“Well, I said no at first, but then he made it sound like I didn’t have a choice. If I don’t take it I won’t have their ‘protection’. Sounds like a threat to me. But then if I take it, I’m basically their puppet.”
“We should get out of here.” Paige was the first to speak the obvious. Garet didn’t seem to have contemplated that solution.
He spoke to Paige. “I came back to put this right. To make a difference. If I were privy to the Syndicate’s agenda, then maybe there would be something I could do to sabotage it.”
“And if you just end up being one of their pawns, as you probably will?” Molly asked, noticing that Paige was nodding and trying to catch her eye as she came to join her and Joel on the sofas.
Garet turned to Molly. “Well, then so be it. But from within, I can make a difference. The alternative is death. And probably pretty soon.”
“Or, you come back to Gaitune and we find another way to change this clusterfuck!” Joel piped up.
Garet shrugged. “Yes, but how long will that take? And how will we ever get another opportunity like this, to get this kind of access?”
“So you’re advocating going undercover?” Molly was trying to understand the madness that was unfolding before her.
Garet considered her question before answering. “Kind of. I just take the job, and try and get into the Senate to start influencing the bills.”
“You realize we won’t be able to protect you if you do this?” confirmed Joel, clarifying that he wasn’t willing to get involved in a long-range plan to try and bring these creeps down. That just wasn’t something that they could commit to right now. They certainly didn’t have the resources to provide that kind of cover.
“Yeah. But as long as I’m a useful employee, they will make sure I’m safe.”
Paige had stood up again, redness forming around her eyes. “And when that ends? Have you thought about that? When you’re no longer useful to them? Damn it, Garet, this is just a fucking job. For a paycheck.”
“It’s not a job. It’s about changing the system from within.” He argued.
“Well, if you do this, I’m not going to be a part of it. I’m not going through all this shit again. I’m going back with Molly and Joel.” And with that she flounced out of the room, slamming her bedroom door behind her.
Garet looked to Molly for support, and all she could manage was a shrug. She agreed with Paige. She got up and glanced at Joel as if handing over the baton, then left to check on Paige.
Joel sat forward in his seat. His tone was serious. “If you do this, you have got to be sure. Otherwise, we can find another way.”
Garet sat down in the armchair next to him. “I’m pretty sure this is what I want to do.”
Joel watched his face as he sat there, noticing the flicker of fear and doubt that appeared for a microsecond.
Beaufort-Montgomery Residence, Downtown Spire
The next morning Garet was up with the Sark and sorting through the contacts in his holo from two weeks before.
It must be here somewhere, he thought, flicking through the contacts alphabetically now. What was the guy’s name? Something to do with the monarchy. King? Duke? Royal!
He located the only “Royal” in his holo. Sean Royal. That was the one.
He dialed the number and waited. It went to voice messaging and he started to speak.
“Hi, Sean. This is Garet. The guy you had in your taxi a few weeks ago. You dropped me near the Mandeli Hotel and helped me escape those guys who were after me. Well, I’m still alive! But I wondered if we could talk? I remember what you said about your skills, and, well, I think I need someone like you on my team. If you could call me back, that would be great. Thanks.”
Garet clicked the holo closed and listened to hear if anyone else in the apartment was stirring.
He was already up and dressed, and he figured that the mocha shop opened early given its location and function. Slipping into his atmojacket, he grabbed his key fob and quietly stole out of the apartment.
Time to go and accept his job offer.
He had no doubt that the Syndicate or whoever they were had surveillance on this building, and probably the mocha shop too. Going there would be a signal to them that he wanted to talk.
And if not, he’d just get a mocha and come back and wait for them to be in touch.
Either way, his mind was made up.
---
Crash was the next one in the residence to leave early, so he could do the necessary pre-flight checks before they left. He’d primed the mocha machine for whoever got up next, and the air in the kitchen and living room had a beautiful aroma.
Joel was the first lucky recipient of the pre-brewed mocha. He had showered and dressed before either of the girls even stirred. He was sitting in the kitchen enjoying a quiet cup of heaven when Paige emerged, still in her robe and eyes puffy from yesterday’s crying.
She knifed him with her eyes. “So, that’s it? You’re just going to let him stay?”
