Desperate Measures

by Michael Anderle

  Kant grabbed a set of orange darts. “Would it be too much if I had darts that said, ‘Kant is awesome’ on the side’? I used to play with a set like that.”

  “Hey, whatever works.”

  Malcolm collected the yellow darts and swirled one in his fingers. “Don’t get cocky, big guy. I know a thing or two about tossing darts.”

  Kant grinned at him. “Bring it on, Captain Hawaii.”

  “Consider it brought.” Malcolm fluffed his shirt.

  Erik had never seen Malcolm being all that great at darts, but he didn’t mind the man’s enthusiasm. The more people who got excited, the more fun it would be for everyone.

  “This is more fun when it’s a drinking game,” Wei complained, his shoulders sagging.

  Erik offered him a grin. “We can do one like that on our way back after we’re done kicking the conspiracy’s ass on Chiron. It’ll give us all something to look forward to.”

  Wei smiled brightly and rubbed his hands together. “I better get my practice in now. I’m not great.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Nothing on the line but bragging rights.”

  Jia inspected the tray and didn’t surprise Erik by selecting a dark-blue set. Anne picked up a white set. Lanara grabbed the red. Janessa picked up the indigo darts. Wei hesitated, his gaze shifting back and forth before picking up the green. That left violet for Erik; not his favorite choice, but it would do for the moment.

  Emma’s hologram appeared wearing a striped referee’s uniform. Erik opened his mouth to question her choice but shut it and waited for her to do the next part. It would help if she bonded with the new crew members, too.

  “I’ve randomized the order of play.” Emma lifted her hand and a scoreboard appeared with everyone’s names, starting with Jia, then Anne, Erik, Kant, Janessa, Wei, Malcolm, and Lanara. “We will be playing standard variant 501, which has persisted for centuries. It’s easy. Each turn, you get three throws, and your score will be subtracted from 501 with the goal of getting to zero, but on the throw you get to zero, you need to get a bullseye or a double to win. A throw that reduces your score below zero, to one, or zero but not ending with a double, will reset your score to its initial value before your first throw that turn. Everyone understand?”

  Malcolm gestured for her to hurry up. “Come on. It’s darts, not sphere ball. It’s not that complicated. Everyone already said they knew how to play when we agreed to it.”

  He withered under the AI’s glare. Emma continued staring at him for a good five seconds before returning her attention to the rest of the crowd.

  “Reminders and specificity are necessary for proper competition,” Emma explained, her voice cold. “Let’s see if your skill level matches your impatience, Mr. Constantine. Let me note, I’ll also be monitoring your smart lenses to ensure a lack of cheating. Competitions are no fun if they involve cheating, except for hacking the competition.”

  Erik waited for someone to complain about Emma’s intrusion into their privacy, but no one did. He’d asked Emma to make the announcement as part of another test. There wasn’t a human in the UTC who wasn’t used to dealing with some level of persuasive AI and surveillance, but knowing you were being recorded was different from knowing you were being watched by a self-aware AI with clear emotional loyalty to a small number of people.

  Jia stepped up to the line with a smile. “I wish we could play sphere ball, but this will be fun. There’s nothing like a pure test of skill. This isn’t about the equipment, just hand-eye coordination, technique, and careful planning.”

  After a lengthy period of subtly shifting her dart and her eyes, she sent her missile flying. She started the match with a bullseye, earning her claps and cheers from most of the crowd, with the noticeable exception of Anne and Lanara. The engineer murmured numbers under her breath and kept waving her hand, interfacing with internal sensors readouts being fed to their smart lenses.

  “One hundred twenty-five points,” Emma announced after Jia’s next two throws of another bullseye and an outer bull.

  Malcolm whistled loudly, and Janessa gave a soft smile. Kant looked worried, and Wei impressed. Anne’s expression hadn’t changed much.

  “Starting us off with a challenge, huh?” Erik asked with a grin. “No-Mercy Lin is with us today, ladies and gentlemen.”

