Phoenix in Flames

by Jaleta Clegg

  "She left it with the tools," he said. "She either forgot it or thought she wouldn't need it."

  "Or she's telling us she left on purpose," Twyla said.

  Clark shook his head. "She had panic attacks when she left the ship. I'm surprised she went shopping with you," he added to Darus.

  "So what do we do?" Ginni asked.

  "Eat dinner, first, before it's cold," Jasyn answered.

  "I'll see what I can find," Clark said. "Tireo doesn't have much of a datanet. It's rundown and neglected." He started typing on the computer.

  Jasyn set aside a plate for Clark. The meal was strained. The empty chair where Dace usually sat was too prominent, too hard to ignore. Louie was the only one who talked, babbling happily and drawing in the smears of food across the table.

  "At least he isn't throwing it anymore," Twyla said as they finished up. "Jasyn, I'm sorry for what I said. I'm worried about her, too."

  "We'll find her," Ginni said.

  "We'll give her until morning," Jasyn said. "And then we'll take the port apart looking for her." She picked up her squirming, food-covered son and went into the nursery.

  Darus and Beryn went back into the engine room after the meal. The sound of the engine coupling being dismantled echoed through the ship. Ginni went back to the wiring and control panels. Twyla looked at the dirty dishes on the table and sighed. She did the dishes without further complaint. Clark stayed at the computer, typing strings of code as fast as he could.

  Jasyn brought Louie back out after he was clean. She put him on the floor with his toys. "Any luck?" she called to Clark.

  "Nothing," Clark said. "No police reports of anything that might possibly be connected to her. Nothing in the news about an accident, either. The Patrol presence here consists of a message office, so nothing there."

  "No ransom demands?" Jasyn sat on the floor and shoved blocks with Louie. He giggled and got to his feet.

  "Adaba," he announced as he toddled towards the cockpit. "Dada," he said and patted Clark's leg.

  Clark ruffled his hair. Louie smiled and rested his head on Clark's leg. Clark picked him up and settled him on his lap.

  "If someone is holding her for ransom, I'm sure we'll hear about it soon enough," Clark said as he set the com to standby, erasing his illegal search as he did so.

  "She still has enemies," Ginni said.

  "Don't remind me," Jasyn said, pulling a face. "Although I thought Lowell took care of the crime syndicates. After Xqtl, none of them would dare touch her."

  "Lowell doesn't have the resources to keep her safe anymore," Clark said.

  "He's head of the Patrol, how can he not have resources?" Jasyn asked.

  Clark shook his head. "The crime syndicates are still active, more so than ever. From what I could find out, they're behind the move to topple the Empire. Lowell hasn't stopped them."

  "Dace uncovered the leaders," Ginni protested. "That's why she was on Shangrila. That's what her engagement to Vance was really all about."

  Clark shook his head. "Not the real leaders. She was a diversion. I think she realized that. She told me about Scholar being with her on Linas-Drias. He was the real threat."

  "Tireo doesn't have much of a Gypsy presence, either," Jasyn said. "Tell me why we came here instead of somewhere else."

  "Because if we land in the Federation, they're going to drag you back to Tebros to finish the trade regulations," Clark said. "We would have been there within a week or two anyway."

  "So we hope for the best," Jasyn said, gathering up the blocks and tucking them away in a locker. "We hope Dace just decided to go for a long walk by herself." Her voice said she didn't believe it was true. "I'm going to bed."

  Clark stood, Louie tucked against his shoulder. The toddler was asleep, one thumb hanging loosely from his mouth. Jasyn took him and headed for her cabin. Clark lingered in the lounge, watching her.

  "Do you really think she's all right?" Ginni asked him.

  He shook his head. "I don't know. But I do feel sorry for whoever kidnapped her, if someone did. They have no idea what kind of trouble they're asking for." He grinned at Ginni. "We'll get her back again."

  "How many more times, Clark?" his sister, Twyla asked.

  "As many as necessary," Clark answered levelly. "She's the captain and half owner."

  "She's also part of our family," Ginni added, glaring fiercely at Twyla.

