If the Confederacy could get them gas and keep them flying, she would be more than happy to run the blockade for them. And all they needed was a little bit of the rare gas that fueled starships. And somewhere in the building was a supply of it. The very idea made her tremble with excitement. She was determined to find it, no matter what.
The crackle of the com-link frightened her. Since leaving Ben in the maintenance closet, she hadn’t seen another person. To hear one suddenly speak made her heart skip a beat.
“Jones, Smith, you two doing okay?” Supervisor Eugene asked.
Kim pulled the com-link off the side of the trash bin and pressed the mic button with her thumb.
“Doing fine,” she said.
“A-O-K, boss,” Ben said.
Kim wanted to kick him. He sounded like an idiot. She had nearly punched him when he mixed up their last names. If the supervisor had asked to see their passes, they would have been sunk, but they had survived that folly and she hoped Ben wouldn’t ruin things before they completed the mission.
“Alright, good to know,” Eugene said. “I’m going on a break. Be back in fifteen.”
“Roger that,” Ben said over the com-link.
Kim shook her head. She was headed into another lab. The door swung open easily, but she found herself facing a wall of hanging plastic just inside the lab. The plastic hung in narrow slabs. Leaving the trash bin just inside the lab, Kim pushed her way through a curtain of plastic. The air was much cooler inside. There was a large device in the middle of the room that looked like an escape pod. There were cables running to the booth, and a window showed the interior. Kim glanced inside, and to her surprise, she saw what looked like a small gas canister. It was labeled Zexum gas, and there were warnings printed around it. The gas was flammable. The contents were under pressure. The canister was private property and belonged to the TTI.
Kim had no way of knowing if the canister was full or empty. Nor did she know how to get it out. But, she thought to herself, where there was one canister of Zexum gas there might be another. She went back out to the trash bin and picked up the com-link.
“Pete, I’ve got a spill on the third floor,” she said.
“I’m on my way,” he replied immediately.
Kim stepped outside and looked at the door. It was room three hundred and twenty-seven. She relayed the information to Ben then stood by the door to wait. She wanted to go back into the lab to search for another gas canister, but she was afraid Ben wouldn’t be able to find her.
It took him two minutes to join her, and she felt every second drag by. But seeing him, his face flushed with excitement, made her own heart race. They were so tantalizingly close, and she wanted to succeed so bad. To fly away from Torrent Four and never go back would be a dream come true, no matter what they found in the vast reaches of outer space. And she couldn’t deny that seeing Ben so happy made her happy too. There was something infectious about his enthusiasm and complete trust in an idea. He had worked tirelessly to make his dream come true and she admired that. The fact that he was handsome in his own way didn’t hurt either. They had been close once, and she knew it wouldn’t take much of a nudge for the sparks between them to fly again. She would have to be careful, she thought. The mission had to come before anything else.
“What’d you find?” Ben asked. He was slightly out of breath.
“Come and see,” she told him.
They went into the lab, pushing into the curtain of plastic. Ben went straight to the pod and looked inside.
“It’s a fusion reactor,” he said.
“Any chance there’s still gas in the canister?” Kim asked.
“I don’t see any degradation of the unit, not even scorch marks. It looks brand new.”
“Is there an answer to the question in that mumbo jumbo?”
“Sorry. It doesn’t look like the unit has been fired up. I’d say there’s an excellent chance there’s still gas in the canister.”
“Can you get it out?”
“Yeah, but it might take a while.”
“So get started,” Kim said. “I’ll search the lab. Maybe there’s another canister somewhere in here.”
She looked and looked but couldn’t find any more of the Zexum gas. Ben had the window off the pod but still had several components to disassemble before he could get the canister out.
“Pete, Amy, where are you two?” Eugene’s voice crackled over the com-link.
“I’ll stall him,” Kim said. “Keep working.”
She hurried out of the curtained area and snatched up her own com-link.
