Zero Hour (Starmen (Space Opera Series) Book 3)

by J. M. Hagan

 

 

  He sent a nod Jill’s way. A silent agreement to not use their implants to communicate again.

  Whoever looked over the logs from their implants later would agree they had spotted something suspicious about the guy, and were justified to take him for further screening.

  *

  A section of the line was halted abruptly by two New-Wave officers. Problem was, those they stopped included him. Vorjool watched Kal pass through the sensors and slip away. No! I put too much distance between us!

 

  “Sorry folks. Random screening,” said the officer in charge, with an altogether unapologetic tone. Vorjool was immediately unsettled.

  They walked along the line checking their faces up close. Then they stopped right next to him, and Vorjool tightened up.

  “Okay. You – come with us,” said the man, and he suspected there was nothing random about this.

  Sweat gathered on his brow. Vorjool was led away from the line. He looked back over his shoulder and saw another officer tell the rest to continue moving along.

 

  Be careful. If we are caught –

 

  Vorjool didn’t need Zero’s help to notice just how tense the woman seemed. She was gripping her weapon tightly. Sweat was running down her pale cheeks. He was led to what seemed to be a small interrogation room. The man entered first and he hesitated to follow him inside.

  “Come in, sir. This won’t take long. We just have a few questions to ask. It’s standard procedure – random checks, like this,” the man assured him with a grin. He swallowed, but managed to maintain his demeanour when Vorjool was reluctant.

 

  A bounty?!

 

  Why would someone place a bounty on me?!

  The woman shoved him in the back with her gun and he stumbled forward a step. “Get in,” she told him. “Quicker we get this over with – quicker you can get back to the line.”

 

  What am I going to do?

  The man walked to the other side of the room while the woman shut the door behind him. Then he heard the lock click.

  The man lifted his rifle. Took aim. He heard the woman’s gun rising, too.

  Vorjool wasn’t sure if it was his reactions, or Zero’s control, but his arm thrust out without thought.

  He struck her in the nose and the woman crashed into the wall.

  Gunfire cracked from the weapon aimed at him – Vorjool took a bullet in the shoulder. He grabbed the stunned girl by her hair and flung her body in the path of the bullets. Blood sprayed as she spiralled into the table with her body torn by a burst of machine gun fire.

  Vorjool raced toward his attacker while he was shocked by the sudden turn-around of events. Before he could fire again, a powerful chop crushed the little bones around his windpipe and he spat blood. Fell back against the wall, dropping his gun to hold his throat with both hands. Spitting, gurgling, with his eyes screaming, he slid down the wall and ended up on his ass. Seconds later, his attempts to cling to life ended.

  Grimacing, holding the bullet wound in his shoulder, Vorjool snarled and punched the wall next to him in anger. The woman moaned and writhed in pain on the table.

  Someone battered the door from outside.

  “What happened?! Ethan! Jill!”

  Vorjool seized her throat in an iron grasp and she weakly beat on his forearm with a fist while blood poured from the bullet wounds in her chest and belly.

  “Who put a bounty on me?!” he screamed. “Why am I being hunted?!”

  Tears streamed down her bulging red cheeks as she choked. He let up his grip and she dropped on her knees. The door was hit again. This time by something heavy.

  Zero – what are we going to do?!

  He took up her rifle, prepared to fight for his life.

 

  The lights shut off. The people on the other side stopped hammering the door.

  “Zero – did you do that?” he asked, shocked.

  Emergency lighting came on. Everything was given a dim red glow.

 

  The woman cried out sharply beneath him, taken by an intense pain. She screamed her lungs out, with hands over her ears like she was fighting off voices.

 

  He could hear the screams coming from outside the door as well. Shaking with fear as he viewed her enduring agony, Vorjool felt his pity swell for her. He heard something rattle behind him. The man he had killed was twitching all over. It was the first man he had ever killed…

  “Zero – what have you done?”

 

  “Will it kill her?” he asked, swallowing hard.

 

  Vorjool couldn’t believe what he was hearing, seeing. He felt sick to his stomach. But Zero had informed him of it so casually that it unsettled him all the more. The woman was convulsing on her back. Her eyes rolling in the back of her head as though she had been possessed.

 

  *

  Distant gunshots got his attention. Cane, who had been leaning against a building wall, stood up straight and looked in the direction of the checkpoint exit. He could feel the distress in the conscious world around him growing. He waited. He worried.

  He heard some more shots being fired. There could be no mistaking it this time.

  “Claudia, Malora, I heard gunshots,” he said, over his com.

  “Gunshots?” inquired Malora.

  “Yes. From within the checkpoint.”

  “Might be some trouble inside,” she said. “Doesn’t mean it’s related to our hunt. We still haven’t got confirmation of his arrival.”

  Cane watched people come spilling out from the checkpoint as the doors opened. At first, it was a dozen. Then came dozens more. People were screaming. Gunshots cracked. Glass smashed. A security officer spilled off the wall above and fell to the street. Then he spied along the wall and saw other sentries holding their ears and screaming.

