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Authors: Anna Hackett

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BOOK: Return to Dark Earth
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Maybe it was because he’d watched her for so
long, and wondered what drove her. But Nik was sure that for every
little thing he worked out about Nera Darc, she would always
continually surprise him. “You make an entrance. As always.”

“I wouldn’t want to disappoint you.”

“Where’s my idol?”

She raised one slim brow. “You mean the idol
I sold? Gone.” She wandered along one book shelf, studying the
volumes. “So, the lure of Earth was too strong for you to
resist?”

“No. It wasn’t the main reason I came.”

She turned. “Oh? And what was that
reason?”

The time for games was over. “You. I came
because of you.”

Nera went very, very still. Then she leaned
against the wall. “That’s a foolish reason.”

“I don’t think so.” He took a step closer to
her. “I decided it was time to explore what’s between us.”

“What’s between us?” She made a scoffing
noise. “Rivalry. Oh, and the fact that I routinely beat up you and
your brothers.”

He took another deliberate step toward her,
and saw her tense. “We both know that there’s more than that.”

“You’re deluding yourself.” She pushed away
from him and crossed the room.

“Then why are you shying away from me?”

She spun back, her eyes sparking…but just
then, the library doors opened and two men strode in.

The moment broken, Nik watched her slide
back into the shadows at the edge of the room. Reluctantly, he
turned his attention to the newcomers. He recognized them both
immediately.

Jonas Solomon was tall, with a lean,
muscular build, blond hair, and a face Nik was sure the ladies
loved. He was twenty-four years old, and making a name for himself
as a successful treasure hunter. He gave Nik a nod.

Nik nodded back before turning to look at
the other man. He barely controlled a grimace. Alexei Gunn was
mean, and just about Solomon’s opposite in every way. Gunn was
known for careless cruelty, and for trailing other treasure
hunters, killing them and stealing their finds. He had a short,
stocky build and a ragged scar over his left eye socket and cheek.
The eye was clearly an implant and glowed neon green. The man was a
snake, and Nik wouldn’t trust Gunn to have his back on a
hunt…ever.

“Phoenix,” Gunn grunted. “Didn’t think you
liked getting your soft hands dirty. Thought you left that to your
brother.”

“Gunn.” Nik ignored the rest of the man’s
words.

“Never thought I’d see the day Niklas
Phoenix steps out alone without his brothers to hold his
hands.”

Nik took a deep breath. Gunn was scum. It
wouldn’t pay to engage him. “How did you like seeing that empty
spot on your shelf where that Kavalian Vase should have been?”

Gunn’s face turned red.

“And that other spot where you last saw that
Terran sword you stole?”

Gunn made a spluttering sound. “It was you!
You and your damn brothers who stole those from me.”

“Gentlemen,” Dr. Luma-Symthe bustled in.
“Please, take a seat.”

Galen followed her in and stayed by the
door. He crossed his arms over his chest.

A muscle in Gunn’s jaw ticked and he looked
like he wanted to explode across the library and attack Nik. Nik
had to admit to feeling pretty darn good about it all.

The astro-archeologist set her Sync down on
the large holo-table in the center of the room. “We’re just waiting
for our last hunter to arrive.”

“Who?” Solomon asked as he flopped down into
a chair.

Luma-Symthe crossed her hands together.
“Nera Darc.”

Niklas watched the others. He saw Solomon’s
eyes widen, but other than that he controlled his reaction.

Gunn wasn’t so controlled. He blanched, then
covered it by puffing out his chest. “That bitch? I don’t want her
anywhere near me.”

“Yeah, heard she disabled your ship the last
time you crossed paths with her,” Solomon said, a smile playing
around his lips.

Gunn’s small eyes narrowed. “That’s not
what—”

“I heard she took your finger,” Niklas said
quietly.

Gunn flexed his left hand. He wore a black
glove…with one finger missing. “She’s a galaxy-class bitch. Women
shouldn’t be treasure hunters. They’re only good for breeding or
fucking.” He looked at Avril. “Employers excluded.”

Avril shot him a cold look. “And as the
employer, I select who goes on this hunt. If you don’t follow my
rules, and get along, you’re off.”

Gunn made a sucking noise and sank back in
his chair. “You’re the one with the e-creds.”

