Isis (Moon Hunter's Inc. Book 7)

by Catty Diva

  “So why did you come here to the peach pit of space?” Isis asked.

  “Truth? My little sister has a spinal cord injury. It’s repairable if you have enough money. The bonus will be enough to get it done. This is my last year. I’ve been sending money home so she can get her physical therapy and be prepared for the procedure.”

  Isi felt her eyes get teary. “I’m sorry that she’s had to go through that.”

  “Me too. At least I can do something about it. She won’t have to stay that way all her life. Mary can’t walk, but she’s been getting her education online so she’ll be ready to grab the world by the balls once she’s fixed.”

  A shrill ring went over the loudspeakers. “What the hell is that?” Isis asked.

  “I forgot you haven’t been here long. That lets us know a shuttle or supply ship is incoming. The dock workers now know to haul ass to the bay and see everything is taken care of.”

  “Is this the supply ship we’ve been expecting?”

  “That would be my best guess. We just rarely get unexpected ships. Who would want to come here? The last time was a three months ago and the ship needed emergency repairs, but they dock out front and they aren’t announced. Everyone can see when they pull up.”

  “Out front like the shuttles?”

  “Exactly like the shuttles. This one must be a supply ship to be landing in the back where the storage is.”

  “Who knew there was so much to learn?” Isis remarked.

  “We just have weird protocols.”

  They finished eating and headed back to medical. It was a long boring day with nothing to do but worry. If this was what they’d been waiting for, where were they? Were they planning on waiting until most of the station was asleep before they raided? That would mean she’d be asleep too. Isis didn’t like that plan. She knew they wouldn’t care.

  “Looks like the day is done and Jacobs never made it in. Should we worry about him?”

  “I wouldn’t. He misses days regularly. Jacobs also has what he calls home days when he researches in his suite. He’s probably just fine. I’d have stayed home too if I could,” Larry admitted.

  Isis had to agree with that. She and Larry clocked out just as the alarm sounded. A monotone voice repeated over and over, “The Station is under attack.”

  “Holy shit! What do we do? This has never happened before,” Larry panicked.

  “Listen, just stay here and if someone comes in, don’t resist and you won’t be hurt. Okay?”

  “You’ve been through this before?”

  “More than once,” Isis admitted.

  “Yeah, I heard you had a military background. Jacobs mentioned it. He thought it would prepare you for life here,” Larry explained.

  The hallway exploded to life and she and Larry just watched as all hell broke loose. Most people had no idea what to do. Some ran one way, then turned around and ran back where they came from. Prat moved by headed toward the back dock with a squad of armed men. That was so not good.

  Isis felt useless as she waited to find out for sure who was attacking the station so she knew what to do. She had hoped Steve might come by and let her know, but he seemed to be missing in action. The hall cleared as quickly as it had filled and as far as she could tell, most people were hiding and hoping they would get through this unscathed.

  The hallway started to fill up again and this time it was with familiar uniforms worn by the Mazlan crews. “Isis?” A voice rang out.

  “I’m here!” She yelled back. “Brutus?”

  As soon as she saw him step through the door she ran and threw herself in his arms. “That’s the best greeting I believe I’ve ever gotten. What have they been doing to you here?” Brutus asked. “Who is this guy?”

  “This is Larry. He’s an orderly, but he’s a nice guy. I believe they will want to make an exception for him,” Isis observed. An exception was made when someone was forced to work for a lab because of circumstances or pressure.

  “You can explain that later. Right now, let me get you two off this station,” Brutus suggested.

  “Take Larry, but I’m staying to help out. You know I can take care of myself,” Isis insisted.

  Brutus rolled his eyes. “You never make things easy.”

  “Don’t roll your eyes at me, big boy. And me making things hard on you is one of the things you love about me,” Isis noted.

  “Fine. Just be careful. Steve said an asshole around here wants a piece of you. He’s in the process of hunting him down,” Brutus explained. “Come on.” He waved to Larry and led him off.

