by Melissa Good
“Ack.”
Jess clicked off. “Next time ask first,” she said. “Where were you thinking of?”
He motioned her to follow and they went down the hall and through the entryway into the family quarters. They passed the kitchen and the clusters of common rooms as well as two hallways Jess knew led to where Jake and the late Jimmy had lived. They came to a right hand hall and Jake pushed open a slightly ajar door that blocked it. “Here.”
It was at the skin of the mountain wall, and there were periodically cut out windows in the rock that let in the light from outside. On the other side of the hall were doors to quarters, and Jake stopped at the last of them. “These haven’t been used for a while.”
Jess put her hand on the lock and it opened, and she pushed the door ahead of her as she walked inside. “That’s fine.” She glanced around at the large chamber, which included a food service area and granite faced sanitary unit. “It’s good, Jake.”
“Great. Let me go make sure no one else’s been shot.” Jake stomped off.
Dev eased inside and looked around. “This is pleasant. Nicer than the other location.”
Jess perched on a table. “Should be. It’s the stakeholder’s digs. My father and mother used to have it.” She smiled. “Close the door.”
Dev did and walked over to Jess. “Is something incorrect?”
“Yeah,” Jess said. “It’s getting more and more fucked up. Alters told me the brass wants him to stay in charge here.”
Dev frowned. “Aren’t you supposed to be?”
Jess shrugged. “Anyway, he needs someone to go up to station and find out what the score is with the seeds.” She watched Dev’s face go carefully noncommittal. “I told him I would go, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
Dev’s expression went still, only her pale eyes moving a little as she studied Jess’s face. “I told you, Jess. It’s okay. I want to go where you go,” she said after a long pause. “I don’t want to stay here without you.”
“You could go back to the base. Honest, Dev. I don’t want to freak you out. I get it.” She cleared her throat a little. “I want to do right by you. I mean...you’re my friend, right?”
Dev sat down on the table next to her, shoulder to shoulder, and they both remained silent for a few minutes.
“You are my friend, aren’t you?” Jess finally asked.
“Yes.” Dev answered at once. “In as far as I understand what that is, I am,” she added, somewhat disconsolately.
“Aw.” Jess rested her head against Dev’s. “You’re the best friend I have, Devvie.”
“Mmm. I think you’re the only friend I have, Jess. Would leaving me here make you happy?”
Jess straightened up and frowned. “No.”
Dev exhaled and nodded. “Well, you leaving me here wouldn’t make me happy either. It’s okay, Jess. I want to go with you.” She sounded positive. “Even if it’s hard, or makes me feel sad or incorrect, I want to go with you and show you the stars and the sun.”
Jess let out a relieved sigh. “That’s a damn good thing, Dev. ’Cause I really wanted you to go with me.”
“I can be helpful,” Dev said.
“No. I just don’t want to be without you,” Jess replied, simply. “That would bum me out.” She stood up. “C’mon let’s look around our new digs and get our stuff. “
Unexpectedly, Dev threw her arms around Jess and hugged her in a fierce, intense way. After a brief, startled breath of inaction, Jess responded, happy just to be there in the moment. Even though everything was going sideways, after all, she still had this.
Whatever this actually was.
“OH, DANIEL.” RANDALL Doss hurried over to the table in the quiet restaurant, where his colleague was stolidly munching through his food. “I’m glad I found you.”
“Were you looking for me?” Dan Kurok put his fork down and took a sip of his drink. “We have a paging system, Randall, and I do carry a comms link. And lastly, you could have asked my admin to find me.”
Doss sat down across from him. “Daniel, have you seen the shuttle schedule? The one due in tomorrow?”
“Yes,” Kurok said. “We’ll have our guests here tomorrow evening. I’ve checked all the preparations, and with any luck we won’t horribly embarrass ourselves or get someone’s neck broken by accident.”
“Do you think it’ll be all right, when they see the prototyping?” Doss looked worried. “Daniel, so much is riding on this project.”
