Relativity

by R S Penney

  “You think I'm in danger?”

  “With my luck? Yeah.”

  In less than five minutes, he was dressed and briefing his teammates in the dining room. Gabi stood on one side of the table in a pink house coat, her long dark hair in need of a good brushing.

  On the other side of the table, the half-dressed hologram of Ben hovered just a few feet off the floor. The other man was pinching his chin with his thumb and his forefinger. “So they actually tried to kill him?” he said. “Do you think Slade is behind this one?”

  Jack felt his face twist into something haggard. “That would be my guess. Which means we've got to find him and get him and get him someplace safe. 'Cause Slade isn't gonna give up after one try.”

  Gabi leaned her shoulder against the wall, standing with a hand gripping the fabric of her robe. The exhaustion on her face was unmistakable. “And we thought this would be a nice and easy assignment.”

  “Nothing's ever easy.”

  “No.”

  Closing his eyes, Jack breathed deeply through his nose. “All right,” he said with a nod. “Ben, get down to the crime scene. Use your clearance; find out whatever the locals know about the break in.”

  “Will do.”

  “Gabi, I want you working low-pro real estate. We're going to need a safe place to take the professor once I retrieve him. I don't trust any of the Keeper offices – you never know where Slade might have agents – and I'd rather not bring him to a civilian's home if I can avoid it.”

  They stood there for a moment, both facing him with wide eyes, staring as if they'd never seen him before. The hologram of Ben wavered and then reappeared less than half a second later.

  “What?” he asked.

  Gabi smiled, tilting her head back to stare into his eyes. God have mercy, she was so damn beautiful! “Your new self-confidence is refreshing,” she explained. “It's nice to watch you take charge of a mission.”

  “I'm sorry-”

  “No.” She forestalled him with a raised hand, marching toward him. “This is your mission, Jack. We follow your lead, remember?”

  “All right then,” he said. “Let's go.”

  The hallways of Lenasa University's archaeology department had a sleek, modern look to them. White tiles stretched through a corridor with green stripes on the pale walls. The door to every classroom was made of glass, and when you looked inside, you could see desks arranged in a kind of semi-circle around a central lectern.

  Jack strode through the hallway in jeans and a brown jacket over his white t-shirt, keeping his head down. “Just my luck,” he muttered under his breath. “Find a guy who can give me some answers, and now people are trying to kill him.”

  At the end of the hallway, he found a door on his right with Professor Aldin Nareo etched into the pane. The SmartGlass was foggy, allowing for some privacy. You could choose to make it fully transparent if you were so inclined.

  Jack knocked.

  “Who's there?”

  “Agent Hunter.”

  There was a soft buzzing noise, indicating that the door had been unlocked, and then Jack pushed it open to reveal a small office where the entire back wall was one big window that looked out on the campus. A slim, horseshoe-shaped desk – also made of SmartGlass – and several wooden cupboards were the only pieces of furniture.

  Nareo was a short man with olive skin and black hair that was turning gray at the temples. He sat hunched over his desk with fingers laced over its glass surface, breathing deeply to stay calm. “Agent Hunter.”

  “We need to go.”

  The other man looked up at him with fierce brown eyes, and it was clear that they weren't going anywhere. “Not just yet,” he said. “I want some answers before I agree to trust you with my life.”

  Chewing on his lip, Jack shut his eyes. “Okay,” he said with his agreement. “That's fair. But we haven't got a lot of time here, so how about I just skip to the part where I tell you everything.”

  “Fair enough?”

  Jack took a chair across from him, setting his elbow on the armrest. He rested his chin on the knuckles of his fist. “I work with a team of Keepers on Earth. We're searching for a piece of Overseer technology called the Key.”

  “And you think I can help you find it,” Nareo muttered. “You realize that any data on Overseer tech is sketchy at best.”

  “Any insight you provide is appreciated.”

  “What does this Key do?”

