Return to Dark Earth (7 page)

He paused on the mezzanine level above the
cargo bays. The large cargo door into the station was open. People
hurried in and out, some operating small cargo lifts, carrying
pallets of goods, while others wore powered exosuits with
mechanical arms for heavy lifting. Stacks and stacks of goods and
supplies sat in neat rows. Avril certainly wasn’t short on money
for this expedition.

“Sleep well?”

Like she’d stepped from his dreams, Nera
appeared beside him, her impassive gaze on the controlled chaos
below.

“Not really.” She was in another all-in-one
suit, black, that hugged every one of her slim curves.

She leaned a hip against the railing.
“Nightmares about Gunn?”

“No. Dreams about you.”

Her head swung back to him, her
multi-colored eyes assessing. Then she turned back to the work
below. “It appears they’re almost finished with the loading. I’d
guess we’ll be underway soon.”

Frustration choked Nik. Nera wasn’t a
coward. If she kept dodging him, she had reasons. Deep, dark ones
he’d only guessed at. He focused back on the movement. He noted
rations, weapons and stacks of parts. All standard supplies. Then
he frowned. “Are those containment boxes?”

Against the far wall were four large,
reinforced boxes. They were heavy duty, with an electrical
containment system built into them. He’d seen them used by animal
hunters who captured exotic alien wildlife.

“They do look like containment boxes.” Nera
stared at them. “Perhaps for storing the artifacts?”

“Yeah.” They could have been modified to be
safe storage for artifacts.

But containment boxes kept things in, not
people out.

A siren started wailing, and the large outer
doors began to rumble closed. The crew was now busy securing the
supplies on the deck with mag locks.

“Dr. Phoenix?”

Avril’s voice drifted up from below. He
spied the astro-archeologist waving from the cargo area. He lifted
a hand in return.

“We’re ready to get underway.” She ran a
hand over her ponytail. “And thank you for your well-thought-out
suggestions for the hunt. I’ve assessed everything and think we
have a very good plan of attack.” Her gaze slid to Nera, her face
taking on a slightly pinched look. “Ms. Darc, your input was
valuable as well.” She smiled back at Nik. “See you on the bridge
shortly.” She bounced away.

“She’s attracted to you,” Nera said.

Nik turned his head. “Huh?”

“Dr. Sickly Sweet.”

He grunted. He didn’t really give a crap
about Dr. Luma-Smythe. She seemed nice and competent, but best of
all, she seemed to truly care about history and wasn’t a part of
the darker muck of the Institute. “We should head to the
bridge.”

Nera pushed away from the railing with a
nod.

They navigated the corridors together. He
was surprised to find the silence wasn’t charged. In fact, it felt
kind of companionable.

They entered the bridge. It was large and
spacious. Two tiers of curved desks with high-tech comp screens
were manned by an efficient crew consisting of a mix of humans and
alien species. Everyone was busy with pre-flight preparations,
making ready to push back from the space station.

Nik spotted Solomon lounging in a chair at
the back. The young man gave them a nod as they joined him.

“Pretty nice ship,” the young treasure
hunter said.

“It is.” Nik sat down. “What lured you onto
this hunt, Jonas? You usually prefer working solo.”

Solomon grinned. “The chance to make a name
for myself.” He looked back at the busy bridge. “I’m planning to
find some awesome old Earth treasures this trip. I’ll be the best
treasure hunter in the galaxy.”

Nik stifled a smile. Jesus, the kid made him
feel old.

“You have to knock Dathan Phoenix off that
perch,” Nera said drily. “Followed by Niklas and Zayn, not to
mention myself.” She crossed her long legs. “You have a ways to go
yet.”

Solomon’s eyes glinted. “I’ll get
there.”

“Great, you made it.” Avril hurried by.
“We’re just about to get under way, so strap in.”

“How far to the bridge portal?” Nik
asked.

“Not far. Twenty minutes at most.” With a
nod, she moved down to talk with some of the crew.

Nik strapped in and noted Nera did the same,
although she sat on the edge of her seat, like she was ready to
jump up, if required. He wondered if she ever truly relaxed.

