Determination: Age Of Expansion – A Kurtherian Gambit Series (Precious Galaxy Book 3)

by Sarah Noffke

  “They said that you’d been placed in a different program,” the boy at the back said.

  Suddenly the room erupted with chatter.

  “I didn’t know there was another program.”

  “I wanted to graduate to that.”

  “What’s it like?”

  “Do you get a different uniform when you graduate?” a tall boy with black hair asked, pointing at Dejoure’s ripped blue jeans and T-shirt.

  She stuck out in the all-white room, where the children were wearing clothes to match their surroundings.

  Dejoure held up her hands. “I’ll explain everything, but right now, we’re limited on time.”

  She appeared so much more mature than the other kids. Maybe she always had been, due to her upbringing and old soul intuition. Or maybe her time onboard Ricky Bobby had changed her.

  “What did you do to the guards?” the redhead asked, her freckled arms crossed in front of her chest, and a smug look on her face. “Dr. Lukas is going to be mad.”

  “It’s Dr. Ass that I’m trying to save you all from,” Dejoure said, shaking her head at the girl. “He’s using you. He’s imprisoning you.”

  “He’s taking care of us,” the girl argued.

  “Diedre, you don’t get it.” Dejoure looked around the room, seeming to grow taller an inch. “Look, I’ve been out there in the real world, and it’s wonderful. You shouldn’t be confined to SB. We’re children, and we deserve to have a home and be able to explore and be curious and run in the grass.”

  “What do you have that we don’t?” Deidre challenged.

  “For one, I get to dress how I like.” Dejoure swept her hand at her outfit. “And now I live onboard an amazing battlecruiser.”

  “Neat!” the blond-haired boy exclaimed. “Can I too?”

  Another sudden burst of chatter exploded around the room.

  Dejoure held up her hands to quiet the children. “The people I work with have arranged for you all to go to good homes inside the Federation. You’ll have everything you don’t have here: freedom, creativity, love.”

  “Why should we believe you?” Deidre asked, the same snobby look on her face as before.

  “Because the people I’m with care about me enough that they are taking SB down—but we want to get you all to safety first,” Dejoure answered.

  Diedre answered, “Dr. Lukas will never allow that. And why should we leave him? He’s taken care of us.”

  “Dr. Ass is powerless against us,” Dejoure countered. “And you should come with us because he put you all on a drug that, if you go off it, you’ll die. Does that sound like a man who wants what’s best for you?”

  The children erupted with panic, many of them clutching each other at this news.

  “It’s okay, though,” DJ said calmly. “We have the drug and more than enough to help you. But you need to go with me now, or you’re going to be in big trouble.”

  “Why should we?” Deidre asked stubbornly. “How do we know this life you’re promising us is real?”

  Dejoure smiled and looked down at the floor. “I think it’s time, Harley.”

  She bent down and deactivated Harley’s cloaking belt. The dog materialized beside her, his eyes bright with excitement.

  “A dog!” the kids sang with delight.

  Many of them ran forward to pet the animal. He accepted their affection, even licking the blond-haired boy in the face.

  “How did you get a dog?” Deidre asked.

  “That’s what I’m telling you,” Dejoure insisted. “It’s been too many years for you to remember, same for most of the rest of you, but I was the last one to come here. Outside of SB, there’s a real life, and we’ve arranged for you to go to real homes. Not orphanages or an evil corporation that will exploit you, turning you into enhanced soldiers. If you go with me, you can have a dog or swim in the seas or travel the galaxy. If you don’t, then you’ll have quiet time every day and no choices.”

  “I’m going with Deor,” the boy with black hair sang.

  “Me too!” someone else called.

  “I’m in!”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Starboards Corp Headquarters, Planet Kai, Tangki System

  Lewis knew Melanie was seconds away from using her manual override to take control of the system. But he knew how to stall; he knew no one liked to fight more than Melanie. She used to criticize him only to draw out a reaction, and then they’d be arguing for the rest of the day.