  A grin blossomed on Jack's face, and he had to resist the urge to laugh. He slapped a hand against his forehead. “I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume it opens something. But, you know, I am prone to flights of fancy.”

  Nareo pressed a hand to his mouth, coughing forcefully. “In other words, you don't know,” he said with obvious frustration. “All right. Then why don't we move on to who's trying to kill me?”

  “I can't be certain,” Jack replied. “But if I were a gambling man, I'd bet everything I owned on Grecken Slade. That bastard wants the Key as much as we do.”

  Nareo studied him with lips pressed into a tight grimace, sweat glistening on the man's forehead. “Grecken Slade,” he said softly. “The name sounds oddly familiar, but I can't recall why.”

  “He was the head of the Justice Keepers.”

  “So a Keeper wants me dead?”

  “A former Keeper.”

  The professor leaned back in his chair, covering his face with both hands. A painful groan escaped him. “Regardless,” he said. “It's a bit unnerving to find out that the people who are supposed to protect you are trying to kill you.”

  Jack doubled over with his arms folded, heaving out a sigh. “I hear you,” he said, shaking his head. “You're wondering if you can trust me. If one Keeper can go bad, who's to say they aren't all corrupt?”

  “Exactly.”

  Jack stood up slowly, towering over the other man with fists balled at his sides. He bowed his head respectfully. “Look, Professor, I don't think there's anything I can say to put you at ease. You're just going to have to make up your mind. Stay here and take your chances or come with me.”

  “And why should I trust you?”

  “Well, I have a very honest face.”

  The other man wheezed with laughter, and Jack finally felt like he was beginning to make some progress. “All right,” Nareo said. “You've persuaded me. If I survive this, I'll be happy to help you find your Key.”

  A few minutes later, they were out in the hallway, making their way quietly back to the elevator. There were no classes today – thank heaven for small miracles – but some of the faculty had come in to work on various projects. Best to avoid them. He would prefer it if no one knew the professor had left or where he had gone.

  They turned a corner and started down a long hallway with glass doors that led into empty classrooms, most of which were open just a crack. The place was deserted except for a single man some fifty paces away.

  He was a tall fellow in a long black coat that fell to his knees, a man with olive skin and short black hair. Maybe we better turn around…The man looked up and blinked when he saw Jack and Nareo.

  He shrugged out of his coat, revealing thick, black armour underneath. In the blink of an eye, nanobots were crawling over his face, linking together to for a form a sleek black mask with a red visor.

  Oh, my timing sucks! The assassin reached for the pistol on his belt, drawing it from its holster in one smooth motion. He powered up the weapon, and a high-pitched whine filled the air.

  “Get down!”

  Jack shoved Nareo sideways, sending the man sprawling through the open door of a classroom. The professor fell hard onto the white-tiled floor, stretched out in front of the first row of desks.

  Black-Mask tried to adjust his aim.

  Jack dove.

  He somersaulted over the corridor floor, then came up on one knee, drawing his pistol from its holster. “Stun rounds!” he growled before aiming the weapon and pulling the trigger over and over.


  The assassin stumbled as bullets slammed into his chest. His armour absorbed the electric charge the would have knocked anyone else unconscious but the constant fire prevented him from taking aim.

  Jack stood up, clutching the pistol in both hands, and hissed as he paced through the corridor. “High impact!” he called out, and the gun responded. That would punch a hole in almost any body armour.

  Black-Mask raised a hand up to shield himself, the gesture causing a wall of white static to appear before him. Jack's bullets hit the force-field and fell to the floor. Still, he kept on shooting. So long as that force-field was in place, his opponent couldn't return fire. He closed the distance in seconds.

  The force-field flickered and then winked out.

  Jack kicked the gun from the other man's hand. He spun and back-kicked, driving a foot into the assassin's chest. A sharp wheeze echoed through the hallway as Black-Mask stumbled backward.

  He regained his balance quickly and studied Jack through that red visor. “Clever,” he said, thrusting his arm out to point his fist at Jack. Two electrodes came flying from the man's gauntlet.

