by Melissa Good
The pad glowed, then the door opened and they went in. “Gotta show you the rec, and your rad area too,” Jess said, as they went through another door and into a larger room, this one half full of people. “But we’ll get a drink first.”
Dev was content to follow along, listening to Jess’s ramblings. She considered them, cautiously optimistic that they seemed to be trending toward a tendency to let her stay, at least for a little while.
She recognized Stephan Bock and the four agents they’d gone with. Bain was also there, along with four people she didn’t know. She stopped as Jess did, and watched Jess spread her arms out as they all started making noises at her.
Very strange. But Jess looked pleased, so she supposed it was all right. She followed Jess over to two open chairs and they sat down next to each other. She looked over at Bain, surprised to find him smiling at her.
She returned the smile.
Bain leaned back and looked at the people Dev didn’t know. “Welcome back, you four. “None the worse for wear I see.”
“Was a little tough, sir,” Sandy Tucker responded. “Me and Nappy tried to make our own diversion with our boat, but they didn’t buy it. We thought we were going to have to try and climb out when all of a sudden they all took off.”
“Right,” Jason said. “By the time we crested over the ridge just east of them, the guards all hauled ass and it was easy peasy getting to them and getting out. They didn’t even leave a comms watch.” He glanced at Dev then back at Jess. “What the hell did you do to draw them off?”
“We can roll the flight recorder,” Jess said. “Faster that way than for me to tell it.” She eyed Sandy. “I guess you know I blew up your boat.”
Sandy nodded. She looked at the tall, very muscular man next to her. “Mike figured that might happen. We didn’t really have any way of broadcasting it wasn’t rigged, or that you’d believe it if we did.”
The tall man next to Sandy grunted. “Fuckers. They knew we were coming, Jess.” He looked across the table. “We came in polar and had just cleared Gibraltar when they were on us. Chased us to the ridge and we got under cover—blasted the ones who had the guts to come at us, but we were stuck there.”
“Saw you on scan,” Jason said. “It was a bad plan to start with.”
Both Mike and Sandy looked uncomfortable. “Well, you made your view clear,” Mike said, stiffly.
Bain cleared his throat. “He was right,” he said, in a mild tone. “It was a damn fool idea, and we had to put three teams at risk just to get us back to square one.”
Mike looked sullenly at him.
“What about you?” Sandy suddenly asked, looking at Jess. “I thought you were out. Didn’t you stand on your pride about that?” She pointed at Dev. “Now you’re here? It’s here? What’s the deal?”
Bain cleared his throat again. “Agent Drake was thoughtful enough to agree to my request that she remain with us,” he said. “I’m quite gratified.” He looked at Jess. “And how is the experiment going, Agent Drake?”
Jess remained expressionless. “I’ll let the flight recorder speak for itself,” she said. “But I’ll be more than glad to continue with it.” She folded her hands on the table. “I like the results so far.”
Dev’s ears perked. That sounded like a positive thing, since she strongly suspected she was the experiment in question.
“Hmm. Indeed.” Bain’s eyes twinkled a little. “Then by all means, let’s see this recorder.” He nodded at Stephan, who was sitting in silence, just watching everyone. “Mr. Bock. Please proceed.”
Stephan got up and went to the console, triggering the big display in the back of the room. The panels slid open, and he keyed in the recording that Dev had sent from the carrier. “Here we go, sir.”
He sat down as the scene recorder rolled, presenting a view from all the carrier’s sensors overlaid to produce an almost three dimensional presentation. On one corner was a mission clock, and on the other a base readout of the carrier’s systems.
They heard Dev’s voice quietly asking for flight access, then the recorder started forward.
“Go to time lock eleven-forty loc if you want to see the other carrier blown out,” Jess said. “And eleven-fifty loc if you want to see the exciting stuff.”
Stephan looked at Bain, who nodded. He keyed in the change, and suddenly the carrier was accelerating toward the hulk of Gibraltar and the defender’s beacons flared.
