Nexus: Ziva Payvan Book 2 (33 page)
Read Nexus: Ziva Payvan Book 2 Online
Authors: EJ Fisch
She suddenly wondered if her colleagues at home would be affected. Certainly they would have been left alone once she was “dead,” but if…
when
Dasaro realized she was alive, she knew he wouldn’t hesitate to go after them. She pictured Skeet and Zinni being sent to the Haphor Facility, Jada being kidnapped and tortured, her house being burned down with Marshay and Ryon still inside.
“Why me?” she muttered, half to herself and half in response to the conversation. By now, it was clear that Dasaro was somehow behind her setup and that he had specifically targeted her, but why? Considering her predicament, Kat’s story, and the details of the car crash, the situation had conspiracy written all over it – someone somewhere didn’t want anyone to know the truth. How did she factor in? Was it true that Dasaro knew she’d been snooping around and he wanted to silence her before she found something? Was there something she
already
knew that would make him hone in on her? If he’d gone through the trouble of setting her up for the assassination and getting her sent to the Haphor Facility, it was obvious he wanted her dead, or permanently incapacitated at the least. With her out of the picture and the rest of HSP busy looking into Tachi’s murder, Dasaro was free to conduct whatever business he pleased.
It suddenly struck her that, as the head of all Haphezian law enforcement, Ikaro Tachi would have been responsible for carrying out Dasaro’s sentence were he to ever be convicted of anything. Perhaps, by framing her for killing Tachi, he was effectively knocking out his two biggest obstacles with one blow.
Ziva relayed these new thoughts to the others, carefully thinking over each word she spoke to ensure the theory actually made sense. There was a moment of silence as each member of the entourage considered the idea for themselves.
“We must both be in danger of knowing the same things then,” Kade said. “They continued to target me even after they thought you were dead.”
“If this is truly a set up, they would have had to plant all that evidence,” Kat said. “In that case, where’d they get your print and the suit with your DNA in it?”
“They could have pulled my print from anywhere,” Ziva replied. “It’s not that hard to plant a print. And that stealth suit? It’s identical or similar to a hundred other stealth suits I’ve worn throughout my life. They could have dug it out of the laundry for all I know. None of that really matters – what matters is the fact that I was
not
actually there!”
“Nobody’s saying you were,” Kat said, though she sounded unsure.
“So what do you think Dasaro is doing?” Aroska asked, inserting himself between the two of them.
Ziva shrugged. “We’ve heard of Argall several times now – there’s got to be a connection there.” She turned to Kade. “Keep an eye out as you search. What the hell is taking you so long anyway?”
There was silence throughout the room for a moment as the others were stunned by her harsh words. Kade especially seemed hurt, though he did his best to maintain composure, and Ziva kicked herself for addressing him so severely. Her hunger for information was trying her patience and there she was taking it out on the only people on her side.
“The encryption on the case files was weaker,” he replied, hesitant to make eye contact. “Whatever Zona was looking at in those other files must be important because he’s using an encryption that’s stronger than anything I’ve ever worked with. I’m doing the best I can, all right?”
He held her gaze for a moment before shuffling back up the stairs, leaving her there under the scrutiny of Kat and Aroska. She fended them off with a hot glare then took a moment to massage her tired eyes.
It was Kat who finally spoke, breaking the silence that had begun to seem almost loud. “Tell you what,” she said, returning the map to the shelf. “You people look exhausted. We should call it a day and take the rest of the evening to recuperate. Maybe you can even get a good night’s sleep, and in the morning we can make a plan of action.”
Although Ziva couldn’t stand the thought of sitting around getting nothing done, a little quiet time sounded more than appealing. “Fine,” she said. “Where might I be able to find about a kilo of bariine alloy?”
Kat thought for a moment. “There’s a swordsmith not far from here. The guy makes knock-off powerblades, cheaper than the big dealers but pretty good quality. I’m sure he’s got some bariine he could sell you. I can take you there first thing tomorrow.”
“Good,” Ziva said. “I should be ready by then.” She nodded toward the rifle.
