Forced Vengeance (Jake Mudd Adventures Book 2)

by Hal Archer

"For me to rescue you!" Tiffin spoke as if saying the words was the most fun she'd ever had.

  "You can't help me, Tiffin." Jake shook his head. "Don't even try. They'll take you in and who knows what."

  "Nonsense," she said. "I've been listening. I heard what Hyde said. There's no way he's gonna take Sarah. Although, I'm a little confused. Don't believe what he said about killing her. She's fine. I just talked to her before I landed up here. How much do you weigh?"

  "I don't think you heard everything right," Jake said. "Wait. What? What do you mean you just talked to Sarah?"

  "It's not important," Tiffin said. "We've gotta move. Get you outta there. Just be ready."

  Jake heard a click from the tiny drone. "Tiffin."

  The drone continued to hover, but Tiffin didn't respond.

  Jake leaned back and looked at the top of the arena stands. He saw Tiffin, standing as a small silhouette against the glowing Eon sky.

  She jumped over the edge toward the arena floor.

  "No! Tiffin!" Jake was shocked at seeing her leap off the edge.

  A moment later he saw her rise and move toward him. Then he noticed the long metal post extended above her head and the flickering movements of the propeller blades at the top of the contraption she was wearing.

  "Well, what do you know?" he said to himself. "I think I like that crazy girl."

  Jake watched Tiffin fly down over the crowds and past the grandstand. Mayor Beltrax saw her and grabbed one of his officers by the collar, shaking him and pointing at Tiffin and her flying machine.

  "Come on, girl," Jake said. He saw a team of Eon security forces pushing their way through the spectators to get a position where they could target Tiffin with their rifles.

  They're gonna shoot her down.

  Jake took a few steps, then broke into a run toward Tiffin and the Eon forces who were taking aim at her.

  Birdy came over the top of the stands and shot down behind her. A massive plume of thick smoke funneled out from her as she flew over the grandstands, blinding the city security forces, the mayor, and everyone near them.

  Tiffin steered wide to her right, then dipped the top of her flying machine down toward Jake and went into a dive maneuver.

  Blasts from the Eon forces punched through the blanket of smoke over them. The shots struck out in every direction, as they had no idea where their target was. Birdy performed a wide circle over them, continuing to smother their view as the canister of liquid smoke she carried sprayed its contents.

  Jake saw one of the random blasts hit Birdy. The drone went down.

  He watched Tiffin approach, her hands on the two metal bars extended down in front of her. She hadn't seen Birdy get hit, he realized. He saw a cable lower from her flying machine. It had a padded loop on the end of it, big enough to fit around him. He glanced to the smoke clouds over the grandstand and shook his head in disbelief, blaster fire still whipping through the smoke, but none of it anywhere near Tiffin.

  Tiffin guided her flyer down and hovered over Jake, waving her arm to signal him to grab the loop on the cable. The wind from the propellers blew a good deal of sand loose from the compacted dirt below.

  Jake squinted to keep the dust from his eyes and reached for the cable loop with his unwounded shoulder, gritting his teeth to deal with the sharp pain in his ribs. He put his arm through the loop, then ducked his head through. He had to use his good arm to lift his other one inside the cable; his shoulder with the blast wound lacked the strength to lift his arm.

  Once Jake was secure with the padded loop underneath both arms, Tiffin worked the controls, lifting him off the ground. He rose slowly, only getting four feet off the ground. She flew horizontally.

  "I need to get some speed to get us back up!" she yelled down to him.

  Jake saw his shadow gliding across the ground. He looked ahead and noticed how quickly they were approaching the stands. The perimeter was at least ten feet high, and the stadium seating rose at an angle to a height many times that.

  This is going to hurt.

  He looked up at Tiffin. "Can you get us any higher?"

  "Hang on!" she said.

  To his left, Jake saw five of the city's security personnel come out of the smoke cloud around the grandstand. One of them pointed in Jake's direction, then they all ran toward him.

