There had to be a closet or storage room she could find to rest in, just for a little while.
Blood hammered in her ears, and she tried to slow her breathing, make it quieter.
If she was caught . . .
She forced her shoulders up and then down. If she was caught, maybe that would be a good thing. She could ask for help.
But there was a deeply cynical part of her that suspected that was a big maybe.
She looked right, the opposite direction to where the Tecran had gone, and started moving.
He'd be back for the parcel. His curse when it had dropped told her he knew it had, but he hadn't been able to set the others down to pick it up.
She heard footsteps behind her, and moved a little faster, hand out against the wall because for some reason she felt light-headed.
She was suddenly in a small alcove which contained a vending machine, a smaller version of the ones she'd used in the square, and felt a sudden lift in her spirits.
Things hadn't gone her way for hours, but it seemed her luck was turning.
Except, there wasn't a room off the alcove. It was a dead end.
She was stuck.
She drew in a breath, cocked her head to listen.
The footsteps had stopped, and then she heard the faint click of the back entrance closing.
She waited, trying to gauge which direction the Tecran would go next, and when she heard the footsteps coming closer, she wheeled around, desperate to find a corner to tuck herself into.
There was nothing.
Out of options, she stepped up to the vending machine and chose grinabo and another energy bar. Tapped her credit bank against the reader.
A big cup dropped down, filled with hot, fragrant liquid, and the bar was set down beside it.
The footsteps came to an abrupt halt behind her, and Lucy took the grinabo carefully.
She wanted to gulp it down, get a little warmth into her, but this might be the only weapon she had.
She turned slowly, grinabo clutched in both hands, and raised her gaze.
The Tecran stood, blocking the way out, his eyes curious. “I thought I heard someone back here.”
She didn't want to speak, so she flapped her elbows under the cloak in the way she'd seen the scientists and doctors at the facility do--the Tecran version of a shrug.
“Who are you?”
Her response had shifted his tone from curious to suspicious.
Nothing she said would do anything but complicate the situation, so she kept quiet and took a step closer to him, the steam from the grinabo rising tantalizingly in front of her.
She really didn't want to waste it by throwing it at his face.
“You left your energy bar in the slot,” the Tecran said, and startled, she turned to look, hand out to grab it.
As she did, he lunged forward and pushed off the hood of her cloak then stumbled back, his beaky mouth stretched open in surprise and shock.
“I thought you looked strange. The light lay just so on your cheek, and you looked . . . wrong.” He swallowed, his neck bobbing, and then he leaned against the wall. “I just didn't know how wrong.”
The words angered her.
“If I'm wrong,” she hissed at him, “then it's because I shouldn't be here. And you tell me how I got here, why don't you? Because I don't know!”
He slid away from the wall, took a step back out of the alcove.
“You really are one of those Earth women?”
She nodded. Lifted the grinabo for a sip, because it looked like she wouldn't have to throw it after all.
“What should I do?” He looked at her as if she had the answer to that question.
“How about letting me sit somewhere quietly to drink my grinabo, eat my bar, and tell me what is going on?” She spoke pleasantly, evenly, but her face must have given her away because he backed up a little more.
He didn't look happy.
“All right.” He drew out the words. “I can do that.”
“Thank you.” She blinked away sudden tears. “That would be much appreciated.”
He looked at her for a long moment. “You're not . . . dangerous, are you?”
She stood shoulder height to him, and she lifted both arms out, a bar in one hand, her grinabo in the other. “What do you think?”
He bobbed his head. “Come with me.”
He turned and walked away, and she followed in his wake.
She would finally get to sit out of the wind and drink and eat something.
She actually didn't care what happened after that.
Chapter 10
Bane took his time, carefully probing one satellite, invading its systems, and then moving on to the next, until he found an opening to reach down to the planet itself.
Because they would expect him to be coming, he infiltrated more carefully than usual.
Once he was sure he'd looked at everything useful, and had created a side door to move through whenever he wanted, he'd be more obvious, give them the attack they must know was coming. If he didn't, they might suspect he'd succeeded in breaking in, and he wanted them complacent, smug in the knowledge they'd kept him out.
The Tecran military had taught him the tricks he'd used when he was very young and new, and even though he had advanced on his own since then, he couldn't shake the feeling that they would be able to predict some of his moves.
So he was careful.
It didn't take long for the first alarm bell to ring.
A facility, just outside Fa'allen, had burned to the ground in the night.
It was being reported that unstable weapons had been the cause, and given the look of the place, only two stories high on a planet where the only thing more valuable than height was proximity to the edge of the massive cliffs that rose above the ocean, he could believe it was a storage facility.
Except, Sazo had managed to get a hint of something happening at a facility in Fa'allen that he thought might relate to the Earth woman, and had passed the information on to Bane. So near the arrival of the UC team, the timing of the destruction was very, very suspicious.
Bane monitored the Urna's approach while he hunted. They'd be here within the hour. He briefly considered sharing what he suspected with Dray, and then decided against it.