  Isis realized once Brutus was gone that she should have ask for a weapon, but what the hell. She was a weapon and a well-trained one. She stalked down the hall looking for prey. Her idea was to go to the back docks where a ship had landed before the attack. Lowlifes like Prat tended to run in the face of strong adversaries. Although she’d never been there, she had an idea where to go and she just headed in the general direction.

  There were signs once she got off the beaten path and into areas most people never saw. It was dirty and poorly maintained back here and the air was stale. Paint peeled and the floor was slippery in spots. Isis had to tread carefully. She could hear shouts and jeers up ahead as she neared the docking area. A guard stood blocking the entryway.

  “No one is allowed in here,” The big guy said with a smirk. “We have some entertainment going in in here.”

  “More important than the fact that the station has been overtaken?” She asked.

  “Doesn’t matter. We’ll be leaving soon.”

  “I don’t think you will be,” She said as she stepped up close and personal driving her knee hard up into his groin area. As he bent over, she used her knee again as her hands in his hair pushed his head down even harder.

  Blood spewed from his broken nose and when she released her hold on him, he fell to the ground. He carried a radio and she took it off him changing the channel to the emergency one used by Moon Hunters.

  “This is Isis. We have a situation on the back dock of the station and need any and all available help. Over.”

  “What do we have here?” A male voice asked.

  “Looks like Foxy Loxy,” another voice answered. “It’s Prat’s woman for sure. He’ll sure be glad to see her. Hey Foxy, why don’t you just come along with us easy like.”

  “No. Why don’t you come over here and make me?” She asked dropping the radio. Either help was on its way or it wasn’t. These guys wouldn’t wait.

  “Grab her Nels,” the bigger guy said. “I’ll check on Travs.”

  “Yeah, grab me Nels,” Isis repeated and Nels licked his lips, but he was obviously nervous.

  “Why don’t you grab her Will and I’ll check on Travs?” Nels asked.

  “Fine. You’re a big pussy, Nels.”

  Travs moved closer to her. “Don’t you try anything girlie or I’ll have to hurt you.”

  “Who me?” Isis asked trying to look innocent.

  Travs lunged at her and she stepped to the side, grabbing his arm and used his forward momentum to flip him. He landed on his back with a bang and his head bounced. “Ouch. That had to hurt. Why don’t you try now, Nels?”

  Nels looked like a rabbit facing a lion. He shook and he was frozen in place, too scared to move. Isis stepped closer. “Boo!” She yelled and Nels broke free and ran toward the front of the station, not even bothering to look back. He was running straight into what he knew to be the enemy.

  Isis stepped through the doorway trying to figure out what was going on. Prat stood there like a king holding court while three of his guys fought Steve. The bodies littering the ground around him were a testament to the fighting he’d already done. Eventually, they would wear him down and Prat would probably step in at that point.

  Steve was barely breathing hard but he’d taken a couple hits. The three guys fighting now rushed in and got a pounding for their effort. Isis nearly jumped out of her skin when someone touched her shoulder. Her
attention had been so focused on the fight, she’d not paid any attention to what was going on behind her. It was a rookie mistake and she was no rookie.

  She drew on a deep breath and let it out in relief. “Damn it, Duke. Why’d you sneak up on me like that?”

  He had an ornery grin on his face. “I shouldn’t have been able to, Princess. What’s going on here? Isn’t that the agent?”

  “Yeah. The leader here had a serious hard on for him and me. I’m not sure who he had the strongest feelings for,” Isis observed.

  “Good to know. Why didn’t you or Steve make mention of that fact?” Duke asked.

  “Are you kidding?”

  “So you mentioned it and it was ignored?”

  “They were dead set on waiting for something to happen and I figure it was the arrival of the supply ship.”

  “It was. They have been selling off slaves and by capturing the ship, we can find out where they are sending the subjects they have sold.”

  “We should have been informed of that.”

