by T. G. Ayer
Nerishka nodded, already well aware that her attacker was right in front of her. The orange smoke was a fine powder that spread around the hall, attaching itself to every surface. Including the exterior of the armor belonging to her invisible attacker.
Slowly, the orange outline of a woman began to take shape and Nerishka grinned, surging forward to land a blow on her opponent’s head. She was getting really tired of the repeated attacks on her person.
The blow didn’t do much, but Nerishka had known it wouldn’t. She’d merely intended to distract the woman, allowing Nerishka to swing around her. The narrow corridor made the maneuver difficult but Nerishka used the surface of the wall, running at it and boosting off it with one leg, allowing her to sail over her attacker’s shoulder.
As she went, Nerishka looped a hand around the woman’s neck and slammed her to the ground, dropping a few nano onto her.
Allowing the nano to do the job of penetrating her attacker’s armor, Nerishka got to her feet and grabbed her lightwand from the holster at her hip.
The woman rolled over and jumped up, unaffected by both Nerishka’s blow and the application of her nano, a surge of energy across her armor disabling any foreign intrusions.
She could tell by her assailant’s movements that she desperately wanted to avoid contact with the electron blade, something that gave Nerishka a surge of pleasure. It was nice to feel like she had the upper hand.
But she wasn’t about to cut this woman down, she had more than a suspicion of what this was all about.
The attacker backed against the wall, and Nerishka held the glimmering lightwand close to the woman’s helmeted face giving her the appearance of an orange-tinged halo around her head.
“If you know what’s good for you, you will stand down.” Nerishka’s voice was hard and angry as she spat the words at her attacker. She didn’t have time for this shit. She lifted her chin and yelled, “Dresden? Where the hell are you?”
The woman shifted back an inch and Nerishka went with her.
“Armor won’t protect you. And I don’t have the time for this bullshit. Either stand down and tell me where the hell Dresden is, or I’ll have no choice but to treat you the way I would any assassin who attempts to take me out. You should see what happened to the last person who tried to kill me.”
The woman shook her head.
“What? Can’t talk, won’t talk or don’t know?” Nerishka snapped.
“I can’t do anything until I know for sure who you are,” came the attacker’s low, husky voice.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Of course, you know who I am. Lyra submitted all the requisite information to verify me. There’s too much at stake for Dresden to not trust me.”
The orange-coated armored head of her attacker shifted left to right. “I’m sorry. I’m just doing my job. We need verification that you aren’t an imposter. Or someone here to kill us.”
Nerishka stiffened at that. “Why? Has Dresden been attacked?”
The figure shook her head. “I’m the one asking questions.”
Nerishka snorted. “Not sure how you figure you have the upper hand. I’m the one who can relieve you of your head if I so much as blinked wrong in your direction.”
The woman didn’t respond, and Lyra said,
Nerishka shifted closer to the orange-bathed figure, holding her lightwand close to her attacker’s neck. The woman didn’t move. Not even when Nerishka reached behind her and disengaged the hood of her armor.
The armor released and clicked open, and Nerishka pushed it off to settle at her neck, an inch away from the lightwand.
The armor revealed a woman with dark red hair and wide blue eyes, all of which appeared natural. The blue sparkled with anger and frustration as her armor locked her in position.
“Talk. Or I’ll be forced to make you.”
“Do your worst,” the redhead muttered, lifting her chin in defiance, although Nerishka didn’t miss the nervous tick of her eyes as they flicked to Nerishka’s left for a millisecond.
Nerishka let out a long sigh. “Fine.” Without releasing the lightwand, she slid a tiny black bottle from a pocket at her hip. “This is a truth serum. Problem is it’s the only one I have left and it’s not what I would have used. I’d have much preferred to leave you alive, seeing as you are merely obeying orders. But, since I’m a little tight on time, I guess I’ll have to use it and see what happens. People do sometimes survive but it’s not usually pretty.”
The woman paled, and her eyes ticked left again, wide now with concern. Still, she didn’t appear afraid, just a little nervous.
Nerishka sighed again, this time a little louder. “Fine.”
She flicked her thumb against the lid of the small bottle and it snapped off and flew to the floor. A dark green smoke swirled out of the neck of the bottle and Nerishka moved her hand closer to the redhead’s.
“Don’t worry. I know it looks disgusting. You won’t need to swallow it or anything. It works on contact with a person’s skin, you see. I developed it a while back; it’s derived from the flowers and seeds of the Orabi plant from my homeworld. Has some hallucinogenic properties so don’t be afraid if you see crazy stuff. I don’t think you need to worry, though. The dose I’ll give you will be much stronger, so you’ll slip into an almost dizzy state where when I ask you a question you will have no choice but to answer.
