“Why would you help me at all?” I asked.
“I’m repaying a debt.”
I didn’t have time to question help, so I nodded. I pulled out my com and sent an emergency message to Rhys and Veronica. It should be morning there, so they would get it as soon as it bounced through the gate. I asked them to come to Earth and be prepared for a hot pickup.
I attached an official invite, which would allow them to bypass a lot of the RCDF checkpoints. I kept the details to a minimum because even the extra encryption was no guarantee the message wouldn’t be intercepted, but I told them to contact Bianca for more information if they couldn’t reach me.
I hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
“I will meet you back here in ten minutes,” Ian said as the transport dropped us off. “Don’t be late.”
I nodded, hugged Bianca, and ran for my room.
In my closet, I stripped off my dress and shoes. After a moment’s hesitation, I put on the red dress Loch had bought me. I told him I’d wear it on the day he got pardoned and that day was today, one way or another. My boots didn’t exactly go with the dress, but I put them on anyway.
After all, sturdy boots were a must when running for your life.
I slid aside the panel in my bedroom that concealed my armory and picked up two blasters, two stun pistols, a handful of plastech ties that could be used for handcuffs, and two thigh holsters. The full skirt of my dress concealed the weapons and ties. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but it would have to do.
I gazed around the room one final time, hoarding memories. I’d barely settled in but it still hurt to leave again. Last time I left, I’d naively thought Father would give up after a year or two. This time I was under no such illusion.
Bianca waited for me in the hallway. She hugged me fiercely. “You don’t have to do this—you know that, right? Is he worth it?” she asked.
The thought of Loch dying alone while I stood aside and did nothing tore holes in my heart. “He’s worth it,” I said.
She hugged me tighter. “Please don’t die,” she breathed.
“I’m not planning to,” I said. “And I’ll do what I can to keep Director Bishop out of trouble.”
That startled a watery laugh out of her. “Good luck,” she said. “Let me know how that works out for you.” She let me go and stepped back. “I’ve already set up my scripts to release everything in an hour unless I intervene, so even if they grab me, you’ll be protected.”
“Thank you,” I said. I had my own set of safeguards that needed to be reset every few days. Nearly everyone in the Consortium did. Mutually assured destruction was one of the reasons so few assassinations were attempted.
I left Bianca and ran for the entrance. Even so, a cloaked man was already waiting for me. I stopped short. Had someone else figured out my plan?
“It’s me,” Ian said from the depths of the hood.
I squinted at him in the dim light. He wore dark fatigues and a black shirt. I never would’ve guessed it was Ian Bishop under the cloak, which I guess was the point. I didn’t know he owned anything other than a suit. A black balaclava covered the lower part of his face. He looked intent and dangerous. In fact, he reminded me of Loch.
He gestured to the unmarked transport waiting for us. “I’ll brief you on the way.”
I climbed in and he followed. We set off for a service entrance of the main Consortium building.
“Do not call me by name once we are inside,” he said. “I don’t have the authority to override their security logs. I can get you as far as the High Chamber door. You’re lucky that it’s after hours and a special meeting they want to keep secret. There should only be two guards posted outside, but you will have to deal with them on your own.”
“I’ll take care of it,” I said.
“There is an auxiliary guard station just down the hall, so don’t linger. But neither security personnel nor surveillance are allowed inside the High Chamber.” At my disbelieving look, he continued, “Tell me about it. I’ve been trying to change it for years, but the councillors don’t want their meetings recorded in any way.”
He continued, “Once you get inside the High Chamber, there is a panic button on the control panel near the door. Pushing it will lock the room from the inside. Each councillor’s seat has its own panic button and override. If you want the room to stay locked, you need to get them away from the buttons. Once the room is locked down, only a councillor’s identity chip and the override can unlock it. And once the room goes into lockdown, expect a shit-ton of RCDF troops to be waiting outside when the doors open.”
“Any other exits?”
“There is an escape tunnel, but it requires a councillor’s identity chip at multiple checkpoints. It’s also well-known among the security teams, so expect troops there as well.”
“So once I go in and lock down the room, I come out with a pardon or in a body bag?”
Ian nodded grimly. “Do you have a plan on how to procure a pardon?”
“I have a plan,” I said. A crazy, stupid, ridiculous plan, but a plan nevertheless.
Ian didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t press for details. It was for the best.
The transport dropped us off and Ian led me through a labyrinth of service hallways at a fast walk. He kept his hood up, even with the balaclava, and we didn’t speak. I held my breath every time we came to a closed door, but so far no one had noticed us.
Ian did not scan his chip for the door in front of us. Instead, he stepped into my personal space and grabbed my arm when I went to back up. I reached for my blaster, sure that he was betraying me at last. He shook his head, grabbed my other arm, then dragged me closer until his mouth was directly next to my ear.
“This is the final door,” he whispered so quietly I could barely make out the words. I realized he didn’t want his voice recorded in the security logs and stopped trying to break his hold. “The guards will be directly across from you, slightly to the left. Security in this building is all RCDF elite, so shoot first.”
“Is the High Chamber locked?” I whispered back.
“Not usually,” Ian said, “but if it is, the guard’s identity chip will open it.”
