They hadn’t condoned it, just done nothing about it. They’d needed the Church’s support. He’d not been involved in the negotiations, and he presumed his Council hadn’t been aware of the consequences when they’d agreed to downgrade GMs to non-human status. The Purge that had followed had torn the universe apart. He’d eventually managed to put a stop to the overt slaughter of GMs, though the non-human status had never been reverted.
But that was politics.
He swallowed and forced himself to go on. “Where did they come from—these GMs”
“The Church still kills them if they believe they can get away with it. It goes on all the time on the outer planets. When they knew we’d pay, they would often keep the children alive and sell them to the research center.” She must have seen something in his expression. Her lips thinned. “They would have died anyway.”
“Yeah, no doubt you were doing them a favor.”
“Don’t you mean we? You paid for this, so don’t go all sanctimonious on me now, Callum. You never asked for the details. You never wanted to know how I got results.”
Christ, children. He felt sick again, and this time it was nothing to do with the poison. “What happened to them?”
“Some died during the experiments.”
“And the rest?”
“Any survivors were sent to the mines. It was part of the agreement with the Church.”
So Tannis couldn’t have been there. “Everyone? There were no survivors?”
“What are you trying to get at?
“You asked why Tannis poisoned me.” He gestured at the piece of material, with its incriminating mark, lying on the bed between them. “This was on the floor when I woke up. She left it there for me to find.”
Enlightenment washed across her face. “She’s a GM.” Sinking on to the mattress beside him, she closed her eyes for a minute.
“Jesus, we’re fucked.”
“What is it? What have you remembered?”
She examined the palm screen for a few moments, nibbling on her lower lip, her eyes narrowing as she read the information.
Callum bit back his impatience as he waited for her to continue.
“Just before we closed down the facility, there was an escape.
One of the subjects killed a guard, and managed to escape. They freed another prisoner.”
“Another GM?”
“No—this was someone our forces had captured and delivered—they thought he might be an interesting study. Would you believe a suspected vampire?”
“Yeah, I’d believe it.”
“Anyway they both escaped on this guy’s ship. They were never recaptured, but then we didn’t try very hard. They had no real value. The GM was scheduled to be shipped to the mines the next day.
“Who was the subject?”
“Wait a second. A GM—shit—designated reptile /human DNA. Double shit. You think Captain Tannis is…”
He nodded. “Tell me about her?”
“She was bought from the Church—estimated age four. Two siblings, she was the older.”
“What happened to the sister?”
She tapped into the pad. “Terminated after an adverse reaction to one of the experiments.”
Callum rested his head back against the wall behind him and closed his eyes. She must hate his guts. Along with the rest of him.
“How long was she in that place?”
“Fourteen years.”
“Jesus.”
Venna was right. It was his fault as much as hers. More his really. But all the same, he couldn’t bear to look at her right now.
“Go back to your shuttle. I suggest you lock the door and don’t come out again. I doubt you’re any more popular than I am around here right now.”
“Shouldn’t I stay and look after you?”
“Thanks for the offer—but no.”
She looked at him. “They weren’t badly treated. They had food and shelter.”
“And they died from the experiments.”
“This is science. We need to make sacrifices.”
“Just go, Venna.”
He watched until the door shut behind her. He wanted to weep, but that wouldn’t change things.
Venna had said they weren’t badly treated, but they must have known what was in store for them. To live with the threat of death hanging over you constantly. No wonder she was obsessed with getting the Meridian treatment. Well, at least he could give her that.
He remembered Rico’s comment that she was scared of sex. Was that a hang-up from her time at the center? What had happened to her there? He could guess and nausea rose up sharp and bitter in his throat.
Callum?
He felt the word like a tap on the door to his mind. The colonel. About time.
You okay? You feel off.
I’ll live.
You want me to send a ship to pick you up?
No. Everything is fine. I saw Rosalie.
The colonel was silent for a moment. How was she?
Good. Old…but happy.
Thank you.
And I’ve got Venna—
I know. She contacted the council about five minutes ago. She seems to think you’re in danger.
I’m fine. If they were going to kill me, I’d be dead by now. The captain will keep me alive—she wants something from me.
And that would be…?
I’ve promised her the Meridian treatment if she takes me to Trakis Seven
Ah.
What does “Ah” mean?
There might be a problem with that.
Callum’s head ached viciously; his body was still racked with tremors, and his mind weighed down by something he could only guess was guilt. He hardly recognized the emotion, but what else could it be? He had so much to feel guilty for.
All the same, couldn’t one thing just go right for him today?
Are you going to tell me what it the problem is?
I just got new intel in from my people inside the Church.
They’ve sent a ship to destroy Trakis Seven.
Shock hit him in the gut.
Why the hell would they want to do that?
To destroy the evil once and for all, I guess. Temperance Hatcher is hardly known for his rational behavior. And they’re getting a big following. There’s a lot of anti-Collective feeling right now. People believe we’re holding onto the Meridian in order to push prices up.