“Well!” Kat said, clapping her hands together. Her enthusiasm nearly made Ziva flinch. “Let’s see what we can find to eat around here.”
Ziva watched as the younger woman headed up the stairs with Aroska hot on her heels. She could hear the two of them begin conversing with Kade as the cooler was opened and dishes were set out. Mind wandering, she followed them up and, after a bleak dinner of various leftovers, found herself back down in the garage, alone. The room was dimly-lit but a lighting panel hung down over her things on the workbench, illuminating them adequately. She adjusted it and took a deep breath, taking a moment to look over all the pieces. Reveling in the silence, she put her hands to work.
It was dark by the time the little transport touched down on the landing pad behind the pitiful apartment complex. It was situated on the outskirts of Chaiavis’s Government District, just a short distance from the embassies and consulates. There were no signs of life coming from Apartment 4, but Kat Reilly struck Dasaro as someone who would maintain a low profile.
“You sure this is it?” he said, eyes fixed on the small, darkened window three apartments down.
Nejdra brought up the embassy profile on the viewscreen in the cockpit. “It’s a little out of date, but this is the last known address.”
Dasaro studied the three dimensional bust that spun in a slow circle beside Reilly’s information. The image was out of date as well – she would be a couple of years older now – but those sparkling blue eyes and silvery-white hair stripes were unmistakable anywhere.
“Let’s go,” he said.
The two of them exited the craft and proceeded to the front of the building while Hoxie stayed behind to watch the rear entrance. There was a small keypad beside the front door, manufactured by some alien company Dasaro didn’t recognize. He gave Nejdra some space and scanned the surrounding area as she knelt down and began working her way into the security system. There weren’t many people around, and those who were remained too far away to see them or pay them any mind.
The decryption device beeped and began to display the numbers it was pulling from the keypad. After about ten seconds it had spit out a five digit code, and Nejdra poised her hand so as to punch in the numbers.
“We’re going in, Hoxie,” Dasaro said into his communicator.
Nejdra’s fingers flew over the keypad and the door slid open with a low hiss. The two of them burst inside, weapons up, ready to shoot the first thing that moved in the shadows within. The interior of the apartment was darker than Dasaro had expected – was it possible Reilly had known they were coming? He hit the controls on the wall, activating a set of lighting panels.
As the room was illuminated, he was rendered momentarily speechless. Aside from a bare bed frame built into the far wall, there wasn’t a single piece of furniture in the place. A low wall separated the living space from a kitchen that could only be identified as such thanks to a rusty old stove and cooler that were probably bolted to the floor. A small lavatory was positioned across the room, its door open to reveal a sink and toilet that were in dire need of cleaning. Beside the lavatory door was the one that opened out onto the landing pad where Hoxie waited. The air was musty and a fine layer of dust had settled over the floor and walls, giving Dasaro the impression that nobody had set foot in the apartment for some time.
Nejdra hovered at his side, equally stunned. “I swear this is the right place,” she murmured.
“Obviously it isn’t,” Dasaro growled. He took one last look around before shutting off the lights and storming to the back door where they found Hoxie waiting with his pistol drawn.
“What happened?” he exclaimed.
“She’s not here,” Nejdra replied.
“There’s
nothing
here,” Dasaro said. “We’ve got bad information.”
They walked the remaining distance to the ship in silence, careful not to attract the attention of anyone nearby. After a moment they were all assembled in the cockpit, staring at the profile on the viewscreen and trying to decide what had gone wrong.
“This is the correct address,” Dasaro said, coaxing a sigh of relief out of Nejdra.
“Then what do you propose we do?” Hoxie asked.
Dasaro massaged his temples, wishing he hadn’t made the mistake of thinking everything would go the way he’d planned. “We regroup,” he said. “We sit down and go over the information again. Reilly’s here somewhere – we can see who she’s been in contact with, find her that way.”
“That will mean talking to the embassy,” Nejdra said. “Then the director will know we’re here.”
