Hunter (9 page)

"We're lucky
we only lost that," Nova said, her face grim.

"How the hell
are we supposed to take them down? If we don't stop them soon
they'll start terrorising the citizens. We'll have a full-blown
riot on our hands."

"There's not
much we can do right now," Nova said. "We have to find out where
they're hiding and take them by surprise. It might be the only
advantage we can get."

"I wish the
bloody army would step in and do their job."

"Why don't
they?"

"Because it
would create an inter-species nightmare. As far as they're
concerned they can't be seen to do anything; meanwhile they want us
to make the problem go away."

"Sounds just
like the Confederacy."

"Too right,
but I think we've got things covered here. You look like you could
use a break."

"Isn't that
the truth," Nova sighed.

She nodded at
Briggles and left the station. The bright sunlight stung her tired
eyes as she stumbled towards Crusader.

***

"Do you
really think now is a good time to go for a ride?" Cal
asked.

Nova pulled
down a set of racing goggles and settled into the small seat. Cal
hovered just outside the ship in Crusader's main holding bay. He
stared at Nova, motors whirring.

She ignored
him and continued to check all of the dials spread out in front of
her. Fuel was fine, thrusters were fine, and steering was good.
Things looked nearly ready for the big race; not long to go
now.

"Nova," Cal
said again. This time one of his panels opened and a thin metal arm
extended out. It hovered in the air just above the ship, where the
new paint had only just dried, the threat clear.

"Okay!" Nova
said, exasperated. She pushed the robot away from the ship. "Yes, I
think it's an excellent time. The race won't stop just because of a
few lecheons on Boullion Five. Plus, I can't sleep."

"But the
lecheons aren't going to stop just because of a space-race either,"
Cal pointed out.

"I know that.
But I'm not doing anyone any good by lying in my bed, not
sleeping," Nova replied.

"Really? The
attack only happened last night. What if they come again? Is it not
your problem if Inspector Briggles dies?" Cal said.

Nova sighed.
She'd spent the whole night awake asking herself the same question.
The last thing she needed was Cal causing her doubts as well. She
tightened the straps around her shoulders and hips in an effort to
buy herself more time.

"Look," she
said and turned directly towards Cal. "I'm doing everything I can
to help them. Until the lecheons resurface there's nothing more I
can do. So instead of waiting around, twiddling my thumbs, I'm
going to let my mind relax. They're in exactly the same position
they would have been if I'd never come."

"Actually,
you've provoked the lecheons like a stick in a hornets nest, so
they are worse off now than if you had never come," Cal
said.

Nova groaned
and laid her head on the steering stick. Her head ached with lack
of sleep and with stress and with all of the same questions which
Cal was now asking.

"I'll make
sure they're okay," Nova said after a long silence.

"How?" Cal
asked.

"I just
will!" Nova blurted. "I'm tuned into the police frequency and
Briggles has got me on speed dial. There's nothing I can do, so
right now I'm practicing for the race. I don't need to be thinking
about a coven of lecheons. Besides, I'll have them sorted before
the race. I still have two weeks."

Cal was
silent. Nova glared at him, daring him to comment, but he
didn't.

"Did you get
clearance with air control?" she asked.

"Yes. As long
as you stay on the east side of town you won't have any
problems."

She nodded
and turned back to the panels laid out before her.

"Scan the
video feed as I go. We might just spot some lecheons from the
air."

Nova
swallowed the guilt welling in her stomach. She'd use it as a
scouting mission as much as a test drive. If they could find out
where the lecheons were hiding, then the rest of her job would be a
lot easier.

She flicked
the switch and the engine hummed into life, vibrating the whole
ship. She pressed a grey button and the glass cover slid into place
above her head. She took a deep breath and shoved the accelerator
forward.

The ship
lurched into life and went careening across Crusader's floor. The
massive storage bay door was open and the smaller ship shot out of
it into the daylight. Nova had debated flying at night, but with
the lecheons on the prowl it just wasn't worth it. The sunlight
shone down into her glass cacoon and reflected off the metallic
surfaces. The glare was too much and she had to squint to see
anything.

"Sun-shield,"
she called. In response a second layer of glass rose up around her.
This layer was tinted black and blocked out the sun's fierce glow.
She reopened her eyes and allowed her shoulders to relax as the
glare dissipated and the temperature inside the pod started to drop
and Nova allowed her shoulders to relax.

The view
outside was tinged brown from the glass, but she could still see.
The large buildings of Boullion Five rose up on either side and the
roads stretched out below. She cheered, enjoying the freedom of
shooting across an endless sky.

"Let's see
what you can really do," Nova said. She rested her left hand on the
throttle and pushed it as far forward as it would go. She kept her
hand resting there, ready to pull back if she needed to. Her ship
shot away, jumping up over a thousand kilometres an hour and
blasting across the city sky.

She was
moving too fast to hear the engine roar, which she was sure would
cause many citizens to gaze up into the sky in confusion. Compared
to many planets, Boullion Five didn't have much air traffic. It was
such a small planet, practically just a city, so there wasn't any
real need for it. Her space-racer would definitely be an anomaly on
a planet like this.

A skyrise
building loomed in front of her. She nudged the steering stick and
the ship veered to the right. It twisted in mid-air, oversteering
and careening directly for another tall tower.

