Depredides didn’t exactly welcome us with open arms. In fact, if I hadn’t known any better, I would have thought they were waiting for us. Contact with the tower gave us no warning. It was brisk and businesslike, and Sharovan didn’t return my calls. The tarmac Abs touched down on was as empty as the grave, and I slipped a leash on Cascade so I could take him for a quick walk to a nearby fence.
“I’ll be back for my ID in ten,” I said, reaching out to open the door leading from the cabin to the tarmac.
Silence greeted me, and I frowned when Abby didn’t reply.
“Abs?”
And then the lights went out.
Again.
“You are shitt…”
The metallic bounce of the stun grenade made me look down, when I should have been diving for cover. Cascade made a leap for the cockpit, tearing the leash from my hand. He got through, just as the bang drowned out the rest of my sentence, and the explosion slammed into me. A fragment of captured sun filled the cabin as I crashed into a bulkhead, and the cabin vanished in the glare.
I was sure the boot in my gut should have made more sound approaching, definitely sure that the funny blob wavering back and forth above me might have been a face. Couldn’t hear a thing over the ringing in my ears, or see more than shadows past the dazzling overlay blurring my vision. I tried to speak, felt my jaw moving. Didn’t. Hear. A. Thing.
Holy Hell, but these bastards didn’t half know how to throw a welcome bash!
I must have moved too much, or something, because the next time the boot hit, it lifted me off the floor and into the wall. I hit hard, and slid back down to the decking. Pretty sure I was shouting, but I still couldn’t’ hear a thing.
Sound roared in my ears, a multitude of waves, and the world grew just a little bit clearer—which was a pity because someone was intent on kicking the crap out of me, and they didn’t care that I wasn’t offering the slightest sign of resistance. I thought I heard barking, followed by the flare of a pistol. The barking stopped, and I hoped Cascade had survived.
I wasn’t so sure I would. I curled into a ball, risking a peek from behind the shelter of my arms, and caught a fist to the side of the head, partly blocked by my forearm, partly not. Apparently, those kinds of stars still stand out when most of your vision is drowned in glare. I tucked my head tight, and hoped they’d stop soon.
The shouting became clearer, and I had the distinct impression someone had gone way over their remit of capture. Thing was, I needed to talk to Sharovan, so I had to make sure the good folk currently beating me into submission were the right good folk… so to speak—and there was only one way to do that.
I stretched out of my implant, and found the planetary communication network. Since I didn’t know how long it would be before the next fist or boot struck, I gave that thing a very hurried tweak, and shoved a message into the system. I didn’t care how many private comms devices it hit.
“Sharovan Protective Services, I need to speak to you. Sharovan…”
A strong hand wrapped around my wrist, and shook me.
“We’re here.”
This time it came through the implant, and I heard the voice loud and clear. How…
“You knocked on our door. We have contingencies for that.”
Well, of course they did. I stayed curled up in a ball, waiting for my ears to stop ringing, and not wanting to open my eyes. The voice echoed through my implant, but it didn’t matter. My head was still rattled, and I was having trouble stringing two thoughts together.
“Give it a minute.”
To my surprise, they did. Actually, they gave it several minutes.
“How’s my dog?” I asked, when I could sit up without feeling like I was going to fall over.
“Sleeping off a stun shot. What did you want to see us about, Cutter?”
“You know who I am?”
“We still have a warrant out for your arrest, and alerts at every entry point for your return.”
Well, that explained the welcoming committee. I stamped down, hard, on the fear rising in my gut.
“I’m sure there’s a fine I can pay for my first visit—and this one? Well, maybe I can do you a favor.”
I could see him, now. I didn’t recognize him. He didn’t look convinced that I had anything to offer, as he pushed off the wall.
“Why don’t you come down to the office.”
It didn’t sound like a question, but I answered it, anyway.
“Sure.” I put my hands down on the floor, and then paused. “I’m going to get up, now. Is that okay?”
He made a gesture with his hand.
“Sure, and then you’re gonna turn around and face the wall.”
It was not exactly what I’d had in mind, but I nodded.
“Agreed.”
Getting up was harder and easier than what was expected. The armored underwear hadn’t absorbed everything, and there was a lot of me that wasn’t happy with recent events. I ignored it, made it to my feet, and turned around. Have to say, getting cuffed was getting old, but I didn’t bother arguing.
