Cool Pursuit: Chaos Core Book 2

by Lalonde, Randolph

  Before they could disembark, Spin had to meet with whoever the Port Authority were sending to collect the docking fees and ask questions. Instead of covering her face, she decided that the best way to find out if the wanted notice had reached the planet was to reveal herself. The chances that they were ahead of any bounty or notice were high, so there wasn’t much risk. Besides, their ship was almost as conspicuous as she was, so there was no point in hiding. Even still, she’d taken precautions.

  Looking over her shoulder, she made eye contact with Mirra, who was sitting in their last remaining turret, pointing the guns at the door. She smiled a little and waved at her. “Everything all right?” Mirra asked over their communications link.

  “Everything’s fine, I’ve met with customs and port guys a few times,” Spin replied. “I don’t think this hangar has been cleaned in a couple decades though.”

  The grit underfoot was finer than sand, a dark grey, wet grit that seemed to have gotten into every crack and corner of the docking bay they’d agreed to pay for. It was larger than they needed for the Fleet Feather, made for two ships of her class, but the large rectangular hangar was the smallest available. A group of four heavily armoured soldiers approached. The muzzles of the turret guns tracked them as they crossed the large empty space between the hangar doors and Spin, who waited patiently at the bottom of the Fleet Feather’s main boarding ramp. One of them opened his helmet visor as he stopped in front of her, and returned the smile she offered him. “Anything you’d like to declare?”

  “Just delivering some passengers and visiting an old friend,” Spin replied. It was easy to slip into a role she’d played countless times, that of the young, approachable diplomat.

  “Are your passengers anyone special? Any celebs?” asked the guard as he looked past Spin up the ship’s ramp. The hatch at the top was gilded with an etched pattern of vines and the silver sheen of the metal indicated that it was no basic freighter.

  “No one worth noting,” Spin said, handing him two one hundred UCA platinum slips. “No one worth talking about.” If the conversion rate between that currency and the local credits was right, that was just over four months of the guard’s salary. A bribe large enough to share, and to keep questions to a minimum.

  “Understood,” the guard said, obviously pleased with her bribe. “Docking fee was four hundred in UCA, or six hundred in unsecured Plat. You have that?”

  Spin handed him four thin rectangular chits worth a hundred each, they felt heavy in her hand. It was less than Sun expected the high end accommodations to cost by a quarter. “We don’t know how long we’ll be here.”

  “City’s kicking up, the Nay assholes are really pushing on everyone’s territory and they just brought some firepower in from some salvage run in mad bot territory that’s enough to get the corporate bosses thinking about emergency alliances. If your crew does security work, you’ll have no trouble finding it here, no matter your specialty. That is, if your local friend doesn’t have first rights on hiring you.”

  “I’m here to see Quino, but we’re free agents,” Spin said, paying close attention to the guard’s reaction.

  The colour drained from his face as he stared at her, frozen for a moment. “You have a good stay. Someone will be by once a day for docking fees.” He closed his visor and retreated with his comrades close behind.

  The small group of seven passengers who weren’t staying on as crew began emerging from the ship with Sun in the lead. “Got through the whole speech without too many interruptions,” she told Spin. “Most of them are just happy that we found a place that they can book passage from. All but two of them could find a ship going in the right direction within twenty hours. Everyone’s got their stack of credits, and no one tried to take extra.”

  “Della and me set them up with a little food baggie,” Nigel added from up the ramp. “Thought they should have something just in case.”

  “That works,” Spin replied. “Who didn’t find a ride?”

  “Take a guess,” Sun said, glancing towards Tamara, the only one that was a true reject from the Countess’s court.

  Without hesitation, Spin strode towards her. A young man, Herrin, she’d heard Tamara call him, moved to stand between them. “Pardon me,” Spin said as she tapped the back of his knee with her foot, putting him off balance before she pushed the side of his face, sending him sprawling across the metal plated deck. Her gloved hand gripped the low collar of Tamara’s consuit, and she pulled the startled woman close so they were nose to nose. “You’re going to trade my location to the Countess so you can earn your way back into her good graces, and even if you don’t, I know you’ll sing all about your adventure to your brother.”

