by S. E. Smith
I’m sorry, Ed. It happened so fast. Tracy didn’t have time to get out of the way. I’m sorry, Cindy… Craig was a good man. I’m so sorry Elaine… Todd fought hard. How many times had she had to say that to the men and women back home? Dozens? Hundreds? Each one took a little piece out of her soul until she had to force the bile back.
She reached out and grabbed the arm of one of the men working on the bridge as he walked by. She made sure she had her best ‘give me answers or die’ look on her face. It must have worked because the warrior swallowed and looked nervously past her to another male for help.
“What is going on? I’m only going to ask you once,” she gritted out through her teeth. “Where are Razor and Hammer?”
“I…” The warrior started to say before he released a relieved sigh when Patch stepped onto the bridge.
“Kali, I need to speak with you,” Patch said grimly. “I’ll take it from here.”
“Yes, sir,” the warrior replied, stepping back and turning once Kali released his arm.
“Patch, where are Razor and Hammer?” She asked bluntly.
Patch’s mouth tightened and he nodded toward the Commander’s office to the left of the bridge. Kali nodded and walked toward the room with her head held high. She would not show how frightened she was. She needed facts, not sympathy or pity.
Once they stepped through the door and it closed behind them, Patch stepped around her and headed for a small bar to the side. He lifted a cup and looked at her. He grunted when she shook her head.
Kali waited impatiently as Patch fixed himself a hot drink. She knew what he was doing. She had done it herself numerous times when she was trying to think of how to relay the bad news. For her, she would rather he just spit it out. She would deal with it afterwards.
“Just tell me,” she demanded. “Is he dead?”
Patch’s eyebrow rose at her calm, intense look. “No, neither one of them are dead,” he replied. “At least, not yet.”
“What is the situation? I need complete details,” she said, stepping toward the long table. “Start at the beginning.”
Patch’s lips twitched before he nodded and sat down at the table. Touching the keypad, he brought up a hologram of the space station. With a touch, he turned it so the section with the two red forms were facing them.
“Earlier today, Hammer and Razor took a nondescript transport and docked it with the space station. They were following leads trying to locate Trig and Razor’s new sister, Jordan,” Patch said looking at the holographic map.
“Did they find her?” She asked, focusing on the two dots and the outline of the buildings.
“We don’t know for sure. Hammer communicated that they were following a possible lead. That was the last transmission we had from them,” he replied. “We know they are alive. Both were implanted with a tracking device before they departed.”
“So, this is where they are,” she commented, studying the detailed image. “How do you know they are in trouble? Besides the lack of communication,” she added. “I agree it would seem strange for both devices to stop working at the same time unless there was some type of electronic interference. How do you know that they aren’t hunkered down?”
Patch’s lip curved upward. He shook his head in amazement. This is what continued to surprise him; the way human women looked at things like a warrior would. Chelsea had done the same thing when the wounded started pouring in. She had divided the most critical to the least and organized it so he and the human doctors could care for them in the order of their injuries.
“This location is called The Hole. It is where the fight rings are,” Patch explained before pointing to the twin location of the dots. “And this, is the dungeon below it. There is no place for them to hunker down there.”
“So, what are the plans to get them out?” Kali asked as she enlarged the diagram.
Patch sighed, staring at the image. “Sword wants to take a team in,” he said reluctantly. “The problem is, the minute we send in forces, the owner of The Hole will more than likely order them to be terminated.”
Kali stared at the diagram in deep thought. She thought back to some of the strategies she and Destin had used against Colbert and his men. Colbert was used to the methods of the street gangs.
Understanding that, she and Destin had decided to do the unexpected. Sometimes, they struck hard and fast, then disappeared. Other times, they would use the street gang approach. One thing they never wanted to be was predictable. Since they were outnumbered, they had to keep Colbert and his men off-balance.
“Tell me about the owner of The Hole,” she murmured. “What does he like? What does he hate? I need anything and everything you know about him.”
“Why?” Patch asked with a frown.
Kali turned and smiled at Patch. “Because he has something I want and I am going to get it back,” she replied.
*.*.*
“You know, if Arindoss doesn’t kill us, that Razor will,” Sword muttered under his breath.
Kali ignored the huge Trivator security chief. He had been arguing and bellyaching since Patch informed him of the new plan to rescue Razor and Hammer. For the first five minutes after listening to Kali explain their plan of attack, he had opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. In truth, the poor man had been speechless that not only was Kali in charge but that Patch had agreed.
“Razor is not going to kill us,” Kali replied.
“Maybe I should rephrase that,” Sword grumbled. “He is going to kill me for letting you off the Journey and Patch for agreeing to this crazy plan.”
“It is not a crazy plan,” Kali assured him as she rolled her eyes.
“You don’t think just walking into The Hole, demanding to speak with Arindoss and telling him to release Razor and Hammer is crazy?” Sword asked in disbelief.
“No, I think it is ingenious!” She replied with a grin as she swerved around another merchant and his cart of goods. “Everything I heard about Arindoss kept coming back to the same thing, the man appreciates and respects unusual things.”
