Operation Phoenix

by Susan Hayes

  “Please tell me they’re not covered in flowers, too.”

  “Nope. Ducklings. Cute, yellow fuzzy ones.”

  He groaned. “Your sergeant has a mean streak.”

  “If you had to work with these people for ten years, you’d be looking for ways to have a little fun, too.”

  “I noticed she’s one of the few to have been here that long. Most of the IAF personnel get rotated out after three or four years, but not her. She even declined a transfer a few years back. If she hates the post, why stay?”

  She shook her head. “She doesn’t hate her post. I think this is the closest she has to a home, and everyone here is like her adopted family. If you want to know why that is, though, you’d have to ask her.”

  “I’m going to.”

  “Is she a suspect?” She hoped not. She considered Cleo a friend, or at least as much of one as Trinity could have on a base full of subordinates. The only other officer with her rank was Lieutenant Tarkov, who ran the training base on the southern continent

  “She’s on a short list of potential suspects. Tomorrow we’re going to start the next round of interviews and see if we can’t make that list even shorter.”

  “And if everyone on your list ends up being eliminated as a suspect, what happens then?”

  “That depends. If we can find out how the thief got the material out of this vault and managed to transport it off-planet without being detected by all the security in place, then we’ll continue working the case from headquarters.”

  “What happens if you and your team can’t find the answers?”

  He caught her hands in his, gripping them tight. “I can’t let that happen. Failure isn’t an option here, Trin. We have to get to the truth, or my team will pay the price.”

  She nodded. “Then we better make sure we don’t fail.”

  His face might have been obscured by the mask, but she could tell he was smiling from the tone of his voice. “We will.”

  Dax liked that she had said we. It didn’t matter if she meant that she considered herself part of his team, or if she was referring to the two of them. All that mattered was that they were reconnecting.

  Kissing her again had been a spontaneous thing. He hadn’t asked her to accompany him just to get her alone, but he wasn’t going to let opportunities pass by, either. They’d already lost too much time. Today he had hoped to continue the investigation with her as part of the team, with the added hope that spending time together would let him get to know the woman she’d become in the ten years since they’d been together. Slow and steady had been his plan, but that had all blown up like a supernova when he’d seen her dressed in nothing but a wraparound sheet.

  Memories of the last time he’d seen her naked had flooded his mind. She was stronger now. Her curvy body had more muscle tone, and her golden skin glowed with health. He’d needed to hold her and kiss her, as he merged the treasured memories of the girl he’d fallen for with the confident woman she’d become.

  At the moment he was doing his best to balance the mission with his need to be with Trinity. The cold worked in his favor, and the masks and heavy jackets helped, too. Both of them were shapeless blobs right now, which meant the only contact he could have with her was to hold her hand. He’d never done an investigation one-handed before, but today, he was going to try.

  “Everything’s set up on my end. Shall we begin?” he asked.

  “Starting scan now.”

  Despite her suggestion that they retrieve some gloves once the scan was underway, neither of them made a move toward the door. They stayed close together, hands clasped, as they watched the monitor for any indication of biological contamination.

  He wasn’t expecting to find much. The decontamination protocols, along with the masks and the sealant everyone wore on their hands made it unlikely there would be a lot of trace evidence. Still, they didn’t need much; just enough to give them the identity of their thief. At these temperatures, degradation would be a very slow process. It was their best hope of figuring out who had been in here, and where they’d been.

  The first break came after only a few minutes. The scanner identified a small amount of biologic evidence. He retrieved more elements of the evidence collection kit V.I.D.A. had delivered along with the scanner. He swabbed the area the scanner had pinpointed and didn’t stop until Trinity confirmed the scanner no longer detected any trace of biological matter. After that, he coded the vial with the coordinates from the scanner, sealed it, and started the process over again.

  They worked like that for the next two hours, and when they were done, he had nine vials, five of which were from the platform and the workstation itself.

  Once the doors to the vault sealed behind them, he set down the tray full of samples and gear, then tore off his mask with a sigh of relief. “I need a hot coffee and an even hotter shower.”

  “You could head to the pool. It’s fed by a hot spring.”

  “Not a chance. You know I don’t like pools.”

  She removed her own mask and took down her hood. “Right. Well, there’s always the sauna.”

  “Maybe tonight. All I’m going to have time for is a quick shower and maybe some lunch. We’ve got interviews scheduled to start in just over an hour.”

  “Then we better get going if we’re going to thaw out in time. The good news is that it’s faster to leave than it is to get in. We just need put the masks and coats in that bin so they can be cleaned, and then head through the door over there on the right. It leads back to the spot we left our clothes.”

  “No more torture chambers?” he asked, grinning at her as he stripped off the bulky jacket.

  “The only torture you have to endure is to wear that outfit a little bit longer.”

  “I might need some help peeling it off.”

  “You’re on your own with that. I can promise that I won’t turn the security recordings back on until you’re in uniform, though.”

  “Brat.”

  She blushed and turned away without responding. Was she thinking about what he’d said before about spanking her? His cock turned to steel the second that thought crossed his mind. Veth, he hoped so.