  “No, I’m just going to contact him so one of our ships can get me and Herrin, then I won’t tell them anything, I swear on- “

  “If you expect me to believe that, then you really think I’m a brainless doll. Tell her that Larken is dead,” she said, feeling as though she wanted to take her anger out on the waif right then and there. It was such pure fury; unlike she’d ever known before. “Her pilot murdered him. Her autumn doll set is broken, and she should forget about ever seeing me again. As for you, I should kill you, it’s the only thing that really makes sense, flushing you out the airlock like a rim weasel. I’ll find out if I’m right, if you tell everyone where I am, and you had better pray I don’t have time to find you.”

  “I suppose you’d kill me then,” Tamara said. “Then just kill me now, you’ll think I squealed no matter what I do anyway.”

  “I won’t kill you,” Spin said, realizing that everyone, not just their departing passengers, was off the ship, witnessing the scene. A realization that something was wrong with the medication that had been keeping her steady since Larken was killed was secondary to the thought that she had to make a point to all the people who she saved, the people who were leaving with her generous assistance. “I will track you down, steal you in the night and disfigure you while we travel to a brand new world. A world that has no use for an ugly, pampered bitch with no practical skills, a world so far from your brother and the rest of your family that they’ll never find you. I’ll alter your DNA enough so you can’t even be found by the best hunters, then drop you off in the middle of the worst slaver territory you could imagine. You’ll be lucky if someone kidnaps you so they can sell you for meat.” Spin could feel a wash of emotions start crowding her mental state as she pushed the woman away. “Get out of my hangar,” she managed before retreating up the ramp with Sun close behind.

  “You’re not okay,” she told Spin as soon as they were out of sight.

  “I was afraid of this,” Leland said as he walked in behind. “Your body is breaking the therapeutic meds you took to dull things down. It probably sees them as an unwelcome alteration, I’m surprised they worked at all.”

  Spin couldn’t believe she didn’t think of that before, and cursed inwardly as she led Sun and Leland into a small machinist room near the rear of the ship and leaned on the counter. “It’s not like the meds let me get pissed and that’s it. It’s all rushing back,” she said, squeezing her eyes shut and gripping the counter’s edge. Sorrow mixed with fear and hate made her want to curl up in a dark corner and scream until she could calm down and dream of Larken, the one thing she wanted from the universe.

  Sun gently stroked her back, concerned. “What’s going on? How can I help?”

  “The drug she took is almost completely out of her system,” Leland said, a tinge of sorrow in his voice, pity in his expression. “Whatever was being suppressed and controlled is coming back all at once. I’m no therapist, but I know you’ve got to be around people, Spin.” He moved to her other side, leaving Sun on her left as she attempted to comfort her. “Look at me,” he said clearly and seriously.

  Spin obliged and stared into his serious eyes. “What?”

  “You lost a lot getting here, but you still have friends, you still have people you can trust. Lean on them, they’re gr
ieving too. I wish we had time to rest and take care of ourselves, but we don’t. We’ll take care of business here, let you rest on the ship whenever we can, but we need you, Spin.”

  “Compartmentalize,” she said, nodding, taking a deep breath. “God, I didn’t want to go through this, give me a few minutes, I’ll be all right.”

  “You sure?” Sun asked.

  “Yeah, just let me get my head back together.”

  06

  The sight of a high class, fast passenger transport in the hangar Dorian tracked his old friends to was enough of a surprise for him to decide on a quiet approach. He was sure that sections of the back of his long coat were even more shredded than usual – the force of his pounding thrusters, even if they were made to operate with as little heat as was possible – would be enough to wear through the material, he was sure. For the first time in months he worried about his appearance.

