by S. J. Bryant
"And what a fine job you did too," she said between clenched teeth.
"Cracos said you can leave," the second guard said.
"Hmm. I suppose I'm off then," she growled, her finger twitching against the trigger.
She turned towards the casino's main exit but not before moving the gun to the second man and pretending to shoot him, and then blowing imaginary smoke from the barrel of her gun.
She sauntered towards the main exit, followed by hundreds of stares, the very picture of cold confidence. Inside, she reeled with revulsion, guilt, and anger. A part of her wanted to take out her gun and go on a shooting spree throughout the casino. She would kill as many as she could on the way to Cracos's office. When she finally reached his door, she would burst through and fill his body with her deadly blue blasts. In her imagination, Vicki was in his office too and they would both be filled with plasma shots, until Nova was surrounded by cold, lifeless corpses.
In reality, Nova put her gun back in its holster and pushed her way through the milling crowd. Her expression was as dark as thundering storm clouds and the crowd parted before her, leaving a clear way to the exit.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Nova stormed towards Crusader and climbed aboard with a grim expression. As soon as she was past the entrance, Cal flew to her side.
The robot was piled high with medical supplies as he raced towards the ship's entrance. His tiny arms balanced bandages, skin grafts, and anti-septic in a precarious pile.
"Communication was blocked. Report injuries," Cal said. The concern in his robotic voice nearly made Nova smile, but not quite.
"Minor injuries, Cal. Liquid bandage should suffice."
Cal juggled the items he carried until the can of bandage was at the top. Nova plucked it from the pile and sprayed it onto the grazes that covered her arms and legs. The liquid was cold as it came out of the can and formed a clear layer over her wounds.
"Thanks, Cal," she said as she placed the can back onto the pile in Cal's arms.
She marched through the ship and sat in the command chair.
"Perhaps a status report would be best?" Cal asked as she stared at the air in front of her.
She didn't reply. Her mind raced with everything that had happened, but she couldn't think through the haze of anger.
"Commander, perh—"
"Yes, Cal, I heard you," she said, waving her hand. After a few more moments of silence she proceeded to recount the events of the last fifteen minutes, since her communication with Cal had been cut off.
The robot watched her and didn't move an inch through the entire story. Nova's voice grew hoarse as she described the cyborg and how she had had to kill it. When she finished her tale, she slumped into the chair, her shoulders bent.
"Analysis of the facts suggests this event is not tied to the casino theft," Cal said.
"No, I don't think it was. Just Zodac wanting revenge; and Vicki, of course, fanning the flames."
"What further commands do you have?" Cal asked.
Nova stared at the robot. She considered leaving Tabryn and the ridiculous casino case. A part of her hoped Cracos did get all of his money stolen; the man obviously deserved it. She opened her mouth to tell Crusader to lift off from the foul planet, but she stopped before the first syllable. Her mind turned to Vicki. That was exactly what she wanted, to scare Nova away. Nova couldn't allow that. She couldn't let Vicki win again.
Nova bit her bottom lip. She didn't give two craps about the thief now, but she would make Cracos and Vicki pay. They'd nearly killed her, and they'd tortured and killed the cyborg. There was no way Nova was going to let them get away with it.
"Start re-running footage from last night. Look for anything out of the ordinary. If someone sneezes, I want to know about it," Nova said, standing.
She shuffled to her investigation board where she now had three photos with red crosses over their faces. There was little other information on the board. What else did she have? She'd already been here many more days than she'd planned and so far all she had were dead ends. Not that that mattered much anymore; now her mission was simple. Revenge.
She reached up and, using her finger, wrote the words The Hole on the board and dragged it off to the side. It probably wasn't important, but it was definitely something she wanted to remember. Justice would come to everyone in the end.
She turned away from the board and back to her chair, where she watched four separate video feeds from different areas of the casino.