Dev was a little surprised at how fast it all went once it started. When she’d been doing it, it seemed a lot longer. She relived the dives and rolls, nodding a little as the carrier wove its way through the enemy, rolling over and over as it darted between defenders and through arcs of fire.
“Holy shit,” Sandy said, after a few minutes utter silence.
Jess sat back in her seat and smiled. She could see Bain’s face, and even his craggy old eyes were wide and astonished, as they blasted past Gibraltar and she laid a line of fire inside their control center. Then they were past, and she felt her heart accelerating as she relived their one team attack on the heavily defended science center.
“Oh my go...whoa!” Jason yelped, as the carrier dove for the waves.
Diving, diving, the alarms going off, redlining the carrier with all that evident on the screen as they pulled out and into that damn rolling wave at the very last minute, the enemy behind them splashing into the water unable to stop.
Wild.
Then she sat back, remembering the incredible pull of gravity on her body and the ache still in her arms as she kept firing, all the way up the escarpment and over the top into the clouds in one long, screaming, rumbling run that ended in gray silence and the bleeting of overworked systems.
“Holy shit,” Sandy said, again.
“That’s about it.” Jess said, in as normal a voice as she could muster. “The rest you know.”
The lights came up a little as Stephan cut the replay off, and they all turned around and stared at the two women seated at the end of the table.
Even Bain, his customary dismissive, offhand facade dropped like a rock off the cliff, his jaw hanging slightly open.
Jess smiled briefly. “Can we get the one by ones done? I owe my pilot here a drink.” She jerked her head in Dev’s direction. “As a matter of fact, I think you all do too.”
Dev was not sure what response would be appropriate, so she decided not to have any at all. She remained silent, her hands folded on the table, a mild look on her face as the rest of the group stared at her.
“Not bad for her first flight, huh?” Jess finally said.
Bain relaxed into his seat, and exhaled. “Indeed.”
DEV WAS CONTENT to stick to Jess’s side as they all entered a wide, low room with comfortable looking chairs. She took a seat next to Jess and listened to the rest of them chatter, glad to be able to participate in what was evidently a positive experience.
The other agents and techs ignored her. That was all right. She was satisfied that Jess and Bain were happy with her. She was looking forward to the moment when she could go and get in the shower and maybe have a chance to read a page or two of her book.
She wondered if she could find Doctor Dan, and ask him what he thought about the mission. She knew a lot of the programming she’d been given was his, and she was curious if it had turned out as he’d expected.
“Dev?”
Dev looked up. “Yes?” She reached up in reflex and took the glass she was being handed, her eyes darting to Jess’s face in question. “Thank you.”
“You ever had booze?” Jess asked as she watched her sip at the contents.
Dev blinked and moved the glass away. The drink was a very strange mixture of fruits and something that fizzed and something else that burned as she swallowed. “If that’s what this is, then definitely not.”
Jess chuckled.
“So, how far are you going to take this thing?” Sandy asked, indicating Dev. “Obviously you’re sucking up to Bain, but for how long?�
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“Are you really that much of an asshole?” Jess said.
Sandy shrugged. “Takes one to know one.”
“Then I’m going to take this all the way.” Jess met her gaze. “Dev can go as far as she’s able in this place as far as I’m concerned.” She leaned back in her chair and extended her long legs out. “And at least I’m not sucking up to someone who got his brains blown out for being a moron, like you were.”
“Hey c’mon.” Jason gave them both a look. “We just had a successful mission here. Let’s not act like jerks.”
“That was Bricker’s idea!” Mike pointed at Dev.
“She,” Jess corrected. “Was Bricker’s idea. But no one here can say why.” She took a swallow of her drink. “Bain’s reason for wanting her here might be a whole other thing.”
“Bricker didn’t buy into your bullshit mystique,” Sandy said. “At least I don’t pretend to like you, Jess, or kiss your ass, unlike everyone else apparently.”
Dev was listening, her head swiveling to regard each speaker. At this last, she turned and looked at Jess, her brow creased in confusion. “You have a lot of unusual customs.” She said. “Programming definitely didn’t cover that one.”
Jess started laughing, and Jason did too. After a long, frozen moment the rest of them reluctantly started to chuckle.
