Finally, her pursuers revealed themselves. Three men leaned out from their positions of cover. Sigrid logged the targets and fired three shots—three perfect head-shots—that bounced harmlessly off their armored helmets.
Only then did Sigrid see that all three wore some kind of mechanized armor that covered their entire bodies. She’d never seen anything like it and there was nothing of the sort listed in her database. The armor perfectly protected them from the gas bomb she’d thrown and the ballistic rounds she’d fired.
At first she’d assumed the men to be CTF security, or possibly Marines, but their armor bore an unfamiliar insignia that didn’t register with her. All three men leveled their weapons at her; two had lethal looking chain guns, the kind normally mounted on heavy vehicles; they held the bulky weapons as if they were featherweight. The third man was pointing a familiar-looking riot gun at her.
Sigrid swallowed. “Crap.”
The one with the riot gun moved first; Sigrid’s sensors picked up the flex of his finger on the trigger and she launched herself forward, moving directly at him. She saw the flare as the weapon discharged the restraining net at her. Sigrid hurled herself out of its path. Her pistols were back in her holster and she’d already drawn the katana from its sheath as she came back up on her feet. She was vaguely aware of the net smacking harmlessly against the wall behind her. The clanking of the two chain guns firing sounded loud in her head as the armored soldiers frantically tried to track her. All her focus was on the armored man in front of her.
Her PCM registered the weak spot in his armor, just below his helmet and above his shoulders. Her katana sliced through the composite material, relieving the man of his head. Sigrid charged onward; the terrace was just in front of her; though her path took her between the two remaining men. She could feel the explosive rounds from their chain guns nipping at her heels. Sigrid crashed through the doors, shattering the heavy glass, not daring to slow. In a second she was up and over the railing, leaping from the terrace, 222 stories above the city of Buenos Aires.
For a terrifying instant Sigrid feared she’d miscalculated and leapt too far, but she crashed down onto the next terrace three stories below. The drop was nearly fourteen meters and she hit the concrete hard, absorbing as much of the energy as possible in a desperate tuck and roll. But her momentum propelled her into the oncoming railing and she smacked her head solidly on the barrier. She screamed, fighting to keep her wits. The nanomites surged through her system, working hard to repair the damage, ease the pain and keep her conscious.
She had to keep moving. The armored soldiers were already firing down at her. Sigrid ran for the safety of cover. She fired her pistols to smash the glass doors in front of her before charging inside.
Sigrid skidded to a halt. Standing, waiting in front her, dressed in the same mechanized armor and with a rocket launcher leveled at her face, was Sara.
“Hello Sigrid,” she cooed.
Chapter 15
Reunion
“Sara…” Sigrid’s mouth hung open. Sara stood before her; she was older now, but it was definitely Sara. She was alive! “But…how? We thought you were…”
“Spare me the false concern.”
“What are you doing here? How’d you—”
“Believe it or not, I’m here for you.”
“Here for me?” Sigrid frowned. “To kill me, you mean.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. I’m here to help you.”
“But you—you’re dressed like them, like those men.”
“Them? Don’t worry about them.”
Sigrid folded her arms and eyed the rocket launcher warily. “Right now, I’m more worried about you.”
“If I wanted to kill you, you’d already be dead.” Sara lowered the launcher. “Sigrid…what do you really know about Kimura? Do you really trust them? They left me for dead—they took us all. You don’t owe them anything. I can help you.”
“Help me? And were your friends back there trying to help me? Is that what you call it?” Sigrid had no loyalties to the corporation. But the Lady Hitomi…the woman was not what Sigrid had expected. Sara, on the other hand, was the last person Sigrid was willing to trust.
“We don’t want to kill you, Sigrid. But make no mistake, if you choose to work against us—you, or any of the girls…” Sara took a deep breath and frowned. “The Council will try to control you. We can’t let that happen.”
“Is that why you’re here? To stop the Council, or to get me?”
“Like I said. We can’t let them take any of you. They’ll use you, Sigrid. They’ll use all of you.”
