The Rings of Grissom: Tales of a Former Space Janitor

by Julia Huni

  “Take out the lights,” Vanti hisses.

  I crane my neck to peer the length of my body. Over O’Neill’s butt, I can see Vanti’s back. She’s flipped Vern onto his stomach, her knee in leaning into his back. She pats him down then pulls something from his pocket. “Griz, holo-ring.” She tosses it toward him. He catches it without looking, using his left hand. They are two parts of a single, well-programmed bot.

  “Cover your eyes,” O’Neill whispers as he twists and rolls away. He fires upward, taking out each spotlight with a single shot. I turn my head away and screw my eyes shut but don’t feel anything hit me.

  When he moves, I open my eyes again. The bulk of the couch looms dark against the remaining spotlights, still focused on the red carpet. I’m jammed against the solid base of the sofa, O’Neill crouching over my upper body. He pops up over the couch and the blaster whines.

  A voice cries out.

  “How many?” Vanti asks again.

  Someone whimpers.

  “I won’t ask again.” Vanti’s low voice sends shivers up my spine.

  “Two,” Vern gasps out.

  “I winged one, but they’re still firing,” O’Neill says. “I count three.”

  Vern cries out.

  “You lied to me. How many?” Vanti growls.

  “Three. There are three. I swear.”

  Blaster fire distracts me. O’Neill is firing again, and someone screams.

  “We need to move,” he says. “Triana, get up, but stay low.” He fires a couple more shots and takes out another light. “Get to the carriage.”

  “I’m not getting into that thing,” I say. “He’s got it rigged, remember? Who knows what will happen to it?”

  “Good call.” Vanti heaves Vern to his feet. “Don’t try anything. I can kill you with this tiny knife in about three seconds. Or with my bare hands. You will walk toward that door.” She yanks his hands up behind his back. They’re held together with a daisy chain of hair ties.

  I’ve always wondered why she carries them—I’ve never seen her use one for her hair.

  Vern stumbles forward.

  O’Neill pushes me behind Vanti, urging all three of us toward the back wall. “See if you can get behind those crates.” He gets off a few more shots. Laser bolts zing toward us from both front corners of the building. We run.

  “They obviously don’t care if they hit Vern, so he’s not much use,” Vanti says as we reach the back wall.

  “He’s still a shield. Stay down, Triana.” He pushes on my back to keep me bent low. He grabs Vern’s arm to keep him between me and the laser fire.

  “There’s a narrow space here,” Vanti whispers. “I’m not sure you’ll fit, Griz.”

  “I’ll take Vern.” He pulls the older man in front of him and pushes. “See if there’s a back exit. Triana, can you get into the building’s net? We need to send the Peacekeepers to the house.”

  “On it.” I sit down behind the crate and flick my holo-ring. It flares, bright in the dark warehouse. I dial down the glare and start working my way into the interface. If Stervo set this up, I can take it down. I was always a better hacker than him.

  “Move this crate.” O’Neill’s whispered command barely registers. “Or I’ll walk you down the middle of this warehouse as a human shield.” Something heavy grinds. The crate behind me vibrates. Blaster fire resumes.

  O’Neill touches my arm. “Move farther in. These crates are getting hot.”

  I look up from my holos. “Where’s Vern?” I swallow a grunt as I lever myself up off the cold floor. How long was I sitting there?

  In the glow of my holo-ring, O’Neill’s grin looks ghostly. And vengeful. “He’s guarding our six. Move.”

  We hurry deeper into the tight space between the crates and the back wall. “I’m in the system. I just need a few more seconds to crush the blocker.”

  “Keep moving.”

  It’s very dark back here. The crates tower above us, and the space gets narrower. My shoulders brush against the cold wall. “Where’s Vanti?” I can’t tell if she’s found a way out, but she’s out of sight.

  “She went up.”

  I look up. In the dim light from my holo-ring, the wall of crates looks smooth and unscalable. “Up?”

  “They know we’re back here—they’re likely to go over. She’ll stop them.”

  “How? She doesn’t have a weapon. Except your tiny knife.”