  Jake yelled up to Tiffin again. "I'm serious! This is not working. And now we've got company!"

  The Eon security troops fired at Jake as they continued running to him. The shots were wild, only a few getting close to hitting him.

  Tiffin brought her flyer into a tight turn, causing Jake to swing out and up as the cable was flung around. Nausea boiled in his gut.

  "OK," Tiffin said to Jake. "Hang on."

  "You said that. Does this thing have any more juice?"

  "Get ready," Tiffin said. "You asked for it."

  She flipped a clear plate up on the right controller bar and pressed the button it was covering.

  Sparks shot out from tiny tubes on each of the propellers. Jake looked up when he saw some of the sparks drifting down around him. A split second later the sparks gave way to tightly focus jets of blue flame and the propellers accelerated to a blinding rate of speed. Soon, the blades themselves were no longer visible. Only a blue circle of blurred flames could be seen.

  Jake felt the hot wind rush down over him. All he could hear was the roar of the tiny jets and the propeller blades slicing through the air. He watched his shadow fade as the two of them flew higher.

  Jake peered back to the grandstand. The smoke was clearing. He saw Birdy on the ground. Jake watched Mayor Beltrax and scores of city personnel down in the stands scrambling about, apparently quite upset at the turn of events. A moment later Jake's feet cleared the top edge of the stadium. They'd made it out and were on their way to save Sarah.

  CHAPTER 35

  "A re you OK down there?" Tiffin yelled down to Jake, who was hanging onto the cable with one hand, the loop still lifting him under both arms.

  He merely nodded his chin up once in response.

  The wind blowing into the hole on the shoulder of his jacket was making the pain from his left shoulder almost unbearable. He felt weak. Blood had been spilling from his shoulder since before Tiffin flew into the arena.

  "There's the holding port," Tiffin said.

  They flew in closer to the port, which was a massive disc elevated above the outermost city streets. Half the circular port, extended out past the main foundations of Eon. The energized barrier containing the city's atmosphere came down to the midpoint of the port. Ships on the outer half of the circular landing pad relied on their own systems for life support and protection from the hazards of open space. Those who were on the city side of the energy field enjoyed the protection of the barrier. They were free to open themselves to the safe environment of the space station city.

  "Which one is your ship?" Tiffin asked, after they flew lower and slowed.

  The Eon port officials and the security contingent positioned around the perimeter of the landing disc didn't visibly react to their approach. Numerous craft were in the air, and this port, like all the others around Eon, was used to the air traffic. They passed over the large security building Jake had gone through after he and Sarah docked there upon their arrival at Eon. He remembered how monotonously thorough the officers were as he filed through each of the stations to get into the city. He was thankful to be airborne this time, knowing the ground route would've killed any chance they he had of catching up with Hyde.

  Jake lifted his injured arm only from the elbow, pointing to the massive Class 4 Tarian cargo vessel inside the energized barrier. It was underneath a large platform which had a small building on top of it. The side of the structure was open, allowing them to see the ship. "That's her."

  A few seconds later, they landed as close to the ship as possible. Jake got his feet on the ground first and slipped out of the looped cable. Tiffin landed about twenty feet away, allowing room for the prope
llers. She had burned the fuel for the propeller jets by the time they had reached the holding port. Once her feet touched down, she pressed the buttons to bring the propellers to a halt, fold them in, and shutdown the engine to her machine. She undid the straps bracing the flying machine against her back and laid the contraption down on its side.

  Jake walked over to her, hugging his wounded arm just below his shoulder with his other hand. "I don't see any signs of Hyde or his men."

  "They were in a sky cab," Tiffin said. "They should've made it here already."

  "Maybe we beat them here," Jake said, nodding toward Sarah. "I want to get over there before they arrive. Once we're inside, they won't be able to do anything."

  "Right," Tiffin said.

  "About Birdy," Jake said.

  "I know." Tiffin gestured with her thumb toward Birdy's controller hanging from the side of her backpack. "I realized she didn't make it after we got out of the arena."

