The Enclave (The Verge) (7 page)

“Yes Skipper.”

Katherine met her escort on the Quay and she then followed the security officer through the docks to the car waiting for them outside the terminal; they then sped off into the heart of the city.  The city looked majestic in the soft evening light and Katherine took this quiet time to soak up the sights.  As the evening slowly darkened around them, the city began to come alive with light and Katherine was impressed by the wide green spaces and beautiful tree lined streets.  Private homes soon gave way to small business districts and as the driver noted her interest in the city, he began to point out landmarks and entertainment areas.  But all too soon the car pulled into an underground car park in what was obviously a government administration building.

As they both stepped out of the car, Katherine thanked Liam for the impromptu tour and was happily surprised when the man smiled and gave her his Caller ID in case she wanted to do it again when they were both off duty.  She smiled back.  He was an attractive man and, though her crew might disagree, she was still human.

A high silky voice intruded abruptly and ruined the mood.

“Good evening
Commander
Kirk.  The Ambassador is expecting you.”

Katherine grimaced and saw Liam do the same.  Her estimation of him went up as notch.  She also did not miss the emphasis placed on her rank.

“I’ll leave you now to her tender mercies,” he whispered to her.

“I’ll remember this next time we meet,” Katherine replied and Liam flashed another smile as he slipped back into the driver’s seat.

“Call me,” Liam said as he started the car and Katherine stepped away as he reversed out of the parking space and headed out of the garage.

Katherine then turned to Julie Hayes with her best fake smile.  “Ms. Hayes.”

“Follow me.”  Hayes turned and headed to the lift, still wearing that smug little smile.

But Katherine’s ride over was enjoyable enough that Hayes could not affect her mood.  Once this mission was over, and she had the time, maybe she would give Liam a call.  As Tom had reminded her a few days ago; she was alive and should act like it.  Maybe she was just having a high from breathing fresh air instead of the recycled and scrubbed atmosphere of a starship.

The trip to the Ambassador’s floor was thankfully quick.  And quiet.  Hayes stood slightly in front, immaculately dressed and did her best to ignore the naval officer sharing the lift with her.  Katherine hooked her hands in her coat pockets; it was old but was her favorite as was the skivvy and trousers she wore.  They were casual, neat and comfortable, much like herself.

The lift came to a halt and Hayes was on the move even before the lift doors opened.  Katherine smiled as she followed along in her wake
.  She can’t stand my company as well.  At least that’s something we have in common – mutual dislike.
  Halfway down the corridor Hayes spoke.

“Don’t keep the Ambassador too long.  He has a busy day tomorrow.”

“What are you now?  His mother?”  The words just slipped out and Hayes tossed her a venomous look.             

“At least I’m not an ex-wife!”

What the?!
Katherine stopped in her tracks.  “What in hell is that supposed to mean?  He was married?  Are you and John together?”

Some color actually appeared on Hayes’s cheeks.  “That’s none of your business.”

“True enough.  I don’t want to know about my brother’s sex life – especially if it involves you.”  Katherine shoved her hands deeper into her coat pockets.  “Are we going to go?” she nodded down the corridor but Hayes looked at her as if she had just been slapped with a wet fish.

“Brother?” Her voice cracked.

“Yes, brother.  And I want to get this meeting over and done with as dearly as you do.”

“Yes. Yes of course.”  Hayes quickly turned and hurried off down the corridor.

Katherine followed along after her, a small frown on her face. 
What was that all about?  Do I really care?
  But before she could think of an answer, Hayes opened a door and ushered her into a large sitting room.  John sat relaxed in a lounge chair, but he stood as they both entered the room.  “Thank you Julie.  You may go.”

Julie Hayes turned and walked quickly from the room, closing the door quickly behind her.

“Hello John.”

“Hello Katherine.”  John pointed to an arm chair and they both sat.  “Drink?” he asked and Katherine shook her head.

“I’ve just had an interesting conversation with your flunky,” she said as John poured himself a drink from the bottle on the coffee table.

“How so?”  John recapped the bottle and leaned back in his chair.

“How long has Hayes worked for you?”

“Only about three months.  Why?”  John gave her a puzzled look.

“So, long enough to get to know you, but not long enough to know
all
about you.”

“What are you getting at Kath?” John took a sip from her glass but there was a smile playing on his lips.  At least he was enjoying himself.

“Nothing.  Just ignore me,” she laughed holding up her hands to ward him off.  “You may have noticed that your aide rubs me the wrong way.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed, but you’re both big enough to swim in the same pond.”

“Anyway John, there’d better be more to this than wanting a social drink with your sister.”

