“I’m sorry,” Cooper said. “They made me.”
Rawlgeeb spun around, and when he saw who’d been hiding behind the door, he nodded slowly. “I understand.” He took a steadying breath. “Hello, Surrana. I see you’ve brought company.”
“I’m not Surrana,” the Gloabon replied. “She’s over there.”
The Gloabon female crossed the room, joining the other Gloabons who were sitting patiently on the floor, but Rawlgeeb studied the imposing figure who stood to one side. “Ah, yes. I thought you were looking young, but now I see the difference. It’s obvious really.”
“I see that you’ve lost none of your tact and diplomacy,” Surrana purred. “Rawlgeeb, you should know better than to comment on a female’s age.”
“Sorry. No offense intended.” Rawlgeeb swallowed. “Not that it will make much difference since I expect you’re planning to kill me, anyway.”
Some of the younger Gloabons stirred in expectation, fierce greed lighting their eyes, but Surrana turned her glare on them, and they sat still, their lips turning down as they accepted their rebuke. “Have some manners, children. Rawlgeeb has done nothing to harm us. We abide by our code, remember?”
The Gloabons nodded meekly, and Rawlgeeb found himself mimicking the gesture. “Wait. What? You’re not going to kill me?”
Surrana studied him for a long second. “Why? Do you believe that we should?”
“No. Certainly not.” Rawlgeeb looked to Cooper for help, but the man was standing in the corner, his shoulders slumped; he would be no use to anyone. “All right, Surrana,” Rawlgeeb began, his words coming slowly as the silent stares of the young Gloabons wrought their work on his nerves. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, what, not to put too fine a point on it, is actually going on?”
“Doctor Cooper is going to help us with a few morsels of information,” Surrana replied. “Your arrival was an unexpected bonus, but I’m sure that you’ll be eager to help us.”
Rawlgeeb pursed his lips. “That depends. I won’t endanger anyone.”
“Me neither,” Cooper chipped in. “Anyhow, I only work on tracking tech. That’s all I know. Nothing sensitive.”
“But you do have access codes,” Surrana said smoothly. “Give us those, and we’ll let you go free.”
Cooper shrugged miserably. “What kind of codes?”
“We’ll come to that presently.” Surrana looked Rawlgeeb up and down. “Tell me, what are you doing here?”
Rawlgeeb hesitated. He could try lying, but under the circumstances, he was pretty sure that he couldn’t carry it off. “If you must know, I was looking for you. That is, I thought Doctor Cooper might be able to help me find you.”
Surrana’s laugh was surprisingly silky. “Oh, that is too delicious.” She held out her hands as she took a slow step toward him. “Well, here I am. What do you want with me?”
“That’s confidential,” Rawlgeeb replied bravely, trying to look Surrana in the eye. But unfortunately, her dark eyes were perhaps her deadliest weapon, and his courage drained away as he drowned in the deceptive depths of her piercing gaze.
“Who are you working for?” she murmured. “Give me a name. It must be a human. They’re not like us, Rawlgeeb. They have no code, no honor. Someone has tried to buy you, Rawlgeeb. They’ve tried to tether your soul with the promise of Earth’s worthless trinkets, but that counts for nothing. A person who would try to do that to you–they’re beneath contempt. You owe them no allegiance, Rawlgeeb. You owe them nothing.”
“You’re wrong,” Rawlgeeb said. “All humans are not the same.”
“Perhaps, but I sense a dark purpose behind your pursuit of me. Some human tried to enslave these young females. You would not shelter such a person, would you?”
A surge of anger rose from the pit of Rawlgeeb’s stomach, and he found himself staring at the Gloabons. “No. That’s…that’s disgusting. These things are not done.”
Without taking her eyes from Rawlgeeb, Surrana said, “Oh, yes they are. They have been done to us. Daughters, show him the marks the humans made on your flesh.”
“No,” Rawlgeeb protested, but he had to watch as the females bared their arms to show the bright red tattoos that marred their skin. “No, no, no.” Rawlgeeb clapped his hand across his eyes, but the vision of those red marks persisted in his mind.
“Cover your arms, daughters,” Surrana said. “I think our friend is ready to help us now. That’s right, isn’t it, Rawlgeeb?”
