Labyrinth (Deuces Wild Book 3)

by Ell Leigh Clarke

  Hirotoshi waited until the door had closed behind their escort to glance at Ryu, whose head was buried in the fridge.

  “Human food,” Ryu announced. “Is this…” He dumped a wrinkled cucumber on the side. “And this.” He pulled out a small tub and opened the lid to sniff the contents. A pungent sourness filled the air.

  “If that is yogurt, I do not want to know which animal they procured the milk to make it from,” Hirotoshi stated.

  “There are some crackers. Actually, I’ve changed my mind about being hungry.” Ryu sealed the pot and shoved it to the back of the fridge. “I wonder how long Tabitha will be.”

  “Long enough for us to investigate behind the scenes here.” Hirotoshi headed for the door. “I cannot hear anyone outside. Let’s go search Harry’s office. Something about him did not sit right with me.”

  They made their way along the corridor, looking into each room they passed. When they reached the junction in the corridor, they chose the opposite direction from the one they’d been brought along earlier. It led them past a series of storerooms, most of which were locked, and eventually ended at a large door.

  Hirotoshi took point. He opened the door and slipped inside while Ryu kept an eye on the corridor.

  It is clear, Hirotoshi announced a moment later.

  They padded silently through the reception area and made short work of the lock on Harry’s inner office. Hirotoshi made his way straight to the row of filing cabinets that lined one side of the office.

  Ryu opened a desk drawer and began to rummage through the contents. This is a little like the old days, he remarked. You know, before we had ADAM or Achronyx to do all the legwork for us.

  It is certainly nostalgic. Hirotoshi got to work searching the filing cabinets. He flicked through the drawers one at a time, pulling a folder out every now and again to get a closer look at the contents. He came across a section of unmarked files in the middle of a drawer which was at odds with the careful labeling of the others he’d examined. Ryu, I have found something.

  Already? What have you got? Ryu left the drawer he was searching and came over to the desk.

  Hirotoshi handed Ryu the file. I am unsure at the moment. However, this information is at odds with the rest of the accounting data I discovered. It looks as though Harry has been taking bribes.

  Ryu leafed through the paperwork. Not just Harry. There are a lot of hints about other people’s involvement here. This assignment is getting more complicated. What have we stumbled into?

  Hirotoshi was quiet for a beat while he searched for any other unlabeled files. It seems that our initial impression of a society working together for the good of all was just that, an impression. I am certain the Empress will be happy to know we are here to take the matter in hand. He sighed and removed the documents from each file before putting the empty folders back. I suppose we should be grateful that Harry is the arrogant type. He sighed and showed Ryu another sheaf of papers.

  Ryu peered at the document and shook his head in disbelief. He’s skimming from the profits as well? No wonder they don’t argue the no EI rule. This kind of fraud would be discovered in less than a minute. How do they sleep at night?

  See this? It gets worse. This goes beyond financial skullduggery. Hirotoshi handed Ryu the memo he’d just found tacked onto a financial breakdown.

  Ryu’s eyes widened as he read. He pointed out a name printed on the bottom of one of the documents. That is one of the leaders—the human who remained silent at the meeting, I believe. Tabitha is not going to take this well.

  You have been working on your gift for understatement, I see. Hirotoshi grimaced. I am not sure if Kemosabe will be able to restrain herself when she finds out about this.

  Finds out about what? Tabitha’s voice cut in. We’re back. You can meet me at the dock and tell me everything.

  On our way, Hirotoshi replied. He hesitated for a moment, then gathered the papers up.

  Tabitha made her way to the exit ramp. I’ll be back soon, she told Achronyx.

  I will be here hiding. His voice was small in her mind. I may decide that this tech-ban world is not so bad if you continue to be so nice to me.

  Don’t push it, she teased. You’re still a pain in my ass.

  Hirotoshi and Ryu were waiting when the ramp dropped. They strode up the ramp and past Tabitha.

  “What gives?” she asked, perplexed.

