Crusade For Vengeance (Dark Vengeance Book 2) (26 page)

Over each loading dock was a screen displaying the destinations of the trucks.  Anja walked along unnoticed.  One was going to Paradise Hills, a town outside of Zeus in the direction of Ares.  There was a spaceport in Ares City.  It would be slow going, long and medium distance freight was taken by air on big cargo ships.  She would have to change at every town on the way, but it would be untraceable.

The time on the screen told her she had fifteen minutes to spare before it left.  At the end of the loading bay, she spotted an employee restroom.  No one would probably care if she slipped in there to clean herself up a bit.  If they did, she still had her Mag pistol under her jacket and thermal knife in her boot.

The restroom was empty with a couple of sinks and two cubicles.  Anja took advantage of the opportunity to use the toilet.  She was washing her hands when the main door opened.  Anja looked up and was surprised to see a slight, Asian man enter.

“What the fuck?” she demanded turning round.  “This is the ladies asshole.”

“I know,” he replied and raised the pistol hidden by his leg.  “Cracker says hello-“  It was the last words she would ever hear.

“Grab a seat,” Deni told Hayley and Hopwood in the living area.

Hayley sat down tiredly and Hopwood took a few seconds to have a look around.  Deni could understand his curiosity.  No one had ever been allowed into the back of the Workshop before now.  There was nothing to see.  All the doors except this one were shut.

“Thanks,” he said and sat next to Hayley.

“Can I get you anything?” Deni asked.

“Honestly no,” Hayley replied.  “As soon as Hanna gives us the all clear, I’m going to use one of the kid’s bunks and sleep for a week.”

“I don’t blame you,” Hanna said as she came in from the Rig.  She collapsed next to Deni and covered her eyes with her arms.

“What did they say?” Hopwood asked with more urgency than anyone else could muster.

“We’re safe,” Hanna answered without removing her arms.  “None of the other gangs will move against us.”

“You’re sure?” Hopwood pressed.

“None of them were lying.  At least that’s what my voice stress program was telling me.  Nothing can stop them changing their minds in an hour, but right now, I really am too tired to care.”

“It really is over then?” Deni asked, feeling more than a bit bewildered.

“As much as these things can be,” Hopwood said.  “We’ll still be vulnerable for quite some time.  How can we recruit without letting another snake in.”

Leaning forward, Deni took a deep breath.  “That’s for tomorrow, but there is something we need to tell you both before we can all sleep.”

“Like where Milicevic is and why she went haring off planet without any notice?” Hopwood said.

Deni looked at Hayley, but she seemed content to let Hopwood do the talking.  It seemed they might be right about these two. 

“Yes, it’s about that.  We think after last night, we owe both of you the truth.”

Hanna took her arms away from her head and leaned forward with a heavy sigh.

“It’s a long story, but you see Milicevic’s real name is actually Valerie Carter...”

Hanna’s explanation included only the high points of Valerie’s life over the past two years, but she missed out Furioso.  They had agreed that was a can of worms just too nasty to open.

Hopwood and Hayley sat in silence the whole way through.  Whether completely stunned or just too exhausted to say anything, Deni couldn’t begin to guess.

“Do you have anything to say?” Hanna demanded after all four of them sat in silence for five minutes.

Hopwood leaned forward.  “That’s quite a story,” he paused.  “Look girls I respect you both immensely after what we all just went through, but that’s a little far-fetched isn’t it?”

“Where do you think we got the Scythe?” Deni asked.

“It’s a just a rifle,” Hayley pointed out.  “Flint said it was rare, but everything is for sale in Zeus.”

“Alright, then,” Hanna said, standing suddenly.  “We have just the thing to convince you.”

Deni looked up at her concerned.  “Hang on.  We said that was a last resort.”

“I’d say we’re there now.  Come on,” she stormed out and Deni looked at the other two.

“You’d better follow her and try and be prepared.”  Hopwood and Hayley looked back curiously.  Both shrugged and went after Hanna.

Deni dragged herself out of the soft sofa, it would be so easy to stay there and let herself drift off.  Soon, very soon, she promised.

Hanna keyed in the code to the armoury and swung the door open.

Hayley let out a low whistle.  “I said everything, but I didn’t mean that!  They’ve got to be telling the truth, Scott.  I’ve never heard of Fully Powered Body Armour outside the Legion.  I can see a rifle, even a rare one like the Scythe, going missing.  For one of those,” she pointed to Valerie’s matt black suit of armour.  “They would tear the Ghetto apart.”