“I think it’ll be fine.” Kurok picked up his fork again. “Randall, either order and eat with me, or go away until I’m done. This protein doesn’t do well when it’s cold.”
“Oh. Yes. Of course.” Doss signaled to the server. “Sorry, Daniel. I’m just so frazzled about this, and that investigation. Horrible.”
“Investigation?”
Doss placed his order then turned back to his reluctant tablemate and lowered his voice. “We haven’t bothered you with it, you’ve been so busy. But it seems some of the product from the labs was found downside.”
Kurok stopped chewing. “Eh?”
“Exactly.” Doss took the glass of wine from the waiter and took a swallow. “Interforce. It seems they found seed product in a cavern, and Daniel, it was growing.”
Kurok blinked and put his fork down again. “Eh?” he uttered again. “What are you saying? Growing inside a cave? You know that’s not possible, Randall. We’ve only had the most limited success using artificial light.”
“Exactly,” Doss said. “That’s what I told them. I asked them for details, but they wouldn’t give me any, just the stock numbers, and, Daniel, they were ours.”
The waiter returned and put a plate down in front of Doss, giving him a little bow of respect before retreating.
“Thank you.” Doss dug into the plate, and for a moment they were both silent.
Kurok slowly took a drink from his glass. “Did they say where they found it?”
Doss shook his head. “You know Interforce.” He cut a piece of the protein cake. “This is quite good, Daniel. I’m glad you asked me to sit down with you.”
Kurok sat back with his glass, swirling its contents thoughtfully. “Well, maybe Jesslyn will know more about it. I can ask her when she gets here. Maybe it’s just a small pot after all.”
Doss nodded. “It could be, yes.” He took a sip of wine. “They didn’t seem too excited about it. Just a query, you know? That’s why I didn’t bother you or the other staff with it. Didn’t seem like that big a deal, but still. I don’t like it being our seeds.”
“No,” Kurok agreed. “You know there still are some rogue genetic hacks down there, Randall. Maybe someone did some meddling.”
The director shook his head disapprovingly. “So dangerous.” He chewed and swallowed. “Thank the stars that doesn’t go on much downside. Could turn out anything!”
Kurok smiled. “True. Humans with gills, for example.”
“Ugh!” Doss shuddered. “I can’t even imagine what that would look like.”
“I can.” Doctor Dan went back to his plate. “And in less than twenty-four hours, you might as well.”
“What?”
“THAT’S SKANK.” APRIL folded her arms. “Shift you off like that. It’s your place.”
They were seated at a table in the mess, Jess perversely avoiding the kitchen space in the family quarters, preferring to eat with the common masses instead. “Meh.” She leaned back in her chair and picked up a big mug, taking a sip of local brew. “Honestly? I’d rather go back to base.”
“Me too,” Dev agreed at once.
“Me three,” Doug chimed in.
April settled lower in her seat grumpily. “It’s all BS. Someone realized how much cred is up for grabs here.”
Jess nodded. “Why I want out. Money always means trouble. I’m glad we’re going topside to chase down what the game is there.” She glanced at Dev, who was chewing stolidly through a thick fish stew. “Devvie promised to
show me stars.”
Doug sighed. “Yeah that’s kinda cool. You get to see all that weightless stuff and all that, and the sun!”
Dev nodded and swallowed. She still didn’t want to go, and parts of her were all tied up in knots. The more she thought about getting on the shuttle the more unhappy she felt, but she was also smart enough to realize she had no choice.
No choice, because Jess had to go, and she didn’t want to leave her. The thought of being left behind while Jess went to the station was causing her more discomfort than the thought of going along.
A little crazy. It was like being pulled in two directions and not really sure which direction was the right one.
“Is that going to be weird for you, Dev?” April asked suddenly. “Going back there?”
“She’s fine,” Jess responded immediately. “I’m going to make sure they treat her right.” She braced her elbow on the chair arm and rested her chin against her fist. “First time they look crosswise they’re going to get my boot in their ass.”