We left Cascade in the cockpit, and I hoped there wasn’t going to be too much of a mess to clean up.
“What did you do to my ship?” I asked as he guided me out of the ship.
“She’s Dasojin. She’s wanted on conspiracy charges for your last visit.”
“She told me to buy an account.”
“And you didn’t listen.”
“I was trying to stay off the radar.”
He snorted.
“And then she helped break you out of custody.”
He turned me towards the shuttle waiting in the shadows beside a nearby shed.
“Have you got guards on her?”
“Why?”
And it struck me that he might not have a clue as to what was going on. I slowed my steps.
“You’re not holding her for collection?”
“Why would I do that? I’m here to fill the warrant we have outstanding. There’s a very small cell, on a not-too-distant moon waiting for you, meals and other comforts dependent on how well you can dig.”
A penal mine? Why hadn’t that come up in my background check on Depredides?
“It’s a state secret, reserved for those whose key gets thrown away.”
My hopes for paying off a simple, if somewhat exorbitant, fine grew instantly smaller.
“What about the contract?”
He stilled, his head shifting as he scanned the dark, and I began regretting not trying to land in daylight.
“What contract?”
“The one your company issued for the crew of the Shady Marie and all Dasojin craft.”
I had to admit, it was a calculated risk. The wolves had spread news of their bounty as wide as I could imagine anything being spread. And I was wondering how the hell he didn’t know about the contract. It had come from his fucking office!
“You have proof?”
And I was torn. How far did the trail go? If I showed him the message, now, would I end up just another corpse dumped on the edge of an ex-atmo airfield? Or in chains and on my way to the wolves? After all, Sharovan was corporate. Who’s to say they wouldn’t decide to take the profit offered on the contract—given we were just criminals to them?
I hesitated, trying to run the odds.
“Show me the proof,” he insisted, keeping his voice in my head, and pulling me close.
No threats. No cajoling. Just a simple demand. I took a breath, and passed his presence the email I’d pulled from the router. He read it, his hand curling around my arm, as though I’d try to run.
“This contract…” he began, and I handed him the digital copy Case had given me before we left, and then I passed him the ones the wolves had just issued.
He was silent, reading them through in a swift first pass.
“I could really cash out on these,” he said, and I hung my head.
So much for getting out from under, but he laughed at my discomfort, before growing serious and coming straight to the point.
“The officer who issued the contract has gone missing—and wasn’t authorized to make the offer. I’ll put a guard on your ship.”
I raised my head.
“I still have to take you back to HQ, but I’ll have someone bring the dog.”
“He’ll be better off…”
“With you,” my captor said. “I’ll put a guard on the HMT, but I won’t guarantee they’ll be able to hold off the sort of folk this kind of credit will attract. Better the dog is with you if anything happens.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
“Get in the shuttle,” he ordered, as one of his team detached itself from the hangar and headed up into Abby’s hull.
I kept walking, keeping a careful eye on the shadows by the hangar, the ones around the vehicles parked in the lot just beyond the fence, as well as the skimmer parked before us. I might have felt a fool, if my escort wasn’t doing the same.
“Just how wide does your alert go?”
“It’s supposed to just come to the enforcement office.”
“But you can’t be sure.”
He highlighted the documents in my head.
“Those came from the enforcement office, and they are not authorized. I’m not taking any chances.”
“And?” I asked, because there had to be more.
We were approaching the skimmer and he unlocked the door while we were still two meters out.
“In.”
“Where’s the rest of your team?”
“We’re here,” came from behind us as we passed the hangar. I froze, stopping so fast, my escort ran into the back of me.
“Simon!”
Simon. Ice washed through the centre of me, leaving a chill frosting my arms. I turned, aware that my shoulders were hunched and tight, even as I forced myself to stand straight.
He was holding Cascade in his arms, smirking like the cat who’d cornered the canary. The smirk vanished as I looked him up and down like he was something the cat had dragged in. I did my best impression of Mack, or Tek, or every other commander I’d ever seen giving a sub-standard recruit the once over.
“Not so tough without your tangler, are you?” I said, and turned back to the waiting skimmer.
“Tangler?” my escort wanted to know.
“She was being uncooperative.”
“Mmhmm, while chained up, inside a box. Stay the fuck out of my head.”
“Tough words for a girl in cuffs.”