Sigrid’s hands slid down to her hips. “And this is how you want to recruit me—at gunpoint? What if I say no? What of the other girls?”
Sara shrugged. “You’re either with us or against us. Now, are you going to stand down like a good little girl, or am I going to have to blow you to bits.” Sara aimed down the sight of the launcher. “I’m happy either way.”
Sigrid pursed her lips. There was no way in hell she trusted Sara, or would let her harm the girls from Alcyone.
Sara hadn’t noticed Sigrid’s hand resting casually on her belt, hadn’t noticed the tiny frag grenade she rolled between finger and thumb. Sigrid popped the frag and charged straight at her. Surprised, Sara fired, straight at Sigrid’s face, but Sigrid was already moving sideways, spinning, continuing her charge forward. With her shoulder down, she barged heavily into Sara, tackling her. She released the grenade; it clattered along the marble floor toward the elevator doors just ahead. The blast blew the metal doors inward sending bent and twisted shards tumbling down the long shaft.
Sigrid somersaulted right over Sara, wrenching herself from the girl’s hands as Sara made a desperate grab at her. Sigrid didn’t stop, and she dived, head first into the open shaft ahead of her, disappearing into the smoking darkness.
The last thing Sara saw were Sigrid’s heels disappearing over the edge of the elevator shaft. She hauled herself up and ran to the charred opening, staring down into the abyss. She saw nothing. Her scans couldn’t pick anything up either. It was difficult to imagine Sigrid surviving the fall, but she thumbed the comlink on her armored collar. “She’s in the shaft. Check the perimeter—nobody lets her get out.”
* * *
Sigrid was grateful for Hitomi’s planning as she hurried to the Starling waiting for her on the roof. Shrouded in camouflage, it sat still and quiet, looking black as the night around them. The skin of the heavily-modified craft glimmered faintly under the torrential downpour. Had it not been for the rain washing over it, Sigrid might not have seen it at all.
She’d barely put her foot on the mounting step when the pilot gunned the thrusters, sending the craft rocketing up toward the spilling clouds overhead. Sigrid stood on the rail, one hand gripping the open doorframe above her as she stared down at the diminishing city of Buenos Aires, with its bright, colored lights blurred and muted, dimmed by a thick layer of fog and a swirling of low-lying clouds.
The Hotel wasn’t far; the flight through the dismal weather was mercifully brief. The pilot circled once, dropping altitude, hardly slowing long enough for her to leap onto the roof, skidding and rolling to stop on the slick surface. Her suite was only a few floors down so Sigrid chose to scramble down the exterior to the balcony below rather than risk being spotted in the halls.
She burst through the balcony doors. The rain slanting down onto the terrace behind her splashed into the living area. She found Hitomi waiting for her; the Lady gasped at the sight of the cuts on Sigrid’s hands and face, and the rips in her uniform.
“My goodness, dear. Are you quite all right?”
“There were men,” Sigrid said.
Sigrid told her immediately of the armored soldiers lying in wait for her, of her narrow escape. And of Sara.
Hitomi listened in silence, never interrupting.
When she was finished, Sigrid took out the data modules filled with the stolen files.
H
itomi waved them away. “There’s no time for that now, dear. It seems we’ve stumbled into the midst of something. I fear we are in danger as long as we remain on Earth. We must leave, and we must leave now.”
What followed was a dizzying frenzy of activity. Within minutes, the Lady Hitomi had her entire entourage packed and boarding a private transport. There would be no leisurely journey back on the TGV to see the sights this night. Tonight was all about flight.
Hitomi stared through the rain-beaded window of the transport, deep in thought. “There are more things at play in this than even I imagined. Until we get off this planet, we are vulnerable.”
The Morrigan was still locked in high orbit, prohibited from landing to pick them up, so they had little choice but to book a return passage on the system of Orbital Elevators—the principal means of ferrying passengers and cargo from the Earth’s surface into space. There was an early departure scheduled from the complex in Panama City; with luck, they’d just make it there in time.
