by R S Penney
“We can try,” Gabi replied.
“Well then,” Larani said. “You're all dismissed.”
A starry sky above a field in Syral was clear except for a few clouds that reflected the light of distant city buildings. A light wind blew through the drooping branches of the willow sapling that had been planted on the spot where Ben's ashes were buried, causing leaves to flutter.
Jack stood over the tree with hands in his pants' pockets, his head bowed. “Anna's looking for the ship,” he said softly. “If we can locate it, then we should be able to find Leo's base of operations. We…”
He winced, a tear spilling from the corner of one eye, falling over his cheek in a sticky trail. “I'm sorry,” Jack whispered. “It's just…I don't even know why I'm out here. It's not like you can hear me.”
Spatial awareness told him that he wasn't alone before he heard the newcomer's approach. A little ways off behind him, a clump of deciduous trees stood with branches reaching for the sky, sighing as the wind passed through them, and someone emerged from between two of them.
Jack turned slowly.
An apparition moved through the grass: a woman in a red cloak with her face hidden by a hood. “Such a waste,” she called out. “Did Tanaben ever tell you that he fought me on Palissa?”
Rage flared up within Jack.
His mouth tightened, and he shook his head to dispel the mental image of his hands around this woman's neck. “Isara,” he muttered. “Now really isn't a good time for a chat. Maybe you haven't heard, but I'm a little unstable.”
The woman looked up, and he could sense – but not see – the outline of her face in that hood. “I didn't come here to fight,” she said. “I came here in the hopes that we might find an understanding.”
“Is that right?”
“Quite right.”
“So, what do you want me to understand?”
Isara paced a wide circle around the willow tree, looking over her shoulder to fix her wraith-like gaze upon him. “You grieve for him,” she said. “Tanaben's death has left you with a hole in your heart.”
Jack turned to face her with arms crossed, smiling and shaking his head. “Well, it's something we humans are known for,” he shot back. “Our folksy ways must seem strange to you, but we're really quite charming when you give us a chance.”
On the other side of the tree, Isara paused and then murmured something that he couldn't quite catch. “What if you could have him back?” she asked. “What if I told you that your separation need not be permanent?”
“Ben?”
“Yes.”
The only answer he had to that was a smirk and a quick bark of laughter. “Let me guess,” he said. “Act now, and you'll throw in a free calendar? Don't miss this exclusive, one-time offer?”
“I don't think you understand-”
He tilted his head back and rolled his eyes. “I understand just fine,” he said, striding forward. “You're telling me that if I join your team, you'll bring my friend back from the dead. Hard pass.”
With an almost inhuman elegance, Isara reached out to lay a gloved hand upon the tree, gently stroking its branches. “I thought that would be your answer,” she said softly. “Perhaps you need proof.”
Jack was about to ask what she meant, but a shiver went through him as his spatial awareness picked out another figure emerging from the trees. This one was tall, lithe and almost serpentine. And all too familiar.
When Jack turned, he saw a man in a long, black coat walking through the field, a man with Asian features, and raven-dark hair that fluttered in the breeze. “Do you believe her now, Jack?” Slade intoned. “Can you deny the proof that stands before you?”
Jack squinted at the other man, trying his damndest to maintain some semblance of composure. “Slade,” he said, nodding slowly. “Or more likely a clone of Slade. Just how many of you are there?”
The smile on Slade's face told him that he had asked the wrong question. “I assure you that I am the only one.” Did that make it more creepy or less? “And I remember all of it, Jack. Our fight in Prospect Park.”
“What do you want from me?”
“We want you to serve the Inzari.”
Squeezing his eyes shut, Jack touched two fingers to his forehead. “Dude, you have to know that's never gonna happen!” he exclaimed. “Listen, I've seen two versions of the same woman; it really doesn't surprise me that you can dial 1-800-Got-DoucheBags and order yourself a replacement, Slade.”
“The same wonderful Jack Hunter.”
“With new and improved quippage functionality.” Damn it, he was feeling cheeky. These last few days, he had been too miserable to indulge in his trademark snarkiness, but seeing this pompous asshole just filled him with a need to take Slade down a peg. “Don't you get it? Even if you could bring Ben back, I wouldn't betray everything I believe in to make you do it. You think that's what Ben would want? You got nothing, Greck. Haven't you figured out yet that I will never work for you? Why would you even ask?”
Slade offered a chilling smile, one that hinted at secrets only he knew and promised agonies unimaginable to anyone who got in his way. “We know what you did, Jack,” he said. “How you tried to use your power on Leo.”
Of course…
Isara flowed around the tree with arms swinging, then turned abruptly and stood in front of him. She reached up with both hands to remove her hood, revealing Jena's face. “Do not take this as condemnation,” she said. “For the first time in a very long while, we were truly impressed.”
“You demonstrated a willingness to step outside of the misguided morality of the Justice Keepers,” Slade added. “A willingness to destroy your enemy without hesitation. This, in addition to your other skills, would make you a valued member of our team.
“If you'd only had the power that I possess, Leo would be dead right now, and I would not shed one tear. Leo is a useful tool, but he will never be an equal. Agree to join me, and I promise you that Leo will be dead by morning.”