  He snorts. “You’ve met Vanti, right?”

  “Yeah.” She probably shoots lasers from her eyes. “Uh, it’s getting a bit tight. I’m not sure we’re going to get much farther.”

  Lasers whine, and bolts stab at us down the narrow gap.

  “Down!” His shove sends me to my knees. I cower behind him as he sends blaster fire back at the enemy. He grunts and drops lower.

  My holo-ring vibrates. “Done! I broke the wall. Emergency call going to the Peacekeepers.”

  “Please state the nature of your emergency,” the robo-voice says.

  “Tell them terrorism and code word frolic,” O’Neill whispers over his shoulder at me.

  I repeat the words to the robo-voice.

  There’s a thud and the laser fire stops.

  “Come on, Vanti got him.” O’Neill waits while I get to my feet then moves forward.

  “Location?” the voice asks.

  I send them our coordinates. “Can I talk to a real person?”

  “Transferring you now.”

  Another voice comes on the line, and this one sounds real. Of course, they can make the AI voices sound real if they want. “Anti-terrorism, this is Watson.”

  Zark.

  Thirty-Three

  I mute the call. “Watson just answered the anti-terrorism call!”

  “Hell.” O’Neill pauses at the last crate to check the body lying there. It’s one of Bobby’s minions. He’s out cold, and his weapon is missing. Beside him, Vern stares up at the ceiling, eyes unblinking, chest rising and falling. Vanti must have had a stun dart hidden on her person. Or she took whatever they used on O’Neill.

  “Vanti, sit rep.” O’Neill’s body blocks the gap, so I’m stuck behind the crates.

  “Hello? This is the anti-terrorist office. We have dispatched agents to your location.” Watson’s voice is calm.

  “This is Kara Ortega-Okila,” I say, using my best Kakuvian accent. Surely, she won’t recognize that name. “We’re under attack.”

  “Please stay calm,” the voice says. No trace of recognition. Is that because she doesn’t recognize my voice or because this is an automated system?

  “They’re shooting at us!” I cry.

  “Please stay calm and find a place to hide.” Definitely an AI. I cut the call.

  “—on planet? Peacekeepers are compromised.” As he talks to Vanti, O’Neill reaches back with his left hand and grabs my wrist. “Stay behind me, but we think we’re clear.”

  A call connects, and Vanti’s voice comes through my audio implant. “I’ve already called Andron and Ferrigi. We have a couple other assets at the wedding venue. I’ve directed them to redeploy to the family compound. We need to get over there to direct.”

  We hurry across the warehouse, staying away from the lighted carpet. Vanti pauses at the carriage. “Do we dare?” She holds a blaster at the ready and has another one slung over her shoulder. The bruise on her cheek stands out dark against her pale skin.

  “I don’t trust that thing, and it’s almost faster to run from here,” O’Neill says. “We’re back in the old town.”

  Run? I hate running. But their priority is my safety, so if I don’t run, they’ll be forced to stay with me. Which could put O’Neill’s family in danger. Or at least keep them in danger longer. I nod. “Let’s go.”

  O’Neill tries to grin, but it comes out more like a grimace.

  Vanti does her commando thing at the door, checking for “hostiles.” When no one shoots, we follow her into the street. The sun is blazing down—it’s nearing midday
and even the alleys are in full sunlight.

  “This way,” Vanti says, heading to the right, a map in her palm.

  “No, I know a shortcut.” O’Neill takes off the other direction, and I follow, Vanti a few steps behind me.

  We run along the alleys, the sun pounding down. I try to stay in the narrow slice of shade, but it barely protects one shoulder. My lungs go into overdrive, and my heart pounds.

  Ahead, O’Neill bangs on a door then swings it open. He glances back at me. “You okay?”

  I nod, unable to speak. My lungs heave, and pain gnaws in my side. I stumble over the threshold into a dark tunnel. A man holds the door open. He stares at me in bewilderment then bows as I hurry past.

  We run into a courtyard much like the O’Neills’. People look up from their pursuits, staring at us in surprise. O’Neill waves and calls out as we go. “Nice to see you! Can’t stop. I’ll drop by tomorrow!” I stagger along the path in his wake. The occupants call out greetings and wave.