  "She got shot down laying out the blanket of smoke," Jake said. "I'm sorry. I know she meant a lot to you." Jake saw Tiffin's eyes get glossy. "We couldn't have made it out if she hadn't blocked their view."

  "Yes. She was a hero," Tiffin said.

  Jake smiled and nodded. He started walking toward the ship.

  "Jake," Tiffin said.

  He turned around and saw her holding something out to him. He stepped over to her and saw the computer chip in her hand. He recognized the blue curved logo on the side of it.

  "Is that what I think it is?" he asked.

  Tiffin nodded and smiled. "Take it."

  "How did you—?"

  "I saw what happened to Vos. I knew I had a window to get to it before his whole place was overrun."

  "You were watching?"

  "Uh huh."

  "But, how did you—?"

  "Nobody was looking. The place was empty. Well, except for some teenager." Tiffin pulled her electric stinger out of her shorts pocket. “I thought he was going to give it to me nicely, but it turned out he had other ideas. I zapped him. Course, I couldn't find the license." She smiled. "So, I tied him up and waited until he came to. Then I told him if he didn't tell me where it was, I'd zap him again."

  "That worked?"

  "Not the first time," Tiffin said. "But the second time he woke up, he knew I was serious."

  CHAPTER 36

  Dewey woke up and rubbed the side of his head where Captain Fris hit him with the butt of his blaster. His head hurt. A lot.

  After breathing through the throbbing and the pain for a few seconds he squinted his eyes open and saw the ceiling of the control room for the port authorities. He didn't realize what room he was in until he dipped his head to the side. He was on the floor behind one of the desks. He saw a map of Eon on the wall, gray lines except the ports, which were red. He sat up, waited for his head to stop protesting the move, then stood.

  He could see the hall through the glass beside the door to the room, which was shut. It was right out there, he remembered, where Fris smacked him in the head.

  "Why?" he asked himself. "I know he doesn't like me, but…" He blinked and waited another few seconds for his head to stop pounding. "Of course." Why else would Fris be coming by here so soon, he thought. "It wasn't time for him to leave work. He's helping them."

  He recalled the conversation he overheard—Hyde's men talking in the same room he was now in. "They're gonna take that guy's ship."

  Dewey quickly sorted the situation in his head. His own captain just knocked him out and is working with the thugs who are going to steal the ship of the only guy that's treated him decently in the last year.

  He looked around the room and located the comm box, then contacted the security station for the Eon city complex.

  "Security," a woman's voice said through the comm box.

  "This is Dewey, identification one, two, one, one, nine. I've been attacked and there's a crime in progress."

  "So, you're still being attacked?"

  "What? No. I was assaulted by Captain Fris. And there are a group of men on their way to the Eon holding port to steal a ship."

  "You said Captain Fris?"

  "Yes. He knocked me out."

  "Hold on a second."

  Dewey heard the woman conferring with someone, but he couldn't make out what she was saying.

  "I just pulled up your file," the woman said. "You work for Captain Fris."

  "Yes, but that's not the point. He attacked me. I think he's working for the men who are trying to steal someone's ship."

  Dewey heard through the comm box someone chuckle in the background.

  "Do you know how many entries Captain Fris has made in your file?"

  "What are you talking about? I'm telling you there's a crime in progress. You need to alert to holding port."

  "Twelve," the woman said. "Mm, mm. Looks like you've been getting into trouble for quite a while, Dewey."

  "This is crazy. I've never—"

  "So… are you trying to get back at the captain? Is that it?"

  "No!" Dewey was desperately aware that every second they wasted would be a greater chance Fris and the thugs he overheard would get away.

  "Wait just one second," the woman said.

  Dewey flipped his hands up in front of the comm box. "Seriously?"

  He glanced at the door to the hall and thought about abandoning his attempt to get security involved. Maybe I should try to contact the holding port directly, he thought. Then he heard another voice talking to the woman.

