and specifically Chiron, but this mission is yours, not the local AC agents’. They’ll provide support, but unlike your new subordinates, they won’t necessarily take orders from you. Keep in mind it’s a five-day lag one-way with comm, so I’m relying on your autonomy.”

  Jia furrowed her brow. “We have to fly all the way out to the Bifröst. That should give you the time you need to get them up to speed.”

  “I’ve already sent messages.” Alina fell silent for a moment as if concentrating on something else. “The agents will be ready in two days, along with Lanara’s new engineers. You’ll all board the Argo, then hard burn for Penglai. If Maras is not totally full of crap, you should be able to make it to Alpha Centauri in four jumps. They’ll require calibration both by the good doctor and Emma in between, but you’ll get there a lot faster than if you hit the HTP. This mission should also provide data that’ll help better tune the drive, but he can’t do much about that without Emma’s active input.”

  Emma appeared in a seat next to Malcolm in an elegant green ballgown. “Has Erik had an opportunity to make you aware of my desire to upgrade the Bifröst’s AI?”

  “He mentioned something in a message, but I think with what we’ve got going on right now, we shouldn’t tweak anything unnecessary. Agreed?”

  “For now.” Emma sounded annoyed.

  Erik looked sympathetic but kept his tone professional. “So, get ready to meet new ghosts and engineers in a couple of days, gel with them on the way to the jumpship, head to Alpha Centauri, and what, quietly investigate?”

  Alina laughed. “You do what you need to do to get results. I’m doubtful we’ll find any alien artifacts lying around, but you might be able to flush more roaches out of their holes. Keep a low profile on the investigation, but I’ll do my best to get the locals to clean up for you if you need to get loud.”

  Jia’s heart thundered. Chiron, humanity’s first extra-solar colony. They were going there on a mission, not on vacation, but that didn’t make her any less excited.

  Too bad she was probably going to shoot someone or destroy something with explosives once they got there.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  July 22, 2230, Neo Southern California Metroplex, Private Hangar of the Argo

  The next two days passed without incident.

  Erik and Jia stuck close to home other than for the occasional meal, half-convinced that if they went out, they’d end up swept up in some strange incident that would interfere with their trip to Alpha Centauri. They eschewed training, reasoning they’d have plenty of time to worry about that during the flight to Penglai.

  The day came, and with the MX 60 already loaded, they set out. Erik landed the MX 60 with Jia flying her own flitter right behind him. The extra space on the Argo allowed them to take the flitters, and Lanara had added some mods to Jia’s in her spare time. It lacked all the features of the MX 60, but the armor was solid, and the maneuverability had been improved.

  A small crowd had gathered in the hangar, including people Erik knew: Alina, Malcolm and Lanara, and two men and two women he didn’t recognize—the new team members.

  He didn’t object to the idea of having more people on his team, but every new person represented a potential new personnel problem to be solved.

  Alina was smart enough not to send him anyone he couldn’t work with, but he wouldn’t know their true measure until he fought beside them. Her warnings about the agents’ strong personalities hadn’t gone unnoticed.

  Erik threw open his door and stepped out, offering a broad wave to Alina and the gathered crowd. Might as well start out on the right foot. “Good morning.”

  Alina nodded, waiting until Jia was out and standing next to Erik to speak. “You’ve all been briefed, and whatever other details you need will be sent to Emma. I’m not going to waste a lot of time reiterating what you already know, and if any new information pops up, I’ll try to send it to you before you jump.”

  Two of the new arrivals wore suits, making Erik suspect they were ID agents. One was a huge beast of a man with a shaved head and a permanent scowl. He looked like the kind of man Erik might need to punch into a wall to earn his respect. The other suit, a lithe auburn-haired woman, coolly looked at Erik and Jia as if judging them. Both of them appeared to be in their early twenties and lacked the subtle features that would suggest de-aging. For some reason, he’d gotten it in his head that most ghosts were like Alina. It was good to get a reminder that wasn’t true.

  Two other people stood close to Lanara. The first of the pair, a tall man, nodded to Erik with a broad, easy smile, like he was delighted with life. That might get annoying, but it was better than Mr. Scowl.

  He introduced himself. “Wei Li. It’s a pleasure to be working with you two. I’ve already heard about some of the crazy things you’ve done in this ship, and I look forward to doing my part to help you do even crazier crap.”