Shutting his eyes, Jack breathed out through his nose. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “Not gonna happen. You guys wanna fight? Hell, I'll make my last stand right here. Otherwise, you let me go.”
Slade looked crestfallen, hanging his head in what appeared to be genuine dismay. “A pity.” When he looked up, his dark eyes were full of fury. “If you are determined to make yourself my enemy, you leave me with no option but to destroy you. I do not allow obstacles to remain in my path.”
He started forward.
Shockingly, Isara turned her back on Jack and put herself between the two or them. “We came here under a flag of truce,” she said in a voice like silk. “I promised him that I was not here to fight, and I will keep my word.”
“Are you insane?” Slade bellowed.
Step by step, Isara backed up until she was standing beside Jack. Her wicked grin spoke volumes. “If you insist on fighting him,” she cooed. “Then I will be honour-bound to fight at his side, and I do not believe even you could withstand both of us.”
What was this?
Dissension in the ranks? Until now, Jack had thought that Slade's minions were the perfect drones – always willing to follow orders – but for reasons that baffled him, Isara had his back. Well, it didn't have to make sense. He wasn't gonna turn down a good thing. “Sure!” Jack said, turning to Isara. “You wanna fight him together? I'm in.”
The other man scowled, then looked away, almost as if he felt ashamed of being outmaneuvered. “We will speak of this again, Isara,” he promised. “Count on it.”
Slade turned away and stalked off toward the trees.
Pulling her hood back into place, Isara followed him, but then she froze. She turned so Jack could see her face and winked.
Jack shuddered.
Even the bad guys are getting way too complicated.
Isara felt a little thrill as she followed Slade into the trees, a thrill that quickly died to be replaced with uneasiness. What she had done would
upset the fragile peace between her and Slade. But she didn't regret.
It had been a calculated risk.
No doubt Slade would consider her actions to be tactically unsound, and he would be right – Hunter was a nuisance; sooner or later, she would have to eliminate him – but for now, it served her purpose to let the young man live. Slade feared him, and anything that kept Slade off-balance was an asset she could use.
Besides, her little display of “honour” might have been enough to make Hunter second-guess himself. Eliminating your enemies was good; transforming them into allies was even better. Perhaps she could convince the young man that the Inzari were actually benevolent masters, that it was only Slade's misguided leadership that had resulted in so much carnage. Together, they could remove Slade from the picture and accomplish their goals by gentler means. That was the sort of thing that would appeal to a simpering fool like Jack Hunter.
Yes…She could wait.
Chapter 19
A crackling fire in the hearth provided pleasant background noise as Leo scanned through holographic dossiers of Hunter and his friends. A transparent representation of Gabrina Valtez's face floated before him, and he flung it away with a quick gesture of his hand. It still felt odd to him that Valeth would choose such a low-tech base of operations, but then that probably served to keep their enemies away.
The strange woman was sitting in a chair that was much too big for her tiny body, her face bathed in flickering firelight. And, of all things, she was knitting, seemingly lost in the task.
The door banged open to admit Grecken Slade, and Leo watched as the man paced across the room to stand by the fire. He kept his back turned, but there was obvious anger there. “How dare you?” Slade exclaimed.
Isara followed him in with a graceful stride, her face marked by a self-satisfied smile. “Come now, Grecken,” she purred. “Did you really think that we were going to convert the boy with one visit?”
What was this?
Slade turned, looking over his shoulder, a twitch in his cheek betraying his fury. “Hunter's stubborn refusal to join us left us with only one option!” he spat. “We should have killed him!”
Isara stood with hands clasped in front of herself, her eyes downcast as she offered a tiny shrug. “If he sees us as murderers, he will never join us,” she said. “This way, we can persuade him.”
“You betrayed me!”
Hunched over with an elbow on his thigh, Leo covered his mouth with the tips of his fingers. Now, this was fascinating. He had suspected a certain amount of animosity between Isara and Slade, but the two had never openly quarreled like this in front of their subordinates.
A stiffness in Slade's expression was accompanied by a very slight flush, but the man got control of himself quickly enough. “You will never disobey me again,” he said. “Try, and I will kill you.”
Isara spread her hands in concession.
“Heh-hem,” Leo cut in.
The other man's dark eyes fell upon him, and despite himself, Leo was tempted to cringe, but he avoided the inclination.
Instead, he met the man's gaze with a boyish smile and let his eyebrows climb up his forehead. “Does this mean that I can resume my efforts?” Leo inquired. “I have some new ideas.”
“Who will you target next?” Valeth asked.
“Lenai, of course.”
“You're no match for her,”Slade said with disdain evident on his face. Clearly, the man had no faith in Leo's ability to make good on his promises. Well, let him doubt, if he was so inclined. “She'll rip you to pieces.”
“Which is why I won't attack her directly.”
“Interesting,” Valeth said. “What did you have in mind?”
“How many men can you spare?”
“So, he's alive.”
Anna wore a frown as she gazed into her lap, a lock of white hair falling over one eye. “Slade is still alive,” she added. “And apparently, he's still trying to get you to join his little cult.”
