by Susan Hayes
“I didn’t mean you, or us. We’re good together, Butterfly. We always have been.”
“You’re sure?”
He lowered his head so they were nose to nose. “I’m sure.”
The woman in his arms uttered a soft sigh, then nodded. “In that case, come back to bed. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day for us both. We should get some sleep.”
He considered it, but it wasn’t a good idea. He didn’t need any more messages being sent to headquarters, informing them that he was spending time with Trinity when he should be getting the job done. “I wish I could, but I should go.”
He saw disappointment flash in her eyes, and he wished he could explain his reasons, but telling her that the woman he took orders from wasn’t sure of Trinity’s loyalty wouldn’t benefit either of them.
“Then I guess this is goodnight.” She kissed him gently, then eased out of his arms and started handing him his clothes.
He dressed and left quickly, still feeling like something wasn’t quite right. She walked him to the door, and he kissed her one last time. “I will see you in the morning, Butterfly. Sweet dreams.”
The door opened, and the cold blue light of the corridor poured into her room. “Goodnight. Get some rest, sir. We’re both going to need it.”
He headed back to his room to get a few hours of sleep. The sooner he got this investigation wrapped up, the sooner he could offer Trinity another choice. He’d tell her he wanted her with him. On his team, by his side, and in his life.
12
Trinity was back in her office before the sun rose the next day. She hadn’t liked it when Dax suggested that what they had was a distraction, but even if he hadn’t meant it the way it had come out, she’d started to think he was right. She’d spent most of the previous night tossing and turning as she thought about Dax. Was he pulling away again? Was this a fling, or something more? What did she want from him? For that matter, what did she want for herself? Was a cocky, bossy man like him what she really wanted, or were her feelings for Dax just another kind of nostalgia?
It had been almost three in the morning before she forced herself to stop thinking about it all. There would be time to consider her choices later. For now, she had other things to focus on.
It took two mugs of ja’kreesh to overcome her lack of sleep. She preferred it to coffee, but she had to enjoy it sparingly. It was a Torskian beverage, capable of keeping one of the four-hundred pound, eight-foot tall aliens on its feet for half a day. The effects on the human system were somewhat more profound. She had acquired a taste for it during her years away at college. While her days of all-night study-sessions were behind her now, she still indulged in it when she needed an extra boost.
Her desk was covered with sheets of paper. Last night’s notes were mixed in with today’s. She had organized the notes into stacks, with more notes and scribbled arrows laid between them to show relationships. It was a slow way to work, but it worked for her.
Dax had mentioned that the person who had contacted the corporations was female. Almost half the IAF personnel on base were women, but few of them had been here for long enough to be likely suspects. She looked over the list again.
The name at the top of the list was her most likely suspect, but why would Master Sergeant Gottfried act against the place she had called home for so many years? Besides, Trinity’s gut instinct was that Cleo wasn’t involved at all, despite the DNA evidence they’d found in the vault.
She wanted to go over the files the team had put together on Cleo, but to do that, she needed to access one of their computers directly. She tidied her desk before she left, locking away her notes and making sure there wasn’t anything left out that gave so much as a hint of what she’d been working on. She was likely being overly paranoid, but better paranoid than the alternative.
Sunlight streamed through the glass wall of the hallways as she made her way to the team’s temporary workspace. The first blush of green tinted the landscape, and the lake outside was so still it acted as a mirror, reflecting the brilliant blue sky and the sweep of the hills that surrounded it. She stopped to admire the beauty on display.
After life in a hive city, she could not understand how anyone could take a view like this for granted. This was one of the many reasons she would never live on Earth again. How could she go back to living that way after breathing fresh air and walking on worlds full of beauty? Earth was toxic, scorched and dying. The future of humankind was out here, and she wanted to be part of it.
She turned from the window and made the walk to the team’s makeshift headquarters. She barely paused as she passed her hand over the door panel, but then she had to pull herself up short when the door failed to open.
What the fraxx?
She tried again, this time placing her hand squarely over the scanner. Nothing.
“V.I.D.A., check for malfunctions on the door to room Three-seven-four-dash-bravo.”
“Hello, Lieutenant West. There is no malfunction in evidence.”
“Then why isn’t it opening for me?” She ran her hand over the scanner again to make her point.
“The door you are currently attempting to access has been recoded. The only ones who may enter are the members of Nova Force team three.”
Fury tore through her, leaving her speechless and shaking. She didn’t need to ask who had recoded the lock. There was only one other person on the base with that kind of authority. Commander Dax fraxxing Rossi had shut her out again, and this time, he hadn’t even left a note.
So much for being part of the team.
Her heartache and anger blended together in a toxic cocktail that made her stomach knot. Instead of giving in, she pushed past her hurt at the betrayal until she found a place of icy calmness. “V.I.D.A., initiate override for this door. Passcode alpha-victor-seven-zero-nine-two. Authorization: Lieutenant Trinity West.”