  "We just have to convince the whole galaxy that they shouldn't mess with the Shellfinder clan," Clark said. "Then they'll leave her alone."

  "It better be soon," Ginni added, her fierceness fading into wistful hoping.

  Things didn't look any better the next morning. Dace's cabin was empty, her bed still made. There was no sign of her on the ship. There weren't any messages waiting for them.

  "Now what?" Beryn asked over breakfast. "We can't put anything else back until we have the coupling unit."

  "That's what I can't understand," Clark said. "If she was going to run away for a while, why take a big piece of the engine with her?"

  "It was heavy," Beryn said. "She offered to take it back to the ship and get it ready to install while Darus and I tracked down the last few parts we needed. She said she was going right back to the ship. I should never have let her go by herself."

  "Where is Darus?" Twyla asked, frowning around the table.

  "He left last night," Beryn said. "He said he was going to look for her. We looked for half the night. He headed out before sunrise to keep looking."

  "So he's missing now, too?" Jasyn asked.

  "He checked in fifteen minutes ago," Clark said. "He's got a com and he promised to keep calling. Even if he doesn't find anything. Ginni went with him this morning."

  "Mum?" Louie's voice carried out of his nursery.

  Twyla stood. "Let me get him."

  "We've got cargo coming today," Jasyn said. "And the rest of the supplies."

  "Beryn and I will get the rest of the controls back together," Clark said. "We'll see if we can find another coupling unit."

  "And you'll stay where you can answer any calls from Darus and Ginni," Jasyn said.

  "Exactly," he agreed. "I'll take Louie."

  Jasyn stood. "Twyla," she called. "We've got cargo and supplies."

  The answer was muffled. They all heard Louie laughing over whatever Twyla said.

  Jasyn turned to the hatch. She stiffened as she looked outside. The others turned their attention to the hatch, wondering what she saw outside.

  "I think we're going to get answers very soon," Beryn said.

  Two men entered the ship, pausing politely at the hatch. One of them was in a uniform of the local police. The other was port authority.

  "We wish to speak with the captain of this ship," the policeman said, his voice curt.

  "She isn't here," Jasyn answered.

  "Who are you?" the man asked rudely. Jasyn's beauty didn't seem to affect him. He stared at her, nothing more than impatience in his face.

  "I'm the owner," Jasyn said with an edge to her voice now. She found the man and his attitude offensive.

  "Then you can pay the fine," the man said.

  "What fine?" she asked.

  "We have strict laws against littering," the man said pompously. "You can leave it out there," he called to someone still outside. Something landed on the boarding ramp with a loud thump.

  Beryn edged past Jasyn to look. "It's the coupling unit," he said quietly when he saw the greasy box on the ramp.

  "We traced the box to the store that sold it," the policeman said. "Your crew bought the part. It was found early this morning." He tore a paper off a stack he held in a snapped case. "Your fine for littering," he announced as he thrust it at Jasyn.

  She barely glanced at the paper. "Where did you find the part?"

  The man shrugged. "In the warehouse district. The full amount is due by tomorrow morning or there will be late penalties." He turned and marched out of the ship.

  The man with port auth
ority lingered. He glanced at them, measuring their reactions. "You can pay it in the port offices."

  "Do they keep records of where they find things?" Jasyn asked, the ticket crumpled in one hand.

  The man shrugged again. "If they do, they don't tell me. Is there something else?"

  Jasyn looked behind her at Clark.

  "One of our crew went missing yesterday afternoon," Clark said.

  "I can't help you with that," the man said. "Three day waiting period is standard. Most either come back or find a new berth by then. Unless you have proof it was against her will…" He let that trail off suggestively.

  Jasyn shook her head.

  "It's probably nothing," Clark said.

  The man waited a moment longer, studying them each in turn. He shrugged a final time then left the ship, stepping over the box on the boarding ramp.

  "Well, that solved one problem," Clark said.

  "What?" Jasyn demanded.

  "We have the coupling unit," he answered. "Beryn and Darus can put the engine back together."

  "So we can leave as soon as we find Dace," Ginni said. "I really don't like this planet."

