Halfblood Journey

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Halfblood Journey Page 28

by Rheaume, Laura


  “Sure,” he said, finally looking up at her...well, at least in her general direction. “Go wash up, over there.”

  She headed over to the makeshift sink he had nodded to. She sighed again. His face hadn’t gotten any uglier since yesterday; even his frown was cute, damn it.

  Chapter 17

  Ian and Scythe sat together on a crate that they had moved to the wall, leaning their backs up against the cool cement. They had just taken over for Temper, who was getting what rest she could before their departure in only a few hours. The rest of their team was doing the same, the Kin bunked in the truck, and the Humans outside under the stars.

  Scythe took a last bite of the sandwich he had snagged from the relief supplies brought over from Juniper. Work for the night had halted, and all but a security crew had been transported to either the small hospital in Juniper or the border patrol station. Reave, having finally conceded to the doctor’s orders, took one of the last trucks to town. Before he had gone, he had told Scythe, “I am asking for my team to be replaced and the operation reevaluated before more units are deployed.”

  Scythe nodded. He had given the captain his full report and transferred the data he had thrown together onto a portable reader he had taken from his team’s supplies, one of the few places to find functioning technology after the fires. “And Rogers?”

  “He’s doing the same, if he has half a brain. That’s not my problem. You’ll be on your own for a bit. Is that going to be all right?”

  “It might work out better, since we’ll be disappearing in the confusion of things.”

  “I’d thought about that,” Reave said, shifting to make himself more comfortable in the seat. He bowed his head, “I thank you, for your service to my okin.”

  “It was my honor,” Scythe replied.

  “But, not your duty.” Thinking of his wife and their child, he said sincerely, “You risked your own. I wouldn’t have.”

  Scythe shrugged.

  “You are strange, for a halfblood.”

  That had surprised him. “What?” Scythe asked. Strange was nearly the definition of halfblood.

  “I mean, I’ve only met a few other halfbloods in my career, and at first I thought you were just like them. The ones raised by Humans are disasters, of course, but even the ones raised by their Kin families are only slightly less damaged. They tend to keep to themselves, like you, but they are also usually angry or bitter. I thought you were like that, but just cold instead of hot. Now I know that you were not cold, you were just...I don’t know, empty, maybe. Or, just waiting.” He rubbed his eyes, “I’m rambling, I know it. I guess it was that knock to the head.” He pulled his hand down until it ran back and forth over the stubble on his chin. “Anyway, I said I think you are strange because halfbloods are neither Kin nor Human, but I think that you...maybe you are both.”

  Scythe didn’t have a thing to say to such a crazy statement. He had never felt Human, and was always aware of how far he fell short of being Kin.

  “I’m not sure why I’m even saying this; maybe I am appreciating my life more after tonight, who knows? But, I’ve never liked you; there was never anything to like. I only just respected your abilities, and that grudgingly because being around you usually sets my team off. Your ability, well, it’s disgusting.” He waved away a soldier who approached hesitantly, “In a minute. Scythe, halfblood or not, when it comes to family, you are Kin. So, you need to act like it and protect your okin, and I don’t mean just the girl.”

  Scythe nodded respectfully. “I understand.” He felt honored that Reave would give him advice, something that family members, not coworkers, did for each other.

  “Good, and good luck on the hunt.” He raised his hand, complaining, “Let’s go, Gib. I don’t want to be here all night.”

  Reave had been scolding him for going into the building in the first place, and Scythe realized that he had probably been right to do so. But, having Ian’s ability to protect the two of them with a nearly impenetrable shield...even if it did have a time limit to its use...as well as his own skills and instincts made it hard for him to turn away from what he felt was an obligation to use them. There would have been more than one additional form under white sheets if he hadn’t, and one of them would have been Reave’s.

  On the other hand, he had a responsibility to his family as well. That was what Reave was telling him to remember: his family relied on his ability to make the right judgment where his own safely was concerned. That was something he had not had to consider in a while.

  “So the gas was stored under pressure in the emergency water vats and pumped into the air ducts.” Ian said, shaking his head.

  “Yes, arina. It is highly flammable and of a mid range density, so it would roll along the ducts and then spill into the warehouses or rooms. It is hard to detect, even for the Kin if there is a stronger odor in the room.”

  “Like a little bit of smoke from an electrical fire.”

  “Or the second smoke bombs that were set in the vents to hide the rising concentration of gas. They were all set to go off when the pump was activated.”

  “So who turned it on?”

  “You’ll like this Ian. It was an automatically scheduled maintenance order. It looked like the annual water tank flush on the work order. One of Huran’s own employees did it himself, flipping the switch and leaving it for the night it would take to empty completely.”

  “Didn’t he notice that the water wasn’t going anywhere?”

  “There was nothing to notice, since it just runs into the underground sewage lines. In the morning, he would close it off and start to refill it with fresh water...just another button. He had done it already many times over the years. All he had to check was that the levels in the tanks were going down, and they were.”

