The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy

by Greta van Der Rol

  the mine graphic as a holograph . She thought the words.

  The image projected from the techpack’s display port.

  Brad gasped. “How did you do that?”

  “I’ll tell you later.”Blocked up exits . The image rotated. No, not that one.More . Ah. “Looks like we’re here.” She set the point to a red dot. “These are the old ptorix workings. And just there,” she pointed to a spot up the tunnel from where they stood, “is a lift foyer that only goes up. There’s a place up there that I was tempted to visit, just to see what was there. It’s marked ‘mountain garden’.”

  “Garden? Outside the mountain?”

  She zoomed in on the place. “Looks like it. There’s a subsidence at that part.” It was as if part of the mountain’s rim had collapsed and slid down, leaving a gouge in its side that ended two hundred meters above the ground.

  “I’d rather get away from here, at any rate. Let’s find this lift foyer.”

  They walked close together over ground covered in litter. Her foot crunched on bone. Some other

  animal’s den? What a happy thought. But Brad seemed calm and assured, his gun in his hand, although

  he was limping slightly. Something scurried in a corner and her heart raced. A multi-legged thing edged away from the light. Urrk. The tunnel ended in a ptorix stone door. She pressed the two symbols in the complex pattern and it slid back and across. Soft lights began to glow. Swirling decorations covered the walls, complicated patterns in reds and pinks and greens.

  “This is a lift foyer?” Brad said, staring around him.

  “Yes. See the door?” She showed him the pointed arch and pressed the button on the wall to summon a

  car. Would it work? Nobody had been here for at least thirty years. A light above the doorway flashed briefly and the doors slid apart.

  “I don’t think we should do this now, Allysha. We’re safe for the moment. We need to rest before we

  do anything else.”

  She smiled. The very thought of getting into that lift sent jitters flying about in her stomach. “I suppose.”

  She turned to face him. A stain darkened the material around his right hip, around a gash in his pants.

  “What’s that? You’ve been hurt.”

  He managed a half-grin. “Ah. Yes, we’ll have to deal with this. The kartek caught me.”

  Allysha’s stomach lurched. “If we don’t treat that quickly, you’ll die.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Sean hesitated behind van Tongeren as the mine manager slammed his hand down on the panel to open his office door and stepped inside.

  “She’s gone. I don’t understand it. The system says she’s in her room.”

  The man in the visitor’s chair eased his bulk. “What do you mean, gone?”

  Ah. This had to be Tepich.

  “Gone,” repeated van Tongeren. He waved his hand. “We don’t know where she is.” He turned around to lean on his desk, his face suddenly white. “You don’t think she was in that freighter with Stone?” He pulled out his comm. and pushed buttons.

  Ludovic’s voice answered.

  “Have you found anything?” van Tongeren said.

  “We checked the wreck site as best we could.” Ludovic’s voice twanged with annoyance. “They put a missile into the wreck at close range and it burned like a furnace. Just as well it was pouring with rain.

  We could have had a forest fire. As it is, we’ll be lucky to get near it tomorrow.”

  Van Tongeren scowled. “How many bodies?”

  “Can’t tell, boss. Um… who else?”

  “The woman. Maybe.”

  “Oh. Well, if she was with him, she’s dead. If they escaped the fire, they wouldn’t have escaped the karteks. We saw plenty of evidence of those.” Ludovic chuckled. “I wonder if they like their meat cooked?”

  “Not funny, Ludovic.” Van Tongeren snapped the comlink closed.

  Shit. Sean felt cold. He hoped she wasn’t dead, of course he did, but if she was, he was in trouble. But maybe she wasn’t. “You can’t be sure she’s dead. Maybe that’s what she wants you to think.”

  Van Tongeren wheeled on him. “What do you mean?”

  Sean shrugged. “She’s not stupid. Maybe she’s got some other reason for disappearing.” His eyes slid to Tepich, who sat unmoved in the chair. The man with the second, very lucrative, contract.

  “Such as?”

  Ah, yes. There was the rub. “She’s pretty straitlaced is Allysha. If she found out about the weapons smuggling she might have decided she didn’t want to play.”