“Shit.” Mike caught Jess’s sharp eye. “It— She’s got a sense of fucking humor.” He grudgingly conceded.
“Look,” Jess said. “She’s a one off. Just go with the program.” She leaned her arm on the chair arm next to Dev’s. “So much shit’s going down right now, who knows how it’s all going to end up.
“One off?” Mike asked warily.
“I’m an experimental set.” Dev spoke directly to him. “I don’t have crèche mates.”
All of the agents in the group seemed to relax just a little.
“There isn’t a dozen of her back there waiting to take over,” Jess said. “So chill out. Go yell at Bain if you want to for her being here. It’s not her fault.”
“But you agreed to it,” Sandy said. “Talk’s cheap, huh? What’d Bain offer you, a roll in the sack?”
Jess stood up abruptly, putting her glass down and freeing her hands.
Jason scrambled to his feet. “Jess, chill.”
“Yeah, bring it.” Sandy beat him and tossed her glass. “I was damn glad you quit, you little shiftface. Now you come back and bring this with you?” She pointed at Dev. “Fuck you, Drake!”
“Hey!” Mike got up and grabbed her the same time Jason grabbed Jess. “Cut it the fuck out, Sandy!” He shook her. “They just saved our asses. Have some honor.”
Sandy glared at him, then she looked at Jess, who was standing absolutely still, her eyes icy and locked onto her. “Honor my ass. You did it to score points.”
“No.” Jason still had hold of Jess. “We told her you weren’t worth risking it for, you sorry piece of shit. But she’s a Drake and it didn’t matter. So like he said, sit down.”
Elaine came up next to Jason. Silent, but explicit in support.
Sandy shook Mike’s hands off her and went back to her seat, picking up her glass and ignoring the rest of them.
Jess felt the flashes behind her eyes fade, and she moved back away from Jason, resuming her seat next to Dev. “Fucker.”
Jason and Elaine sat back down and picked up their drinks. Jason turned to Elaine. “So, how’s the seaweed harvest going?”
Conversation resumed.
The outer door opened and Stephan Bock came in. He stopped to grab a drink from the tray that had been set up near the grouping of chairs they were in, and sat down in an empty one. “So.” He looked at them. “You all done sniping at Jess and being rude to her tech?”
“Fuck you, Stephan,” Sandy said.
“You want to be put on report for that?” Stephan asked. “I had to put up with your attitude when I was an agent, Sandra. I don’t have to now.”
“You don’t have the balls.”
“I do.” Stephan clicked his comm set. “Please send a recorder down here from ops. I have a disciplinary action to execute.”
Sandy stared at him. “You bastard.”
“Guess it’s different now that your sugar daddy got his head blown off, huh?” Jason produced a brief smile. “We all know that wasn’t his ass you were kissing.”
“You all can go to hell.” Sandy got up, and her partner, Nappy, did too. He hadn’t said a word the entire time they’d been in the room, and followed her in equal silence as she left the lounge.
“We’re going to go get cleaned up.” Mike stood and motioned to his partner. “C’mon, Chris.” He glanced at Jess. “Thanks, Jess. All bullshit aside.” He extended his big, muscled hand. “You put it out there for us.”
Jess returned the clasp, then released it. “Anytime.” She leaned back in her chair and drained her cup, motioning to the bio alt server to replenish it.
Stephan looked tired. He glanced over at Jess, who was sitting next to him. “Bain wants to see you in about an hour,” he said. “We’ve gotten some intelligence he wants to review with you.”
Jess nodded. “I’m going to go grab some grub then.” She stood up. “Interested, Dev?”
“Yes,” Dev responded immediately. “That would be nice.” She put her cup down on the tray and stepped aside, as Jess came around her chair and headed for the door.
Jason stood up. “We’ll go too. Been a long time since breakfast. Stephan? You up for chow?”
“Sure, why not.”
They walked together through the hallways toward the dining hall. Dev stuck close to Jess, but then, out of the corner of her eye she saw Doctor Dan come out of a doorway and spot her.
