Night Traveller

by L. V. Lloyd

  All three men were now focussed on getting back to Asra and the problems they would find there, but Dane couldn’t help wishing the interruption had come a few hours later. He had really been looking forward to what Mike had promised to do, when they woke up in the morning.

  Cutter Levi fought his way across the surface of the dome, one step at a time. The wind tore around him, threatening to pluck him away despite his magnetised boots. He was buffeted by noise, even though his space helmet muffled the sound, he could still hear the wind’s fury. And this was supposedly a calm break in the weather. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be caught in a storm.

  The front of his helmet kept icing up. He could scarcely see his hand in front of his face even after constant rubbing with his glove—luckily he was searching for his target not by sight but by its co-ordinates. He swore constantly under his breath, he’d had no idea it was going to be this tortuous or he would have declined the job. Too late now, of course, he was committed. Another agonisingly slow step, careful to make sure there was no gap beneath his boot for the wind to seize on to pry him off the dome, one hand clutched desperately around the tether as an added precaution. Nearly there, he told himself. One, maybe two more steps. Then he would have to bend down, somehow, to place the package.

  He wondered what would happen if the wind tore the package out of his hands before he could attach it. One thing was certain, he wasn’t going to go chasing after it.

  Mo Khan boarded his luxurious space yacht right on schedule with a small entourage of staff moving back and forth, carrying his supplies for the trip. The yacht departed thirty minutes later, watched closely by Captain Spier and the port authorities.

  Captain Spier leant back a fraction in her chair, at least she knew exactly where Khan was going to be for the next few hours. Lieutenant Varga was ready to pick up the monitoring as soon as the ship entered Moonta’s atmosphere. There was no need for the yacht to schedule a jump for such a short trip so there would be no break in surveillance.

  Nothing linked Khan to the extortion threat, yet, other than a gut feeling she had in the pit of her stomach, but she wanted to know exactly where she could put her hands on him, in case that changed.

  And Khan wasn’t the only person she had in her sights. She wanted, needed, to find Jian Chang or at the very least his second in command, Eric Tate. Chang and Khan were woven like different coloured lengths of string through the entire case, twisting and tangling the truth until it was almost impossible to unravel. Chang had slipped through her fingers before but this time she wasn’t going to stop until she found him, even if her officers had to search every house in the district.

  Chapter Thirty One

  The first thing Callan did, even before they arrived on Asra, was to call an emergency meeting of all council members.

  Rumours had been flying around faster than space debris but he needed everyone to be in possession of the facts so they could make decisions. They met in the largest room of the Rising Sun, crowding in, talking and exclaiming over the top of each other. A couple of councillors were missing, already in the process of evacuating themselves and their families.

  Callan had gone straight to the meeting from the Rover, Mike following, grateful that he had taken the time earlier to change into his uniform. Ser Keating was already inside, clutching his console unit, ready for any more updates from either the Patrol or the extortionist, and Serra Yoshida was attempting to establish order by getting everyone seated.

  “Attention, please!” Callan’s loud voice had everyone turning toward him, shushing their companions. “Some of you may have heard that Ser Keating received an extortion threat a few hours ago. The extortionist is threatening to blow a hole in our dome,” he paused for a moment, allowing the angry outcries and protests to subside.

  “I know we were assured when we moved here that the dome was safe, and it is, from normal space debris, but human sabotage is a different matter. Ser Keating has checked with the engineers who constructed the dome and they are working on the technical side of the problem. However, the fact of the matter is that we can’t be sure what will happen if someone sets off an explosion. It’s my opinion that we should be considering at least the temporary evacuation of all civilians, children and the infirm first.”

  “Couldn’t Ser Keating just pay the money?” asked Serra Yoshida loudly, over the top of the noisy response. “We could all chip in.”

