Ruby put out her hand, “Hello... Oh, look someone else wants to say hello... very nice,” she smiled, crouching, reaching out.
Steele scooted back bumping into the shower glass, gently grabbing her by the shoulders, pulling her back to a standing position. “Eyes up here, sweetie” he motioned casually with a flick of his fingers, her eyes to his.
“But he wants to say hello,” she motioned.
“Yeah well, he's got a mind of his own sometimes. OK, all the time,” he waved. “But I'm a married man and we're not here for that...”
“It's cute,” said Nina, “I've never seen you nervous before... and I've never seen you naked before. I like. And as much as I love women, I've got to say, I'd do you... And probably not hate it...”
Steele blinked hard, frowning, “Thanks... I think.”
“I think we should do him,” volunteered Ruby.
Steele held his hands out, “I can't, please don't...”
“She'll never know,” coaxed Ruby, reaching out.
“But I'll know,” said Jack, pained. “At another point in my life I would've jumped at the chance to be with two women as beautiful as you. In fact, you probably wouldn't have had to ask. After hello, discussion would have been rather unlikely. But now, well...”
“I think it's sweet,” interrupted Ruby. “And I respect that. You're probably the first man I've ever met that isn't a total pig... She stretched her arms wide, “Group hug?”
Steele shook his head, “Lady, you're killing me...”
■ ■ ■
Brian took the mug of coffee handed him by the porter, scanning his screens. Blowing the steam away, he glanced up at the inset video on the big screen. The Deep Black shuttle rotated and pulled away, leaning over, lighting its engines and streaked away, arcing towards Rikovik's Reef.
“DB-One to the Raven, we thank you for your business! Come back and see us again...”
Brian rubbed his eyes. “Are we all buttoned up?”
“Aye, Skipper.”
“Shields up, let the gun crews stand down...” Brian's TESS chimed, diverting his attention. “Carter, go...” he touched the glass face – prompting the holographic screen, Maria's face appearing. “Maria...” he acknowledged.
“Skipper, it looks like the parts delivery is complete. Jack got everything we were here for...”
“Do I detect a but coming?” he prompted.
“Yes. Several. Can you come down?”
“On my way. How did Lisa's recovery go?”
“Flawless,” smiled Maria. “Flew it like she owned it.”
“Excellent. Down in five.” The screen disappeared as he rose to his feet. “Mr. Ragnaar, you have the bridge. Take us into the rubble field and let's minimize our signature.”
“Will do, Skipper,” replied the big man, moving to the command seat.
Passing gun crews in the corridor returning to normal duties, Brian's TESS chimed again. Well, ain't I the popular one today...” he touched the glass face – prompting the holographic screen, “Carter g... Jack?” Steele's face looked back at him on the screen. Brian kept walking. “Are... are you in the shower?”
“Yeah. Long story and not enough time to tell it. Tell Lisa I found her. We just need to find a way off this rock.”
“Found who? Wait, we'll come get you...”
“No! We'll come to you. What are your coordinates?”
“TESS,” said Brian. Her face instantly appeared on the holo-screen as a small inset, “Send Jax Mercury our coordinates.”
“Stand by, Commander,” she cooed. “Request complete, coordinates sent.” Her head tilted to one side, “Will there be anything else?”
“That's all, thank you,” replied Brian, her video square winking out.
“Got it,” said Jack, “thanks, gotta go...”
“Wait,” said Brian, “who did you find?”
“Nina Redwolf.”
Brian's screen winked out, the connection gone. “Nina?”
■ ■ ■
Clean and dry, with the machinations of a plan, Jack, Nina and Ruby climbed into bed together for much-needed sleep. Aware that the video camera would be watching, they remained mostly undressed, cuddling, arms and legs intertwined. TESS was scheduled to wake them so they could execute their plan during Rikovik's peak business hours when the streets would be the most crowded with people.
“No wandering hands, OK?” mumbled Jack, getting comfortable.
Ruby draped her arm over his waist from behind, “I'm not making any promises. You point that thing at me and I might put it to good use...”