Perhaps the revelation that a mortal enemy was still a threat should have made her feel a little uneasy, but if Anna was honest with herself, she had to admit that she really didn't think she'd seen the last of Slade. The man was like a rash that kept flaring up, a stain you could never quite get out of the carpet.
On the other side of her living room, Jack stood by the wall with his arms crossed, shaking his head. “Guy seemed to think I was ready to go full-on Anakin,” he said. “ 'Hey, you killed Dooku in your anger, may as well betray the Republic.' ”
Anna felt a smile blossom, her body shaking with laughter. “He should know you better by now,” she teased. “You'd never do anything that might be considered a reference to the Prequel Trilogy.”
“Good point.”
“So, what do we do now?”
Jack started across the living room with his head tilted back, blinking as he thought up an answer. “I don't know,” he said. “The only thing I can think is that we pretty much carry on as we have been.”
That might work; apprehending Leo was definitely a priority, but with Slade back in the mix – had he ever really been out of it? – it occurred to her that there might just be something worse going on behind the scenes.
You could never really tell with Slade; Jena had possessed a talent for sniffing out his schemes, but Anna had trusted him even after he had sabotaged her mission to rescue Summer from Denario Tarse. Hard as it was to admit, she had to acknowledge one of her blind spots; she really wanted to have faith in the Keepers.
New York had shown her how dangerous it was to underestimate a man like Slade. Turning a whole city into a death trap designed specifically to kill Justice Keepers was no easy feat. It also meant that Slade was afraid of the Keepers. Which meant there was at least a small chance they could stop him. She took heart in that.
Anna stood.
Brushing that lock of hair off her cheek, she turned her head to stare out the living room window. “All right,” she said, nodding. “Tomorrow, we talk to Larani, update her on all of this and try to catch a psycho with a symbiont.”
“Oh, Anna!” Jack exclaimed. “Be careful, girl! Never do anything on a first date that you can't top on a second.”
“Shut up!”
A ragged breath escaped Jack as he shut his eyes and jerked his head toward the door. “Well…It's late,” he said. “I should go.”
“You could stay.”
“You want me to stay?”
She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him, nuzzling his chest without thinking. “My bed is very comfortable,” she murmured. “Since you were kind enough to let me stay with you last night, I thought I should return the favour.”
His hand caressed her cheek, tucking that lock of hair behind her ear. Oh, dear…she was falling way too hard. “That sounds lovely.”
Stepping into her office, Anna stiffened against the glare of morning sunlight that came in through a window that looked out on skyscrapers across the street. Her desk of SmartGlass was decorated with a small vase of yellow tulips, and there were paintings that she had created herself on the gray walls.
Perhaps they weren't the best, but she wanted to do something with the work that she had created over the years. Her mother often lamented the career that Anna could have had as an artist – and Seth often urged her to submit the work regardless; there was no reason why a Justice Keeper couldn't gain acclaim in other fields of endeavour – but she always felt as though her work was unfinished. She had never focused enough time and energy on painting to be considered a professional. “Computer,” Anna said. “Has there been any response to my all points bulletin?”
“Negative.”
Anna felt her mouth twist, then shook her head with a heavy sigh. “Well, that angle was a long-shot anyway,” she muttered, striding across the room. “All right, we'll have to focus on another-”
A knock at the door interrupted her.
When she turned, she saw Cassiara standing outside her office.
The other woman wore white denim pants and a halter-top that matched her vibrant pink hair. “I've had an idea,” she said. “One that I think might pan out.”
“Oh?”
Without invitation, Cassi marched across the room and directed her gaze up toward the holographic projector. “Computer,” she ordered. “Display the satellite images that I downloaded this morning”
An image rippled into existence along the sidewall of Anna's office, and she was a little distracted by the fact that she could still see her paintings through it. She seemed to be looking at a top-down perspective of a city, a college campus with building spread out on a field and roads connecting them.
“This is an image of Pelor University,” Cassi explained. “Taken on the afternoon when Jack fought Leo. Privacy laws restrict satellite imaging of each city to one scan per day, but I played some long odds and discovered that the scan of Pelor happened to take place at roughly the same time as Jack's altercation with everybody's favourite sociopath. And look what I've found…”
Cassi stood with fists on her hips, gazing up at the hologram with her lips pursed. “Computer,” she said. “Zoom in on grid 13 by 7.”
The image grew larger until they were looking at a green field with part of a four-walled garden visible in the lower-left corner. On the right side of the photo, a road ran from top to bottom…
And there was a car parked along the curb.
“Interesting,” Anna said.
Backing away from the image, Cassi folded her arms and looked down at the floor. “That's not the interesting part,” she said. “I called the Pelor Transit Authority and asked for a list of all vehicles that were dispatched to Pelor University on that date. According to them, no vehicles were dispatched to Pelor University.”
Pressing her lips into a thin line, Anna shut her eyes and nodded. “Which tells us two things,” she began. “There's a very good chance that this was the vehicle Leo used to flee the scene.”
“And two,” Cassi added, “That Leo and his backers are using vehicles that aren't registered to any local transit authorities. Which means they have considerable resources at their disposal.”