  Would Sun and Nigel notice the artificial sheen to his skin or how tattered his thin armour coveralls and jacket were? He’d been busy becoming a hunter to clear his debt, busy killing for so long that he felt awkward at the prospect of a reunion, even though he’d known Nigel since he was a young teen.

  He observed from the broad main doors of the hangar as a short but shapely young woman finished her conversation with the Port Control Officers. Between landing gear, he watched as they beat a hasty retreat at the conclusion of their conversation. She was not the kind of creature he was used to seeing. He closed the distance between him and the nearest landing strut, using it as a hiding place as he watched her turn towards the boarding ramp. Her long brown hair framed a beautiful face that was soft, but seemed like it was raised in the wild as that visage became harsh, expressive, twisted with a sneer that spat threats that nearly made him shudder. His cybernetic hearing delivered her threat to mutilate and abandon a blonde waif coming off the ship to his ears as clearly as it would be if he was standing next to her.

  The fierce, beautiful creature retreated up the ramp as the passengers exited the hangar through the port doors. “What did I just see?” he muttered to himself.

  Nigel emerged from the ship and Dorian steeled himself. “New introductions with old friends, time to be social.” With as confident a stride as he could muster he approached his long-time friend. “Nigel, what brings you to the most expensive port on this rock?”

  Nigel whirled around and peered at him, unsure of who he was at first, but recognition and joy overtook his expression before Dorian was fully out of the shadow of the ship. “I heard you got killed last year!” he erupted, closing the distance and embracing him. “A few upgrades since, wow,” he said, holding him at arm’s length and tapping on his chest.

  “Yeah, some genius rebuilt me, wrapped me up in military skin, doesn’t quite have the warmth or soft touch as the real deal,” Dorian said.

  “But it’s you?”

  “Yeah, saved the grey matter, bits of organs here and there. It’s me.”

  “Man, it’s good to see you,” Nigel said. “It’s been a bad week.”

  From the scabs and chemical burns Dorian detected on his friend’s skin, he could see he wasn’t exaggerating. “Are you and Sun running under a new captain now? You guys leave the Cool Angel?”

  “Captain White turned on us, left us behind while the United Core World Authority soldiers took Spin and us into custody. They were after her, but we got sold to a slaver as a bonus. Spin got to us, used this thing to save our butts, but we lost Trevor and,” he cleared his throat.

  Dorian realized then that there was an important person missing from his sensors. Nigel’s uncle Boro would never have left him behind, and Nigel was always in the man’s orbit. “Your uncle?”

  “Boro caught a round in the head,” Nigel said, shaking his head. “Nothing anyone could do.”

  “Man, I’m sorry,” he offered.

  “Yeah, moving on though, Spin and Sun are running the show now, gotta keep moving forward like young sharks, things are too dangerous to stay still.”

  Young sharks, the expression brought memories of growing up with Nigel, Trevor with Boro as the adult who was around whenever he could be. He was the one who first called them that, young sharks, always moving forward, eating everything in whatever parent’s kitchen was closest. It’s what he called them often enough for it to stick, and Boro was a giant presence in his adolescence since he never had a father figure. His mother was more interested in picking up in port pubs, trying to snag a husband and whatever came with him before it was time for him to depart. She had a pattern that still made him furious from time to time, but Boro was the most solid man he’d had ever known, and he had no interest in his mother. “What’s after you? UCA? Slave hunters?”

  “Probably, the bounty sheets and wanted notices haven’t been updated with our details just yet, so we’re walking around free I guess. Maybe for a couple days, anyway.”

  “Going to see Quino,” Dorian realized aloud. He wasn’t aware that Sun could know anyone else on the planet. “He’s got a head full of power, running big territory now and a whole crew of assassins.”

  “Assassins?” Leland asked.

  “Yeah, it’s how he took a lot of the territory down here after the UCA hit our last base. Anyway, who is Spin? She that girl who was down here a minute ago?”