  “How long will it take your team to process what we found?”

  Her question distracted him from the dirty thoughts bouncing around his head. “Twenty-four to thirty hours to extract what we need, depending on how good the quality is. After that, it won’t take long to run through the database of base personnel, past and present.”

  She hung up her gear and headed toward the exit. “You realize that there’s a good chance my DNA is going to be in there. Is that going to affect my ability to be on the team?”

  “No. You’re not a suspect, Trin. You were a kid in college on Mars when these thefts started. Besides, I know you well enough to be sure this isn’t something you’d do.”

  “It isn’t.” She glanced back over her shoulder and offered him a smile that heated him faster than any shower could have. “But I appreciate the trust.”

  “Always, Butterfly. No matter what, I’ll always have your back.”

  He’d disappointed her too many times already. He wouldn’t do it again. He couldn’t, not if he wanted any chance at a future with her.

  They changed separately, and the closeness of the last two hours faded as he donned his uniform and prepared to return to the real world. He really needed to find a way to get her off-base, and out of uniform, so they could continue getting to know each other. Where on this barren continent could two people escape to for a little alone time?

  He was wondering if he could ask V.I.D.A. for suggestions when Trinity proved that despite their years apart, they were still on the same wavelength.

  She walked out of her change room looking like the polished and professional soldier she’d become. “Next time we decide to hang out, let's do it somewhere warmer. I know a place we can go.”

  “Warmer would be nice. Do I get to know where we’re going?”

 
; Her laughter filled the room. “No, you don’t. The last time we were together, you took me to your favorite thinking spot. This time, I’m going to take you to mine.”

  8

  It was three long, intense days of non-stop work before Trinity got another chance to be alone with Dax. He was true to his word and got permission to read her in on every aspect of the investigation. She attended interviews, spent time with every member of Dax’s team, and was provided with a staggering amount of information she was doing her best to read.

  It was fascinating to watch the team work, their various skills and abilities synching up to create a powerful investigatory force. Aria and Kurt had extensive training in reading peoples’ body language and micro-expressions. Aria was particularly gifted at reading the latter. When Trinity had asked how she could even see some of the expressions she was noting in her reports, Aria surprised her by confessing that she had a cybernetic implant. A weapon malfunction years ago had left her blind in one eye. Instead of accepting a discharge, she had volunteered for one of the experimental implants.

  Trinity was intrigued, and when she learned that the implant had been causing Aria headaches, she offered to run some diagnostic tests and attempted to rectify the problem. She hadn’t had a chance to use her cybernetic engineering knowledge since signing up for the IAF. At one time it had been her life’s focus, but she hadn’t thought about it in years.

  Aria was grateful for her help, though, especially when it turned out to be less than an hour’s work to identify and fix the issue using equipment they liberated from one of the labs.

  They claimed a corner of the team’s communal workspace and Trinity set to work. They could have used one of the labs, but Aria wanted to stay close in case something came up.

  Trinity carefully removed the slender jack from Aria’s ocular implant and stepped away. “There you go, you’re all set.”

  Aria opened her eye slowly. “You fixed the light sensitivity issue, too?”

  “I did. Some of your settings were out of alignment. The feedback was causing your headaches. Any idea how they got that way? Did you get hit in the head recently?”

  Aria grunted. “Yeah. A couple of months ago the guy I was trying to interview became violent and attacked me. Turns out the idiot was taking some kind of pharma called crimson. He was totally out of control. He got in a few good punches before Buttercup and I managed to get him restrained.”

  “Did you ever get the answers you were looking for?”

  “Not from him. The overdose didn’t kill him, but it might as well have. It fried so much of his brain he never regained consciousness.”

  Her words were blunt, but Trinity had noticed that despite her hard edges, Aria wasn’t a hard-hearted person. She was quick-witted, funny, and as fierce a warrior as any IAF officer Trinity had ever met. She could probably have her pick of posts.

  “What made you want to do this?” She pointed to the five-pointed star on Aria’s uniform. “It can’t be easy to be on the move all the time, dealing with people who probably aren’t thrilled to have you around.”

  Aria’s dark eyes gleamed. “I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. When I was a soldier, the only places I got to see were the ones where there was trouble. I’d arrive, follow orders, do the work, and then leave for the next mission. I never got to find out how the trouble had started, or who was to blame. Nova Force is all about fixing wrongs and holding people accountable for their actions. I’m still a soldier, but now my job isn’t solely about protecting our people, it’s about making sure they’re safe once I’m gone, too.”

  She clapped a hand on Trinity’s shoulder and laughed. “And sometimes the ones that are the least happy to see you arrive are the ones hardest to say goodbye to.”

  Trin grinned. “It’s true, I’ll miss all of you when you leave, and I wasn’t at all happy to hear you were coming. Then again, I might have been in a better mood if Commander Rossi had given me more than twenty minutes to get used to the idea.”

  “Yeah, he likes to do that. Says it keeps everyone off balance and more likely to make mistakes.”

  “He’s probably right. I know we were caught totally off guard.”