  “Cane, what’s going on?!” begged Claudia.

  “I don’t know,” he said, feeling icy chills.

  People came rushing toward the checkpoint from the street to find out what all the commotion was about. As the bodies waved by him, Cane joined the stream and approached a young woman who had escaped the checkpoint and was pale with terror.

  “What’s going on inside?” he demanded of her.

  The woman was weeping and put a trembling hand to her forehead. “I don’t know. The guards – they started dropping to their knees and screaming. People were wailing on them. There was so much going on! I just ran! I had to!”

  Cane left her. He started toward the checkpoint. “Claudia, Malora, I think we’ve got a riot on our hands!”

  “Cane, don’t go in there!” cried Malora. “Claudia, we need to move. With all the bodies down there, sniping is useless!”

  “Agreed,” said Claudia.

  “I’ll wait outside,” said Cane. “I doubt there’s anything I could do to h— “

  Cane froze. He saw a man with grey skin and black eyes amongst the crowd. It was him. There could be no mistaking it. Cane had looked at his picture so many times it was imprinted in his mind.

  �
��I’ve spotted him,” he revealed, his voice shaking. “It’s him. It’s Vorjool!”

  “Cane, do not engage!” cried Malora.

  Vorjool hurried off the street. He headed for an alleyway. Cane gave chase, and had to push his way by bodies. People were tossing bricks, bottles, anything they could get their hands on, at the checkpoint.

  “I’m following him,” he said. “Inform the others!”

  “He’s coming my way,” said Claudia, breathing like she was running full pelt. “I’ll try and cut him off!”

  *

  Vorjool raced down the alleyway. The adrenaline caused him to shake all over. Zero was right – it had been chaos in there. The instant people realised what was happening, they went into a frenzy. They beat the guards to death. Took up their weapons and blew the checkpoint scanners to bits. Then they were heading back the way they’d came to Virtra City.

  Zero had gone far. “Where are all those people coming from?” begged Vorjool. The people of Mortron City amassed around the station within moments.

 

  He stopped in his tracks. What?

  Vorjool did.

  Are you insane?! When did you do this?!

 

  There was going to be a lot of bloodshed before the authorities got this situation under control. Vorjool was sick to his stomach with worry. But Kal wasn’t far ahead of him. Even now Zero was tracking his PDP. He was just a few blocks away.

 

  What is it?

 

  18

  “What the…”

  The guards were dropping like flies. Holding their heads and screaming.

  Jack and Jeriko had been in transit when the fighting broke out. They pulled up and saw that people were beating the New-Wave guards to death with their bare hands. Mobs swarmed them. Then they came away armed with assault rifles, pistols, batons, riot shields.

  Women and children in the car they were occupying were shrieking and weeping in a panic. The doors opened automatically and they screamed as they poured out, stepping over each other when a mass of bodies got piled in the door as a woman tripped. She was screaming at the bottom.

  “Get off her!” Jack cried as she got crushed underfoot. But nobody listened. The door in front of them opened and Jeriko grabbed his shoulder.

  “C’mon! There’s no policing this madness!” he cried.

  They took their weapons out and someone in the crowd took aim at them with an assault rifle he’d taken from a New-Wave guard, probably because the protective vests they were wearing caused them to stand out as some type of law enforcement.

  Jack’s training kicked in immediately. He shot him twice in the chest without hesitation and he dropped. The crowd dispersed in an uproar of screaming.

  “We need to get out of here! Fast!” cried Jeriko.

  A bald guy with a baton took a swing at Jack and he leapt from the strike. Jeriko punched the guy in the nose when he missed and he tripped over the edge, landing on the tracks below.

  “Jack!” Claudia blared in his com.

  “Claudia?”

  “Jack – Cane spotted him! Vorjool just left the checkpoint!”

  A thrill surged through him.

  “What’s going on in there?!” she continued. “Are you okay?”

  “We’re in trouble,” cried Jack, and he saw Jeriko beat someone back from the corner of his eye. He hit the guy in the forehead with his pistol butt.

  “Get out of there quick!” she cried. “Cane is in pursuit! We’re following him on foot!”

  “We’ll find your location with our PDPs!” Jack yelled over the nearby gunshots with his head down. “Be careful! Don’t rush into anything until back-up arrives!”

  “Just hurry,” she cried, getting short of breath.

  Jack and Jeriko moved together, keeping their eyes peeled as the chaos continued around them. They picked up the pace when they passed a group of three men beating a New-Wave guard with batons.

  *

  Kal could feel eyes on him as he went.

  His instincts had served him well enough in the past that he didn’t ignore them. He wasn’t far from Aria’s. Rather than continue along the direct route, he diverged into an alleyway behind a busy restaurant. There was a back door on down which he guessed led to its kitchen.

  When he made it around the corner, he dashed to hide behind a dumpster out back of the restaurant that stank of rotten vegetables. Drew his weapon and waited.

