Zenith Point (The Sector Fleet, Book 4)

by Nicola Claire

  I half expected his secretary to be there, but the place was empty.

  Empty but not untouched.

  Johnson whistled low. Armstrong sucked in a breath.

  And Hugo said, “What the hell happened here?”

  The desk was destroyed as if a giant had smashed a fist into it. The digi-plants were all dead, not even a flicker of light. The couches had little pieces of stuffing falling out. It took a moment for me to realise the holes had scorch marks around them from plasma fire.

  The gel floor was clean as if it had wicked away any unwanted sights. But splattered against a pot plant in one corner and a section of the desk in another and the armrest of a chair in the centre was blood.

  “If it wasn’t us then who?” Hugo asked.

  “The leaseholder and mayor had a falling out?” Johnson offered.

  They all looked at me.

  “That could happen,” I said. I knew the mayor would not have liked my absence, maybe he complained too much.

  “OK,” Hugo said, looking around the destroyed room. “That just means no one’s here.”

  He headed toward the door that led into the mayor’s offices and quarters. Despite evidence to the contrary, I kept expecting the mayor to jump out at us. My heartbeat thumped mercilessly inside my chest. My palms were coated in sweat. I caught myself lifting a thumb to my lips, but my nails had been bitten down long ago, and there was nothing left.

  I swallowed my fear and frustration down and entered the mayor’s offices behind Hugo’s men.

  There wasn’t much more here to speak of. Just the shattered remains of a once proud man. His too big desk destroyed, his liquor cabinet smashed to pieces. His chair sitting at an odd angle, blood splatters all over it.

  “Shit,” Armstrong said.

  “Find the comms unit,” Hugo ordered grimly.

  My courage felt cheated.

  I could actually feel every beat of my heart inside my chest. It hurt.

  My jaw ached from where I was clenching it.

  Hugo placed a hand on my shoulder briefly and then went to where Armstrong had located the comms unit. Johnson, I had noted, had remained by the door with his plasma rifle at the ready.

  There was only one way in or out of here; I didn’t want to think about what would happen if Aquila sent mercs in behind us.

  I crossed to the comms unit, silently urging the men onward. Armstrong was trying to enter commands. Lights had been activated. I felt a surge of hope. Hugo lifted the wrist comm to the unit and opened a channel. He hurriedly typed out a message and hit send.

  We waited, and we watched as the lights flickered and the message flew through the void of space to its destination; any ship other than ours.

  And I felt the resultant message as if I’d been punched in the gut.

  message failed to deliver

  communications array damaged

  please repair and resend

  “Shit,” Hugo said. “We’re on our own.”

  I'd never felt more alone than I did right then.

  Thirty-Six

  All Civilians Resisting Arrest Will be Terminated

  Hugo

  It was only once we were back in the emergency tubes that I let out a relieved breath of air. Not that there was a hell of a lot to be relieved about. The communications array was down, which meant we couldn’t contact Corvus. The mayor was likely dead, which meant the leaseholder could officially be classed as lethally insane now. And I had no idea how the watches were doing down in the habitats.

  But despite all of that, I was relieved we were off the main deck because that meant Adi was that much farther away from her father.

  She’d handled herself well; I’d give her that. But now she was a silent wraith in front of me as she followed behind the others. Her hands and feet on the ladder rungs didn’t even make any sound. It was a little eerie.

  I thought perhaps she’d be happy the mayor had been dealt with. And then I cursed myself for thinking such a thing. Despite the mayor accepting her as a prize for his loyalty to the leaseholder, Adi would not have wanted him dead.

  In a way, I hated that she was developing a thick skin due to all she’d experienced. But the only way to get through this was to do so. I didn’t allow myself time to consider the loss of life. I couldn’t. Mourning would come afterwards.

  But seeing Adi fist her hands and lift her quivering chin in defiance because it was the only way she could keep going without breaking down…well, it damn near broke my heart, it did.

