“Deckard Philliun,” Kaiden relayed. “Difficult as it may be to believe it, he’s been chasing her for years under his wife’s nose. Play it aggressive. He’ll expect it.”
“Don’t flatter yourself, I didn’t come for the company.” The voice modulator mimicked Lenora’s nasal tone perfectly.
“Of course not, of course not,” Deckard huffed. “Important matters to discuss, but maybe afterwards we could enjoy a drink and compare notes.”
“Have I ever accepted a drink before?”
“Well, no.”
“Then there’s your answer.” She swept ahead of the man into the room and took a seat at the table.
Kaiden took note of every face in the room. One stood out amongst the rest, an unexpected bystander leaning against the wall near the window. Due to his business casual attire, Joaquin posed an interesting contrast to the powerful men in five-thousand-quid suits flashing phony, dentist-engineered smiles.
“Your ex is in attendance. Steer clear,” he advised. Nisrine’s gaze flicked toward the camera in the room’s corner. As members of the party settled at their places, Kaiden named them and their professional fields.
Dr. Dorian Winslow, a top geneticist in the field of splicing, sat beside Nisrine. He wore an insincere smile on his handsome face, and his blue eyes were lined with crow’s feet beneath silver hair. To Nisrine’s other side, he named Zeta Omari, another cyberneticist with her own company. Deckard and a middle-aged businessman from Xiao faced her from the other side of the table. Chen Xiang’s corporation also provided the military with cybernetics.
“Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. Glad you were able to attend,” Scarot said as she settled at the head of the table. As one of her assistants served the catered dishes, a second poured wine.
Winslow cut his eyes toward Scarot. Without greeting her in return, the man said in a snide voice, “As if we have any alternative. You’ve certainly made a dog’s dinner out of it.”
His posh accent identified him as a native resident of New London in Upper Albion. His lip curled in disgust before he waved off the girl pouring wine.
“You know as well as I do that I haven’t made a mess of anything. We’ve taken the necessary steps to eliminate the two agents Catherine deployed.”
After a prompt from Kaiden to be catty, Nisrine leaned forward and spoke. “Little good it’s done you. How many times have they escaped you and interfered with our plans? You were warned of Lockhart’s extraordinary abilities, and yet you’ve managed to underestimate him again.”
“Perfect,” Kaiden muttered.
“We couldn’t predict the development of Lockhart’s powers,” Scarot said. The admiral stared at Nisrine, and with steel in her voice, she continued, “Even your people failed to estimate his full potential while he was on the table at your laboratory. If the fault belongs to anyone, it lies in you, Maddox, so don’t give me this bullshit.”
One question had yielded a bounty of information. Learning the identity of the person responsible for his butchering gave him an odd sense of bittersweet satisfaction, contrasting emotions of victory and nausea. Part of him wanted to tell Ranulf to abandon the plan and drag the real Lenora to the Gryphon. Kaiden could think of plenty of things he wanted to say to the hand behind his transformation.
Yet, if it hadn’t been done, if they hadn’t stripped part of his humanity, he wouldn’t be the same operative who cracked open the conspiracy against the queen. Time and time again during the mission, his cybernetics had played a vital role in their success.
Nisrine wouldn’t have safely entered the building. Hell, she’d have been locked out of their RV when the assault squad attacked them on Boreas.
His mechanical body had saved them numerous times. While he hadn’t chosen his new life, he’d dedicate every breath to making his former captors regret what they’d done. And he’d make sure no one else suffered as he had—as their other victims in Jacksonville had.
He’d turn it into a gift. Somehow.
“What about the HMS Jemison? What steps are being taken to capture the ship? It’s been five days since they escaped Albion. How did they manage to land on Paradiso, break into a high security medical ward, and make it out with the queen without capture?” Zeta Omari asked. Disapproval hung heavy in her voice.
“Or a single casualty. There’s all manner of conspiracy theory circulating the interweb now about their activities,” Nisrine said. “I need to know how you plan to fix this situation.”