“Leave him alone,” whispered Nina, “I've met his wife. If he doesn't split you in half with that thing, she's liable to do it with something else... And not in a good way.”
It was quiet but there was something that had been plaguing Jack's mind since they spotted Nina in the CherriPit. “So what happened, Nina?” he asked softly, “In Velora Prime... how did we lose you?”
“When I came to, I was trapped in a damaged section of the Freedom, on level two. The comms were down, the section was filling with smoke and the pods were offline. I found an access hatch and was able to make my way down to level three where I finally found a live pod. I launched but I couldn't get the damn rescue beacon to broadcast. It looked like the ship was headed for the Velorian sun... was it?”
“Yes. We didn't want the Pirates to know what happened...”
“FreeRangers,” she corrected him. “They call themselves FreeRangers.”
“They can call themselves whatever the hell they want, they're still pirates. Was there anyone else? Alive I mean...”
“No, everyone I came across was dead. I checked. Anyway, I think I drifted for about three days before a freighter nearly ran over my pod. I was out of rations and nearly out of water. They picked me up and dropped me off here, sold me to the Syndicate.”
Jack yawned, “Lisa will be so glad to see you, I'm glad we were able to find you.”
“Me too,” said Nina, yawning in response.
Seven hours went by quickly and Steele was enjoying a thorough examination of the inside of his eyelids when TESS' voice invaded his cloud of warmth and comfort. He opened his eyes, looking around without moving, getting his bearings. “Thanks TESS, I'm awake.” When he rolled on his back and looked over at the girls, they were entwined, sleeping like curled kittens. Except they had switched sides, Nina sleeping between him and Ruby. Thank you Nina... protecting me from Ruby the Rabbit.
He rolled close to Nina putting his face in her ear. “Time to get up, Kiddo...”
“Stop poking me with that thing,” she mumbled.
“Sorry,” he replied sheepishly, “it's a morning thing...”
“If by morning you mean twenty-four hours a day, I totally understand...” She slid her arm out from under Ruby. “Doesn't that thing ever go down?”
“You're hot, so sue me...”
Nina brushed unruly bed-hair out of her face, “You really think so? I never thought you noticed...”
He chuckled, looking at her wild mop, “Well, maybe not right now so much...”
“Ass,” she laughed, slapping him on the chest.
■ ■ ■
The girls surprised Steele, being dressed and ready to go in under ten minutes. Standing huddled at the door, the question would be, was the clerk paying attention to the videos or not? Strapped back to his leg where it belonged, Jack drew his sidearm and let it hang at his side, ready to pass his key card over the reader.
“Let me have your knife,” whispered Nina.
“My knife?” He pulled his flat-gripped Ka-Bar from its sheath on his boot and handed it to her.
“I throw a ball like a girl,” she admitted, “but I throw a knife like the Seminole Indian
that I am.” She hefted the knife, feeling the heavy blade's balance in her hand. “This'll do. Go ahead, open the door...”
The corridor was empty except for the guard sitting in a chair down at the end, dozing with an e-Pad in hi
s lap. “He'll have the controller and the collar key... I've got this...” whispered Nina. Checking the corridor toward the elevators, she pushed past, staying Jack and Ruby with her hand, walking quietly, holding the knife behind her back.
“What's she gonna do?” whispered Steele.
Ruby pressed forward to peek around Jack. “She's going to slit the bastard's throat.”
The sound of the elevator starting, coming up from the lobby, made Nina cringe, hesitating as she saw the man in the chair, stir. She was still twenty-feet away when his eyes fluttered open, focusing on her.
His face immediately shifted to a grimace. “What are you doing out of your room, bitch?”
The knife felt natural in Nina's hand, like an old friend. She adjusted her grip, wound up and launched it like she was pitching a fastball, producing a wet thwuck as it buried itself up to the hilt in his neck, sticking into the back of the chair. He flailed uselessly as his life's blood spurted out in crimson streaks, his eyes wide, gurgling, unable to scream for help, clutching at the handle. Nina whipped around, “Check the elevators!” Watching the life pass from his eyes, she dug through the bodyguard's pockets, looking for the collar key and the floor's key pass. She had never killed before and was surprised at the lack of regret or remorse. In fact she really didn't feel much of anything. Except maybe contempt. Maybe that was the key, the contempt and hatred was shielding her from her other emotions. No time to think about that now...