Nova grimaced
and tapped the steering stick back to the left. It was just enough.
Her ship jumped to the left and avoided both buildings. She let out
the breath she was holding but didn't stop to enjoy it. Her
attention returned immediately to the city and the sky and the
readouts on her dashboard. At these speeds even the smallest
miscalculation could cause instant death.

Nova raced to
the outer edges of the city where the buildings were fewer and far
between. She practiced weaving left and right through the
cityscape. The controls at top speed were vastly oversensitive. The
tiniest tap could send her ship spinning through the air,
completely out of control. She couldn't let that happen.

When she had
the hang of it she turned her ship back towards the main city. From
there she went as fast as she could between the tall buildings. She
also experimented with going down under bridges and over shorter
buildings. It took a good two hours. By the time she was finished
she had a good handle on the controls.

She turned
the ship towards Crusader and sailed into the landing bay. The big
doors closed shut behind her. She pressed the two buttons to
release the glass shields and unbuckled her straps. She stepped out
of the ship and onto Crusader's silver floor.

"Nice ride,"
Cal said as he came in to greet her.

"You're right
about that," Nova replied.

"You've got a
message from the Inspector," Cal said.

Nova groaned
and stared up at the ceiling. "Already?"

"Yes, they've
got something they want you to have a look at."

"But it's
only been twenty-four hours."

"It sounded
urgent," Cal replied. "I tried to reach you in the ship but for
some reason the communicator had been disconnected."

Cal's single
eye rotated to look at Nova. She smiled back at him. "That's weird.
Maybe you should have a look at it while I'm gone."

"Perhaps you
could speed along the process by giving me a hint as to where you
hid the transmitter?" Cal asked as Nova stepped away from the
ship.

"Try the
second storage box," Nova chuckled over her shoulder. Sure it
hadn't been entirely a good idea to disable the communicator but
she had needed that time alone. She would have burned in a fiery
wreckage had she left it on, with Cal asking her questions every
five minutes.

She pulled
off her racing goggles and laid them on a work-bench. She traded
her riding vest for her long jacket and pulled on her thick
boots.

Her hand
hovered above the open button of Crusader's main door.

"Crusader,
scan the area for signs of lecheons."

"Continuous
scans have been running since the attack at the warehouse,"
Crusader replied. "There are no suspect life signs within two
hundred metres."

Nova nodded
and slammed the open button. The door slid open and she stepped out
onto the street. She turned in a tight circle with her hand on her
gun. There was no one in sight.

She buried
herself deep in her jacket and pulled the collar up to hide her
face. The Inspector's office was only one hundred metres from where
she'd parked Crusader. What had Briggles found now?

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Corvus stood against the deep purple wall and
pulled on a pair of leather gloves as he surveyed the luscious
hotel suite. Since that bitch girl knew where they lived, this
would have to be their temporary home. The suite hadn't been hard
to obtain. There were always humans willing to give up almost
anything in exchange for their lives. It was the penthouse of the
most luxurious hotels in Boullion Five; plenty of room for the
small coven.

His eyes
flicked around at his companions. Some of them were seated at the
table, playing cards. Others were watching the television, gazing
at the pictures with wide eyes. The rest were lounging, sleeping,
or talking quietly.

"Pamielle,
darling?" Corvus said in his most seductive voice.

He gazed at
her across the room. His eyes remained locked with hers and he kept
his face smooth, suggestive.

"Yes, my
lord?" Pamielle responded eagerly, getting to her feet.

"Follow me,"
he said, leading her away from the common room towards the main
bedroom, his bedroom.

He could hear
Pamielle's breathing quicken along with her heartbeat and could
feel her excitement, her yearning to become his prime female. He
smiled.

He led her
into the bedroom and gestured for her to close the door. His eyes
moved down her body, taking in every inch.

"My lord, how
can I please you?"

Pamielle
stepped towards him. She laid a hand on his chest and looked up at
him with her wide eyes. She was pretty, he had to admit, but it was
a common pretty, a street pretty. Not like the regal elegance of
Laticia. Poor Laticia.

Corvus threw
thoughts of his mate from his mind. Now was not the time. He had to
focus; he would enjoy this. He smiled down at her,
encouraging.

Pamielle
smiled back and let her tongue slide out from between her teeth to
lick her lips. She lifted her hand to the neck of her dress and
pulled a string of fabric. The semi-transparent dress fell free
from her shoulders and whispered to the floor. She was naked
underneath. She smiled at him, mistaking the gleam in his eyes for
lust.

Corvus
stepped forward and clasped his hands around her upper arms. He
held tight and stared into her eyes.

"Not so hard
my love, you'll bruise me," Pamielle said with a mischievous
smile.

"Oh, I plan
to do much more than that," Corvus said, pushing forward. He
stepped with her, forcing her to walk backwards.

"As you wish,
my lord," Pamielle said, still oblivious.

Laticia would
never have been so stupid; her mind was as sharp as any. She would
have seen his true intentions. She would have— No! He couldn't
think of her.

He kept
pushing Pamielle backwards until her buttocks were pressed up
against the cold glass door leading to his balcony that looked out
over the city skyline, a perfect view. He lifted her hands and
pinned them against the glass above her head. He smiled at her, but
his eyes were dead, flat, steel.

He stood
holding her with his intense gaze for over a minute.

Pamielle
giggled. "Don't leave me waiting too long, my lord."

"I won't,"
replied Corvus. He pressed his body against hers, forcing her back
firmly against the glass and pushing his face down in front of
hers. He locked his eyes onto hers.