“She’s right,” Deckard said. “We haven’t come to socialize, Scarot. We want answers. The Jemison’s escape jeopardizes our entire operation.”
“Yes,” Nisrine spoke up. “With a universal alert for their capture, why haven’t they been brought in?”
Scarot crossed her arms. “The official orders are, of course, to bring them in so the queen can be safely recovered.”
“Doing nothing to aid our cause,” Deckard said. “Who knows what the old bird will report if she convalesces. She’ll name her assailant and the Jemison’s crew will be hailed as heroes.”
“Which is why we have also employed others to seek them out and destroy the ship. The Jemison will have nowhere to hide. Once they’re out of the way and the queen is dead, we’ll be able to move on full throttle with our plans.”
“Right,” Winslow said again, though he sneered and continued to speak in his belittling voice. “It shall certainly be an easy task to destroy one of the most advanced ships donated from the Nova Force to the UNE. Nothing of difficulty there.”
Joaquin’s chin raised and his observant eyes fastened to Nisrine. He watched for a moment, then his attention waned and drifted to another board member.
“No arguments from Ms. Maddox this time?” Deckard appeared stunned.
With the focus brought to Nisrine again, Joaquin’s attention returned to her a second time. The man’s fixed gaze lingered and a muscle tensed in his jaw.
“Nissie, lower your eyes to the table. Drop your shoulders. Be verbally confrontational but don’t make eye contact.”
She obeyed. Satisfied, Joaquin glanced away again.
Kaiden exhaled in relief. He’d been holding his breath the entire time, afraid the other agent had identified her.
It wasn’t possible. Her disguise was flawless and Kaiden had disabled all electronics capable of breaking her cover.
“I agree with Dorian. This is a mess. How can we possibly proceed while these two agents are at large?”
“X91,” Chen said. “It is our only option.”
X91? Kaiden’s brows raised.
The door opened again, and an older man stepped inside with wavy brown hair and an athletic frame. He flashed a news anchor’s charismatic smile to the group and settled in the empty chair.
“Milton Bessley, CEO of the BBN,” Kaiden said.
“Apologies,” Bessley said to them. “My driver encountered air traffic. What have I missed?”
Nisrine offered a polite recap, to which Milton nodded.
“I agree. The test subject has surpassed expectations and appears to be ready. Why not release her?” he asked.
A knot of dread sank to the bottom of Kaiden’s gut.
“Kaiden? What’s happening? You’re denting the edge of the roof,” Evie spoke up, distracting him. He unclenched his hand, relaxed, and began summarizing. After he recounted the events to her and the current point of conversation, her eyes widened with interest. “Could be another cyborg.”
Kaiden shook his head. “I don’t know. Everything about their research until now points to their research taking another direction,” he replied. “They’re debating it now, but there hasn’t been a clear answer yet.”
Deckard stroked his beard and gazed absently at Nisrine’s modest, holographically-reduced bosom. “If I recall from our last meeting, you mentioned the thing behaved in a volatile way to her handlers.”
“Taken care of. We’ve solved the aggression issue,” Chen assured them.
“As I
’ve personally monitored progress over our test subject, I believe she’s ready to undertake this task. She’s reached her full potential,” Winslow cut in.
Scarot gave a thin smile. “Then it’s settled. We shall deploy X91 from our Breteyne operation to execute the two troublemakers. Chen, I’ll leave that in your capable hands.”
“And the other issue? Catherine has no heirs, but she must be dead for DuValle to claim the throne.” Winslow slanted a dark look at Joaquin. “You said you were going to take care of her before the Lexar arrived. Now they’re here, poking their enormous noses in our business.”
Joaquin closed one hand into a fist, audibly cracking his knuckles. Winslow stiffened in the chair. “But refusing to interfere, as they’re honor bound to remain out of our military business until aid is requested. As far as I’m concerned, the assassination was a success. If Catherine had died, we wouldn’t have this opportunity to take down the Jemison.”
“He’s correct,” Nisrine said. “They’ve been a thorn in our side since the escape of D829.”