“We may not have any other choice,” Dasaro replied. “We’ll start by using our own local sources; we have some old friends here who would be more than willing to help. If all else fails we can tie this all up and hang it around Payvan’s neck. Make it look like we’re here wrapping up the investigation on her.”
“You think anyone else knows she’s alive?”
“It’s doubtful,” he answered. “At this point Shevin and Tarbic are the only ones who would know for sure, and as long as HSP wants Shevin for the incident at the RG office, they’re not going to show their faces. For now, we’re safe.”
With that, Dasaro took up the ship’s controls and they disappeared into Chaiavis’s night traffic.
Night had turned to early morning by the time Aroska made his way back down to the garage. Kat had retired to her room and Kade had made himself comfortable on the floor beside his computer in case his automated program managed to break Zona’s encryption during the night. Aroska hadn’t heard a peep from Ziva since she’d disappeared after dinner, so he treaded lightly in case she was, by some miracle, actually asleep. The garage was dark except for a flickering glow that originated from the area around the sofa. As he descended, a soft crackling reached his ears. There was Ziva, hunched over the workbench, meticulously working on her rifle with the tiny blowtorch she’d found earlier. Her eyes were obscured by a set of safety goggles, the lenses of which reflected the blue light from the torch as well as the orange from the heating panel. The single lighting panel above her cast odd shadows on her face, giving her an altogether eerie look.
Aroska reached the floor and approached her slowly, feeling awkward just lurking there in the dark. Despite the mismatched parts, the rifle was shaping up nicely. He stood there watching her work for a moment, fascinated that those hands could cause so much destruction but still had the delicate touch required for creation and building.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been staring when she let out an exasperated sigh and set the torch down. “Can I help you?” she demanded, flipping the goggles up.
He only shrugged. “You’ve been quiet.”
“And you talk too much.”
Aroska slid his hands into his pockets and took a couple of steps closer. Ziva watched him for another second before pulling the goggles back down over her eyes and resuming her work. She said nothing further, but what more was there to say? He could tell she was in pain; he’d caught a glimpse of her bruised ribs as she’d administered caura treatment during their journey and she still sported a gash on her forehead from her fall into the riverbed. Aroska had also detected a slight limp, but so far she hadn’t voiced any discomfort and he hadn’t asked about it. There was something else to it, an ache that went beyond the physical sense. Her mouth formed a straight line and she looked paler than normal there in the dark.
He stood there for another minute before heaving a sigh and
removing his jacket. Despite being a former grease pit, the floor of the room was relatively clean so he balled up the jacket to form a crude pillow and lowered himself down. Lying flat on his back, the side of the workbench blocked out most of the flickering light from the blowtorch.
The sparks stopped flying for a moment. “What are you doing?” Ziva growled.
“I’m being a gentleman and letting the lady have the sofa.”
The soldering continued. “Aroska Tarbic, a gentleman.” She snorted. “That’ll be the day.”
Aroska fell silent, her words striking him in a way he hadn’t expected. She was right, of course. He couldn’t recall more than a few courteous things he’d done since they’d met. After all, he’d wanted her head on a platter for the majority of the Dakiti mission. There was still a part of him that would never be able to forgive her for Soren’s death, but at the same time he was ashamed by the way he’d acted toward her, regardless of how he’d felt. He thought of all the things she’d done for him on that mission, despite knowing full well that he hated her – coming back to get him from the harvesting room, risking her life and her secret to keep him from being crushed out on the landing pad….
And even after all that, he’d still had the audacity to be a complete jerk to her in the past few days. She’d only been trying to help, albeit in a rather unorthodox way, and in the end she
had
helped and he was grateful for it. He wasn’t entirely sure why he felt compelled to treat her so well; after all, she’d been such a
shouka
to him and everyone else around her. Maybe – just maybe – if he was kind enough to her, she would finally start to mellow out.
Aroska suddenly snapped awake –
wait, I’d been asleep?
– startled by the sensation of a thousand tiny creatures crawling over his body. He began to flail and swat at his clothes, but it took him only a moment to realize there was nothing actually there. A cold sweat dripped from his face, and as he turned to rearrange his jacket he noticed he was trembling. He rolled onto his side and drew his arms and legs in tight.