Avril looked at her timepiece. “Now, I asked
Darc to be here. I wonder where she is?”

Nik raised a brow. “Oh, she’s here.
Listening to everything you just said, Gunn.”

Avril blinked. “Um, I don’t—”

Nera dropped her camouflage and stepped
forward. “Gunn, anything you want to say to my face?”

The man swallowed, his face twisting. Nik
recognized a mix of fear and bravado. “Screw you, Darc.”

Nera turned away from him. “I didn’t think
so.”

“Welcome, Ms. Darc,” Avril said.

“Just Darc is fine.”

Avril cleared her throat. “Okay. Well, now
that we’re all here. Let’s make a start and talk about Earth. We
haven’t yet decided on the exact locations on the planet to search.
I’d like all your recommendations.” She grabbed a Sync off a nearby
desk. “You’ll have twenty-four hours to send me your ideas. After I
review them, I’ll finalize our plan.” She shot them all an excited
smile. “The Institute’s number one priority is to secure valuable
artifacts and gather intel on the planet. Oh, and that everyone
does it as safely as possible. Agent Ryant and his security team
are here to ensure we all stay safe.” She nodded at the silent
agent near the door.

Nera leaned closer to Nik. “This one talks a
lot.”

And Nera was a woman comfortable with
silences.

Avril continued. “Tomorrow we stop at
Enterprise Station to take on our final supplies. You’ll all be
able to go on-station for your own needs before we leave. From
Enterprise, there is another day’s journey to the new Sol Bridge.
It’ll put us right in Earth’s star system.” The astro-archeologist
bounced a little. “And then the fun begins.” She clapped her hands
and pressed a button on her Sync. A 3D projection of Earth filled
the central space in the library.

Nik glanced up and saw discreet projectors
built into the ceiling. Then he looked back to the land masses and
oceans of Earth.

Avril’s face was illuminated by the mix of
dark colors. “Amazing, isn’t it? The planet of our ancestors.”

Nik looked at the shades of gray and black.
He knew that once it had been greens, blues and browns, and
bursting with life. Now, it was just a dark shadow of its former
self.

“Now,” Avril said. “How about we brainstorm
some options on where to begin our search?”

Chapter Four

“The British Museum. London,” Solomon
offered.

Avril shook her head. “All records we have
say there is absolutely nothing left of London. It was one city
that was bombarded very hard in the last days of the war.”

“Xi’an Museum in New Beijing in the Northern
Federation,” Gunn snarled.

Avril considered for a second. “We’ll put it
on the list, but it’s unlikely to yield anything interesting.” She
looked at Nik. “Dr. Phoenix, I’d really appreciate your ideas.” She
smiled. “May I call you Niklas?”

Not many people called him Niklas. Eos and
his brothers, sometimes. But Nera always called him Niklas. “Nik’s
fine.”

“Nik.” That earned him another wide smile.
“Any ideas?”

“Most museums supposedly evacuated their
prized pieces well before the final destruction of Earth. Anything
of value was taken away on ships.” He tried to hide his smile. “And
we know the legends and rumors of where those artifacts were
stored. In places like Star’s End.”

“Lucky bastard,” Gunn muttered under his
breath.

“My brothers and my sister-in-law—” he
speared Nera with a look “—with some help, found the stash
there.”

“It was a marvelous find,” Avril said. Her
gaze turned inward. “Just a shame the final fragment of the Mona
Lisa was missing.”

Nera raised a brow at Nik. “Yes, a
shame.”

Nik knew exactly where the Mona Lisa
was.

“You think all Earth’s treasures were
shipped away?” Avril asked.

Nik shook his head. “Unlikely. My research
indicates some countries were holding out, especially with their
smaller or less-popular museums. They were hoping the war would
end, preferably with a peaceful solution.”

Gunn snorted. “That didn’t work out so well
for them.”

“No.” Nik was hating Gunn even more.
“Billions of people perished. The Northern Federation and the
United Countries of the Americas launched terrible attacks. They
used new nuclear technology that mixed anti-matter bombs with
nanotechnology.” He shook his head, thinking of the wanton
destruction. “It rendered most of the planet uninhabitable, and the
radiation is still at very high levels, even now. Billions died.
Men, women, children, gone.”

There was an uncomfortable silence.