Ruby darted out, retrieving the key pass from Nina, her stomach roiling as she gagged at the sight of the blood pool in the guard's lap. “Wait,” called Nina, “hold still.” She fitted the electronic key into Ruby's control collar and unlocked it, letting it fall to the floor. “Now do mine, do mine...” Ruby had some difficulty, fumbling to unlock the collar with her eyes closed in an attempt to avoid the bloody spectacle behind Nina.
When the elevator doors opened, the two patrons holding their room keys were confronted by the business end of a charged particle blaster. “Step out, gentlemen,” waved Steele. The men entered the corridor, dozens of women running around in various stages of dress and undress. “This is your lucky day...”
“Really?” asked the first man.
“No. I'm afraid not,” replied Steele, snatching their key cards at gunpoint. “And unfortunately for you there are no refunds.” He guided them into Nina's old room and moved the girls' small duffel bags, the door closing and locking the two men inside.
Nina had to put her foot on the guard's chest to hold his body still and use both hands on the grip of the Ka-Bar while she wrenched it out from between his vertebrae, the blade scraping and crunching bone as it came free. She wiped it on his pants as clean as she could get it before sticking it into her belt. “His comm is getting a call, we've got to go!”
Jack passed her a duffel, “You're sure this is going to work?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. A breach is supposed to seal the room and evacuate the hotel...”
“Elevators and stairs. Go! Go!” he waved at the crowd of women in the corridor. “OK, here goes...” The sound reverberated in the narrow space as Jack fired two .45 caliber charged particle rounds through the closest open door, striking the outside window of the room, the heavy glass spidering. “Wow. tough stuff...” As he contemplated another shot, there was a strange crackling sound, the spider pattern widening, spreading. An ear-piercing whistle preceding his ears painfully popping as the room's door slammed shut like a guillotine, an evacuation alarm screaming in the corridor.
The elevators and stairwells quickly filled with screaming women, panicked patrons and pissed-off Syndicate employees all trying to reach the lobby and the safety of the street.
Jack, Nina and Ruby were making steady progress in the stairwell despite its congestion and the addition of people pouring in from the two floors above their own. The first shot sizzled over his head hitting the wall, cooking off the paint and leaving a sizable scorch mark. Jack spun as people around them panicked on the verge of stampeding but he could not see the shooter hiding in the crowd.
“How far are we?” he asked, leaving his firearm holstered.
“Second floor,” replied Nina. “Follow me when we reach the first floor, we should be able to break from the crowd and go out through the kitchen...”
Another shot passed between Jack and Nina, hitting the girl in front of Nina between the shoulder blades, pitching her forward with a scream of agony, creating a domino of bodies, carrying Ruby with them. The fear and panic of the people behind them created a forward press and Jack and Nina went down as another shot passed over them. The pile of people on the landing was almost four deep and Steele fought to his feet, pulling Nina up and digging for Ruby. People scrambled and clawed their way over one another and it was getting increasingly difficult to remain civil and survive. Staying low and pushing with the rest of them like a rugby scrum. Jack could see the shooter over his shoulder on the landing above them, clutching a woman like a shield, shooting from behind her.
Steele drew and fired over the shooter's head, destroying the light fixture above him, making him duck. Reaching up and smashing the light above them with the muzzle of his gun, he sent the stairwell into darkness. He grabbed Nina and pushed forward, plowing people aside. “Ruby?”
“I've got her!” shouted Nina over the din.
Someone grabbed Jack by the shoulder, a strong man's hand and he sent him to the floor with an elbow. There was another pileup of screaming people at the bottom of the stairwell but Jack managed to stay on his feet, pulling Nina and Ruby along with him. “Are we on the first floor?”
“Yes, yes,” pushed Nina, “go left here...”
“Dammit,” spat Ruby, “I lost my duffel.”