It was then that he noticed Ziva wasn’t on the sofa. He wasn’t sure when she’d stopped working on the rifle, but all the tools sat untouched on the workbench and the lighting panel had been powered down, leaving the dim orange glow from the heater as the only source of light. He did his best to look around the room while remaining curled, straining to see past his arms and out into the darkness.
After a moment, he caught sight of her standing in front of the tiny window beside the overhead door that led out onto the landing pad. She wasn’t much more than a shadow, a silhouette against the glow of the city lights outside. Even in the dark, however, he could tell she was looking at him. He watched her through the space between his arms, certain she couldn’t tell he was looking back. Was she concerned? With her face obscured, it was impossible to tell – the only thing he knew for sure was that she was facing him.
Aroska felt a hot wave of shame surge through him, and he was glad the darkness concealed his red face. There he was, curled up on the floor like a small child while the woman who had come to him for help looked on expectantly. He had spent too long poisoning his body and developing dependencies on those poisons, and now there he was in such a vulnerable state when Ziva was the one in trouble. He realized then how desperately he needed to clean up his act, if for no other reason than to apologize to her for being an ass when she’d been right all along.
Curious as to what she was doing, Aroska stole another peek out into the room. He was startled to find that she was no longer in her place at the window, but the fear that she’d know he’d been spying kept him from looking around. For a moment, he wondered if she had simply been a part of the hallucination, but when he saw that she still wasn’t on the sofa, he knew she had to be up and about somewhere.
At one point he thought he heard the stairs creak, but he wasn’t sure if it was just another one of the strange noises ripping through his skull. Aroska slowed his breathing as best he could to listen, and after several seconds of nothing, he settled back down against his jacket and let the involuntary trembling overtake him.
He felt sleep creeping toward him – or perhaps it was the onset of another hellish nightmare – but was startled awake again when he caught a whiff of a familiar scent and felt a change in the air as someone moved up behind him. Something warm but not particularly soft settled down over his shoulders: Ziva’s riding jacket. She adjusted it a bit, so quickly and gently that he couldn’t even feel her touch. How she could move so silently was beyond him.
“You’ll get through this,” she said. Her tone wasn’t particularly kind, but the words had been said nonetheless.
Her presence lingered there behind him for a few seconds longer before vanishing again, just as it had from the window. Aroska spent what seemed like hours listening for her return, but after a while the fatigue and pain overtook him and he drifted off again.
When he came to, morning light was streaming in through the window and Kat’s aircar was gone. He didn’t remember hearing anyone leave, but then again he didn’t remember much at all. The only indicator that anything had happened at all during the night was Ziva’s jacket, which had slid from his shoulders and was now sitting in a crumpled heap behind him.
Aroska worked his way into a sitting position and took a moment to stretch his stiff shoulders. He would be sore later – he’d dreaded sleeping on the floor for exactly that reason. And then Ziva hadn’t even used the sofa, rendering his chivalrous efforts futile. It went right along with the things he’d been thinking about earlier. It was hard to feel motivated to be nice to her when all he got in return was…well, a bad back.
He stood up and wandered upstairs. The only sign of life was the occasional tapping of a keyboard, and he found Kade staring half-heartedly at the computer screen.
Shevin greeted him with a brief nod. “Rough night?” His tone made it sound as though he knew good and well what the answer was.
“You could say that,” Aroska replied. Except for a throbbing headache, he felt much better. “Where are the women?”
“Kat was going to drop Ziva off at the swordsmith’s and then go talk to Bosco. They said they wouldn’t be long.”
The thought of the two of them out running errands while there was so much danger to be dealt with seemed absurd, but Aroska shrugged it off and made himself busy looking through Kat’s cupboards. He wasn’t particularly hungry, so upon thinking harder he wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking for. When he opened the last cupboard and found it bare except for a half-empty bottle of fancy liquor, he realized what he had subconsciously been seeking. He felt himself start to sweat again and immediately slammed the door shut. Succumbing to the temptation would only make matters worse; there was a half-smoked govino stick in his bag that he could use instead.
