Joan pointed toward the scene in the distance. “There,” she said.
“Yes, but how do we find Commodore Zhang in that crowd?”
“Such a dangerous prisoner, I doubt she’d be left on her own or just mixed in with the crowds,” Dario said. “Let’s go talk to security.”
Joan froze in her tracks. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if they recognize our faces?”
“You’re with me. Very worst I tell them it was ordered for you to go up on the ships and you can find Commodore Zhang yourself,” Dario said, stopping as well, and turned back toward her.
That sounded reasonable. The security here seemed to be more concerned with people fleeing than the wrong people coming aboard. Of course, once they were aboard that Megahauler, they would be stuck. Joan hadn’t quite figured out the next stage of the plan. None of the people being herded into these transports would know they were in any danger. The corporation was unlikely to provide life pods or other safety systems, and she was sure there’d be no way she’d be able to reach a comm. If anything, the ship would likely have a jammer installed to prevent communications.
The plan would be aboard, find Commodore Zhang, and hope she had an idea for a real plan. In essence, Joan trusted her life to some woman she had never met. Strangely enough, Trian didn’t protest.
G.O.D. did say that it was their best chance at success, but that best chance meant less than three percent, according to her AI’s calculations. It wasn’t as if they had many alternatives. Joan didn’t want Dario or Trian to lose hope, and she’d been able to maneuver out of sticky situations before. This is why the Council of Ministers asked her to join this mission. Her knack for survival.
Joan took a deep breath. “All right, let’s do it.”
They proceeded forward; the distance seemed infinite across the tarmac. Eventually, they did arrive near the security personnel.
One of the guards approached. “This is a restricted area.”
“I know,” Dario said. “Dario Anazao, quality control. I’m here to ensure operation success. Board wants this to go off without a hitch.”
The man narrowed his eyes at Dario, then at Joan and Trian. “Anazao?” he asked, the name holding weight in the way he asked the question. “Who are your friends here? They look familiar.”
“Part of my team,” Dario said.
The line in front of them shrank. It appeared for a moment like the security guard didn’t believe them, but he stepped aside. “Be careful. These people inside are agitated enough as it is. If they learned there were higher ups here from corporate, we may have problems I won’t be able to contain.”
“Got it,” Dario said, glancing over at Joan.
That look brought goose bumps to Joan’s arms. What was that about? Dario had become so protective over her these last few hours. It made Joan a little nervous, but she also found she rather liked it. No one had ever tried to take care of her like this before, even if she could care for herself just fine.
“Your heart rate is escalating again,” G.O.D. chimed in from her ear piece.
“I’m sure.” Joan shook her head.
“What was that?” The guard focused on Joan.
“Nothing,” Joan said, doing her best to smile at the guard, trying to make her tone sound professional as she could when she spoke. “Mr. Anazao, weren’t you going to ask about the, what was it, special cargo?”
“Ah, that’s right,” Dario said. “The board mentioned that they had a high profile passenger on this expedition they wanted to be sure was kept quiet. Are you aware of that?”
The security guard thought for a moment, then shook his head. “No, I don’t think… wait a sec,” he said. “Hey, Jenn!”
The person he called came over, another officer in riot gear. “What’s up?” she asked, looking to Joan, Dario and Trian. “These settlers?”
“No, no, corporate big wigs,” the first security officer said. “Jenn, you know anything about some special going up on the transport? Didn’t someone from the level fourteen precinct come down here early in the morning and take a transport?”
Jenn approached, giving each of them a glance over. “Yeah, that was the beginning of my shift. Wasn’t a something special, though. They were bringing some woman. She was cuffed, and they kept four guards on her at all times.”
Joan glanced at Trian, who returned an understanding look.
“I see,” Dario said. “This woman went up on the transport?”
“That’s right.”
Joan turned back to the security officer. “That’s what we’re here to check, make sure she made it safely. Can we head up in one of these transports to confirm?”
Dario’s eyes went wide, and he opened his mouth to protest.
Joan quickly tapped on her handtab. She tilted it away from the security guards so Dario could see the message she’d typed: Trust me.
Dario snapped his mouth shut, giving an uneasy nod toward Joan.
Security Officer Jenn raised a brow. “You know these transports aren’t coming back?”
“That’s fine,” Joan said as brightly as she could. “We’ll catch the last crew transport off the ship when we’re done.”
The first security officer shrugged. “If they want to take the risk, I don’t see a reason they can’t go up.” He stepped aside and motioned the way to the closest transport. “Should be a little room, but might be tight. Hopefully won’t be too uncomfortable for you.”
“We’ll be fine,” Joan said, taking the lead and stepping forward. She tugged Dario along with her, but was met with a little resistance. At first, he didn’t budge, but he relented and walked with her. Trian followed.
When they were out of earshot of the security officers, Joan glanced back behind her, and then smiled at Dario. “Thanks for that, Dario. We really couldn’t have gotten this done without you.”
“This is a bad idea,” he said.
Joan stopped and glanced back to make sure the security officers weren’t looking. They had shifted their focus to a datapad, talking amongst themselves. Satisfied with the lack of an audience, Joan turned toward him.
