Nexus: Ziva Payvan Book 2

by EJ Fisch

  In a sense, they’d all been banished for various reasons. Kat: because of a genetic flaw that made her appearance unsatisfactory. Ziva: murder, allegedly. Kade and Aroska: in danger of returning home because of knowledge they held – knowledge of her innocence. Perhaps Kat had recognized this pattern and that was why she had opened up to them so quickly. Perhaps, in a way, Ziva understood how Kat felt and that was why she decided then and there to trust her wholeheartedly.

  “Well, you must have found something of interest if you were calling on me for help.”

  Kat’s eyes brightened a bit, taking on the same mischievous quality Zinni’s often did when she discovered a new clue. She took off up the stairs and returned so quickly that Ziva wasn’t sure how she could have possibly had time to retrieve the second data pad she now carried.

  “I was never able to talk to anyone in Argall. I don’t know if it was a problem on my end or theirs, but my transmissions would never go through. I did find these, though.”

  Ziva leaned in to examine the data pad and Aroska stood up to get a look for himself. The screen displayed what appeared to be a list of four death records, one of which was from only a few days earlier. Each of the deceased bore the same surname: Reilly.

  “Your family?” Aroska asked.

  “Apparently. Argall’s not a very big place, and according to some census records I found, there’s only one Reilly clan that has ever lived there. This man here must have been my father. He and the girl, my sister, were killed three years ago. One of my brothers died a few months later. And my mother? She was killed just a few days ago, around the time Tachi was assassinated.”

  It was all Ziva could do to formulate a sentence as the words “three years” bounced around inside her head again. “Why do you say ‘killed’?”

  “I thought you would never ask,” Kat said, growing more animated by the second. How someone could be excited about the deaths of family members was beyond Ziva… until she remembered she’d never met the people.

  “According to these reports, they all died in a series of mine explosions that each claimed multiple other lives. Since Argall is a mining town, everyone works in the mines. Accidents happen. That sounds reasonable, right?”

  Ziva and Aroska exchanged a glance, knowing better than to agree.

  “If there had really been explosions in the mines, it would have stymied the flow of niobi crystals to the military and the research centers,” Kat rattled on. “At no point during the past three years has that happened.”

  “Three years,” Ziva echoed, doing her best to stay focused on the current conversation and save her own thoughts for when she actually had time to think them. “So you think we’re dealing with some kind of cover-up?”

  “I think they weren’t really killed in mining accidents, if that answers your question,” Kat replied. “And if they lied about the cause of death, there must be something happening that they don’t want anyone to know about. If all my family members are dead, that leads me to believe they were specifically targeted. According to those census records, there should be one Reilly left in Argall: my oldest brother. If they’ve killed the rest of them, I believe he’s in danger.”

  “And that’s where I would have come in,” Ziva said.

  Kat nodded. “It’s taken me months to gather this information. With such limited communication abilities, I just can’t work fast enough, let alone actually go there. I had hoped you’d be willing to go out to Argall and look into it – you would have been compensated, of course. But now here you are with problems of your own.”

  Three years, three years, a hunch I’ve had for over three years now. They had each stumbled across Argall as well as Dasaro’s name. By now it was clear that the captain was somehow responsible for the turmoil they were currently facing; had he somehow been behind the events that had occurred three years prior? “I’m beginning to wonder if these problems are really ‘my own’,” Ziva replied.

  “What do you mean?” Aroska asked. “You think this is all connected?”

  Ziva stopped rubbing her hand over her mouth long enough to answer. “I think it’s safe to say it’s more than a coincidence that Dasaro’s name has come up for both of us. We found information on Argall three years ago, and we’re finding it again today. Now’s not the time to be jumping to conclusions, though. We need facts.”

  As if on cue, Kade appeared on the stairs, toting the data pad Aroska had been using to review Ziva’s case files. His sagging shoulders told her he had yet to conquer Zona’s encrypted files, but the faint glimmer in his eyes said he’d at least found something of some consequence.

  “I have some news about the accident that killed the medical examiner,” he announced, holding up the data pad which now displayed the contents of one of the RG files.

  When he had their attention he continued down the steps, starting out with a few background details to familiarize Kat with the situation. “I managed to get into one of the smaller files,” he said. “It looks like the HSP office in Haphor recovered what was left of the faulty bot pilot and had the results sent to the RG office.”

  “What was left of the bot?” Ziva repeated.

  “That’s right,” Kade said. “According to witnesses and footage retrieved from the traffic cams, that crash wouldn’t have actually been enough to destroy the bot the way it did. The damage was more consistent with an engine fire or an electrical malfunction, neither of which happened. The lab discovered traces of explosive material around what used to be the bot’s memory core, explosives that would have to have been triggered by an outside source.”

  “Sounds to me like someone is trying to cover their tracks,” Kat suggested. “I’ve dealt with my fair share of people trying to erase evidence.”

  “But what evidence would they be trying to erase?” Aroska said. “That they programmed the bot to target Eason Fromm’s vehicle?”