  He deactivated his cloaking belt and materialized in front of the camera.

  Melanie’s ruby red lips parted in an almost comedic “O” shape. “You. I knew it.”

  Lewis stood and bowed proudly. “Oh yes. It took me a little bit, but I found you.”

  Melanie laughed. “You haven’t found me. Do you see me there?”

  Lewis’s eyes swiveled to the screen of the empty office. “No, as usual, you’re slacking while those with real intelligence do the work.”

  “I knew you’d come after me,” she sneered. “And I suspected that it was you and that girl who broke into Starboards Corp before I took over.”

  “That girl is my partner, someone I can trust,” Lewis said, eyeing the monitor of the children’s dormitory. It was taking Dejoure longer than it should to get the children to safety.

  “Your bitterness is showing, Lewis,” Melanie sang with a wicked laugh.

  “I trusted you, Mel. And you double-crossed me. You left me for dead.”

  She sighed. “I was hoping that you did die. That would have made things easier.”

  “Who did you sell the diamond to?” he asked, leaning forward, his nose inches from the screen.

  The cackle that came out of Melanie’s mouth hurt Lewis’s ears. “I’m not telling you. What a horrible detective you are.”

  He ground his teeth together. That was the one piece of information he needed to clear his name. If he could prove Melanie sold the diamond, and maybe even recover it, then Gringotts would know he hadn’t stolen it.

  “I really don’t understand why you betrayed me.” He shook his head. He knew it was futile to try and understand her, but deep down, it felt like it would help.

  “Lewis, you held me back. You always thought so small,” she explained. “You wanted to work case after case… There was never an end in sight.”

  “That’s how detective work is,” Lewis said bitterly.

  “Yeah, but that’s no life for me. When you got the etheric diamond case, I realized it was my big chance. You were going to find the diamond and simply return it. Another option hadn’t even occurred to you. You were the crumbling ledge I needed to jump from to realize I had a parachute. It delivered me to greener pastures.”

  “I didn’t consider another option because stealing the diamond was wrong. Gringotts is a powerful man. He hired me, the very best, to find it. He’ll never stop until he gets it back.”

  “And yet, I was able to unload it and get away.” Melanie looked around. “And look at me now. I got a company in exchange for the diamond, and I’m living the life. Meanwhile, look at you, still searching for me. Still running.”

  Lewis clenched his fist and rose to full height. “I will never stop until I destroy you. Not only your wealth, but you as a person.”

  “Well, this has been delightful, but that reminds me that I should be taking my building back. I’m not sure what you’re up to, but it’s over. My forces will have you and your pathetic partner taken down in no time, once they are released.”

  Lewis looked at the monitor for the children’s ward. Harley had appeared. Things were progressing, but they hadn’t gotten out of there yet. He needed to stall a bit longer.

  “So, I see you still have the same tacky taste,” he said, pointing to the monitor of Melanie’s office. “I’m sure the Federation would love to know you’ve got a crater bear skin rug, since those are a protected species. Oh, and is that a Crumble-Horned Snorkack’s head hanging on the wall? I’m fairly certain hunting those or d
isplaying their remains is a felony offense.”

  Melanie laughed. “If you noticed, Starboards Corp resides on Kai, outside of the pesky Federation’s control.”

  Lewis thought fondly of Ghost Squadron and their ultimate mission, secretly protecting the area outside Federation boundaries. “Yeah, you’re right. Darn. I guess you’ll get away scot free again.”

  “Of course I will, Lewis.” She shook her head. “Haven’t you realized that I’m always ahead of you?”

  He noticed sudden activity on the other monitors. The guards had regained access to the stairwells and elevators, and the scientists were spilling out of their offices.

  “What have you done?” He asked in a rush.

  Melanie rolled her eyes. “While you were monologuing about my illegal items, I activated the override.” She waved. “I’ll be seeing your corpse soon. Bye.”