The Panama City complex was one of the largest of the Lift Centers on the planet, with four massive elevators, each over 200 meters in diameter and six stories high. The elevators could deliver tons of material and personnel far more efficiently than the shuttles. Even more impressive were the Lift cables. Constructed with a carbon nanotube weave, the two-meter-thick cables stretched up 700 kilometers into the exosphere, where they were tethered to the orbital docking platforms.
They received word that the Lift was completely booked, but the Lady Hitomi soon crushed the will of the terrified ticket agent. Within moments, they booked a passage on the Lift, berthed in the most opulent accommodation.
They were halfway across the concourse, moving toward the boarding area, when a booming voice sounded behind them. “Halt!”
Sigrid spun and saw a man approaching through the main gate; he wore the blue and grey uniform of CTF Security; his shoulders bore the rank insignia of a captain. He was flanked by an entire squad of soldiers, all leveling weapons at Sigrid and her companions.
Karen squealed and her hands shot up in the air—Sigrid’s hands dropped lower to rest on the pearl handles of her sidearms. She felt the Lady Hitomi’s cautioning hand touch her arm.
“Easy, child,” she said.
Sigrid relaxed, placing her hands behind her back, but all her attention and sensors remained fixed on the squad of security officers that surrounded them.
The captain approached them, striding briskly across the polished floor of the concourse. “Lady Hitomi. I have a warrant for your arrest—you and your party. You will come with me.”
Karen shot a panicked look at Sigrid, who gave her a reassuring nod, although she herself felt a certain unease.
“My good Captain,” The Lady said, in a breezy tone. “Whatever is the matter? This must be some misunderstanding.”
The Captain gave her as stern a look as he could; not easy, Sigrid thought, under the withering stare of the Lady Kimura. “You are wanted for questioning regarding the break-in at the CTF Offices early this morning.”
“Questions? Why I’d be more than happy to answer anything you’d like, right here. There’s no need to bother anyone else.”
The Captain squirmed uneasily. “Please, Madame. We don’t wish to make a scene.”
More footsteps approached; a prim, thin-faced man pushed his way forward. He wore a formal black business suit and his hair was sharply groomed. He also wore a security ID for the Bernardino Lift Company. “What is the meaning of this?” the man barked, staring at the captain.
The captain shifted from foot to foot and Sigrid watched his face begin to redden; she could sense his blood pressure rising. “Um—I have a warrant…”
Lady Hitomi smiled up from her chair at the newcomer, extending her hand in greeting. “Ah, Mr. Gomez. How pleasing to see you again. We’re so sorry for the disturbance. The Captain here just had some questions for us.”
The Captain held out the pad that displayed the warrant, but the prim little man slapped it away. “I believe you’re a little out of your jurisdiction here, Captain.”
“Sir, my orders are quite specific. If you do not let us proceed in our duty—”
“The Bernardino Lift Company is not a member of your Federated Corporations, sir. We are an independent organization. You are now in BLC territory.”
“Sir,” the captain’s voice remained firm, “I must insist you allow us to remove the Lady and her entourage.”
Gomez raised his index finger as a signal. Instantly, the concourse filled with more security, this time dressed in the red outfits of the Bernardino Company. “And I too, must insist.”
Sigrid studied all the men and women, now faced off against one another; the problem was that she and her friends were standing in the middle of a potentially explosive situation. Sigrid lowered her hands, resting them again on the handles of her pistols. She made a quick calculation of the rounds available in each weapon, choosing a selection of primary and secondary targets.
The Captain and Gomez stared at each other coldly. Gomez stood erect and calm. Sigrid saw the Captain scan the group of BLC Security that confronted his own men; he was outnumbered two to one. His chest rose and fell heavily, the smallest trickle of sweat escaped from below the brim of his uniform cap.
At last, the captain nodded, with some reluctance, relenting. “Very well. Stand down.” He signaled his squad to lower their weapons. “I will have to report this, Lady Hitomi. I’m sure the Council will be in touch.”