  He heard steps on the concrete a moment later. Kal raised his head an inch to have a glance. There stood Riven, Aria’s right-hand. Frozen on the spot. His instincts no doubt warning him things were about to get awry.

  Kal swept out. Took aim with his sidearm.

  “Riven…”

  The muscle-bound ishar set his angular jaw.

  “…you’ve been following me?”

  Hands out at his sides, Riven nodded. “I’m unarmed, Starman.”

  Kal stepped a little closer. “Why?” he asked. “Why did, Aria, set a bounty on me?”

  Riven’s frown was sincere and deeply perplexed. “She hasn’t,” he assured him.

  “Well, people are after me. The fact that you’re following me doesn’t make me less suspicious.”

  “I don’t know what you’re taking about,” cried Riven. “I’m here for one reason. You’re bringing that artefact to, Aria. I wanna convince you to take a different course of action.”

  Kal’s glare thinned. “You’re betraying her?”

  “Bitch has been in Federation space too long,” he snapped in reply. “She’s forgot her home.”

  “Ah, I see. She’s gonna sell this to the highest buyer,” said Kal, patting his pocket with the Starstone inside. “You, on the other hand, wanna bring it to your government?”

  Riven gave a slow nod. “Kal, think of what that device can do. Think of what will happen to the galaxies if it falls into the wrong hands.”

  “And ishar hands are right for it?”

  “We don’t have access to many gateways,” said Riven. “There’s a lot less potential for mischief. Just look at this damn world. They’ve segregated an entire city. Millions of people. If the Federation get a hold of this, it would just tighten their grip on the galaxies. It would give them absolute power over every colony that depends on the gateways.”

  Kal grimaced. “Nobody ever said the world had to be fair,” he said, aiming his gun a tad lower.

  “What you carry – it’s too much power for anyone to have. Things are bad enough as it is. Besides, Aria, is going to pay you pennies compared to what I’m willing to share.”

  Kal brought his gun down at his side. “Just how much are the ishar gonna pay you?”

  Riven smirked. “Ten million credits, Kal. We split it down the middle. We leave Delta-2 together, today.”

  Five million…? Kal rose his gun as his lips turned into a grin. “Okay, but it won’t be an even split. I want sixty per cent. After all, I did go through hell getting this thing in the first place.”

  Riven frowned deeply. Spat his disgust, but Kal aimed with intent.

  “Or, I could just kill you. Now that I know what people are willing to pay…I’m thinking, who needs Aria or the Ishar? I’ve had enough of the Delta Sector anyway. Running won’t be all that hard. Besides, I’ve got Dark-Fang.”

  He had him. This actually ain’t a bad idea. With all the chaos back there, it’ll be hard for, Aria, to find us when she learns that she’s been double-crossed. He waited as Riven beat back his pride enough to swallow the deal. All I’ve gotta do is avoid those Starmen and make it to my ship.

  “All right, Starman. Y
ou’re holding all the cards,” admitted Riven.

  Kal holstered his sidearm, grinning wide. “Damn right, I am,” he said. “Did you check your PDP to see what’s going on back there? I got out just before the place went crazy.”

  Riven nodded. “Damn riot. Must be Ogazi.”

  “How are we gonna make it out of here fast? Won’t be long until, Aria, sends someone looking for us.”

  “I was thinking we could go to the checkpoint the other side of town. You could use your badge. I’ll play the wanted criminal to get through fast as possible.”

  It was as solid a plan as they could hope to muster right now. Kal walked toward him. “That’s our only choice. I’ll flash my badge and say I’ve gotta take you to HQ. Once we’re on the other side, we head to the port and get our ships.”

  And if you try a thing, I’ll put you down. They walked along to the end of the alley, heading back out to the street…

  A fist flew from around the corner and struck his cut nose. Kal’s vision blacked out, just like the night previous.

  *

  Vorjool attacked Riven. The ishar was powerfully built. But he lacked his speed, as well as his naturally gifted strength. Two hooks to the head and he was down.

  Kal, on his back, bloody nosed, reached for his gun. He stomped his forearm into the ground before he could take aim.

  “Vorjool?!”

  He dropped on him, raising a fist, and Kal threw his other hand out to try and guard his face. He looked so surprised it almost gave him pause. He had no idea I was alive. Obviously, he has nothing to do with the bounty on my head.

  “Wait?!”

  A devastating blow broke through his weakened guard and the back of his skull cracked against concrete.

  Riven dove into his ribs with his shoulder, as he prepared a second blow. They scuffled on the ground. A test of strength ensued, and the ishar, who was on top, had the upper hand. He grabbed hold of his wrists and spread out his arms. Stomped down on his chest repeatedly.

  Kal, pale and disorientated, blood streaming off his chin, held the wall as he got to his feet. Pulled his gun and fired a shot that hit the wall an inch from Vorjool’s head. Then he dropped on his ass from the kick-back.