“Arindoss doesn’t appreciate or respect anything,” Sword growled. “This is a suicide mission. You don’t have a clue as to what you are up against or what you are doing. I’m taking you back to the Journey.”
Kali twisted as Sword grabbed her left arm. She pushed into him, taking him by surprise, as she shoved him into a narrow alley and up against the wall. Fear had heightened her adrenaline levels, making her stronger. The other two warriors with them followed in surprise.
“Don’t disparage me,” she hissed. “I’m not some rookie who doesn’t know how to defend herself. I was in charge of my brother’s security back on Earth. This will work. If you can’t handle it, then go back to the warship. I won’t jeopardize my life or that of the other men with us with your doubts. You are either in or out. Do I make myself clear?”
Sword looked down in surprise at the fierce expression on the human female’s face. The look in her eyes showed she meant every word she said. The knife in his belly told him she knew what she was doing. For a moment, the doubt resurfaced before he pushed it away. The plan was so preposterous it might just work.
“I’m in,” he replied quietly.
“You’d better be,” Kali growled as she slipped the knife back into the sheath attached to her wrist. “You damn well better be or I swear I’ll kill you before Razor gets a chance to.”
Turning on her heel, she stepped back out into the busy corridor that made up the main market area of the Spaceport. Each side of the narrow passage was lined with bars, carts and creatures from a wide variety of star systems. Kali glared at a large brown barrel shaped creature that was checking her out. It must have decided she would be too much trouble because it quickly shifted its gaze when she didn’t look away.
“I think I’d rather deal with Razor, if you asked me,” Race murmured. “Something tells me she would take her time killing you.”
She ignored Race’s quietly
spoken words. If she wasn’t so worried about Razor, she would have laughed. Instead, she focused on the huge glowing sign at the end of the corridor. That was where Razor was. Nothing else mattered at that moment, but getting to him.
Chapter 28
Razor paced back and forth in the small confines of the cell. Hammer was sitting on the stone slab that made up the ‘beds’ for the fighters. He winced as he rubbed the back of his head. A small knot just behind his left ear was evidence of the blow he had taken from behind.
“Are you alright?” Razor asked as Hammer sat with his head bowed.
Hammer raised his head and nodded. Dried blood from a deep cut on his cheekbone and another from his lip showed he had fought hard. Unfortunately, the ten males that had attacked them had come with stunners as well. The long rods sent a bolt of electricity through their bodies.
One powerful bolt had knocked him to his knees. He had been attacked from behind before he could rise again. At least, he and Hammer took five of the bastards down first.
He turned as two armed men came down the corridor with another prisoner. One of the men pushed the male into the cell across from him. He took a step closer to the bars as the male turned.
Razor watched as the male kicked out, catching the guard in the groin with his foot. The guard fell backwards through the opening of the cell with a grunt of pain. Before he could attack again, the other guard pushed a stunner through the bars and hit him in the side with it. The male dropped to his knees on the hard floor. His head fell forward as the guard shot another bolt of electricity into him.
Razor and Hammer both watched as the guard who had been kicked slowly rose from where he had fallen and shut the door to the cell. A moment later, the corridor was empty once again. Razor reached out and gripped the bars of his cell as he stared intently at Trig’s bent head.
“Where is Jordan?” He demanded.
Razor watched as a shudder went through Trig’s body as he fought the effects of the powerful bolts of electricity he had received. He slowly pushed himself up until he was sitting. His dark, savage eyes held a haunted look in them.
“I don’t know,” he ground out, looking from Razor to Hammer and back again. “We got separated during the attack.”
The muscle in Razor’s cheek throbbed as rage built inside him. His mind pulled up the delicate, quiet features of Jordan Sampson. Her long brown hair framed her heart-shaped face and her hazel eyes had always seemed so much older than her years.
He knew that Jesse and her sisters had been through a lot before his brother found them. He couldn’t imagine how they had survived for so long with the turmoil Earth had been in at the very beginning. His eyes darkened as he thought of how difficult it had been for Kali. Now, Trig had exposed the young female to even greater danger. He was going to kill the bastard.
“When?” He bit out, knowing that every minute meant a greater possibility that Jordan had been captured and possibly sold to a…. “When?” He demanded again.
“Two days ago,” Trig replied, standing stiffly and running his hand down his bruised face. “We had been to one of the fights. Dagger was there.”
A low curse exploded from Razor’s lips. His eyes swept over to Hammer, who had come to stand next to him. Hammer nodded. They needed to get the hell out of there.
“What happened?” Razor asked harshly.
*.*.*
Trig stepped closer to the bars and looked down the empty corridor before returning his attention to Razor. He threaded his arms through the bars and leaned forward so he could stretch the cramp in his side from where he had been hit.
Two days ago, he and the young human female had attended a fight in the rings three levels above. He had been against it, but the human female was a tenacious little thing. She had disappeared while he was relieving himself. He had finally found her waiting outside the doors to The Hole, two tickets for the event in her hand. He didn’t bother asking her how she made it through the crowded Spaceport without trouble, much less how she was able to obtain tickets to the sold out event.