Dev grinned a little, imagining it. “I think Doctor Dan will make sure everyone is correct to us, Jess. I am looking forward to seeing him.” She nibbled a slightly sweet seaweed cake as the servers came over and brought around a bowl of something.
Jess seemed surprised. “Pudding!”
“Yes, ma’am.” The server’s eyes twinkled. “Someone said they made it just for you, Jesslyn. They heard you liked it, and we don’t get it often.”
“Gimme.” Jess pushed her dish forward, and closely inspected the large spoonful of dark, jiggling substance. “Mmm.”
Dev leaned over and examined it, sniffing the scent. “It smells like the brownies.”
Jess took a spoonful as the server went around to the rest of the table. “Mm.” She scooped up another spoon and offered it to Dev, realizing a moment too late that it had made everyone stare at her.
Her body twitched and she felt a sense of confusion, but she was too far into the motion to retract it without embarrassing them both, and so she just kept moving.
Screw it.
Dev took a bit off the spoon and mouthed it. “That is excellent.” She shifted back to her own dish as the server finished depositing the substance on it. “Really good.”
Jess dug into her dessert and enjoyed it, bringing back to her mind memories of being a child and sharing it with her brothers. It made her smile to think they’d made it for her, then the smile faded as she realized word would get out soon enough that she wasn’t really in charge of anything.
A dis, April had characterized it right, since stakeholds were at least nominally autonomous, and she was human enough to feel more than a touch of shame and anger over Alters pushing her aside like that.
Then warn her not to make waves?
Jess’s eyes narrowed, but then a gentle touch on her knee made her look up and over at Dev who was watching her with that adorably intense concern on her face. Her anger slid off it’s tracks unexpectedly and she exhaled. “Glad you like it.”
“I did,” Dev said. “But I thought for a moment you did not. Is all correct?”
“Yeah.” Jess went back to her pudding. “I was just remembering something that pissed me off. All better now.” She licked the spoon, enjoying the sweet taste and stolidly bypassing the melancholy. “So here’s what I want you two to do while we’re topside.”
April and Doug leaned closer. “That’s what I said. We’re not part of the parade,” April said. “That’s not our gig.”
“Not your gig.” Jess agreed. “But those guns out there.”
“Hah. You were right.” Doug poked April in the leg. “You said that was sketch.”
“It was. Those were big ass high power rigs. Not something you pick up at market.” April looked pleased at the grin on Jess’s face. “Either they got them from our side, or they got them from their side, and if they got them from their side, why?”
“And they were new,” Doug added. “I ran the profile before they blew up, and it was twelve gamma.”
Dev looked at him with interest. “Really?”
He nodded. “I got it on scan. Still on the bus since we don’t sync here.”
“Makes no sense to have them there. Just to blow up a caravanserai?” April scraped the last of the pudding off her plate. “They weren’t carrying anything like that. Just hand weapons.”
“Right,” Jess said. “So we have those. I want you to visit Cooper’s Rock and talk to them there, see if you can get an angle on the guns. I don’t believe either story those kids were spilling.”
“It might be useful to know if there were more of those weapons,” Dev said
April nodded. “I’m going to hook up with that van tomorrow and angle my connections to try and see if they’ve seen this stuff before. I know the leader of that bunch. Used to camp with my tribe.”
“Okay, good.” Jess stood up and stretched. “Let’s go try out our new beds. Tomorrow’s probably going to be a long ass day.”
Doug joined her. “Better than those hammocks. Almost as nice as our quarters on base.”
Jess smiled. “Almost.”
April caught up to them as they walked between the tables and headed for the entrance, shrugging off the watching eyes of the sparse diners. “I’m glad it has an outer door. Makes me feel better. They put Alter’s bunch in that kind of barracks space near the cave.”
Jess chuckled. “Did they? I missed that.” Her humor was restored. “Glad I don’t know most of them. They’re the newbies.
The teams Alters brought in from the west coast.”