  Leaning back, Jack caught the wires just before the sparking tips made contact with his face. That would have knocked him out. He gave a tug and ripped the taser right off the man's arm.

  Jack swung the wire above his head like a propeller blade, picking up speed until the air whistled. The damaged taser unit lashed out and struck his opponent right between the eyes. If only that mask hadn't been there. Still, it was a distraction.

  Jack leaped.

  He snap-kicked, slamming a foot into the other man's face. The impact was enough to send Black-Mask falling backward, and within a few seconds, the assassin was sliding across the floor tiles.

  He sat up and covered his face with a gloved hand. “I hate fighting Keepers,” he said, grabbing something from his belt. Tension made a knot in Jack's chest as he readied himself for whatever was coming.

  The other man threw something.

  Two metal cylinders landed on the floor, and before Jack could so much as blink, there was a blinding flash of light and a terrible sound that left a ringing in his skull. It was hard to concentrate. He instinctively dropped his pistol to cover his ears, but it did nothing to ease his dizziness.

  The assassin stood up with a growl, dusting himself off. He flung one arm out to the side, and something extended from the multi-tool he wore on his gauntlet. A blade of some kind. Likely very sharp.

  Black-Mask strode forward.

  Down on his knees, Jack had both hands over his ears. His teeth were clenched as he hissed and tried to ignore the pain in his skull. Come on, Summer! he thought at the Nassai. We can do this.

  Black-Mask drew back his arm for a stab.

  Jack fell backward, slapping both hands down on the floor. He brought one leg up to strike the other man's chin with his foot. That bought him a few seconds; the assassin stumbled about, trying to get his bearings.

  Jack's pistol was on the floor.

  He seized it and took aim with a growl, but the other man was quicker. Black-Mask tapped a button on his chest, triggering yet another force-field generator that shielded him with another screen of flickering static.

  The man turned, backing through the open door of a classroom. Not the one Nareo had taken refuge in – in fact, this one was on the other side of the corridor – but it would provide him with some cover.

  Jack was on his feet in an instant.

  He winced and felt sweat running over his face. Mopping it away with one hand, he let out a hiss. “Nothing's ever easy,” he muttered, fighting off the last traces of dizziness. “Nothing at all.”

  Something floated out of the door that Black-Mask had gone through: a disk about the size of a man's palm with a single aperture on its edge. It whirled around to focus that small hole on Jack.

  By instinct, Jack threw up a Bending that refracted the light into a smear of colour. Bullets jerked to a halt mere inches from his outstretched palm, then curved to the right and flew straight into the wall.

  “Bloody hell!”

  Jack threw himself sideways, into the room opposite the one that Black-Mask had gone into. He landed on the floor, then rolled like a log away from the door. How many gadgets does that guy have?

  Jack got to his feet and backed up until his ass was pressed to the wall next to the door. He was doubled over, gasping for breath. “EMP!” he growled and watched as the LEDs on his pistol turned white.

  He flung his arm out to the side.

  The drone floated through the door.

  A single glowing bullet hit the edge of the disk, causing blue sparks to flash over its surface. The damn thing fell to the floor and sputtered a few times before it finally went still. At least it didn't explode the way Death Spheres did.

  Jack stepped back into the hallway.

  As expected, the armoured man was already halfway down the hallway, moving toward the room where Professor Nareo had taken refuge. The drone had been nothing but a distraction.

  Jack lifted his pistol in both hands, cocking his head to the side. “High impact!” he said as he strode through the corridor. “And don't think for a second that I won't punch a hole in your chest.”

  The assassin froze.

  He turned partway, glancing over his shoulder to study Jack through the lens of that red visor. “You're persistent,” he said, one hand dropping to his belt where he might pull out yet another gadget.

  Gritting his teeth, Jack let out a soft, menacing hiss. “We have that in common,” he said, gesturing with his pistol. “Up against the wall. A high-impact round will pierce even your armour, and I'm betting your force-field generators are drained.”

