“If Tod Mackestray was in any way responsible for this, his life is forfeit,” Rivka declared as she started to jog after the mech, which was moving with renewed purpose.
Lindy manhandled the oversized railgun with one mechanized arm while she held the ad hoc shield in the other. She walked quickly but with a slight jerk as the servos compensated for the changed weight distribution and the suit’s damaged components.
“I can run ahead and see if there are any more obstructions or defenders,” Jay offered. Rivka pulled out her datapad as she loped behind the mech. The route was clearly displayed.
“The suit has sensors,” Red interrupted.
“That were housed in the chest plate. This suit has no functioning sensors,” Lindy replied through the suit’s external speakers.
“Be right back,” Jay told them.
“I don’t doubt that.”
In a flash, Jay was gone.
“That is some crazy shit,” Rivka mumbled.
“I could use a little of that.” Red sauntered up.
“Ankh said it was a trade-off. Speed or bulk. You want to be the skinny guy so I can kick sand in your face just so you can run fast?”
“I was never the skinny guy,” Red answered. “Alas, us bulky people will be left behind as the world gets faster.”
“Ankh won the pool,” Rivka countered Red’s jibe.
“That shall forever chap my ass.” Red watched the rooftops and balconies as they jogged between buildings that should have been bustling with activity, down roads that should have been packed with vehicles and people. “Can we call this a mission?”
“We’re here to collect evidence for our case against Mackestray. Can’t have outsiders doing crap like this.”
“I don’t mind shooting legitimate bad guys, but I don’t know what these fuckers are fighting about. Have we chosen a side by shooting up a checkpoint and destroying a mortar?”
“Probably. The fact that they both shot at us first won’t matter. I expect we’ll end up fighting them all until we fly out of here.” Rivka’s voice trailed off, and she clenched her jaw as she ran.
“You want to end this war, don’t you?” Red asked.
Jay reappeared next to the Magistrate. The way ahead is clear as long as we make one detour off the main street. At the next block, take a hard right into the alley. Loop around behind the building, up two blocks, and then back onto this road, she passed over their internal comm so Lindy would hear, too.
Roger, Lindy replied.
“I want the war to end,” Rivka answered Red’s question. “If we have the chance, we’ll end it, but we’re here to find out where Mackestray went.”
Lindy started walking away and soon sped up. She followed Jay’s instructions as the group ran in silence, keeping their thoughts to themselves. After ten minutes of a quick pace, they arrived at the building that Erasmus had told them was the data center.
“The quiet is creepy as hell,” Rivka said.
I don’t think the mech will fit through the door, Lindy guessed.
Red was torn. He wanted to stay outside with her, but his first duty was to protect the Magistrate.
Hide the suit outside and join us. We don’t know how long we’ll be in there, Red suggested.
“Sounds good,” Rivka agreed, nodding to the mirrored surface of the mech’s helmet visor. Lindy moved to an alcove and parked the mech. The back unzipped, and she climbed out.
“Safed out?” Red asked, using the military term for rendering a system inoperable.
“It won’t activate for anyone but us,” she replied. Red ran a hand across her ribs.
“Are you okay?”
“Getting better each minute. Without the Pod-doc I’d be dead, wouldn’t I?”
“Without having gone through the Pod-doc, you wouldn’t be here at all. We are better for you being with us,” Rivka stated. She gripped the former waitress’ arm. “And with you keeping him in line, the rest of us can do our jobs.”
Lindy chuckled. “Fair enough. Maybe we should get out of the open?”
“De-creepify our situation,” Jay answered.
“If I only had a railgun,” Rivka sang. Red shook his head on his way through the door. Lindy blocked Rivka’s body with her own even though she wore no armor. They quickly followed Red inside to find no sounds and nothing to indicate anyone was there.
Rivka accessed her datapad and called Ankh. “You think the computers are in the basement?”
“I don’t waste time thinking about things when I have data that gives me an answer. The main data storage is in the basement.”
Rivka pursed her lips and berated herself internally for not asking the right question.
“Tell me how best to access the data,” she corrected.
“Put one of my coins near the data storage, but if there’s no access terminal, then you’ll need to find one of those. They could be anywhere.”
“Thanks, Ankh.” Rivka stuffed her datapad inside her coat. “We need to put a device downstairs while finding an access terminal. Red, with me. Lindy and Jay, stay together and see what you can find.”
Red stood as if rooted to the floor.
“Well?” she asked.
“Do you know where the stairs are?”
“What if I did?”
“Then we’d probably be walking toward them,” Red answered.
“Fine. We need to locate the steps.”
Red headed in one direction and Rivka the other. He raced after her when he discovered that she wasn’t following him. “Wait up, Magistrate.”
“We can cover more ground separately,” she remarked.
“Or I can open the doors since you aren’t armed. What if you find someone who isn’t happy that you’re in her building? I can’t do my job if you’re over here and I’m over there.”
Rivka nodded and motioned for him to take the lead.
“You give me shit, but if you were any more bullheaded, you’d have horns,” Red muttered as he walked past.
“I’m going to think about that, and when I come up with a proper retort, you’ll find it waiting for you on your datapad.”