“Forget it,” said Jack, hustling to keep up with the girls, “You can have anything you want later...” They followed the corridor through the deserted dining room of the restaurant toward the kitchen.
“You say that now,” continued Ruby, jokingly, “but I know you're just going to turn me down...”
“Tell you what,” said Jack, weaving between tables, “if my wife says it's OK with her, then it's OK with me...” Like that would happen.
The crimson shot flashed past Jack's ear with a static sizzle, the second sending Nina sprawling with a grunt, face first, Steele skidding to a stop on his knees, drawing his hybrid 1911 as he dropped. He fired two charged particle slugs behind him, the sound ringing off the walls, the rounds blasting through tables and chairs, much different than the energy weapons the Syndicate thugs were using. It served to get them to dive clear, allowing him a second to scoop up Nina and yank her to her feet, a smoking hole in the duffel bag slung across her back.
They plunged through the kitchen doors and towards the back, Steele dumping things behind them on the floor as they ran. He skidded to a stop at the walk-in refrigerator, yanking the door open.
“What the hell are you doing?” hissed Nina.
“Eggs.”
“Egg – Ohhh!” She grabbed cartons handed her and began throwing them all over the floor.
“Screw that,” said Jack, dumping entire cartons at once. He waved her to the exit, waiting behind the open, hefty refrigerator door.
The doors from the dining room swung wide, neon red lances coming from at least three shooters, the rounds crossing all over the kitchen. Protected, he waited. Aiming at a muzzle flash, his first shot producing an abrupt scream and another volley of exchange fire criss-crossing the room, minus one.
Steele blasted off another couple of rounds and peeled back to the exit, shooting as he retreated, realizing this was not a time to stay and fight. They needed to keep moving to avoid being cornered or flanked. The exit closed behind him and he backed away, shooting the control panel, the sound echoing in the narrow alleyway behind the Blue Moon Hotel. Ooh, that can't be good...
“Look at this, ruined half my damn clothes,” grumbled Nina, examining the hole in her duffel.
“Better than a
hole in you,” he retorted, grabbing her by the hand and pulling. “Gotta go.”
They did their best to blend in to the small crowds that walked the streets of the Island in its peak business hours, but there weren't too many women walking around loose. A transport slid to a stop alongside them and Jack's hand went immediately to the grip of his sidearm. “Hey,” said the girl leaning out the window. “Room 410, right?”
“Who wants to know?” asked Jack.
“Room 405. Get in, hurry!” The door slid open, four more girls huddled in the back seat. As soon as Jack and the girls were in, the door closed and the driver took off. “So, where are we going?”
“We?” blinked Jack.
“You're the guy on the news aren't you? The one in the chase with the Lawmen?”
Steele's mouth screwed sideways in apprehension, “I might be.”
“Then you need to get off this rock. The Syndicate has a bounty on your head... I heard five million. Preferably dead. So any idiot with a pulse pistol is going to be gunning for you. Including the Lawmen if you go back to the big rock.” She steered around slower traffic. “My guess is you're a pilot, am I right?”
“Yeah, you could say that...”
“Then anywhere you're going, we're going. Because we need to get off this rock as bad as you do. Do you have a ship - where are we going?”
“To the yacht basin...”
She glanced at him in the mirror, “The only ships in the yacht basin are Syndicate ships. And since you just made the biggest move against the Syndicate anyone's ever seen on this rock, I'm guessing you're not Syndicate...”
“No I'm not.”
“So you're going to steal one?” She shook her head, “I can see you like to live dangerously, mister. You're either crazy or lucky...”
“A little of both,” interrupted Nina, sarcastically.
“We'll never get into the basin by vehicle,” said the driver, “we'll have to take the train and walk...”
■ ■ ■
The train wound its way lazily around the Island, ducking in and out of the rock, providing alternating views of tunnels and stars. Sitting in the window seat next to Jack, Nina kicked his foot, motioning toward a group of riders ahead of them with a discreet nod. They were huddled around a video screen mounted between the windows, throwing quick glances around the train.
Wings of Steele 3: Revenge and Retribution Page 17