This wasn’t the morning for small talk, he realized, feeling his peaceful mocha sanctuary under ambush.
He paused a moment, gathering his thoughts to be as helpful as possible.
“I don’t know what else we can do at this point, Paige.” He pulled out a chair and put a mug under the mocha machine for her.
Paige was in tears again. Her sadness seemed out of place in such a beautiful apartment. Even to her, the one who was doing all the crying.
“There’s not much else we can do. As much as we like Garet, he’s his own person, and an adult. He hired us to do a job and we’ve done it. If he wants to stay and take this job, he has every right to do that. We’ve told him of the risks and our opinions. Now we have to leave it to him.” He paused. “The alternative is kidnapping him.”
Paige laughed a little through the tears.
They both looked up as they heard the front door open. Garet walked into the open-plan living room.
“Either way, we need to get moving again today,” he added.
“But that’s so soon!” Paige whispered in desperation. “If we had longer, maybe we could change his mind!”
Garet appeared in the doorway sooner than Paige had anticipated.
“I’m not going to change my mind. In fact, I’ve just accepted their offer and signed the contracts. I put a call in to my own protection guy, too. I’m going to see what I can do about building a team and making some progress on this.”
He headed back out to remove his boots and other gear, having informed them of his plan.
Paige started crying uncontrollably again and ran out.
---
“Hey. Can I come in?” Molly asked Paige through the bedroom door. She’d heard Garet come in, and Paige running back to her room in tears.
“Yes,” Paige replied between sobs.
Molly opened the door to find Paige lying across the bed, her face in the duvet. She eased into the room and gently sat down on the bed, trying to find the right words.
Paige continued to sniffle, but was clearly trying to calm herself. “I…I just think this is a stupid plan.”
“We all do,” admitted Molly.
“And I don’t know where that leaves me. I wouldn’t want to stay with him even if he didn’t take that fucking job.”
“We’d figured as much.”
Paige slowly wiped the tears from her face. “Really? You already knew?”
Molly nodded. “Yeah, Joel suspected a few weeks ago. But who knows, it might have just been a case of you both needing to readjust after the trauma of everything that happened.”
“I don’t think this is trauma. I mean, he’s a sweet guy and all. But I don’t see myself with him, even short-term. There’s just nothing there anymore.”
Molly nodded sympathetically. “But you have a life, wherever you want to live it. We can find you an apartment of your own, and help you find a job…” Her voice trailed off, as she saw Paige was shaking her head.
“No. No, I want to come back with you. And I don’t know what I can do in the operation you’re building, but I’ve always been fast to pick up skills and I love the idea of learning to fix things, either on the ship with Brock or on the computers and stuff. You’ll need computer people, right? And someone who can organize stuff? I organized stuff for the Senate office all the time.”
Paige watched Molly’s eyes perk up.
“I think you’d make a solid addition to our team!” Molly admitted, noticing how she also felt more energized at the idea. It didn’t hurt that she thought organizing was a tedious, burdensome pain in the ass that should be used as punishment.
Molly’s eyes narrowed, and her lips compressed, “Although, you do realize the nearest nail polish supply is going to be about 480 million kilometers away, right?”
Paige laughed and pulled a pillow from the bed, throwing it at Molly. “I’m going to buy some before we leave this dustball!”
Police Precinct, Downtown Spire
Chaakwa arrived back at her desk after answering a summons to the Captain’s office.
Antonio had taken a desk next to hers, as he was on loan from the Homicide division. He had watched her return, and headed over to her overcrowded desk to meet her.
“What was that all about?” he asked, in a low professional voice, gesturing quietly in the direction of the captain’s door.
“It was about the Dewitt case. We’ve been told to drop it now.” She looked furtively around, making sure no one was noticing their conversation.
“But we just got a couple more leads from those two employees coming back!” He whispered.
“Yeah. I don’t think this has anything to do with our performance or the progress we’re making. It sounds more like an order that has come from higher up. Birch didn’t even ask for an update or offer an explanation. Something is definitely up.”
“Detective Rogers!”
The voice boomed from the open door of the captain’s office.
“Looks like your turn to hear the happy news!” Chaakwa whispered sarcastically.
“Yeah,” he grunted back. “It’s been fun working with you, though.”