Trian stepped unobtrusively off to the side, acting as if he were analyzing the transport and the last remaining of the underlevelers filing inside.
Joan reached over and hooked a finger on his hand, squeezing. “I know you don’t like this. I’m sorry. I wish there were another way.”
“Me too,” Dario said, his face reddening.
“It really does mean a lot to me, what you’ve done. When… if I survive…” she began, but she knew those were mere comfort words. She had no idea what she would do after she got aboard that ship. For all she knew, she would be stuck like the other underlevelers. Even if she did manage to find a way to turn that ship around or evacuate, she wouldn’t be able to contact Dario. She was a known spy by corporate security, and any comm from her, especially from outside Trade Federation space, would implicate him. If he weren’t flagged by his corporate security already.
“Don’t say anything,” Dario said. His mechanical eyes, cast downward.
Joan didn’t know what to do, didn’t know what she could say to make things right. She held his hand for a long moment, desperate not to hurt him more. Beside her the rest of the underlevelers had boarded the transport. Trian spoke to the security officer close by, delaying the launch, but she was out of time.
Despite herself, she felt her body moving up to its tip toes, closer to Dario. She could feel his breath, and a warmth stirred in her chest, something she’d never felt before. An excitement inside her, stronger than the first time she stepped outside after being stuck in that penal colony. She vividly remembered the bright light of a real sun on her for the first time in years, and it paled compared to Dario.
Hastily, Joan pressed her lips against his before taking a couple of steps back from him, half expecting G.O.D. to chime in about her heart rate again. It thudded harder than ever before.
Dario’s eyes widene
d in surprise, his face flushing a bright red. He shifted his eyes toward security and back to her. “Joan…” he said, sounding panicked.
His lips had been softer than Joan expected. She wasn’t sure what she should have expected, truth be told. What had even prompted her to do that? She shook her head to try to clear her emotional haze. It wouldn’t go away. “I’m sorry. I wanted to thank you properly. For all you’ve done.”
“You don’t need to thank me,” Dario said. His expression said everything. He loved her. That look sent a chill down her spine.
Joan wanted more. A real kiss, a long one, something that would connect him to her for far longer than that brief tease. But security, not to mention Trian, stood right there. She couldn’t risk appearing too odd, and she couldn’t linger any longer. Instead, she turned, jogging those last few steps to the ramp of the transport. Trian ushered her aboard. As much as she desired to, she didn’t look back.
Chapter 31
Decisions
Spaceport—Third Level, Mars
Local Date February 14th, 2464
Dario dragged with a sense of heavy loss. Yet, part of him felt so light on his toes that he thought he could fly through the dome hatch himself. It should have been impossible to feel both of those ways simultaneously, but somehow, he managed. That kiss. It was all he could think about. He wished he’d prolonged it, or at least been able to respond. He longed for another so his tongue could meet hers, so he could take her in a little more fully than that fleeting moment.
Before he had come to his senses, he’d walked back to where the two security officers had originally engaged him. The two security officers—Jenn and the one who never gave a name stood there, looking at him somewhat perplexed. “They’re going off into the transport?” Jenn asked.
“Yeah,” Dario said, the reality of losing Joan sinking in, drowning the moment of joy.
“And you’re not going with them? I thought it was your team?” The other security guard asked.
“It is. I’m not. They can do what they need to do,” Dario said. That much was true. But why hadn’t he gone with them. He looked back to see the transport lifting off the ground, thrusters lighting up and dust kicking toward their direction.
The thought hadn’t even occurred to him that he could follow her. He was here. This corporation had been where he had been born, his entire life geared toward management in Regency BioTech. He hated the reality of it ever since Jake had opened his eyes, since Joan had stepped into his life with a brief conversation.
He couldn’t affect change here. That was the bitter truth. Not by himself. And without Joan and her friends, he had no back up. Sure, he could probably persuade Daniella and Antonio to his way of thinking, but without a protected familial status like he had, they might get hurt or worse. Situations had changed there as well. His father had an open plant within his department. There was nothing he could do.
Dario was so caught up in worrying about Joan, something he couldn’t change now, that he almost didn’t hear footsteps approaching.
“Dario?” A deep voice rang, clear and distinct as he’d heard thousands of times before. His father.
He immediately tensed, not turning around, hoping his father wouldn’t see the distraught look he couldn’t purge from his face. “Mister Anazao,” Dario croaked, his voice not cooperating with the lack of emotion he wanted to convey.
“You’re really upset about this,” Mr. Anazao noted, stepping up to his side. He placed a hand on Dario’s shoulder. “I’m not a villain here, Dario. You have to understand. I’m trying to do what’s best for the company, best for your future. So is the board. These people will have happier lives out in the Hyrades Cluster.”
Dario opened his mouth to protest, but his father had circled around him and held up a hand. “I know what you’re going to say,” Mr. Anazao said, “so please, spare me the arguing. There’s nothing to be done.” His eyes narrowed on Dario. “That Jake fellow really got to you, didn’t he?”