  "I don't like it, either," Jasyn agreed.

  Chapter 16

  The plascrete floor was hard, but at least it wasn't cold. Heat leaked through the uninsulated ceiling high overhead. I was thirsty. And hungry. And I wanted a bathroom.

  Light fixtures lined the beams on the ceiling providing a dim yellow light. Half of them were not working. The room I was in appeared to be a secure storage space. The ceiling was about fourteen feet above me. The walls went up only twelve, leaving a gap at the top. New looking ducts ran across the space, resting on the tops of the walls.

  The cuffs sent random spikes of electricity up my arms every time I moved. I pulled my knees up and dangled my hands over them. The cuffs spat a few sparks sending a tingling jolt up my arms. I twisted my wrists enough so I could see the locking mechanism. The force field generator was there, a tiny black unit set into the metal of the cuffs. The cover that usually protected it was missing.

  I crawled over to the grate low in the wall. One corner protruded. I twisted the cuffs around, bending my wrists to try to get the generator unit positioned so I could smash it against the corner of the grate. If I damaged it, the cuffs would still be locked on my arms but at least it would stop the shocks. I got to my knees and lifted my arms. I slammed my wrists against the grate. Pain spiked up my arm.

  The unit spat more sparks. Blood dripped from a jagged cut on one wrist. I twisted my arm so I could see. It was short and shallow and stung like crazy. The blood dripped under the cuffs. They buzzed and tingled. I tasted copper in my mouth. Electricity ran up both arms. My hair frizzed, spitting its own set of sparks.

  I slammed my wrists against the grate again. A jolt much stronger than the others sent me crashing backwards. I lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling and gasping. The cuffs buzzed. I forced myself back up on my knees. I hit the cuffs against the grating again and again.

  The cuffs crackled and spat sparks. I ignored the shocks up my arms as much as I could. I finally battered the unit until it cracked. The force field in the cuffs gave a final shower of sparks as it died.

  I sat back and assessed the damage. My wrists had several shallow scrapes and cuts. Only the first one had been deep enough to bleed much. It was scabbing over. I wiped blood off onto my shipsuit.

  The cuffs were still securely locked. My hands were still bound, but at least I didn't have the constant buzzing and jolts of electricity running up my arms. I sat back against the wall. I still had no way out of the room. I had no idea why I was locked up.

  The door opened. The same man watched me from the hallway, the one who knew my name. His gaze traveled over my bloody wrists and the still locked cuffs.

  "You should know force cuffs can't be forced," he said and laughed at his own wit. I didn't join in. He quit laughing and looked coldly at me, his smile wiped completely from his face. "Get up."

  He didn't wait for me to comply. He grabbed a handful of my shipsuit and hauled me to my feet. He shoved me out the door then down a short hallway. He banged open another door and pushed me inside.

  "You've got five minutes, no more." He shut the door.

  I was in a bathroom. The plumbing wasn't working well, to judge by the smell. It also looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years. I ignored the filth and used the toilet. The water coming from the sink was brownish and smelled like overgrown algae. I washed my hands but didn't try drinking any.

  "Time's up," the man said.

  He grabbed my arm and dragged me back down the hall then threw me into the storage room. He tossed a ration bar and a water pouch at me before he shut and locked the door.

  I stared down at the bar. They didn't want me dead or they wouldn't be feeding me. Or maybe they just wanted to prolong the torture. I could depress myself too easily. My hands were still mostly numb. I fumbled the wrapper open and made myself eat the bar. I was more careful with the water. I didn't spill it this time.

  When I finished, I leaned against the wall. I couldn't see any way out of the room. Overhead, there was little but the ceiling beams and lights. The walls gave no purchase to climb. The lock on the door was not one I could pick. The bolt was thrown from the outside. The air duct near me was too small to crawl through, even though my efforts earlier had loosened the grate. It hung by one screw. I was stuck. For now.

  Jasyn and Clark wouldn't leave me here. Somehow they would know where I was and rescue me. Or would they?

  How many times had I disrupted their lives? How many times would they risk everything for me?