  “You really should hit the gym more.” Vanti grins as she comes up beside me, her breathing even and calm.

  I ignore her and plod onward.

  We exit the building and turn left. Traffic fills a wide road at the end of this alley. “What’s going on?” Vanti asks.

  O’Neill shrugs. “Saturday. People going about their weekend business. Are you okay, Triana?”

  I sag against the corner of the closest building, chest heaving, sweat pouring down my face. “I’m fine,” I gasp. “Can we get a taxi?”

  “We’re almost there.” O’Neill returns to my side, his expression concerned. “You aren’t okay. We can rest for a minute.”

  “No, you go on.” I get the words out between breaths. “Vanti can stay with me—we’ll meet you at the house.”

  He studies me. “I can’t leave you here.”

  “I’ll be fine.” I gesture at the heavily armed Vanti. “No one’s going to mess with her.”

  He raises his eyebrows at the redhead.

  “Go.” Vanti’s face doesn’t move, but her voice is loud and clear through the still connected audio call. She hands her extra blaster to him. “I’ve got this.”

  O’Neill takes off, dodging through the traffic. Horns blare, but he doesn’t slow. At the far side, he takes off down the next alley.

  “Let me know when you’re ready.” Vanti stares at a map in her palm. “I’m tracking him, so we can use the same shortcut.”

  “I’m not sure we should run through other people’s homes. They don’t know us.” My heart rate has slowed to only double its normal rate, so I push away from the building and join Vanti at the curb.

  “I’m sure Griz will tell them we’re coming.” The traffic pauses, and we hurry across the street.

  Halfway down the next alley, Vanti stops. “Through there.” She knocks on the heavy wooden door. It swings wide, the hinges shrieking. “I guess they left it open for us.”

  I step inside, and Vanti shuts the gate behind us. The tunnel is dark, but Vanti’s map lights the way. “You want to toss that to me? So you can keep both hands on your gun?”

  Vanti laughs and my holo-ring vibrates as the map arrives. I pop it open and move forward.

  A cobweb catches on my face and I frantically swipe it away. The light at the end of the tunnel is dim, but we move forward into a courtyard.

  This garden looks nothing like the comfortable space at the O’Neill house. Wild vines climb up the inside of the building, choking the balconies. Dead leaves lay strewn across the paths, and broken fronds hang from the tall trees. The stench of decay fills the garden.

  Vanti pushes past me into the damp, rank air.

  Birds squawk and explode out of a bush as we pass, their tiny wings creating a wave of sound. We jump over the fallen branches. Vanti swings her blaster in a wide arc, her eyes and head constantly moving. I stagger along the path in her wake, lungs heaving. The stinking air makes me want to vomit. Something rustles in the overgrowth next to the path. Vanti spins toward it, and a dark creature streaks out.

  “Cat!” I put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t shoot the cat.”

  Her lips press together, and she turns away, picking up the pace. We hurry into another tunnel, which opens to a familiar looking alley. The house across the alley has vines growing up the back, with huge purple and green flowers. “There’s the house.” She puts an arm across the opening, stopping me. “Griz, what’s the status?”

  “Andron, Ferrigi, and I have done a full circuit of the house. There’s no external threat that we can find. I’m going inside. Keep Triana out there.”

  She raises an eyebrow at me.

  “Yeah, not going to happen.” I push her arm out of the way, and she grins.

  “Before we go in, can you scan for any signals?”

  “Like what?” I pop open my hacker tools. “We’re looking for something that could trigger an explosion?”

  “We’re inside.” O’Neill says. “Hey, there’s Putin!”

  Vanti and I make eye contact then race across the alley. She beats me to the back gate and flings it open. “Where are you, Griz?”

  I follow her into the courtyard where she stops me. “Wait.”

  “I’m heading into the lounge. Saw him on the surveillance.”

  The house is full of people. The caterers have set up tables and chairs in the cloister around the courtyard. A huge tapestry hangs against the wall near the office. Men and women in black move through the space, positioning trays of food and bottles of wine.