Rawlgeeb uncovered his eyes, then slowly, he nodded. “It was Halbrook. Mark Halbrook.” He looked again into Surrana’s eyes, but this time, the intensity of his stare matched hers. “He must be stopped. I don’t care how you do it. Just stop him.”
“I intend to,” Surrana said. She turned her gaze on Cooper. “Access codes, Doctor. We’re going into GIT one way or another, but if we have the codes, we’ll be able to go in quietly. If you let us down, we’ll take the compound by force and many people will be hurt.”
“Give her the codes,” Rawlgeeb said. “It’s the right thing to do. It’s the only thing to do.”
Cooper looked from Surrana to Rawlgeeb and back again. “If I help you, you must promise not to hurt anyone.”
“I can’t do that,” Surrana replied. “I can promise you that we’ll spare everyone else, but Halbrook will get the punishment he deserves.”
“I don’t know.” Cooper massaged his temples with his fingertips. “This doesn’t seem right. If Halbrook has committed a crime, he should be handed over to the authorities.”
“I am prepared to accept your conditions,” Surrana replied. “Give us the codes now, and when we’ve snatched Halbrook, we will not harm him. He will be restrained and then passed to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Good enough?”
“Surrana will not break her word,” Rawlgeeb put in. “If you agree, you’ll be making a contract.”
“All right,” Cooper said. “I accept. I’ll give you my codes.”
Surrana smiled, brushing her hands together. “Perfect. Any other business?”
“Oh, just Kadov,” Rawlgeeb said.
Surrana froze. “What? Did you…did you just say…Kadov?”
“He’s looking for you,” Rawlgeeb replied. “His ship intercepted us when we were following your trail. He, well, I don’t know how to say this, but he wasn’t in a good mood. And he said he was from the Hak Garamm. What does he want with you?”
Surrana closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them, the light had gone from her gaze. “He has been sent to take me back to the guild. I have been found wanting. I allowed myself to be taken prisoner, and now I must face the harudin.”
“The assassins’ ordeal,” Rawlgeeb murmured. “I thought that was a myth.”
“Unfortunately not. And Kadov will find me soon enough. No doubt he followed you.”
Rawlgeeb’s hand went to his mouth. “Oh. I wondered why he gave up so quickly. He must’ve trailed us to Krisk and then to Earth.”
“You went to Krisk?” Surrana lifted her chin. “I’m impressed. I thought that my daughter had covered her tracks.”
“Well, I am an investigator. I just wish…” He looked down at his hands. “If I’d known what Halbrook had done, I wouldn’t have taken the job.”
“I know,” Surrana said. “But your news has given fresh impetus to our cause. Kadov has forced our hand. Time is precious. We must act tonight.”
“But what do I do now?” Rawlgeeb asked. “Should I tell Bolster what I’ve found? He’s still looking for you.”
“I leave that to your judgment,” Surrana replied. “You are free to go. As a Gloabon, you must do what you think is right. But if you value your life, and you should, do not get in our way, Rawlgeeb. Consider that a friendly warning.”
“I understand. And you’ll let Doctor Cooper go free too?”
“I am prepared to release him into your safekeeping,” Surrana said. “Keep him out of the way, and he’ll be fine.”
“
That sounds good to me,” Cooper blurted. “That sounds very good indeed.”
CHAPTER 24
Andel-Kreit Coalition Ship The Kreltonian Skull
Undergoing Trial Run
Earth Orbit
In the transporter bay, Zeb stood alongside Dex, Xander, and Turm. “I haven’t been to Earth before,” he said, then self-consciously, he touched the side of his head. “Do you think I should wear a headband or something?”
Dex frowned. “Not really. Why?”
“You know. To help me blend in.”
“You’ve been watching too many of those old sci-fi movies,” Dex said. “Zeb, you are a cybonic lifeform, a kind of cyborg so advanced that you’re decades ahead of anything they’ve ever seen on Earth, and we’re all covered in scales, so all things considered, a two-inch strip of stretchy cotton isn’t going to do much for you.”
“Fair enough.” Zeb stared into the distance for a second. “How about some kind of hat?”