Less than a second later, the door slid open, revealing that the room was empty. “Thank you, V.I.D.A.”
“You’re welcome, Lieutenant. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Actually, yes. Please let me know if this, or another other door is recoded by Commander Rossi. You can also tell me when this door’s code changed.”
“I will alert you to any future changes by Commander Rossi. The code was last changed at 01:00, this morning.”
She hadn’t been in here alone before. If it had been any other day, she would have sent a message to Dax letting him know she was there as a matter of courtesy. Given that she’d been locked out, courtesy didn’t enter into it anymore. This was still her base, and she had the right to be here.
“So, what’s in here that I’m not supposed to see?” She wandered past several workstations, but they were powered down, and there were no notes or anything to give her any clues. It wasn’t until she got to Lieutenant Caldwell’s desk that she found what she was looking for.
He couldn’t have been gone long because his monitor was still powered up and his chair was still warm. Unlike the other workstations, his wasn’t locked. He’d probably gone to meet up with the others for breakfast and forgotten to secure it before he left.
The screen was full of information, but it was her name that had caught her attention. She sat and read through everything he’d left open. It was all about her. Family. Friends. School transcripts, her IAF file, even her financial records were there. They were investigating her. No wonder they didn’t want her in here.
Down in the vault, Dax had told her she wasn’t a suspect, and that he’d always have her back. Clearly, that wasn’t true any longer.
Whatever was going on, it was obvious he didn’t trust her. That was a bitter pill to swallow considering that she was the one who had given him a second chance. Last night he had reminded her that high command was looking for someone to blame, and now, she was under investigation. He’d known last night that her career was in trouble, and he hadn’t told her. She’d been an idiot to trust him again.
Hu
rt and humiliated, she got to her feet. The longer she stayed here, the more likely someone from the team would come in and find her. That would lead to a confrontation she wasn’t ready for, yet.
Before she left, she accessed Master Sergeant Gottfried’s files and copied them onto her personal data tablet. She’d review them later, once she was back in her office.
“V.I.D.A., is there anyone in the corridor outside this room right now?”
“No, Lieutenant. The corridor is clear.”
She slipped out the door without being seen, and walked back to her office, alone save for the usual collection of bots scuttling about their daily tasks. She was tempted to go down to the gym and work off some of her frustration and the effects of the tea with a round or two against one of the sparring bots, but the place was a favorite haunt of the Nova Force team, and right now she didn’t feel like facing any of them. They all must know by now that she was under investigation. She didn’t want to force them to lie to her. They were only following orders. Dax’s orders.
“The weather is quite lovely, but you seem rather stormy this morning, Trinity. Is everything alright?” There was only one man on the base who spoke Galactic Standard with such crisp precision. You could usually pin down a person’s birth planet, or at least the system, by the way they spoke, but not him.
She pasted a pleasant smile on her face and turned to face Tony Clarke. “I had a rough start to the day, is all.”
He nodded, his dark eyes full of concern. “We’ve all had more than our fair share of those since Nova Force arrived. Any word yet on when this will all be over?”
Tony was one of the few people on the base that she could speak with as an equal. His name was also on the team’s list of suspects. She’d been circumspect in talking to him since she discovered that, but what the hell. Her name was on the same damned list.
“I think it will be over soon, one way or another.”
“That’s not a phrase that makes me feel at all confident of the outcome.” He inclined his head toward a nearby corridor. “Would you care to join me for a stroll in the atrium? As you know, I go there often when I need to clear my head.”
It had been weeks since she’d last been there. “Why not? But I should warn you, I’ve had two cups of ja’kreesh already this morning, so if you were thinking of suggesting I meditate with you, there’s no chance that’s going to happen.”
He gave her a look of alarm. “Two cups? Are you aware that is more than double the recommended weekly allowance for a woman your size? Re’veth, that’s more than any human being should consume.”
“It’s fine, really. I’ve built up a tolerance for it.”
“Clearly, since you’re standing here without vibrating through the floor.” He shook his head. “I definitely think you should come to the atrium with me. Perhaps it will have a calming effect on your poor nervous system.”
The atrium was one of the more delightful recreational spaces designed for the personnel assigned to this isolated outpost. Located near the center of the main building, it had a transparent roof and carefully sealed double doors that transformed the space into a multi-story greenhouse full of plants from a variety of worlds. There were flowers from the Pheran and Torski homeworlds, as well as from Earth and numerous colonies. There was a small orchard of fruit trees from different worlds, and the air was heavy with the scent of damp soil and growing things.
Everything from pollination to harvesting fruits and herbs for the kitchen was done by hand. It was therapy for some, while others simply enjoyed the peacefulness of the place. Tony was one of the latter. He’d tried to get her to meditate with him since she first arrived, but she had always resisted. Sitting still wasn’t in her nature.
She walked through the doors and took a deep breath of the warm, damp air. There was a peaceful stillness to this place, and she had to admit that it was soothing to be surrounded by so much tranquility.