“What...” Hopwood coughed to clear his throat.  “What do you want from us?”

“Help us find Valerie,” Deni said from behind them.

“Once were done,” Hanna continued.  “You two can have the gang with our blessing and all the support programs I can leave behind.”

“You said you weren’t interested in running it, Hayley,” Deni carried on.  “We were thinking you’d make an excellent Chief Enforcer with Hopwood as the Boss.”

“What do you say?” Hanna asked.

“You girls don’t mess about do you?” Hopwood said.

“We can’t,” Deni said.  “We’re vulnerable and Hanna and I are distracted.  If this gang is going to survive, grow and thrive, it needs someone looking beyond the next couple of months or whatever it will take.  We think you two are the best people to do that.”

“I’m in, Scott,” Hayley said.  “What about you?”

He nodded and smiled ruefully.  “I’m probably going to regret this after I’ve slept, but I’m in.”

The anger at Dorme’s insufferably smug attitude, still burned inside Admiral Cestari.  He walked down the corridor deep inside the Heavy Cruiser, PLN Talon.  The assassin out thinking everybody, by realising Carter would go to Arnold Ison as a way to get to September, was galling enough.  Dorme alone realised Carter would need allies and Ison was the logical candidate.  By telling Ison, Carter was an assassin on her way to kill him, it gave Dorme the leeway to insert a powerful force of mercenaries on her most likely entry route.  They may have been hiding there for weeks, but it was successful.

All of that was bad enough, but it was the way Dorme had been happy to wave his supposed superiority in Antonio’s face, he didn’t like.  In a way he would have enjoyed seeing Dorme face Carter on an even playing field.  That would reduce the man’s ego down to size very quickly.  Shaking his head, Antonio prepared himself for the upcoming interview.

He entered the ship’s brig.  A full platoon of Legion Commando Devils were stationed inside.  Two fire teams, in their matt black Fully Powered Body Armour, stood in the guard station.  All of the ship’s crew were cleared out and two more fire teams were down in the cells.  The captain in charge of the platoon saluted smartly.  Antonio returned the salute.

“At ease, Captain.  Anything from our prisoner?”

“No, sir.  The systems say they’re still unconscious.”

“Good.  I need to see them.  I’ll need the chair’s controls.”

“Of course, sir.  Here you go.”  The captain handed over a datapad with her armoured gauntlet.  The sophisticated programming in the armour’s computer enabled her to not crush it accidentally.  “Sir?”

“Yes, Captain?”

“I would like to again, formally request permission to station a fire team within the cell, sir.  From what we have been told, they are extremely dangerous and I would feel much better if I have human eyes on them.  Computers can be fooled.”

“I understand your reservations, Captain, and normally I would agree with you.  Not in this case.  The request is denied.”

“Yes, sir,” the captain answered tightly and saluted.  Obviously she was not happy with Antonio’s decision, but it was of no consequence to the Admiral.  Wioletta combed the prisoner’s records thoroughly.  While these Devils never worked with them, it was not worth the risk they would be recognised.

Returning the salute, Antonio nodded and walked down the rows of cells.  It was the cell at the very end he wanted.  There, as he expected, were the remaining ten soldiers of the platoon.  The captain or one of her sub-ordinates must have commed them as they clearly expected him.  A corporal stepped forward and opened the first door to the cell for him.  Antonio stepped in and waited until the door shut behind, before using his ID to open the second door.

In the centre of the otherwise empty room, sat Major Valerie Carter, secured as tightly as they could manage to a medical chair.  She had been stripped of all of her equipment and dressed in a simple yellow jumpsuit.  Her wounds had been treated and, he was assured, with additional treatment would heal completely.

The chair sustained her as well as keeping her unconscious.  A tap on the controls of the datapad fed a stimulant into her system.  It took only seconds for her eyes to open.  She had not been conscious since Dorme hit her with the neural disrupter.  Yet she took in her surroundings in moments before focusing on Antonio.  He had met her several times and then she stood in front of him unrestrained.  This time he felt the involuntary urge to run when her rage-filled gaze met his.

“Admiral Cestari,” she grated out.

“Major Carter,” he expected her to respond some more.  All she did was stare back at him.  “I expect you wonder why you’re alive?”  Still she did not say anything and he sighed. “You may not believe this, but I’m truly sorry for what happened to your family.”  He did not think it to be possible, but those eyes actually blazed brighter.

“I do not condone what you did, but I do understand it.  I have children of my own and while they are now all fully grown, with great grandchildren of their own, I still remember that unconditional love they give you.  I could not say in all truthfulness, I would have felt any different had I been in your place.”

