by Robyn Bachar
“Is it over?” Bryn asked.
“Almost. We need to get word to Sabine and warn her about Bildanen’s team of assassins.”
“Right. She might sense them coming. She’s getting better at that,” Bryn said. “You’re not going to kill Bildanen’s heirs, are you?”
“Kill, no. Banish, yes. Let the Alliance relocate them somewhere they can’t do any harm. What happened to the rest of the team?”
“Captured. Bildanen wanted to publicly execute them later.”
“Bastard. We’ll spring them next.” Jace staggered over to a comm. panel and set it to broadcast. “This is Lord Najacen Harrow of House Morningstar. I have slain Lord Bildanen. By right, I claim ownership of all that is his—his territory, his fortune and his title. House Nightfall is no more, and those who supported him in the murder of the high council members will be punished for their role in that crime. And to Bildanen’s Syndicate allies in orbit and on the surface, I suggest that you run fast and far. You are no longer welcome. Cyprena is now a member of the Alliance, and their fleet will be happy to evict you if you are still here when they arrive.”
Jace cut the broadcast and began looking for ways to establish a connection to the Morningstar enclave, and then he frowned. “They’re online. They’re not in lockdown. Morningstar control, this is Lord Najacen. Report.”
He held his breath at the comm.’s silence, but then Sabine answered. “Jace? Are you all right? Is Bryn okay?”
“We’re both fine. Why aren’t you in lockdown?” he asked.
“We shut down the mining drill after Tali and I took out a team of assassins. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it when you get home.”
Bryn chuckled as Jace sagged with exhausted relief. “She’s small, but she’s mighty,” Bryn murmured. Jace nodded in silent agreement. “We’re coming to you, a’gra. Stay safe.”
“You too. Morningstar control out.”
“Are you going to declare yourself High Lord?” Bryn asked after Jace closed the comm. channel.
“No. I don’t want that sort of responsibility. The point of the high council is to give everyone an equal voice.”
“Then all the houses should be allowed to participate, not just the twelve ruling houses,” she pointed out.
Jace’s brow rose, and then he grinned. “Wise words, Lady Brynnaren. I’m glad I chose you as my mate.”
She snorted and kissed him. “Is that so? You’re lucky I yielded to you. Someone needed to be here to save your ass.”
“Very lucky, a’gra, and I’m grateful for that. For now, I’ll make good on my promise to House Wintersend, Everwinter and Icestar, and see that they are granted seats on the high council.”
“What do we do now?” Bryn asked.
“We liberate the team and go home. Sabine is waiting for us.”
Chapter Seventeen
“I don’t know about you, but I’m not seeing the appeal of sandy beaches,” Andee commented. Though the seal on her armor hadn’t been broken, Andee was convinced that water sloshed in her boots. She was already tired, but she would never admit it.
“It’s better when the females are in tiny swimsuits, and bring you cold drinks,” Malcolm replied. “Or at least that’s what Alexi said. I’ve never been to a beach before.”
“Incoming!” Soth warned.
Laser bolts impacted in the sand in front of them as three security bots zoomed into view, and the team dove for cover behind a pile of driftwood. Andee raised her rifle, sighted on one of the bots and fired. She missed, just slightly too wide to the left. Damn. She had always been better with a blade than a firearm—liathlinn preferred close kills. She fired again and scored a hit this time, and the bot exploded.
“Not bad,” Soth praised as he dropped the second bot.
“Not bad yourself,” she replied.
Loren shot the third, and the team continued on. The missiles of the facility’s defense network continued to zoom overhead at regular intervals, and her helmet muted the noise of their passage. Andee fought to keep from flinching at the sight—each missile headed toward their allies in orbit, perhaps even at the Talon II. The sooner they brought the defenses down, the better.
At the edge of the beach they encountered an electrified security fence, and Lieutenant Loren motioned everyone back.
“Grenade?” Soth asked.
“Hope you didn’t leave them on the shuttle,” Loren replied.
“Like hell,” the shadow sword retorted. “I don’t leave home without them. Everyone take cover!”