  “Perhaps, but Cash was just informed now and he isn’t taking it well. I suspect he will lose all the goodwill he intended to gain with this joint mission due to his bad temper,” Duke declared.

  “There you two are. What the hell is going on here?” Brutus asked.

  “Prat the prick is having his men weaken Steve so he can take him down himself,” Isis explained.

  “Why are you two just standing here watching?” Brutus asked.

  “Fifteen men plus Prat and the three fighting Steve. We were waiting for more backup,” Isis explained.

  “When do you two ever do anything by the book?” Brutus scoffed.

  “One more hunter and we’ll wade in and take them all out. Four to one sounds like odds in our favor,” Isis observed.

  “Here comes Gabe so we can fight now,” Duke pointed out.

  “I’m ready when you guys are,” Isis added.

  “What’s up guys?” Gabe asked.

  “We need to rescue Steve,” Isis said.

  “All for one and all that,” Gabe agreed.

  They stepped into the open and Prat looked up and saw them. “What do we have here? Surround them men and don’t let them get away.”

  “Don’t any of you try to escape either,” Isis said.

  “Baby, just come to me and I’ll let your friends go. You are outnumbered four to one. Think of them when you make your decision,” Prat informed.

  “You need to know they are Moon Hunters and they can handle four or more of your men without a problem,” Isis said.

  “And what about you?” Prat asked.

  Isis stepped up to one of his guys that was leering at her and gave him the knee to the groin followed by a knee to his face. The weasel dropped and he was now out of the fight. “I’m a hunter too. I can handle three of you. Easily.”

  “I bet you can, but what if one of the three is me?” Prat asked.

  Chapter 8

  Battle On

  Steve knew what was going on even though he was fighting three of Prat’s brats. Those crazy hunters were purposely taking on a fight with four to one odds. Why would they do that, especially with Isis having those same odds? Hell, he knew why. They were trying to save his sorry ass. It was his own fault he’d gotten caught up in this shit.

  He knew better than to come to the back dock alone. It was just the thought of Prat escaping tied him up in knots. The asshole deserved to pay for all the bad shit he’d done and Steve had made it his personal mission to see justice won this round. Things just hadn’t worked out the way he’d planned. Maybe that was because he hadn’t really had a plan nor had he thought things out like he should have.

  Prat had been here like he’d suspected, but so had way more men than he’d expected. These men would do anything Prat ordered. In the cowardly way he’d come to know where Prat was concerned, the man had sent in his fighters to wear Steve down rather than face him head on. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, but Steve hadn’t counted on that.

  At least he’d managed to take a few men out of the fight, but the numbers were still against them. He needed to pay attention and the hit to his cheek he’d just taken reminded him of that. Isis stepped in the ring with Prat. Holy shit! Things were getting real now. Steve admired the way she’d talked Prat into going one on one. While she fought him and the others watched, hopefully other hunters would arrive.

  Steve’s foot made contact with one of his adversaries. The side kick nailed him, knocking him across the ring and taking him out. Now he was down to two and they looked at each other nervously. Neither of those guys knew how to fight. Prat had sent untrained men against him just to tire him out. It was working too, but not as quickly as Prat had expected. His body was in good shape, because he worked out all the time. He’d never appreciated his dedication to his personal health so much before.

  Glancing over at Isis, he saw her nail Prat in the face. Good girl! Every hit was one step closer to winning for them all. If Prat went down, these guys would scatter. They had no discipline and only fear held them in place. Fear didn’t buy loyalty. Prat was a brutal bastard. He got in a hit to her belly that had to hurt, but she showed no sign of it. His admiration for her just continued to grow.

  He got in a kick to one man’s knee and he was sure he’d taken it out. It had been a solid kick and the guy fell down. A busted knee could mess a guy up for life. All because they followed a scum sucker. The last guy saw he was on his own and he took off running away. No one even tried to stop him. They were all fascinated watching Isis wear Prat down. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. The outcome was obvious to all. Prat was headed for a take down.