“Yes there is.  I wanted to finish our talk.”  John’s face abruptly lost its jovial look; replaced by the Spook mask.

“I thought we had ‘finished our talk’?” 
Hyde being free was bad enough.  How worse can it be?

“I informed you what I could accept the crew of the
Adelaide
being told.  What I have to say now is for your ears alone.”

“What is going on John?”  Katherine felt a needle of fear prick at her mind.  This was not going to be good.

John leaned forward in his chair and faced her.  “We have more information about what the aim of this Alliance black ops is.  It looks to be connected with the attack on Adveral.”

“What connection can there be between Val Myra and Adveral?”

“A very tenuous one.  Yunga.”

Katherine jerked back as if burned.

“Yunga was destroyed.  I made sure of that.”

“As you know there were only two people who came back out of that place alive.  That was yourself and the Alliance solider you rescued.”

Katherine tried to stop herself from shivering.  “I couldn’t leave him there.  That place was pure evil; and I’m glad I blew it back to Hell.”

Images that Katherine had long managed to shut away from her mind’s eye flooded back.  And the feelings they bought with them nearly made her cry out, the pain, the agony, the endless rounds of drugs and operations; and the sure knowledge that there was one other who suffered as she did.

“They were killing him, killing us.  He was the only one who spoke to me like a person in the dark of night when we were alone in our cages.  One day they went too far with him and my guards became sloppy – to absorbed with what was happening to him next door.  And they paid for it.  They all paid for it.”

It was the most she had ever said about Yunga.  Even Tom did not know a third of what had happened there.  The worst of it Katherine had kept to herself.  The monsters were all dead and that suited her just fine.

“The man you rescued had only just been returned to his family by the Federation.  Did you know his name?’

Katherine shook her head.  “Names were unimportant and he wasn’t in any condition to talk when I bought him out of that place.”  Katherine felt a twinge of guilt.  She had never tried to find the man after they were picked up by a Federation patrol attracted to the explosions on the Yunga moon.  He was sent to a RANSIO medical facility and she was tended by the Fleet.  She had never asked after him because she never wanted to think on the events at Yunga again.  It was past.  It was over.  But now it looked as if it was coming back to haunt her.

“When Val Myra began to covertly negotiate with the Federation about leaving the Alliance, they asked if we had any intelligence on a member of the Val Myran leading family.  A man by the name of Daniel Val Myra.”  John paused to see if the name registered with Katherine.  It didn’t.  “By an off chance, it was then discovered that the man you had rescued from Yunga
was
Daniel.  He was returned to his family and within a month Val Myra had been attacked and the reports sent to RANSIO from the New Holland Security Branch suggests that Daniel Val Myra had been taken.”

Katherine stared at her brother in shock.  “I had only been home a few months before Adveral was attacked.”

“Katherine-” John moved to touch her arm but Katherine leapt from her chair.

“John.  Don’t.”  She backed quickly away from her brother putting as much distance between them as the room allowed.  “Are you sa
ying that Adveral was attacked because of me?  That I am the cause of my family’s death?”

“I’m not saying that.”  John rose from his chair but made no move towards her.  “The Alliance is the cause of their deaths.  But we now think that they were after
you
.”

“Because of Yunga.”

“Yes.”

Katherine drew a deep breath to bury her fear, her memories, to box them back into their secure corner of her mind.  She felt her face harden into the familiar face of command.  Rationalization over emotion.

“You want to use me as bait.”

John hesitated but still nodded,
Yes
.

“So the ‘SID analysts must think the link more than just ‘tenuous’.”

“Yes, they do.”

Katherine leaned back against the wall.  She really needed to get some rest, but now she dreaded the prospect.

“How was he?” Katherine asked finally.

“Daniel?”  When Katherine nodded, John said, “Physically he was fine.  But mentally?”  John shook his head.  “I’m not the right person to ask.  I’ve never met him, but his report stated he had a ‘skewed reality’, but his mind and memories were coming back.  It was thought that being placed in familiar surroundings might help heal him.”

“And you think that the Alliance have taken him again.”

“I’m sure of it.”

Katherine pushed herself away from the wall and returned to stand behind her chair and glared at the man seated across from her.  Hate filled her soul and right now she hated her brother more than she had ever done in the past.  She felt used and manipulated.

“I’m not going to sit and play bait for you John.  I’m going to get him back.  I’m a hunter and I’m going to hunt these bastards down and bring Daniel home.”  Katherine nearly choked over the name. 
His name was, is, Daniel!
  “He kept me sane, I owe him for that.”

“But Kath-”

“Don’t ‘but Kath’ me John.  Unless you have orders direct from Fleet telling me specifically to play ‘bait’ or to do
exactly
what you say then I’m not going to do it.”  Katherine glared at her brother who said nothing.  “Then I think this meeting is over.”