Red laughed while he studied the doorways. He stopped and pointed to a sign that read Stairway.
When Rivka was behind him, he opened and ducked his head in. “I’m glad there’s still power.”
“Do you have your goggles, just in case? Bad luck seems to follow us around, so I expect we’ll be down there in the dark.”
“Of course. Those things are gold. Bad luck follows us? That’s pretty funny, Magistrate.”
“What do you mean?”
“In a small pond of clear water, what happens when you jam a stick into the bottom and start swirling it around?”
“I’ve never done that, so I don’t know for sure, but let me guess. The mud and trash rise to the top.”
“It has zero to do with luck and everything to do with the stirring.”
“Then let’s go see what there is to see and start stirring the pond. Let the evidence collection begin.”
“Stay behind me, and next time, you really should bring the railgun.”
Rivka tried to poke him in the back, but his body armor protected him. Improvised weapons—she used to be good with those when she first started training with Grainger. She kept her eyes peeled for something to use as they descended the wide staircase.
The smooth shine on the flooring suggested that many feet had walked the stairs over the years. It was far different from the data center on Collum Gate.
Checking in. You guys okay? Rivka asked.
All good up here. We’ve found a few terminals in offices, but nothing that suggests data entry. We’re still looking. No sign of Ledonians, Lindy replied.
Red continued to the bottom, where it opened to a wide, well-lit area. Workout equipment filled the interior. A short track ran along the outside walls, circling the area. Machines, free weights, treadmills, stair climbers, and other equipment called to the physica
lly fit. A climbing wall was in the middle of the room with nets and climbing ropes around it. Rivka picked up an empty bar for weight plates to use as a weapon.
“I smell sweat,” Rivka said.
“Ten years from now it’ll probably still smell of sweat.”
“I smell something else, too...” Rivka sniffed and turned in a circle, trying to find the source of the odor.
Red kept his railgun leveled as he moved through the area, ready to light up an enemy should one appear.
“Maybe check in with Mister I Don’t Guess about his facts regarding data storage in the basement?”
“Maybe there are two basements,” Rivka suggested.
“Maybe the storage facility was never down here.” Red changed to his internal comm. There’s a big gym downstairs. We haven’t found any electronics whatsoever. Did you find any other stairways?
There are two staircases that lead up. That’s all we’ve found.
Stay frosty. Things aren’t what they seem, Red replied.
“I agree with that,” Rivka said, “but I don’t know what’s wrong. We expected one thing and found another, but that isn’t it. There’s something else.” Rivka closed her eyes and held up her hands as if they were antennae. Red spared an instant to watch but returned to scanning the area. His eyes caught something, and he froze.
“Video surveillance. We’re being watched.”
Rivka opened her eyes. “It’s their building, and it’s legal to put in security systems.”
“Who puts a security system in an office gym? Look at it. My nine o’clock, about three meters high.”
“How do we know someone is monitoring it?”
“We don’t,” Red replied. He removed a grenade from his vest. “I’m going to take it out.”
“With a grenade?”
Red reached back to throw the grenade, and Rivka ran the other way. She didn’t see him throw, but she heard the crunch as the grenade hit the equipment. The Magistrate threw herself to the ground and covered her head.
“Bullseye.” Red chuckled as he recovered the grenade. He jogged around the perimeter, taking out three other monitors by jumping and butt-stroking them with his railgun.
Rivka sat on the floor taking in Red’s efforts. “You could have told me you didn’t pull the pin.”
“I thought you would have guessed. I have no desire to see how much damage my body can take.” Red hesitated, remembering the tank round that had hit Lindy in the chest. He snarled at the thought, his manhood challenged when she protected them all. He had agreed that he wouldn’t protect her over the others; that they were all at equal risk and each carried the responsibility to protect the others to the best of their ability.
“Red?” Rivka called, shaking him from his introspection.
“Roger,” he answered, looking around quickly to make sure nothing had happened during his brief mental absence. Focus on the job at hand, he reminded himself.
It was hard for a man like him to be in love.
“Looks like a door over here.” Rivka pointed at the wall and a recessed handle. “I wonder where this goes?”
She reached for the handle, but Red yelled, “Let me do that.”
He motioned for her to step away, then pulled the circular handle out and twisted it, popping the wall open. It slowly pulled outward. He peeked into the darkness before dodging back. He pulled his goggles over his eyes and ducked his head in and out before closing the door.
“What? What did you see?”
Chapter Eight
“It’s a locker room.”
“Maybe there’s another door. Let’s go in.” Rivka wondered why Red had stepped back. She twirled her finger at him—hurry up.
He pulled it open and stepped back. Rivka stopped at the entrance and let her eyes adjust. Once she could see, she was greeted by women’s underwear scattered throughout.
“Looks like there was a freaking orgy.” Rivka walked carefully through the area. “This is where that smell was coming from, too. I didn’t think you were squeamish. What’s up?”
“Lindy leaves her underwear all over the place. How does she have that much stuff?” Red blurted.
“I thought you liked her underwear anywhere other than on,” Rivka parried.