She continued to sit there, unmoving and unresponsive.  “I’m here to offer you an opportunity to return to us.  You will be given a new identity, all will be forgiven and we will do all we can to help you heal.  You’re too valuable to let you throw away centuries of potential life over this.”

“Bring the one responsible to me and I’ll think about it.”  Despite the rage burning in her eyes, her voice was the cold of deep space.  It sent a shiver up Antonio’s spine.

“No,” he shook his head.  “That won’t be possible.”

“Then we have nothing more to say.  I cannot, will not, forgive the deaths of my family and if you’re protecting those responsible, I will be coming for you.”

Antonio gazed at the woman in front of him.  She was nothing like the Valerie Carter he once knew.  This was not the calm and caring officer who looked after her troops, while still succeeding at whatever mission she was given.  This woman was broken in a way he could not comprehend.  He would not get any answers today.

He shook his head sadly.  “It’s a shame you feel that way.  You will have a long time to consider your options.  The guards at the Rock will be able to contact me or my successor, so please tell them if you ever change your mind.” 

He turned to go.

“Where’s my coat?” she asked.

He turned back to her perplexed.  “Your coat?  I don’t understand.”

“The coat I was wearing when I was captured, it’s... important to me.  It was their last gift to me, I want it back.”

There was no doubt in Antonio’s mind, from the inflection in her voice.  Carter was referring to her family.

“It wasn’t part of the equipment found on you.  Perhaps Dorme has it,” he said nonchalantly, “he does like to collect trophies.”  Not giving her any time to respond, Antonio activated the chair and watched Carter drifted back into unconsciousness.  “Such a waste,” he said to himself.

The street was busy with the mid-afternoon foot and vehicle traffic.  Shop units lined both sides, some open and doing a busy trade, others quiet, and many closed completely.  Julianna made her way down the path, pleased after her recent meeting.  The contact would give them a good insight into the movements on Mountnessing base.  If it all went to plan, it would have been a day well spent.

Her eyes roved constantly over the people around her, instinctively searching for possible threats, while she looked as though she was in no hurry.  Her eyes met with a man down the street.  He immediately looked away to the street vendor in front of him.  A tray of rice and peas was exchanged for cash and he turned away from her.  It was no different from the dozens of other, similar occasions she caught a stranger’s eye on the way home.  She knew she was attractive and men liked to look.  When you were as aware of your surroundings as she needed to be, it happened.

Something was different, her eyes hadn’t left his broad back and she followed after him.  She couldn’t quite put her finger on what was bothering her.  Something niggled at her brain and then it came to her.  On his arm was a tattoo, one she had seen only once before, an R with a tear ripping through it.  He must be connected to the gang member she saw with Battleborn.

Carefully she looked around.  She couldn’t see anyone else paying attention to the man or herself.  He walked in a relaxed manner that could either be feigned or real, it was difficult to tell from where she was.  He strolled on eating his food, turning left at a side street. 
Why was he here on the other side of the city from his territory?

Not wanting to give herself away, Julianna didn’t change her pace.  When she followed him round the corner, she was pleased to see him still ahead.  He walked down the street and stopped at a silver wheelie.  Opening the door, he got in and Julianna expected him to drive straight off, but it didn’t move.  Cars were parked both in front of and behind the wheelie.  It was difficult to see any distinguishing features allowing her to track it.

Cautiously she went closer, making sure she was out of sight of any of the car’s windows.  She was twenty metres away when a voice spoke out of the shadows of a nearby alleyway.

“Hello, Julianna.”  Whoever said that was around a corner, only metres from her, but said it before Julianna was in a position to be ambushed.  The stories about Carter rushed through her head, but although the voice was female, it was too young to belong to the Battleborn.

Glancing around to make sure no one could attack her from behind, Julianna palmed her Mag pistol and stepped back a few paces from the alley.

“OK.  You got me.  What do you want?”

“If I come out, are you going to shoot me?”

“As long as you do it slowly and your buddy in the car stays where he is, no.”

A girl aged about sixteen stepped out into the street.  Light brown hair, blue eyes, slim build and a little shorter than Julianna.  Her arms were down with her hands out to her sides, the palms facing Julianna.  She looked far too calm to be facing someone with a pistol in her hand.

“Who are you and how do you know my name?”

The girl smiled slightly.  “My name’s Hanna and when someone starts asking questions about our gang, we hear about it,” she said with a shrug.  “I backtracked the query to you.”