  “I suppose that’s one option,” conceded Callan, grateful that someone had raised the issue. “However, in my opinion, we would be setting ourselves up for more trouble in the future. If they succeed in getting their money once, what’s to stop them trying again? And that’s presuming that once they have their money they don’t blow us up anyway.”

  The arguments and discussion went on for another hour before Callan called a halt. Halfway through, however, he wrested an agreement from the council that evacuating the children was a wise move and Medic Mia Baraky left immediately to oversee the process. Ser Keating offered the Hummer as a transport vehicle.

  “It’s obvious that we won’t be able to keep meeting like this to make all the decisions necessary over the next few hours,” Callan said decisively. “Can I suggest that we choose a small group of people, say four or five, to act on our behalf during this crisis?”

  Eventually they agreed. It was evident to all but the most stubborn that consensus was not going to work as a method of decision making under the current circumstances.

  In the end, Callan Rian, Serra Yoshida, Mike Oliver and trader Fred Huang, were chosen, along with Ser Keating in his unenviable role as the chief protagonist. Callan automatically assumed the mantle of overall person in charge and no-one argued with him. He lost no time in placing Mike Oliver in charge of tactics.

  Fred Huang volunteered to be responsible for co-ordinating the evacuation and Serra Yoshida was put in charge of organising those who wished to remain. “Anyone who either can’t or won’t be evacuated will need to find somewhere to stay underground. With any luck, even if the surface buildings are damaged, the underground will be safe. For a while at any rate,” she added, imagining a desolate town, swept by nitrogen storms, open to the hostile atmosphere.

  “I think we should keep all our discussions absolutely confidential,” advised Mike. “Naturally we’ll keep the council informed, but only as much as they need to know, at least until the crisis is over. The last thing we want is our decisions getting back to the extortionist, unintentionally or otherwise.”

  The other four nodded, their faces serious. “On that note,” he looked at Ser Keating, “I suggest you stall for time, try and negotiate a lower price. We don’t want the extortionist to think we aren’t going to pay up and have them trigger the explosion a moment before we have to.”

  They spent another hour working out the details of their strategy. Mike looked at Dane. “Would you be prepared to fly me above the dome? Once we have an idea from the experts of where the bomb might be, I’d like to see if there’s anything we can do to sabotage the sabotage!” He gave a fierce grin.

  Dane nodded. He was the best pilot on Asra at present, false modesty aside. “I think we should get TeeJay Marte on board with us as well.” He turned to Ser Keating. “She’s the best plasfoam techie you’ve got at Tinto, and it occurred to me, that if the worst happens and the dome is breached, she might have the best ideas about what to do. Engineers are all very well in their place but we need someone on the spot with practical skills.”

  Ser Keating was already nodding in agreement. “She’s the best we have. I’ll give her a call, shall I?”

  “That’s a good idea,” agreed Mike. “And ask her to bring any items with her that she thinks could be useful.”

  They wound up the meeting with no further communications from either the patrol or the extortionist and went their separate ways. Callan caught Mike by the arm on his way out and Dane hung back to hear what they had to say to each other.

  “My place
or yours, tonight?” Callan asked softly, wanting them all to be together again, as they had on Burra. But Mike shook his head apologetically.

  “Sorry.”

  “What’s wrong? I thought we...”

  “I’m sorry, Callan, Dane, but I don’t think we can continue our...” he searched for the right word. “Relationship, not here on Asra.”

  “Can I ask why?” Callan asked steadily, biting back the rush of words that wouldn’t help anyone. He knew he was a fool but he’d been hoping their arrangement on Burra was the start of something, something wonderful, not the end. He knew he loved Dane, he was pretty sure he was in love with Mike. Mike had seemed really happy to be with them both, how could he just walk away now, just because they were home?

  He could hear Mike making excuses. “It was great,” well fantastic really, “but we’re back in the real world now, we have responsibilities. You’re the Governor and I’m in charge of the Patrol here on Asra.” Mike was trying hard to keep his voice as reasonable as possible. He knew what he was saying was the only sensible thing, right?