Dex pursed his lips. “Yeah, why not? Sounds good.” He crossed to a locker and pulled the door open to rummage inside.
“Lieutenant Commander, this is no time to be sorting through the lost property cupboard,” Xander said.
“One second,” Dex replied. “There’s some good stuff in here. Yes, these will do.” He rejoined them, holding a peaked girderball cap in each hand. “Sorry, I can only find two.”
“Then I guess we must be grateful for small mercies,” Xander said. “Science Officer, are the coordinates programmed in?”
“Aye,” Zeb replied. “I’ve used coordinates which are as close as possible to the Earth ship’s landing site. They touched down inside a research establishment called the Gloabon Institute of Technology. It’s a secure facility, so I placed us just outside the perimeter.”
“Excellent.” Xander pressed her communicator stud. “Away team ready to zing down.”
Dex patted Turm on the arm. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “Fine. I’m looking forward to seeing Earth. It’s just…” She lowered her voice. “I don’t much care for the zinger. It makes me feel weird.” She shuddered. “Oh hell. It’s starting.”
“It doesn’t take long,” Zeb said, and then the room disappeared, its bright lights replaced by darkness. “So this is Earth. Cool.”
“You could’ve warned us that it was night time down here,” Dex grumbled, pulling his peaked cap into place. “We won’t see much on this trip.”
But Zeb wasn’t listening. He pointed up at the sky. “Look, they have different stars. And that must be their moon. I’ve seen pictures.”
Xander shook her head in disbelief. “We’re not here on vacation.” She indicated a tall fence. “That must be it. Chief Engineer, can you get us in quietly? I don’t want to draw any attention.”
“Commander, while we’re on Earth, it would be a lot more efficient if you just called us by our names.” He held up his hands. “Naturally, we’ll still refer to you by your rank, but if you wouldn’t mind, Dex is a damned sight quicker to say than chief engineer or lieutenant commander.”
“Granted. Dex, get us through that fence, and watch out for alarms and cameras.”
“Aye, Commander. Consider it done.” Dex stood close to the fence, and Zeb joined him.
“Dex, I’m picking up an electrical current,” Zeb said.
“I thought you were just pleased to see me.” Dex repressed a chuckle. “Sorry, Commander. Inappropriate.”
Zeb frowned. “Humor? I don’t get it. I’m generally pleased to see you, but what has that–”
“Forget it,” Dex interrupted. “Silly joke. Now, can we bypass the signal wires and then cut our way through?”
“Simplicity itself.” Zeb pulled a multi-tool from his belt. “I’ll have to take it slow. Do you have some wire about your person?”
“Always,” Dex replied, rummaging in his pockets. “Who doesn’t?” He produced a length of insulated cable. “Will this do?”
“Perfect.” Zeb set about stripping the insulation from one end of the cable.
“Hey, is that the tool I got you for Klumzel?” Turm asked.
Zeb nodded. “Yes, it is most efficient.”
Turm shrugged. “Well, I couldn’t bear to see you taking your fingertips off all the time. I’m glad you like it.”
“Let’s get to work,” Dex said. “You call ‘em, I’ll cut ‘em.”
“And I’ll keep watch,” Xander said. “Be as quick as you can. This is already starting to feel like a long night, and we’ve barely begun.”
CHAPTER 25
Earth
Among the shadows that lurked inside the alley’s mouth, Surrana stood, watching the tall figure in a trench coat and fedora who was sauntering toward the main gate of the GIT compound. Her keen ears detected fragments of conversation with a pair of security guards, but their hostile tone soon softened, and the new arrival was waved through.
A minute later, a limousine arrived, and the tall figure stooped to slip inside, then the car sped away toward the buildings, disappearing from view. So far, so good, she thought, glancing back into the alley. She could not see her daughters, but they were there, watching, waiting.
Surrana breathed deep. Soon, this would be over and she could leave this place, never to return. She’d face her ordeal at the hands of the Hak Garamm, but she would almost certainly not survive it; few did. It’s been a full life, she told herself. She would spend what time she had left in the company of her daughters, and she would have her revenge on Halbrook. This would be her final bow, and there could be no better way to leave the stage.