Andee ducked and pulled her mates down beside her. Soth pulled a grenade from a bandolier strapped across his chest, pulled the pin and lobbed it toward the nearest post in the fence. The ground shook from the blast, and dirt and shrapnel rained down and pinged off their armor.
“That may be the least subtle entrance I’ve ever made,” Andee said as they lurched up and continued on.
“Stick with me, Lady Andee, and I’ll teach you how to do things right,” Soth said.
Andee rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. There was something strangely charming about his bravado.
“Commander, I’ll thank you not to encourage my lady to charge into battle,” Galen said. “She does that enough on her own.”
“Bravo team, this is alpha leader, do you copy?” a voice interrupted over the comm. Alpha team had been in another ship, headed to secure the base’s landing area.
“This is bravo team leader,” Lieutenant Loren replied. “What is your status?”
“Ready to move. Good to hear your voice, sir. We were worried when the Hawke’s Wing went down.”
“We got a little cooked, but my copilot brought us down in one piece. We’re through the fence. We’ll be ready to proceed in two minutes.”
Two minutes. No pressure. Loren turned to her. “Lady Andelynn, do you sense anything?”
“One moment.” She closed her eyes and reached toward the dull gray walls of the factory. Spots of energy were scattered here and there about the building. “There aren’t many people in the immediate area. Perhaps two dozen.”
“Defenses must be mostly automated, like the bots,” Loren guessed.
“Everything is likely as automated as possible. Don’t want to risk your workers becoming infected and attacking each other,” Andee pointed out.
“Right. Let’s move out.”
∆∆∆
Galen glowed with pride for his mates and their team. The journey to the facility’s control center was exhilarating and terrifying, but they had survived with minimal injury, and now Malcolm and Galen were responsible for the rest of the mission. The quiet data center was a familiar comfort after the trauma of their crash landing and the combat that had followed.
“Jacking in now,” Malcolm said.
Galen frowned down at the screens of his portable handler interface. “I’m not certain that this equipment wasn’t damaged during the crash. According to this, your cardiac rate is already approaching dangerous limits.”
Malcolm shushed him. “Don’t worry about it. Connection established.”
“It is my duty as your handler to be concerned about it,” Galen countered sourly. “If it doesn’t calm down I’m going to decrease your bandwith by fifty percent.”
“I’m thinking about you naked. It’s making my heart race.”
Galen coughed, thankful that his helmet hid his blush.
“Don’t tease Galen while he’s working,” Andee admonished.
“Yes, my lady,” Malcolm replied dutifully. “Don’t worry about my cardiac rate. Just keep an eye out for Eppes security programs.”
“Very well,” Galen said.
“Huh. That’s odd.”
“What is?” Galen asked.
“Firewall of some sort. It’s preventing me from accessing the system. There’s something familiar about it. It’s almost like…”
“Malcolm?” Galen prompted. “What’s wrong?”
“Think I saw a ghost,” he mu
ttered. “It’s Kai’s song. But it can’t be. It’s too recent.”
“A song?” Andee asked.
“Each data miner has a signature,” Malcolm explained. “The data we touch becomes imprinted with our own pattern, like a theme running through a symphony. It lets me recognize data I’ve accessed before, because it sounds familiar. Kai was a crypter, not a miner, but the theory’s the same.”
“And this network has her signature?” Galen asked.
“The system’s security does.”
“Perhaps she isn’t dead,” Andee suggested. “The Archivist may have lied about killing her, and sold her to the Eppes.”
Malcolm’s vitals spiked and then leveled. Galen’s hands clenched into fists as he fought the urge to disconnect his mate from the network—Malcolm was strong enough to do this. “I need you to focus now,” Galen said. “The Alliance is depending on us.”
“Right. Got it. Well, if it is Kai’s work, then I know where to look in the code for her backdoors. It’ll take a few minutes.”
Andee held up a hand and motioned to the rest of the team. “I’m sensing hostiles. An incoming security team.”
“How many?” Lieutenant Loren asked.
“Over a dozen.”
