Shielder — A new Science Fiction Romance (Book 1, Shielder Series) (28 page)

The time had come.
Spirit, give me
strength
, she prayed.

"All right, now," she said, struggling to
keep her voice even. "See those lines of people waiting for trams
over there? And see the computer terminals next to them, where
people are purchasing transport? That's were I want you to wait.
Right at the end of the terminals."

Raven clutched Nessa's tunic even tighter.
"Then what?" she sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

Nessa's own tears threatened to overflow.
"Then …" Her voice broke and she struggled to regain her composure.
"Then, you wait until you see Sabin. The instant you see him, go to
him. Be sure and give him the com unit. Tell him I've already left
the star base. Don't tell him anything else."

"Are—are you leav-v-ving now?" Raven wiped
at her face.

"Don't touch your face until you wash your
hands." Nessa wrapped her arms around herself to keep from hugging
both children. "No, sweetness, I'll be nearby until I see you're
safe with Sabin. Just don't tell him that. He might try to find me,
and then he might get sick, too. Can you do that? Say I'm already
gone?"

With another sob, Raven nodded. "Do you
think Chase will be mad at me for not telling the truth?"

Nessa closed her eyes against the sudden
vision of Chase's face. "No, Raven," she whispered, "he'll
understand. Now, go. Please!"

"But—"

"Just go!" Nessa made her voice as stern as
she could. "Do it—now."

Her head hanging dejectedly, Raven turned
toward the terminals, glancing back one more time. Then she trudged
away, Brand trailing behind her, clutching her tunic.

All at once, Brand turned and scrambled back
toward Nessa. He stopped a few feet away, staring on her.
"Nesss—Ness-ssa," he stammered. "No go."

His first words. A band tightened around her
heart, threatening to squeeze the life from it. She called on all
her self-control to hold back the tears.

"Oh, Brand, Chase will be so proud to know
you spoke." Pressing against the wall for support, she forced a
smile. "But you have to go, so you'll be safe. Chase wants you
to."

Raven came up behind Brand and took his
hand. "We love you, Nessa," she said, the truth of her words
shining in her eyes. "We'll never forget you."

No one, not even Jarek, had ever said those
words to Nessa.

She would never hear them again.

She could hardly see Raven and Brand's
precious faces through the tears slipping down her face now. "I
love you, too. Now go.
Please go
. And be good for
Sabin."

Raven nodded and took Brand's hand. He went,
but kept his head turned toward her. "Nessa," he said again.

Trembling with fatigue and emotion, she
watched until the children reached the end of the terminal counter.
They took their masks off and stood there dutifully. She looked
around, noting a recessed entry about fifteen meters away. Edging
along the wall, she worked her way to the corner of the entryway to
wait there.

She longed to sink to the ground and rest,
but then she wouldn't be able to see the children. Digging deep,
she found the strength to remain standing, supported by the wall.
She didn't have to wait long. Sabin appeared a short while later,
fortunately coming through another entrance. He looked around the
tram area, his dark brows drawn together. He didn't notice the
children, but Raven knew him. Nessa had refreshed her memory with
his picture, kept in Chase's personal computer file.

Sabin looked down with a start when Raven
tugged on his flightsuit. He leaned forward and listened intently
for a moment. Taking the com unit from Raven, he glanced up,
scanning the CTC. Nessa slipped around the corner, then peered back
around. Sabin was reading the message. He looked around the
terminal again, then squatted by the children and talked with them.
Raven replied, while Brand kept his usual focus on the ground.

Assured that she'd done the best she could,
Nessa exited the building. Now, if she could only make it to
Santerra in time.

She managed to get on the next tram to her
landing bay, and sank gratefully into the seat. She forced herself
to remain awake on the ride to the bay. She would have plenty of
time to rest on the trip to Santerra.

She made her way slowly from the tram
drop-off to Chase's ship, heaving a sigh of relief when she finally
reached it. Stumbling inside, she closed the hatch and pulled her
mask off.
Have to stay alert just a little longer
, she told
herself, limping toward the cockpit.