  “Because the gas was being pumped out.” Ian offered Scythe half of his second sandwich, which he accepted with a nod. “So how did it get there? You can’t just waltz in here and…”

  “Actually, I think they could. This isn’t a high security installation. It is a food processing, storage, and shipping facility. They have trucks coming in here all the time. If it were me...and I’d like to have time to check the records, if any can be salvaged...I would have come in here with a tank of arina disguised as a chemical detergent for tank cleaning. Then you are pumping it right in, making your adjustments to the pump...‘And, as a special kindness, we’ll go ahead and fill up the tanks with water again when we’re done.’ They probably even got thanked and paid for it. Same thing for the ducts: routine contracted maintenance. Harder but not impossible: sneak in and do it over several nights.” He took another quick bite, chewing and swallowing before adding, “Not the gas though, that would have to have been disguised as something else, because it would take a while to transfer it.”

  “I think you missed your calling,” Ian joked. “Talk about loving your work…”

  “Yeah, if it weren’t so despicable, I could definitely get into it. Want to hear something funny? In my search for people researching sabotage techniques, my own name came up repeatedly.” They both had a good laugh at that, remembering belatedly to keep their voices down.

  “So, how long ago do you think this was set up?”

  “Who knows? Maybe as long ago as the last tank flush, which their man thought was nine months ago. In any case, it was done long before we got here.”

  “Which means if it was meant as an attack on the military, then we were moved here, right on top of the trap.”

  “Like chess pieces,” Scythe nodded his head appreciatively. “If it was merely another attack on a Kin facility, then we were just unlucky.”

  “Wanna know my guess?” Ian asked, collecting the trash from their meal and stuffing it into a plastic sack.

  “Two birds?”

  “With one stone. Is there a trail?”

  “Yup. I’ve already put my resources on it. We should have that by tomorrow, if it hasn’t been tampered with.”

 
“The orders?”

  “Yes,” he said. “There might also be a tamper-trail, but that is sketchier. I think our next move is still going to be the most productive, because we are taking the initiative. Following what they leave for us has not produced one thing, although this attack may have been rushed, since it fell hard on yesterday’s investigation. If that is the case, there might be something…” He sat up, listening, and then stood up on the crate, peeking over the wall.

  Ian, who hadn’t heard anything but knew Scythe’s senses well, joined him, “What is it?”

  “A truck. It looks like it’s coming from Juniper. It’s ours.”

  Scythe watched it approach along the wall and then disappear behind the curve of the installation. After a moment, they got a call from security, “A delivery for Scythe. Can you come up and sign for it?”

  “Sure.” Scythe said to Ian, “I’ll be right back.”

  “We’ve got a fairly large box here,” the voice added.

  “Then why not just bring it around?”

  “Will do.”

  They jumped down and met the truck just before it reached the dock. Scythe walked up to the window and nodded to Anvil, “It’s kind of late.”

  Anvil shook his head ruefully, “You are right about that, and I am in need of at least two days of sleep.” He took his hands off the steering wheel and picked an envelope off the seat.

  “A paper order?” Scythe asked, raising his eyebrows.

  “Yup, from Captain Reave. It’s sealed.”

  “What is it?”

  “No idea. I’ve also got a box in the back. Why don’t I get it while you’re reading so I can get back?” He looked at the distance to their truck. “You want it here?”

  “Yeah, we’ll move it,” Scythe said without looking up, already having opened the letter and begun reading. His eyes widened, “You don’t know what is in the box?”

  “No. I already said that,” he said irritably, climbing out of the truck and going to the back.

  “Give him a hand, will you, Ian?” Scythe asked, finishing up the letter and then joining them as they wrestled the box down from the flatbed.

  “How much does this damn thing weigh?” Ian asked, “Like two hundred stinking pounds?”

  “Careful, it’s fragile,” Scythe said, tucking the orders in his pocket and grabbing hold. Together, they were able to get the box moved to the side of the thin lane without shaking up the contents.

  “All right,” Anvil said, slamming the doors shut and going around to the cab. “You just need to sign here that you received it. He handed Scythe a clipboard with a blank piece of paper.

  Ian said, looking over Scythe’s shoulder, “That’s a very primitive record system you Kin have got there.”

  Scythe stepped away, penning a note on the paper.

  “Yeah, right,” Anvil said.

  “You know, I could get you a typewriter...or maybe a printing press…”

  “I think it’s called irony, right? A Human offering the Kin technology. Definitely irony.”

  “Hey! We’ve developed more inventions than…”

  “Yes, yes, you are very good workers…”

  “That’s it, then,” Scythe interrupted, stepping up to the window and holding out his hand, “Seal?”

  “Here you go,” Anvil held out a ball of claylike substance.

  Scythe took it and worked it around in his hand for a minute until he felt it warm up. Then, he pressed it with his thumb onto the envelope, effectively sealing it and giving his identification in the form of his fingerprint. “Wow,” he said, “I’ve never done that before. Not particularly secure, but adequate for this situation.”

  Anvil took the envelope and said, “I’m off then.” He tossed the paper onto the seat next to him and put the truck in reverse.