I put my mouth right next to his ear. “If I don’t make it out, I expect you to watch out for Bianca,” I whispered. Something deeply troubled my sister but so far she’d deflected all of my subtle questions. I hadn’t had time to force the issue but maybe Ian would have better luck.
“I will keep her safe,” Ian said.
I nodded, activated my cuff, then drew my stun pistol. I pulled the pistol up into a ready-to-fire position and met Ian’s gaze. He waited a beat then swiped an arm across the door’s access panel.
I watched the door slide aside in slow motion. I saw the nearest guard’s face flash to surprise, but I was already pulling the trigger. He went down with a shout, stunned and furious. I shot the second guard before his blaster cleared the holster. He, too, went down with a shout. I hoped the High Chamber doors were thick enough to block the sound.
A sweep showed me a clear hallway. I crossed to the chamber door. The first guard was already starting to recover. “Sorry,” I said, then stunned him again.
The door was unlocked. I pulled it open and marched into the Consortium meeting as if I owned the place.
The High Chamber was circular. The three councillors sat at elevated desks against the curved far wall. Chairs could be brought in on the floor level for matters that required an audience, but tonight the floor was empty except for a single chair in the middle of the room.
A single chair containing Loch.
Loch slumped against the chains that bound him to the chair. Blood dripped sluggishly from his left arm, forming a small pool on the marble floor beneath him. His head turned fractionally in my direction. Still alive, but for how long?
I blocked out my worry and retreated deep into my public persona.
“What is the meaning of this?” Lady Rockhurst demanded.
I hit the panic button on the control panel next to the door. Metal panels clanged into place, physically blocking the doors while energy shields glowed around the room. Damn, security was intense. I pointed my stun pistol at Lady Rockhurst, Lord Yamado, and Father.
“Raise your hands and move to the floor of the room,” I said. None of them moved. I shot a stun bolt over their heads, nearly grazing Father. “Now, if you please.”
“Ada—” Father started, thunderclouds in his expression. He hadn’t expected me to notice Loch’s disappearance, and if not for Bianca, I wouldn’t have until it was too late. Father had seized the opportunity to solve all of his problems at once and then deny any involvement. Honestly, I should’ve expected it, but I thought, for once, that Father would be honorable. Ha.
“You have one second to comply,” I said. I moved my finger to the trigger, prepared to stun all three of them and drag them away from their desks.
Father raised his hands and stood with a scowl. Lord Yamado followed suit. Lady Rockhurst glared coldly. I smiled and tightened my finger on the trigger. Whatever she saw in my face caused her to raise her hands and flounce down from her desk.
With them on the floor level, I closed the distance to Marcus. I felt for his pulse—it beat strong and sure under my fingers. He was definitely injured, but he wasn’t as bad off as he looked.
“You should’ve left me,” Loch murmured. His eyes swept over me before he added, “Nice dress.”
I kept an eye on the three most powerful people in the universe while I tried to figure out how to free Loch. Lady Rockhurst inched toward the wall but a stun bolt that passed close enough to nick her green dress stopped her progress. “Keep pressing me and I will stun and tie the lot of you,” I warned. “Where is the key to the chains?”
“The only copy is with the guard outside,” Lady Rockhurst said with smug satisfaction.
“I can get free,” Loch whispered, his lips barely moving. “I need ten seconds of warning.”
“I’ll do my best,” I told him quietly.
“Ada, put down the gun and we can discuss this like civilized adults,” Father said.
“You went behind my back and grabbed one of my employees,” I said. “That doesn’t seem very civilized.”
“You mean your fuck toy?” Lady Rockhurst said, contempt dripping from every word. “I should have expected you to lower yourself—”
I shot her with a stun bolt. She went down with a scream. Neither Father nor Lord Yamado moved to help her. “Would anyone else like to comment?” I asked.
“Ada Irena Maria Franziska von Hasenberg, I am your father and you will do as I say,” Father barked. “Put down the gun and stop embarrassing yourself.” True fury saturated his tone. He really meant I should stop embarrassing him—and possibly House von Hasenberg, but I’d bet even it was a distant second right now.
That tone of voice plus the use of my full name used to be enough to shove me back into line, but tonight it was not going to work. “You do realize that I vastly prefer Ferdinand, right?” I asked, naming my oldest brother and heir to House von Hasenberg. “You are in no position to demand anything of me.”
“I will disown you for this,” he promised.
Even though I knew it would likely come down to this, hurt sliced through my system. Family was everything to a High House, not for sentimental reasons, but in order to maintain a strong, powerful House. I couldn’t remember the last time someone was disowned.
As part of a High House, no matter what happened, you knew the House would have your back. So did everyone else. Even when I left home, I knew that if things ever went completely sideways, I could just reveal my identity and House von Hasenberg would do whatever it took to get me out.
By threatening to remove the protection of our House, Father had just promised that everyone who held a grudge against House von Hasenberg in general—or me in particular—would target me because there would be no House retaliation. I would become the most hunted woman in the ’verse, with or without a bounty.
