Traitor (Collaborator Book 1)

by Krista D. Ball

  Rebecca noticed such an orange button near the door panel. “Are they needed often?”

  She couldn’t see his face through the reflective face shield, but she didn’t need to know he was displeased with her. “This isn’t a pleasure resort.”

  “The cells are holding terrorists. You knew that, right?” the chatty guard said.

  The snarky tone sounded rather familiar, but she couldn’t place it. The body armor and reflective visor on the helmet made both guards near clones of the other. Add to that their slightly modulated voices coming through the helmets, and Rebecca couldn’t identify this chatty guard.

  So she didn’t answer him. She just kept a neutral expression on her face, like she’d been running a con on them all for seven years and really was some kind of special operative that knew far more about the illegal prison than she actually did. After all, she had no idea what Andrewson had done to update the security access, and Rebecca was beginning to wonder if ignorance was actually bliss in this case.

  Finally, Rebecca spoke up when it was clear the guards were more interested in small talk than letting her get about her work. “May I begin?”

  “Where’s the rest of your team?” the chatty guard asked.

  “It’s just me. Am I supposed to have a team?”

  The chatty guard shrugged. “No business of mine. It’s just unusual to have someone…well, you know, like you down here.”

  Rebecca narrowed her eyes. “Someone…like me?”

  The other guard cleared his throat to break the tension. “Rebecca? Captain Andrewson just messaged and confirmed your orders. Do you need me to show you to the nearest junction access?”

  “Please,” Rebecca said. She worked hard to keep her tone and her expression neutral, though the guards did no such thing. Her new escort flicked the chatty guard’s helmet when he walked by, a non-verbal reprimand. What on earth were in her orders?

  She followed the guard in silence. That suited her just fine. The less she had to answer I don’t know the better.

  What have you gotten yourself into now? asked a rather exasperated voice inside her head.

  Rebecca couldn’t disagree with the voice, nor her intuition that sent warning klaxons throughout her body the moment Andrewson asked for her help. I have no idea, she answered herself truthfully, for she had no idea.

  “Here you go,” the guard said, pointing at the outline of a rounded-edge metal panel.

  “Thank you,” Rebecca said robotically. She was too busy looking about her. She spotted two drones installed in the ceiling. One was pointed directly at the access panel. The other was monitoring the corridor.

  The guard twisted his neck to see what had caught her attention. “Monitoring drones.”

  “Visual and sound?” she asked, depositing her tool and supply bag to the clean metal floor.

  “Body temperature and implant scanner, too.” He pointed at the drone that was directed at the panel. “That one also has basic non-lethal defence.”

  “Non-lethal?” Rebecca asked, trying to sound casual. She knew well enough that the entire station was rigged with defensive and offensive drone weaponry. The knowledge of how close she was to this particular one pressed hard against her chest. One mistake, one misunderstanding, and she could be paralyzed on the floor awaiting interrogation.

  “Captain Dags likes…liked to give prisoners the chance to do a knowledge transfer whenever possible.”

  Rebecca waved her card in front of the security reader. It made a pleased chime and the corridor was filled with an audible click. She got to work removing the screws on the panel door. “Did you know Dags well?”

  The guard shrugged. He was chattier now that he was alone. “Not well. You?”

  “Until the jumpers, I’d barely spoken more than a dozen words to him.”

  “Damn idiots,” the guard said. “I heard they clogged up the vents so bad that most of the second floor kiosks had to close for decon to do their work. Apparently, the mess was so bad that the drones couldn’t even get all the gore out.”

  As Rebecca unscrewed the last bolt, she understood why the guard was hanging around. The panel was significantly heavier than what she was used to in the upper decks. He was ready to grab one end and help ease it down to the floor. “Thanks.”

  “I’ve seen enough engineers struggle with that thing to know someone your size wasn’t going to manage it.”

  She smiled up at his reflective visor. She must know him. “Well. I should get working. How far back does this access route go?”