  Van Tongeren’s eyes narrowed. “How would she find out? Did you tell her?”

  “Me? I haven’t been near her. But there’s the stuff in the hangar.”

  The mine manager snorted but his expression cleared. “So where do you think she is?”

  “Somewhere in the mine,” Sean said. “There’s nowhere else she could be. She can fool the IS.”

  “Do you know how?” asked Tepich. He spoke softly, his voice surprisingly high pitched for such a big man.

  “Believe me, if there’s an IS, she can fool it. For example, your system still says she’s in her room. I’m not as good as her but I can have a look for you, if you like. My name’s O’Reilly, by the way.” He took a stride toward the other, hand outstretched. “And you are?”

  The big man pointedly ignored the proffered hand. “You may call me Tepich.” He took a deep breath and let it out. “This incident is unfortunate. I understand that Mister van Tongeren is impressed with your wife’s abilities. I have no doubt that we can come to an understanding.” He raised one fat finger. “But only if she is delivered.”

  “Naturally,” said van Tongeren. “Right, O’Reilly, see if you can find out if she’s fooling the security system. Do you have any other suggestions?”

  Unfortunate? You can say that again. They’d better find her or he was in deep shit. “Several. Keep her quarters under surveillance. Keep an eye on your inventory—bear in mind she can alter it. Double check your surveillance equipment. Even Allysha can’t get around cameras but you have to be sure they’re functioning. She can stop them. And keep a close eye on where she might go for food or shelter.”

  “Shelter’s easy enough,” van Tongeren answered. “But as you say, she’ll need to eat.” He nodded to himself. “Don’t worry, Tepich, we’ll get her back for you. Tell your masters there will be a short delay.”

  “It had better be a short delay, Mister van Tongeren,” Tepich said softly as he heaved himself to his feet.

  “I don’t like it here. I don’t like the thought of alien artifacts and I don’t like the climate; it gives me asthma. If you will excuse me, I shall go to my room.”

  Sean and van Tongeren shared a glance as the door closed behind the fat man.

  “I’m not involved in her disappearance,” Sean said, shaking his head. “It’s not in my interests any more than yours.”

  “No, I suppose not.” Van Tongeren walked around his desk and dropped into his chair. “All right. Get out. See if you can find out what she’s done to the computer system.” He flicked his hand in the direction of the door. “And tell my secretary to fetch Ludovic for me.”

  Sean squared his shoulders and headed for the control room. He hadn’t expected to have to do anything technical here, fuck it. Stupid, stupid girl. They’d find her. She was trapped, with nowhere to go and no way of escape even if there was somewhere to go. She’d have to eat. Yes, she’d see sense. A few days, at most and she’d turn up. No one wanted to hurt her; she’d know that, surely.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “The venom takes time to act, Allysha. I’ll be all right for a while,” Brad said.

  “An hour. I’ve seen the info on karteks, too. Sorry, not having that,” Allysha said. “You stay here and rest and I’ll get some antivenin.”

  “Allysha…”

  “The less you move around, the better. I’ll be okay. They can’t see me, remember?”
<
br />   “They’ll be looking, darling.”

  He’d saved her and risked his own life, and here he was, still worried about her. He really did care about her. And she really did care about him. She pressed a kiss on his lips and jumped into the lift before he could react. The door closed behind her. A faint, even light glowed, adding soft illumination to the tooled metal interior. The car didn’t even rock. So far so good. She crossed her fingers, took a deep breath and pressed the button for the next level. The car rose, smooth and silent, but the slight jolt when it stopped was enough to send a sharp tingle through her nerves. After a tiny pause, as though the system had to remember how to do something long forgotten, the door slid open. She stepped out, blew out a long, relieved breath, and waited for her heart rate to settle. The ptorix tunnel glowed with a soft phosphorescence, enough for her to see by. She scurried along, her feet scuffing over smooth, dusty stone until she reached another rock door. She checked the mine graphic again. Through here and to the right. This way she should be able to get into the new main drive and locate the first aid area.