  Callan didn’t want to be either sensible or reasonable if it meant giving up his lovers. He wanted Mike and he wanted Dane. It was nobody else’s business, for gods’ sake! Why couldn’t their personal lives be their own?

  “What if I wasn’t the Governor?” he asked impetuously. “What if I quit?”

  Oh gods, thought Mike. He was hurting Callan, the last thing he had wanted to do.

  He pasted a bright smile on his face. “You know you don’t mean that! You love the job and more importantly, you’re needed here. We had a great couple of days, we should just leave it at that.”

  Callan swallowed, trying to keep a lid on his emotions. He told himself he was an idiot, they’d had a threesome for goodness sake, hardly a declaration of undying love. But he had thought...

  Mike continued as calmly as he could. “You know the Patrol’s attitude to oms. It was made very clear to me that I have to keep my private life here discreet.”

  “And a threeway with us wouldn’t be ‘discreet’ right?” sneered Dane. Callan might hide his pain but Dane felt angry.

  Mike squared his shoulders. “This isn’t helping. I’ll go.”

  Dane watched him go, hurt sitting sourly in his stomach. He didn’t know why he had expected anything else.

  “Come on, let’s go back to your place and have a drink.” He put an arm round Callan’s shoulders.

  “We have to stay sober,” protested Callan, allowing himself to be led away. “What if the extortionist calls tonight?”

  “One drink won’t hurt. And maybe tomorrow we can pick up a hot boy together,” he added teasingly. “Or maybe two.”

  Callan raised a faint, polite smile and shook his head.

  “It wasn’t just sex for me,” Callan confessed suddenly, as they walked together through the dimly lit streets.

  “No,” admitted Dane after a long pause. “And despite what Mike said, I don’t believe it was just sex for him either.”

  He picked up his pace. “Come on, let’s go and have that drink. I’ve just had an idea!”

  Chapter Thirty Two

  Eric Tate sat uneasily in the chair opposite Captain Spier, trying not to feel like a sacrificial pawn.

  Captain Spier and her officers had finally caused enough disruption in the district to force Chang to act. There was no way Chang was going to put himself in danger of being arrested or even held for questioning, so he had persuaded Tate to go in his place.

  “Just stick to your story and don’t volunteer anything else,” he had told him. “We went to the Victory to meet with Ser Keating to finalise our business deal, then there were the explosions. All that part is quite true and you can tell them exactly how it happened. Then you helped Governor Rian out of the hotel. You were mugged by someone from behind and when you woke up, the Governor was gone. And that’s all you know. You’ll be fine.”

  All very well for him to say, Tate grumbled silently. He wasn’t the one sitting here in the hot seat.

  Captain Spier took him briefly through those events and got his statement, but her main focus had shifted to the extortion threat. Luckily for Tate, he knew nothing about it and his look of confusion appeared quite genuine.

  “So you don’t know anything about the extortion demand?”

  “Honestly, this is the first I’ve heard of it.”

  “Is it possible Chang is responsible without your knowledge?”

  “No way! I’m his right hand man, I’d know if he was doing anything like that!” Tate protested hotly. “Besides, Ser Chang is a business man, not a criminal.”

  Captain Spier looked unconvinced.

  “The whole idea is crazy. He’s not going to risk killing his own son, is he?” argued Tate.

  “I suppose not. His son?” asked Spier with false casualness, idly straightening the items on her desk. Her pulse was racing, Chang had a son? This was the first she’d heard of it. If Chang had a son on Asra, maybe they were in this together. Who the fuck was he?

  Tate stared back at her in taut silence, undeceived by her casual attitude. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew he had made a mistake.

  Mike Oliver shut down his wristcom with a blank look in his eyes. He was off the case, suspended pending investigation, ordered to return to Kapunda immediately.