Button hadn’t been lying.  Carter really was as good as the stories.

“What does Carter want?”

Hanna nodded as though Julianna confirmed something.

“She didn’t exactly send me.  Look, it’s a bit of a story.  Is there somewhere we can go around here to have a chat?  It would be nicer to do this sitting down, rather than pointing a gun at each other.”

Julianna looked around even more carefully, but she still couldn’t see anyone.  The man with the tattoos was still in the car and no one else was paying them any attention.

“Building across the street.  Fifth floor.”  Hanna said quietly.  Julianna glanced up and saw a mean looking rifle barrel pointed right at her.  A hand waved from the low shape behind it.  “That’s my buddy, Deni.  She’s actually a very good shot.  Don’t worry, she’s only there in case I got this completely wrong and things all went to hades.”

“Nicely done,” Julianna congratulated her and meant it.  No one, other than her cousin, had managed to get the drop on her so completely for a long time.  “I take it he was the bait?” she indicated the car with a nod of her head.

“Yeah, we knew where you lived, but thought it would be a bit threatening if we turned up at your door.  Flint was just supposed to ask some innocent questions to draw you out.  We got lucky it was on the first day.”

Julianna wasn’t sure she believed they knew her actual address, but they certainly knew enough to be in the vicinity of the flat she shared with Arlene.  She was completely at their mercy.  There was no reason not to talk.  At the very least she could pick the place.  It would give her the opportunity to get out if she needed to.

“Alright,” she said, holstering her pistol.  “There’s a cafe we can go to back on the main street.  I know the owner and we can talk there.”

“Sounds fine to me,” Hanna agreed.  “Lead on, but erm, Flint will be with us.”  The confidence seemed to drain out of the girl a bit.

“He can sit at the front and keep an eye on you.  We’ll be at the back, out of the way.”  Julianna told her.  The girl waved to the car and Flint got out.

A couple of minutes later, the two of them were sitting across a table.  Hanna ordered apple juice and cake and Julianna studied her carefully.  She was obviously smart and confident of her own abilities, but there was also a vulnerability about her.  It was like she was operating outside her comfort zone and trying not to show it.

Julianna leaned forward.  “We’re here, so talk.  If Carter didn’t send you, you’re certainly connected to her.  What’s your place in this Inferno girl and why come to me?”

“You recognised the accent, didn’t you?  I’ll have to work on that.  Valerie’s my friend and I’m guessing you met her in an alleyway by the Green Man, along with someone from Shadow Company.  Afterwards you made some discreet enquiries to find her and never followed them up.”

“I’m not disagreeing with you, but it doesn’t answer my question.”

“I think you’re a part of the rebellion and the man from Shadow Company is a contact of yours.”

“Whatever makes you think I’m with the rebellion?  Maybe I’m L.I. and interested in someone the galaxy thinks is dead being suddenly found alive?”

The smile Hanna gave was almost impish.  “That’s possible, but I really don’t think so.  If it was the truth, half of the Legion would have descended on us.  The fact you don’t know why, removes the possibility of Legion Intelligence.  You’re certainly something, your com trail goes just about everywhere in the city.”  Julianna couldn’t help sitting up.  Com tracking was every covert operative’s dream and nightmare, all rolled into one.  Everyone wanted to be able to do it, but no one wanted it done to them.   Due to the nature of the technology involved, tracking a com was a lot harder than hiding one.

Julianna narrowed her eyes.  “That’s the second claim you’ve made.  Excuse me if I don’t believe you.”

“Flat thirty-two, building sixteen, Donmar Street.”  Hanna said, cocking her head.  Julianna resisted the impulse to draw her gun.  The girl wasn’t been lying about knowing where she lived.  The impish smile came back as Hanna continued.  “This morning you were at Sywell Park.  Yesterday you caught a Blitzball game at the Caldwell Arena.  After the game, you met with a man in his early thirties.  His name was Donald Mahon and he works as a waiter in Legion Army Tower.  I started tracking you three days after you saw Carter, on the day you met Kerry Field, a maintenance worker at Chikuma Shipping’s headquarters in Temple Square.  Need I go on?”

“How can you possibly know?”  Julianna felt like the ground was ripped out from under her and the blood drained from her face. 

“I Hacked your com and the cameras around you.” The disbelief on Julianna’s face must have been obvious and Hanna leaned forward.  “Yes, I am that good.”

Trying to get her mental balance back, Julianna thought furiously

“It’s a nice story, but you could have just had me followed,” she said, playing for time.