  "Captain Fris just contacted us," a man said to the woman. She was whispering, but Dewey could hear her. "We need to find out where Dewey is and stall him. Fris said Dewey's working with the men who helped two men escape the arena—Hyde and Mudd. He's lying about Fris attacking him. He attacked the captain."

  Dewey couldn't believe what he was hearing. A wave of panic washed over him.

  "OK," the woman said. "Sorry about that. The situation has just been clarified. I apologize for bringing up your file. It turns out you are right. We have word two men have escaped the arena—Hyde and Mudd."

  Dewey said nothing.

  "Dewey, are you there?"

  "Yes."

  "We're going to send someone to help you, and we'll deal with the other situation."

  "You mean stop those men from stealing a ship?"

  "Yes, that," the woman said. "We just need you to tell us where you are and stay put."

  Dewey thought of someplace far from where he was. "The city sky cab station. I'll wait here. Please, hurry."

  "We will. Thank you, Dewey. You're a loyal citizen of Eon."

  Dewey pressed a button, closing the comm connection.

  "I thought I was," he said to himself.

  His head began to throb again. He grabbed the side of one of the desks to brace himself, then a vision flashed in his mind.

  He saw himself sitting in chair which was attached to a metal wall, conduits and various switches and screens on it. He felt himself and the seat rumble. There was a deep humming noise, like a powerful engine. He saw more of the space he was in. There was a young woman seated across from him, in a chair like his own. She had red hair. She winked at him. He drifted his view to the right and saw someone seated in front of a dash littered with controls—buttons, lights, switches. There was a wall-sized viewing window above the controls. He looked out it and saw the vastness of space. He glanced down at the man and heard his name—Jake Mudd.

  The vision flashed out of his mind as quickly as it had appeared. He blinked and stretched his mouth open to bring himself back to the present.

  He stood, leaning one arm on the desk, taking a few deep breaths to center himself.

  He remembered the words of one of the men he overheard before Fris found him and knocked him out—we need to get to the holding port.

  "So do I."

  CHAPTER 37

  J ake took the unregistered license chip from Tiffin and put it in his pocket. "I don't know how to thank you."

&nbs
p; Tiffin looked at Jake's ship out of the corner of her eyes. She nodded toward it slightly.

  Jake looked at his ship, Sarah, then back to Tiffin. He breathed in and exhaled with a sigh. "You sure about that? Under the circumstances, I may not be coming back here."

  "Jake," Tiffin said, "I've been here my whole life. I know there's so much more out there. I don't have anyone here."

  "It's not all rosy out there."

  "And Eon is?"

  "Fair point. I just don't want you thinking it'd be easy going."

  "I understand."

  "I'm not looking for a crew," Jake said.

  "I'm useful. I could help you and Sarah with the ship."

  "Yeah, right. I guess I didn't make it clear before."

  "What?"

  "Sarah is the ship."

  Tiffin looked dumbfounded, then her face lit up. She pointed behind Jake. "Look out!"

  A blast of energy shot past Jake's head, striking the support beam behind him. Sparks flew out from the impact.

  Jake turned and saw Hyde and five of his men standing on the landing platform a couple hundred feet away. There were three spacecraft parked between them and Jake, each standing high enough on their landing gear to allow a person to walk under the ships. Jake reached for his blaster, but his holster was empty.

  Crap. Right.

  "Move!" he gestured for Tiffin to get clear, and he darted left for cover behind the landing gear of another ship. There were several stacks of cargo crates beside the gear, providing additional cover.

  Several more blasts shot past them as they took cover.

  Jake looked at Tiffin. "Got a weapon?"

  She reached into her shorts pocket and pulled out her electric stinger device.

  "Not what I was hoping for," Jake said, taking it from her.

  "You squeeze that part there," Tiffin said. "But you have to touch it to them."

  More shots zipped by the metal leg of the ship they were under. One blast struck the landing gear, but the piece was thick and made to withstand much more.

  "There's six of them," Jake said. He glanced around to see if there was anything which might make a difference in the fight, which he knew was about to turn into a one-sided slaughter.