Fighting away another bout of the shakes, Aroska filled a glass with water and seated himself at the little table across from Kade. The young man was busy rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and was no longer paying any attention to the decryption program that continued to run on his computer. Aroska was beginning to wonder if they’d ever be able to open the locked files. He wished Zinni were there to help.
He took a sip of his water. “Are you worried about your family?” he asked.
“Of course,” Kade replied without hesitation. “You have no idea how awful I feel for abandoning them the way I have. But at the same time, I know I’ve done the right thing by leaving them behind. Trying to bring them along would have only put them in more danger than they already were. Besides, the less my wife knows, the better – I’d hate to see her or the baby get hurt trying to help me with my own mess.”
“Well,” Aroska said, “if there’s one thing I know about Ziva’s people, it’s that they’ll do anything to keep your family safe.”
Kade nodded and stole a glance at the computer screen. “What about you? You married?”
“Me? Hell no. I’ve never had much luck with women.”
“Funny. You strike me as the type of guy who could get his pick of the crop.”
“Who says I can’t? It’s the commitment part I’ve always had trouble with.”
“So you and Ziva aren’t…?”
“Oh no, no way.”
Kade smiled. “Just wondering,” he said.
Aroska felt his face flush and he dipped his head, forcing a nervous smile. “No, it’s really not like that at all. I
do
care for her, something I never expected to happen, but it’s not like that. I owe that woman my life.”
He proceeded to explain how he had come to know Ziva, how she had killed Soren, how he’d been forced to join her in the struggle against Solaris and the Sardons. It struck him how much they’d been through together given that they’d only been acquainted for a short time. “She was prepared to do whatever it took to get me out of the way,” he said, altering his account of what had transpired on the Dakiti landing pad so Ziva’s Nosti abilities were excluded. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever understand why she chose to risk her own life for me when it would have been so much easier to just let me die.”
Aroska sighed and took another drink of water. “She took something from me that can never be replaced, but it hasn’t been easy to stay mad at her. How am I supposed to keep hating her after everything she’s done for me? It’s like she’s given me something new in return for what she stole – I’m just not quite sure what it is yet.”
He paused for a moment and thought of the day she’d come barging back into his life – in the most literal sense of the phrase.
If she had come into the house a mere ten seconds later….
“She has saved me in more ways than she knows,” he murmured.
“So tell her that,” Kade said matter-of-factly.
“No, you don’t know Ziva.”
Neither do I, for that matter
. “She doesn’t want to hear that, not when we’re right in the middle of something as big as this. There’s already something eating at her as it is – I don’t want to stress her out.”
Kade laughed. “Stress Ziva out? That doesn’t seem very hard.”
Aroska laughed a bit himself, though he felt uncomfortable doing it. Ziva had indeed been acting strange, almost as if she knew something nobody else knew. He wished she would stop being such a hypocrite, urging others to spill their guts while she remained silent and reserved.
Shevin’s smile faded when he realized Aroska was no longer laughing. He cleared his throat. “There’s still something I just can’t figure out, and I want to know what you think. We’re finding all these signs of a conspiracy – Spence and Fromm’s deaths, the fact that these people want me dead – but there’s nothing that
really
proves Ziva is innocent. We’ve heard her side of the story, but it’s just…if she didn’t kill Tachi, who did, and why?”
Aroska sighed and wiped his hand over his face. It was a valid point, but it sickened him to think that he’d essentially put his life on hold to help a guilty person. “I don’t know what to think, kid. If she was guilty, there wouldn’t be much point in her denying it anymore. She’d be defeated, she’d be caught. Besides, I doubt she would have reached out to anyone for help – she’d be long gone by now.” He paused and thought of the way she’d immersed herself in his case files on the trip to Chaiavis, the way she’d snapped at Kade for taking too long with the encryption, the way she’d excused herself to work on the rifle the night before. “No, she’s still fighting, searching for something. There’s something driving her, and I wish I knew what it was.”