"Cal, bring me an icepack would you?" she asked as she propped her bruised legs up onto the control panel. Her black dress hung down in limp tatters about her legs.
Cal hovered away and came back within minutes with a blue cloth bag which was chill to the touch. Nova grabbed hold and placed the bag over her eye. She couldn't even remember how she'd managed to injure that part of her, but now it throbbed and her cheek was beginning to swell.
The cool bag soothed the growing pain and she let out a sigh of relief as she turned her attention to the screens. The rest of her ached, but she didn't have time for that now. She wanted to get away from this planet as soon as possible, but not before she put Cracos in his place.
As if reading her thoughts - which with the mind-chip he possibly could - Cal brought over a pile of chips and a can of soft drink and placed them on the controls. Nova smiled at him and popped open the can, before gulping down a fizzy mouthful. The bubbles made her eyes sting but the taste was good. It was exactly what she needed after the events of the day.
Sitting in her command pod with Cal, she actually started to feel better; this was her home after all.
"Camera four has sighted Cracos and Vicki," Crusader's voice filled the pod. Nova's stomach churned and all good feeling disappeared.
"Zoom in," she said. The video from camera four filled the entire screen and just off centre were Cracos and Vicki. Vicki leant against the casino wall and gazed up at Cracos with her ridiculous eyelashes. Cracos rested his hand up against the wall and bent over Vicki.
"Turn up the volume," Nova said, filled with reluctant curiosity.
The noise of the casino filled the ship's speakers. It pounded at Nova's eardrums until Crusader adjusted the input and Vicki's laugh drowned out the other sounds.
"I wish I'd been there to see it," Vicki said, tossing her red hair back as she giggled. The tips of her fingers brushed her lips as she looked up at Cracos.
"It was quite a fight. A shame my last cyborg had to go," Cracos said. He didn't look too upset as his eyes traced down Vicki's shoulders to her chest.
"Yes. Nova is known for her… brutishness," Vicki said, turning her nose up.
Nova's eyes narrowed and the corners of her mouth turned down as she stared at Vicki through the casino's camera.
"I don't think you'll be seeing her back here. She looked pretty pissed when she left," Cracos said. He turned away from Vicki to light a new cigar and inhaled deeply.
"I hope so. I can't stand working near her," Vicki said with a dramatic tone.
"How has your investigation been going?" Cracos asked, giving Vicki the courtesy of blowing the thick blue smoke out of the corner of his mouth instead of directly into her face.
"Nothing new to report. I must say your staff are strange, but none of them have taken your money." Vicki tossed her head and gazed about the casino.
Nova leant in close to the screen, eager to catch any information Vicki might let slip. The ice-bag hung loosely at Nova's side, forgotten.
"Where will you look next?" Cracos asked. His cigar smoke clouded around both of their heads.
"Look," Vicki said, pushing against his chest. "Let me do my job. You do yours." She stalked away from the casino manager.
Nova was taken aback by Vicki's response. Maybe she had already gotten everything she could from Cracos and had no need for him anymore? Vicki disappeared from the video's frame and Cracos stared after her, his mouth hanging open. He held the cigar in his ham fist where it burnt itself
out.
Cracos shook himself and headed for the marble stairs and his private quarters. He looked tired and frustrated. Halfway up the stairs he stopped to look out over the floor.
"What's he seeing?" Nova asked.
The image on Crusader's screen changed to show the main floor. At the very centre three security guards held down a brown haired man of medium build.
"You know the penalty pal," a security officer said as the sound from the casino filtered through Crusader's speakers.
"Look, it was just one time. I'm sure this is unnecessary," the man said as he tried to pull away from their beefy hands. Their fingers didn't loosen from his arms.
"What's going on?" Cracos said as he reached the small group. His eyes narrowed and his hands clenched into fists. "Why are you making a scene in my casino? People come here to forget the real world!"
"Cards up his sleeves," the first security officer replied.
