by Unknown
“No need, I can get class 1 access to all the data if you give me your codes. I can pull it all down.” Said Mikka and instantly started to speak into her communication pod, giving excess and download instructions.
“There might be, of course, an easier way to track him down… “ Val interrupted them as they soon filled the air with images and files.
“He obviously does not have a ID installed in him if you are referring to that-”
“No, no, I am not… His humanoid had to have a communication device that would keep the doctor fully informed of everything that was happening to him.”
“That makes sense.”
“If we can connect to the device, we might be able to see where his last transmission was being directed to. That is why I wanted him here in the first place. Also, as I work on this, you need to track the whereabouts of the police captain here. He may be still involved with the doctor somehow.”
“It seems that there are two problems we have to solve right now...the first one obviously is to find the doctor... The second one is the police captain. if he keeps on sending troops to take us down, he can make our job a lot harder, maybe even impossible to do.”
“If we can get to the Capitan, he can really help us solve what happened to the transporter. “ Timor said hopefully.
“Wait, wait, wait...I didn’t sign up for that.” Mikka suddenly protested not liking where the conversation was leading to, “I could not care less what happened to the transporter. I just want that doctor, and I want him now. You can worry about the transporter later. Why is that any of my business?”
“You know, that is actually a pretty good idea...” Val said, paying no attention to the assassin. “Plus, I am sure, the Capitan could pull up resources to-“
“…Locate the doctor. That’s the job. That’s the deal, isn’t it?” Timor asked.
“Yes, we could get a lot of help from the captain, his access codes, we could look at the local networks that only emperor can. “ Val wouldn’t stop.
“But how do we get to him?” Timor asked, afraid to even look into Mikka’s eyes.
“But, at his home of course.“ Val said nonchalantly.
Mikka's communicator suddenly ringed.
“Really, you use a communicator?” Timor asked almost disappointed.
“I don't like implants. This is much safer...Maybe you do not mind electronics plugged inside of you, but I do.” She said half annoyed already as she realized who was calling.
“Hi Sweetie! Good job for finishing the job in such a timely matter,” a very cheerful voice on the other side greeted her.
Mikka looked in the screen. It was a face she didn’t see in a long time. Two deep scars lined above of his left eye, and a scruffy dark beard completed a rugged look of a man whose eyes tried to be as innocent and benevolent as hyenas’.
“Hi, Kikari.” She said not hiding disappointment at seeing him.
The man gave her his full bad-and-missing-teeth grin.
“Your assistant was very generous with the job offers lately. He had me running around with no break from one part of the empire to another.”
“Well the market has been crazy of late, you know. And almost nobody does as good job as you, to tell you the truth. Why don't u put up a camera, haven't seen you in ages?”
“No, I rather not, and you know I look the same. I am surprised you look the same…With all the money you must be making on me, I thought you would find a way to make yourself look half decent by now.”
The man let go of something resembling a laugh.
“While we are talking about the money, I hope you are enjoying your last payment…”
Mikka glanced in her communicator, went to her bank account and noticed the newly deposited 50 million credits.
“Thank you for your prompt payment as always, but…”
“What?”
She really didn’t like Kikaki, really didn’t like that ‘What?’ at all. I think he knows that, and shares the same opinion about me…probably why his assistant does all the communications.
“What is it?”
“-I was going to ask you before, was that guy really worth all that money?”
The question took him by surprise.
“Well, well, you are so good, every job is now easy for you…If that seemed a lot, you could always refund some back to us…And I will make sure that I pay you right next time,” the guy grinned.
“...there won't be next time...”
“…I guess because they wanted it done right away…”
So, they think that the doctor is dead. Well, who am I to debate with them? I am not their news source…I do not get paid to be informer…Let them think whatever they will…
“…what do you mean won't be next time? We already have another job for you.”
“I am not interested, thank you. Actually, I think the last job I did was exactly that, the last job I did.”
Her handler suddenly felt unsure…
“Well, okay…You are turning a good money, easy money, away…
“Sure.”
“I see you are in bad mood…Can’t understand why…But anyway, I’ll try you later. I am here on Zalirus myself. I certainly would not mind seeing you face to face, you know.”
Mikka turned her eyes around and man chuckled again.
“What? I even have a gift for you-“
“Yeah, the last gift you gave me cost me almost my life… Do I need you to remind you of that?”
Kikari kept on smiling and shook his head in denial.
“Well, I’ll forward you my address in case you change your mind.” He said before signing off.
“What's going to happen when they find out that the real doctor is still alive?” Timor interrupted uncomfortable silences that suddenly befall on three of them.
“They don't have to find out.” Mikka said angrily. She really didn't need a contract on her own head, not now that she is so closed to being out.
“I can finish him before they find out.”
“Sure you can…if we find him first.”
