by Imogene Nix
“I have a mission. One I didn’t ask for, but that you’ve all become quite integral to. I have to neutralize one more enemy.” The hush that descended left her cold, but she had to forge on. “I didn’t ask for this, in fact, I’d retired, but this one… It’s more than just the life and death of one person. It’s about safeguarding the peace that already exists.”
“And just how do we know that this won’t happen again?” a disgruntled crewman called. She’d braced herself for just this query, but when it came, it still hit hard.
He was right. She’d been called back once. What would stop the Jurans from calling her back again? All she could counter with was honesty. “I can’t make that promise, but what I can say is this will be the last time the crew of the Echo get caught up in it. I give you my word on that. I will protect the Echo and its crew.”
Sandon slid his arm around her shoulders. “If anyone here feels they can’t accept Levia’s word, then you’re free to go.”
Oh God! He’s prepared to lose crewmembers? It was a situation she hadn’t expected. “Sandon, I—”
“No. It’s done. Levia has some last minute instructions for those of you who choose to stay. We won’t lie. There are dangers. Possibly even extreme danger. But should we overcome this, then we’ll be free to pick up the threads of our lives.”
A few of those assembled looked uncertain, but none left the room.
Levia released a pent-up breath and sighed heavily. “So, here’s the plan…”
* * * *
Sandon resettled his pack. He hadn’t realized just how much gear they’d need.
Levia had brought in the shuttle low and fast, and she’d also managed to block their presence on the radars. “If we get intercepted, they’ll want to know what we’re doing here. And if they see me? It won’t be pretty.”
They’d landed outside the tiny township and, after camouflaging the ship, they’d hiked in under cover of night. He could see the lights of the buildings in the distance. “Where are we?”
“One of the science bases. It’s where they’ve been running a range of experiments on all kinds of creatures and where the initial Cybe work was carried out. We really don’t want to be seen here.” Levia indicated a direction and he followed after her. “I know a way in, so long as we can time this right. Come on, we have to hurry.”
With medical supplies, guns, ammunition, changes of clothes, and emergency pouches of food, their backpacks were heavy, and their trek took longer than expected before Levia and Sandon hurried up an alley. “You’re sure this is the way to go?”
Levia glanced over her shoulder. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Oh yeah. We’ll take this lane, then enter the conduit at the end.”
She moved silently, like a cat, he thought. Her every move was deliberate, and it was quite unnerving to watch her in action. “How did you figure out…”
When Levia turned back in his direction, her eyes had taken on the flat matte appearance of a hunter. “I’ve been here before. Once I triangulated his message and pinged it back, I was able to delve deeper into the pocket of information that travels with the message. I realized that I’d seen the transmission point before. It was merely a matter of running a seek protocol.”
He shook his head at her rapid-fire explanation.
The pack on her back didn’t so much as sway as she headed for the large metal grate.
If she could do it, so could he. He wasn’t going to let her down now. So he moved in beside her, aware of the beating of his heart. At the end of the hall, she crouched. “They’ve replaced the screws.”
“Here try this.” He dragged a tiny screwdriver from the pouch at his belt.
She made quick work of removing the screws and handed it back with a smile. “That was well done. Okay, let’s get the packs off and get into here, quickly. I don’t want to be caught by the city’s guards.”
Levia glanced over his shoulder, and seemed satisfied there was no one, but it would only be a matter of moments, he was sure, given the way she kept checking.
They dropped the packs to the plascrete, and Sandon tugged the grate off the conduit. She slid in, grabbing both packs, then he followed, his fingers tugging on the metal. He’d just lifted it into place and pulled his fingers free when guards moved into the lane. He sucked in his breath as they came closer.
A hand tugged on his ankle, and he shimmied backward, the space tight enough that he couldn’t get onto hands and knees. “Quick, they’ll look in the grate and we don’t want to get caught now.” Her whisper was almost soundless as she yanked on his foot.
He moved as quickly and quietly as he could, wincing each time the zipper of his suit scratched on the metallic surface, but no one seemed to hear them. Further along, the passage was wider and taller. He breathed deeply, able to finally crawl up off his belly.
The next junction was larger again, and he curled into a ball, turned, and was able to face Levia and see where he was going. “How far do we have to go like this?”
“Not far. That’s the second junction, and we have four more. They’re pretty close together here.”
The close confines weren’t comfortable, but he shrugged. At least they’d gotten this far and he could look ahead. They shuffled into position, tugging their packs behind them amid the thuds and rattles of movements. He lost track of time, the air close in the small passage, and the walls loomed closer. He couldn’t stretch.
Just as he was sure he couldn’t go any further, she stopped and he bumped into her, pushed on by the momentum he’d gained. “Why are we stopping?”
“This is where we get out. Do you have the screwdriver handy again?”
He dipped his hand into the tiny, pocket-sized took kit and handed it over.
Levia removed the screws then inserted her fingers into the gap before she removed the cover of the mechanism. “Don’t want it to bang.”
She slid out quietly and extended her hand, which he gratefully accepted.