What are the Council doing about this?
Absolutely nothing. I don’t understand it. They could at least try and stop it from happening, but they refused to even consider my plan. It makes no sense.
Actually, it made perfect sense to Callum. Only the Council knew that Meridian was all but finished. Maybe a few others like Venna, who were involved in the running of the planet, might suspect, but they didn’t know.
The Council’s reasoning would be that if they allowed the Church to go ahead and destroy the planet, then they could blame the Church for the loss of Meridian. It would give them valuable propaganda to use against the Church.
But Callum knew there was more to it than that. The Council would love to see the planet destroyed. They were terrified of what Callum might find there, terrified of the truth.
It makes sense to me. He told the colonel.
And are you going to share? I need to understand what’s going on, Callum. I can’t help you if I don’t know what I’m up against.
The Meridian is finished.
What?
Callum could feel the shock reverberating through the colonel’s mind. We’ve found no new meridian for over ten years.
It’s finished. There is no more.
Jesus. He was silent for a moment. So they really don’t care.
Oh, they care. They’d like to see the planet destroyed and any secrets it holds with it—the Church is doing them a favor. Is there any way you can stop this from your end?
None that I can see right now. We’re still under siege here, and the Council has cal
led in just about every ship in range to try and break the Church’s hold around the planet. I’m free but only nominally in charge. They’ve given me the title of strategic advisor, which doesn’t necessarily mean they’re doing anything I advise.
Callum rubbed the point between his eyes, trying to relieve some of the tension.
Okay, I’ll see what we can do from here. Can you do something for me though?
Of course.
Send the intel you have on the Church through to this ship so they can see what we’re up against.
Sure, Callum.
Right, I’ll be in touch.
Once the colonel was gone, Callum lay back on the bed and tried to work out what this meant. It was impossible to work out a plan of action until the intel came through and they knew what they were up against, but he supposed he’d better go and give them a heads up on the situation.
If Tannis would see him. She might even decide to finish the job. Though he didn’t think so. She wanted the Meridian treatment too much, and he was the only one who could give it to her.
He put his feet to the floor and found, with a little effort, they would support him. He staggered into the shower and stood washing the sweat and grime from his body. His stomach still felt hollow, but that was no doubt because he was empty. He needed food.
But first, he was going to have to apologize.
Again.
It was becoming a habit.
Chapter 10
“I’m sorry.”
Tannis glanced around at the softly spoken words. Callum stood in the doorway to the bridge. And he looked sorry.
Well, in a sorry state anyway.
Beneath the gold, his skin had a sickly green tinge, and dark circles shadowed his eyes. He was leaning one shoulder against the doorway for support.
Good.
But he was upright, which was impressive considering the state he’d been in when she’d left him. And he’d obviously showered, his short hair was still damp and he was wearing clean clothes, black pants and a black sleeveless T-shirt. He was beautiful, and she hated him.
“You want me to get rid of him?” Rico asked from beside her.
“He can be out of the airlock before you can say, ‘piece of shit Collective bastard.’”
Tannis considered the question. Would it help if he died?
Would she feel better?
“Or I can do it for you,” Jon said. “It’s easy if you know how.”
Yes, if anyone could do it, Jon could.
“And I wouldn’t mind having a go.” Janey glanced up from her console where she was looking up data on Trakis Seven, trying to work out their best way to get safely onto the planet and safely away again. El Cazador couldn’t go in—Tannis couldn’t expose the rest of the crew to the poisons of the planet, so they would have to take one of the shuttles.
“And me,” Alex said. “I’ll do it. I wonder what would happen if a Collective member got eaten by a wild animal.”
“You mean like a wolf?” Jon asked with a grin.
Tannis held up her hands. “Nobody do anything. If anyone’s going to kill him, it’s me.” But she was warmed by their support.
They would do it for her. Even if they risked the enmity of the powerful Collective.
They’d all been very careful around her, trying to act normal, but she could see the pity in their eyes. Or maybe not pity. Maybe compassion, which was a whole different thing, but still she wished they would hide it a little better. She didn’t do emotional. Not in public anyway.
She wondered who had told them. Maybe Rico, but she doubted it. More likely, Janey had pieced something together from the information. Janey was about the brightest person Tannis had ever met, and she’d probably have had no trouble putting together the clues.
The truth was she’d had a crap childhood. But so had a lot of people. Alex for instance, had been a priestess, and grown up in an abbey having to pray every day—that must have been far worse.
And just because she’d had a bad start, did that mean she should go through her whole life hating everything and everyone?
She could do that, or she could put it behind her.
She couldn’t forgive him; this went too deep. But she could also not put revenge before getting what she really wanted. So they would go to Trakis Seven, and she would get the Meridian treatment.
And then maybe she would kill him.
