by RJ Johnson
Sarah darted into an alleyway making her way down towards the main thoroughfare of New Plymouth. Meade followed, but not too closely, observing her as she moved through the market.
Sarah interacted with several street vendors, buying food from one, and other various smaller supplies from another. She finished her shopping, holding her bags to the side and began moving down the alley towards C-Block and its many housing complexes. She paused at the doorway of a walkup to unlock the door with her ArmBar when Meade saw his chance to approach her from behind.
The second her door unlocked, he grabbed her and pulled inside into a dark corridor, shutting the door behind him quickly, lest any prying eyes see him and call the authorities to collect their share of the million credit reward.
Sarah struggled against his grip and suddenly, Meade found himself sailing up over end through the air. He landed on his back with a rough “oof!” as the wind went out of him. Sarah turned the lights on in her small apartment and blinked in confusion when she looked down and saw Meade splayed out all over the ground.
“Meade? What the hell are you doing?” Sarah demanded. She released his arm and he rose, gently rubbing where she had wrenched his shoulder. He glared at her and didn’t reply.
She cocked her head, “What’s with you? Did you get the infodump?”
“I got the download,” Meade said, suspicious. “I don’t know if you noticed that it cost me a helluva lot more than twenty grand.”
Sarah set her jaw, “I didn’t have anything to do with that.”
“I didn’t say you did.” Meade said, his anger rising. “But you gotta admit, I got reason enough to suspect you setting me up. Come to me with an offer I can’t refuse? ‘Specially with how much debt I’m staring down? You give me an easy job that somehow turns into the biggest shit storm Mars has seen in years, and to top it all off, I’m on the hook for some dumbass drug importer charge? Give me a reason why I shouldn’t just delete this infodump right here and now and let the universe sort everything out.”
“You tell me,” she fired back. “I haven’t kept tabs on you the last few years. I don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”
“Flattered, but I’m an asshole Sarah, not a drug kingpin. I’d like to think I’d have a much nicer set of things if that were true.”
Sarah’s eyes narrowed and she unlocked the holster to her gauss pistol, “You aren’t going to hold out with that infodump are you?”
“I’m looking for answers lady and until I get ‘em, this infodump ain’t going nowhere,” Meade shot back.
“You aren’t cleared for any. You got paid, it’s time you delivered what you owe me.”
She whipped out her pistol, Meade cried out and drew his. They aimed their guns at each other, staring each other down, daring the other to make a move.
“What are you doing Meade?” Sarah asked. Her voice erased any doubt he had that she was bluffing. She’d end him if she thought it necessary, “I just want what I paid for.”
“I’ve never turned my back on a job,” he snapped. “Trouble is, the flavor of trouble you got me in, makes it tough for me to help you out. I want to know what the hell I’m involved in.”
She activated the pistol, the magnets inside spinning up with a high pitched whine. “I’m not joking Meade.”
“Neither am I Sarah,” Meade replied firmly.
She glared at him and he stood his ground. She licked the corner of her lips as her eyes darted back and forth.
Meade sighed, this was going nowhere. Killing each other really wouldn’t accomplish anything.
“Look, you oughta know enough about me to know that I ain’t looking to hurt you or anyone else. Alls I want is to know why everyone in the Coalition seems to have lost their damn mind. I’ve been shot at, drug down Market road and yanked all over New Plymouth by rogue drones and to top off this shit sundae that’s become my life, I’m now a target for some heavy firepower. You and this goddamn data are the reason why I’m on the run and I want to know why.”
Her grip around her gauss pistol tightened, and he bit his lip, hoping to break through her Coalition training. “They took Emeline Sarah. I can’t let this get any more out of control than it already has. Not without knowing what the hell is going on.”
Her face softened and she sighed, “Lower your weapon.”
“I don’t play that game,” Meade said. “You want me to play along, you’d best lower your gun first.”