  “You wouldn't kill me?”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  The other man bowed his head, covering his masked face with a gloved hand. “I've learned a thing or two about Justice Keepers,” he answered. “You're all so noble, so eager to preserve life at any cost.”

  A good con-artist knew how to keep you distracted while he pulled a little sleight of hand right under your nose, and this guy was no exception. Jack watched his hands as he spoke. The assassin was reaching for something on his belt. “No, I think that you will be quite willing to use any means-”

  Jack lowered his aim.

  He fired.

  A spray of blood erupted from the man's leg, and then the assassin fell to his knees, squealing like a pig that had been stabbed with a hot poker. That was about as non-lethal as you could get with someone in armour that would deflect stun-rounds, but there was still a good chance the man would bleed out. “You're right,” Jack said. “I would prefer to take you alive.”

  He lifted his forearm and rolled back the sleeve of his jacket to expose his multi-tool. A few taps at the screen allowed him to contact the local Keeper office. “This is Agent Jack Hunter at Lenasa University. There's been an incident.”

  Chapter 14

  The line of maple trees that shielded Professor Nareo's house from the street had leaves that were turning yellow with the onset of fall. A small gap in the treeline led to the front yard.

  Ben stood on the sidewalk his head bowed, frowning down at himself. Just once, I'd like an easy assignment, he thought, starting forward. Spend a few days on a starship, fetch the professor, bring him back…

  A group of men and women in gray uniforms with yellow stripes on their legs stood clustered on the front lawn, talking quietly with one another. One – a young woman with dark bronze skin – glanced over her shoulder and noticed him.

  “This is a crime scene, sir,” she said, spinning on her heels to face Ben. She strode through the grass as if she intended to mow him down. “I'm going to have to ask you to leave and check in with-”

  Ben closed his eyes, sighing softly as he struggled to contain his exasperation. “I'm LIS,” he said, lifting his forearm to tap at his multi-tool. A hologram shimmered between them, displaying his credentials.

  The wo
man bowed her head, staring with consternation at the ground beneath her feet. “Another one,” she said. “I didn't realize this professor merited that much attention. Was he developing weapons or something?”

  “What do you mean 'another one?' ”

  “Your colleague is inside already.”

  Icy fingers closed around Ben's heart. It would never have occurred to him to think that someone else from the Service might want to investigate this crime scene. Now that he had exposed himself, it would draw too much attention to just leave, but his presence here would almost certainly raise a few eyebrows.

  Worse yet, unless he was very much mistaken, the Service had finally begun to piece together his role in delivering weapons to Fringe Worlds five years ago. Not much of a role – all he had done was fail to confiscate a few shipments – but that still counted as aiding and abetting an arms dealer.

  Ben spun on his heel, marching toward the house with one hand gripping his belt. “Thank you,” he said, sparing a glance for the young police officer. “I'll meet with the other agent inside.”

  He scrubbed a hand over his face, wiping sweat off his brow with his palm. Why, oh why, did I go to Palisa? he wondered for the two millionth time. Pissing off Tyron is always a bad idea..

  The front door was sheltered by a small roof that covered the front porch. It swung open before he got within ten feet of it, and a woman in black stepped out. She was a tall and just a little plump with dark skin and hair that she wore up in a bun.

  Only three steps out the door, she froze when she saw Ben. “Who are you?” she asked, blinking at him.

  Ben felt his cheeks burn. Closing his eyes, he nodded to her. “I'm Agent Tanaben Loranai with LIS,” he explained. “I'm here to take a look at the crime scene and figure out exactly what we're dealing with.”

  The woman crossed her arms and frowned at him. “I wasn't told that anyone else had been assigned to this case,” she said. “You want to present me with some credentials? Or shall I just call Director Sloan.”

  Lifting his forearm, he tapped a few commands into his mult-tool and generated a hologram of his LIS ID. The transparent rectangle of blue light hovered between them, and through it Ben could see the woman frowning.