  “There’s a problem!” Lewis yelled over the comm.

  Dejoure froze, having heard his announcement.

  “What is it?” Bailey asked, earning speculative glances from the children since she was still cloaked.

  “The controls have been overridden,” Lewis answered.

  As if cued by this declaration, a rush of noise echoed from the hallways. The scientists were free.

  “Can you be our eyes and tell us the best path to take?” Bailey asked.

  The sounds of typing came from the comm. “Already on it. I may not have complete power, but I can still do my own level of deception.”

  The sirens blared overhead. A voice came over the speaker, Lewis’s voice. “Alert. There’s a disturbance on level five. All available units report to this area.”

  “Do you really think security is going to fall for that?” Bailey asked with a laugh.

  “Well, according to the feed, they already are.” There was a smile in his voice.

  “Nice work, Holmes.”

  “It won’t work for long,” he warned. “Melanie is in communication with her staff, too.”

  “It will buy us some time.” Bailey deactivated her cloak, materializing in front of the children.

  Several gasps echoed around the room.

  “Hi, guys. I’m part of the team here to rescue you,” Bailey announced.

  “Are you a superhero?” the little blond boy asked.

  Before Bailey could respond, Dejoure said, “Timothy, she’s totally a superhero. She kicked the butts of those two jerks out there who never let us go to the bathroom, even if it was an emergency.”

  Collective cheers rang out from the group.

  Bailey smiled, impatience starting to build in her as the noises grew closer. The scientists would think the guards had the children secured; hopefully that would keep them away longer.

  “Okay, we need to head out now,” Bailey told the children. “I have a big favor to ask you all. The people trying to keep you here are bad. Everything DJ says is true. We will protect you and give you the life you deserve. However, to get out of here, we are going to need to fight. Now, they’ve told you to mind them, but the truth is you’re stronger than Dr. Lukas and his minions. You’re stronger than the guards, but you’re going to have to use your powers to your advantage.”

  “We’re going to fight to get out of here?” the redhead asked, looking scared.

  Bailey nodded. “Yes. But don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  She knew that making such a promise was bold, but she had to say something to erase the fear in their eyes. She was asking a lot from them. And in truth, she had figured it might go this way. Keeping the building locked down the entire time was unlikely. But if she had to go into battle with anyone, she wanted it to be a dozen badass little kids who were fighting for their freedom.

  “Are we ready?” she asked, looking over her shoulder. There was someone coming. Maybe a bunch of someones. Lewis’s diversion wouldn’t last for long.

  “Yes,” the children called.

  Bailey turned, marching out of the room and through the long hallway, which was still deserted besides the two fallen guards.

  Dejoure reached down and picked up one of the guard’s shock wands and handed it to the boy next to her. She was about to grab the other one when Bailey stopped her.

  “Cloaking belt,” she ordered.

  Dejoure looked like she was about to argue, but stopped herself. She complied, disappearing, making many of the children gasp with excitement.

  Bailey would have given her own cloaking belt to one of the children if there was time, but just then, two scientists charged through the double doors at the other end of the hallway. She sprinted forward and knocked her elbow into one scientist’s face. She spun around and grabbed the other by the back of the neck and yanked him over her shoulder, knocking the wind out of him.

  The children screamed. Bailey would have preferred for them not to see that, but her main priority was to keep the kids safe.

  The first scientist had blood streaming from his nose and was again stumbling in her direction. Bailey was about to throw a roundhouse kick at his face, when his pants were suddenly brought down.

  The children all laughed.

  The scientist halted, staring around in bewilderment. “What’s going on here?”

  He had no idea that a cloaked figure had pantsed him. Reaching down, he tried to step forward as he pulled up his trousers, but something—or more likely, someone—tripped him, and he fell straight on his face, his pants tangled around his legs.

  The other scientist rolled up to a standing position and was immediately shoved toward the children. He turned to see what had pushed him, but not finding anyone, he spun around to face Bailey.

