by Tracy Lauren
“Hey!” I call to the waitress. “Can I get another one of these?” I ask, holding up my chopstick. Silently, she hands me another from her apron. “Thanks,” I tell her. Now I can eat.
Narron watches me take a few bites with his heavy brows furrowed. “Humans are such simple creatures,” he says, more to himself than to me.
“Oh yeah? Met many humans?” I ask, taking another bite.
“What are you doing?” he asks angrily.
“I don’t know, eating?” I shrug.
He lets out a long sigh and shakes his head at me. “You are watching the elevators for any signs of our target.”
I roll my eyes. This guy seems to swear I’m a mind reader. “Yeah, fine. I’m doing that too.”
Narron and I eat in silence for the remainder of the meal. I watch the elevators and he watches me to make sure I am watching the elevators. I find myself wondering how much Narron and The Oscillion know about humans and Earth when old blue eyes appears from behind the elevator doors. His eyes accidently catch mine and he beams me a handsome smile. I quickly look down at my empty plate.
“Eeeeee, he just got off the elevator and looked right at me,” I whisper-yell to Narron.
“What is he doing now?” Narron asks. I venture to look up and beyond Narron’s big shoulders.
“He’s uh…looks like he’s headed down that back hallway.”
“What is he wearing?”
I do a double take at Narron. “Is that some kind of weird sex question?”
Narron looks up to the ceiling and shakes his head. “Does it appear he might have the data chip on him? If he dresses like your friend Dax, he likely left the chip back in his room. If he is wearing a—”
“Oh oh oh, okay. I get it. Yeah, he had like an overshirt on. It looked big enough to have pockets to keep something like that. What now?”
“Go check his room. If you still cannot find the device, follow him to the dance hall.”
“The dance hall?” I nearly exclaim.
“The dance hall. That is what lies at the end of that corridor,” Narron says casually as he sips at a glass of water. “What is it, princess? Don’t you like dancing anymore?”
I push my chair out as I stand and don’t dignify his chide with a response. Making haste up to the young pilot’s room, I hurry to open his door. Once inside, I see that his room is messier than the others I’ve been in so far. Looks like he’s been in town a day or two already. I quickly search all the usual hiding places and come up empty. I even tidy up a little. As messy as this guy is, I might just find the thing discarded under a pile of dirty clothes. But I have no luck and eventually make my way back to the ground floor. Narron eyes me from across the room. I nod in the direction of my target, indicating that I’m going to follow him. Narron’s curt nod in response is so quick that I’m not sure I really saw it at all.
Down the hall I soon hear a pounding bass. Past the first doors I’m led to a coat check, and beyond the second set there is a large room lit by neon lights and dancing lasers. The alien dance hall is packed and the lights make it hard to differentiate one alien from the next.
“Come on, where are you?” I mutter under my breath, pushing through the crowd. Finally, I spot him on a platform near the head of the hall. Maybe I can dance with him and pick his pocket? Sure, I was never able to pickpocket Narron, but that was because I was trying to go completely undetected. If I dance with this guy, he might not mind wandering hands. I make a beeline for him, and just as I near the platform the guy turns, showing me a beard made of tentacles and big yellow fish eyes. He smiles at me from behind the gas mask-like device he wears.
Eek. Wrong guy. I turn to hurry away and run smack dab into a smooth yet solid chest and look up into sapphire eyes. “Oh!” I call out, in surprise.
“Greetings. You are the female in need of services!” he says, beaming at me.
“Yup, that’s me,” I agree with a forced smile.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” he asks.
I appraise his bare chest. “As a matter of fact, I did,” I tell him, but this time with an authentic smile. “If you’ll excuse me.”
The pretty young thing looks disappointed as I leave him behind, but doesn’t push his luck by trying to follow me. I exit the dance hall and make my way to the coat check.
“Hi,” I say brightly to the female behind the counter. “My boyfriend came in a minute ago and checked his coat, but he changed his mind and wanted me to grab it for him. He’s a pale blue guy, tats on his cheeks, gorgeous bright blue eyes. If I could just get his coat, that’d be great.”
Unfortunately, she’s not dumb. “Two-hundred and fifty credits and you can have whatever coat you want,” she says dryly.
The fake smile spills from my face. “Okay fine. Hold on,” I tell her, and I run from the room, across the hotel lobby and right up to Narron. He sits bolt upright in his seat when he sees me running.
“Give me your cred reader,” I tell him.
“Excuse me?”
“Just give it to me already,” I say with one hand on my hip and the other outstretched to him. He only hesitates a second longer before digging in his pocket.
“Fine, here—”
“Awesome! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I say hurriedly before running back to the coat check.
I slam the reader down on the counter. “The coat that belongs to the guy with the sapphire eyes,” I remind her.