“There is that.” Red chuckled, joining Rivka. He used his goggles to take another look at the area. “And if that’s all I have to complain about, life is pretty damn good, isn’t it?”
“You got that right.” Rivka continued around a corner before pulling up. “Got a body.”
“Doesn’t smell like a corpse,” Red offered.
“A Ledonian, not human.” Rivka leaned close, covering her face with her shirt collar. “I don’t see what killed her.”
Red flipped the body with a toe. There was a dried blood stain on her lower chest.
“Stabbed.”
“They ran out during the fight, leaving their nice things behind. They never came back,” Rivka suggested.
Red continued around the locker room, through the bathroom, and back. “No other doors.” He held the door open for the Magistrate. “Do women’s locker rooms always look like this?”
“Not as far as you know,” Rivka answered. She looked at the strange door with no sign. “Why would they have an entrance like this for the locker room?”
Red shook his head.
“Let’s see if there’s a men’s version.” Rivka jogged along the track, examining the wall as she went. The recessed catch was obvious since she knew what she was looking for. She and Red spoke at the same time. “Over here!”
Red pointed to the handle on the opposite side of the gym and Rivka pointed to hers.
“On my way,” Red shouted and started running, reaching Rivka in short order. “If I was as fast as Jay, I would have been here before taking my first step.”
“That makes no sense.” Rivka stepped back to let Red do his thing.
“It makes as much sense as her being able to move like that.” Red put his goggles into place and opened the door. Like the other room, it was dark inside, but the room was different. “This is where the data center used to be.”
Rivka hurried inside to find an empty room with computer cables dangling from the ceiling like vines in a rainforest. They had to shove their way through, finding a double door with a ramp beyond that led outside.
“Contact the others. I need to talk to Ankh.” Rivka removed her datapad.
How are you guys doing? Red asked.
I was just going to give you a call. We’re on the second floor, and you need to get up here sooner rather than later, Lindy replied.
“We have to go right now!” Red yelled out loud.
Rivka was embroiled in her screen, arguing with Ankh.
Red grabbed her shoulder and shook her. “Right now, Magistrate. They’re in trouble.”
Rivka didn’t bother shutting the datapad down as she ran after Red, who was done waiting. They put everything they had into sprinting up the stairs, Red weaving from side to side as he climbed. He ran through the building’s lobby to the steps and pounded upward with Rivka right on his tail.
“What did they find?” Rivka called.
“I don’t know,” Red replied.
Rivka didn’t bother to follow up. Sometimes it was better to just run.
They reached the second floor in record time, skidding to a stop when they hit the landing. Lindy and Jay were in front of a barricade with angry Ledonian faces staring at them. From an open doorway, more angry faces looked out.
“What do we have here?” Rivka asked holding her hands up in the universal sign for calm as she carefully stepped forward. Red moved to the side, maintaining a clear line of fire at those behind the barricade.
“We have that group,” Jay pointed at those behind the barricade, “who want to fight this bunch.” She pointed at the doorway before crossing her arms and tapping one foot impatiently. Rivka didn’t see any weapons.
“What are you fighting about?” Rivka ask
ed the group behind the barricade.
“They supported the usurper!” the self-appointed spokesman shouted. “Death to them!”
“STOP!” Rivka walked quickly forward, forcing Red to shift position.
“You are supposed to be a civilized society. Act like it!” The Magistrate’s words echoed down the hallway. So this is what it’s like when Tod Mackestray doesn’t get his payout?
Shows the value of blackmail, Red replied.
“Don’t you know that you’ve both been manipulated?” Rivka said. She made it sound like a question, but it wasn’t. It was a declaration of fact. “Come out here, all of you, and shake hands. You are Ledonians. There is no reason to fight. Fix your problems, and go enjoy this beautiful city of yours.”
“Who are you to tell us what to do? Go benji yourself!”
“Benji? Let me start over. I’m Magistrate Rivka Anoa. I’m from the Federation, and am tracking a criminal who may have been the one responsible for the incitement that led to all of this.” Rivka waved her hands expansively to take in the entirety of the hallway.
Or the city. She shook her head before continuing, “I need your help to find the evidence that will clear this up—point to the perpetrators and bring peace back to your planet.”
“Dog-snotting long-haired freak!” a Ledonian spat from the doorway.
Red snorted. “You see our dilemma,” Lindy explained.
“This fight is over, and you’re going to help me get that message out to all of Leed’s Planet.” Rivka marched to the commenter. The Ledonians were short, their short-furred heads shoulder-high to the Magistrate. She was hesitant to touch one of them, but she had to know. “Tell me what it will take to make peace.”
The alien thoughts that flashed through her mind forced her back. She lost her grip and stumbled. Jay caught the Magistrate, having moved to her side at the speed of thought.
“So angry,” Rivka whispered. “This was a long time coming, simmering below the surface, and once the catalyst was in place, Leed’s Planet came unhinged.” She continued in a louder voice, “We need to bring it back together, and that starts right here. Look at what you’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time. You’re destroying your world, just to keep the other guys from getting it. That’s insane.”
Judge, Jury, & Executioner Boxed Set Page 64