  “Yeah. I saw your face when he walked into view. Off guard is a kind word for your reaction.” Aria lowered her voice. “You don’t seem to want him dead anymore. I’m glad. It makes this investigation a whole lot easier to have you onside. And, having Fido in a good mood is always a plus.”

  “I bet.” She paused, then set her hand down on Aria’s shoulder. “Thank you for answering my question about Nova Force. Watching you all work has been eye-opening. You guys are as good as the legends claim you are.”

  Aria laughed. “Don’t tell the others that, it’ll go straight to their egos. We all like to forget what it was like when we first started. The learning curve is steep.”

  “I can imagine. I still find it hard to believe my brother was part of this. And Dax, too. He wasn’t exactly the studious type when we were younger.”

  “People can change. I know I did. And so did they.” Aria jerked her head toward where Cris was talking with Eric. “Do you think Triple-C and Magi knew everything they needed to when they started with the team? None of us did. Trip was a medic, and Eric was one hack away from getting thrown in jail for the rest of his life before he joined up. The job keeps evolving, and so do we. It’s one of the things I like about it. It’s never boring.”

  “Whereas my job is as dull as a moon rock. Until you lot arrived, that is.”

  “Yeah, but the food is amazing. I’m going to miss it when we go back. Speaking of which, it’s nearly time to break for dinner. You want to join me and the others for the meal?” Aria asked.

  “She’s already got plans,” Dax announced from the doorway of the lab.

  “I’m taking the commander on a sightseeing tour. I appreciate the offer, though. Maybe tomorrow night?”

  “Raincheck. Got it.” Aria got to her feet and gave Dax a grin and a quick salute.

  “How are you feeling, Jessop?” Dax asked after returning her salute.

  “A hell of a lot better, Sir. Lieutenant West fixed me up nicely.”

  With that, she departed, leaving the two of them alone.

  “Thank you for helping the lieutenant with her implant. She wasn’t complaining, but we all knew there was something wrong.”

  “Why didn’t it get dealt with at headquarters?” It bothered her to think that Aria had dealt with the discomfort for months without relief.

  “Because there aren’t many people out there who know cybernetics and bio-systems like you do. At least, not ones that can pass the vetting process. We investigate corporations for a living, and they educated and employed nearly every cybernetics engineer around. You’re a rare exception.”

  “Because Travis paid for my schooling, so I wasn’t indebted to a corporate sponsor.”

  “You knew?”

  She arched a brow at him. “Of course I knew. At least, I figured it out pretty quickly. I was a good student, but it’s difficult to get a scholarship you didn’t even apply for. My parents were paid in vouchers, not scrip, so there was no way they were paying for it. That left Travis or you, and I couldn’t think of a reason why you’d dump me and then pay for college.”

  “I didn’t dump—“

  She held up her hand. “That’s one of the things we’re going to talk about tonight. When we’re alone.”

  “You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to this.”

  “I might have some idea.” She had begun to wonder if they’d ever get another chance to be on their own. The team had adopted her the moment she’d gotten clearance to be part of the investigation, and they’d been running at maximum thrust ever since. Working side by side with him and the others had been great, and she enjoyed seeing a new side of Dax. He was goal oriented, gruff but fair, and it was obvious that his team both liked and respected him.

  She wasn’t the only one who had c
hanged while they were apart. She’d fallen for the handsome charmer he’d been, but that boy wasn’t nearly as dangerous to her heart as the grown man was turning out to be.

  “Where are we going, anyway? Do I need to pack another parka? I stuck my head outside a little while ago, and it’s getting cold out there. V.I.D.A. informed me it might actually snow.”

  “You need a flight suit, not a parka. You’ve seen the coldest, least interesting place on the base, I thought I’d show you some of the hidden wonders here, too.”

  “What about food? Do we need to hit up a food replicator or visit the cafeteria?”

  She gave an airy wave of her hand. “It’s all taken care of. All we need to do is slip away before anyone realizes we’re escaping. Think we can get all the way to the hangars before they notice we’re gone?”

  He pulled his comm device out of his pocket and switched it over to emergency mode. Unless the base was under attack or his team was in danger, he didn’t want to hear from anyone. “I’m going to give it my best shot.”

  “Then let’s be on our way.”

  “They made it halfway across the room before Aria outted them. “Have fun, you two. Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do.”

  Everyone stopped what they were doing to turn and stare, followed by a round of cheers and catcalls that followed them out the door and down the hall.

  “So much for a stealthy escape,” she muttered.

  “At least now they know better than to try and contact me without a damned good reason.”

  “True.” She activated her comms and told V.I.D.A. she was off duty and heading out. The great escape had begun.

  Dax was eager to get away from everything for a while. It had been an intense few days, and he would have welcomed a break of any kind. The fact he was going to get to spend a few uninterrupted hours with Trinity made tonight even better. She could be taking him to the middle of nowhere to look at lichens and he’d be a happy man.

  The route they took to the hangars was convoluted, no doubt to avoid anyone who might spot Trinity and want to talk to her about something. She was an easygoing, approachable leader who knew everyone’s name and always made time to talk to them when they needed her. It was a good way to run a base this size, but it meant she never seemed to be alone for long.