  “Oh yeah, you left before she became Cool Angel crew. Her and Boro had a thing starting up right before,” Leland swallowed hard before continuing. “Anyway, turns out she’s a rare doll, not a synthetic mind you, but a lab baked human made to order. Got herself away from a Countess, and Captain White traded her for a big payday, but she escaped, sprung us from a messed up situation, and now I guess we’re here to trade the ship and either go after White or find a cure for her.”

  “A cure?”

  “Yeah, she’s got a life cap, deep genetic one. Maybe has two years left.”

  The wash of sympathy he felt for her surprised Dorian. He wasn’t the same kind of slave she was, didn’t have any kind longevity limitation imposed on him either, but with the push of a button, Quino could end his life. Perhaps he understood her leash because of his own, but for whatever reason he felt he needed to do something. “I’ll get you in front of Quino, but he’s probably not too happy with me right now. Just so you know. I’ve been working for him for a while.”

  Sun emerged from the ship and stopped half way down the ramp, surprised at seeing Dorian. “You’re alive! Captain Hoket said you were killed during a raid.” She offered him a hug but it became brief and guarded. “Are you all right?” she said, touching his face.

  “New and improved,” he said. “Nigel says you need to see Quino, I can get you straight there, I can call one of his drivers.”

  “I was hoping to take a look around the port first,” Sun said.

  “No, you don’t want to do that. This port is fine for parking your ship if you have the plat, but you don’t want to go past those doors if you’re talking to Quino. Through there,” he said, pointing towards the double doors leading to the port control centre. “That’s extreme law, keeping this part of the City civilized takes more soldiers with big guns who will slag anyone who looks like they’re about to litter. It’s war all along their borders, and Quino’s one of their biggest problems. No, I can call a ride, they come in here, through those doors like I did,” he said, thumbing towards the large hangar doors. “And we get to Red River territory. Not safer, but Quino still talks about you, so I bet you can trade with him at least.”

  “Good, are you sure our ship will be safe here?”

  “Yeah, the war with the gangs is unofficial, so they don’t mess with people who bring money into the City Centre, just don’t skip out on docking fees, or they’ll take it.”

  “Makes sense,” Sun said. “What’s the attitude towards escaped slaves here?”

  “Slavers get gutted here, slaves get pressed into gangs, rescued by the Central City folk, or strike out on their own if they can. Slavery’s dead here, you’re go
od if you have a slave mark on you.”

  “Good, when do you think we can get going?”

  “As soon as you and the captain are ready,” Dorian said.

  “Oh, Spin’s not the Captain, she handed that over to Sun,” Nigel explained.

  “Well, whenever your people are good to go then.”

  07

  Della and Mirra were busy in what was left of the hold, taking a final inventory of the clothing, jewellery, and other articles that they wanted to sell when they found someone who would take them. Leland was packing the most useful supplies in the medical bay into smaller kits so they could be divided between crewmembers, what was left would be in small medical crates.

  Spin avoided them and anyone else aboard so she could walk the ship and have some quiet. The surge of emotions had come and gone. She was left numb. There would be times of sadness, times when she wanted to tear the universe apart, and everything in between. Knowing what to expect didn’t soften the blows, but seeing the ship around her and recalling everything she did while she was under the emotion dulling influence of her medication led her to the conclusion that she didn’t want any more. The targeted sedative dulled more than emotional pain. With the effects gone, she was more aware than ever that she had the keys to the Countess’ corporate empire. The most updated version of the operational data for all her companies, even the private military arm was right there in her personal computer.

  In her drugged haze, she’d only managed to mask its identity, making it look like a standard entertainment network dump, then protect it with a bio-lock, so only she could access it while the data was in the computer grafted to her living skin. The thought of searching through it for an advantage didn’t even occur to her until the fog started clearing. The contents of Larken’s personal computer filled in whatever information she was missing, and she knew there was personal data there, things she’d want as the sting of loss subsided.