“We’ll secure the entrance. Lady Andee, stay here and cover Lord Degalen and Malcolm. Comm. me if you sense other hostiles.”
“Yes, sir.”
Lieutenant Loren led the rest of the team out into the hallway, and Andee secured the door behind them. Galen turned back to reading Malcolm’s vitals, which were still too high for Galen’s liking but weren’t at dangerous levels. Yet.
“I’ve got it!” Malcolm crowed in triumph, and a degree of the tension eased in Galen’s chest. “Access acquired. Initiating anti-aircraft system shutdown.”
“Good work,” Andee praised.
“I’m starting the search for the Lazarus cure.”
“Take a deep breath first. Your readings are all too high,” Galen warned.
“I know!” Malcolm sighed in exasperation, but then fell quiet as he worked.
The floor shuddered beneath them, and the acrid scent of smoke trickled into the room. Galen glanced around for the source, and then a panel near the door erupted into flames. Galen’s heavy armor suddenly seemed less like protection and more like a walking oven. Andee cursed and grabbed a fire suppressor to put it out.
“Are you all right?” Galen asked Malcolm, who appeared oblivious to the danger.
“Fine. What happened?”
“Grenade,” Andee replied.
With the fire out, Andee returned to Galen’s side. Being a handler was frustrating—much of the job was reaction instead of action, unless he spied the warning signs of impending disaster before it happened. Considering that the facility could be blasted at any moment with a battle going on in orbit, there was no way to predict a problem like an energy surge. Or a fire, he thought as he glanced at the smoking panel.
“Oh. Well that’s irritating,” Malcolm muttered. “More weird stuff. I’m downloading everything to my personal data drive. We can sort it out later. But it—”
A second explosion rocked the room, and heavy darkness descended around them. For a moment Galen wondered if he had died, but then his eyes adjusted and he realized that the facility had lost power.
“Malcolm? Andee? Are you all right?” he asked.
“I’m all right,” Andee said.
Malcolm was silent and still. Galen’s heart leapt into his throat as he darted to Malcolm’s side. He yanked the cord from Malcolm’s data jack—his armor had been modified to remain sealed around the jack. The lights on Malcolm’s breastplate glowed red.
“No respiration, no heartbeat,” Andee said. “We’ll need to unseal his suit to resuscitate him.”
“I’ll do it.” Galen unslung his pack and grabbed the med kit. “Watch over us.”
Scrambling to remember his handler’s first-aid training, Galen tugged Malcolm from the chair and onto the floor. Galen removed Malcolm’s helmet and slapped a stim patch on the side of his neck. Thank the gods that the med kit was waterproof. Malcolm’s indicators didn’t change, and Galen added a hypo of adrenaline. Still no response. Knowing that he risked his own health by unsealing his armor, Galen tugged his own helmet off, tilted Malcolm’s head back, checked his airway and then breathed air into his mouth. Once. Twice. Galen switched to chest compressions, and then checked for a pulse. Nothing. The lights remained red.
He pushed air into Malcolm’s lungs again. Despair iced his veins as he repeated the process with no response, but he wouldn’t give up. “Breathe, Malcolm!”
Silence. Galen’s hands began to shake, and his vision blurred with tears.
A thud rattled the door as something heavy impacted against it. “Hostiles,” Andee warned. “I’ll cover you.”
She drew her blades and Galen forced himself to continue. Andee would protect them—he trusted her with their lives—and it was up to Galen to bring Malcolm back. Galen breathed for Malcolm as the door burst open. Andee flowed like water, dealing death to their enemies in a graceful dance.
A laser bolt zipped past Galen’s head, and he threw himself over Malcolm. “Don’t you dare leave me. I order you to breathe.” Galen’s voice was low and strained as his lips brushed Malcolm’s ear. “Please, a’mhain. I love you. Come back.”
Heat seared his back as his armor absorbed a laser blast. Galen hissed in shock and pain, but he stayed still.
“Galen!” Andee called.
“I’m all right,” he assured her.