  “Straight through to the docking bay,” he said. “But you’d need a bomb to get through the other side.”

  “Hmm. It would probably be easier to take a lift.”

  The guard snorted, a strange sound coming through his helmet. “Safer, too. Call out if you need us. You can also call us.” He was quiet for a moment and then said, “There, I added you to all of the checkpoints. The data should upload to your phone. So, it’s true, huh? You don’t have any implants.”

  Rebecca shoved her bag of equipment into the shaft. “I didn’t realize I knew you.”

  “It’s a small station. Word gets around. So.”

  It was a huge station, in actuality. And word didn’t get around that much. “So.”

  “So why this audit now? Shouldn’t Andrewson be taking over the station until a replacement gets here?”

  Rebecca had mastered neutral expressions years ago, but it still took all of her control to not lash out at the guard. He’d purposely come this way, purposely chatted to get her guard down. He knew her, all right. He might have even been one of her pod mates, for all she knew. Hell, he could have been Zain. He was a decent enough height for it.

  “I don’t know,” Rebecca said, which was the truth. She didn’t have a clue why she was down here. “All I know is that Andrewson asked me to do it.”

  “Maybe she got orders about Captain Dags’ murder.”

  Rebecca was in the process of climbing into the tube when she froze. “Murdered? He was murdered? I thought he died in an accident. That’s what…that’s what everyone has been saying.”

  The guard shrugged. “That’s what I’ve been hearing.”

  Rebecca wasn’t a great liar, but she was great at playing an idiot. “Hopefully, the investigators figure it out soon. Either way, I mean. If he’d actually been murdered, they’d need to let his family know. I assume he has family.”

  “Who knows? He was a right asshole to most of us down here.”

  “I threw up in his garbage can yesterday,” Rebecca said with a small smile.

  “Ha!” the guard said, sounding genuinely amused.

  Rebecca stared down at the metal tube filled with electrical panels, lights, switches, and the Corps equivalent of fuses and breakers. “I better get started. Looks like this is going to be more work than I thought. How many access panels are there?”

  “Something like fourteen,” he said.

  Rebecca groaned audibly. “A lot more work than I thought.”

  “Need me to seal you back in?” the guard asked.

  Panic at the idea of being sealed into the wall in this strange area flooded through her body. Rebecca tried steadying her breathing, but her heart refused to slow its pace. She managed to squeak out, “No, thanks. I’m afraid the air will get stale if you do.”

  “Call us if you need anything,” the guard said, content that he’d pumped enough information out of her.

  Rebecca let out a long breath of relief when he turned the corner. She pulled her tablet out of her coveralls’ thigh pocket and checked her messages, in hopes to control her stress before buckling down.

  Subject: Urgent

  Rebecca, contact me as soon as you are ready to begin working.

  Andrewson

  Rebecca pulled her ear piece from her breast pocket. She popped it into her ear and pressed the VERBAL button on her tablet. A few beeps later, Andrewson answered.

  “What’s taken you so long?” she demanded.


  “I only just got access,” Rebecca said defensively.

  “Why? Was there a problem? I told security to let you through.”

  “It just took a bit to get down here, that’s all,” Rebecca snapped. Her tone startled not only her, because Andrewson grew quiet. Rebecca realized that she was reacting to the Captain the same way she responded to Kat. “Sorry, Captain. The air is thinner than I was expecting in the tube. I’ll be fine once I get used to it.”

  “You’re already in the tube? Good. I thought you were still stuck at the check. I am sending you details of a security protocol that I need you to install at every junction point,” Andrewson said. Her voice was still frosty, but at least it was subdued.

  “Of course,” Rebecca said.

  “You’re not going to ask what it is?”

  “Well, no, ma’am. I mean, Captain. I’m used to not asking questions.”

  Andrewson muttered something.

  “Sorry?” Rebecca asked.

  “Nevermind. Upload the protocol. Tell no one about your work. We don’t know who is a rebel on the station.”

  “I understand,” Rebecca said. “Um, Captain? One of the guards here mentioned that he thought Captain Dags was murdered.”