“Precisely. Agent Estrada has successfully framed two of their crewmen, and by removing the queen from Curie Memorial, the Jemison has committed treason. News reports have labeled the crew as hostile and dangerous. A story shall run tonight to that effect, indicating them in a plot to overthrow the government and work alongside the ASR. Chancellor DuValle will issue a seek and destroy order. This will solve all of our problems.” Scarot raised a shoulder and let it fall.
“Will the public buy that?” Nisrine asked.
Scarot barked out a sharp laugh. “Once we’ve finished dragging a laundry list of Bishop’s disciplinary indiscretions out, down to the most minute infraction, they’ll believe whatever we feed them. Everyone loves a fallen hero. It makes for ratings,” she said, giving a nod to another man further down the table.
A chuckle came from Bessley. “She’s right. As we speak, my best journalists are uncovering the secrets of the Jemison’s chief officers.”
Kaiden’s stomach twisted. Those articles would never reach the public. Not if he could do anything about it. Once they were aboard the ship again, he’d tear down the British Broadcasting Network until its coding was beyond salvage.
But it wouldn’t stop them from publishing the stories in other ways. He felt sick to his stomach at the realization. Unless he cut off the stories at the source, he’d be patching a sinking ship.
Nisrine maintained her composure. “Splendid idea, but with the queen as their captive, many will cry out for a rescue. How will we address this?”
Joaquin pushed away from the wall and moved toward the table. “We’ll call it an acceptable but tragic loss. People would rather mourn the loss of Catherine than see her in the hands of the ASR and subjected to unknown tortures.”
A low murmur of approval came from the group.
He rounded the table, moving at a slow pace, and came to a stop behind Nisrine’s chair. “Wouldn’t you agree, Agent Shahid?”
Nisrine bolted into action. The room erupted into shouts as she slammed her chair back into Joaquin and leapt onto the table. Chen lunged and grabbed her ankle, but she bloodied his nose with a sharp kick for the effort. The heel sank into soft tissue and tore skin.
As another round of gasps filled the room, she jumped down on the opposite side and sped for the door.
Kaiden thrust his willpower into the electronic locks and secured them behind her, effectively guarding Nisrine’s back. Through the security cameras, he watched Joaquin collide with it. The agent struck it with his shoulder, and it budged, shaking in the frame.
“I’ve activated the locks behind you, Nissie, but security is on the way. Run!”
Evangeline’s voice penetrated the fog, reaching Kaiden from his immediate physical surroundings. “I’ll have the Gryphon come to extract her from the roof.”
“No. Your ship is our secret right now. The Gryphon can’t be connected to our activity and movement. If we’re gonna get Nisrine out, we’ve got to do it ourselves.”
“I hoped you’d say that.”
Two security guards waited for her at the end of the hall, their guns drawn.
Shots peppered the walls and bounced down the corridor as the armed men unleashed a hail of bullets. Nisrine dove forward, tucking into a ball to roll beneath them while activating her anti-projectile shields. The tech repelled the few bullets that came too close to striking her, but it lacked the juice to run a continuous field of protection. The military hoped to improve it.
A guard reloaded his gun, and in that time, Nisrine flung out darts with a powerful sleeping agent. They slumped to the floor before she reached them.
“I can see more in the security feed. A team of six on the east fire exit to your right. I’ve trapped another six in the elevator beside it. They’ve got rifles, Nissie. You can’t fight them.”
“But where do I go?”
“There’s a stairwell to your left. It lacks rooftop access but opposition is light,” Kaiden said. “Take it and head down two levels. We’re coming to get you.”
The door to the right burst open and men flooded into the corridor. Nisrine tugged one of her earrings free, pulled the pin, and tossed the disguised flash grenade into the open lobby.
After she turned her head, white light erupted to blind her attackers, but her electronic ear protection filtered out the enormous boom. As the disoriented men stumbled, she hurried to the left and slammed open the door.
What Kaiden had called light opposition turned out to be a squad of five with a shotgunner in the lead. As he pointed the muzzle at her, Nisrine leapt over the stairwell railing and swung to the lower level.
