by C. G. Hatton
She glared at him and sent, “We lost some good people on Abacus,” insinuating that he’d made a mistake by tipping off Jameson.
He looked up at her. Evelyn hadn’t been exaggerating when she’d said the tab they’d sent Hilyer out on had been a disaster. They’d been caught up in an outright battle between the corporation they now knew was Zang and Jameson’s heavy-handed response. Earth versus Winter. With Hil and LC right in the middle of it. Hil had disappeared and five extraction agents had been killed, caught in the crossfire.
The Chief was sitting there smouldering. “What about Domino? Was that Zang?”
NG poured out half a cup he didn’t really want. “I don’t know. How close are we to finding LC?”
They all looked to Media. As much as it was the Chief who was coordinating the search teams, rumour-mongering was her department. She shook her head. “We’re not,” she said. “O’Brien has stopped sending in updates. The bounty is escalating and we have nothing but unsubstantiated rumours. He’s vanished.”
“Have we sent someone to Kheris?” he said, knowing it was a long shot before he said it.
“Yes,” Media said, unimpressed that he’d had to ask. “And no, there’s no sign of him. Come on, NG, you know he’d never go back there. We’ve checked every known contact. There are a lot of rumours and we’re doing our best to quash them to take the heat out of this but there is a ridiculous amount of money on offer.”
LC doesn’t have a chance was what she was thinking but she’d never say that. And she was right, he knew Kheris was a long shot. LC would never go home if he had any say in the matter.
NG curled a hand around his cup. “Have we got people on Sten’s?”
Media pursed her lips and looked to the Chief who stared NG in the eye and said, “We’ve got people everywhere,” defying anyone to make an open accusation of negligence.
Acquisitions was taking the brunt of this whole drama. NG looked at Devon, picking up an air of contention between two of his chiefs. She didn’t react, blinking lazily and daring either of them to make an issue of it here. He ventured beyond her surface thoughts, not something he did lightly, not in these surroundings. Christ, she’d thrown in a proposition to dissolve Acquisitions and take control of their affairs into Legal.
The Man would never go for it but give her credit for having a go.
NG picked up his cup and sent privately to the Chief, “Keep Quinn on Hil alone. I’ll sort out the list. We need to get our operatives back. Rein in everyone else and put all resources into finding Hil and LC. And whatever happens, trust me, okay?”
The Chief didn’t reply but he met NG’s eye and nodded almost imperceptibly.
NG took a sip of the tea and placed the cup on the table. “We’re going after Zang,” he said out loud. “On all fronts. Hit them where it hurts.” He could go after Zang and the Order, and use all the resources of the guild. Money and power. They were the lifeblood of the guild and no one could match the Thieves’ Guild when it came to acquiring them.
Chapter 12
“A Black Rogue Seven?”
The incredulity was justified. Never before had a head of operations instigated such a drastic course of action without his explicit approval.
“Desperate times…”
She raised her eyebrows. “Did Nikolai actually appreciate at the time just how desperate?”
“He has an acute talent for reading a situation and an ability to anticipate, pre-empt, almost foresee an outcome.”
“More even than you…?”
He reached for the wine with a wry smile. “He understands these creatures far better than I. He is the worst of them and the best of them. The Black Rogue Seven was drastic and, I admit, caused ripples we have still not yet repaired. But if he hadn’t dared make such a timely and audacious move, I fear the consequences could have been far worse.”
•
They talked for another five hours, planning, bringing every section of the guild into play against Zang – Legal to fight and escalate every corporate litigation action Zang were fending off, Science to undermine every patent application and attempt at innovation or advancement, Media to launch a blistering propaganda campaign and Acquisitions to do what it did best, hit them in their pockets.
Evelyn brought in coffee and on the third round, she placed the fresh jug on the tray and slipped a board in front of him without a word.
NG scanned the brief and scrubbed a hand over his eyes. It wasn’t often that the Man sent him direct orders. He looked back at the message. He didn’t have much time.
“Evie,” he sent privately as she walked out, “find out where Ballack is for me, would you?”
According to A’Darbi, Ballack’s first secretary was Order. The higher the chain went, the more insidious the whispers into the ears of the galaxy’s powermongers. No wonder the Merchants’ Guild was working against them.
Evelyn sent straight back, “You haven’t been watching the news streams, have you? He’s on Redgate. The Merchants are threatening to pull out.”
NG looked up. Christ. The supposedly neutral presence of the Merchants’ Guild was the only stabilising factor in that region. If they left, it would be almost impossible to run any kind of operation from there any more.
“Have we heard anything from Badger?” he asked out loud, interrupting the ongoing discussion, knowing the answer but needing to work his way through the logic.
“No,” Devon said.
“And what have we got on the Merchants?”
“Why?” Devon’s tone was still confrontational.
“What have we got?” he said again.