Of course, Chaakwa realized. He’ll be sent back to Homicide. That hadn’t been her first thought. She’d enjoyed Antonio’s company, and he was one hell of a smart cop. Still, even though this was officially closed, she had a couple of leads she wanted to check out before she put it to bed herself. The beast hadn’t been slain, after all—it had just had one of its heads chopped off when Dewitt met his ancestors.
This story was far from over.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Spaceport, Hangar 08771A, Outskirts of Uptarlung
Hangar 08771A had been a hive of activity all morning. Since Garet had announced he was staying and taking the job and Paige had decided to join the team and return to Gaitune, it was as if they were all eager to move on to the next stage of whatever their new lives held for them.
Crash had already said his farewells to Garet and now, loaded up and ready to go, completed the pre-flight while the engines warmed up.
“You take care, Garet. And remember, get in touch if you need us and we’ll help any way we can.” Molly hugged him tightly, only too aware of the life —or death—that was likely in store for him.
“Yeah, but we’re several frickin’ million miles away, mind you!” jested Joel. The weight of his words still felt heavy in the air. When Molly released him, Garet hugged Joel.
“Look, thanks for everything you’ve both done for me. And Paige. You’ve been incredible. I owe you my life.”
“No, you paid us very well,” Joel grinned. “We’re square!”
There were a few back slaps, then Molly and Joel headed into the hangar to board the ship. They left Paige and Garet to say their goodbyes.
“So I hear you’ve recruited our Office Manager,” said Joel as they trooped up the ramp to the ship.
“Yeah, I think she’ll be good. She works surprisingly well under pressure, and in talking with her a few times, I think she’s actually a shit-ton smarter than she lets on.”
“Sounds like a dangerous woman to me!” Joel laughed, pleased that Paige was going to be one of them.
“Yeah. I think she will do some damage. To our opponents, hopefully!” Molly rolled her eyes at herself, excited that their new team was growing and that she now had a legitimate way of funding the whole operation.
“Think she’ll be all right with the Garet thing?” Joel was serious for a moment.
“She will be. With a little time. I mean, it’s not like it was the romance of the century, but she’s feeling a little betrayed at this turn of events.”
“I’ll bet,” Joel whistled through his teeth. “Pretty rough.”
They headed into the passenger compartment and strapped in. A few minutes later, Paige joined them, and Crash closed the tailgate and hit the seals.
“All set?” he asked through the cabin door.
“All good. Take us home, Crash!” Molly grinned and, catching Paige’s eye, she noticed that even though she’d been crying, she actually looked happy to be starting another adventure.
This time, one of her own choosing.
Gaitune-67, Safe house
Left on his own, Brock was enjoying having the run of the place.
There had been moments when he’d felt like someone had been watching him, but then he always was a little “sensitive,” as his mother had called it. She told him it was their ancestors that had ascended into the next dimension who were watching over him.
It was a proven scientific fact that some of his kind had, over the years, been able to ascend into the next stage on their death. But it hadn’t been done by anyone that he knew. Still, it was likely that those who had done it were sticking around, watching his fine ass bust a move then and there in the old theater that was fast becoming the baddest operation this side of the Loop Galaxy.
In the time the others had been away he’d managed to clear an entire storage area under what had been the stage, but later became the holoscreen. Man, this place is old, but built to last. He noticed the construction was nothing like anything he’d ever seen in his lifetime in the Central Systems. Not that he was an architecture buff, but still.
Just one more set of boxes to move outta here, and then Brock has got himself one sweet-ass workshop to start assembling whatever naughty goodness Molly has in mind.
This was the workshop. The lab was going to be in a similar space on the other side of the stage.
Looking around, he surveyed the room.
This is way more space than the theatre building takes up, he noticed. Especially since the lab was of similar size, and sprawled equally in the other direction.
He scratched his head, wondering if that meant anything.
Dismissing it as something he wasn’t going to stop his dancing and box clearing for, he hauled another stack of boxes away from the wall.
Man, they are heavy.
Taking one at a time, he brought them into the space he’d cleared under the light. He’d open them up and sort through them later. For now, he wanted to get this area cleared so he could set the automatic vacuum up to do some cleaning while he took a shower.
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