  The bakers have rebuilt their floating cake in the pavilion. The five huge white layers hover over the wide couch, spinning like a tiny solar system. The cupcakes spiral away in graceful arcs. It’s an absurd, extravagant spectacle.

  “I want one of those if I ever get married,” I whisper to myself.

  Vanti snorts a laugh.

  “What? It’s amazing.”

  Her eyes soften and she looks at it again. “It really is.” Then her jaw tightens. “Let’s find Putin.”

  “There!” My voice squawks higher on the word, and I point. A man stands in the center of the courtyard, the sun glinting off his blond hair. “There he is.”

  Vanti pushes me into a chair. “Stay there.” She races across the courtyard, dodging effortlessly through the crowd. She circles around behind the blond man. I stand so I can see over the crowd, but side-step into the shadow of the closest bush.

  The man stiffens then slowly turns.

  “That’s not him,” I whisper.

  “I’ve got a decoy,” O’Neill’s voice comes through the audio call.

  “This one is too,” Vanti says. “There’s another Putin. And another one! Did he hire all these guys and send them here to die?”

  “That sounds exactly like something he’d do.” I turn, scanning the courtyard.

  “We need to clear the house. He could have hidden an explosive anywhere.”

  “My mother is going to kill me,” O’Neill says. “Then my sisters are going to resurrect me and kill me again.” His voice rumbles through the whole house. “Ladies and gentlemen. We have an emergency situation. Everyone, please exit the building.”

  I stay in my corner, sheltered by the large bush, as confused people filter by. If I were going to blow up a house full of people, where would I hide the explosives? He planned this weeks or even months ago. People come and go through all the time. He could have hidden charges all around the house—a few here, a few there.

  “Did your nieces and nephews find anything odd?” I interrupt O’Neill’s continued announcements, speaking on the private channel. “If he planted his explosives before the other night, surely they would have found something when they were playing?”

  “Kids are pretty good at finding stuff they aren’t supposed to find,” Vanti agrees. I can see her now that the crowd is thinning. She’s directing people toward the rear exit. “Do you think he planted them a long time ago?”

  “I don’t know. But with the wedding, the
re have been plenty of people coming and going over the last few days,” O’Neill says. He’s at the other side of the courtyard, ushering people out the front.

  “The flowers!” I say. I turn and dart through the fleeing crowd, heading for the kitchen. Angie had someone move the empty flower buckets there. I dodge the white-clothed tables and scurry through the open door near the dining room. I haven’t been in here before—it’s only used for storage now. Or the occasional huge banquet. The family uses the AutoKich’ns for most meals.

  The big white tiled room is empty. Deep metal trays lay on a long white counter, their glass tops steamed or frosted over. I peek into one—slices of juicy meat. The smell makes my stomach growl.

  Focus, Triana. We have bombs to find and a killer to catch. I hurry into the utility room at the back. There are the buckets. Thankfully, someone has drained them. I pick up the first and turn it over. As far as I can tell, it’s just a bucket. “What would explosives look like?” I ask.

  Vanti sends a series of pictures to my holo-ring. “The clay-style could be shaped like anything, but they require electronics on the outside to detonate. If you see anything that shouldn’t have wires but does, let me know. I’ve called in a friend—we should have a scanner here within the hour.”

  “An hour?” O’Neill’s voice sounds harried. In the background, I can hear female voices arguing.

  Vanti ignores him. “I’m checking IDs of everyone we’ve got out here. The decoys seem to have disappeared.”

  I continue checking through the buckets and the rest of the kitchen. Nothing. I snag a chocolate covered petit four and make my way back to the courtyard. O’Neill and Vanti meet me by the water feature.

  “I see you found time to get a snack.” Vanti nods at my fingers.

  Oops, chocolate. I grin. “It was just sitting there. I needed to make sure it wasn’t dangerous.”

  “You shouldn't be here at all.” O’Neill glares at Vanti. “Why didn’t you keep her outside?”

  “Have you met her?” Vanti heads for the front door. “My friend has arrived. They’ll scan the building.”