She swipes her cred reader over mine then turns to grab the coat, setting it before me wordlessly. I clutch the garment to my chest. Almost done, I think to myself before I dip my hands into the pockets. Immediately my fingertips find the device. I pull it out carefully, trying to keep it concealed, particularly from the woman at the counter that can be bought. Hidden under folds of fabric, I load it onto my personal comm.
“Thanks. Actually, I changed my mind, go ahead and keep the coat,” I tell her and hurry from the room to meet Narron. He’s abandoned our table at the restaurant and stands by the door waiting for me. I run to meet him, but he grabs me by the shoulder and halts my dash.
“You are drawing attention to yourself, princess. Look around you, no one else is running.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Sorry, I was excited.” An embarrassed laugh escapes me, but Narron isn’t laughing. He pushes me to the exit and the second we get outside he demands his cred reader back.
“How much?” he questions.
“Two-hundred and fifty,” I tell him, and he growls at me. “Whatever, we got it, right? That’s all that matters.”
“Come on,” he says, and we head back down the alleyways, retracing our steps. It’s quiet back here, peaceful compared to the market district of the city.
“How’d I do?” I ask, fishing for a compliment.
“You cost me 250 creds and ran through the lobby like a criminal. How do you think you did?”
“I got them all, didn’t I?” I defend.
“There is still Drykn,” Narron counters.
“Drykn isn’t even here yet!” At the exact moment I speak the words, a dark shadow passes over Quar, blocking out the sun. I crane my neck. Looking up, I see a tremendous ship passing over our heads, black as coal and ominous.
“He is now,” Narron states, looking up at the sky.
“Then I’ll get it soon enough,” I say irrefutably.
Narron grunts again and we keep walking. What’s up with alien men and grunting, I wonder to myself.
“Hey, Narron? After I get Drykn’s data chip, do you think The Oscillion will be happy?”
“Ask your true question,” Narron says, cutting through the bullshit.
“Do you think, if I do well, he’d let me see Dax?”
Narron stops short to frown down at me. “It would be best if you did not think of such things.”
My heart drops. I was hoping my trainer would give me some kind of reason to be optimistic. “I mean, it doesn’t hurt to ask, right?” I press.
“
Sometimes it does.”
Chapter 37
V
We find a rooftop opposite Drykn’s hotel and wait…and wait and wait and wait. Obviously, it won’t do us any good to break into his room before he even arrives, so Narron keeps a look out while I try and squeeze into a little sliver of shade near the edge of the rooftop.
“Geeze, Narron, do we have to wait up here? We’re going to get burnt to shit,” I complain, instantly cringing at my words. Narron is covered in those burn-like scars. He doesn’t flinch, nor even look over at me. “Sorry,” I mumble, getting to my feet and making my way over to his perch. I look over the edge of the building. Lots of people come and go, and though I’ve seen Drykn’s picture on my personal comm unit, I doubt I’d recognize him from this height.
“This is like looking for a needle in a haystack,” I note, looking down at all the ant-sized people milling about the markets. The sun will be going down soon and then this will be a pointless effort.
“I thought you were eager to please The Oscillion,” he reminds me.
I silently mouth his words behind his back while making a sour face.
Narron sighs. “You are very much like a terrible and annoying small sister. It’s a shame you will not last long in this work.”
Stupid, perceptive alien. “Such a fucking flatterer,” I tell him. “Hey, what’s that over there?” I ask, pointing to the hotel that Drykn will be staying at. From the rooftops, long furls of fabric begin to cascade down the side of the building. As I watch them unroll I notice I don’t need Narron to respond. They are banners for the upcoming race. I look down the main road toward the epicenter of town and see others unfurling their rolls.
“Is the rally really going to get as crazy as The Oscillion says it will?” I ask, still looking down at the city. I begin to notice that others have started decorating for the event as well. Some of the shops are sporting red flags that match the enormous banners hanging from the buildings, and red lights blink on in some of the windows. “I guess I’ll see for myself in two weeks.”
“I don’t know that you’ll make it that long,” Narron tells me coolly. I scowl at him.
“What a dick thing to say. Here I was thinking we were getting along fairly well.” I frown.
“Don’t be a fool. I am your enemy and you know it. There is no reason to pretend otherwise and it would be irresponsible for either of us to forget it.”
“What about all that stuff The Oscillion said before? About being allies?” I counter.
“Let me ask you this: if you could use me to get to Dax, would you?”
I pause for a second, considering my answer and if I should be tactful or honest. “Yes,” I admit finally.
“What if it meant killing me?” he says casually, still looking down at the road.
A long stretch of silence lies between us. “No reason to get bent out of shape about it,” I admit in a low voice.
“Believe me, I am not. Quiet now. Look, there is your man.”
It’s a poor choice of words on his part, though he likely doesn’t realize it. For a second I thought he meant Dax was down there, wandering the dusty streets of Quar, looking for me. But then it dawns on me. He means Drykn, my next target.