  His brain struggled to come to terms with what had just happened. How had she found out? Who had betrayed him? A “friend”, Spier had said. One of his friends had told her. Before he was conscious of making a decision, Mike was out the door, on his way to see Callan and Dane. It wasn’t one of them, he told himself. Even if they were pissed off at him for the moment, they wouldn’t betray him like that. Would they?

  Dane was alone in the AISS office when Mike came in and shut the door behind him, a grim expression on his face.

  Dane looked up from his desk with a touch of defiance. That had been quick. He cleared his throat, “Yes?”

  Mike felt a lump of ice growing in his stomach. Why did Dane have that guilty look in his eyes?

  “Was it you?” he asked without ceremony. “Was it you who told the Captain?” His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides.

  The other man hesitated for a moment, considering whether or not to brazen it out, but then thought, why should he? He wasn’t ashamed of what he’d done. He straightened his shoulders and looked Mike in the eyes.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?” the word sounded as if it was forced out.

  “Because I wanted you to stay with us.” There. It was as near as Dane could get to admitting his feelings. But the words didn’t have the effect he had hoped for.

  Mike glared at him in furious disbelief. “How dare you! Just because I fucked you, doesn’t give you the right to interfere in my personal life!”

  At that moment Callan came into the room, alarmed by the raised voices. He saw Dane, sitting white-faced, Mike standing over him, furious. Mike turned and glared at him accusingly, his anger overflowing to splash Callan.

  “Did you know about it? Did you know what he was going to do?”

  “Yes, I did,” Callan admitted in a low voice. “I’m sorry if we upset you.” He held out a hand toward him, but Mike ignored it, and Callan let it fall to his side. What had they done? Mike was livid, he’d never dreamed he would take it that badly. He licked his lips nervously, then pressed them tightly together to hide the faint trembling.

  “‘Upset?’ ” Mike stared at them. He felt sick with betrayal, using his anger to hide the hurt. How could the men he loved have done something like that to him? What the fuck did they think they were doing?

  “I’m not ‘upset,’ I’m in deep shit! I’m off the fucking case, I’ve been recalled to Kapunda and I’ll be lucky if I’m not arrested!”

  He turned to leave before he felt tempted to hit one of them. “I hope you’re happy. And for the record? I don’t want to see either of you ever again!” he tossed over his shoulder as
he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

  Dane and Callan looked at each other, feeling sick.

  “Well. Now I know what he thinks of me,” said Dane, struggling to keep his voice even.

  Callan’s shoulders slumped. “Yes. I think he made it pretty clear that it was only ever about the sex.”

  He couldn’t help himself, he kept replaying Mike’s bitter words over and over again in his head, a slight frown beginning to form between his eyes.

  “Hang on a minute, Dane, that doesn’t make sense. I know the Patrol doesn’t like having oms in their ranks, but it’s not illegal for gods’ sake! Why would Mike be likely to get arrested?”

  Dane struggled to concentrate on what Callan was saying. Half of him was feeling like going out right now and picking up the first willing man he could find and fucking him senseless, the other half felt like crawling into a hole and bursting into tears.

  What had Callan just said? He made himself take a couple of deep breaths and think.

  He chewed his bottom lip and frowned. “You’re right. When I spoke to Captain Takamoto, he was quite reasonable. He said he already knew Mike was an om and as long as we kept our relationship separate from his work, he couldn’t see a problem. He didn’t say anything about recalling Mike to Kapunda or arresting him.”

  The two men stared at each other, wondering what, exactly, they had just confessed to.

  Chapter Thirty Three

  Mike looked bleakly around the small apartment he had called home for the last few months. He had tossed most of his clothes and personal items into his backpack but he would have to send for the rest later. Presuming he wasn’t in jail.

  He ran his hands over his face. He still couldn’t understand what Dane and Callan had been thinking. They knew how much his job meant to him, he had told them things, personal things he had never told anyone else. Had they thought that losing his position would make him more dependent on them?