“I’m almost finished with the trash sweep,” Kim said. “I think Pete is still working on the spill.”
“Well, get moving, will ya?” Eugene snapped. “You’ve got a lot of windows to clean.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied.
When she stuck her head back into the lab, Ben waved her over.
“I need a hand,” he said.
She had to reach into the pod and hold up a metal bar that was used to hold the canister in place. They were very close to each other, their shoulders rubbing as Ben detached the hose from the canister.
“Almost got it,” he said, grunting a little as he pulled the hose away.
“What now?” Kim asked.
“The canister screws into place. I just have to get a hand on it.”
He was turning the canister, but it was fit snuggly into place and getting a grip was proving difficult. Minutes passed, Kim’s shoulders and back burned from reaching into the pod at such an odd angle. Finally, the canister popped free and Ben pulled it out.
“You got it!” Kim said.
“Yes!” Ben exclaimed.
“Come on, we can hide it in my trash can,” she said excitedly.
They were stepping back through the plastic when Eugene opened the lab door.
“What the hell are you two doing in here?”
Kim felt a heaviness crash onto her shoulders. Disappointment was so bitter she thought she might be sick, but at the same time, something inside of her refused to accept defeat. She jumped forward and hit Eugene. He tried to dodge the blow, but she managed to hit his ear, her bony knuckles smashing into the side of his head.
“Ouch!” Eugene cried out.
But he was far from out of the fight. He swung a thick arm in a vicious backhand that landed on the side of Kim’s jaw. Her head was snapped back and her vision narrowed, as if she was looking through a long pipe. Her knees buckled and she fell hard on her side. A hot, puffy feeling sprang up around her left eye.
She saw Ben moving in slow motion. He dropped the canister into her trash can and then threw himself into Eugene. He put all his strength and weight into a shoulder dive that landed perfectly on the fat man’s chest. Eugene stumbled back but stayed on his feet. Ben, on the other hand, bounced off the fat supervisor and fell to the ground.
Kim was coming back to herself and started to get up. Ben was faster, but Eugene was already charging back in toward him. Ben threw a punch that landed, but hardly seemed to faze the older man, who tackled Ben to the ground. Kim knew that Ben didn’t stand a chance with the much heavier Eugene on top of him. She looked for a weapon and found a wooden toilet plunger attached to the side of her trash can on wheels. She plucked it off and swung the makeshift club hard. It came down on the back of the fat man’s head, which in turn drove down straight into Ben’s nose. Blood shot from both nostrils as Eugene rolled to the side. His eyes showed only white as his eyelids fluttered.
“Let’s go,” Kim said, pulling Ben to his feet.
He swayed as he swiped at the blood.
“You okay?” Kim asked.
“I will be,” he said.
She grabbed his arm and pulled him from the room. Kim was pushing the trash bin, and Ben was holding on just to steady his trembling legs. He had his hand clamped over his nose and was struggling to breathe through his mouth. Kim’s eye was swelling, but she could still see. They went back down to the
janitorial closet, and Nick turned the hose on, washing the blood from his face.
“Is it broken?” Kim asked.
“I don’t think so,” Ben said.
“We better hurry. When he wakes up, he’ll call it in,” Kim said. “If we aren’t past security before then, they’ll stop us for sure.”
“Wish we had a different way down.”
“Me too. I’d kill to have my kite right now.”
There were old tattered coveralls hanging in the closet. Ben pulled it on and zipped it up to hide the blood on his clothes. It was just baggy enough that they had room to hide the Zexum canister inside. They wrapped the short cylinder in cleaning rags and stuffed them inside the coveralls.
“How do I look?” Ben said.
“Fat, bloody, and never better,” Kim said.
“I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“Let’s just go.”
They hurried from the lab building and tried to walk casually across the campus. They feared that alarms would go off at any moment and security officers would come racing in to detain them. But nothing happened.