  Kade shrugged. “Possibly. With the memory core destroyed, it’s impossible to tell. And I’m sure that’s exactly what they wanted.”

  “And they’d want him dead because he knew the truth about the man who died?” Kat confirmed. “Agent Spence?”

  “Right,” Aroska answered. “And they killed Spence because he was starting to believe Ziva was innocent, which is why they’re hunting Kade now.”

  As she stood there listening to them putting the pieces together, Ziva couldn’t help but recognize the chain reaction she had set off. Ever since her arrest, it seemed as though anyone who had gone to the trouble of defending her was either dead or running for their lives. She hadn’t meant for that to happen, and she hated to think of how they had all been dragged into this struggle against their will. It almost would have been easier if nobody believed her, enabling her to work on her own and clean up her mess without spreading the poison to everyone she came in contact with.

  She suddenly wondered if her colleagues at home would be affected. Certainly they would have been left alone once she was “dead,” but if…when Dasaro realized she was alive, she knew he wouldn’t hesitate to go after them. She pictured Skeet and Zinni being sent to the Haphor Facility, Jada being kidnapped and tortured, her house being burned down with Marshay and Ryon still inside.

  “Why me?” she muttered, half to herself and half in response to the conversation. By now, it was clear that Dasaro was somehow behind her setup and that he had specifically targeted her, but why? Considering her predicament, Kat’s story, and the details of the car crash, the situation had conspiracy written all over it – someone somewhere didn’t want anyone to know the truth. How did she factor in? Was it true that Dasaro knew she’d been snooping around and he wanted to silence her before she found something? Was there something she already knew that would make him hone in on her? If he’d gone through the trouble of setting her up for the assassination and getting her sent to the Haphor Facility, it was obvious he wanted her dead, or permanently incapacitated at the least. With her out of the picture and the rest of HSP busy looking in
to Tachi’s murder, Dasaro was free to conduct whatever business he pleased.

  It suddenly struck her that, as the head of all Haphezian law enforcement, Ikaro Tachi would have been responsible for carrying out Dasaro’s sentence were he to ever be convicted of anything. Perhaps, by framing her for killing Tachi, he was effectively knocking out his two biggest obstacles with one blow.

  Ziva relayed these new thoughts to the others, carefully thinking over each word she spoke to ensure the theory actually made sense. There was a moment of silence as each member of the entourage considered the idea for themselves.

  “We must both be in danger of knowing the same things then,” Kade said. “They continued to target me even after they thought you were dead.”

  “If this is truly a set up, they would have had to plant all that evidence,” Kat said. “In that case, where’d they get your print and the suit with your DNA in it?”

  “They could have pulled my print from anywhere,” Ziva replied. “It’s not that hard to plant a print. And that stealth suit? It’s identical or similar to a hundred other stealth suits I’ve worn throughout my life. They could have dug it out of the laundry for all I know. None of that really matters – what matters is the fact that I was not actually there!”

  “Nobody’s saying you were,” Kat said, though she sounded unsure.

  “So what do you think Dasaro is doing?” Aroska asked, inserting himself between the two of them.

  Ziva shrugged. “We’ve heard of Argall several times now – there’s got to be a connection there.” She turned to Kade. “Keep an eye out as you search. What the hell is taking you so long anyway?”

  There was silence throughout the room for a moment as the others were stunned by her harsh words. Kade especially seemed hurt, though he did his best to maintain composure, and Ziva kicked herself for addressing him so severely. Her hunger for information was trying her patience and there she was taking it out on the only people on her side.

  “The encryption on the case files was weaker,” he replied, hesitant to make eye contact. “Whatever Zona was looking at in those other files must be important because he’s using an encryption that’s stronger than anything I’ve ever worked with. I’m doing the best I can, all right?”

  He held her gaze for a moment before shuffling back up the stairs, leaving her there under the scrutiny of Kat and Aroska. She fended them off with a hot glare then took a moment to massage her tired eyes.

  It was Kat who finally spoke, breaking the silence that had begun to seem almost loud. “Tell you what,” she said, returning the map to the shelf. “You people look exhausted. We should call it a day and take the rest of the evening to recuperate. Maybe you can even get a good night’s sleep, and in the morning we can make a plan of action.”

  Although Ziva couldn’t stand the thought of sitting around getting nothing done, a little quiet time sounded more than appealing. “Fine,” she said. “Where might I be able to find about a kilo of bariine alloy?”

  Kat thought for a moment. “There’s a swordsmith not far from here. The guy makes knock-off powerblades, cheaper than the big dealers but pretty good quality. I’m sure he’s got some bariine he could sell you. I can take you there first thing tomorrow.”

  “Good,” Ziva said. “I should be ready by then.” She nodded toward the rifle.

  “Well!” Kat said, clapping her hands together. Her enthusiasm nearly made Ziva flinch. “Let’s see what we can find to eat around here.”