That was part of it, but Dario looked away. “No. This is all my decision. I haven’t been brainwashed or duped.”
“I wasn’t going to say you were.”
That surprised Dario, causing him to look back at his father. He switched his vision to display the man’s vitals. Those didn’t betray any sense of urgency or escalated heart rate that often preceded falsehoods. Which was in keeping with how his father usually acted. His father spoke earnestly most of the time. Dario didn’t know what further he could say to him, even with the honesty. So he said nothing.
“I’m not going to spend time arguing with you over corporate policy. You’ve got too much of me in you. You’ll never back down if you have something you’re passionate about. I know it well. But Dario, don’t throw your life away.” Mr. Anazao stepped in front of him, gazing off at another transport loaded with underlevelers. “I saw recordings of you in the detention block. You claimed you were taking wanted criminals to interrogations, and brought them down here instead.”
“That wasn’t exactly—”
“I’m not here to turn you in, Dario. I’m here to tell you there’s better ways to protest. I’ve certainly had times in my life where I’ve disagreed with corporate policy, or other people in my department, even your mother. There was a time where I almost gave up my position to go work with her in an effort to spend more time with her,” he said, chuckling to himself. “Fortunately, your mother had the sense to smack me upside the head and tell me not to give up my life for something foolish.”
“Was it worth it?” Dario asked, some of his anger seeping out in his voice. He had already held off on doing what his father would consider foolish, not giving up his life. Couldn’t he see that? That very action was what pained him.
“There’s no way to know what another path may have been, so I don’t dwell on it,” Mr. Anazao said. “I think my life has turned out amicably. So has your mother’s. I’m content with that.”
“Yeah, well what if I’m not?” Dario asked, nearly covering his own mouth. He had never been so brazen with his father before.
That caused his father to turn back toward him. His face twisted into a frown, and he sized up Dario for a long while. “Hmm.”
“What?”
“This isn’t about corporate policy or a cause, is it? Not completely.”
Dario could feel himself shrinking right before his father’s eyes. What could he say now? He had always hated how his father analyzed and picked apart his every move.
“The young woman you escorted down here. What’s her name?” Mr. Anazao asked. “Her real name, not the Deborah Moynihan listed on her false ident.”
Dario kicked at a pebble on the ground in front of him, watching it roll away from his foot. “Joan.”
“Joan,” Mr. Anazao repeated. “A strong name, energetic, no doubt.”
Dario nodded to that.
“I hope for your sake that she wasn’t using her abilities as a spy to pull a fast one over on you, Dario. Where did she go anyway? Did she steal one of the security guard’s weapons and run off once you freed her?”
“No,” Dario said, a little more forceful than he intended. Talking about Joan with his father made him more uncomfortable than he would have imagined, and it evoked a defensiveness out of him. His father hadn’t said anything that showed he was judging him, though. Not yet. So why did he react this way? Dario looked up to the sky. “She went aboard one of the transports, up to the Megahauler.”
“So, you led her into a trap yourself.” Mr. Anazao nodded to himself.
“It was her choice. She knows what she’s getting into. She’s hoping she can do something from the inside,” Dario said. Like he had been trying to do all along, to change the corporation from the inside. Unfortunately, he found out how well that worked.
“A fool’s errand,” Mr. Anazao said. “The interior of the Megahauler’s been stripped. There are automated commands only, and a security team to make sure nothing gets out of hand. There’s noth
ing she can do.”
“I wouldn’t underestimate her,” Dario said. Talking about Joan gave him such an urge to fight, but being defensive wouldn’t accomplish anything.
Mr. Anazao paused, looking up to the dome, then back down at Dario again. “I wouldn’t. I’ve seen the impact this woman’s had on my son. But you know that sitting here, moping about the situation isn’t going to do you any good. It seems to me you have a choice.”
“Like what? She’s gone. I’ve got to get back to work knowing that she’ll likely be dead in a few days time.”
“If what you say is true, Dario, that you’re not content, perhaps you should consider doing something else.” Mr. Anazao gave him one more pat on the shoulder then turned back to go the way he came. “My end goal is for you to have a good life, you know that. Perhaps I pushed you too hard.” With those last words he took steps away from Dario, leaving him alone again.
Dario considered for a time, watching the last transport fill. When he glanced back over his shoulder to look for his father, he saw the elder Anazao was gone. Do something else. A choice. It was an odd way of talking to him. His father had never given him a choice in his life. It always had the illusion of a choice, but it set Dario on a singular path each time. That much had led him here, trapped within the confines of Regency BioTech. What else could he do?
The ramp for the final transport began to close. Dario was certain that boarding wasn’t what his father intended by talking about the choice. He probably meant switch career paths, travel to gain some perspective on life. Boarding would be throwing his life away, exactly what his father warned against. Wasn’t it?
But his father did give him the choice. He saw how important Joan was to Dario. A choice did stand before him.
Dario jogged toward the transport. Joan had faith in herself, faith in what she was doing. Enough to board a Megahauler doomed for destruction. If Dario loved her, and he did, he should have that same faith in her. She’d find a way out. If anyone could, she could.
Star Realms: Rescue Run Page 24