He might have had a point, but I wasn’t going to admit it. I heard him take a breath like he was going to say something else.
“That’s enough, Simon. Put the dog in the skimmer.”
Simon looked at me, and then walked over and set the dog down in the skimmer. I held myself very, very still as he passed, feeling the pressure of the hand wrapped tightly around my bicep, and remembering I was cuffed, and couldn’t even begin to try beating the living shit out of the man. I’ll give Simon this, he set Cascade very gently down on the skimmer floor.
I watched him straighten, and turn, and then realized I was still standing where I’d been stopped when he’d returned with the dog, that my escort had been watching him, too.
“Down!” rattled through my head, and I followed the sideways jerk that pulled me against my captor and down with him onto the pavement.
Bolts of light slashed through the place where we’d been standing, slamming Simon backward and into the skimmer.
“Stay still; they want you alive,” and the grip on my arm was gone, the warm body that had cushioned my fall, wriggling away in the dark.
Man, I hoped that was a promise he’d return.
I thought about moving, but blaster fire raged overhead and the sound of solids slamming into the skimmer and the wall of the hangar, rang too close. Even if they wanted me alive, there was no guarantee they’d stop shooting in time if I stood up in their line of fire. More shots came from Abby’s direction, and they didn’t sound like her wing-mounted cannons. All I could hope was that whatever Sharovan had hit her with would also stop anyone booting her up and flying her away.
I heard the sound of something big coming in, and realized they might not have to boot Abby up. She could always be heavy-lifted out of here. Twisting my head, I located the skimmer. It was stands-down and had a half-meter of clearance underneath, which meant I didn’t have to stand up to reach cover.
If these guys were serious, they’d have my bios dialed in, and should let me get to shelter. I mean, if I was trying to bring a bounty in, I’d let it move out of the middle of a fire-fight…
Whether the theory was correct or not, I managed to worm my way underneath the skimmer, without getting shot. Once the heavier darkness of its shadow closed around me, I stopped to catch my breath, and then tilted my head to see what else I could see.
What I was hoping, was that my original escort had hung around, and was open to undoing the cuffs… or that his body was close enough that I could find the keys and get the damn cuffs off, myself. What I saw were Simon’s legs hanging over the edge of the skimmer, shadows moving in from the hangar and the edge of the parking lot, and two very solid forms lying towards the rear edge of the skimmer.
“Thanks a lot, dipshit,” was followed by “Thought you’d never get here,” and I was dragged over to someone’s front, and pulled in tight against them. I guess there was nothing like another layer of protection against the solids flying around out there. It was a good thing I recognized the second voice.
Before I could ask him to undo the cuffs, he thumbed a control, and a panel slid open above us.
“I’ve sealed the cockpit,” came through loud and clear in my head, “and it’s got shielding.”
“Cuffs?”
“Not happening. Get climbing.”
I got, no easy feat with my hands behind my back. I even remembered to keep my head below the control console and move over so my escort and his good buddy could climb inside. They, too, kept their heads down, sitting with their backs to the console in the armored footwell.
I watched as the new guy slid the panel closed with his foot, and jacked into the control column above his head. He curled up on the floor and closed his eyes, as the skimmer vibrated into life, and I heard shouts from outside.
“Get her off the ground!” my escort shouted, but the pilot didn’t reply.
He did get the skimmer off the ground and into the air, where it rocked slightly before pivoting away from the hangar. As it took off, I felt it lurch, and hoped that Cascade didn’t slide out and get left behind. ‘Better off with you’, my ass!
“He’s fine. He was in the foot well, and Simon’s body protected him, until it fell off.”
Even to me that seemed cold.
“He wasn’t a very nice person.”
He was telling me!
“And he was the one who set up the ambush.”
I couldn’t help it, I laughed, just once.
“So, where does that leave us?”
“With room to negotiate.”
Oh…. good. Maybe…
“What about?”
“We’ll talk about it when we get back to the office.”
“And Abby?”
“Back-up is on its way.”
Sure it was. But would it get there in time?
“Should.”
“So, why’d we have to leave, then?”
“Because it wouldn’t have been in time for us.”
Well. I guess I was okay with that. I mean, they could have just pissed off and left me on the tarmac, and I really didn’t want to join Mack and Tens in a wolf lock-up. How could I break them out, if I did that?
“That puts a new light on things.”