  He wasn’t surprised by the throws. When they were still cops, they had played darts on occasion, especially when they hung out with other cops at bars, and Jia had always played well. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d practiced in secret after that.

  Jia collected her darts and tossed one in the air. She snatched it before it started falling. “It’s all about angles and controlled power.”

  “It is at that,” Anne replied, stepping up to the line, her gaze ticking between Erik and Jia. “And the skill to achieve them.”

  She took several deep breaths and made minute adjustments to her hand. No one spoke. Several people held their breath.

  Anne broke the silence with three rapid-fire throws. Erik’s brow lifted before the first dart hit. He marveled at the aggressive play. It paid off with a triple twenty, another triple twenty, and a third triple twenty.

  “Anne’s not here to play. She’s here to win.” Kant threw back his head and laughed, the sound charming and relaxing despite the volume.

  Anne wandered to the board, offering Jia a faint smirk before collecting the darts. Erik had to credit the woman. Getting a triple twenty was difficult. Landing three was impressive. Nailing three in a row so quickly was ridiculous. If Emma weren’t monitoring things, he would have suspected cheating.

  “Wow.” Malcom tilted his head back and forth while staring at the dartboard. “That’s a lot of darts to get in a tiny spot. I guess I’m not as good as I thought.”

  “There’s no point in doing something half-assed,” Anne explained, returning behind the line and nodding at Erik. “Wouldn’t you agree, Blackwell?”

  “I don’t take my darts that seriously when money’s not on the line,” Erik offered with a smile, moving forward to take his place.

  He might have made a tactical mistake in selecting darts, but given Anne’s behavior, any competition would have led to the same issue. Some people couldn’t shut off their competitive switch.

  It wasn’t over yet, and one smart-ass comment didn’t make the entire game a mistake. The only thing to focus on for the moment was the game.

  His mind settling, Erik made his throws. He didn’t rush the three like Anne or spend half a century planning between each like Jia. He felt the familiar satisfaction as each dart thudded into the board.

  “One hundred and sixty,” Emma announced. “Good for the first three.”

  He was going to make everyone work for a victory.

  Kant threw up his hands. “Come on. Give us a break.”

  In theory, the rules of 501 gave people behind a chance to catch up. The final throw requirements necessitated careful control, and depending on how someone depleted their score, it might be more difficult winning without options, such as leaving themselves easily divisible scores.

  Preplanning was key. Darts was far more about strategy than casual observers understood.

  The other grand advantage of 501 was it was impossible to win on the first two turns, giving each player at least some opportunities for fun and excitement. Erik was pretty good. While he wouldn’t claim to be a master, he won more often than not. That game, though, his opponents had brought their solid throwing arms.

  Lanara took her third throw of the third turn. She was the slowest between each throw, even compared to Jia, and it was obvious on both turns that she was making no attempt to earn points. Rather, she was aiming her darts for specific sides of the board as part of the diagnostics and continuing her constant muttering of numbers.

  No one dared to complain. The last thing anyone wanted to do in deep space was piss off their chief engineer.

  The other players had performed well enough, but Jia, Anne, and Erik�
��s spectacular first turns had given way to more modest follow-ups in the next. Malcolm had also managed a triple twenty in the third round, helping him close on the score leaders.

  The standings board shifted with the completion of Lanara’s turn, and Emma pointed at it.

  “At the beginning of the fourth round, we have Jia and Anne tied for first place, with ninety-six points left. Malcolm is controlling second place with a hundred and fifty points left—”

  “Feel the power of the shirt!” Malcolm shouted. He slapped his hands against his chest and the red Hawaiian shirt decorated with Santa Claus and reindeer. Calmness returned after a fierce glare from Emma.

  “Erik is in third, with 161 remaining,” she continued, “Kant is in fourth with 175. Janessa is in fifth with 190, Wei in sixth with 200, and Lanara a distant seventh place at 270 points.”