  We should discuss this somewhere we cannot be seen, Hirotoshi stated.

  Ryu nodded. You’re not going to like what we found one bit.

  Tabitha took in the deadly serious looks on both of their faces as she followed them aboard. “What? What have you found?”

  Hirotoshi handed the thick stack of paperwork to her.

  She scanned quickly through the documents, discarding each page as she finished it. The line between her eyes deepened with every sheet of paper she dropped, and she finally looked up with reddening eyes. “This will not stand. I will not allow it to stand.”

  Hirotoshi nodded. “I did not expect any less, Kemosabe.”

  Tabitha looked up at them, the last piece of paper scrunched in her hand, forgotten. “We’re going to turn this nest of snakes over and follow the trail of corruption right back to the source.”

  “And when we find it?” Ryu asked.

  Tabitha’s face was as hard as stone. “We’re going to cut its head off.”

  Rebus Quadrant, Themis Colony, Aboard the Penitent Granddaughter

  Nickie emerged from the ship in search of breakfast. Her days of eating cold food from a can were well and truly over. She’d been spoiled by Grim’s cooking.

  The problem was that Grim hardly bothered to cook aboard the Granddaughter anymore, since his culinary skills were much more appreciated by the colonists who attended the communal meals. She had no choice but to join them if she wanted a decent meal.

  She entered the mess hall and wove through the diners until she reached the serving line and found her epicurean Yollin. She grabbed a tray and joined the line. “What’s for breakfast, Grimmie-baby?”

  Grim’s entire body twitched in distaste. “Same as it was yesterday, doll face. Now get your eggs and stop holding up the line.”

  Nickie narrowed her eyes in mock-rage. “Touché. You win this round.” She grinned and held out the tray and Grim dumped her food onto it with a wink. “We’re working on the irrigation system today, right?”

  Grim nodded. “Durq is already out at the dome. I saw him just after dawn. He said something about Lisa having the afternoon shift and wanting to work in silence.”

  “Whatever. As long as he does his share.” Nickie half-shrugged and took her tray over to a table that had just been vacated. She had barely taken a mouthful when a shadow fell across her. She looked up with a scowl. “What?”

  Raynard took an involuntary step back. “I was just going to ask if you wanted some company. I can see you don’t, so I’ll go.” He turned to leave.

  Nickie waited for Meredith’s rebuke, but it didn’t come. She sighed. “Just fucking sit down already.” She caught sight of Adelaide hovering behind Raynard. “You too, Adelaide.”

  Adelaide gave Raynard a little shove with her hip and slipped onto the bench next to Nickie. “I wanted to talk to you about today’s tasks. I’m hoping that today is the day we get the water running. To the dome, at least.”

  Nickie wasn’t so sure. “I thought you still had a long way to go with the water line?”

  Raynard smiled and patted Adelaide’s arm. “Addie and the others have made great progress.”

  Adelaide nodded in agreement. “We’re almost there. It’s the last stretch before the colony. The buildings in that area were destroyed completely in the Skaine attack. We have to clear out the rubble and dig down to get to the pipeline before we can even think about repairing or replacing it.” Adelaide shrugged. “But I’m not going to let a little thing like that get in the way. We have the equipment to get it done, and you have an onboard EI who can inter
face with it…”

  Nickie frowned. “If she will. She’s quiet this morning.”

  Of course, I will, Meredith interjected.

  Oh, so you didn’t decide to deactivate yourself. I was beginning to wonder.

  I was giving you some space, Nickie. You might show a little gratitude.

  Someone woke up on the wrong side of the amygdala this morning.

  “Nickie?” Adelaide was waving a hand in front of Nickie’s face.

  Nickie snapped back to reality. “Meredith and I will operate the equipment. Let’s get this bitch dug.”

  Raynard laughed. “You know, that reminds me of what Pete would have said in this situation.”

  Adelaide giggled. “Oh, you’re right!”

  He and Adelaide put their heads together and chorused.