“So are you going to kill me,” he asked quietly, breaking into her thoughts.
“I haven’t decided.”
“I think you have. If you wanted me dead—I’d be dead already.
Now, if you’re not going to kill me, I have some information you need to hear.” He shrugged and gave a brief flicker of a smile.
“Afterward, you may want to change your mind.”
That didn’t sound good. She wondered whom the information had come from. Venna? Or had he been in contact with someone else?
“No, I’m not going to kill you. Yet. But I need a drink. Rico, go get some of your whiskey and let’s meet in the conference room in five. Janey, are you finished?”
“Yes, I’ve got a couple of options for best approach.”
“Okay, bring the data. And somebody tell the Trog to get up there, I want everyone in on this.”
Tannis watched as Callum stepped aside to let the others walk past him. He seemed oblivious to the dark looks and muttered comments he was getting. Though he winced at something Janey said as she exited the room.
She should leave, but she hesitated. Callum leaned back against the wall, hands shoved in his pockets as he regarded her.
“I know it’s not an excuse, but I didn’t know.”
“Well, maybe you should have known.” She hadn’t meant to talk about it, but the words were out before she could stop them.
“Maybe you’re right. But do you know how many things I have to deal with every day?”
“No.”
“A lot. I don’t have time to do everything. So I delegate.”
“Big deal. But I really don’t care.”
“Yes, you do.”
“No, I freaking don’t.”
“I’m not making excuses. The truth is I should have known.
But I didn’t.”
Tannis sighed. Suddenly, she felt weary. She waved a hand in his general direction. “Forget it. And you can tell your girlfriend it’s safe to come out. No one will harm her while she’s on El Cazador. Or you either.”
“She’s not my girlfriend. And later?”
She shrugged. “Who knows? Let’s go find out what more good news you have for me.” Without waiting for him to say anything further, she walked away.
Rico was already in the conference room when Tannis arrived, sitting at one of the small tables, a bottle and a bunch of glasses in front of him. She took the seat next to him.
Callum came in behind her and collapsed into a chair opposite, leaning back his head, and closing his eyes.
Rico grinned. “You look like shit.”
He peered through one half-open eye. “I feel like shit.”
“Good.”
Rico sounded amazingly cheerful, considering he’d suffered in that place as well. He’d once told her it was the closest he’d ever come to dying. But then one of the first lessons he’d tried to teach her was not to bear a grudge. He poured the golden liquid into the glasses and pushed a couple toward her. “Here, and maybe you’d better give your boyfriend one of these?”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Really? Looks like someone gave him a love bite.”
Callum’s lower lip was swollen where she’d bitten him. It looked nasty. She told herself she hoped it hurt, but couldn’t get up any conviction. Instead, she picked up one of the glasses and held it out to him.
His brows drew together as though surprised, but he took the glass and swallowed the whiskey in one gulp, wincing as it stung his cut lip. He held out the glass, and Rico reached across and refilled it.
The others entered the room, grabbed a glass, and took up seats around them. The Trog came in last. He didn’t bother with a drink. While he was happy to make the stuff down in his engine rooms, Tannis had never seen him actually consume it.
She presumed he didn’t want the loss of control. The Trog was hiding something, she’d known that when they took him on, but he was also the best engineer she’d ever come across, and if he wanted to keep his secrets, that was fine by her.
“Okay,” she said when everyone was seated. “How are we going to do this? Janey?”
“Actually, maybe I’d better go first,” Callum said. “As what I have to say effects what we do next. If we do anything.”
Tannis didn’t like the sound of that. As far as she concerned there was only one course of action right now. They go to Trakis Seven, she takes the treatment, they get the hell out of there, and she lived forever. She really didn’t want to hear about anything that would interfere with that plan.
“What do you mean, if anything? You’d better not try and weasel out of our deal, or I might kill you after all.”
“I just heard that the Church have sent a ship to destroy Trakis Seven.”
Tannis sat back in her chair stunned. “Is that even possible?
To destroy a whole planet?”
“With enough firepower, you can destroy anything.”
“Why?”
“Presumably, to cut off our power base. People support us in the hope of one day getting the Meridian treatment. If the source was destroyed, why follow us?”
“Why exactly?” Tannis muttered. “Great… just great.” She swallowed her drink and slammed the glass onto the table, jumped to her feet and paced the room, unable to sit still any longer. “So do you actually know anything useful?”
“The colonel promised to forward the intel here. It should be in your systems by now.”
“I’ll check,” Janey said. She opened a palm screen and her fingers fluttered over the keys. “It’s here,” she murmured, “and it doesn’t look good. Wait, I’ll put it up on the main screen.”
She rose to her feet and crossed the room to the console, pressed a few keys and a screen emerged on the far wall.
Tannis stopped her pacing, stood in front of the screen, and read the information with increasing dismay. It was a frigging army. “Where the hell has the Church gotten an army from?”
Nina Croft Page 14