  “Security is looking into all angles, so it makes sense rumors will be floating around. For now, let’s just be certain there isn’t a saboteur onboard. So let’s get this work done before something else fails on the station.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “Please check in with me in four hours,” she said. “Also, I’ve given you access to the security systems. I recommend monitoring them in case you see any discrepancies.”

  “Yes, Captain,” Rebecca said. “I’ll check in later today, then?”

  “Yes,” Andrewson said and disconnected the call.

  Rebecca eyed the access corridor. It reminded her of those Japanese bed pods that people would write travel articles about, back before The Fall. The narrow corridor was white plastic, unlike the stainless steel of the rest of the wards. Wires and lights were strung everywhere, and panels flashed various colours. She guessed this one tube was several hundred meters long, and she had no idea how long each junction was beyond that. This audit was going to take her weeks.

  Rebecca shrugged off the feeling of claustrophobia once she realized she was actually enjoying the solitude of the repair corridor. First, she uploaded the security protocols to her wrist display so that she could interface easier with the systems. Then she keyed into the security systems link that was in Andrewson’s encrypted email. Voices began to stream into her ear. She turned down the volume and treated it like a movie.

  Just like how she used to work.

  And, for just that moment, Rebecca felt like the past hadn’t happened. She closed her eyes and reveled in the feeling of herself. She knew it would pass. She knew the feelings of depression and suicide would come flooding back. But, for now, she soaked up the joy of being her.

  Security File: Rebecca St. Martin

  Security Virtual Assistant H7-00P Daily Surveillance Report

  Security Access unknown: Classified under Blackout Protocol

  Security Risk unknown: Classified under Blackout Protocol

  SVA notes: Rebecca St. Martin has been placed under Blackout Protocol

  SVA Protocol: No action, as per Blackout Protocol

  Chapter 8

  Day 2 – Six Hours Later

  Katherine sipped her triple-triple brisbin and waited for the infamous Tobi Rowe to come into view. She was reluctant to let Rebecca work alone without regular updates, but this plan needed more than just one clueless traitor uploading drone viruses. She’d deal with Rebecca soon enough. For now, she needed to deal with the incubator. Or, more accurately, the incubator.

  Rowe’s forehead was beaded with sweat when she appeared in the mass press of arrivals. Katherine guessed the woman was fretting about how her transport was routed to not just a military port, but the military port in the sector. Katherine also guessed that Rowe, being a ninety-year-old resistance fighter, was already well-informed that she’d just stepped onboard a secret military prison that existed well outside the law’s reach.

  And, given Rowe’s unique ability to grow organs, which were then sold to rebels and other illegals, Katherine knew the scanners would absolutely send shrieking wails for security. Then, Rowe would be dragged off to the wards for extensive interrogation.

  Katherine sipped her drink. And she was the one who caused Rowe’s transport to be rerouted for “security reasons.” If there was a God, he was definitely on her side for sending Rowe’s transport so close to the moon.

  She watched the displaced transport travelers shuffle their way towards the three security checkpoints with their OPEN signs turned on. Rowe was one of them. She was licking her full lips, frantically scanning her surroundings. There wasn’t anywhere to run, though. Katherine had made sure to post extra security.

  Katherine could imagine what would go through Rowe’s head once she hit the security checkpoint. The scanners would reveal what Katherine already saw on her digital wanted poster:

  Disgraced former Coalitional Spy

  Suspected Terrorist against Coalition Intelligence

  Suspected weapons smuggler to independent worlds

  Wanted for questioning on Anderous, Xe Moon, and Xe Prime in several assassination attempts.

  Suspected organ smuggler

  Suspected terrorist in the Barber’s Day Massacre on Tellus Prime

  Rowe’s resume was even more impressive than Katherine’s. Though, Katherine did allow that Rowe had a several decades’ head start. Hell, if the Corps military had been smart, they’d have tried ages ago to bring Rowe back into their ranks before she’d gotten the taste of being full rogue. It had been long past time to absorb someone like Rowe, though. The Corps were too arrogant to be smart.