  But it conversely made me proud of her.

  We’d get through this. We had to. I couldn’t think otherwise.

  Deck F finally appeared, and Johnson swung into the level’s tunnel with practised ease. Armstrong followed behind, then turned around to help Adi. Of all of us, she was the most accomplished in the tunnels, but it pleased me the men wanted to ensure she was safe anyhow.

  I followed behind and then when everyone was ready, we set out for the central hub hatch. The sound of fighting met our ears long before we got there.

  And the sound of Aquila over the habitat comms.

  “All civilians resisting arrest will be terminated.”

  Not exactly reassuring.

  “At least Mandy’s making him panic,” Armstrong muttered.

  “I’d hoped he’d be busy with Corvus,” I offered.

  “We’re underway,” Johnson said, “at full auxiliary speed.” He’d know, being chief helmsman. They tended to be zen with their ships. “He’s either fleeing or regrouping elsewhere.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  Adi moved forward, between the two men, and stared out into the habitat.

  “I see mercs down,” she said. Her hand was resting on her filleting knife. She looked completely badass. I smothered the smirk that wanted out.

  It was easy enough to do when you could hear people screaming.

  “All civilians resisting arrest will be terminated.”

  “It’s a recording,” Armstrong said. “He’s preoccupied.”

  “That’s our best shot, then,” I said. “Now or never.”

  I looked at Adi, considered asking her again to stay in the tunnels. She met my look with one of determination and fear. It wasn’t bad that she was scared. Fear made you cautious. Fear could keep you alive.

  “Stick close,” I said, and nodded for Johnson and Armstrong to head out.

  I lifted the wrist comm up and watched as the hatch disappeared. And then we were all out in the open and in the thick of it.

  I could see Mandy off to the side executing a series of moves that definitely put her in the dangerous category. I was glad she was on our side. Civilians were throwing themselves into the melee with a surprising amount of verve. There were, unfortunately, a few who were already down. Unconscious or worse.

  I had no way of knowing how the other habitats were faring, but that didn’t matter now. We were here. And the mercs were rallying.

  I shot to wound at first. But they were shooting to kill. One civilian, carrying a fucking soup ladle of all things, got shot between the eyes right in front of me. I didn’t think about it; I just fired at the merc who had done it. Hitting him in his faceplate to blind him and then following up a second shot at the joint between helmet and armoured suit.

  I didn’t know if it was a kill shot, but part of me hoped it was. And that alone was scary.

  I turned to check on Adi, making sure she’d stuck close. She had, thankfully, but she’d also had to use her fillet knife to defend herself. I cursed the bloodlust that had momentarily consumed me and took out the merc who’d been trying to take her down.

  This time I shot to wound only. I took out his left knee, where the armoured suit had a mechanised hub. Sparks flew, and he lost his footing. Adi jumped on him in the next second, screwdriver in hand, and undid his interface panel. In seconds she’d powered down the armour, just like she’d taught us.

  We made a good team.

/>   Then it was up and into the fight again.

  The civilians were waning. I could see the effort required even to get close to the mercs was taking its toll. Several had banded together, but they were losing their formation; their training. What little if it they’d had.

  “Back to back!” I shouted above the sounds of battle.

  “All civilians resisting arrest will be terminated.”

  How many had I missed? Were they still only recorded messages?

  The civvies followed my command. Mandy realising at that moment that reinforcements had arrived. No doubt she’d been wondering what had delayed us. She followed my command up with further ones of her own. And together we managed to get the remaining civilians into some form of order.

  The mercs were probably yelling at each other too. But they had a secured network to communicate on. I did a quick mental tally of those armoured suits on the ground and those still fighting and realised we were in a whole heap of worry.

  Flesh and blood against military grade alloys and polymer. It was a losing battle.

  My heart faltered for a minute. My mind grew sluggish. My body stumbled. Adi reached for me; delicate hand gripping my arm tightly.