She flipped the gauss pistol over and held it by the trigger guard with her thumb, exposing her open palm. She slowly lowered the pistol back into her holster.
“Good enough?” she asked.
Meade nodded and lowered his grandfather’s pistol.
“Tell me what I want to know,” Meade demanded, “And the information’s yours.”
She sighed and sat down on a nearby box, the nervous energy that had bound her up releasing all at once. She looked up at Meade, her eyes filled with tears.
“I just want my father’s pain to end,” she mumbled.
“What does that have to do with the infodump?” Meade asked.
“I don’t know,” she said softly. “I really don’t know what’s going on. I thought Laszlo was trying to embezzle information from the Coalition, or maybe assassinate someone on the transport.” She looked up to him and another tear rolled down her cheek, “I swear to you on our friendship that I’ve been nothing but honest. I don’t know what’s going on beyond the fact that someone high up in the Coalition framed my father for something he didn’t do.”
She looked back up at him, the tears rolling down her cheeks, “My father was the most loyal officer the Coalition ever had. And now, they pay him back by throwing him in Enzeli prison? How is that just? How is that right?”
Meade sighed and sat down next to Sarah. He knew the pain of watching a loved one suffer knowing there’s nothing you can do to stop it. And no one suffered quite like they did when they were in the Enzeli prison.
“If it helps, I believe you’re onto something.”
“Really?” Sarah looked up at him with tear streaked cheeks.
Meade nodded, “Had I just downloaded a bunch of data that detailed Laszlo’s criminal activities, I doubt I’d be the subject of some massive manhunt through the city. Laszlo wouldn’t give some snot-nosed, bluebell Coalition punk a shot to end me if had I wounded him personally like that.”
“Watch it,” Sarah said ruefully and Meade smiled.
“I’m just saying, the fact someone set me up as being some big time drug kingpin, makes it more and more likely that someone on high wants the info from Laszlo’s ArmBar for themselves. And they don’t care if my body is alive or dead when they get it.”
“Then can I see it?” Sarah asked hopefully.
Meade shook his head, “Rule number one Sarah – Never trust anyone, especially a pretty face. Far as I know, you’re in deep with the wrong sort of people. I know we go way back, but there’s too much happening that’s raising the hairs on the back of my neck.”
“Trust is earned Meade,” Sarah said. “Dad always told you that. I’d like to think our friendship allows me to draw on that account for a bit.”
Meade breathed out and shook his head. Captain Gonzalez had always been good to him, slipping him credits, food, or a recharge for his ArmBar whenever the captain was on planet. That was how he and Sarah had met so long ago.
As a Runabout teenager, there weren’t many avenues available for him to go down that didn’t end with him dead or in jail. Captain Gonzalez helped set Meade on the right path long ago. In fact, some of Meade’s better rules came from the man, starting with rule #1: “Trust no one.”
Meade shook his head, “It’s my only bit of leverage. Besides, even if I wanted to give it to you, I couldn’t.”
He opened his ArmBar display and called up the infodump on his screen. “Not only does he have the image I downloaded locked down with DNA coding, it’s also encrypted six ways to Sunday. I’ve had my
ArmBar working on cracking it, but…” Meade looked at Sarah helpless. “My rig is just too old. It can’t keep up with the rotating algorithms that keep the data secure. I’m afraid if I keep trying to crack it, the file will deteriorate and I’ll lose the whole lot.”
“What do you need?” Sarah asked, her voice regaining strength.
“Em pointed me in the direction of the server farm, with equipment dedicated to cracking a rotating quantum encryption,” he said.
“I hear a ‘but’ coming…” Sarah said.
“But, we still need Laszlo’s DNA coder in order to get the image unlocked. Without that, it’s useless.”
“We might be able to find a sample of Laszlo’s DNA on the Coalition servers.” Sarah said, thinking out loud, “It shouldn’t be too difficult…”
“’Cept for the fact that I’m a wanted criminal and you ain’t exactly in the Coalition’s good graces at the moment,” he said and she winced.