Cracos's eyes widened at the response. The penalties for hiding cards on Tabryn were in no way worth the small advantage a player gained. Many casinos killed offenders, which wasn't much different to what the law would do anyway.
They wrestled the man through the casino, Cracos following just behind. But the man wasn't led out of the casino, as he would have been on any other planet. They hoisted him into the adjoining room that Nova knew all too well. The Hole.
A hot flush crept up her cheeks and a rock fell through her stomach as she thought of what was to become of the man. He didn't look like the type who would survive the Hole. Not for long anyway. A part of her wanted to run into the casino, kill Cracos and his security guards, and release the man herself, but she'd be dead before the first body hit the ground. So she dug her fingernails into the armrests of her chair and stayed where she was.
Fifteen minutes later, Nova pushed herself up from the chair and stomped away from the command pod. She made a direct line for the decontamination room where she peeled off the torn black dress and tossed it with disgust into a pile on the floor. Her underwear went next, adding to the heap, until she stood naked.
"Water," she said.
Hot jets shot at her from the ceiling and walls of the chamber. She relished in the feeling of the filth of the Hole being washed from her skin. The warm streams took the grime and washed it down the drain.
"Soap," she said.
Between the water jets, new sprays emitted a foamy substance. Nova ran her fingers through her hair with the sweet scented gel. It was almost as if the bad memories of the cyborg were washed away along with the more visible dirt.
She stood in the streaming jets, leaning against the wall and letting the warm water soak into her skin and her muscles relax. Only when the skin of her fingers wrinkled into soft ridges and Cal tapped on the door to check if she was okay, did Nova open her eyes and step out of the streams of water.
"Dry off," she said.
Gusts of warm air replaced the water and brushed over her. In only a few moments, the water was gone and Nova felt more refreshed than she had for some time.
She reached into the shelves set into the side of the ship and lifted out a pair of grey pants followed by a simple black singlet. She kept her injured shoulder immobile as she pulled the top over her head.
"Yes, I'm coming!" Nova yelled through the door as Cal continued to tap and call through in his metallic voice. The knocking stopped and under her breath Nova muttered about computers and how Cal's wireless link with Crusader should have made it clear that she was fine.
She kicked her torn dress and other items into a corner of the room; Cal would deal with it later; before pressing the button to open the metal door. It slid with a hiss and she stepped into the ship's main corridor. Cal waited just outside.
"Okay. Now I'm ready for first aid," Nova said, nodding at the robot.
She led the way through the ship to her bunk and sat down with her left leg stretched out in front of her. Cal hovered to the end of the bed and pulled medical supplies from the upper cupboards. He then went to work on Nova's wounds, first her legs and then on up her body.
The cuts across Nova's body stung as he sprayed the antiseptic Second-Skin. She bit her lip and glared up at the ceiling, channelling all of her pain into plans for revenge. For some of the more severe injuries, Cal used glue to hold the separated pieces of flesh together, before spraying on the Second-Skin.
Once her legs and torso were finished Cal turned his attention to Nova's injured shoulder. Cal's projector eye flickered and moved over her shoulder, his sensor switching to X-ray and ultrasound mode.
"Image indicates mild dislocation; no breakage," Cal said.
With no more ceremony, he grabbed hold of Nova's upper body and pushed her shoulder and chest together. Her shoulder cracked as it moved back into place and she let out a small cry.
Cal scanned the area again. "Dislocation solved, recommend resting and no movement."
Nova rolled her eyes at the robot, like that was ever going to happen. Cal ignored her gesture and moved his scan to her face where her left eye was almost closed due to the swelling.
"Bruising; no fracture; no permanent damage, but temporary loss of function," Cal said.
"Yes, I know all of that. Can you fix it?"
Cal turned to his medical supplies. He pulled out what looked like a piece of cloth and with utmost delicacy he placed it over the left side of Nova's face. She furrowed but didn't move as the robot smoothed the material over her face. She winced at the slight pressure on her bruised skin.