“See him, there?” Narron indicates a spot far below, and I think I can just barely make out the alien I recognize from the images on my personal comm.
“Got him.”
“Get down there. Get into the hotel and keep an eye on him. Do not be noticed, and for all that is good, do not go running around like a criminal. Shit like that draws attention to you, and what you want is to be invisible. If Drykn goes to his room, wait until you see him exit it, then go search the room.”
“Yeah, I got it,” I say, shrugging off his advice. I turn to leave, but Narron grabs my arm.
“You take extra care with this one. The others were simple pilots, Drykn is a criminal.”
I put my hands on my hips and furrow my brows at Narron. “First you suggest I’m not going to make it through the rally, then you’re all weird about Drykn. This is scary enough, Narron, with plenty of pressure to boot. I don’t need you making it worse than it already is.”
“Funny…you don’t look scared,” Narron tells me, and I’m suddenly taken aback. I suppose I didn’t really feel scared until he said that. Now I’m only scared because I don’t know what happened to that old familiar feeling of terror. I back away quickly, uncomfortable by this new realization, and I head for my next target.
The hotel Drykn is staying in looks regal inside, with lots of burgundy drapes, gold-framed artwork hung throughout, and ornamental white columns. I get to the lobby as he is checking in and head over to the bar. When the bartender comes to take my order, I beckon him nearer and he obeys.
“Hey, can you just give me a cup of water but make it look like a cocktail?” I ask. The man eyes me funny but nods and gets to work. He uses a fancy cup and adds little bits of alien garnish.
“Thanks,” I tell him as he hands over my mocktail, then I turn to watch the lobby.
Gosh, even the people here seem regal in the way they dress, I think to myself, looking down at my own attire, which can only be described as functional. Drykn finishes up at the desk and I notice him talking with about a half-dozen men he seems to be friends with. They split from one another, some heading toward the hotel's restaurant and others making their way to the elevators. Drykn is among the latter group. He hoists a black bag over his shoulder and disappears from my sight. I sigh, looks like I’m not done waiting.
I nurse my mocktail for a bit, then remember it’s just water and gulp it down, asking the bartender for a refill. While I don’t have to worry about getting tipsy, I do have to worry about making a bathroom run before Drykn comes back downstairs.
The minutes keep on ticking by and eventually I do need to take a potty break. I cross my fingers, hoping I don’t miss my target while I’m indisposed. After washing my hands, I push my way from the restroom to hurry back to my post and…run smack dab into another alien chest. Only this one is not as accommodating as the last. To my dismay, when I look up, I see it is Drykn. My luck is one in a million.
“Oh! Excuse me!” I exclaim, trying to sound like any ordinary girl. I plaster on a dumb smile and look up at the guy. His expression makes my blood run cold and even my phony smile isn’t able to maintain its residence on my face.
“I’m so sorry!” I say apologetically, patting him over his chest and sides…making sure I feel for signs of the data chip in his pockets. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
He roughly grabs my wrists, twisting them more than necessary to still my hands. His yellow eyes narrow, but he says nothing. I pull away from him, having to yank my arms back to escape from his grasp. “Sorry,” I say with finality and hurry away from him.
Aliens still hold a certain creep factor to me, but that guy takes the cake. I head over to the bar, if only to appear as if I have a place I am supposed to be and stand close to a group of friends enjoying one another’s company, trying to make it seem as if I am a part of their circle. Only then do I venture a backwards glance at Drykn.
It doesn’t look like he was watching me. Instead he disappears into the hotel’s restaurant. I don’t waste a second before heading to his room. My personal comm tells me his room reservation is on the twelfth floor. The elevator takes me there in no time. I step out into a wide hall, barren of hotel guests but lined with columns. The end of the hall has big glass double doors leading out to a balcony. About halfway down the hall is a large seating area, with ornate furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a view of the desert metropolis. It’s dark out now and the lights outside almost look like they could belong to any city on Earth. Almost.
I find Drykn’s room and use my skeleton key to get inside. I perform my search, perhaps a little more harried than my previous endeavors. Narron did say this guy was a criminal, and to be honest, the way he looked at me kind of made my skin crawl. I’m eager to be don
e with this. Besides, maybe The Oscillion really will be pleased with me. After all, I’ve been good this whole time. I haven’t tried to escape or coordinated any efforts to spring Dax from the fortress. Maybe he will let me see Dax…talk to him…ask him if he’s okay and let him know that I’m safe.
I have to shake myself to refocus my attention on the search. The data chip isn’t in any of the usual places, but it also didn’t seem like he had it on his person when I felt him up outside the bathroom. I analyze the appearance of the room. His bag sits on a disheveled bed and the shower is wet from use. Other than that, it doesn’t look like he’s unpacked or settled in much.