  Watching Isis fight, was like watching a well-choreographed dance. Her moves were graceful and flowed smoothly one into the next. Her punches packed power and her kicks dead on. She landed at least five for each one he managed to get. Still, those he landed caused damage. She had reeled from the last one, the most of any of them even though it had been a glancing blow. The hit to her belly had been the only direct hit.

  Prat was strong, quite a bit stronger than Isis. Her points were that she was fast and well-trained. She could move fast enough that his hits missed her completely most of the time. She also had superior stamina and discipline. Now that Steve was free to just watch and listen, he could hear Prat trying to anger and distract her.

  “Once I’m tired of you, I’ll throw you to my crew. You’ll like that. All whores like pleasing a dozen or more men,” Prat described.

  “At least you didn’t lie and try to convince me you could please anyone sexually or otherwise,” Isis taunted.

  “You bitch. I’ll fuck that sass right out of your ass,” Prat threatened as he threw a punch that went a mile wide.

  “You should concentrate on your fighting since you’re not good at it,” Isis observed.

  “Bitch!”

  “Asshole.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “Not in a million years.”

  The fight heated up as Prat went a bit crazy. He was used to people being scared of him. As the fight continued, more hunters and Mazlans joined them. No one even attempted to interfere. Everyone knew that would piss Isis off. She did a sweep kick knocking Prat to the floor. He got back up again. She got in a jab to his jaw and a kick to his ankle at almost the same time.

  The little hits and kicks were adding up and Prat was wearing down. He made a desperate move to finish the fight. Maybe he saw she wasn’t slowing down and knew he was. Maybe he just saw his chance to escape disappearing. Whatever the reason, he rushed in swinging wildly. Isis stepped in, which he didn’t expect. She slammed her fists into his face over and over rapidly. His eyes both swelled and his lip busted open wide. His nose was clearly broken and sprayed like a fountain.

  The fight was over because with both eyes swelled shut, he couldn’t see to battle on. His nose was devastated and his lips were swollen. It also looked like he was confused the way he circled, turning
his back to her part of the time. Isis, being a good and fair person, didn’t take advantage. His men immediately began to scatter. It did them no good since they simply ran right into either hunters or the soldiers the Mazlans had sent to assist them. The only ones that didn’t seem to be present in any number worth mentioning were his own agency agents. According to the hunters he’d talked to, there were agents present, but they were not looking to take prisoners.

  The few present seemed only interested in getting at the information stored in security, various offices, and medical. The hunters had already pulled much of that so they left them to it. Cash would probably be rethinking working closely with them in the future. They seemed to be all take and little give. Also, the hunters present had thought it shameful that they’d left Steve to fend for himself. Personnel should come first. Always.

  Now that all the riff raff had been arrested, Isis approached him. “Come on, big boy. Let’s get you to medical and patch you up.”

  “We’re not through here,” Steve insisted.

  “No, we’re not. After I patch you up, we’ll help with the subjects. They’ll be taken aboard the ship and given rooms. Their health and welfare will be seen to. I just can’t let you help when you’re hurt.”

  “Lead on, my lady.”

  “You men, I swear.” She led the way even though he knew how to get to medical because he was tired and achy. He knew she could give him something for that and he could then help her.

  Medical was empty except for two computer tech agents. They looked up as he and Isis entered and moved to block the computers they were accessing. “We’re here to get Steve some medical care. His people didn’t care if he died so hunters had to save him.”

  “Hey, we’re his people. We didn’t know where he was,” The short guy replied.

  “Didn’t look either,” Isis taunted.

  “We had our assignment,” the other guy explained.

  “I hope someone’s assignment doesn’t interfere with them saving you sometime when you are outnumbered and your life is in danger.” Isis was pissed. “Sit on the bed, Steve. I’ll give you a cocktail shot to deal with pain, fatigue, and boost healing.” She pulled out what she needed while the techs got back to work and ignored them. “Sit still, this won’t hurt.”