She ran the shooter through, and the last assailant dropped. “Area clear!”
Galen administered a second dose of adrenaline, and Malcolm gasped and coughed, his body spasming as he jerked back to life. “Galen? Why are the lights off?” Malcolm asked. “Oh God, am I blind?”
Galen barked a hysterical laugh and embraced Malcolm, tears of joy stinging his eyes and spilling down his cheeks as he held Malcolm tight. “You’re not blind. We lost power. Don’t you ever frighten me like that again. I thought I’d lost you.”
“You’ll never lose me,” Malcolm promised. “I’m yours for as long as you’ll have me.”
“Forever,” Galen replied. “I want you forever.” The floor shuddered beneath them, and they clutched each other tight.
“Another grenade. I’m confiscating Soth’s grenades after this,” Andee said. “Welcome back, Malcolm. Now both of you get your helmets back on.”
“Yes ma’am,” Malcolm replied. “I love you. Both of you. For the record.”
Andee’s chuckle was an odd electronic cough over the comm. as Galen resealed his helmet. “I love you, too, a’mhainen.”
“Lady Andelynn, report,” Lieutenant Loren said. Galen breathed a quiet sigh of relief at the sound of his voice—Talena would never forgive Galen if he failed to bring Dack home to her.
“We’re secure. Got a little tense, but we’re okay. What’s your status?” she asked.
“Some injuries, nothing severe. Did we get what we came for?”
“Yes. I downloaded the cure. It’s all up here.” Malcolm tapped his helmet with one armored finger, and Galen smiled. “I was overloaded when the power failed, but I just needed a jumpstart.”
“Good,” Dack said. “We have about ten minutes to evacuate. The Eppes triggered a destruct sequence. Beta team is waiting for us.”
“Acknowledged, Lieutenant. We’re coming to you.” Andee sheathed her blades. “Come on, a’mhainen.”
“Why would they blow up the cure?” Malcolm asked. He and Galen hurried behind Andee as they rejoined the group. “They could’ve done that before we got here.”
“They were hedging their bets,” Dack replied. “They did the same thing on Nepheros. They didn’t erase the databanks until just before we breached the control room.”
“Well we have it on file. And a lot of other interesting data,” Malcolm said.
“I’ve got point,” Dack said. “Everyone keep a
lert for infected targets. No telling if the virus is contained with the power out. Let’s move out.”
Galen drew his laser pistol as the group hurried down hallways that had been brightly lit moments ago. Cy’ren were comfortable in the dark under normal circumstances, but here the shadows added an ominous edge to their surroundings. He wanted to ask how far it was to beta team’s shuttle, but fear choked him into silence. Each minute stretched impossibly long as they continued on.
“Hostiles ahead,” Andee warned. “Infected. I think they’re between us and the landing area.”
“Of course they are,” Malcolm muttered.
The hallway opened up into an enormous manufacturing area filled with silent machinery stopped in midmotion. Hulking pieces of equipment stretched up until they disappeared into the shadows obscuring the ceiling. It reminded him of the labyrinthine natural tunnels the Sunsinger catacombs were built in.
“Escort formation. Civilians in the center,” Dack ordered.
Snarls and shuffling echoed around them, and then the first wave of attackers darted forward. Laser fire lit the darkness in bright bursts, illuminating humans in plain coveralls who were bleeding from their eyes, noses and ears. Galen gaped at the chaos of battle—the civil order of the Alliance targeting range was nothing like this. Then he set his jaw, planted his feet, chose a target and fired.
“There’s too many, Lieutenant,” Andee said. “We won’t make it if we don’t move.”
“Agreed.” Dack waved them forward. “Soth. Grenades?”
“On it. Let’s find out how they like stunners.”
A blur of motion in the corner of Galen’s eye drew his attention, and then a heavy weight slammed into him and tackled him to the ground. Galen cursed as his pistol skittered away into the shadows. Teeth clicked against his armor and nails scraped across his breastplate as Galen rolled and struggled against his assailant. The man jerked once, and then twin blades separated the ill-fortuned worker’s head from his body.