“Kath.  Listen to me.  Some of the security detail that travelled with me is to be assigned to protect you while-”

“I do not need to be protected John.  And if I did, I would only trust the crew of the
Adelaide
to do it.”

“You are a stubborn, pig headed-” John threw up his hands in frustration.  “I need you to work with me, not in parallel to me.”

“I will not play bait.”

“Fine.  Just remember that whatever we both do, we do it together.”

Katherine said nothing but nodded.
As long as what we decide to do coincides with what
I
want.

“Good.”

“Now, I need to get back to my ship.”  Katherine did not wait for John’s reply as she stormed out of the room.

Chapter

Seven

This thought repeated itself in Katherine’s mind as she stepped out of the underground car park and onto the street.

The heavy scent of evening flowers assailed her nostrils and Katherine breathed it in deeply, savoring every sensation it caused within her.  She held the scent in her throat long enough she could even taste it.  The smell calmed her fear and her rapidly beating heart began to drop back to its normal rhythm.

Across from her stood a park and Katherine remembered the string of bars that Liam had pointed out to her before they pulled into the car park.  She would choose one, go in and have a few drinks without any of her crew being none the wiser.  She needed to forget, to numb the pain, just for tonight.  Tomorrow she will begin the hunt for Daniel and for Hyde.  She could live with the newly dredged up hate and pain while doing that.

Katherine buried her hands in her coat pockets and headed across the street to the park.  The park was quiet and peaceful but Katherine hurried through it and stepped into the first bar she came to.  It was neat, tidy and not too crowded.  And it was quiet.

She went to an empty spot at the bar and ordered a scotch, but Katherine delayed drinking it.  She sat staring at the glass but was very aware of the people around her.  It was then that she realized that what she really wanted was not to be left alone with her thoughts or feelings.  At Yunga she was always alone; except when he was able to talk to her. 

Daniel.  His name is Daniel. 

Katherine took a sip from her drink and let the mouthful of scotch roll over her tongue before swallowing it. 

Did Daniel find out her name? Or did he wish to forget as well?

She took another sip from her scotch and then glanced around the bar.

The small crowd that was here sat scattered about the small, intimate tables, most looked to be couples out enjoying a drink.  The others were like her.  Alone and sitting at the bar.  Katherine looked at the row of people sitting closest to her.  All were male and all looked like they had come straight from the office.  Katherine knocked back the rest of her glass and signaled for another drink.

Bastard.  Cold blooded bastard.
  Katherine grimaced into her glass. 
How could he?  Orders or no orders, John should have known better. 
Whatever goodwill Katherine had for her brother was now quickly slipping away.  Yunga had effectively smashed down and cleared away the rubble of their new found relationship from her side. 

Did he play nice just to get her onside to bait Hyde? 

Katherine finished her second glass but did not call immediately for a third.  She hoped her brother was not that shallow but a little voice deep down inside was skeptical. 

Being her brother would have been the main reason
Naval Intelligence chose John for this mission.  If he had a conscience he would have refused.  Should have refused.

Katherine called for another drink and the bartender bought her a double.

“You might want to slow down your intake there.”

Katherine looked up at the bartender and the man took a step back.  She blinked and shook her head, smoothing away the anger she could feel plastered all over her face. “Legal warning right?”

The man nodded.

“Fine.  I’ll make this my last,” she said raising the double.  The bartender pushed a datapad over to her.  Katherine raised an eyebrow at the price but still passed her finger over the Gentec scanner to approve payment.  The bartender then left her in peace.

This place was too quiet.  After this drink is finished, she will leave to find somewhere louder and more crowded.  Somewhere that would keep the raw edge of her newly dredged memories from overwhelming her.

Night had now taken hold outside and Katherine dug her hands deep into her coat pockets as she headed across the park, not really caring which direction she went in.  She had a comm unit with her in case she got lost and needed a cab.

Katherine found herself wandering in the direction she thought Liam had said some good dance clubs were located, but once she came out of the park, all she found was high rise housing.

Should I give Liam a call?
  But Katherine immediately dismissed the thought.  If she was going to be with someone tonight, she would prefer it to be with someone that will never be seen again.

Maybe these clubs are located behind this housing estate?
  Katherine walked several blocks, keeping her ears pricked for the slightest sounds of music, but all she could hear was the quietness of people settling in their homes for the night.  The streets looked deserted and the farther she walked, the more depressing the buildings and atmosphere became.

This is hopeless.
  Katherine stopped suddenly on the footpath and looked about her. 
Might as well head back to the park and grab a cab back to the port.
 