“Better?” Tony asked.
“Somewhat, yes. Nothing is really going to be better until this investigation is concluded.”
“Indeed. Do you know anything you can share? Do they have any suspects at all, or is this a wild comet chase?”
She wouldn’t compromise the investigation by giving him anything concrete. As much as she didn’t want to accept it was possible, Tony was a suspect, one of the few who had been here long enough and had the means. What he didn’t have was any kind of motive.
“More information is coming in all the time. The corporations like their secrets almost as much as a bunch of scientists I know.”
He didn’t laugh at her joke. “You’re more a scientist than a soldier, Trinity. That’s why you’ve been the best commander this base has ever had, at least as long as I’ve been here. You’re military enough to keep the base running, but you understand us, too. Even our need for secrets.”
“Secrets have a way of being discovered. This place is full of them, and I’ve become aware that some of them are quite…disturbing.”
“This base was created as a place for exactly those kinds of experiments. The ones that pushed limits and attempted things no one else would. You know this.”
“That doesn’t make it right. Just because you can do a thing, doesn’t mean you should.”
This time, he smiled. “And that’s why we need someone like you watching over us. Watching over me.”
“I don’t do that, though. I can’t, because everything around here is a damned secret.”
“Would you like to be in on the secrets? Be able to manage a place like this without wondering what you didn’t know?”
She wasn’t sure what he was asking her, but she gave a cautious nod. “Sure. That would be a nice change of pace.”
“Then come to work with me, Trinity.”
“I thought I already did.” She gestured around them. “Don’t I?”
“Not here. My time at Victor Base is coming to an end soon.”
“They’re terminating your contract? Why?”
“I’m not being terminated. At least, I haven’t been told that’s the case. But the investigation is going to change this place forever. You’re not the only one who found some of the research being conducted here somewhat alarming. As you will already be aware, I received requests to shut down several projects this morning. Once the news spreads, I won’t be the only one considering leaving.”
Why hadn’t she been told that projects were being shut down? Had Dax known?
Her surprise at the news must have shown in her expression.
“You didn’t know, did you?”
“My morning hasn’t gone according to plan. I must have missed the missive with those orders while I was dealing with other issues.” It was possible that’s what happened, but somehow, she doubted it.
“This mess is taking its toll on all of us.”
You don’t know how right you are. “It is, but I’m sorry to hear you’re thinking of leaving. Where would you go?”
“My mentor, Dr. Jules Absalom, has invited me to join him in the private sector. He was the senior scientist here before me, and he knows better than most what will happen now.”
“Wasn’t he the one who designed V.I.D.A.?”
“He was. Jules is one of the most brilliant minds in the galaxy. He came here because of the Phoenix Project, and he left because he became convinced they would never allow him to begin the project’s next stage.”
“But you stayed.” She pointed out.
“I did. I believed that the corporations’ cyborg project proved Phoenix’s potential. I had no idea that the two were related, of course. That was an unpleasant surprise. Now that the thefts have been uncovered and the truth has come out…” He shrugged. “I still believe in the project, but I’ve finally admitted to myself that the IAF will never allow any research that involves the genetic material of their fallen heroes. Not now. As you pointed out to me before, when it becomes public knowledge that the Vault of the Fallen was the source of the cyborg’s ge
netic makeup, there will be a massive outcry.”
“You think this place will be shut down? I can’t imagine that happening.”
“Shut down, no. But change is coming. There will be more security. More safeguards. More watchdogs. I’m moving on, and I would like you to think about coming with me. The private sector pays far more than the military ever could. Good administrators are hard to find, and I think you’d be an excellent addition.”
Yesterday, she wouldn’t have even considered what he was offering. But today, everything was different. “I’ll think about it. I’ve never worked in the private sector, though.“
“Neither have I. I’m looking forward to discovering the differences.” He took her hand in his, running his thumb across the inside of her wrist as he did so. “This is more than a professional offer, Trinity. At least, it could be. I know something is going on between you and Commander Rossi, but I wanted you to know that there were other choices you could make.”
A firm tug of her hand got her free of his grip. “I’m sorry to hear you’re leaving. This place won’t be the same without you. But I think you’re right. It’s not going to be the same, no matter what. I will think about your offer, though.”
“Do that. Your military contract expires at the end of the year, doesn’t it?”
“It does, yes.” She was surprised he knew that. Not that it was a closely guarded secret, but it wasn’t something she’d discussed with anyone. She’d received her first reminder to re-enlist just a few weeks ago, along with an offer for a nice signing bonus if she re-upped in the next few months. She had set it aside to focus on the investigation, thinking that if she solved the matter herself, then she could try for a better bonus and maybe even a promotion. Now, it was unlikely she had a future with the IAF at all.
“Then you could be available to join me in a matter of months. The timing is perfect.”
She was about to tell him to stop pushing the issue, but he seemed to get the hint from her expression.