  She slipped around the ‘do not enter’ sign where the ptorix tunnel met the main passage and paused for a moment to calm herself. If she met anybody at this time of night, she’d be in trouble. She took out her techpack and had it gleam. Another two hundred meters to go; further than she thought. She’d be cutting it fine for time. She loped along, already feeling the burn in her legs. At last. Ahead, the red cross on the door of the first aid room shone with its own light. She slipped inside. A bed in an alcove took up most of one wall, its privacy curtain tied back. An array of instruments covered a desk in a corner and crowded shelves lined the walls. Allysha scanned the labels. Anesthetic antiseptic. She tutted. A for antivenin, surely. She kept looking; bandages, headache pills; Voices outside. Her heart racing, she darted into the alcove and jammed her back against the wall just as the door opened.Damn it. Please hurry .

  “Won’t be a moment,” a male voice said.

  Boots scraped on the floor. She wished she could peek but that would be silly. She could hear him breath. She mustn’t pant, mustn’t move. Her body ached with tension.

  “Hurry the fuck up”, muttered a muffled voice. “If Ludovic catches you…”

  “Keep yer shirt on.” The fellow in the room.

  A muttered ‘ah’. A rustle, some soft scraping noises, a pop. Water ran in the sink. Swallowing. The door closed and the lights went out.

  Allysha slumped against the wall for a moment to let the weakness drain away. A moment’s indulgence and she went back to the shelf. She’d have to hurry. How about K for kartek? Yes. She took the first of a row of bottles with a list of instructions on the front and shifted the others to fill the gap. She skimmed the instructions. She’d need a few other things; she grabbed antiseptic, synthskin, salve. She adjusted the inventory and checked the security system before she ventured out again. Guards in the control room, the kitchen, the store room. And some patrolling the corridors. She was about to move on when two more guards’ IDs appeared on the screen, as though they’d materialized from nowhere. Oh, buckrats. Her heart pounded again. They’d been searching the ptorix tunnels and just reappeared in the human sections, in range of the sensors.

  She crouched in the first aid room as they prowled past, waving their laser rifles from side to side. Hurry hurry hurry. Get on with it. At last they disappeared. She ran, sprinting for the ptorix tunnels and back to the lift. On the way, she closed the rock door behind her and activated the seal. Even if they found the door, they wouldn’t be able to open it. She hoped.

  ****

  Brad was asleep, lying on his back on the floor. He looked so relaxed, so peaceful. Oh, shit. He wasn’t

  dead? She shook his shoulder. His head flopped from side to side. She’d have to be quick.

  She knelt beside him and eased his pants down to his thighs, revealing grey undershorts. Blood had darkened the rent where the talon had scored through the material. She pushed his undershorts down as well.

  The kartek slash was ugly, deep and ragged.

  “I’m sorry, this may hurt a bit,” she said, just in case he could hear. She soaked a swab in strong antiseptic solution and delved deep into his flesh to swamp the wound. No reaction. She bit her lip. Not looking good.

  She checked the instructions one more time and winced. This would hurt even more. She loaded up the applicator with antivenin and forced it down into the tissue as the directions stated, pressing on the plunger to release the tiny medibots which would destroy the venom. That done, she brought the two sides of the gash as close together as she could and covered the wound with synthskin. It stood out pink and stark against his dark flesh; he’d have a spectacular scar until his own skin grew back.

  The instructions said he’d wake up soon; if he was going to. She sat with her back against the wall. She was tired; so tired. And she’d love a drink of water and some food. Brad lay unmoving, his facial muscles relaxed and peaceful. It seemed an age before his eyelids flickered. She crawled to his side. His lips twitched.

  “Are you okay?”

  His eyes opened, black as pitch. He breathed deep; in…out…in…out. After a moment, he spoke, his voice ragged and rough. “It feels pretty good. Thank you. I’ll need to rest a little, I think. What’s happening out there?”

  “As you said. They’re searching the tunnels. The store rooms are guarded so I can’t get any food or anything and they’re starting to go into the ptorix tunnels, too. I’ve sealed the tunnel I went along to get the antivenin. Maybe nobody knows how to open it again.”

  He nodded. “We need to lie low for a time, so they’ll give up looking for you. At the very least we’ll need water. Where is this place you talked about? The mountain garden?”