He didn't have anything. Yet.
And if the Earth woman had died in the fire that was still burning, there was no one to save.
If she was dead, he would still look for proof she'd been held there, because he would not let them get away with imprisoning her and then murdering her when her existence became inconvenient.
He had to admit to not feeling optimistic.
The Tecran military had been his masters for years, and he did not think they would hesitate to kill her.
But he listened to the chatter about the fire and looked carefully at the visual comms taken.
He focused on one of the survivors, astonished to recognize her.
Dr. Farnn.
She was one of the explorations scientists who'd been assigned to study some of the lifeforms he'd collected for the Tecran while he'd been under their control.
He hadn't distinguished good from bad much in those days, but now he was more aware and awake, he understood that she had been unhappy with the animals' condition, and had never hurt them.
It was very unlikely she'd be working at a weapons storage. She had no role in a place like that.
It didn't mean the Earth woman was there, though.
It didn't rule it out, either.
He carefully scanned the comms, looking for clues to the Earth woman's presence, but there was nothing obvious.
That might be why they burned it down. It would be impossible to hide all trace of her if she had been there.
And then he saw Dr. Farnn jerk her hand away from someone in a black uniform, and openly stride toward the people using their handhelds to film what was happening.
The look on the face of the soldier who'd been trying to stee
r her away was furious, but instead of going after the doctor, he faded into the background.
Dr. Farnn reached the local security officers who were holding a perimeter, and spoke to one, then he saw her walk along the line to speak to a woman who looked to be in charge. They both moved out of range.
He hunted through the security force database for a match to the security leader. Found her. Captain Rivynn.
He did a search for Dr. Farnn, using the military system.
There was nothing.
It was as if she had ceased to exist.
He felt a rise in . . . excitement? Tension? He wasn't quite sure what to call it, but he knew there should be evidence of the doctor. He had had her onboard his Class 5 in his younger days. She worked for the military.
The erasure of her online presence was extremely significant.
He went back to Rivynn, found her call signature, and gave the polite tap most UC members seemed to expect.
He had noticed Dray Helvan seemed a little grumpier if he didn't knock first, so to speak. Purely for the purposes of smoothing his way, he had started following the protocol.
“This is Rivynn.”
For a moment, Bane floundered, suddenly unsure what voice to use.
“Hello?”
“Sorry, Captain, this is a friend of Dr. Farnn's. I've been so worried about her, and I saw some footage of the fire at the facility yesterday and she was talking to you. Can you give me a way to contact her?” Bane made his voice female, and hesitant.
“Can I have a name?” Rivynn asked.
“It's Dr. Duy.” Bane wondered if using that name was a mistake or not. But it would get Farnn's notice.
Duy had been the other scientist who'd come onboard to observe the creatures Bane had collected, and to decide what the Tecran military should do with them.
Last he'd heard, the scientist had been sent to the Tecran's secret desert facility on the planet Balco, but that was gone now. Blown up just like the facility near Fa'allen.
Bane's friend Eazi had been responsible for the Balco explosion, and he had done a thorough job.
No one and nothing inside had survived.
“One moment, Dr. Duy.”
Bane saw he'd been placed on mute, and overrode the command.
“Someone on the line for you,” Rivynn was saying. “Says her name is Dr. Duy.”
He heard Farnn gasp. “Duy? A woman?”
“What's wrong?” Rivynn asked her.
“Duy was a colleague, but he's dead. And he was a man.”
“What should I do?” Rivynn's clothes rustled, as if she was moving around.
“Let me talk to them. At the very least to find out what they want.” Farnn sounded frightened.
Bane decided that was the logical response to the situation.
There was a buzz as the earpiece was handed over.
“Hello?”
“Hello Dr. Farnn. Forgive the deception, but I didn't want Captain Rivynn to know who I was.” Bane used the voice he used the most. The one he used with Rose McKenzie.
“Who are you?” Farnn whispered.
“You were on my ship over a year ago. At the time, I didn't have a name, but I've found one since. I am Bane.”
She was absolutely quiet, as if she held her breath.
“I don't intend you any harm, Dr. Farnn. I liked what I saw of you that time you came onboard my Class 5.”
“What do you want, then?” Her voice wavered, but Bane had the feeling she knew very well what he was after.
“The Earth woman. Is she still alive?”
“You know about her?” Farnn sounded . . . relieved?
Could that be?
“I tried to help her. I got her out before they came for her. Some of my colleagues . . .” Her voice shook. “Some died helping to get her out.”
“Where is she now?”
“I don't know. They may have her or she may have gotten away.”
“Have you told Captain Rivynn about this?”
“No.” Farnn sighed. “If I do, things will go . . . crazy.”
“Things are already crazy, Dr. Farnn.” Bane used his driest tone. Because why would the doctor go to so much trouble to help the Earth woman, and then leave her to fend for herself? “Can I confirm her name is Lucy Harris?”
“Yes.” Farnn drew in a breath. “How did you know that?”