“The thing with this drug is, whatever I tell you now, it’s like laying down a network of rules. So, if I say that if you don’t answer my questions, you will have to rip your eyes out with your own two hands, then trust me, that is exactly what you will do.
“But I’m not that awful. I’ll give you a chance first. So…how about we say that if you don’t tell me what the hell is going on, then you will take the pulse weapon in your hand and blow your head off.”
The woman let out a squeak. But she still didn’t answer Nerishka’s question.
“Still not talking, huh?” The woman was resilient. Nerishka had to give her that.
Nerishka shrugged and began to tip the little bottle over so that the liquid would spill onto the redhead’s neck when a voice behind her called out.
“Fine. It’s definitely her.”
BRIEF
STELLAR DATE: 10.12.8948 (Adjusted Gregorian)
LOCATION: Nimrud Station
REGION: Xerxes, Ayra System (Independent)
The woman sagged with relief and swore under her breath while Nerishka turned on her heel, deactivating the lightwand at the same time.
She found herself staring at Dresden, who—though he looked like he was finding it hard not to smile—also appeared distinctly relieved.
Nerishka glared at him. “What the hell was this whole charade about? I almost killed her.”
“Killed me?” the redhead shrieked. “I’d have been happy with having my head sliced off with a lightwand but that’s not what she was about to do, was it?” The woman was yelling at Dresden, her eyes flashing with fury. Then she turned on Nerishka. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Deadly poisons?”
Nerishka shrugged, trying hard not to smile. “Same thing as being killed with a bullet to the head. Sometimes it’s just cleaner.”
The woman let out a disgusted sound and pushed off the wall. She slid past Nerishka, giving the little bottle a wide berth. “I suggest you put the lid back on that. Don’t want anyone here to be convinced to blow their brains out.” She turned her furious blue gaze to Dresden. “This is not what I signed up for, Dresden. Next time, do your own dirty work. In fact, just make sure I never get a mission if she is around.” She let out a disgusted huff and stalked off.
Dresden’s smile slipped free at last but Nerishka gave him only a thin smile. “That’s a pity. This particular mission is going to include me. That’s non-negotiable.”
He leaned against the doorjamb, arms folded, and chuckled. “Judith is just angry. She’ll come around. Although, let’s keep the truth about the toxin to ourselves. I’m not sure how she’ll take it knowing she’d have ended up with the shits rather than having to blow her own head off.”
“You recognized it.” Nerishka chuckled.
“Considering you pulled that one on me the first time we met, I’d go to my grave with that piece of information seared into my brain.” Dresden smiled and looked Nerishka up and down. “You look good.”
Silence hung between them for a few seconds and Nerishka deliberated on what the best response would be to that. In the end she replied, “You too,” and walked past him into the kitchen where she holstered her weapons and pulled a chair out. As she sank onto the seat she let out a groan. “Was it so hard to double check the security codes? Instead of making me almost kill one of your team?”
“I knew you wouldn’t kill her.”
“Oh really? What makes you so sure about that?”
He pulled up a chair. “Because you’re deadly when it comes to a mission, an assassination. But in situations like this, there is no directive from above, no clear instructions to eliminate a specific target. This was nowhere near such a situation. And that was what I was looking for,”
“You were testing me?” Nerishka yelled. “What the hell, Dresden. What if I had killed her?”
“Then I would have put you down myself. It would have proven that you were not the real Nerishka.”
“That’s a dumb assumption. I’ve changed over the years. I’m far more ruthless than I was before. And besides, what makes you think you know me so damned well anyway? You’ve got no idea what I’ve been dealing with this past few days. I could have killed her.”
He shrugged again. “I know you, Nishka. And I know that gut of yours. It’s more than just base instinct. It also includes not being rash as well as refraining from killing people randomly for no good reason.”
“Whoa. Hold your horses. What’s so damned urgent that we have to move out in the next millisecond.”
Nerishka leaned back and said, “I wish I could show you what I’ve seen, but you’re not on the inside anymore, and this mission is wrapped up in some sensitive stuff. What I can tell you is I need to locate a particular settlement down on Xerxes. A day’s travel beyond the outskirts of Arrapkha. We’re looking for the origin point of what appears to be some sort of deadly pestilence. Origin as yet unknown.”
“And you want us to go right into the danger zone? Straight to where the disease is probably the most potent?”
Nerishka simply nodded. “That’s why Lyra requested the hazmat gear. Which she did confirm you agreed to bring.”
“Yeah. I agreed to bring them, but I didn’t know you wanted to risk your life chasing a deadly disease.”
Nerishka sighed. She’d suspected she would get resistance from Dresden, but she hadn’t thought it would have been mission-related.
He grunted then and slammed a fist onto the table. “I’ve had enough of a hard time keeping myself alive these past months. How much sense does it make for me to walk straight into what could mean death for me?”