  She looked at the ceiling. “Up there a ways. Can you manage?”

  He made to sit up, noticed his pants down around his thighs and pulled them back over his genitals to where they should be. She helped him to his feet, his weight on her shoulder for a moment as he leant against the wall.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Brad’s eyes flicked over her and then he looked away. Her hair hung lank around her shoulders and the damp shirt clung to her body. She must look a sight.

  He forced a smile and stepped over to the lift. “It feels better already. Is this safe?”

  “It didn’t give me any trouble.”

  “Can you hide this place? Change the data on the graphic so the searchers won’t easily find it?”

  “Yes. Good idea.” Wondering why she hadn’t thought of that, she altered the codes, removed the lift and the mountain garden from the graphic and shut down the techpack.

  Brad stepped into the lift. Lights came on, filling the small space with a soft glow. “Well, come along my lady. Let’s see what this mountain garden looks like.”

  He held out a hand to her. He was so much a gentleman, so polite. She grinned and joined him.

  He pressed the topmost of the three buttons. The car rose, smooth and silent, but again with that slight jolt when it stopped.

  “Where to now?” Brad stared around the richly-decorated lift foyer, the pistol in his hand.

  “Straight ahead through here.” She pressed the pad to open the door to the tunnel. Stone grated on stone as the panel slid away into its recess. Faint light appeared, a gleaming luminescence that transformed the swirling designs on the walls into joyful, leaping images that made her spirit soar. For a moment she just stood and absorbed the ambience.

  He gripped her hand with strong, warm fingers. “Come. We need water, at the very least.”

  He led her along a level, open drive. A few meters in, a pile of debris halfway to the ceiling blocked the path.

  “Looks solid enough,” Brad said, playing the light of his torch over the cavity in the tunnel roof. He clambered cautiously over the rubble, sending pebbles clattering. On the other side, he waited for her while she scrambled across. Ten meters away the tunnel ended in a
n apparent wall. She found the door release in the decorations, a blue circle within a yellow swirl. The door whispered outwards and across.

  Light slanted in, bright in comparison with the pale illumination in the tunnel.

  Brad edged out, head turning from side to side. Squinting against the relative brightness of daylight, she followed him. Even now, not long after dawn, the air steamed, but a breeze stirred the leaves on the boughs overhanging the doorway. The sky was as invisible here as it was on the ground but rays shining through the thick canopy left a dappled trail along a path leading off into the undergrowth. Dust motes danced in the spotlight beams.

  She stood beside Brad, listening and looking around, tense, ready to run. Nothing but cheeps, chirps, whistles, an occasional rustle or snap. But something else, a soft, background murmur.

  “Sounds like water,” Brad said.

  Holding the gun in one hand, he took her hand in the other, and set off along worn flagstones littered with debris. On each side a low-growing plant formed a wider space like a lawn between the path and the boles of the trees. The jungle seemed almost tended, not so thick and tangled. Mountain garden. Yes, that made sense.

  The path curved left around a massive tree trunk and passed over an ornately decorated bridge that crossed a busy stream. The water flowed down from the right, gurgling and chuckling in a rocky bed.

  She stopped, caught Brad’s arm. He’d seen it, too. A dome between the trees on the other side of the stream.

  Tense, cautious, he crossed the bridge and approached the building, Allysha at his heels. She’d seen buildings like this in books; a ptorix pleasure pavilion.

  Six circular pillars held up a domed roof. A wall joined the pillars, except for the opening that faced the path. In front of the pavilion another path crossed at right angles, going downhill to the left and uphill to the right.

  The closer they came the more obvious it was that the pavilion had been deserted for many years. Stains marred the designs decorating the dome and the pillars, a testament to the frequent rain storms. Bright paint had faded and peeled, revealing bare stone. Inside the building, debris and animal droppings covered a raised platform, the carvings on its base blurred by simple plant life that had colonized the crevices. Brad pushed aside some of the accumulated litter on the floor with his toe to reveal a fresco, ornate and intricate, worn with age. Figures danced an interweaving pattern around the circular edge and in the center, a band played golden instruments.