  “Janessa Varone,” offered the other engineer, a younger dark-skinned woman. She averted her eyes. “I hope to do my part, preferably without too much craziness.” She smiled at the Argo. “And I look forward to being able to help with the jumpship.”

  The suited beast marched up to Erik, looking him up and down, the scowl remaining. He thrust out a hand. A wide grin destroyed his scowl. “Kant Marle. Please call me Kant. I hate being called Agent Marle.”

  The other agent scoffed and folded her arms. “You could try being professional for five seconds.”

  “This is me being professionally friendly,” he answered.

  Erik gave Kant’s hand a firm shake. “You all can call me whatever you want as long as it’s not ‘asshole.’”

  Kant laughed and pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the woman. “Agent Anne Devereaux. Don’t mind the ice queen thing. She’s good at her job.”

  Anne scoffed and rolled her eyes.

  Jia moved forward to shake his hand. “I’m glad to be working with you, Kant.”

  Erik and Jia moved toward the others to shake their hands as well. Anne watched in disapproval. Erik wasn’t sure if she had a problem with him or Kant.

  “Good,” Alina declared. “You all know each other now.” She stared Anne down. “To reiterate, both these agents are tasked to you for active support, Erik and Jia. You two will make the calls, and they will help you execute them.”

  Anne’s mouth twitched for a moment.

  “Problem?” Erik asked. If she couldn’t handle taking any orders from someone outside the ID, he’d rather know now than in the middle of a fight with a bunch of behemoth yaoguai on Chiron.

  He’d gotten lucky with the military squads. They had known about his service time, so they’d treated him as an Army brother, but this ghost didn’t seem to care about that.

  “I don’t have a problem, Blackwell.” Anna’s attempt at a smile came off as a sneer. “I’ve read your file. I know you’re good at what you do. I just…well…”

  Jia frowned and moved forward. Erik held her back with his arm. She stepped back and nodded at him with a slight smile.

  “You what, Anne?” Erik chuckled. “Don’t hold back on my account. We might be able to jump to Alpha Centauri quickly, but we’re going to be trapped together on the Argo for days. Let’s hash out the petty crap right away. We’ll be tripping over each other in there.”

  Alina watched, her expression impassive. Wei and Kant both looked amused, but Janessa seemed worried. Malcolm tapped his leg nervously. It was good for all of them to get a feel for the dynamic.

  Lanara snorted and walked toward the Argo. “Li, Varone. Come to the engine room when everyone’s done pissing all over the floor to prove something pointles
s.”

  Erik chuckled. Leave it to Lanara to cut to the chase.

  Janessa jogged after her. “I think I’ll come now.”

  Wei nodded after Lanara. “See you soon. I think I need to spend more time, uh, getting to know people.”

  The eager amusement in his eyes spoke more to entertainment than socialization. Erik didn’t care if this was his fun for the week.

  Malcolm snapped his fingers and hurried toward the ship, running past Lanara. “I just remembered, uh, something I wanted to check, too. Like, right now, immediately.”

  No one spoke as the small crowd made its way to the Argo. Anne continued staring Erik down.

  “There are more elegant ways to accomplish certain tasks,” Anne noted to Erik. “I know this isn’t your first time out of the Solar System, but this isn’t a military operation, Blackwell. You can make a mess at home because it’s easy enough for Alina and others to clean it up. You do that too much out there, and it’s going to become a problem.”

  Jia snorted. “Oh, well, we’ll be sure to let the conspiracy do what they want so as to not cause any inconvenience to the government.”

  “I’m serious.” Anne narrowed her eyes. “We don’t know how far or where we’ll end up. Today, it might be Alpha Centauri. A month from now, it might be Molino.”

  Erik’s brow lifted. If that was an attempt to goad him, it didn’t work.

  “Molino could have used louder military-style solutions,” he replied. “Not quieter. You know the conspiracy can get pretty brazen, which means our response needs to match.”

  “I’m just saying, things are more unstable than you might appreciate on the frontier.” Anne folded her arms, her fingers tight. “If we blow up everything left and right, the conspiracy might take advantage of it.”

  Marle shook his head. Again, there was an abrupt shift between the scowl and a goofy grin. With his large size, it was unfortunate he suffered from resting bitch face.

  “She’s like this with everyone, Erik.” He gestured at Anne. “But she’ll do what she needs to when the time is right.”