  “If it ain’t a bitch to get it, then it ain’t worth it.”

  “Who the hell wants an easy life?”

  A woman from the next table turned around. “What about ‘life’s a bastard, then you die?’ That was always my favorite.”

  “Yeah, that one too, Sue.” Raynard pushed his food around with his fork. “I always appreciated his outlook; it made the morning interesting. Things are a little different around here without Pete’s unique take on things.”

  “You mean without his constant grousing,” Sue retorted.

  That raised a laugh, albeit a small one.

  The conversation turned back to the day ahead, then Raynard and Adelaide left to get started. Nickie headed back to the breakfast line to see if there was any chance of seconds. Grim joined her shortly after with his own breakfast once everyone had been served. He sat across from Nickie and began to eat. “Did you get your ‘things’ taken care of last night?”

  Nickie looked up from her food, frowning for a moment until she remembered that she’d left dinner early last night. “Oh, yeah. It wasn’t a big deal. Something fucking hilarious happened after I left, though. I got a message.”

  Grim lowered his fork, intrigued. “A message? From who?”

  Nickie pointed at him. “That’s what I wanted to know. And when I found out, I wished I hadn’t bothered to open the damn thing at all. I thought we were pretty much hidden out here, but somehow the Federation knew where to find me.”

  “The Federation?” Grim asked.

  Nickie nodded. “I know, right? I couldn’t believe it either. I’m sure Meredith had something to do with it, but she's not her usual chatty self today. I suppose there’s a first time for everything.”

  Grim dismissed her grumbling. “Are you going to tell me what the message said?”

  Nickie laughed. “That’s the best bit! The sender is some royal asshole who wants me to rescue their son. Apparently Prince Precious has gotten himself lost on some idiotic fucking quest and they want me to find him and bring him home.”

  Grim was silent for a moment. “Shouldn’t we look into it?”

  Nickie snorted. “Nope. Why would you even suggest it? Let the Federation deal with their own shit. It’s not my problem.”

  Grim’s concern was evident. “But if the kid is in trouble… And I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but if his family is contacting you to ask for help, they must be pretty short on hope.”

  Nickie glared across the table at Grim. “How else am I supposed to take it?”

  Grim met her stare with a searching look. “Take it that no one else can help, Nickie. I know it isn’t a ship full of the Skaines you want, or in fact any Skaine, but there is a life in danger. A life that might be in your power to save.”

  Nickie looked away. “You can save your guilt trip. If I wanted to deal with that shit, I could have stayed home.” She pushed her tray away and stood up abruptly. “You know what, I’ve got better things to do than listen to this.” She stalked out of the mess hall and headed to the dome, where the efforts to create a sustainable agricultural biome to offset the inhospitable climate of the colony were coming to a head.

  Meredith broke her silence at last. You know that Grim is right.

  If that’s all you’re going to say, then you can just go back to ignoring me until I need you to operate the equipment.

  Nickie—

  Same as I told Grim, save it. We have work to do, work for people who haven’t gotten themselves into a shitty situation because they got lost on fucking vacation. She all but stormed over to the site near the dome.

  Adelaide waved Nickie over when she saw her approaching. “You’re here!” She took a tablet out of her pocket and came to meet Nickie halfway. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to make it today after all.”

  Nickie bit back her snarky reply. It wasn’t Adelaide’s fault she was in a pissy mood, and she didn’t want to make the younger woman cry. “I’m here, and ready to go. What do you need me to do?”

  Adelaide looked at her. “The heavy equipment is in that storage shed over there, and the excavator is right at the back. Have you operated this kind of machinery before?” Nickie murmured noncommittally, and Adelaide took that as an affirmative. “Just do your best and Meredith can work the rest out, right?”

  Nickie shrugged. “Probably. Where do you need me to dig?”

  Adelaide pointed to a marked quadrant in the larger rubble-strewn area. “That’s all got to be cleared, then we can begin to gauge the extent of the damage to the pipes beneath and choose our next steps.”