Hitomi gave a slight nod as answer. The captain retreated, followed by his men.
“I’m so sorry for all this fuss,” Hitomi said to Mr. Gomez.
“Not at all, Milady. It is always a pleasure to have you aboard our Elevators. You must let me know if there is anything we can do to make your trip more enjoyable.”
Hitomi chuckled. “I think just the fact that we are making the trip…I can’t thank you enough, Mr. Gomez.” She held out her hand; Sigrid gave a little gasp as she saw the man kiss Hitomi’s gloved hand—she’d never seen such a gesture. The Lady really is…a Lady, she decided.
With the excitement fading behind them, the group proceeded through the waiting airlock to the Lift. Only once safely inside, only when she felt the giant machine start its slow climb into space, did Sigrid allow herself to relax.
The Lady Hitomi headed immediately toward their rooms down the hallway. Sigrid and Karen followed, shadowed closely by Hitomi’s personal guard. “Now, let’s go take a look at what you brought, Sigrid. Perhaps we’ll find some of the answers there.”
They reached Hitomi’s suite, locked the door and Sigrid began uploading the stolen files to Hitomi’s pad.
Next, Hitomi did something astonishing; Sigrid watched as Hitomi took out a data-uplink module and proceeded to insert it into the access port in the side of her head. Ever since she’d spotted the telltale port hidden behind Hitomi’s ear, there had been a question Sigrid had wanted to ask.
She decided to ask it now. “Mistress—Hitomi-san, are you…are you like us?”
Hitomi put down the data-uplink and took Sigrid’s hand. “No, my dear. It was my hope…but no. I am not like you. I am a failure.”
“A failure…?”
Hitomi laughed and rubbed at the telltale slot. “This—this is nothing more than a testament to my own hubris. I had thought I could enhance myself as we have with you. But…” she looked down at her crippled legs in their mechanical harness, “…as you can see, I failed.”
Sigrid looked at her worriedly; she hadn’t meant to upset her.
Hitomi took up the data link again, reconnected it to the port and winked. “Don’t worry, my dear. I still retain some benefits. At least I won’t have to read through all these communiqués.”
Despite having been up all night, the Lady Hitomi sat diligently working her way through the walls of security and decryption that barred her way as message after message sparked along her synapses. It was much like Gillings had said. The Co
uncil intended to appropriate, or seize, all materials pertaining to Project Andraste and take over every one of the girls’ contracts, either by paying-off Kimura or by force of sanction. If necessary, military action was also listed as an option. Gillings was confident that the extreme measures would not be necessary. But the Council was resolute—they would not suffer another ‘Daedalus’.
More disturbing to Sigrid were the clauses pertaining to the girls. If the girls could not be properly controlled, they were to be—how had the Council put it—deconstructed for the purposes of reverse-engineering.
Sigrid gasped. “How could they do that?”
“I’m afraid the Council feels they can do with you whatever they like. And more than likely, they will try.” Hitomi patted her hand. “Fear not. I won’t let things get that far. I have no intention of letting Gillings or any of his cronies get their hands on you or any of your sisters.”
Hitomi set about repairing the partially destroyed message Sigrid had found. Sigrid watched, open-mouthed, as the Lady’s fingers flew over the pad as she wrote, from scratch, a program to reconstruct the scrambled data.
“Well, isn’t this interesting.” Hitomi scrolled quickly through the message; her repairs working, slowly filling in the blanks. “Look, here. There’s a reference to Gliese…”
“Gliese? That’s the planet Selene mentioned—where Tarsus was headed.”
“Indeed. And look, there’s more.” Hitomi highlighted a section that referred to a Dr. Joseph Farrington, but Sigrid didn’t understand any of it. “Dr. Farrington is an old colleague of mine,” Hitomi explained. “We worked together several years ago on your…well, on this project. He had some interesting theories, but the man was, frankly, erratic. I had to let him go.”
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