She checked the handset she’d taken from Cooper, and right on time, a message appeared. It was time. A hand signal was all it took to send her daughters swarming forward, but Surrana held back for a split second, watching the way her children moved, admiring their easy grace, the languid flow of their lithe bodies. They were running free, one with the night, and when she joined them, her heart soared.
They reached the fence, but Surrana skidded to a halt, her daughters following suit. Something was wrong. The figure in a trench coat was waiting outside the fence, striding across the road to meet them. “What’s happened?” Surrana whispered. “Why are you out here?”
The figure lifted its hat. “I’m sorry, but I had to come and tell you,” S-One said, turning Rawlgeeb’s hat in her hands. “A hole has been cut in the fence. The alarms have been bypassed. Someone else is here.”
Surrana did not reply. Kadov! It had to be him. But how had he known to come here? How had he found her so quickly?
“How shall we proceed?” S-One asked. “Halbrook is inside. Rawlgeeb was right. His name was enough to grant me an audience. He’s waiting. The driver has been incapacitated.”
“Then we go ahead,” Surrana said. “Proceed as planned. If an intruder gets in our way, let me deal with him alone. You must press on. If the humans attempt to interfere, take them out of action. We’ll avoid lethal force if we can, but no one can be allowed to stand in our way.”
S-One nodded. “Will you lead the way, Mother?”
“No. That honor will go to you.” Surrana held out her hands. “Show me what you can do.”
And then S-One was gone, whirling away into the darkness, her motion barely disturbing the air. That’s my girl, Surrana thought, suppressing a whoop of delight as she joined the chase.
CHAPTER 26
Earth
Brent slammed his hand against his desk and stood quickly, sending his battered chair rolling backward on its squealing castors. “We have to go down there. Now.”
“But I can’t intervene,” Rawlgeeb protested. “I gave my word. And anyway, I haven’t got a coat.”
“Screw your goddamned coat,” Brent growled. “You just arranged to have our best ever cash cow taken to the slaughterhouse.”
“Wait a minute,” Vince said. “If what Rawlgeeb says is true–”
“Of course it’s true!” Rawlgeeb interrupted. “Do you think I’
d make something like that up?”
“Calm down, guys,” Ellen called out. “We need to think rationally about this.”
“Tried that once. Didn’t enjoy it.” Brent’s expression darkened at the bitter memory. “Brown leather brogues. Never again.”
Rawlgeeb seized his chance to take center stage. “Brent, I implore you to listen to reason. Mark Halbrook has gone beyond the pale. Slavery is evil, it is as simple as that. There are some principles which cannot be ignored, and I know that deep down, you agree with me. You may put on an outward show of indifference, but you understand what is at stake here. We cannot and we must not take action, we must stand idly by and do nothing.” He broke off, frowning. “Hang on a second, that sounds wrong.” His lips moved silently. “No, I had it right. In this case, the only action we can take is to stay out of the way and let Surrana carry out her plan.”
“Rough justice, huh?” Brent shook his head. “I’m surprised at you, Rawlgeeb. She’s an assassin, for God’s sake, and you want to give her a free shot?”
“I trust her,” Rawlgeeb replied. “She gave me her word.”
“Do you not recall the times she tried to kill you?” Brent demanded. “She had a go at both of us. She’s a maniac.”
Rawlgeeb lifted his chin. “Surrana has promised to hand Halbrook over to the authorities, and I know that she’ll stick to her word. She has a code.”
“Yeah? Well, so do I. And mine has a whole chapter on kicking ass, so that’s exactly what I intend to do.” Brent marched across the office, grabbing his coat on the way. “Vince, Ellen, let’s go,” he called over his shoulder as he opened the door, but no one moved. Brent hesitated in the doorway, then he stormed out without looking back. Assholes, he thought bitterly as he stomped down the stairs. I’m damned if I’ll go back and beg. But as he hit the street and glanced up at his office window, he saw that the lights were already out. Rawlgeeb and the others were on their way to join him. That’s more like it. He stood for a moment, scanning the street, watching the traffic crawling past and listening to the whir and hum of drones overhead, and he tried to picture some scenario in which they could tackle an army of alien assassins and live to tell the tale. But no matter which way he turned it over in his mind, he could reach only one conclusion: he was screwed.
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