  Ian followed Scythe back to the box. He asked, “So, wait until morning or haul it over now?” Noticing Scythe carefully scanning the area, he looked around as well.

  “Gimme a minute. Can you wait here?” At Ian’s nod, Scythe jogged down the way the truck had gone and then turned, hopping into a window. After a few minutes, he came out of the building’s exit at the dock and jogged back to where Ian was.

  “I think we’re fine. Let’s open it up.”

  “What is it?”

  “A delivery,” Scythe said, “to the Capital.”

  “The Capital? We’re not going there.”

  “We are now.” He used a knife from one of the sheaths on his pants to cut through the packing tape, making very sure to cut along the reinforced cardboard and not into the box itself. Finally getting it undone, he opened the flaps and looked inside.

  “Holy crap,” Ian exclaimed, not bothering to hide his surprise.

  -----------

  “But why are we leaving now?” Mercy asked, tying up her sleeping bag and shoving it into its bag. It was still pitch black out, nowhere near the time they were supposed to be getting up, not to mention leaving.

  “Slight change in plans. We’ve got a little bit of a time crunch to work with now.” Ian looked around to see if there was anything else to pack up. “Bathroom break, Mercy, because we won’t be stopping for a long while.”

  “Okay, I’m going,” she said grumpily, heading over to the makeshift latrine and wash area they had set up in one of the corners. In a moment, she was back, scratching her head and then pulling her hair straight back into a ponytail. “I could use a shower.”

  “I could hose you off,” he offered, chuckling at her appalled stare. “Not today? Fine. In the truck, let’s go.” Ian took the sleeping bag to the side of the truck where Summer was loading the last of their things into the side compartments. He made room for it in one of the spaces and then shut the hatch. After helping Summer finish her job, he walked with her over to Scythe who was checking over his motorcycle. “We’re ready.”

  “Good. Then, we’re off. Summer, let’s get my helmet linked to the truck’s com.” She nodded and went over to the small cab behind the driver’s seat of the truck where Steven was sitting. “Okay, we’re going straight through, then, stopping for fuel, food and hopefully very few bathroom breaks. That should get us there in a little over two instead of four.”

  “Alright, you riding alone?”

  “No. I’m gonna carry our package for the first leg.” He dipped his head, listening to Summer on his mic, “Yeah, that’s good.”

  “Okay,” Ian said, “I’ll send him over.” He patted Scythe on the shoulder and walked to the back of the truck, where Orin waited to shut it up behind him. He peered into the truck. Mercy sat trying to collect herself on the end of the bench next to Temper and Jin. Across from her sat the young man who, just a short while ago, had calmly unfolded himself and, accepting Scythe’s hand, stepped out of the box with a polite, “Thank you.”

  “Well, you wanted a medic…” Ian had joked, when he had regained his senses.

  “Yes, I did,” Scythe said, evidently pleased, despite the disruption to their plans.

  “I would like you to accept the deepest thanks from my family. They are most eager to have me return home immediately.”

  Heron’s family apparently had some excellent connections and was putting heavy pressure on Reave’s superiors to get him sent home in the fastest possible way. If he were to take a standard conveyance, he would have had to wait for three days before it could depart and then it would travel at a fairly slow rate. Reave would have sent the young man immediately, but he couldn’t spare the type of security the family was demanding; it seemed that they hadn’t counted on his being exposed to the level of danger he had experienced at Huran and were now convinced that he was in constant mortal danger.

  When Ian had mentioned that it seemed a little overprotective, the man had merely shrugged and said that he came from a very good family.

  Scythe had thanked him for accommodating their need for secrecy by smuggling himself over to their location in such an uncomfortable way. It would have been impossible
to keep their movements secret if the family were checking up on them every step of the way. Their plan was to get him to his home in Quo Ire quickly, even before he had apparently left Juniper. By then, Scythe’s team would already be in place for its objectives.

  “You’re riding with Scythe for the first leg, right?” Ian asked.

  “It seems so. Apparently, that is the safest?” His tone implied that he had his doubts about it.

  Ian shrugged, “The truck and the bike both have advantages and disadvantages, but, since your family is...what?….superfancy?…”

  Heron nodded.

  “So even if you weren’t in the hotbed of terrorist activity, you’d still have an escort?”

  “Most definitely.”

  “Okay. Well, anyway, we’re highly motivated to keep you safe, and ‘safe’ isn’t necessarily in the back of a military truck right now. At least, not around here.”

  “Dad,” Mercy interrupted, “for some reason, I’m not feeling reassured by your pep talk.”

  “You are right, Ms. Young. Less talking, more leaving.” He addressed Heron, “Go ahead and put your helmet on and keep it on when you are outside. Let’s go.”

  He walked Heron over and made sure he got situated and then returned to the truck, climbing in across from Mercy. Orin slammed the door, and Ian smiled reassuringly when Mercy jumped. He knew that she didn’t like small spaces, especially when it was also dark, so he planned do his best to distract her.

 

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