Reaching into her jacket, Hanna pulled out a datapad.  It was more advanced than would normally be seen in the Ghettos.  Julianna recognised it as one of the Quartz range.  The girl hid the screen from Julianna and tapped in a few commands before sliding it over.  There, right in front of her, was a perfect shot of Julianna meeting with Mahon.  She was aware of the cameras.  Whenever she left the Ghettos it was impossible not to be filmed from almost every angle.  Julianna’s best defence was her anonymity.  If they weren’t looking for her, they couldn’t see her.

Sliding the datapad back across the table, Julianna looked hard at the girl.

“Impressive.  Now you’ve established your credentials, why don’t you tell me what you want.”

Again Hanna looked unsure.  “I need to talk to your contact in Shadow Company.  Carter’s in trouble and they’re the only ones who can help her.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“The kind, only the best soldiers in the Legion can help with.  I’m the best Hacker you will meet on this planet, but I’m intel and the rest of our gang don’t have the training or resources to help her.” 

“Let me get this straight.  You think I’m with the Rebellion and I have a contact in Shadow Company, a Commando Devil unit who are widely regarded as the best in the Legion.  You want to meet with my contact and convince him to bring the entire Company to help their old CO, who has been in hiding for years and is in some kind of trouble.  A trouble you have not explained.  If all that was true, what makes you think you could convince them to go against the Pantheon?  A nation they have served faithfully their entire careers.”

“Valerie told me stories of what Shadow Company can do.  If she made the same impact on them as she did on us, then they’ll do it.”

Sitting back, Julianna regarded Hanna carefully.  The girl was confident in her own abilities and she could see they were perfectly justified when it came to Hacking.  From what Chao said about his Company, Hanna could very well be right.  What were his words?  ‘Shadow Company would have followed Major Carter into a Black hole.’  It was the highest praise a leader could get but it was risky.  She didn’t know this girl.  It could all be an elaborate trap by L.I. to get at her cousin.  Normally they wouldn’t go to such lengths, but Chao was still part of the Rousey Family and enjoyed their protection.

That didn’t seem likely.  It was too convoluted.  If it was L.I. tracking her as thoroughly as this and not the mystery girl in front of her, they would have arrested her a long time ago.  Some of the people she had been in contact with, since Arlene made those queries, would be worth far more than Chao Button.  Then there was Battleborn, even if she was as crazed as Chao said, it would give the Rebellion a chance to get her on board.  If the Legion found out she was fighting the Privileged, it would make a massive difference.  Battleborn was too big a prize.  She had to take this risk.

“OK,” she said with a slight nod.  “You’ve sold me.  It’ll take some time to set up.  How do I get in contact with you for the arrangements?”

The impish smile returned.  “Check your com.  I’ve inserted the number.  Call there and ask for Hopwood, Hayley, Deni or myself.”

Julianna’s jaw tightened. “Understood,” she grated.

“Don’t worry,” replied Hanna as she stood up.  “I’ll stay out of your system from now on and your encryption is actually pretty good.  I doubt L.I. would be able to get in there without leaving some seriously large boot prints.”

With a jaunty wave, the girl left with Flint following close behind.  Once they were gone, Julianna relaxed slightly.  She went to activate her com, but stopped at the last second.  She looked down at her wristcomp.  Everything on there was now potentially in the hands of a criminal gang.  She had only the girl’s word she would stay out of it.  She would need to get a new one with new encryptions.  The data would have to be scrubbed thoroughly before transferring over.  She shook her head, it was a massive job and she hoped Arlene knew someone who could do it.

Protocol said to use a cut out, to get a message to Arlene, but since she had been tracked for almost three weeks, they already knew about her.  One more call wasn’t going to make a difference.

“Yes?” Arlene answered.

“Something’s come up,” Julianna told her.  “Go dark and meet me at back up two.”  The com clicked as Arlene didn’t waste any time.  Julianna found the number Hanna left on the wristcomp.  She memorised it before powering the wristcomp down.  She would arrange the meeting with Button, but in the meantime the Cell were going into hiding for a while.  At least until Julianna could be sure this wasn’t a trap.  While she believed it to be unlikely, it wasn’t worth risking everyone over.

***

“What do you think?” Hanna asked , after she filled Deni in on her conversation with Julianna.

“It still seems a long shot,” Deni said.  “It’s been a week and we don’t even know if she’s alive or not.”  They were back at the Workshop.  It wasn’t a conversation they could have with Flint in the car.