“It’s a problem we’ve been trying to mitigate, NG,” Media said. “Like Silas said, they’re offering acquisition work. Packaged up differently but you don’t have to look too far beneath the surface to see that they’re touting for tabs that we would normally get without question. We’ve had contracts pulled that were done deals except for the signature then suddenly the client doesn’t need us and we find out they’re talking to the Merchants. Having Hilyer and Anderton at the top of the Federation’s most wanted list isn’t doing our reputation any favours.” She paused, hesitating to add that his own name on the Assassin’s list was an added instability that didn’t help market confidence. She leaned forward. “In the long term, they can’t match us. No one has a pool of operatives that even come close to ours. And that will show. But immediately…? They’re making promises and laughing at the fact that clients are even listening to them. And they are. Silas isn’t the only one.”
“Why do you ask?” Devon said again, suspiciously.
“What about Redgate?” he asked, directing the question at Media and ignoring Devon.
“It’s a war zone. Worse than ever. The Merchants are losing control because some Wintran corporation has gone in there and is throwing cash around. You don’t think that’s Zang, do you?”
NG stood up. It didn’t matter if it was Zang or not. What mattered was that if Ballack was on Redgate, then his right hand man would be there.
Devon sent privately, angrily, “NG, what’s going on?”
He picked up the board. “Keep at it,” he said out loud, glancing round at all four of his section chiefs. “I want our boys back and I want Zang. Whatever it takes.” And he walked out.
Devon followed, striding after him silently and stalking him back to his office. He threw the board onto the desk, not caring that she was right behind him, and walked through to his quarters.
His bag was still on the bed where he’d thrown it when he got in.
Devon was fuming. She stood in the doorway, the board in her hand, glaring at him.
“NG, what’s going on,” she said again.
He tipped the contents of the bag into the chute and started to pack a clean change of clothes.
Devon frowned as she realised what he was doing. “Where are you going?” she said incredulously, disbelief that he was going to skip out again mixing with a tantalising tho
ught that she was going to be left in charge again.
“Redgate,” he said, throwing a couple of handguns into the bag.
“What about this?” She held up the board.
He ignored her, turning and rummaging in a locker. “Cover for me.”
She slammed the door shut and walked up close to him. Her perfume stung the air. She slapped the board against his arm. “Direct orders, NG. I know that discipline isn’t one of your strong points here but for god’s sake, when the Man says to stay here, stay. What the hell are you thinking?”
He closed the locker and turned abruptly so that her face was inches from his. “I’m going to Redgate,” he said softly, taking the board from her and tossing it aside.
She was horrified but she hid that from her expression, eyes narrowing. “What’s going on, NG?”
He shook his head slightly. “Don’t ask.”
“Is it personal?”
“No.”
“If it’s guild business, why doesn’t the Man know about it?”
“He does.”
She clenched her jaw, frustrated. “NG, you’re not the only one who got a message from the Man. We have direct orders to keep you here.”
‘The Man knows you too well.’
NG pushed the darkness aside. So the Man was expecting him to chase the Order. It wasn’t a rebellious streak that made him throw the board aside – he knew what needed to be done. For all the Man’s seemingly omnipotent presence, he didn’t always appreciate the frailties of the human race. How petty minded and self-destructive humans could be when power and money were at stake. Whatever delicate balance of mutual tolerance had existed between the Order and the Thieves’ Guild had been blown apart. By something. It was a race to get the upper hand and right now the Order was winning. They’d follow the trail of bodies he’d left fast enough. He couldn’t sit and wait for their next attack. That was what the Man didn’t understand. The Man planned in terms of centuries. Humans lived in the moment.
Devon was trying to decide whether to throw him onto the floor or throw him onto the bed.
“I don’t have any choice,” NG said quietly. “I’ll deal with the Man when I get back.”
“You won’t get out of Redgate alive,” she said, eyes flashing.
“I’m not going to hide.”
“I know the Assassins, NG. They’re out there looking for you. The last I heard was assholes like Ki and Brandon, even Sceznei, bragging about who was going to get to you first. And you know what’s more disturbing?” She didn’t give him time to respond. “My contacts have stopped talking to me.”
She glared at him. He could feel how hard it was for her to have that connection severed for good. Over him.
“We’ve already been breached,” she said. “Right here. Walking onto Redgate will be suicide.” She folded her arms to stop herself reaching out to hit him.
‘She cares about you. How touching. And if you leave, the bitch will be in charge. But let’s face it, she can’t screw it up any more than you already have.’
He bit his tongue to stop himself saying anything out loud.
“NG…”
“You don’t understand,” he said softly, knowing that was the wrong thing to say.
Her eyes flared wide. “So tell me! For Christ’s sake, NG.”
He shook his head and turned. Devon instinctively grabbed his arm and twisted, pushing him against the locker door. She was strong. They always played rough. He let her pin him there, feeling her heart pounding against his chest.
“If you get yourself killed, I’m left with the mess,” she whispered harshly. “Don’t leave me in the dark to handle the fallout from your screw up, NG. Tell me what’s going on.”
‘Or what?’
“I’ll be fine,” he said stubbornly.
“You’ll be dead.”
“You can’t stop me.”
It crossed her mind to incapacitate him, right there, a single lightning fast move that would leave him out cold on the floor, and when she moved he almost reacted, sensing her intention just in time as she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him into a kiss.