“Cheap shot Meade.”
“And you need to hear it. You might be loyal as ever,” Meade continued, “but that don’t matter much right now to your peers. Every move you make is gonna be under scrutiny and if you show up with some request for Laszlo’s DNA out of the blue without a case file assigned to it…” he shook his head, “I don’t like our chances of getting that info out intact.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Sarah asked, frustrated. “I’m not going to sit here and waste any more time while my father rots in jail.”
“You act like I don’t got something to lose too,” he said irritated. “They took Em, Sarah. They took her and it’s my fault she’s in danger… strike that, it’s your fault.”
She looked down, ashamed.
“I might have a way…” Meade said tentatively.
“What?” Sarah asked, hopeful.
“It could be expensive,” Meade warned.
“Most things on this planet are,” she said. “What is it?”
“Laszlo’s right hand man at his casino,” Meade said, his idea gaining steam, “He’d need Laszlo’s DNA to run the day-to-day stuff at the casino. If Laszlo has anything locked down, it’d be his cash room.”
Sarah leapt up off the box and hugged Meade, the tears on her cheeks brushing against his. He withdrew, feeling awkward. Something inside him burned, and he couldn’t tell if it was the exhaustion catching up to him, or if he actually thought Sarah was looking good to him. He’d been able to ignore her for his whole life while they were growing up together, but now, with her curves it was next to impossible.
He drew back and looked into her eyes. He couldn’t resist, he knew it was wrong, but if he was going to hold her this close, he wasn’t gonna be able to go much longer without kissing her full on the lips.
She leaned into his body and it was then that he knew she wanted it too.
“You sure your friend can help?” Her voice got low and breathy and Meade couldn’t remember the last time he felt like this.
He nodded wordlessly. She took his hat off, and his hair fell across Meade’s hazel eyes.
“Why did we never get together?” she asked.
He looked down and shrugged, “We’d been on different paths for so long it never crossed my mind you’d even be interested.”
“You silly, stupid, fool,” Sarah whispered. She reached up for his face, angled his toward her and kissed him full on the lips.
Meade was taken aback, but suddenly he felt himself responding to Sarah’s kiss. He drew her in with his arms and brought her close as the kiss between them became deep and passionate. They exploded as they hungrily began tearing each other’s clothes off.
Meade could feel Sarah’s complete surrender to his control. He tore open her Coalition officer’s uniform exposing the slender and curvy body hidden by the thick gender neutralizing material. He pulled the standard issue t-shirt she wore underneath, exposing her nubile body. She returned the favor by hungrily removing his shirt and throwing his hat across the room.
They began making love like they had nothing to lose. Which, if Meade had the ability to think about anything other than Sarah’s body he would realize that they didn’t.
Chapter Ten
They stayed together all night, barely sleeping. Their lovemaking session felt like they spent nearly every spare bit of energy they had left on each other and they both needed time to recover.
Meade woke early to the sound of his ArmBar ringing. Someone was trying to contact him, and there was no identifier on his caller id. He sat up quickly, instantly awake, knowing this had to be the call he was waiting for from Laszlo. He opened his ArmBar and the display came into focus.
“Mr. Meade,” Laszlo said, his grin white and full of teeth. “I have to confess, it’s not often that I am so consistently surprised by someone.”
“I’m like a bad penny,” Meade said. “Where’s Em?”
Laszlo snapped his fingers and Emeline was roughly shoved into frame. Meade was relieved to see she was all right, if not a little disheveled. But who ever looked good after being kidnapped?
“Em, don’t you worry, I’m gonna get you out of this.”
“Good,” she said, her tone humorless, “I got to get back to work.”
“Charming,” Laszlo said, amused. “You two are so cute together.”
“What do you want Laszlo?” Meade said. He needed to get Laszlo’s attention back on him lest he think Emeline wasn’t worth his time.