  Ziva watched as the younger woman headed up the stairs with Aroska hot on her heels. She could hear the two of them begin conversing with Kade as the cooler was opened and dishes were set out. Mind wandering, she followed them up and, after a bleak dinner of various leftovers, found herself back down in the garage, alone. The room was dimly-lit but a lighting panel hung down over her things on the workbench, illuminating them adequately. She adjusted it and took a deep breath, taking a moment to look over all the pieces. Reveling in the silence, she put her hands to work.

  -70-

  Residential Sector

  Chaiavis

  It was dark by the time the little transport touched down on the landing pad behind the pitiful apartment complex. It was situated on the outskirts of Chaiavis’s Government District, just a short distance from the embassies and consulates. There were no signs of life coming from Apartment 4, but Kat Reilly struck Dasaro as someone who would maintain a low profile.

  “You sure this is it?” he said, eyes fixed on the small, darkened window three apartments down.

  Nejdra brought up the embassy profile on the viewscreen in the cockpit. “It’s a little out of date, but this is the last known address.”

  Dasaro studied the three dimensional bust that spun in a slow circle beside Reilly’s information. The image was out of date as well – she would be a couple of years older now – but those sparkling blue eyes and silvery-white hair stripes were unmistakable anywhere.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  The two of them exited the craft and proceeded to the front of the building while Hoxie stayed behind to watch the rear entrance. There was a small keypad beside the front door, manufactured by some alien company Dasaro didn’t recognize. He gave Nejdra some space and scanned the surrounding area as she knelt down and began working her way into the security system. There weren’t many people around, and those who were remained too far away to see them or pay them any mind.

  The decryption device beeped and began to display the numbers it was pulling from the keypad. After about ten seconds it had spit out a five digit code, and Nejdra poised her hand so as to punch in the numbers.

  “We’re going in, Hoxie,” Dasaro said into his communicator.

  Nejdra’s fingers flew over the keypad and the door slid open with a low hiss. The two of them burst inside, weapons up, ready to shoot the first thing that moved in the shadows within. The interior of the apartment was darker than Dasaro had expected – was it possible Reilly had known they were coming? He hit the controls on the wall, activating a set of lighting panels.

  As the room was illuminated, he was rendered momentarily speechless. Aside from a bare bed frame built into the far wall, there wasn’t a single piece of furniture in the place. A low wall separated the living space from a kitchen that could only be identified as such thanks to a rusty old stove and cooler that were probably bolted to the floor. A small lavatory was positioned across the room, its door open to reveal a sink and toilet that were in dire need of cleaning. Beside the lavatory door was the one that opened out onto the landing pad where Hoxie waited. The air was musty and a fine layer of dust had settled over the floor and walls, giving Dasaro the impression that nobody had set foot in the apartment for some time.

  Nejdra hovered at his side, equally stunned. “I swear this is the right place,” she murmured.

  “Obviously it isn’t,” Dasaro growled. He took one last look around before shutting off the lights and storming to the back door where they found Hoxie waiting with his pistol drawn.

  “What happened?” he exclaimed.

  “She’s not here,” Nejdra replied.

  “There’s nothing here,” Dasaro said. “We’ve got bad information.”

  They walked the remaining distance to the ship in silence, careful not to attract the attention of anyone nearby. After a moment they were all assembled in the cockpit, staring at the profile on the viewscreen and trying to decide what had gone wrong.

  “This is the correct address,” Dasaro said, coaxing a sigh of relief out of Nejdra.

  “Then what do you propose we do?” Hoxie asked.

  Dasaro massaged his temples, wishing he hadn’t made the mistake of thinking everything would go the way he’d planned. “We regroup,” he said. “We sit down and go over the information again. Reilly’s here somewhere – we can see who she’s been in contact with, find her that way.”

  “That will mean talking to the embassy,” Nejdra said. “Then the director will know we’re here.”
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  “We may not have any other choice,” Dasaro replied. “We’ll start by using our own local sources; we have some old friends here who would be more than willing to help. If all else fails we can tie this all up and hang it around Payvan’s neck. Make it look like we’re here wrapping up the investigation on her.”

  “You think anyone else knows she’s alive?”

  “It’s doubtful,” he answered. “At this point Shevin and Tarbic are the only ones who would know for sure, and as long as HSP wants Shevin for the incident at the RG office, they’re not going to show their faces. For now, we’re safe.”

  With that, Dasaro took up the ship’s controls and they disappeared into Chaiavis’s night traffic.

  -71-

  Kat’s Hideout

  Chaiavis

  Night had turned to early morning by the time Aroska made his way back down to the garage. Kat had retired to her room and Kade had made himself comfortable on the floor beside his computer in case his automated program managed to break Zona’s encryption during the night. Aroska hadn’t heard a peep from Ziva since she’d disappeared after dinner, so he treaded lightly in case she was, by some miracle, actually asleep. The garage was dark except for a flickering glow that originated from the area around the sofa. As he descended, a soft crackling reached his ears. There was Ziva, hunched over the workbench, meticulously working on her rifle with the tiny blowtorch she’d found earlier. Her eyes were obscured by a set of safety goggles, the lenses of which reflected the blue light from the torch as well as the orange from the heating panel. The single lighting panel above her cast odd shadows on her face, giving her an altogether eerie look.