“Oh, quit being so dramatic.” Nerishka waved a hand.
Dresden shrugged, but she knew very well when he was being evasive. “I just had to be careful, make sure you were you.” Then he paused and cleared his throat. “So, tell me what this mission is about. I’m not going to abandon you, but once I know everything, I’ll put it to my crew. I’m not taking them down with me if they aren’t comfortable with the mission. But that doesn’t mean I’ll leave you to go it alone.”
Nerishka wasn’t sure what to say. He’d been generous to say he’d still come with her even if it’s not something he’d have done given a choice. He’d go with her just because she wanted to go.
She let out a breath. “Ok. I was on a mission in Anahita and ran into some information that implied some sort of research project had resulted in contamination in a number of patients.”
“And what are we hoping to find when we get there?”
“Clues that will give us an idea as to what caused the symptoms I’ve seen. It will help to be able to rule out a few things.”
“Like what?” Dresden rested back in his chair and Nerishka could tell his mind was turning over a million possibilities all at once.
“Would be helpful to ascertain if the symptoms are related to a toxic contamination or to something else…maybe a naturally occurring toxic organism.”
“Like your little leaves and flowers.”
Nerishka rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Like my little leaves and flowers. This is serious, Dresden. If we can say for certain that the contamination is related to a spill or to food or the landscape, then it will lead me somewhere. At the moment, all I can see is proof of how devastating the effects are and nothing else to go on.”
“No stats?”
“Not that I can get my hands on. Whoever did the research—” Nerishka stopped abruptly, aware now that she’d almost said too much, “The research on the symptoms didn’t record much in the way of possible locations. Patient reports that I saw had no real indication of where they contracted it or how, just that they presented with symptoms.”
“What do we know? So we can start.”
Nerishka nodded. “We do have one possible location; coordinates that may relate to an origin point, or at least where the first cluster was reported.”
Dresden opened his mouth and Nerishka knew he was going to say that she’d just contradicted herself. She raised a hand. “I’m aware of what I said. The patient reports had no indication of where the infection could be traced to. But I was able to obtain more information. It’s possible that we may find nothing, but I don’t think so.”
“That gut again?”
“No. Just common sense. I looked at the data, the symptoms, the clusters. Our info says the settlement on Xerxes is the origin. I’m following the lead. Hopefully it will get me where I want to be.”
“And where is that?”
“With those responsible being held accountable.”
“If it’s not an organic-based pestilent,” Dresden said with a smirk.
Dresden nodded, and his eyes shifted to the left for the briefest moment. Then he fell silent as he reviewed the file. While she waited, Nerishka surveyed the small kitchen and spotted a platter of sweet pastries. She reached over to slide it toward her, spending a few moments pondering choices. She made it all the way through a buttery flaky pastry filled with a sweet berry jam and had bitten into an oval ball of fried dough drenched in syrup, when Dresden cleared his throat.
Nerishka glanced up, to see that he was waiting for her, a hint of a smile on his face. She cleared her throat and set the pastry onto the edge of the platter, then wiped her mouth, hoping she’d gotten all the stickiness off. “So
. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that you haven’t changed. That you still race off after anything that your gut tells you to follow. That you have a fucking death wish. That I’d always enjoyed watching you eat.” Dresden paused and Nerishka threw him a glare. He chuckled and cleared his throat. “Oh, yeah. And that you may be onto something.”
Nerishka cleared her throat again, her gaze shifting quickly to the remains of the pastry before returning to Dresden. “And? Can you estimate a time when we can head out?”
He nodded and got to his feet. “Since the situation warrants urgent action, I’ll address the mission with my team now. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Whoever returns with me will be joining. That’s all I can promise.”
Nerishka nodded and let out a sigh of relief. She’d reached out for the pastry and had almost snagged it when Dresden spoke from the doorway. “There’s fresh coffee in the pot, and another platter of those pastries in the chiller.”
Then he was gone, the sound of his low rumbling laughter echoing toward her.
Nerishka let out a low growl at her reflection in the steel cupboard’s mirror-like surface—and at the blob of purple jam on the tip of her nose.
THE TEAM
STELLAR DATE: 10.12.8948 (Adjusted Gregorian)
LOCATION: Nimrud Station
REGION: Xerxes, Ayra System (Independent)
Ten minutes later—after Nerishka had cleaned up her stupid nose and filled her belly with a variety of delicious finger-sized foods, both sweet and savory—Dresden returned with his team in tow. It appeared, from Lyra’s original head count, that all the members were on board. Nerishka hoped that would turn out to be a good thing.
Dresden entered and took a seat at the head of the table. Nerishka, who had been standing beside the coffee machine, decided to remain where she was. When dealing with animals in the wild, it’s best to not make any sudden moves.