Her hair and knees were coated with a fine, powdery dust, and she brushed herself off. “We need to get to the central building from here. That took us through the wall and we’re in the inner control center that rings this facility.”
“All right then. How do we get in?”
“Watch this.” Behind her was a tiny keypad. She tugged her neural input from her pocket and inserted it. He watched as she blinked once, twice, and a third time. A click sounded and she grinned. “They never think to close these particular security loops.”
She tugged him around a corner and through an open door.
As they entered, an alarm sounded.
* * * *
“Fuck!” Before Levia could even turn, a body filled the doorway. “Run, Sandon!”
One look at that hard face, the broad shoulders, and there couldn’t be any doubt. Her stomach dipped a mile. Ordan Mayerber had found them.
“You’re a stupid girl, Endrado. Everyone kept telling me that you’re the best of the Jurans’ assassins.” He leered and she moved instinctively, darting to the side.
A roar sounded and her mind seized. “Get out of here, Sandon!”
Ordan caught her, his meaty hand colliding with the flesh at the side of her face. It was the side that had been enhanced, and she reared back, kicking out at his knee.
Ordan snarled and whirled away, slumping to his hands and knees. The look in his eyes promised retribution. Knowing that he might have gained strength and speed since his file had last been updated gave her pause.
She had tactics. Maybe.
“This way!”
She heard Sandon calling and she moved, pivoting as fast as she could.
They ran through the door, and Sandon started to close it. When Ordan pushed back she joined Sandon, lunging against the heavy metal. Straining against the might of the fighter opposing them. It closed with a whir.
“We have to get out of here.” She grabbed Sandon’s hand and tugged, her feet moving in a quick tattoo. In her mind,
she inspected the layout of the building and shunted him to the left, into a smaller corridor. “This way.”
A door stood in front, should they? Was it safe? There was no time to question it as the sound of thudding feet approached. Levia dragged Sandon in and pushed it shut, their chests bellowing under the strain.
Sandon opened his mouth and she clapped a hand over it, shaking her head.
Lumbering sounds lurched past the door, and she knew it was only a matter of minutes before he returned to investigate this room. Crooking a finger, Levia had Sandon follow into a secondary room as she accessed the layouts through the corneal implant screen.
In the center was a large lift. She pointed down and he nodded.
Sandon reached for the call button, but she stilled it. “I can override the door, but we’ll need to rappel down. Are you up for that?”
He nodded and she smiled, then pried off the tiny door.
Her fingers moved swiftly over the keys, and the door swooshed open. “Get your gloves on and let’s get out of here.” She dug into the side of her pack, hunting for and finding the leather that would protect her hands.
Once the gloves were donned, she set the timer so the door would shut in fifteen seconds and lunged after him, reaching for the cable. Her hands gripped the metal, slid, and Levia grunted. The pack nearly overbalanced her, but she righted herself.
Far below them was the elevator car, and she started down, legs locked around the thick wire strands, and moved hand-over-hand. Every few seconds, she’d glance at Sandon, ready to catch him if he looked in danger of falling. He was holding his own.
If only he’d stayed behind… But he hadn’t, and she would just have to make allowances and contingencies, she reminded herself.
At the base, they crouched on the elevator roof, and she looked for the hatch, pulled it open, and they swung in, landing with an almost silent oomph.
“Let’s get through these doors and we can get to the holding rooms. That’s where we’ll find Brandon.”
Once the access panel cover was removed, she tweaked the controls and the doors opened with a loud whoosh. “We’ll have to be quick. They’ll get feedback telling them that the elevator has been breached. The only thing is, if we can reach the control room, I can lock down the entrances which will funnel Mayerber in our direction.” At least this section of the base was compact, and she led Sandon to the room. “Stay out here until I call you.”
He looked ready to argue, but she shook her head.
“You promised to follow my lead. This is it.” Levia scanned the hallway. It wasn’t exactly the safest location, but right now, she doubted anywhere was with Mayerber on the loose. “Stay here, and try not to get seen.”
She slid through the door, her senses stretching out, seeking sounds and movements. Three techs huddled over the screens and she moved silently, her hand reaching for the many hypo-sprays she wore on her utility belt.
The first two went down quickly and almost silently, but the third caught sight of her and scurried for the security button.
Levia launched herself. She soared over the console to crash-tackle the man to the floor while his extended hand brushed over the button.
“Get off me!” He bucked and squirmed, but she palmed the spray, and within seconds he was subdued.
“I’m out of practice.” Levia stood, panting a little from the exertion. A quick stretch helped to unkink her muscles, then she walked to the door. Sandon hovered outside, eyes wide as his gaze settled on the three lying on the floor.
“Are they…”
“No. I used a sedative. They’ll wake in an hour or two with really sore heads, but there’s little other side effects.” She ushered him into the room and closed the door.
* * * *
Sandon was amazed at the speed with which Levia worked. Even with her neural connection, it seemed as if her hands found the controls and worked them like a musical keyboard. She overrode safety protocols, locked down communications, and ran a search for Brandon simultaneously.
A loud grating sound echoed. “What the hell is that?”