His eyes lit up. He crossed the hallway and intercepted them, the group slowing as he approached and watching him warily. “Congratulations.” He nodded at them, then turned to Dev. “Excuse us a moment. I’d like to speak to Dev.”
The group moved on, leaving them behind. Dev did however, catch Jess looking back at her. “I’ll be right there.” She said, with a little half wave.
Jess waved back, and pointed at the dining hall then ducked inside.
Dev turned back around. “Hello, Doctor Dan.”
“Hello, Dev.” Kurok leaned forward and gave her a hug. “I just wanted to take a minute to congratulate you for your work today.”
Dev smiled. “It was difficult.”
“I just bet it was.” Kurok chuckled. “I saw the recorder. You did an amazing job for your first flight.” He put both hands on her shoulders. “Really good, Dev. Everyone thinks so.”
Dev glanced at the now vanished group. “I don’t think everyone does, Doctor Dan, but the person I was the pilot for was very pleased with me, I believe.”
Kurok’s gray eyes warmed as he looked at her. “Jess is very pleased with you,” he said. “And she’s got a good reason to be. You achieved a very significant thing together.” He glanced casually around, but they were alone in the hall. “I’ll be going back to the crèche tomorrow, Dev.”
“I won’t be?” Dev felt a little, excited thump in her chest.
“No, you’re staying here.” He squeezed her shoulders. “Do your best. You can trust Jess Drake, and you can trust Alex Bain.”
Dev nodded. “You trust them.”
“I would trust Alex with my life, and have,” Kurok said, in a serious tone. “And you can too. But you can also trust Jess, and I hope she comes to trust you.”
Dev hesitated, then nodded again. “I hope she does. I want to do good work.” She watched Doctor Dan’s face, as he smiled gently. “People here sometimes aren’t very nice. I think they do not want me to be here.”
“I know,” Doctor Dan said. “Be strong, Dev. In the end, people who try to hurt people like you, end up only hurting themselves.” He let his hands drop. “I have sent my personal comms link to your quarters. Use it if you need to. If you just want to talk or tell me something, do it.”
/> Dev smiled. “I will. Thank you for everything, Doctor Dan. I’ll do my best here.”
“I know you will.” Kurok gave her another hug. “Go get some food. Is that okay for you so far?”
“It’s fine,” Dev said. “Will you come eat with us?”
He shook his head. “I think I’ll make your new colleagues uncomfortable.” He patted her back. “I’ll be by to say goodbye before I leave. Go on now.”
Dev clasped his hand and released it, then turned and headed for the dining hall.
She looked around and spotted Jess, who was standing in the line. She quickly went over to join her, coming to stand next to her in front of the food dispenser.
“Your buddy give you a pat on the back?” Jess asked.
“Doctor Dan? Yes. He’s going home tomorrow,” Dev said. “He wanted to tell me that, and compliment me on my work.”
Jess punched in two sets of codes. “So he was saying goodbye?”
“Something like that, yes.” Dev smiled briefly. “So I suppose I’m staying.”
“Oh yeah, you’re staying.” Jess pushed a tray at her. “Later on I’ll show you around the place the right way.” She picked up the tray and headed for a large table where the others were sitting. She took a seat and Dev took one beside her.
“Lot of people coming in,” Jason said, glancing around. “All the prep people for the new class.” He forked up some of his fish. “Thought they’d cancel it for a few days.”
“Yeah,” Elaine said. “Brent, don’t you know one of the newbies?”
Brent nodded. “Cousin of mine. I tried to talk him out of it but the jackass didn’t listen.”
Dev listened politely, as she chewed. The tray held some different things than last time, a crispy cake she liked very much, some chewy protein she guessed was probably fish, and some things in hard shells, which tasted salty.
“So. Um. Dev.”
Dev swallowed and looked up at Elaine, with a start of surprise. “Yes?”
Elain leaned against the table. “I’ve always wanted to ask this. What the hell is the collar for?”
Dev put her fork down. “It’s a programming interface,” she said. “It gets installed right after you mostly finish growing, when you start to get skills.”