One Dark Future

by Michael Anderle

  Erik nodded. “He might be here to meet with them about something.”

  “It gets better or worse, depending on your general level of paranoia. Mr. Konig returned to Earth the same day the Llewellyn Observatory exploded.”

  “I read about that, but they reported there was nothing suspicious about it.” Jia frowned, no longer able to muster the fake smile for public consumption. “You’re saying that wasn’t an accident?”

  “It wasn’t something I was paying close attention to until now. It’s not suspicious inherently that they received funds from the Vand Foundation given the large number of scientific and academic entities who do, but the arrival time of his private flight along with his registered flight path is suggestive.”

  Erik shrugged. “Lots of ships landed on Earth that day, and a lot must have gotten near that place. If the observatory was a big deal, you’d think the ID or CID would have noticed.”

  “There weren’t that many ships with a man right next to two people who can be indirectly linked to Vand and the conspiracy,” Jia responded. “And the ID and CID can’t find connections they aren’t looking for. A bigger question is, why would the conspiracy care about blowing up an observatory? From what I read, they mostly focused on comets in our Solar System.”

  “Always comes down to motive, doesn’t it?” Erik chuckled and shrugged. “Slam a comet into Earth?”

  “There’s no way they could pull that off. Even if they stuck an engine on the thing somehow, the Fleet would see it coming.”

  “Maybe that’s what they wanted the jump drive for.”

  “Sure, but they don’t have it now. They could be covering their tracks.” Jia took a deep breath. “Emma, keep as close an eye on our new friend Konig as the other two. I think this fishing expedition is about to snag something.”

  “Konig and Sillen are both emerging from the building, but they appear to be going in different directions,” Emma reported.

  Jia stood. “It wouldn’t hurt to follow them around. It’s a small place, so even if they notice, it should be easy enough to play it off.”

  “Why not just rely on cameras and drones?” Emma suggested.

  “Not enough drones here,” Jia replied. “And while I trust you, we’re not the only ones on Earth with privacy devices and other tech. I’ll follow Konig. Erik can follow Sillen.” She patted her purse. “I’m not unarmed, but we don’t have time to go back and get your coat.”

  “It’d stand out too much anyway with the toasty temps they keep this place at.” Erik rotated his left arm. “I’ve always got this if trouble starts.”

  She stood up and turned to give him a hand, along with a fake smile. “Let’s go earn our pay.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Jia ran her hands along a string of pearls hanging from a stall.

  It was easy to keep within sight of her target with Emma feeding Jia nav directions and even the occasional camera feed whenever Konig left her direct line of vision. Thus far, he wasn’t doing anything more unusual than inspecting souvenirs, which made him exactly as suspicious as she was.

  Following the suspect around wasn’t thrilling, but at least she didn’t have to sit in her room or in a flitter on a stakeout.

  This part of the resort featured overly expensive souvenirs and tchotchke stalls. Erik and Jia had already been through the shopping area, and they hadn’t spotted anything odd or worth special attention.

  One thing had stuck in Jia’s mind from their previous tour of the resort: there was nothing suspicious anywhere they’d looked.

  While that was consistent with it being a vacation spot and an unexpected place for a clandestine meeting, it’d taken ID and their AI hacking to link Sillen, Gallegos, Konig, and potentially the conspiracy.

  The average person would have no reason to suspect them of being guilty of anything nefarious.

  For all she knew, Gallegos, Sillen, and Konig might have just wanted a vacation and found an excuse to bill the conspiracy.

  Jia set down the string of pearls. Her prey was moving on from his stall. She stopped for a moment, looking out of the corner of her eyes. A broad-shouldered man in a too-tight black shirt stood a couple of stalls down. He’d been a couple of stalls down for most of her time in the area. She moved.

  He moved.

  “I think I might have a tail,” she whispered under her breath. She offered a brief description.

  “Sillen just grabbed a drink and is heading back to his building,” Erik replied. “If Konig pulls a disappearing act from Emma, that proves something in and of itself. We will let her handle him, and we’ll set up a little trap for your tail. I’ll break away from Sillen once he’s back at the building.”

  Jia hesitated as Konig stepped away from a stall and headed in a different direction. He didn’t appear to be going toward the docks, which suggested no quick escape. The features of the resort that made Erik uncomfortable would keep their targets from getting too far away until they arrived on the surface.

  “Fine.” Jia turned around and adjusted the strap of her purse. The large size and an ID insert made it easy to conceal the guns inside, but they’d blow their cover if they opened fire.

  “Remember that holographic jungle park?” Jia whispered. “The one we walked past before lunch yesterday?”

  “Yeah,” Erik replied. “It’s easy to get lost in there, and just as easy to run out.”

  “There are hidden cameras in that park,” Emma replied, “but I can handle them without too much trouble.”

  Jia took a deep breath and upped the pace to a brisk walk. “I’m going to lead my new friend there. There should be fewer people inside if trouble starts, but if it comes down to it, I’d rather just kick him in the head and call Security on him rather than blow our cover.”

  “It might not be that easy,” Erik replied. “If this guy has made you, he might be carrying.”