  We couldn’t win this, but we weren’t giving up now. We’d thinned their number. We’d made a difference, even if just a small one.

  And then a merc shot Mandy in the shoulder.

  Adi screamed. Mandy made no sound as she fell down. But her return shot did hit the merc right between his helmet and armour. So precise. So deadly.

  The merc fell. He must have been one of their group commanders because for a moment the other armoured mercs faltered.

  “Now!” I yelled. Whatever ‘now’ entailed, we had to do it right then. We had to take advantage of their confusion.

  Because they were confused. They’d lost their superior officer.

  The civilians and Zenith watch surged as one, Adi rushing over to Mandy to offer cover. But the spook wasn’t down and out yet, bloody and battered sure, but not out for the count. She let Adi help her to the side of the hub, behind one of the stalls for shelter, and then she offered sniper cover with Adi at her side.

  I hated having Adi away from me, but I knew Mandy would protect her. I might not have liked that the CIA agent had not warned us of the leaseholder plot, but she did feeling something for Adi, I was sure of it.

  Steak knives met armoured joints. Meat mallets met faceplates. Plasma fire met plasma fire. We lost a couple of civvies in the final confrontation, but in the end, we outnumbered them, and we had righteous fury on our side.

  The last armoured merc’s suit deactivated, and we all stood still, staring mutely at each other.

  I did a quick tally. Ten mercs. Ten out of a possible fifty strong force. If only the other habitats had done as well.

  Mandy stepped out from behind the stall, Adi in tow. Both looked a little worse for wear. We all did.

  I counted the civilians who had died. Eight. If only the other habitats had done better.

  I sighed.

  And then Aquila said, “All civilians resisting arrest will be terminated.”

  And the air filtration system stopped.

  Thirty-Seven

  It Was Time To Get Even

  Adi

  “Life support,” Hugo said frantically.

  Oh, God. The AI was watching.

  “The tunnels,” I urged. The grilles on the hatches had sealed when the air filtration had stopped. They were kept on a separate life support system, I was sure of it.

  “Quick,” Hugo said, heading toward where we’d entered. “Get the civilians inside first.”

  Johnson and Armstrong started rounding up those civilians still in the hub and still alive. I refused to think of the ones who were dead. And I had to hope those who had returned to their quarters when this all started were safe for now. They hadn’t been resisting arrest, and I got the impression, for all the AI’s craziness, Aquila was inherently honest.

  Or at least I hoped so.

  The civilians started piling into the tunnels, Armstrong leading them deeper inside, while Johnson helped them climb up and Hugo kept the hatch open. I turned to look for Mandy and saw her standing over one of the mercs, trying to get his helmet undone.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “They can’t move, right?” she said. “Their suits are locked down?”

  “Ah, yeah,” I said.

  “Good,” she replied. It sounded a little off.

  I noted her arm was bleeding quite badly. The gel floor was having trouble wicking the blood away.

  “Mandy,” I said, stepping closer.

  “Adi!” Hugo shouted. “Get in the tunnel!”

  “Wait!” I called back, crouching down by my friend. “Mandy, leave them. Come on.”

  “There’s time,” she said. “Big room like this takes time to evacuate all the oxygen.”

  I wasn’t so sure. Already I could feel my limbs getting heavier and my vision blurring.

  “Adi,” Hugo said at my shoulder.

  The hatch was closed again, but all the civilians and Johnson and Armstrong were inside. Hugo wore the wrist comm still, though, so they would be doomed to starvation if he didn’t get in there with them. And what of the other decks? The other habitats?

  “Oh, God,” I said. “Habitats Two and Three.”

  “Exactly,” Hugo said. “Mandy, come on.”

  “Go,” she said, moving off to the next merc. The one she’d just finished with was mercifully unconscious. But he would die here along with her.

  I took a step back.

  “Mandy?” I said.