“The Class 5 who abducted her told one of us about her before he was destroyed.”
“He tried to kill her,” Farnn said, indignant.
“Yes, he did. He regretted it. That's why he gave us the information. So we could find her. Save her. From your colleagues. Who are also trying to kill her.”
Farnn was silent for a beat. “You're right. I got her out to save her from them, but seeing the facility burned, my friends killed, frightened me into silence.” She breathed out heavily. “I'll tell Captain Rivynn what I know.”
She sounded resigned, as if it might be the end of her, if she did.
“How did she escape?”
“I gave her my hover.” She told him the hover tracking number. “That's all I have.”
“Not all, Dr. Farnn. You know how long she was kept in that facility. You know what was done to her.”
She said nothing in response.
“I would prefer you to be alive to testify to that, so I'm going to get a UC official to come fetch you. Where are you?”
“You don't know?” She sounded startled.
“No.” Although given time, he could find out. She was with Captain Rivynn, after all.
“Captain Rivynn has kindly put me up at her home. I'll ask her if she wants me to stay here or move somewhere else. I'll let you know where you can find me.”
Bane gave her a comms address for the information. “Don't leave it any longer than necessary, Dr. Farnn. You and I both know how much the military has to lose here.”
“Almost as much as I do.” Farnn sounded resigned. “I'll be seen as both a traitor and a participant in the crime.”
That was probably true, but Bane didn't waste time feeling sorry for her. She had made her decision when she'd first stepped aboard his Class 5 a year ago, seen what the military had collected, and said nothing.
That she eventually had a crisis of conscience didn't excuse what she could have prevented if she'd spoken sooner.
“Lucy is strong,” Farnn said. “I liked her from the first interview I had with her, but she's never set foot outside the facility, and she'll stand out wherever she goes.”
Bane had assumed as much. Had assumed she'd been kept hidden. They'd never have taken a chance of letting her be seen. So he had better find her before someone realized who they had walking among them.
Chapter 11
His name was Gugi.
At least, that's what Lucy thought he'd said. She'd stumbled after him, into his ground floor apartment.
He seemed somehow apologetic for its location, and then had shrugged at her blank look.
“We like to be up high,” he said. “So ground floor is the most affordable.”
That explained all the skinny skyscrapers.
She sipped at her grinabo, blinking away the tears the warm air of the apartment caused after the freezing conditions outside.
Her hands were stiff, the one holding the energy bar almost a frozen claw, and she rubbed it against her thigh until she could loosen her fingers and then clumsily opened the wrapper, taking small bites.
“I can get you something, if you want.” Gugi sat opposite her, eyes wide, expression both curious and awestruck.
“Maybe some water?” She gulped down the last of her grinabo, and Gugi rose up, walking backward as if he expected her to run at any moment. He came back with the water, hand shaking in excitement.
“Your Tecran is very good.”
“Thanks.” She took the water, made herself sip it slowly so she didn't feel sick.
Tecran was what she'd heard around her every day. The way she communicated with
her captors. So she made sure she understood it very well.
“What are you doing here?” Gugi shifted in his chair.
The heat, the food and drink, combined to make her suddenly sleepy, and she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. “I escaped from the facility. The one that was burned down.”
The sound he made was so strange, she forced her eyes open.
He was staring at her, beak-like mouth open. “The facility in the news?”
She nodded. “They were trying to kill me. Clean up their mess.” She used the same words Dr. Farnn had. Even though she still didn't fully understand what that mess had been.
“They broke the Sentient Beings Agreement, and they reactivated five thinking systems. I think it's more than just a mess.” Gugi shifted again in his chair.
“What does that mean?” She was almost too tired to care right now, but she forced herself to sit straighter in her chair. “And who is 'they'?”
He blinked; two long, slow movements of his eyelids. “They is the Tecran military. And what it means is they took unknown advanced sentients, you and the others like you, against your will, and caused you harm. That is not allowed for members of the United Council. The Tecran are signatories to the Agreement. The penalties are severe.” He stood suddenly. “So severe, a team sent by the UC is landing any moment to take over the running of our military, and oversee our political process for the next five years, as punishment for what they did.”
“They were caught.” She said it slowly. “But then, what about me?” She sucked in a breath, looked up to where he was looming over her. “That's why they tried to get rid of me. They didn't tell anyone about me. I'm more evidence against them.”
He bobbed his head. “You could argue they had already lost everything, but it may be that those who were personally involved in taking you are currently unsullied by the scandal, or less sullied than those who were revealed to be a part of what has already been uncovered. They're probably trying to save their reputations going forward.”
“Cleaning up their mess.” It made sense. And that meant . . . “Can you get me in touch with the UC team that's about to arrive?”
He looked down at her, his eyes gleaming. “The thing is,” he stepped right up beside her chair, forcing her to tip back her head to look at him, “one sure way for me to go up a few levels is to ask how much handing you over would be worth to the military.”
Dark Matters (Class 5 Series Book 4) Page 6