April looked at her, one brow cocking in question.
“They leak.” Jess’s eyes twinkled. “And the enviro doesn’t work. Cold as crap in there and close enough to the wall for sea lice to infest.”
“Oh, wow.” Doug made a face. “Did you tell them to do that?”
Jess shook her head.
“Maybe they don’t like you being dissed either,” April said. “Like they got a ”˜tude.”
Jess considered that as they walked through the halls, aware that she was already starting to get used to being here, her steps becoming automatic as she led the way to the first level and the section that had been assigned as theirs.
Jess palmed the outer door open and held it, then followed the three of them down the outer walk, passing the windows set in the cliff wall. She paused and looked out one, the inky darkness broken by the working lights of the Bay and the tiny sparkles of boats moving in and out.
“Hmph.” She turned and went to the inner door, pushing it open and walking inside, then coming to a complete halt as her skin prickled and her battle instincts flared.
She turned and ducked as a whisper came over her head, and then she just let her body react. She dove at the shadowy figure in the corner of the room and caught them by the back of their jacket as they bolted for the door, hauling them around with her momentum to slam them into the rock wall.
They cried out in pain, and she lifted them up in her grip and got her hand around a fabric covered throat and squeezed.
Fingers grabbed at her wrist and pulled, but she just squeezed harder, staring into the eyes framed by a dark blue harbor hoodie.
She smelled fear. The person on the verge of blackout. She released the throat she was choking and put her hand against her attacker’s chest instead, pinning them to the wall. “Now.”
The outer door opened and Jess came close to overreacting before she recognized the body heading her way. “Get the lights on, Devvie. Let’s see who we got.”
“Yes.” Dev went to the old fashioned lamps and turned one on. “Are you all right?”
Jess studied the body pinned to the wall. “Sure.” She released her hold. “So, who are ya?”
The figure licked its lips. “Someone who loved your brother.”
A shaking hand swept down the hood, revealing a young, female face with an oval shape and curly blonde hair. “And wants to take revenge for you offing him.”
>
Jess regarded her. “If you haven’t bred yet, don’t. Gene pool doesn’t need that much stupid. Plus you suck at killing.”
Dev circled the room and turned on the other lamps, then she came over to stand next to Jess, regarding this short, slim invader. “I am going to parse into these systems and see why this location allowed her to enter.”
“Shut up, you rag doll,” the woman said.
Jess whacked her in the face, feeling bone crunch under her knuckles, sending the girl slamming back against the wall. She grabbed her as she bounced off then picked her up and put her over her shoulder, heading out the door as she whistled lightly under her breath. “Lock ’em out, Devvie.”
With a faint shake of her head, Dev sat down at the stone carved desk in the room and put her portable scanner down.
JESS TURNED THE punk over to security. “Who is she?”
The on-duty chief rolled his eyes. “Name’s Kacey. She had a full out hard on for Jimmy, no matter he was married and had the kids.”
Jess’s mental train switched tracks. “And where are Mary and the kids?” she asked. “Heard from Alters that Tayler never showed up for school.”
The chief looked around, then back at her. “Can’t tell for sure, but one day they were here, the next day they were gone. We were told not to ask any questions.”
“By Jimmy?”
“None other, and since he was the elected head of, we didn’t ask.”
“When?”
“Three weeks back.”
“No one saw them go?” Jess asked, in a skeptical tone.
“No one saw them go, but everyone heard a flyer come in and land up on the top bay. That didn’t make it into the logs.”
“A flyer,” Jess mused. “So everyone hears a flyer, and no one sees a mini transport from the other side come in and land. Really, Chief?” She crossed her arms over her chest and regarded him.
He shrugged. “You know the drill.”
Jess shook her head. “Maybe I don’t. Last time I spent any time here I was five. A lot of things can change.”
The security chief leaned against the doorjamb and folded his muscular arms over his chest. “Yeah. Like a Drake making book with a jelly bag.” He watched her closely. “Not everyone appreciates that.”