She had kept the hood of her cloak over her head and moved with a natural grace as they weaved through the crowded stadium. It was the third and final event of the evening that had shaken them both. The lights had dimmed and a spotlight had shone down on a three-head Serpentian. The creature's sharp teeth, hard reddish-green scales and foot-long claws dug into the metal floor, producing a loud screeching sound that had most of the audience screaming and yelling. It was when the light shifted to the other cell that he heard Jordan’s faint cry of horror.
Dagger had stood in the caged area. He wore a pair of dark brown leather trousers, dark brown boots and nothing else. In his hands, he held two six foot swords. His head had been bowed, but Trig would have recognized his younger brother anywhere.
Dagger’s chest and arms were covered with deep scars from previous battles. The roar of the crowd had been deafening when the doors to the cages opened. The two adversaries had circled each other, striking with a precision that resonated above the crowds cheering.
“What happened after the fight?” Hammer asked quietly when Trig’s voice faded. “Did he win?”
Trig looked up at Hammer and nodded. “Yes, he won. After the fight, six guards came in with stunners. He killed two before the other four knocked him out. If he hadn’t been exhausted from the fight, he would have killed them all.”
“I can’t believe Arindoss would be stupid enough to have purchased a Trivator warrior for the fight rings,” Hammer muttered in a deep voice. “He has to know that we would come after him once we knew for sure.”
Trig shook his head. “Arindoss was killed a week ago. A Dreluthan has taken over. Those bastards only care about profit. They’d sell their own offspring to the whore houses if it meant making a credit.”
Razor’s mouth tightened. The Dreluthans lived on the edge of the Alliance boundaries. The single planet in their Solar System was a dry desert and the Dreluthans lived underground due to the scorching temperatures above. They returned only to breed. Trig wasn’t kidding when he said they would sell their young if they could make a profit.
“We need to find Dagger and Jordan and get out of here,” Razor said, studying the bars again. “Do you know where are they keeping him?”
*.*.*
Kali was almost to the entrance of The Hole when a small, cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows in front of her. She started to push past it, thinking another merchant was trying to pawn their wares on her, when a pair of hazel eyes locked with hers. The very human face of a young woman about her age stared back at her.
“Jordan?” Kali asked in a husky voice.
A hint of a smile lifted the girl’s lips before they tightened. Jordan’s head nodded once before her eyes darted to the three men standing slightly behind Kali. They widened before shifting back to Kali.
“Yes, come with me,” she murmured, turning back toward the back alley.
Kali glanced at Sword. He nodded to her before murmuring quietly to the warrior named Cannon. Cannon turned on his heel and disappeared into the crowd.
Kali looked back at the figure who was waiting in the shadows. She took a step forward knowing that whatever was happening could not be good if the girl was alone. Kali, Sword and Race silently followed Jordan down the dark alley. Several minutes later, Jordan pushed aside a fabric covering a doorway and disappeared inside.
“Wait,” Sword said quietly, placing his hand on Kali’s arm. “Let me go through first.”
Kali wanted to argue, but knew he was right. It was important to know when to lead and when to follow. She would let Sword make sure everything was safe before she entered.
“Come,” he called out quietly after scanning the small room that was bare except for a pallet on the floor and Jordan. “Race, keep watch.”
Kali stepped through the entrance and stopped. Her eyes took in the tiny area. Except for the makeshift bed and a small container for water, it was empty.
&
nbsp; “Who are you?” Jordan asked quietly. “Did Hunter send you?”
Kali smiled at the stubborn look that crossed the girl’s face. She could totally relate to what the girl was feeling. She had no intention of leaving without Razor so she could understand Jordan’s determination to save Dagger.
“No, I am here to find my Amate, Razor,” Kali said with a reassuring smile. “He was looking for you and Trig. Hunter did send him.”
Jordan’s face softened at the mention of Hunter. “I knew he would be worried. I had to come. Dagger…” Jordan drew in a deep, steadying breath, but Kali could still hear the tears in her voice. “Dagger has been lost for too long. After… after seeing what he has been through, I can’t leave him now that I’ve found him again.”
Kali took a step closer and gently gripped Jordan’s hands in her own. She squeezed them in comfort. Jordan’s lip trembling and a tear escaped to slide down her pale cheek. Kali pulled the young woman into her arms and they held each other tightly.
“It will be alright,” Kali murmured. “We’ll get them all out. I was going to go have a ‘talk’ with Arindoss.”
Jordan shook her head. “Arindoss was killed a week ago.”
Kali pulled back and looked at Jordan with a frown. “How do you know that?” She asked.
Jordan pulled away and wiped at her damp cheeks. She gave a nervous glance at Sword who was standing silently by the door, listening to everything. Releasing a shaky breath, she wound her arms around her waist.
“Trig and I saw him. One of his security guards turned on him in the lower markets. Shortly after he was killed, a strange looking creature came and ordered the man to get rid of the body,” she explained.
“What did the creature look like?” Sword asked.
Jordan’s eyes flashed to his before she looked down at the floor and bit her lip. The creature had scared her. Its eyes had been large and black. No emotion at all shone from them. Its skin was hard and yellow with touches of black and red in it.
“A Drethulan,” Sword cursed. “I wish the Alliance would have let us kill the bastards when they refused to join.”