  Nickie nodded. “Fair enough.” She made her way to the shed, which she would have described as more of a warehouse, and wandered through the bays until she found the excavator she was looking for.

  She climbed into the cab and jiggled the controls. “Meredith, switch this thing on. Time to get to work.”

  Chapter 5 Nickie

  The morning crawled by. Nickie got to grips with the excavator fairly easily and had cleared the rubble by the time Grim, Melissa, and Keen arrived with lunch sent from the meal hall. She didn’t talk to Grim, but then he managed to communicate just fine with a series of increasingly worried glances until she snapped and took her food back to the Granddaughter.

  She found herself making the turn to her training room, the empty cargo hold she’d claimed. She made the repairs to her punching bag between hurried mouthfuls of food, then re-hung the bag from the girder. When she was done, she stripped down to her tank top and shorts and wrapped her hands.

  “Why do I even bother with this?” she muttered as she tore the roll loose from her knuckles and tossed it to the side. “It’s not like they won’t heal.”

  Why do you do it, then? Meredith piped up.

  Nickie took a stance and began her warm-up, moving slowly and striking precisely. I don’t know. She stepped up her pace a little. It’s just how I was taught, I guess. That’s why it’s called training. She pummeled the bag in silence for a while, losing herself in thought while her body worked through the sets she knew with every fiber of muscle. Grim and Meredith were right. She couldn’t ignore a request for help, no matter what the source.

  And she couldn’t ignore the source, no matter how urgent the request.

  Even if it was the most ridiculous fucking situation she’d ever heard of.

  Mere?

  Yes, Nickie?

  I don’t know what to do about the lost prince, and I don’t like it.

  How so?

  It’s just so fucking complicated! And I hate complicated. Nickie gathered her thoughts while she moved through a tricky combo. I want to go rescue the dumbass, I really do. Even dumbasses deserve to live. But…the Federation is involved, which of course means my family will have their noses in there somewhere. Why now? Why reject me all this time and then, out of the blue, reveal that they know where I am?

  It is almost time for you to return, Nickie. Two years will pass before you know it, and then you can go home again. Don’t you want that?

  Nickie wiped the sweat out of her eyes and went at the bag even faster. Her hands were a blur, and her tank top stuck to her as the sweat ran freely down her back
. What if I don’t want to go back? What if I’ve built a new life out here by then? This could be my home, Meredith. It’s not so bad, and at least if I decide to care about someone out here, there’s nobody who can send them away from me. Why should I go back just so they can take it all away again?

  Do you still feel that way?

  Nickie grabbed her towel and wiped her face. How can I feel anything else? I hate him, and I hate the Federation. If it weren’t for them, my Aunt Tabitha would be here with me now. I know it.

  Meredith was silent for a moment. I cannot agree. I know your family loves you, and that they want what’s best for you. Even if it doesn’t seem that way right now.

  Families don’t abandon members just because they don’t like their attitude, and I don’t fucking care if you agree. It still doesn’t solve my dilemma.

  Only you can make that choice, Nickie.

  So helpful, Meredith.

  Rebus Quadrant, Themis Colony, Agricultural Dome

  Grim walked along the half-planted rows looking for Durq. The little Skaine had not appeared at lunchtime, and Grim had not been able to locate him at their living quarters. He hadn’t been aboard the ship when Grim checked there either.

  He had heard Nickie grunting and growling. She hadn’t noticed him when he’d popped his head into the cargo hold she’d commandeered. Clearly, she had been too wrapped up in taking her frustration out on the punching bag.

  Grim spotted Durq kneeling between two trellises with his hands buried in the earth and made his way over. “Hey, Durq.”

  Durq jumped clear off the ground at the sudden sound. “Oh, it’s just you, Grim. You scared me.”

  “Sorry, my mind is on Nickie.”

  Durq stood and took off his work gloves. “Is she okay? I’ve stayed out of her way since she got that message. I know she won’t hurt me, but she’s terrifying when she’s emotional.”