  “I think I throw better with beer in me,” Wei offered with a sheepish smile. “That and I suck.”

  Jia cracked her neck and then her knuckles. She strode with confidence to the line, one of her darts already ready in her right hand. A moment passed as she examined the board and sucked in a deep breath. She threw in one fluid motion, commanding and powerful. The dart thudded into the board.

  Bullseye. Fifty points. Her second throw netted her sixteen points, leaving her with thirty to go.

  Jia nodded slowly. She needed a double fifteen to finish the game. Her hand moved back, and she released.

  A collective groan went up from Malcolm and Kant.

  Single fifteen.

  Erik shook his head, disappointed. The bullseyes and double requirement meant she’d need at least two more throws to win, opening up a chance for her chief competition to finish the game in victory.

  Anne sauntered up to the line with a slight smile. A bullseye knocked her score down to forty-six, matching Jia’s initial move. Her follow-up toss hit a double three. She was down to forty points.

  “It’s over,” she declared.

  “Then don’t talk it,” Jia suggested, her face tight. “Toss it.”

  Anne released her final dart. Double ring. Twenty. Forty points. Her mouth quirked into a smirk. She was edging over the line between confidence and arrogance.

  “Zero point four percent,” shouted Lanara. She jerked her arm up, her finger pointed at Wei. “You.” She whipped her finger toward Janessa. “And you. Come with me. We need to make some adjustments on the primary grav power conduits.”

  A single toss landed Lanara’s darts in the tray with a clatter. Maybe horseshoes was more her game.

  “Right now?” Wei sighed. “But we just got done. Don’t we have time to tal—”

  “We’re done messing around,” Lanara finished. “And you had plenty of time to run your mouth during the game.” She headed toward the door. “Now, let’s move.”

  Janessa smiled at Erik and set her darts in the tray. “It was fun. I did better than I thought I would. Thanks for suggesting it.”

  Wei bobbed his head, dropped off his darts, and followed his fellow engineers. “Fun, but the Empress is dragging us back to Diyu.”

  “Keep talking,” Lanara shouted.

  Jia extended her hand to Anne. “Good game.”

  “At least you kept up with me.” Anne eyed Jia’s hand for a moment before giving it a light shake. “An easy victory isn’t worth it.”

  The ID agent walked away without looking back at the others. After dropping her darts in the tray, she headed toward the door. Kant gave Jia an apologetic shrug.

  Malcolm waited until Anne was out of the room before making a face. “Somebody likes their darts too much.”

  Kant chuckled. “By her standards, that was being nice.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  July 25, 2230, Solar System, En Route UTC Space Fleet Base Penglai

  Jia stepped out of the nano-AR chamber, shaking out her hands, her eyelids heavy. She was exhausted, and it wasn’t from the hordes of simulated terrorists she’d taken out in a tower.

  Dealing with a screwed-up Circadian rhythm was another annoying but necessary aspect of long-distance space travel. The Army and Fleet avoided it by rigid adherence to schedules, but that wasn’t practical in their situation. Although she’d avoided having much trouble on their last space mission, her body had turned against her this trip.

  Jia had been taking turns in the cockpit. At this point in the flight, there weren’t many required course corrections. Emma could handle it, but there was something calming about being behind the controls, even when she was tired.

  But there was only so long she could sit in a pilot’s seat, and with Erik asleep, she’d decided to do some battle training on her own. She’s long since accepted that working for Alina meant most jobs would end in violence. They weren’t going after the kind of people who would give up and beg to be hauled to jail.

  She wasn’t bothered by the necessity of taking out the violent agents of the conspiracy. Perspective helped. She was now dealing with the kind of people who would hire someone to fire cruise missiles at a jail or partake in the most disgusting types of genetic engineering without any consideration of balance or the consequences.

  It was sick, but in a way, she missed the petty criminals of NSCPD. They might be antisocial and violent, but their motivations were so much easier to understand.

