# # #
Grey gaped at the huge screen in front of the Hall of Justice where a raucous crowd had gathered. The cameras zeroed in on the man’s face as he stated what had to have been planned for shock value. Then the picture switched to a close-up of Dana herself sitting beside Lieutenant Johansson who apparently had betrayed them all too.
Dana’s face looked drawn and pale. Was that for effect as well?
“Her father?” Grey turned toward Rin. “Did you know this?”
Her sister shook her head. “How can she just sit there?”
Good question.
“At least we know where Fleur is,” Benton whispered.
“But how are we going to get in?”
“We’re not.”
She stared at the man. He’d trimmed his beard and hair and could pass for a Mazdaar senior officer. He held up a square device smaller than his hand and spoke into it. “Thing 1, Thing 2, move to your designated start coordinates.” The drones immediately walked away from them and disappeared into the crowd.
“At least not yet. They’ll enter the hall first,” Benton said. “We’ll meet them inside. Drones are usually scrutinized with far less security protocol than humans.”
Just then a man in dusty, tattered clothes with a turban wrapped around his head bumped into Benton.
“Pardon me.”
“Of course,” Benton said, hiding his controller in the pocket of his uniform coat.
The beggar pressed both palms together and gave a small bow of submission. “Sir, do you know the way to the abode of light?”
Grey stepped away from the beggar, but Benton did not. Instead, he grasped the man by the hand answering, “No, I am of small account.”
The beggar smiled. “Then let me show you.”
Chapter 41
Dana knew she was supposed to feel honored that this man was claiming her as his own. By admitting his indiscretion with her mother he was exposing himself to scrutiny and possibly even disciplinary consequences for fraternizing with a fellow officer. A media maelstrom would hound him, but she knew charges would not stick. They never did for anyone with money. Still, he was willing to take the chance. A part of Dana did appreciate his honesty, but she couldn’t bring herself to feel anything else.
“You, Fleur March, stole my daughter from me,” Nathaniel said.
If there had been an audience, Dana imagined their collective gasp would reverberate through the room. She felt the implication of his words settle in her soul like cement.
“But you not only deprived her of a father’s love, you also deprived Mazdaar of a great young mind. Dana Yurkutz was stolen from all of us. This is reprehensible.”
She sat erect in the wheelchair. Her mother had never spoken of her as a great young mind or anything of value. As much as it tickled her ego, she reminded herself this trial was not about Fleur March’s war crimes. Nor was it even about her desertion all those years ago. By painting a picture of a heartless, driven woman stealing an innocent, hapless child from her family and country, they were playing on the emotions of their citizens. Dana Yurkutz was not just a witness in this trial. She was a pawn.
# # #
Grey and Rin stood on the sidewalk staring across the six-lane thoroughfare at the Mazdaar police headquarters and detention center. Benton had told them to wait here, and they had obeyed as he walked off with the “beggar” Grey now suspected was the Yien contact appointed to meet them here. If Benton didn’t return, they were to get out of the city any way they could.
“We have a plan,” he said, finally joining them. He was out of breath, but hope shone in his eyes. “Yien has a rescue already underway in the prison, but they hadn’t yet found a way to infiltrate the hall.”
Grey glanced across the street again. “Which is where we come in.”
“It’s dire,” Benton said, “but at least there’s a fighting chance. Everything is as I remember. There’s still a private elevator for law enforcement. It opens on the lowest level of the hall. If Thing 1 and Thing 2 can overpower Fleur’s guards at the elevator when they are bringing her back to the prison, we will have an opening. If the others are successful in the prison, they’ll meet us on the other side of the passage.”
Grey rubbed her face with her palms.
“We can do it,” Rin said.
“We’re three people,” Grey said. “How many guards do you think they have in there, and how many more can they call at a moment’s notice?”
“At least a hundred,” Benton replied.
It was practically suicide.
# # #
The atmosphere in the council chamber felt oppressive and thick. It pressed down on Dana’s shoulders like a hot blanket in summertime. She surreptitiously checked on Marie, but she wasn’t paying attention to her anymore. Her gaze rested on her father. Was Marie admiring his performance?
“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” A council member with a shaved head and bushy eyebrows leaned forward. If she remembered correctly, he represented the agricultural segment of Mazdaar.
March’s eyes closed for a moment, and then she addressed the council member in an even voice. “Nothing you would believe or understand.”
“How dare you insult this council,” Lady Kern snapped.
“I mean no disrespect.” March bowed her head slightly. “I merely answered your question.”
By the look of disgust on Nathaniel’s face Dana knew he’d already made up his mind about March, but had the others? And what of the people? Every screen would be streaming the proceedings.
Lady Kern opened her arms wide. “Perhaps it is time for us to call on the victim. Dana Yurkutz is with us today and has bravely agreed to testify, even though she was injured recently.”
Dana swallowed, but her mouth felt dry. This was it. Her fate as well as March’s was in her hands.
“The Council thus calls Dana Yurkutz.” Lady Kern motioned toward the witness stand.