  She stood up from the next merc, his helmet discarded. His eyes blinked rapidly, but no words formed on his slack mouth. Then she looked directly at Hugo and pointed her steak knife.

  “Get her off this deck and into those tunnels.”

  “And you?” he said, tugging me with him towards the hatch.

  “I’m finishing this while I still can.” She moved to the next merc, removing his helmet quicker this time.

  “You’ll die,” Hugo said at the gel wall. The hatch had opened and sweet, sweet filtered air spilt out.

  “We could keep this open and get some air in here,” I said. It might be enough.

  “Get to the other decks and get those people out!” Mandy said and then stumbled.

  Hugo looked torn. Half his body was turned toward Mandy and her struggles to expose the mercs to Aquila’s form of justice. And half of him was already pushing me in the tunnel.

  Mandy was onto her fourth merc’s helmet. Hugo stood there in indecision for a moment longer and then said, “You’ve done enough. As captain of the ship, I order you to return to the tunnels.”

  Mandy stood up. She smirked at him and then saluted.

  “I’m outside your chain of command, Captain.”

  They shared a look, and then Mandy fell to one knee.

  “The habitats,” she growled. “Get to the lower habitats and save who you can.”

  “You stubborn, stupid woman!” Hugo yelled, then took his wrist comm off and handed it to me.

  My hand shook as I held the device near the hatch so what little air there was could still come in. Hugo ran to the closest merc and clocked him in the face with the butt of his gun. And then he hit the release mechanism on the back. The armoured LSU retracted around his form.

  “Your screwdriver, Adi!” he shouted.

  I threw it to him.

  He used it to reactive the settings on the armour.

  Mandy was sitting by the fifth merc, struggling for breath. Hugo got up and ran toward her and then dragged her almost inert form back to the armour he’d released from the unconscious merc.

  “Damn you for making me a part of this,” he snarled and threw her down beside it.

  He staggered. Stumbled on his feet. Then reached down and rolled Mandy into the armour, fumbling with her legs and arms and head. He struggled with the helmet for a few preci
ous seconds and then finally hit the button on the back that reactivated the unit.

  “Go!” Mandy said through the speakers. “Get to the lower decks. I’ll follow when I’m done here.”

  She wouldn’t be following us through the tunnels. But in armour, she could get from deck to deck using more conventional methods. If Aquila allowed her.

  I took one last look at my friend as Hugo staggered toward the hatch, gulping in air as it finally reached him, and then I slipped into the tunnel. Hugo had done all he could for her; stubborn woman that she was. And there were other decks, perhaps worse off than us.

  Hugo climbed in at my back and looked out at Mandy’s armoured form. She was working on the fifth merc again.

  “We could wait,” I said.

  “No,” Hugo offered. “We’ve taken too long as it is.”

  He took the wrist comm back and shut the hatch, his breathing still elevated.

  Sweat coated his pale skin, and his lips looked a little blue around the edges, but he smiled at me when our eyes met. It was a sad, regretful smile. I was sure mine back matched it.

  “Come on,” he said moving off.

  Johnson was waiting. “Armstrong’s taken the civvies to Deck C,” he said. “He’ll keep them quiet until we get there.”

  Hugo nodded. “We go down.” He looked at me. Then undid the wrist comm again. He placed it in my hand and closed my fingers over it like I’d done for him. “You wait at the hatches on each deck,” he said. “And if it doesn’t go how we plan, then you hightail it up to those waiting on C Deck.”

  “But…”

  “Adi,” he said. “They can’t be left in the tunnels to die. I need you to do this.”

  I nodded my head, lip firmly between my teeth. It made sense. I hated it.

  He smiled. And then leaned forward and kissed me.

  Johnson made a sound, but turned around, giving us his back.

  Hugo took advantage of the moment and kissed me harder.

  Then gasping a little for breath, he pulled back and said, “Come on. We’ve got habitats to rescue.”