“Prepare to take us out, Commander Da’Gon,”
the captain said. She was a tall woman with dark skin and curly
hair she’d tamed back into a braid. Nik hadn’t met her, but he’d
heard good things about her skills as a captain.

Solomon leaned forward. “So, what do you
think, Phoenix? You think we’ll really find anything there? On
Earth.”

Nik shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.” But they
had to try, had to see for themselves. “And call me Nik.”

Solomon nodded. “I really hope we find
something big.” Barely contained excitement flared in his
voice.

God, the kid reminded him of a young Dathan,
bursting with the need to prove himself. Hell, Nik had been the
same—he’d just been better at hiding it. Although he’d dreamed of
making a name for himself at the Institute, not as one of the
galaxy’s most notorious treasure hunters.

He glanced at Nera, sitting so still, so
straight. What had she dreamed of when she was young? And what did
she want now?

“Bridge portal in visual range,” someone
called out.

Nik leaned forward, studying the viewscreen.
He spotted a glimmer of silver, just a little bigger than a star.
As they flew closer, it grew, until he saw the portal. It looked
like a funnel made of shimmering, energetic silver. The large,
circular mouth of the portal tapered away to nothing. He knew that
it was a natural formation but that markers embedded in the mouth
by the Galactic Engineering Division held the portal open and
steady for ships to travel through.

Then Nik noticed the two massive starships
flanking the portal. Both bore Institute markings, and were decked
out with an impressive array of weapons. He frowned. Obviously they
were protecting their new asset. He really wanted to believe they
were ensuring the safety of the galaxy’s history…but he knew
better.

The bridge portal loomed above the ship.
“This distortion just…appeared?” he asked. “Leading straight to
Earth.” It seemed too impossible.

Avril gave him a smile. “Amazing, isn’t it?
Here we go.”

Nik noticed Nera gripping the edge of her
seat. He leaned over, his voice pitched so only she would hear.
“Never crossed a bridge?”

“No.”

“Nothing to worry about.”

“Except if any of these people I don’t know
mess up and we end up bridge fodder.”

He patted her hand, pleased when she didn’t
shrug him away. “Sometimes a little trust goes a long way.”

She made a noise in the back of her throat
and glanced up…just as the ship slipped through the portal and
smoothly onto the Sol Bridge.

There was a happy murmur from the bridge
crew. The viewscreen showed a steady stream of silver outside the
ship, as though they were passing through metallic rain.

“Okay, everyone,” Avril said. “In two days,
we’ll reach Earth. I’ve assessed all of the proposals, and as per
Nik’s suggestions, we’ll start in the ruins of New York. We’ve sent
probes through to Earth, but radioactive interference has made
getting reliable intel problematic.”

“How are we going to survive on the
surface?” Solomon asked. “Can you vaccinate us?”

Avril shook her head. “Due to the nature of
the radiation, we can only treat it after you’ve been exposed.
Depending on the location on the planet and the radiation levels,
the exposure times will vary. After you reach the limit, you have
to get back to the ship and receive the antidote.”

Nik didn’t like the sound of that. “You’re
saying that if something goes wrong on the planet, if we stay on
the surface too long, we’ll die.”

“It is of
prime
importance you do not
stay on the planet longer than the exposure time and receive your
treatment.”

“Can we take the shots with us to the
surface?” Nera asked.

“You could, but it won’t help. You need to
be away from the exposure source for the treatment to successfully
remove the radiation from your system.”

Great
. Nik frowned. If there was one
thing he knew about treasure hunts, it was that the unexpected
always happened. And despite precision planning, things often went
wrong.

“So, after New York, we’ll head south. Both
Mr. Solomon and Ms. Darc made some good suggestions. We’ll make for
New Mexico City in what was the country of Mexico. It was an area
rich in ancient history in Terran times, with some world-class
museums. There have always been rumors some of the museums were not
evacuated, and it is quite possible that some artifacts remain in
place.”

Mexico. Nik had studied what he could on the
Aztec and Mayan civilizations. Unfortunately, so many records had
been lost, and he only had tiny jumbled and damaged bits and pieces
about the vast pyramids and complexes they’d built. To see anything
of their historical artifacts would be amazing.

Avril clapped her hands together. “So,
ladies and gentlemen, as of this moment, you have two days to rest,
relax, research and prepare. As soon as we hit Earth, it’ll be go
time.”