Marie stood to help her, but Dana shook her head, pushing her away. She would stand on her own two feet or she wouldn’t stand at all. She pushed herself up out of the wheelchair.
“What are you doing?” Marie whispered.
“Making my choice.”
Dana strained to take a step, then another, just like she’d practiced last night. Her legs responded haltingly and sweat began to form on her brow, but Dana closed the distance between the wheelchair and the stand. When she reached it she grabbed it with both hands, out of breath but still standing.
“May the record note that Dana Yurkutz has already been sworn in,” Lady Kern said. “However, please confirm you understand and have agreed to testify for Mazdaar.”
“I have.”
“Duly noted,” Lady Kern said. “Now, I am sure you have been traumatized by this ordeal, but we appreciate your willingness to be here.”
She tried to swallow again. She’d been briefed left and right this morning and knew exactly what she was supposed to say and what the Mazdaar people expected. Dana stared into the nearest hovercam. There was still time to back out. She didn’t have to do this.
Glancing back at Marie, Dana wondered again how her life would’ve been if she’d known the truth sooner. She thought of Grey and Rin Alexander’s close bond and wondered if she could’ve felt something similar with Marie had things been different. Would they have shared secrets and dreams, or would their difference in age have prevented it? She knew for sure she would not be standing here today. She would never have defected if she’d known she had a sister and a father. Dana suddenly realized that everything she’d been through was intended for this moment right now.
The light shines in the darkness.
Chapter 42
Grey felt like lone prey in the middle of the desert. Exposed, vulnerable, and if she was being honest scared out of her wits. Benton had assured them he would get them through security without a hitch, but still she held her breath as they approached the checkpoint. Since neither she nor Rin were co
nnected or had identity chips, she had no idea how he would pull this off.
The guard standing beside the scanner looked bored and definitely human as he smacked on a piece of gum and stared up at the monitor airing the trial. The camera zoomed in on Dana who’d just taken the witness stand.
Benton approached the automated scanning station first. Grey thought she saw him remove something from his pocket right before he swiped his hand under the light, but she wasn’t sure.
No alarms sounded. No guards came running.
Rin poked her in the back, and Grey moved up behind Benton, reaching out her hand. He’d told them to act like they belonged, to do everything he did, but Grey hesitated. She’d never had a chip. How could she pass through unnoticed?
“Come on, Grey,” Benton muttered.
She waved her hand under the scanner. A light turned green.
She didn’t wait another second to contemplate how he’d done it, but he had. With Rin right behind her Grey took large steps to keep up with Benton March as he strode across the vestibule of the Hall of Justice.
They were in.
# # #
Dana gripped both sides of the podium to support herself. She could not collapse. No, she would stand.
“Dana, please tell us how James Ferris lied to you.”
If that wasn’t a leading question she didn’t know what was. Despite her shaky legs, she felt strength filling her on the inside.
“He was a faithful guard to my family,” Dana said.
Her brevity and avoidance of the question caused Lady Kern to clear her throat. She turned toward Dana, raising her eyebrows as if to encourage her to go on, and a hovercam spun with a quiet whir.
“What did he say to you?” Nathaniel asked.
Dana raised her chin. “That there was so much more to life than what I knew. That I could have true freedom and peace outside of Mazdaar. He also said that the truth would set me free if I would only believe.”
“Blasphemy!” the bald council member said.
“I thought so too,” Dana said.
She could practically feel Marie’s eyes piercing her from behind, but Dana refused to turn around and see. She couldn’t look at March either. One council member rubbed his chin with plump fingers, another who wore a head scarf leaned toward her colleague and whispered.
Lady Kern cocked her head and stared Dana down. They were off script now. She half expected them to shut down the cameras and start over.
That couldn’t happen. At least not until she finished.
“Tell us how Fleur March manipulated and threatened you,” Lady Kern said in a firmer tone.
Only then did Dana make eye contact with Commander March. Despite Mazdaar’s torture she stood at attention, like she would when inspecting her crew. Fleur March was stern but not hard. Wise as a serpent yet capable of compassion Dana hadn’t found in Mazdaar. She vividly remembered stepping off the cosmoship in the Preserve, shaken and afraid, wondering if she’d made the biggest mistake of her life. But Fleur March had been there to meet her. She’d extended her hand and welcomed Dana to a new world.
When Dana had been with March she’d been the happiest of her life. Why hadn’t she remembered this when Marie as RedStar whispered those doubts in her ear? Why had she allowed herself to entertain the idea that her mother wanted her back, that Mazdaar actually cared about her?
Dana’s throat tightened. She would have only a few seconds, and they had to count.
“Fleur March did none of those things,” Dana said, and before anyone could stop her she took a deep breath and went on. “This woman is the kindest and most decent person I know. I made the worst mistake of my life betraying her and turning my back on everything she and the Yien Dynasty did for me. People died because of me, and I will forever bear that burden.”
Dana stared right into the hovercam. “If anyone has lied, it is Mazdaar.”
A gavel slammed down on the council table, but Dana ignored it.