“And then I am out…”
“You are crazy if you think they will just let you walk away,” Val said looking at her, “In over hundred years working as a cop, I never knew of any assassins who retired. I only know of those that got retired with a bullet to their heads. Getting in a clan is a one way ticket. I mean, you live by a gun, and you die by one...no, isn't that your code?”
“Shut up old man. I am retired.”
“We will see.”
“I just need to find the doctor and finish it for good.”
I guess the captain will have to wait, thought Val looking how resolved she was.
Val and Timor crashed on the dark futon as the night swept in. Mikka stood on the terrace, looking at how quiet the sea became, and the reflections of the light that played on its darkened surface. She hoped that her neighbor, two floors down, would come out with his daughter.
She activated all the security in her box, and then set down to meditate, waiting for two moons to show up above the sea. Their golden crust dancing above the water was the last thing she looked at as closed her eyes.
In the morning, she was the last one to wake up. As she got inside her apartment, Val was already working on the humanoid, while Timor shoveled files in the air.
“Good morning.” He greeted her with the smile and a small ring knitted in his voice.
She decided not to answer. It was just too much enthusiasm too early in the morning for her.
“I’ll get something to eat.” She said as a greeting and a good by. In the next minute, she was already on her jetter in the air above the water. The morning sun caressed her face, and the chill of the spring breeze made her mind sharper.
She felt very strange. It was the first time she ever had two men in her apartment. She would never bring anyone in, not even for a cup of brew. If she wanted to be with someone, it always had to be his place. She could not tell if she l
iked or disliked the idea of sharing her space.
She had no clue what they liked to eat, so she got what she liked times three. Noodles with crab meat. It smelled good, and looked even better.
If they are hungry enough, they’ll eat it.
In another minute, all three of them set on the terrace, digging deep inside the noodles.
“You need some chairs here.” Timor said to break the silence.
“You need to…” She was going to say ‘shut up’, but then thought better off. “…find a woman that will not mind listening to your crap. You cook tonight.”
“Okay,” Timor said fighting hard not to let his hurt emotions show up.
It took Val better part of that morning to open the head of the droid. At the same time Mikka and Timor were shifting through years of data, trying to find places the doctor frequented, his hideouts. They actually created a short list of about 10 different locations that seem Doctor stopped visiting in the last 2 years.
“Do you see this green liquid bag right behind its eyes?” He asked them as he finished.
“Yes, is that the communicator?” Timor asked with excitement.
“No, that is not a communicator…That is actually-”
“… a liquid lion particle bomb.” Mikka jumped in surprised.
“Yes, I’ve seen those before…and there is plenty of that to blow up everything inside this apartment. Good that you shut him in the chest, or else we would be both gone by now.”
“But can the bomb be activated remotely?”
“Yes, it could but the transmitter was in the back of the head…and it seems that it got damaged when he smacked his head on the floor…Making it very useless to us now. Not a very good engineering, if you ask me. I would never leave it to be so vulnerable.”
“I found it...Val said after a minute, holding a little round shinny device.
“And what is that?”
“That is a communicator, and not a very powerful one...it is used on only short distance frequencies. I doubt it could transmit further more than few miles. But, unfortunately, we cannot process its communication log…It is a very ancient version of communicator. I won’t even be able to connect it with my pod. I bet at the police station, we could get it connected.“
“Except we cannot go there. But, do you guys realize that the doctor may be then somewhere in his home?” Timor said. “What a better place to hide than right there?”
“He could receive feedbacks from his android being so close, even plant the words into his mouth, if he wanted to…”
They never thought about it. Val had to admit that would make a lot of sense, didn’t know why he didn’t think about it earlier.
“If not at home, probably close by.”
“We can get his DNA from his house, start scanning neighboring houses for him.”
“With the hardware we have on us, that would take us forever.”
“He has to be nearby… “
“So what do we do?”
“Well, we go and examine his home...I go inside with my thermal and brain waves scanner, you Timor guard the front door, and you Mikka, provide the sky cover. He may take it to the sky as he notices us.” Val made the plan
“Does doctor have any family, anybody living with him?” Timor had another question.
“I could not find anybody, but that is not to say that he is alone,” Mikka answered.
“We also have to assume that the doctor knows of the assassination attempt on him. So , he is probably hiding very well right now and ready for anything. “
Val wasn’t sure what will happen once Mikka gets the Doctor in her sight. That is another reason why he wanted to be alone in the house.
Maybe she will kill me first and then kill the Doctor second…no, probably not. For some reason she saved me before even though she thought that the doctor was already dead. More likely that she will kill the doctor first and then kill me. Val was thinking to himself and giving himself less than 50 percent chance that he will get his hands on the doctor or stay alive.