I really was going to have to try and think outside the implant.
“With this model? You don’t have a hope in Hell.”
Now, why hadn’t Mack told me that?
Silence met that question, and I thought, for a minute, that he didn’t have an answer. Turns out I was wrong.
“Just how much trouble have you been?”
I groaned. Seriously? I mean, seriously? The guy didn’t even know me.
“You wanta find out?”
He stirred restlessly under the console, and then pulled himself up onto the chair I was crouching behind. I watched as he took over the controls, and then watched as the pilot opened his eyes and jacked out, before working his way into the seat opposite. Only when the man had taken back control of the skimmer, did my initial escort answer.
“No. Thanks for offering. I’m Beckett, by the way. What do you usually go by? I’m guessing it’s not Sofia, and I doubt anyone calls you Jocelyn.”
It was curious that he didn’t follow that with a guess. Most folk came up with Joss. Those that knew Mack just called me Cutter, like anyone else.
“Cutter it is, then.”
“I’d just call you a pain in the ass,” the pilot muttered, but he didn’t look at me, and didn’t seem to care if I responded or not, so I let it go.
I couldn’t punch all the people in the world, right?
“And you can’t punch anyone with your hands behind your back.”
Thanks Beckett.
“You’re welcome.”
I stared out the window after that, watching the city slide past us as we entered one of the main fly lanes from the airport. It was hard not thinking, harder not to think that taking the main road from the shuttle port to the city was dumbest of dumb-ass ideas. I tried to concentrate on the lights, instead.
“Girl’s got a point,” Beckett said. “Take us up and over.”
Direct was pretty stupid, too.
“You are a piece of work.”
He was not the first person to notice that. Delight had already said the same—and Mack… well, Mack had a right.
“Delight… as in Agent Delight. Of Odyssey.”
Man caught on fast.
“Your point?”
“I… We’d really like to speak to her.”
No surprise there. She did kind of break into his HQ to retrieve me.
“She could have just asked.”
“I don’t think Simon was in the listening mood.”
He sighed.
“We’re going to have to review the whole damned mess.”
Yes! But what I said was, “Did you try making an appointment?”
“We tried, but Odyssey says she was out of the office.”
Well, that much was true.
I shrugged.
“You put out the call. She’ll find it.”
“You sound awfully sure of yourself.”
“She always finds it. Try telling her you’ve got me in custody. That might make her get here faster.”
He snorted.
“You’re that important?”
“No, but she always seems to turn up when I least want her to, and this would be pretty embarrassing for me—especially if you really want to charge her—so she’s bound to arrive.”
“Cutter, you say the sweetest things, but you really shouldn’t go giving out company secrets.”
Delight’s voice chimed through the cockpit and I stood up, and backed up, which meant I ended up pressed hard against the cockpit wall, staring at the cockpit-to-cabin intercom. Delight laughed.
“Nah. We’re not that close,” and I heard the faint sound of guns. “We’re running interference for your trip back to Sharovan HQ. Beckett, you’ll need to authorize clearance for a second skimmer to come down on the roof. I don’t want to be shot down when I’ve actually got an appointment.”
I relaxed, and slid into the jump seat. It was still not comfortable leaning on my hands, so I slid down to the floor, and indulged in a little calisthenics to bring my hands to the front. That was much better, and I sat back up in the seat, and stared out into the night.
Up front, Beckett and his pilot exchanged glances. As well they might. They hadn’t even sent their second invitation, but Delight was already here—and, as usual, she was here, right when I was in trouble. Again. Like so many times before. Now, why in all the Stars was that?
“Because I like you?”
Yeah. Right.
And Beckett turned in his seat, looking at me with raised brows. I raised mine in return and rolled my eyes, and then he registered that my hands were in front of me, and his pistol came out. This time, Delight intervened.
“Beckett, if she wanted you dead, that’s exactly what you’d be. Her cuffs have been out in front for the last ten.”
He put his pistol away, and I jerked my chin towards the window, and the skyscrapers flowing by below.
“Where do you think I’m going to go?” I challenged, with all the snark I could muster.
“You could just throw her out,” Delight suggested.
Thanks.
And she gave a brief laugh.
“Your tail’s clear, and we’re coming alongside.”
“Roger that,” the pilot acknowledged, speaking for the first time. “Rooftop is standing by for two.”