“Stop her!”
She repeated the gymnastic leap to the next level down and burst out of the stairwell into the open office floor. She slid across a glass box holding disabled, priceless firearms from the 21st century. Another display showcased ancient Kevlar and military gear deserving of museum space.
Without the time to admire them, Nisrine rolled across the floor beneath the next round of fire. Glass shattered and men shouted orders while her pulse pounded in her ears. Removing her other earring, she cast it behind her after removing the pin and it exploded in a thick, gas-producing fog. Men coughed and hurried to their emergency stations to grab rebreathers.
“We’re almost there, Nissie. I’m tracking your signal through the building and there’s a balcony at the far end of the floor you’re on.”
“No time, my shield is almost out of charges. What side of the building are you on?”
“The northern face.”
“Get ready to catch me, I’m coming out.”
She flicked her wrist and aimed a small silver disk at the window. The sonic generator splintered the thick, impact-resistant layers. Trusting Kaiden, she put on a final burst of speed, raised her arms to protect her face, and burst through into open air.
The sickening sensation of falling made her gut twist and her throat tighten with a withheld scream. It ended when Kaiden grabbed her around the waist, and with inhuman strength, swung her onto the hoverbike behind him. Lurching forward before she could recover from her death-defying leap, the bike shot into Bromwicham’s dense air traffic. She wrapped her arms around him and held tight.
“Estrada is on our six,” Evangeline said through their commlink.
Joaquin wouldn’t expect them to have assistance, and their merc friend was the wildcard that would win them the fight. As an idea formed in Nisrine’s head, she said into the communication channel, “Let’s separate and regroup. We’re the ones he’s after. Curve around behind us and provide backup before law enforcement arrives.”
Evie banked left and veered away from them to disappear into the flow of traffic. Seconds later, a bullet grazed Nisrine’s arm. Blood welled from the groove and she clutched Kaiden harder.
“My shields are out of charges.”
“Get in front of me,” he growled.
She made the tricky maneuver and wrappe
d her legs around his waist, clinging with one arm around his torso. With her other hand free, she thrust her palm toward their pursuer and released a kinetic blast. Joaquin’s bike swerved to the side.
“Why haven’t the police deployed?” Evangeline asked.
“I’ve scrambled all law enforcement frequencies and disabled the cell phone relays,” Kaiden said. “It’s a technological white out. Won’t hide us from anyone with direct visual of this chase, but they can’t call for backup.”
There was a pause before Evangeline uttered, “You can do that?”
If the situation weren’t so dire, Nisrine would have succumbed to hysterical laughter. More and more often, she had begun to wonder the same things to herself. “Kaiden can do a lot of things.”
“I seem to be an expert at discovering my limits on the fly.”
As amusing as it was to witness Kaiden’s spur-of-the-moment discoveries, the memory of his comatose body invaded her thoughts, and she imagined him slumping against the hoverbike while she struggled to steer the vehicle into a landing. “Don’t push yourself.”
“I’m good,” he insisted. “Hold on, going to try and lose this cocksplat.”
“Your new boyfriend is leagues better than the old one,” Evie commented.
Her old mentor’s comments brought heat to Nisrine’s cheeks. She hadn’t considered Kaiden her boyfriend, but in the heat of the moment, with Joaquin closing in on them and the occasional law enforcement vehicle joining the chase, she pressed her fingers between his shoulder blades and kissed his cheek.
She couldn’t see his reaction, not while her eyes were focused on Joaquin and the two hovermobiles flanking him. Their blue and white lights flashed and sirens screamed. Shit.
“Pull over!” a cop shouted through the loudspeaker. Though Joaquin was nearest to them, she knew it was an order for all three of them.
“Can you kill the engine in his bike?”
“I could, but there’s a risk of him taking out a car in the lower lanes when it plummets.”
Nisrine swore.
“I can shoot out his thrusters, but the Gloucester blue are between us,” Evangeline cut in.
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