  I pulled my knees up and rested my cheek against them. How many more times would I have to do this? At least this time it wasn't Lowell's fault. It was my own. Whoever these people were, they knew me. I just had to figure out what they wanted. If it was money, I'd gladly give them everything I had. Money wasn't important.

  The roof creaked as the heat built in the warehouse. I dozed off.

  The door opened and startled me awake. The same man stood outside.

  "Get up," he said.

  "What do you want from me?" I made no move to get to my feet. I wanted answers. I wanted to know how to buy my way out of this room.

  He didn't answer. He just waited, staring down at me.

  I sighed and stood. He yanked me through the door and marched me down the hallway by my arm. He shoved me into the bathroom.

  "How much money do you want?" I asked before he could slam the door shut.

  "I'm being paid, Captain Dace." He jerked the door closed in my face.

  "Five hundred thousand if you let me go," I said to the unhearing door.

  I used the facilities again. He opened the door when I was washing my hands. He grabbed my arm and marched me into the hall.

  "Five hundred thousand," I said again. I was sure he'd heard me before.

  He pushed me into the room. "Don't fool yourself. You don't have that much money. Your accounts were confiscated by the Patrol when you were declared wanted for treason last week." He shut the door in my face.

  I sat back down on the hard floor. I was wanted for treason? Again? Why? I hadn't had a chance to do anything since Shangrila. Maybe it was a lie. And maybe it wasn't.

  My stomach rumbled. I was hungry. He hadn't left anything for me to eat. I sighed and resigned myself to starving for a while. It wasn't important. What was important was getting free. Again. And this time I'd never leave the ship again. Ever.

  I pulled my knees up and wrapped my arms around them. My wrists were sore. The scabs kept ripping free. Blood stained my sleeves. That pain was minor. I ignored it. I put my head down on my legs and tried not to cry. It wasn't going to solve anything. It never had.

  The afternoon dragged by, hot and dry and miserable in the airless room. I slipped in and out of sleep. The roof popped from the heat. Each noise jerked me back awake. My head ached. I tried lying down on the floor. It was har
d, but it was marginally cooler. I closed my eyes again.

  Something scratched in the duct. Probably rats, I thought. I tried to ignore it. The scratching sound came again. I rolled onto my back, staring at the roof overhead. Sunlight tried to force its way into the warehouse through numerous small cracks.

  "Mrow?" The sound was all too familiar. I closed my eyes. I was hallucinating again. It had to be.

  Something clawed the grate, banging it against the wall. I turned my head to look.

  "Mrow," Ghost said, more demanding this time. She slipped a paw around the grate, trying to push her way out of the duct.

  "What are you doing here?" I whispered. I wedged my fingers around the grate and pulled it free.

  Ghost crawled out of the duct. She sneezed. I brushed my hand down her back releasing a cloud of dust. It was stupid, but seeing the cat here gave me hope. Ghost began to purr, pushing her head into my hand and leaning on my leg.

  "I don't know what good it does to have you stuck here," I said. I picked her up, settling her in my lap. She promptly jumped back to the floor. She sat down and began licking her fur clean.

  I watched her for a moment. I looked back at the duct. The grate was on the floor next to it. If Ghost had found her way in, she could find her way out. And maybe she could pass a message to Jasyn for me.

  I fumbled through my pockets, looking for something, anything, I could send a message with. I had my id plates, but there was no way to attach them to the cat. I sat back in defeat. I had nothing, no way to let Jasyn know where I was. I rubbed my hands over my head, frustrated and hot.

  My hand snagged on something inside my collar. I pulled it out. I wore the necklace my father had given me. I'd left it in my cabin before Serrimonia and Trythia and Vance had happened. I'd found it a week ago, buried deep in a drawer. I lifted the necklace free and dangled it in front of me. A sleeping cat nestled on the chain, one eye partly open and an expression of mischief on its face. I looked beyond the necklace at the real cat licking her leg.

  I pulled the necklace over my head. I wrapped it around Ghost's neck, loose enough so she wouldn't choke but tight enough it wouldn't slip free. She wasn't very patient. We'd never put a collar on her, she wasn't used to it. She growled, backing away.