I kept my expression cool through sheer force of will. “You will do what you have to do, just as I am. Now either we can have a conversation, like civilized adults, or I can shoot you all dead and take my chances with the RCDF forces outside.”
Lady Rockhurst climbed to her feet. Hatred twisted her features for a few seconds until her mask fell into place. She smoothed her dress with a hand that barely trembled. Stun bolts packed much less of a wallop than stunsticks, but even so, her recovery time was impressive.
“What do you hope to accomplish here?” Lord Yamado asked. Oddly, he seemed like the most rational of the three despite his legendary temper.
“A full pardon for Marcus Loch and myself, including removal of the bounties, plus posthumous pardons and familial restitution for every member of the Genesis Project,” I said. Three sets of eyes snapped to me in shock. I had their attention now. “Or I will burn down your world,” I vowed.
Lady Rockhurst rallied fastest. “I do not know what you are talking about,” she said.
“That is unfortunate considering it was your son who was the one directing the only surviving Genesis Project squadron to attack the starving women and children of Fornax Zero. But I suppose if you do not know about it you will not mind when the information is released in”—I checked the time on my com—“forty-three minutes.”
“Did this man tell you that?” Lady Rockhurst asked with a wave at Loch. “And you were stupid enough to believe him?” She sneered. “You deserve to be disowned. In fact, I am going to demand it.”
My temper flared but I was encased in the ice of my public persona. I looked down my nose at her and arched a single, imperious eyebrow. She didn’t wilt like most whom I hit with the expression, but that had never been my intention. I needed to provoke one of them into making a mistake. “Do I need to shoot you again?” I asked. “Because it would be my pleasure.”
Lady Rockhurst flushed red in outrage. If pure hate could kill, I’d be dead.
“Even if it was true, why would anyone care what happened to a military squadron so long ago?” Father asked.
“You think parents who watched their babies die from a simple gene deformity that the Royal Consortium arbitrarily decided cannot be altered are going to stand idly by when it comes out that you used illegal genetic manipulation to create supersoldiers? Especially when those soldiers were used to slaughter starving innocents? There will be riots in the streets of every occupied planet.”
“She is bluffing,” Lady Rockhurst said. “The information was destroyed. We all agreed.”
“I would hope so, since it was your job to destroy the shared data, Anne,” Lord Yamado said. “We destroyed our copies.”
Lady Rockhurst rounded on him. “You are not pinning this on me, Ren, so do not even try it. The data was destroyed.”
They both turned to Father. Albrecht stared them down. “She did not get it from our House,” he said. “I personally oversaw the deletion of our files.”
Despite their words, they all very likely had offline backups of the data because they were all backstabbing bastards. They would want to ensure that they could take down the other Houses if the data ever came to light in a way that was unfavorable to them.
They seemed to silently communicate for a few seconds. “If we give you a pardon, you will turn over all of your data to us,” Lady Rockhurst said.
I laughed at her. Even Father looked vaguely insulted that she thought I was that stupid. “The data will stay where it is. If I ever fail to reset the timer, it will automatically be made public.”
“For how long?” Lord Yamado asked.
“Forever. When I am old and gray, standing on death’s door, I will disable the timer, assuming I have no children to protect. Until then, it stays.”
“What if you die young from natural causes?” Lady Rockhurst demanded.
“Well, you had better hope I watch my diet and exercise,” I said, “because if I die young from any reason
you all are screwed. You forget that I know how the Consortium works. One convenient space station ‘accident’ and I am no longer a threat. It is in my interest to make it in your interest to keep me alive. And free, obviously.” I tacked on the last bit because their idea of safety was more than likely a cell in the deepest, darkest pit they could find.
“Will she break, Albrecht?” Lady Rockhurst asked.
Loch rumbled next to me. I guess he didn’t appreciate them talking about torturing me as if I wasn’t here. I was with him on that, actually.
Father gave me an appraising glance, then shook his head. “Not fast enough,” he said. “She always was a stubborn one. Corner her and she will fight to the death.”
“How sure are you that she is bluffing?” Lord Yamado asked Lady Rockhurst.
“How sure are you that your data was destroyed?” she responded with an arched eyebrow. He inclined his head, conceding the point.
“I only need two of you to agree, which makes one of you expendable,” I said. “And time is wasting. It will take me at least ten minutes to return to my room or ship in order to reset the timer. Keep arguing and the decision will be made for you. Then you all become expendable.”
“As do you,” Father pointed out.
“I have always been expendable,” I said. “Today is no different.”
Loch growled. “Let me kill them and be done with it,” he said, weighing in for the first time. His deep voice rolled around the room like thunder. “I can deal with the RCDF.”
I tilted my head, considering it. Killing the councillors had never been my intention, but if they refused to negotiate, I would not let them walk away unscathed. Of course, if I killed all of them then there would be no safe place left in the ’verse, no matter what information I held.
“Give me the ship, and I will agree to your terms,” Father said.
Lady Rockhurst’s eyes widened at the offer. She cut a glance at Lord Yamado, who presumably didn’t know about Polaris or at least didn’t know the details. “Give me the ship, girl, and I will agree.”
“The ship is not up for negotiation,” I said. “It is mine and I am keeping it.”
Polaris Rising Page 33