“There’s an organisation called the Order,” he said, brushing her hair from her face.
‘You’re making a big mistake.’
Devon stretched, arching her back, the edge of the sheet slipping to expose a smooth shoulder. “Now I get an explanation?” she said, her voice soft despite the edge of nonchalant sarcasm.
“You’re right. I might need help so you need to know.”
‘You’re pathetic, you don’t need help from anyone.’
She twisted around and looked up at him through long lashes. “Go on. I’m intrigued.”
“They’ve been around for millennia in one form or another, going by various names over the centuries. We have fingers in a lot of pies, you know that. Trade agreements, alliances, relationships that go back generations. The Order has that and more. We don’t know who they are. They don’t know who we are. We’ve no doubt crossed swords in the past, but never openly.” He paused, watching her reaction.
She looked sceptical. “A secret underground organisation? Like the Illuminati? Come on, NG, you expect me to believe that? The Illuminati are a fairy tale, they don’t exist.”
“In some areas, people say the Thieves’ Guild doesn’t exist.”
“Fair point.” She paused for a second. NG could see the turmoil in her mind. She couldn’t tell whether he was screwing with her or being serious. “Suppose for a second you haven’t lost your mind, why has this secret organisation suddenly decided to declare war on us?”
NG was leaning on one elbow. It felt like he’d pulled a muscle in his back. Devon was never gentle.
“NG? Talk to me.”
He shifted his weight to ease the ache and tried to figure out what he could say.
‘You shouldn’t say anything.’
“My real name is Nikolai,” he said suddenly. As far as he was aware, only two individuals alive knew his real name. He’d always used different names when he moved postings. Or let people tag him with a nickname.
Devon raised her eyebrows, lips twitching into a smile. “Nikolai?” She leaned back, staring at him in bemusement, fully appreciative of the honour he’d just bestowed on her. “Okay then, Nikolai, talk to me.”
“In everything we do,” he said cautiously, “we aim for balance. You understand that?”
It was one of the first things he’d explained when she’d come across to them. There was more to it than that, much more that no one but the Man appreciated, but balance was the underlying philosophy that everything else rested on.
She nodded, eyes narrowing.
“The Order pushes for war. Constantly. They profit from conflict. Keeping the scattered populations scared and weak is what keeps them in their positions of power.”
“So they see us as a threat?”
NG shrugged. “The Thieves’ Guild directly opposes what they are trying to achieve. We nurture advancement through cooperation, dissemination of information to encourage progress and evolution.” By stealing it and sharing it out. He didn’t say why, couldn’t quite bring himself to tell her why that was so important. “We undermine what the Order strives so hard for. I don’t know why but something has made them act against us. They’ve screwed up. They’ve revealed themselves for the first time and now I have something to go after.”
“They want to get to the council? Why won’t the council just talk to them?”
He leaned in and kissed her, long and hard. There wasn’t a council but that wasn’t something he could admit to her. The council of elders was a smokescreen, obfuscation, stuff and nonsense to hide the fact that the guild was just the Man. And it had worked. Everyone after him so far had been trying to get to the council. Problem was, Devon needed to think she was part of a bigger organisation, that was what he had tempted her with. She didn’t need power and control, she needed something to strive for, always something higher, further fr
om her reach to aim for. She didn’t need to know that the guild was just him and the Man. No one did.
She laughed and pushed him away. “Are they Earth or Winter?”
“Both.”
“Zang?”
He nodded. “Zang is, or at least was. Seems he’s gone renegade. I’m not sure if that works for us or against us, but it’s the first crack I’ve seen in their armour, and trust me I’ve been looking for a long time.”
“Why Redgate?”
“I want to talk to Badger.”
She looked sceptical.
“And Alek Ingarssen,” he admitted. “Ballack’s sidekick. He’s Order. He’s as high as I’ve managed to track down. I need to know who’s pulling the strings.”
“Ballack will recognise you.”
“I’ll stay out of his way. It’s Ingarssen I need to get to and he doesn’t know me.”
Devon traced a finger across his chest. “Why now?” She was genuinely intrigued. She’d caught the hint of a new enemy and now she knew, she wanted to join the hunt. Her touch was soft on his skin as she circled the scar from the bullet wound but her soul was cold as she contemplated the implications of taking on an organisation more powerful than the guild she’d adopted as her own.
“They made a mistake,” he said.
Killing Mendhel and Domino, he heard her think. She stared at him and said, “NG… Nikolai… you can’t go to Redgate alone.”
“I’ll take Banks and Martinez.”
“Take Evelyn as well.”
He did smile then. “I don’t think I’ll need a PA with me where I’m going.”
Devon frowned, wanting to explain but not wanting to lose the advantage of what she thought was her secret. “I don’t understand why it has to be you to go. Let me send someone.”
No one would ever be able to understand why it had to be him. Only the Man knew anything about his abilities. He had no choice but to go himself. No one else could strip away the truth directly from Ingarssen’s mind as he thought it.