  “His pants and shirt are tight.” Jia didn’t look behind her as she wove between the people in the crowd on her way to the jungle park. “Or he could be a Tin Man that Emma’s not detecting.”

  “Unlikely, even with these inferior cameras and drones,” the AI interjected. “But I admit it’s not impossible. Kick him and see how hard his head is.”

  Jia smiled and let out a quiet laugh. She wanted anyone around her to think she was having a pleasant PNIU conversation and not planning for a brutal encounter with a potential assassin.

  “We need to verify he’s targeting me, and it’s not a coincidence. I’m going to take the long way to the park. If he goes through the trouble of following me, we’ll have a better idea of what we’re dealing with.” Jia took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “This couldn’t be an elaborate trap. They don’t have any idea the ID picked out those two guys.”

  “It doesn’t have to be a high-level trap. Maybe they tagged us when we visited their building earlier.”

  Jia slowed. A new nav marker had popped up in her smart lenses, courtesy of Emma. Now she could tell if the man was following her without looking his way. Her lack of obvious attention might embolden him. Another differently colored nav marker appeared.

  “I’ve plotted an erratic course for you that leads to an area in the park with minimum camera coverage,” Emma explained. “I’ll be able to spoof the feeds without raising significant attention if you keep the takedown to a modest amount of time.”

  “I don’t want to nail him before I know his deal. If I have to turn him over to Security, that’s one thing, but I’d rather he still be breathing.”

  Jia followed the nav marker as it slid in a different direction. It was leading her on a serpentine path between restaurants. She imagined the man following her would either understand what she was doing or think she was drunk.

  A dedicated assassin wasn’t going to give up just because he’d been spotted.

  It’d be better to take care of the problem right away than linger. Emma was monitoring the docks, so they’d know if Sillen or Gallegos tried to ru
n. In an emergency, they could stop worrying about her being detected. Her tail didn’t have a grenade launcher hidden in those pants.

  People grew sparser as the minutes passed. The jungle park lay far from the center of the resort, closer to a storage area, based on their recon the previous day. Most of the parks and botanical gardens in the resort used real plants, so guests might not see the point in spending time among the holograms.

  Her pursuer didn’t give up, even as the thinning crowd made him stand out more. Jia’s pace approached a jog, but that didn’t seem to deter her pursuer.

  “Would you know if someone else had hacked the cameras and drones?” Jia asked.

  “It’s possible for passive access to be gained, but I would notice any attempts to manipulate the feeds.” Emma scoffed in disdain.

  “This guy isn’t going to pull out a gun and open fire unless he thinks he has me cornered. Or he’ll stab me in the heart.”

  “I’m sweeping around from Sillen’s building,” Erik commented, concern in his voice. “Try to keep things from getting too hot until I get there.”

  “I’ll try.” Jia spared a glance to the side. “That’s up to my new fan club member.”

  The jungle park grew from distant spots of color to towering trees, but her concern remained the same.

  A single enemy, even one enhanced by genetic engineering or cybernetic implants, didn’t worry her. Erik might believe in luck, but Jia didn’t doubt destiny and fate were out there. They might not protect her from harm, but she wasn’t going to die on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

  The trees and tall grasses shimmered nearby, swaying in an invisible wind—a subtle reminder they were nothing more than tricks of light, lacking even the substantial nature of the nano-AR constructs of the training center.

  There was an absurdity to the entire situation.

  She was leading a potential conspiracy assassin into a dense jungle of holographic plants and trees. The moon. Mars. Venus. Underneath the ocean. She’d traveled more in the last year than she had her entire life. She’d thought she was worldly before, but she had not seen much of her home planet, let alone the vast expanse of the UTC.

  Jia slipped into the jungle, now jogging and no longer caring if she alerted the man. She needed to get into a good position for an ambush of her own. Information or safety? She could stun the man, but it’d be difficult to get him back to her room for an interrogation. Shooting him was reserved for an actual risk to her life.

  “He’s slowed but still following,” Emma reported. She sent a small camera feed, showing the man stepping into the park with a concerned look.

  “I think he lost me.” Jia ducked behind a patch of tall holographic grass with a frown. “I’m almost insulted that this is the quality they send after me.”

  “You’d prefer an alien hybrid?” Erik asked.

  “Kind of.”

  The plants in front of her kept up a normal appearance, but the ones running through her shimmered and wavered at her intrusion. She took slow, deep breaths, her heart rate finally kicking up.

  Her pursuer crept closer, looking back and forth in search of the woman he’d followed across the resort.

  “Hello? Um, are you out here?” the man called. “The hot woman in the green dress?”

  “Are you hearing this?” Jia whispered.

  Emma’s feed continued to show an unarmed man with a genuine expression of concern, rather than a focused assassin ready to murder a woman interfering with conspiracy business.

  The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, I get it. You were just minding your own business, and then you saw me. You thought I was a creep, so you ran off, which is better than calling Security on me. Let’s start over. I can explain. My name is Cal.”