  Jia froze as she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned toward the source, reaching for a weapon she didn’t have. The Argo was the one place she didn’t wander around with two pistols strapped to her.

  She let out a sigh of relief, no longer annoyed at her lack of guns. Her visitor wasn’t a dangerous alien or terrorist stowaway. It was Anne, walking down the passage and heading Jia’s way.

  The ID agent slowed, the corners of her mouth tugging down. “You’re using the room? I didn’t think anyone would be using it right now. Other than the engineers, everybody seems to be keeping the same schedule.”

  Jia shook her head. “I just finished.” She motioned to the door. “She’s all yours, Agent Devereaux.”

  Anne walked toward the room, her steps slow and deliberate. “Blackwell, I get. You, I’m still figuring out. I’m not going to pretend that doesn’t annoy me.”

  “What’s to figure out?” Jia frowned. “I’m assuming there is a huge ID file on me you’ve read. If the government didn’t trust me, they wouldn’t be letting me go on these missions or anywhere near the jumpship.”

  “Yes, I’ve read your file, detailing all your impressive achievements. You seem trustworthy, but that’s only one important thing.” Anne snorted. “I read how you became Lady Justice and about the corp princess who lowered herself to become a detective. Not all of us could walk into our positions so easily, Your Highness.”

  Jia folded her arms. “I didn’t lower myself to become a police officer. I fought a lot of people who were resistant, including my own family, so I could better serve the UTC public.” She frowned. “And it’s not my responsibility to make sure everyone else makes it into law enforcement. Yes, I used an unusual entry path, but I earned it. I didn’t have to become a police officer, you know.”

  Anne raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You’re saying you’re a hero for doing that. I didn’t realize it.”

  “No, I’m simply adding nuance to deflect your insults.” Jia squared her shoulders. “I’m not going to sit here and take everything from you because you’re with the ID. They came to us because they recognized our skills, and our track record speaks for itself.”

  Anne took another couple of steps until she was right in front of Jia. Both women were around the same height. Combined with the agent’s lither build, physical intimidation was questionable, but Jia couldn’t deny the sheer intensity in the woman’s cold stare.

  “I don’t insult,” Anne offered, her voice barely above a whisper. “I present the truth as I see it. Some people don’t like that, but that doesn’t mean I care.”

  “What truth do you see?” Jia asked. “Because I see a woman who was
belligerent to my partner and now is being unpleasant to me without a good reason.”

  “I have my reasons,” Anna replied. “And the truth is, you didn’t earn your position. Your family wealth and status bought you a place as a detective. It was mere proximity to others that got you the rest of your reputation, including your current position. If you were as great as you think, you would have reformed the NSCPD yourself, and Agent Koval would have recruited you long ago. And if you knew about what was going on in the UTC, you would have joined the ID or CID rather than the NSCPD.”

  Jia lowered her arms, her hands curling into fists. She would never deny she’d been naïve about the UTC and the reality of crime in Neo SoCal and unrest elsewhere, but she wasn’t just along for the ride. She’d carved out her own fate, and she wasn’t a woman who would sit there with someone all but in her face.

  “You think I’m a fraud?” Jia snorted. “After every mission I’ve done? After all the times I’ve risked my life? That’s what this is about?”

  “You mean, missions like on the Hunter ship?” Anne replied mockingly. “How well would you have done without the assault infantry, hmm? It’s easy to look impressive when everyone around you is impressive. All you have to do is not screw up.”

  “So I was, what, expected to take out the entire ship by myself? Don’t be ridiculous. If this is about my background, get over it.” Jia rolled her eyes. “Is that what you do? Wander around the UTC, stopping every terrorist and insurrectionist by yourself?”

  “Not exactly. It’s… You see, it’s like the darts.” Anne’s face twitched. “In a fight, it’s not good enough to be second. Being not as good as the enemy means you’re dead, and when we’re on missions, there might be all sorts of personnel mixes. I want to make sure if we end up working together, I won’t have to do the work for both of us.”