…
They found the doctor’s home like nothing happened to it at all. The front door was locked, so Val had to brake in. Mikka again was nowhere in sight as she put her stealth suite on and hovered above the house.
When Val stepped inside doctor’s house, he could not but regret he made such a plan. Suddenly he felt very alone, and didn’t like it at all. The walls covered with big stuffed animals seemed to talk to him. The house just felt very wrong including pinky ceilings. Even the air carried the strange odor, musty, unhealthy.
The thermal signatures scan were revealing that nobody was there, but the voice could be heard, distant, coming from somewhere underneath. The basement was behind the kitchen. But the downstairs only the darkness was meeting him, so he went one step at a time with his gun pointing the way. The voice grew louder as Val went deeper inside the black and windowless space. Soon he was able to make sense of it, little girls voice repeating over and over the same sentence.
“Can I daddy, please?”
As soon as he understood it, he ran toward the voice, his flashlight not having to show the way.
He could see some light coming from underneath the door on the far side of the basement. No heat signatures, nothing. The door was locked, and the voice of the girl seemed begging, desperate. He broke that door on a second try.
The room barely had enough light to make shapes. In the corner, there was a table with a lamp which did an awful job shining on its surface. But Val could clearly see a head of a little blond girl, bloodless, standing there all by itself on the table, her mouth slowly moving, eyes blinking.
“Hi.” She said as her eyes zoomed in on Val.
But Val didn’t want to talk, He ran out of that room faster than he got in, up the stairs. He jumped four, tried five at a time. He could see no end of them.
“It’s a bomb!” He yelled with all the air in his lungs. Maybe it was too late for him, but maybe Timor could still save himself. “Bomb, get out!!!”
The explosion that proceeded then lifted that basement right underneath Val’s feet. He jumped out of the house as the flames licked his back.
Mikka could do little as she heard Val scream about the bomb. She only had enough time to lift the jetter of the house's roof as it blew up pass her. The force of explosion threw her 20 feet away from the rooftop causing it to spin. Mikka lost control and the air scooter brushed her against the tree branches, scratching off her suite and skin. At least, she luckily remained still saddled in. In another second, she got a full control over it.
She knew she had but a minute before police and fire department flew in. Her invisible cloak was gone, and if she was not to be seen, she knew she had to flew away that very second.
She could leave, she was aware of that being the best option. The doctor, if he was inside the house, was dead, and that would make her job complete.
She looked at the bodies laying outside the front door, Val’s back still on fire, Timor laying with his legs sticking out of the bushes, probably with his back well broken.
She could have left, and they would never find her. But she landed down, threw her air-scooter inside the sedan. Then she turned Val around, threw dirt on him until fire was gone, and dragged him to the back of the sedan.
Timor, she picked with both hands, like he was a baby and placed him right on top of Val. They grouched, but she didn’t care. As the fire department jetters could already been seen in the air, she pressed the gas on the sedan and drove toward her apartment.
She thought, hoped, that she was not detected, but it was not meant to be. As she made the first corner, the police jetter swept over her, demanding that she stops her vehicles. Before they had a chance to fire their electronic blocker, she stopped and got out of the car. She took out her gun and with one mini-missile fired brought down the air-scooter. The she took out her rifle, and gunned down two of them which were closing in on her hundred yards away.
I rea
lly don’t need this…She thought to herself not for the first time.
But as soon as she got in to her apartment, she had another dilemma. The tricky part was to know which of them she would place first inside her regeneration tube. Both of them could not make it. But they both looked bad, and both moaned and groaned and made her very upset.
In the end, she did threw both of them inside, each facing one another, jumping on Timor’s back so she could close the tube.
“Even if it is broken, it will be fixed, cry baby!”
“We don’t fit, there is no way we can fit, please, my back!” Timor was repeatedly screaming, but soon the tube was closed and their complains could be heard no more.
Finally she could get some peace and could close her eyes trying not to think if the police jetter had a chance to record her face and send it to their database. She really didn’t need that.
Chapter 12 The Search
“Doctor wasn’t there. I am sure of that,” Val said after few hours have passed and he told them of what he found in the house.
“It’s already been more than 24 hours since the doctor’s humanoid got shot. What are the chances that he is still on this planet?” Timor asked.
“You forget, the traffic to the outside planets is almost nonexistent now. All transportation seemed to have stopped waiting the findings of the disaster. So I think he is still here.”
“Unless he arranged private take-off,” Mikka said fully knowing that anything is possible.
“Who would risk that?” Val answered it with the question of his own. Mikka was not ready to share any secret of hers to an ECI, regardless of who that ECI was.
Less he knows, the better, she thought.
“We need to get in touch with a chief police commissioner here. I mean, there was a hit on me and on you, Timor…He may be implicated, and we need to know that… I doubt that he would not know anything about all of these…And if he is not implicated, he can help us out.”