  Jia remained quiet, unsure if it was a trap. The conspiracy agents they’d dealt with in the past were far less subtle, but Sophia Vand had been a major player without anyone knowing. They might have adjusted their tactics after the Venus defeats.

  “I saw you, and I didn’t see a ring,” Cal continued with a shrug. “I figured, hey, maybe I’m not the only one who came to this place by myself. I was supposed to come with my ex-girlfriend. I booked it for an anniversary and then she left, but I told myself I wasn’t going to lose my deposit and not visit a place I’d always wanted to go just because of her. You know? Stay strong?”

  Jia stood and revealed herself among the holographic plants. “Huh?”

  Cal blinked. “Oh, there you are. And crap, you really were hiding.”

  “You’ve been following me all the way around the resort.” Jia kept one hand in her purse, ready to draw the gun. She wasn’t convinced his idiocy wasn’t a sophisticated deception.

  “Um, yeah.” Cal gave her a sheepish smile. “Sorry about that. I was trying to get back on the horse.”

  “I’m not seeing anyone who looks like reinforcements in the area,” Emma reported. “There is a family with a toddler about eight minutes away at their current pace.”

  “I’m almost there,” Erik announced. “Though I don’t think I need to save you. This guy’s pretty pathetic.”

  “Look, Cal,” Jia began with a sigh. “I’m here on my honeymoon.”

  He blinked and stumbled back, his knees buckling. “But you don’t have a ring.”

  “We’re not a ring kind of couple.” Jia shrugged and offered him an apologetic smile.

  Erik jogged into the area, a huge, smug grin on his face. “Hey, babe. I’ve been looking all over for you!”

  Cal turned around, and his eyes widened at the sight of the large man.

  “This is your husband?” he asked.

  Jia nodded. “Yes.”

  “Ugh.” Cal nodded, then fled past Erik without another word.

  Emma’s mocking laughter lasted for a surprisingly long time before the AI spoke. “I’ve confirmed that a Cal Daris is staying at the resort, and his file biometrics match what we’ve seen from our lovestruck stalker. Public records indicate he’s a low-level corporate employee, but he doesn’t seem to be affiliated with any of the companies of interest.”

  “He’s just an idiot who was hot for Jia,” Erik interjected with a grin. “I had to intervene. That was torture. The poor bastard.”

  “Yes.” Jia rolled her eyes. “You’re so smooth.”

  Erik rushed over to her and pulled her into his arms, his mouth so close his breath warmed Jia’s face. “The only reason we’re not doing more is that we’re on the job. I don’t need to spend a lot of time chasing you around and using shit lines, and I didn’t get with you as a rebound woman.”

  Jia opened her mouth to respond, but he planted his lips on hers and delivered a deep kiss. She kept waiting for Emma to say something, but the AI remained silent, so Jia gave in and deepened the kiss, her hands skimming down Erik’s exposed muscular arms.

  She finally pulled away, her heart thundering. “At least he wasn’t an assassin.”

  “I wouldn’t say that.” Erik slowly lowered his arms, his breathing heavy. “He assassinated both his dignity and pride.”

  “Emma, what about our targets, including Konig?” Jia asked, tearing her gaze away from Erik and staring at the ground.

  “All accounted for. I’ve also noticed something in my additional perusal of the resort’s records that might be helpful.”

  “What’s that?” Jia licked her lips, remembering Erik’s mouth. It was far from the first time they’d kissed, but somehow this kiss had affected her more than normal.

  “Mr. Konig has reservations for dinner tonight, party of three,” Emma explained.

  Jia didn’t like Erik’s face, but she couldn’t fault his next suggestion.

  He held her but turned toward the main area of restaurants. “I think I need a little food after all this.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Erik had never liked suits. Ever.

  They were too constricting for his tastes, but the restaurant’s dress code dictated something nicer than
his casual resort-wandering outfit. Avoiding discomfort was less important than getting the job done.

  Now as they approached the restaurant, Erik realized something. It changed his opinion, and he wished he’d been wearing the suit earlier.

  The change in clothing provided him with something he’d been denied for most of his time in the resort: a carefully concealed holster that allowed him to carry his gun rather than relying on hiding it with Jia. He hadn’t seen a scanner in the resort past the docks.

  The suit might not replace his duster under normal circumstances, but buying a bullet-resistant suit might be in order for future infiltration and recon jobs in such dangerous places as resort restaurants or for dinners with Jia’s mother and sister.

  Jia couldn’t hide anything in her red dress, but she’d brought the same reinforced oversized purse she’d been carrying around.

  Together, they were a stylish and deceptively well-armed couple. He would have preferred not to depend on the disguises, but this was one situation where being recognized wouldn’t work to their advantage.

  A maître d’ offered them a winning smile as he welcomed them. There was a brief moment of confusion when the reservation, with Emma’s help, conveniently updated to reveal Erik and Jia not only had a reservation but also an appended note insisting that they be seated at a particular table due to the “customers’ strong feng shui concerns.”

  A waiter showed them to their table with polite and professional service, no indication the maître d’ thought that made them unpleasant customers. The simple lie and complicated AI assistance placed them exactly where they needed to be.

  Erik and Jia took their seats.