When they reached the central lift, the guards ignored them. Apparently, leaving the Quad level was not worth their time. They said nothing, kept their heads down, and breathed a sigh of relief that their injuries were hidden in the darkness.
On the elevator, Ben leaned against the wall. Kim’s face hurt, her eye was swollen to little more than a slit, but Ben was in worse shape. His nose was clogged with dried blood, and he seemed to be having trouble breathing.
“What’s going on?” Kim asked as the elevator descended.
“I guess maybe I cracked a rib,” Ben said. “It hurts when I breathe very deeply.”
“He was a big guy,” Kim said. “Strong too.”
“From now on, I’ll leave the fighting to Magnum.”
“That would have been a sight,” Kim said. “Magnum fighting the short, fat Eugene.”
“He might have just drawn his gun and blown the man away.”
“You had a pistol,” Kim said, not sure how she felt even whispering that fact.
“It crossed my mind to use it, but I just couldn’t,” Ben said. “Not after the other night. I didn’t want to kill him.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” Kim said, relieved that he hadn’t used the weapon to hurt the supervisor. “He was just doing his job.”
“Can you believe how big he was? He must eat all the time.”
“I’ve seen tavern owners that fat,” Kim said.
She wanted to tell him how they leered at her, and propositioned her, but those were her indignities to bear. Ben had enough to deal with at that moment. When the lift stopped, Kim couldn’t help but fear what was waiting for them on the other side. But the doors slid open and there was nothing but darkness.
“No lights,” Ben said. “No pretty shrubbery.”
“Just be glad there are no security officers,” Kim said, taking his arm and leading him away.
It took ten minutes to reach the rendezvous where Magnum and Liam were waiting. When the couple approached, Liam smirked.
“Looks like you ran into trouble,” he said.
“Nothing we couldn’t handle,” Ben said.
“And did you find what you were looking for?”
“Right here,” Ben said, tapping the stomach of his coveralls.
“Very good. Well, I suggest you get out of the city,” Liam said, standing up. “I’ve done all I can for you tonight. If you can get your bird off the ground, wait for friends at these coordinates.”
He handed Kim a plastic card, which she immediately stashed into her pocket.
“Your friends will be there?” Kim asked.
“If they are willing to help, that’s where they’ll meet you,” Liam said. “Keep an eye out for the Fleet. They’ll certainly be watching for you.”
“Thanks, Liam,” Ben said.
“Forget it,” the merchant said. “Forget I had any part in this night. I certainly will.”
He shook Ben’s hand, then turned and hurried off.
“How do we get out of here?” Kim asked.
“This way,” Ben said, leading the way.
They got out of the city proper with no problems. The sky was just beginning to show some color as they made their way past the big market. Vendors were stirring, but few had opened their booths. On the road that led through the salvage fields and away from Longdale, more traders were coming in. Ben, Magnum, and Kim were the only ones leaving the city.
“Looks like you got a lot done,” Ben said to Magnum, who nodded.
“What is that?” Kim asked, pointing at a strange device on the back of the crate the big man was pulling.
“Looks like a tabletop ammo loader,” Ben said.
Magnum nodded.
“Great find,” he added. “Is that a full crate of protein bricks?”
“Yes,” Magnum said.
“Outstanding,” Ben said. “This trip just keeps getting better.”
“Sure, now all we have to do is get back to the ship with the canister,” Kim said. “Get all the junk off her, and hope nothing explodes on takeoff.”
Chapter 21
Fatigue, pain, and worry plagued Ben as they stumbled along. He had planned to catch a transport back to the Boneyard, but as the day stretched on, it seemed that one wouldn’t be going their way. Their progress was slow, a fact which gnawed at Ben. If they weren’t careful, the Security Force might catch them. At any moment he expected to hear the roar of Fleet vehicles rushing toward them from the city.
“Liam must have been right,” Kim said as they stumbled along around midday.
“About what?” Ben asked.