  “I don’t know who you are, but—”

  A sudden yelp erupted from the man. He spun around, clutching his calf. Harley was standing behind him, his fangs bared, and a loud growl vibrating from his mouth. The man stumbled backward, trying to put as much distance between him and the dog. He slid down the wall, holding his bleeding leg and crying softly.

  “Come on, children.” Bailey waved them forward.

  They followed, most of them not looking remorseful as they stepped around the fallen scientists, who didn’t dare move with Harley standing guard and growling. When Bailey pulled out her gun and burst through the double doors, she found exactly what she expected.

  Dr. Ass stood in the center of the room, a row of guards flanking him.

  “So we meet again,” Dr. Ass said, a proud smile on his face, his eyes riveted to the children at Bailey’s back. “Whatever you’re trying to do, it’s going to stop here.”

  He turned his head to the side and nodded slightly to the uniformed soldier closest to him.

  “On guard,” the commanding officer said.

  In unison, the soldiers all pulled weapons, pointing them at Bailey and the children.

  Bailey’s heart froze. Her blood turned to concrete.

  In the past, the guards had all used shock wands, never guns. And the fact that they dared point them at innocent children was atrocious. This must be an order handed down from Melanie.

  “Look,” she began, holding up her hands. “Leave the children out of this. None of them should be hurt.”

  “You’re the one who brought the children into this.” Dr. Ass’s eyes narrowed on the kids behind Bailey. “Children, come over to me and you won’t get hurt.”

  “How dare you,” Bailey said. “What are you going to do, shoot one of them if they don’t obey you?”

  Dr. Ass sighed dramatically. “If I must.”

  Bailey felt Dejoure beside her.

  “See, this is what I was saying,” the girl said in a whisper to the children. “He’d hurt you to get your compliance. That’s cruel.”

  Many of the children agreed with soft murmurs.

  “What’s going on over there?” Dr. Ass said, looking around like trying to find the source of the noise.

  “The children are going with me,” Bailey said confidently. “Move aside, or I’ll hav
e no choice but to disarm your men.”

  Dr. Ass laughed. “You’re outnumbered. There’s one of you and six of them.”

  Harley arrived beside Bailey, his growl deepening as he regarded the men in front of them holding guns.

  “You brought a dog in here?” Dr. Ass said incredulously. “The children aren’t to be exposed to outside influences. Do you realize how much you’ve set them back?”

  “All you care about are your experiments. They’re children, not robots,” Bailey said, fire burning in her veins. People who took advantage of children were the worst, and they deserved the cruelest punishment.

  Dr. Ass didn’t seem to care for this argument. He waved the kids forward. “Now go ahead and come over here, children. I’ve had enough of this.”

  The little blond boy stepped forward, right in front of Bailey; she wanted to reach out and stop him. He halted and looked back at her with a strange expression. He didn’t look scared, like she figured. Instead, Timothy looked fierce.

  “That’s it, Timothy,” Dr. Ass encouraged. “Whatever that woman has told you is a lie. Come over here, and you won’t be hurt.”

  Timothy looked down at Harley and smiled. Then he spun around to face Dr. Ass. “You said she was outnumbered,” he said.

  Dr. Ass nodded, looking tired of the conversation. “That’s right. We will take her down once you’re all over here safely—well, those who comply and come over here willingly.”

  “But you’re wrong,” Timothy added in a small voice that made him seem so fragile.

  The crease between Dr. Ass’s eyes deepened. He squinted like trying to see through the crowd of children. “Who else is back there?”

  “Just us,” Timothy said, and his hand rose.

  A blast of wind erupted from the palm of his hand, knocking into the guards and Dr. Ass. They were unable to fight it as it pushed them back. The wind ripped violently at Dr. Ass’s lab coat and hair. He shielded his face with his arm.

  “Timothy, stop this or you will be punished,” Dr. Ass warned, his words drowned out by the wind.