Just as she was about to rip the material off and yell at the robot, something moved in the side of her face. She reached up to feel what had happened but Cal's small metallic clamp snapped out and stopped her.
"You mustn't interfere," he said.
"What is that thing? It feels like it's eating my face!" she said. She clenched her fist, resisting the urge to rip whatever it was off her cheek.
"It is a new product. Healseal. It's a rather simple technology, but it has its place," Cal said as he watched the progress on Nova's face.
She couldn't resist and turned to stare into the small mirror opposite her bed. The white cloth lay atop her face like a second skin. The cloth rippled and the swelling in her face went down. It was almost as if the material was somehow sucking the swelling out.
"How does it do it?" she asked in wonder.
"It induces the blood which has swollen into your face to return to the bloodstream. As I said, rather simple technology."
Cal packed up the medical supplies. "Your face will probably be fixed before you go to bed."
"Cool," Nova said. She watched with fascination until her face returned back to its normal shape and the blue-black colour was gone. Her unobstructed eye blinked back at her in the mirror.
"It has to come off now," Cal said, hovering over to peel the white cloth from Nova's skin.
"Or what?" she asked, sarcastic.
"Or it will cause all the rest of the blood to leave your face. Your skin will die, and your nose will drop off," Cal explained, matter-of-factly.
Nova's eyes went wide. "Hurry up then!"
Cal peeled the material free.
As soon as the robot moved clear, her hand rushed to her face, feeling for missing chunks of skin and squeezing her nose to make sure it was still there. She scowled at Cal as he tossed the Healseal into the waste disposal unit and hovered back to her.
"How does it feel?" Cal asked, ignoring her expression.
"Better," she said, and it did. The swelling had disappeared and the pain had faded away. "What time is it?"
"Approximately one hour until dawn," Cal replied.
"Shut everything down. I need some sleep."
Cal put the last of the medical supplies away and hovered away from Nova's bed. She lay down on the thin mattress and closed her eyes. All around her the ship powered down. The lights turned off and the noise from the engine faded away until there was just a dull hum. Only then did she fall into an exhausted sleep.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
"I need a drink," Nova said, holding her head in her hands. She stared down at Crusader's controls and willed them to give her answers.
"You called?"
The familiar voice crackled through Crusader's speakers. Nova's head whipped up and she stared at the front screen. Aart grinned back at her.
"What the hell are you doing?" she asked.
"I heard you needed a drink and happened to be in the area," Aart said with a shrug.
"How exactly did you hear that?"
Nova was furious. She'd specifically told Aart to leave Tabryn and go back to The Jagged Maw.
"Aart requested communication half an hour ago," Cal said.
Nova whirled on the robot. "And you're only telling me now?"
"He said he'd wait until you were ready," Cal said. The tone of his voice made Nova think of the small robot shrugging with indifference.
"Next time, tell me he's listening!" Nova said through gritted teeth.
"Don't worry, Nova." Aart chuckled. "All I heard was you grumbling. So… Me. You. Drink. Where do you want to meet?"
"What are you even still doing here?" Nova turned her attention back to Aart. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
"Not stirring up trouble," Aart said. "When I heard you were sticking around, I figured I may as well stay nearby. You know how you always get into trouble."
Nova smacked her forehead against the metal console. The dull thudding made the frustration just a little more bearable.
"Don't be like that," Aart said. "My shout. Where do you want to go?"
"Not The Lucky Coin," she said.
"No problem. What about Traveller's Rest? It's pretty good."
"On the edge of Inner Tabryn?" Nova asked.
"That's the one."
"Fine. I'll meet you for one drink, but after that you're going back to the Maw."
"Whatever you say, Boss," Aart said. "I've got a surprise for you."
Nova groaned. "No, Aart! What is it? Don't —"
"See you in ten!" Aart said as the screen flicked off.