She punched the entry pad and the panel slid
open. Starting in, she halted abruptly when she saw the stunner
pointed at her. Looking up, she came face to face with Chase.

"So, we meet again, you scheming liar."

"Chase!" Nessa gasped, feeling the blood
drain from her face. Not trusting her trembling legs, she clutched
the entry frame for support.

"Nessa!" Chase mocked. "You seem surprised
to see me. I can't imagine why, this being my ship and all."

Logical thought scattered. She met his
scathing glare, knowing she'd find no mercy from him. "I'm
sorry."

His brows rose. "Sorry? You're sorry?
Somehow, I find that hard to believe." He strode forward and
grabbed her arm with his free hand. "How in the blazing hells did
you think you could get away with stealing a ship?"

Waves of dread washed over her, but she
didn't feel the familiar tremors that normally signaled the
approach of a seizure. This once, she wished she could seek haven
in unconsciousness, but she'd faithfully taken the medication Chase
had given her.

"You would have gotten it back. I only
intended to take it as far as Sa—Zirak." Her thoughts seemed
increasingly harder to focus.

"I'm sick of your lies." Chase jerked her
toward him. "Come on."

Maybe the Orana would kill her before the
Controllers tortured her. Maybe she could use her knife to end it
before she became so delirious, she disclosed the sites of Shielder
colonies. But she didn't know if she even had the strength to reach
for her boot.

"No, this way," Chase snarled, dragging her
down the corridor, away from the hatch.

Surprise seeped into her mind. He wasn't
taking her off the ship. "Where are we going?" she asked, stumbling
and falling against his back.

He halted and whirled around. "What in the
Abyss is wrong with you?" He shook her hands away, scowling
fiercely. "You're burning up with fever. You look awful."

She reached for the wall behind her, hoping
she wouldn't collapse then and there. "I'm fine."

"Like hell! But you know what? I don't give
a damn if you're dying. Only that you live long enough to
experience how I treat scum of the universe. Come on."

Dragging her to the first brig cubicle, he
thrust her inside. He glared at her, hatred heating his eyes to
molten steel. She's seen them that color before, when he had
touched her in passion. Now those eyes held only loathing. The
reality of his feelings struck her like a blow.

She sank on the bunk, trembling
uncontrollably. "What are you planning to do?"

A bitter smile flashed across his face.
"You'll find out soon enough. But for now, you'll be incarcerated
in the brig. You're my prisoner. At my mercy, my every whim. Be
afraid, Nessa. Be very, very afraid."

He stepped back, his hand going to the
control panel. The barely audible hum indicated the force field had
been activated. Just then, a heavy pounding vibrated the hatch.
Chase looked down the corridor, his eyes narrowing. "I need to see
who that is."

He glanced back at her, the sneer returning
to his face, twisting his handsome features. "I'll be right back.
Don't go away."

She heard the determined stride of his boots
down the corridor, leaving her alone in a living nightmare. She
collapsed across the bunk, curling into a ball.

She had failed. Her people were right—she
was simply a worthless scavenger, incompetent and undeserving.

How long would it take her to die? she
wondered.

* * * *

Chase knew Sabin wouldn't be pounding on the
hatch. His partner had the code and always entered like he owned
the place. It was probably the authorities, having heard of the
reward offer and then spotting the ship. They were too late. He
would be collecting the reward himself. In flesh.

Even now, Nessa amazed him. She was a good
actress. Managing to seem truly sincere, looking at him with
fear-filled eyes, acting weak and helpless. How many people had she
conned? She probably wasn't a pilgrim at all, just a thief.

She hadn't faked her virginity, though. Or
coming apart in his arms. And she appeared genuinely ill. She
needed medical treatment. Concern tried to snake its way in and
defuse his fury. Angrily, he shook away the undermining thoughts
and feelings.

Nessa had proven herself a liar, a thief,
and only Spirit knew what else. After acting like Brand and Raven
brought out every maternal instinct within her, she'd dumped them
at the first opportunity. Thank Spirit they were in Sabin's capable
hands. Sabin had contacted Chase from the CTC, so he'd known Nessa
had headed back to the ship alone.