Nik cleared his throat. “Those who hadn’t
left the planet any way they could, and weren’t annihilated in the
bombings, would have survived a little while longer. Suffering from
radiation sickness, they had to find a way to survive the shutdown
of life as they knew it—no power, no manufacturing, no medical
help. And a nuclear winter would have set in. Most people wouldn’t
have had the skills to grow their own food…and nothing would have
grown, anyway.”

“Poor souls,” Avril said.

“The last record of anyone coming near Earth
was a ship from the Australia II colony. They detected no signs of
human life, but couldn’t land…the radiation was at a level they
couldn’t withstand, and they didn’t have the tech back then to
survive it. After that—”

“Humanity looked outward,” Nera said. “To
the rest of the galaxy. They colonized new worlds, and over time
created new languages, new religions, new ways of life, and carried
out new atrocities.”

Nik studied her impassive face. So damned
beautiful, and so hard to read.

“So, Nik, what’s your recommendation on
where we should look?” Avril asked.

“New York.”

“What?” She looked taken aback. “There are
solid, confirmed records it was evacuated early. The main museums
were emptied out, or artifacts were moved to other museums around
the country or shipped off-planet.”

“The inner city, yes. But not in the
suburbs. I’ve found snippets from records that say there were some,
certainly smaller, but quality museums in the suburbs that never
moved their collections.”

“Okay.” Avril nodded. “That does sound
promising.”

“Come on.” Gunn shot to his feet. “I want to
see a big payday here. I don’t want to dig around in the ruins of
some family homes.” He threw his hands up. “I want gold, and silver
and gems. I don’t want damn shards of dinner plates or kids’
toys.”

“That kind of stuff is just as important
historically,” Nik said. “There is still so much we don’t know
about the final years on Earth.”

“Just can it, High-and-Mighty Phoenix. No
one gives a fuck about history.” He made a scoffing noise. “The
Institute, most of all.”

“You’re mean, sloppy, and lazy, Gunn. I
don’t really care what you have to say.”

The treasure hunter’s eyes bulged from the
insult. He took a menacing step toward Niklas. “Why don’t I—”

Nera appeared in front of Nik, a tall,
straight shadow. Damn, she could move fast.

Gunn’s gaze went to her, wavered for a
second, then he made a phlegmy sound in his throat. “I’m out of
here. You astro-snobs can pontificate all you want. Me, I’m going
back to my cabin.” His lips stretched across his teeth. “I have a
lovely lady waiting for me.” He strode out, casting one more harsh
glance at Nik. “Watch your back, Phoenix.”

“You just made an enemy,” Nera said quietly,
so only Nik could hear. “Men like Gunn don’t take kindly to
insults.”

“He’s a rather…unpleasant man.” Avril drew
her shoulders up. “Okay, can you spend the next day on your
research and recommendations? And regardless of what Mr. Gunn says,
the Institute does care about history. All of it.”

Solomon gave a nod. “Will do.” He exited
with long strides.

Niklas stared at the lovely library shelves.
They were glossy, beautiful, and made him want to believe the
Institute did only care about the historical value of its
finds.

He knew differently.

He turned to Avril. “I’d like to see the
Hawass Documents.”

Avril smiled. “Oh, they are simply amazing.
Come on.” She cast a quick glance at Nera, then ignored her.
“They’re all in protective coverings.” She moved over to one wall
that was lined with book shelves at the top and long drawers on the
bottom. She pressed a code into one drawer and it slid open.

Holy stars
. Nik controlled his body’s
visceral reaction. The papers were all encased in a thin layer of
plas. Some of them looked like they were printed, the black ink
slightly faded. Others were handwritten.

“They are gorgeous,” he said.

“Aren’t they?” Avril stroked a slim hand
over the top sheets.

“And I can study them?”

“Yes. As long as you do it here in the
library. If they leave the room, an alarm will sound.” Her gaze
went back to the silent Nera. “They have chips embedded in the
plas. I’ll leave you to it.” She touched Nik’s arm lightly. “I’m
really glad you changed your mind about this hunt. I look forward
to us working together.”

With a stiff nod at Nera, she left.

Nik leaned over the documents. He wasn’t
sure where he wanted to start.

He looked up and saw Nera watching him.

“Why do you care?” she asked. “Why look at
those bits of old paper with such reverence?”

BOOK: Return to Dark Earth
7.54Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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