***

Nera was starting to like the library. She
was watching Niklas working—it was becoming a favorite pastime—but
this time, she wasn’t wearing her camouflage. She flicked through
her own book, every now and then looking up to watch him mutter
about something, grunt when he found something interesting, or let
out a long breath when he didn’t find what he was looking for.

She’d also spent some time trailing Gunn. An
unpleasant task, but if he hurt Niklas, if he even breathed too
close to Niklas, she’d gut him.

“What are you reading?”

She glanced up and saw Niklas watching
her.

“
The Lost Treasures of Earth
,” she
said.

He nodded. “A good read. Dr. Dalzarro is a
bit prone to hyperbole.”

She knew. “I was reading about the Lost Inca
Gold.”

“An interesting legend. But I think it was
just that, a legend. And certainly exaggerated.”

“A treasure hunter who doesn’t believe in a
lost treasure?”

He tilted his head. “You only go after
verified treasures. I don’t see you chasing the Lost Treasure of
Hesperia or the Hoard of Ramun-dal.”

“And I never searched for the lost colony of
Star’s End.”

He smiled. “Touché.”

“I’m a businesswoman. So yes, I agree that
verified treasure is best.”

“Is that all it is for you? Business?”

She thought she detected disappointment in
his tone. It bothered her. Then she straightened. She didn’t care
what Niklas Phoenix thought about her motives. “Yes. The past is
gone, thank the stars, so why not profit off it?”

“You hate your past that much?”

Before she could answer, there was a
commotion in the hall. A man’s voice raised in anger. A woman’s
frightened cry.

Nera shot to her feet, and by the time she
reached the door, Niklas was beside her. For a big man, he moved
fast.

Gunn was moving through the corridor,
tugging a woman behind him. She was dragging her feet, cowering.
She was barely dressed, wearing only a flimsy wisp of white fabric
that left her too-thin arms and legs bare. She had a beautiful face
that was all angles and large gold eyes.

She also had a collar of beaten-gold metal
around her neck.

Every muscle in Nera’s body stiffened.

“What the hell is going on here?” Niklas
demanded.

“None of your damn business, Phoenix. Go
back and bury your face in a book and take your pet dog with you.”
His baleful gaze landed on Nera.

“You’re hurting the woman,” Niklas said, his
tone turning as dark as space.

Nera’s gut was burning.

“I’ll do as I fucking please.” Gunn drew a
hand back and swung at the woman.

Before Nera could leap forward, Niklas
caught the man’s hand. He must have exerted some force, despite the
lack of expression on his face, because Gunn winced, then jerked
away, rubbing his wrist.

The woman’s head was down, staring at the
floor.

“Are you okay?” Nera asked.

The woman nodded but stayed silent.

“She doesn’t get a say,” Gunn bit out.
“She’s my property to do with as I want.”

Nera quivered, trying to control the impulse
to tear him apart with her hands. Slavery happened, not in the
central systems, but in the outer reaches of the galaxy where the
law keepers were few and overworked.

“A slave?” Niklas shook his head. “I knew
you were scum, Gunn, but this…Dr. Luma-Smythe wouldn’t let you have
a slave aboard.”

“I never said slave.” Gunn tried for a smile
but it looked like a sneer. “This is my cherished companion,
Alarah.” He ran his hand down her cheek and the woman flinched.

Nera couldn’t stand to watch any more. She
lunged at Gunn.

Strong arms wrapped around her middle,
holding her back.

“Let me go.” She said the words with deadly
calm.

His lips were hot at her ear. “You kill him
here, you’ll be arrested. We’re on an Institute ship, traveling on
a wormhole bridge. There’s nowhere to go.”

She jerked against him. “I don’t care.” All
she could see was that woman. Helpless and broken.

Niklas shook her a little. “We can’t do
anything…now. But we’ll find a way to help her.” He pushed Nera
against the wall, his big body caging her in. But Nera kept
struggling; all she wanted was to get to Gunn.

“Nera.” Niklas spoke sharply. “Look at
me.”

She did. His blue eyes snagged hers and she
couldn’t look away. Dimly, she was aware of Gunn dragging the woman
away.