“About the Institute not reporting the loss of Zexum gas,” she said.
“I’m surprised they don’t have us on camera,” Ben said.
“That lab is a secretive place,” Kim said. “They wouldn’t want their work being recorded.”
“True, I suppose,” Ben said.
“Plus, they wouldn’t want word getting out that a salvage hunter got through their vaunted security, into the university, and disassembled an experimental fusion reactor.”
“You make it sound so grand,” Ben said.
“Well, it wasn’t kite flying, but it was pretty exciting.”
Ben looked at Kim. Her left cheekbone was dark blue, her eye was swollen nearly shut, yet she was smiling. And when he looked at Magnum, the big man seemed unfazed by having worked through the night. He pulled the crate loaded with supplies and didn’t complain. When Ben’s hand touched the bundle of rags around the canister, he felt a thrill. They had all they needed to get off Torrent Four. The mission to get the gas had been a success. And once they were in orbit, they could rendezvous with other smugglers willing to share more of the precious gas that would keep them flying. All that remained was to survive the trip back to the Echo.
“I’m beat,” Kim said. “I need to take a break.”
“Me too,” Ben said.
The ruins of an old building weren’t far from the road. It was little more than some metal framing and warped sheet metal walls, but they cast some shade. Ben led the trio over to it, and they sat down with their backs to the old building.
“If we have to walk, how long will it take us to get back?” Kim asked.
“Three days,” Ben said. “If we can pick up the pace a little.”
“You’re a slave driver,” she complained.
“Food?” Magnum offered them.
“Nope,” Kim said. “It hurts to chew.”
“Me neither,” Ben said. “I don’t think my stomach could take it.”
They sipped water and let what little energy they had returned. After half an hour, they decided to start moving again. They got to their feet and were making their way back to the trail that marked the road. In a world of salvage junk, there was an abundance of trash that seemed to fill every space. The road was nothing but a dirt path through the trash
.
“Is that what I think it is?” Kim asked, looking back the way they had come.
“It’s either a transport or a security cruiser,” Ben said. “At this point, I don’t really care which.”
“Will it stop for us?” Kim asked.
“It will if we have money,” Ben said.
“Five credits,” Magnum said.
“I have some too,” Ben replied, digging into his pocket.
The transport stopped when they waved it down. For two credits, the driver of the empty transport offered to take them to the Boneyard.
“Two credits each,” the driver corrected himself, “and another credit for the cargo.”
They paid the man and gratefully climbed onboard.
“Looks like you lot have been through the wringer,” the man said.
“Salvage Scalpers,” Ben said.
“Enough said,” the driver replied. “Those animals have no conscience. They’re psychopaths.”
The transport was a cargo lift, with a few seats attached to the flatbed. An awning blocked the sun, but the entire vehicle was open to the elements. The cool breeze of their movement was refreshing to Ben. Kim sat beside him and used his shoulder as a pillow. They glided along, making much better time than the three of them had made walking.
At some point, Ben drifted off to sleep. It was nearly dark when Magnum gently roused him. Ben looked around and recognized the clearing known as the Boneyard. He was only a couple of hours’ walk from the ship. And even in the dark, he was certain he could find his way.
“Oh, we’re here,” Ben said.
“What?” Kim said sleepily.
“We’re here. We’re at the Boneyard, Kim. Time to go.”
“This sucks,” Kim said, getting to her feet as the transport stopped. “My face feels horrible.”
“Can you see out of that eye?” Ben asked.
“No. It’s swollen completely shut now. And it hurts.”
“I’m sorry,” Ben said.
“You look like a raccoon,” Kim said with a giggle.
“That fat guy had a hard head,” Ben said. “I thought he was going to kill me.”
They got off the transport, which quickly continued on its way. They stood alone in the clearing where the merchants traded junk each day, and Ben felt a thrill.
Kestrel Class (Kestrel Class Saga Book 1) Page 10