  Rowe stepped up to the scanner and resignation settled across the dark woman’s face. No doubt Rowe was thinking about her two prosthetic ribs, as opposed to actual bone, and her beating secondary heart; they would put her in a containment field that even she wouldn’t be able to blast her way out of.

  The scanner, however, beeped approvingly. Shock flickered across Rowe’s face, but she hid it well.

  “Please step forward, ma’am,” Ensign Lowell said. She’d not planned for him to be there, but the secret would be even better now with him in on it. She could use him later to ferry information and supplies.

  Rowe did as she was instructed and glanced at the guard’s computer screen. Her mouth dropped open in shock. Katherine could see the data from here. Screens upon screens of data were blacked out. Even the bio scan just taken was blacked out.

  Damn, the codes were still working perfectly. She was certain those codes were obsolete by now, but apparently the station was too far away from capital space to have the regular protocol updates. All the better.

  Lowell’s eyes widened as he flipped through the pages. He cleared his throat and said, “Um, yes, right. Well. Would you like to be shown to quarters, ma’am? I can talk to Captain Andrewson about assigning you a room somewhere.”

  Rowe looked completely baffled. “Um, quarters? Um, no. I’ll be fine. This is just a…short stop, right?”

  Lowell shrugged. “No idea, ma’am. We’ve been given instructions to thoroughly scan everyone, ma’am, plus the cargo. Ma’am.”

  Katherine realized the awkward silence between the ensign and Jupiter’s latest Blackout spook was her cue to step in.

  “Good afternoon, Lieutenant,” Katherine said, strolling up to Rowe like they were the best of friends. “How fortuitous that you have arrived.”

  Rowe had a decent poker face, but even she was confused. She did become wary, though, now that a Corps officer was using her name. “Hello, Captain.”

  “Hello, Captain. Ma’am’s records were clean, Captain. I have no idea who she is,” Lowell said quickly.

  “Good work, Ensign. I think I might need t
o find you something to do that’ll be a little more rewarding than custom inspection,” Katherine said, a hint of a smile tugging at the edges of her mouth.

  “Oh, I like my job a lot, but I’m happy to help you if either of you need anything,” Lowell said. Then, realizing he was no doubt keeping these very important Blackout officers from doing extra-cool spy shit, he said, “Well, I should get back to work.”

  Katherine knew the security cameras were on her in this section and monitoring her, so she said in a professional voice, “I’m glad you could make it. We’re very concerned about recent security breaches and back channels say you’re the best at…blowing a hole in those kinds of problems.”

  Rowe let out a laugh, though she was still scanning for an escape path. “I’m known for a great many things.”

  “Excellent. Would you like me to show you to your accommodations? I’ve taken the liberty of booking a stay-over container for you on the ninth sub-level, Beta section.” Katherine looked at Rowe and said, “I think you’ll find it most suitable for your new assignment.”

  Rowe stopped walking. “My new assignment?”

  “Yes. Like I said, I am in need of your technical skills with blowing holes in impossible situations. I need fresh eyes on a problem and I think you’re the only one who can do it. Are you up for it?”

  Rowe licked her lips. She didn’t look at the camera, but her eye movements showed she was scanning the area. “And this problem of yours. You think I can do that best from the ninth sub-level?”

  Katherine inclined her head.

  “I don’t know. I’m supposed to be on the transport when it leaves. What will my superiors think?”

  “I ordered you triple water ratios, as per your standing terms.”

  Realization dawned on Rowe and her mouth stretched into a grin. “Captain, I believe we’re about to become the best of friends.”

  Katherine activated her personal sound shielding and led Rowe down a less-populated corridor. Katherine wished she’d recorded Rowe’s stunned expression at her reveal of needing enough material for fourteen crude bombs. That stunned look, however, soon morphed into delight when Katherine unveiled her plan to break the gang out of the wards.