Anger welled anew. She would get hers—he'd
make sure of it. But he might treat her illness first—just to be
sure she was alert enough to experience the full force of his
wrath.

He snapped open the portal cover and studied
the Anteks standing outside. He hated dealing with the slow-witted
beings, but since they were Controller agents, he had to show them
at least a pretense of respect.

Putting aside his weapon, he opened the
hatch. "I'm Captain Chase McKnight, owner of this ship. I just
reclaimed it from the thief."

The three disrupters focused at his chest
didn't waver, their red active lights blinking ominously. Only the
Controllers would condone weapons as inhuman and destructive as
disrupters, Chase thought, disgusted. Or use Anteks as their
watchdogs. The rank odor of the three facing him did nothing to
lessen his revulsion of them.

"Hands up, citizen," ordered one. "Step
outside the ship."

He had no choice but to cooperate. Inwardly
seething, he moved forward, arms raised, and allowed an Antek to
run a scanner along his body. Satisfied, the Antek stepped back and
nodded to the first one, apparently the team leader. The leader
inclined his head toward the hatch, and his two subordinates
lumbered inside Chase's ship. He knew they would search every inch,
a right that had always infuriated him.

They'd search Nessa, too, and probably take
her into custody until they could check her identification.
Vengefully, he hoped it scared the blazing hells out of her. The
Anteks' treatment would be only a taste of what he had in mind for
her.

"Produce your identification," the leader
demanded, his weapon still trained on Chase. He took the disk Chase
offered, checking the seal, which showed no evidence of tampering.
Then he studied Chase, his beady eyes more cunning than those of
most Anteks. "You will come with me now. We will see about this
disk."

His credentials could easily be checked on
the portable computer unit strapped to the Antek's belt—standard
operating procedure. "Why don't you check it here?" Chase
suggested, barely containing his anger.

The Antek grinned, a feral sneer showing
yellow, decaying teeth. "I prefer to wait until we get to the
command center."

Chase gritted his jaw. Fine. Let the bastard
play his intimidation game. He'd check out, like he always did, but
he hated this watchdog routine the Controllers seemed to enjoy.
Just their way of reminding the quadrant's inhabitants who was in
charge. He strode toward the trams, ignoring the Antek breathing
down his neck. The pristine landing docks bustled with activity;
ships landing and departing, mechanical repairs being done, pilots
discussing trade and passenger runs.

How like the Controllers, to always present
the appearance of a perfectly ordered and run quadrant, with
Intrepid as a prime example, when cruelty and corruption formed the
foundation. A foundation based on blood and despair. Chase shook
his head at the irony.

He found he wasn't the only suspect with an
armed escort riding the tram to Command Headquarters. The Anteks
had been very busy today. At least his wrists and ankles weren't
shackled like most the other prisoners. Disgusted, he rode in
silence, staring at the profusion of greenery and vivid blooms, but
not really seeing it. His thoughts focused on when he would be
cleared to return to his ship—and to Nessa. She would regret ever
crossing him.

When he and his smelly companion finally
reached Headquarters, Chase was roughly shoved into a holding cell.
The brutish Anteks enjoyed their physical power. They had to, Chase
thought sourly, since they lacked any real intelligence.

The tiny holding cell reeked, most likely
from the slime coating the floor and the walls. Very little light
from the corridor infiltrated the dimness, probably just as well.
With nothing to sit on, Chase opted to remain on his feet.

He resisted the urge to pace, not that he
had the space to do so. Instead, he saved his energy for more
important things—such as taking Nessa apart when he got her back to
the ship. And designing a more secure PWL file. It amazed him she'd
been able to breach his security, especially with his ship equipped
with the most sophisticated computer system available in the
quadrant. But then, he'd underestimated her on more than one
occasion. That wouldn't happen again.

A guard deactivating his cell's force field
drew his attention. He stepped to the entry, ready to retrieve his
ID disk and return to his ship. He halted, annoyed to see a second
guard, and two disrupters trained on him again.