“You know what I want,” he hissed. “Return the data you stole from me, or you’ll be searching for tiny pieces of your bartender friend who will be scattered all over New Plymouth.”
“It’s entire too early to be threatened like this.”
“I do not like repeating myself,” Laszlo roared, slamming a hand on his desk. “Give me back my infodump!”
“Not without Em.” Meade replied firmly. “Let her go and I’ll meet you wherever you wish. Even exchange.”
Laszlo laughed, “You think I’m so simple as to fall for that?” He shook his head. “No, it will be at a time and place of my choosing. Stay close to your ArmBar. I will call with further details.”
With that, Meade’s display winked off as Laszlo disconnected. Meade cursed in frustration hoping to reconnect the call between him and Laszlo, but whatever proxies Laszlo used prevented Meade from reconnecting.
Sarah sat up next to him and touched his arm softly.
“I’m sorry he took Em,” she said softly.
“It’s my fault,” he whispered. “I didn’t say that to you last night ‘cause I didn’t want to believe it, but I could’ve given myself up and saved her, but I didn’t.”
“Hey!” Sarah repositioned herself in front of Meade, her naked body barely covered by the sheet. “She sacrificed herself so you could get away. She knew the odds were just as good that you’d get nicked.”
“She didn’t deserve to be dragged into this,” Meade repeated
“It doesn’t matter, she’s involved now,” Sarah said, drawing herself up and letting the sheet fall away. She grabbed his chin with her hand and moved his face towards hers. “She’s tough and knows how to keep her head down. When we meet with Laszlo, we’ll get her back, I swear it.”
Meade moved out from under the covers and began putting his clothes back on. He shook his head, “What am I even doing here with you? Why am I wasting time with you like this?”
“Hey!” Sarah said, sitting up, her eyes flashing dangerously. “Watch it.”
He sighed and pulled his pants on and sat back down on the bed, “I’m sorry, I don’t mean…”
“I know what you mean,” she said coldly.
“It’s just that…” Meade suddenly found himself cut off by her laughing. “What?”
“Oh my God, I’m such an idiot, you’re in love with her,” she said softly.
“What?” Meade jumped up in shock, “No, God no! She doesn’t see me that way and I don’t see her like that. She’s… Em.”
Sarah sighed and got off the bed, t
o begin putting her Coalition uniform back on. She moved quickly to put her boots on and slide her ArmBar back into place with a quick snap on her uniform.
“Love is friendship writ large,” Sarah said patiently to Meade. “Love is a series of shared moments between two minds and you two have been friends for years. You can’t convince me there aren’t some latent unresolved feelings between you two.”
“But…” Meade was speechless, “She’s…”
“Em, yes I know, you mentioned that,” Sarah said, her eyes looking sad. She finished putting on the rest of her uniform. “Look at what happened between us just now. That’s the result of years of unresolved sexual tension.”
“And here I was thinking you were charmed by my winning personality,” Meade said grinning. Sarah shook her head and caressed the top of his head.
“You are not without your charms,” she ran a finger down his flat stomach, “or aesthetic pleasures. But you and I could never be more than a series of hot, sweaty and increasingly awkward sessions of sex.”
“You sure know how to make a guy feel used.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to deflate your delicate manly ego,” Sarah said smiling. “I’ve always had a thing for you. I’m just realistic about the chances of a real relationship developing between us.”
“It’s not healthy to be so pessimistic this early in the morning.”
“You’re a Runabout and I’m an officer in the Coalition, I’m seen with you and my career is over. I’d be lucky to get an assignment cleaning toilets on a deep space transport.”
Meade looked up at her and she looked at him with a smile, “I’m an adult, I know what this is. You and I would be great if things were different but,” she threw her arms up in exasperation, “but things ain’t different and every Runabout I know eventually ends up dead or in jail.”
“Really, your confidence in me is astounding…” Meade smiled as he nodded, “You’re right of course, but still…”