“I’m closing the blast doors. That should secure the elevators and any other access routes.” Levia sank to her knees and tugged on a door, exposing wires and motherboards to view. He couldn’t see what she was doing, but the sound of grunts and snips filled the small room. “The panel to the left of you, the security doors? Turn the dial on numbers four, five, six and seven to off.”
“What are we—”
“We’re locking down this bunker, until we’re ready to deal with Mayerber. I’m looking through the schematics as they exist on file. I need to find the sequences for the ducting systems.” She mumbled the words, but he felt as if his mind would explode at the number of tasks she could complete at once.
“How do you…” He waved his hands in the air, but she shook her head.
“Sandon, we don’t have time now. I’ll explain the multi-tasking to you later.” She reached over and pressed a button, then turned with a smile. “Right, that should…” As she started to withdraw the cord connecting her to the computer system she swore. “God damn it! Why can’t they just keep everything in one place?”
Levia tugged the cord free, slid back the plate over the port in her skull, then ran to the far end of the room.
“The maintenance shafts weren’t on the main system line. Good thing I checked the security room layout and specs.” She opened a cupboard to reveal another set of controls. Levia twisted a knob and pushed several buttons before slamming the doors shut. “Okay, so that should be it now.”
“What did you just do?”
“What? Oh, they were the maintenance shafts. I was just running a quick final check and found them. If we hadn’t locked them down, Mayerber could use them to get to either Brandon or us, before we’re ready.”
Levia smiled and his blood heated. Then she kissed him and his thoughts melted away.
“You did good. When we saw Mayerber, you didn’t give in and you handled the shaft like a pro.”
“I suppose that’s my training come to the fore.”
“Training? What training?” She screwed up her face, and he grinned.
“On my homeworld, we have compulsory service training for eighteen months.”
Her frown melted away. “But… You’ve never mentioned it before.”
“It’s not like we’ve had a lot of long discussions about before we met, Levia. After all, for the first while you—”
Her hand shot up between them and shoved hard at his chest. “Wait. You’ve been playing me for a fool all this time…”
“No, Levia. I just haven’t told you everything. You know my parents are dead, you know that the Echo is my home. You just don’t know the name of the planet I come from or…” Her eyes glowed, and he sighed. “Okay, so I’m not from either a Juran or Dendaran planet. I actually hail from the Ormoran Sector.”
“You mean…”
He nearly laughed at the look of surprise on her face, but that quickly disappeared. “Uh-huh. Which is why I’ve been able to travel with immunity. Didn’t it even occur to you?”
“But you fly under the Federated Freighters Association flag? That’s the Juran Dendaran collective. How can that be? Ormorans don’t…”
“To quote a very clever woman, let me just say, now isn’t the time.”
“Fine.” The set of her mouth told him that after this was done, they’d have a long and probably trying conversation ahead of them.
“Okay. What do we do now?”
“Now, we go looking for Brandon. Then we plan the best way to deal with Mayerber.”
* * * *
He was Ormoran. It explained a lot of things in her mind. His physical condition, his ability to move between the opposing worlds of the Jurans and Dendarans hadn’t even occurred to her. The two worlds were cool toward each other, as they were forced to co-exist. He didn’t really show any of those tendencies to follow up and expound on the war.
&
nbsp; He was diplomatic—when he wanted to be, that was—and could charm the birds from the trees. He could have claimed Ormoran citizenship and turned down the mission thrust upon him. He could have said no.
Levia’s jaw ached, and she unclenched it. Now wasn’t the time to get caught up in the why’s and wherefore’s. “This way.”
As they moved up the long hall, the only sound was the squeak of her shoes.
At a door, she stopped and raised a hand. “If he’s in there, likely he doesn’t want to come face-to-face with us. Don’t trust him. He’s already tried to sell us out to Mayerber once.”
Sandon’s face was hard, his mouth set in a long white line, and for a moment she wanted to reach out. He was working under immense emotional strain, but he had to hold on just a little longer.
“I’m sorry it’s gone down like this.”
His eyes glinted. “Brandon made the choice, not me.” Sandon straightened his shoulders, clutching the straps of his pack. “Let’s just get this done.”
Levia gave a tiny nod and turned back to the door, hands on the keypad, and entered the door override. It opened slowly, and Levia moved to shield Sandon. No matter that there were secrets and hurts to be resolved between the two of them, she wouldn’t let anyone touch him. Not while she was alive anyway.
The man opposite her hunched over, his face screwed up. “Why? What are you doing here?” Strong emotions threaded through the air as Levia entered the room.
“Brandon? Hmm… I expected something—someone more.”
The careful insult had him straightening up. “What do you mean?”
“You sold out your buddy, then you hide out here, hunched over like the knowledge weighs a ton? I, at least, thought you’d be armed or…” Anger whirled within her. She’d expected an opponent, armed and guarded—some kind of resistance would have made sense! But instead, all she had before her was a cowed man. A sneer rose on her face.
Mayerber obviously thought he’d gotten all the information he needed, otherwise he would have made sure she couldn’t get to Brandon. Either she’d be dead or Brandon neutralized. The thought gave her pause for about two seconds.