“I stand by Commander Fleur March and beg all of you to do the same.” She raised her voice over the objections of the council. “She is innocent of these charges. I was not deceived. I chose to leave Mazdaar and join the Yien cause, and I would do so again.”
The gavel clanked, and Lady Kern gasped as she glared at Dana then turned toward the nearest hovercam. “It is as we feared,” she said. “It is obvious Dana Yurkutz’s psyche is so damaged she cannot even comprehend reality.”
Dana would’ve stood there and dared to argue with the High Council, but as the hovercams stilled and most likely ceased their broadcasting, she felt the guards grab her by the arms and pull her away from the stand.
As they half-carried her away, she glanced at Commander March for what she knew was the last time.
Chapter 43
The guard handcuffed Paul and shoved him from the stifling cell. He stumbled and resisted the urge to retaliate. Stick to the plan, he reminded himself. It’s what would get him out of this alive.
Tanner and Sue Alexander were bound as well, and then the three of them were escorted down the dingy prison hallway past rows of windowless cells. The tang of bleach hit his nose, and someone groaned nearby. He would not think about the other prisoners who could very well rot in these cells. He’d barely been able to negotiate for the Alexanders.
“Stop lagging,” the guard said through his teeth, pushing Paul in the back again.
They marched down two floors, and Paul wiped sweat off his face with the back of his arm. He’d never been so dirty in his life.
Without fanfare the guards buzzed the prisoners through three different security doors until they reached the room which led to the tunnel, and on the other side the Hall of Justice.
“Five minutes,” the burly guard said, undoing their cuffs.
And then Paul Alvarez and the Alexanders were alone. They had to act fast.
# # #
The drones dragged Dana to a holding cell reeking of mold and didn’t bother to bring her wheelchair. She collapsed onto the slab of concrete and tried to imagine any scenario that would end with her alive.
She defied Mazdaar.
She renounced her father.
She signed her own death warrant.
Dana slowly undid her ponytail, ran her fingers through her hair, and pulled the locks up again. Even if no one had seen the broadcast, March had heard her. That gave her a moment of peace.
They would both be executed. Not even Colonel Nathaniel Hutchison would have enough pull to dissuade the High Council from killing her, and they’d wanted March dead for years.
Resting her head in her hands, she pulled in a deep breath.
God, I’m sorry.
When the guards came for her a few minutes later, she didn’t struggle.
# # #
Grey and Rin clambered down the stairwell after Benton March. He seemed to know exactly where he was going, but they were running blind. They caught up with the remarkably spry old man who’d stopped in front of what looked like a steel door with a hand scanner.
Benton pulled out the same device he’d used when they entered the building, and this time Grey got a good look at it. As thin as cloth, it molded to his palm.
Rin elbowed her, nodding her chin toward the cameras above them. If they hadn’t been noticed yet, they would be soon. Hopefully their Mazdaar uniforms blended in as well as anyone.
They’d rehearsed the plan several times already, but Grey went over it again in her mind. Once they got to the small room with the elevator they’d wait for Mrs. March’s envoy to come down. The moment those doors opened they’d need to remove the cameras. That would buy them less than a minute to free Mrs. March and get into the passageway.
It was a long shot, and they all knew it. At this point Grey was glad to have any plan at all. She might die trying, but try she would.
Benton looked over his shoulder at them. He didn’t have to say anything, but they knew what he was asking. Were they ready?
“Let’s do
this,” Grey said as convincingly as she could, and Rin nodded her agreement.
Benton pressed his hand into the sensor, and the light turned green.
He opened the door. The bottom half of the walls were painted a deep red, the upper half a drab white. Pipes and wires hung from the ceiling, and a deep rumble, maybe from a furnace, came from somewhere nearby. The elevator which would soon deliver March was to their right, and the passageway leading to the prison was directly across from it.
Thing 1 and Thing 2 waited for them near the elevator, and Grey and Rin acted as if they belonged too, taking up stations as Benton had instructed them. If some other prisoner was escorted through before Mrs. March, they were to retreat into the stairwell, but Benton calculated that with a high profile case like this they would’ve cleared the docket. Grey remembered how short her own “trial” had been. If it wasn’t for Jet Yien, she surely would’ve been convicted and promptly executed.
Ten minutes later Grey’s pulse jammed in her ears as she tried to stand at attention like she imagined a Mazdaar soldier would. Then the number illuminated on the floor indicator light above the elevator doors, and they watched the floors count down.
Just before the elevator opened, Benton pointed at Grey, and she nodded back, raising her rifle at the one security camera panning the room.
The doors opened.
Mrs. March was flanked by two male drones holding her arms. As they stepped from the elevator and the doors slammed closed behind them, Grey fired at the camera. A flurry of sparks exploded.
Thing 1 and Thing 2 dove for the throats of the unsuspecting drones. Metal clashed against bioflesh with a sickening thud. With swift, programmed moves, Benton’s drones twisted and squeezed the guards’ necks. They crumpled to the cement floor, green fluid spilling from their mouths.
Jupiter Storm (Jupiter Winds series Book 2) Page 18