As she turned to head back, Katherine heard the scrape of metal as something moved in the covered doorway across the street.  The quietness magnified the sound and it sparked a surge of emotion within her, triggered by the fresh memories of Yunga.  She tensed as five figures bled out from the darkness across the street and slowly moved to form a loose semi circle around her.

Great.  Just my luck! 

Katherine moved back closer to the wall.

“Just look what we have here,” one man said.  “Bloody thieving Alliance scum,” said another.  “We don’t want no Val Myrans here!”

Katherine frowned.  There were only five of them, she had survived worse odds.  There was a strong smell of alcohol in the air but these men did not act intoxicated.  Katherine kept silent and readied herself.

“You should never have wandered out of the estate.”  The man closest to her jerked his head toward the end of the street.  Then there was the brief flash of steel and they rushed her.

Katherine pushed forward and grabbed the first body that came within reach and threw him hard into the wall behind her.  Bracing an elbow, she rammed it back behind her and heard the satisfying crunch of ribs.  That body fell away and Katherine swung out a leg as someone grabbed her other arm.  Her
deck boot met soft flesh and the scream told her that the man’s knee was crushed, but searing pain bought Katherine’s attention back to the grip on her arm.  “Got you bitch!” The last man looped an arm around Katherine’s throat and the other pulled his knife from her arm and held it to her jaw.

Katherine stilled.  Her injured arm hung at her side and she could feel blood trickling between her fingers.

“Fucking Bitch,” the man with the knife spat at her.  “You’ll pay for this.”

Her legs were still free and the man’s groin was very tempting, but before Katherine could act she heard the crack of a fist meeting flesh and felt the arm around her throat slip away.

Knife man jumped back, holding the blade uncertainly before him.  The knife was small and it glistened with her blood.  But the man had not jumped back far enough.  Katherine flicked out her leg before the man could react and felt the toe of her boot bury itself in the softness of the man’s genitals.  As he doubled over in pain, he dropped the knife and Katherine gave him a solid punch to the side of the head, knocking him out cold.

“Bastards,” she muttered as her injured arm began to throb.

“Are you okay?”

Katherine swung around, subconsciously noting that all of her attackers were unconscious.

“Yeah...” the rest of her words froze in her throat as she looked at the tall man shaking out a knuckle grazed hand.  Sandy haired, blue eyed and looked very familiar. 
Daniel?
Katherine gave herself a shake as she felt her past try and slide over her
.  It can’t be Daniel.  It can’t be.
  She looked away.

“You’re bleeding.”  The man stepped closer to her, carefully as if afraid that she would bolt, and gestured to her arm.

Katherine looked at him again and now saw a stranger.  Not Daniel. He just looked like him.  She raised her arm and looked at the gash that ran down her forearm.  It was a clean cut, once cleaned and sutured it would heal in a day or two and within a week it would be a new scar among the many already there.

“It looks worse than it is.”

“Let me look at it, I have a medikit back at my place.”  He gestured down the street in the same direction one of her assailants had nodded.  “It’s not far.”

Katherine looked carefully at the stranger but saw only genuine concern in his eyes.  She should go and inform the
Adelaide
about this incident.  But it can wait.  The man was right; she should get this looked at quickly.  It would take a while to get transport back to the Port and all the rigmarole that would go along with it.  A diplomatic incident was not what she needed right now.

“Sure,” Katherine nodded.  “Thanks for the timely help,” she said as they walked to the building at the end of the street.

“I doubt that you really needed it.”  He fished into a pants pocket and pulled out a large white handkerchief.  “Here, don’t worry its clean.”  He quickly wrapped it around Katherine’s elevated arm to try and stop the bleeding.

“A hankie?  I haven’t seen one of these in years.”

“My mother made me carry one when I was a kid.  I guess the habit stuck.  I’m Joshua by the way.”  He smiled at her.

“I’m Katherine.  The police will need to be informed.”  She jerked her head back down the street at the prone bodies.

“Don’t worry; they were called before I came out.  That group has been prowling around for a few nights now looking for a victim.  You just happened to come along at the wrong time.”

“They just happened to pick the wrong woman to bully you mean.”  Katherine smiled.  And she felt a hell of a lot better.  Her body was still on a high from the adrenalin that coursed through her veins and the fight had taken an edge off her aggression.  “When the police arrive I’ll go out and make a statement.”

“That’s not a good idea.  The New Holland Police aren’t too keen on outsiders at the moment.  They would throw you in prison as well just for being Val Myran.”

“I’m not Val
Myran.  But I’m not from New Holland either,” Katherine said as she was shown through a small side door into the apartment building.  “I must have a sign over my head today that says ‘kick me’.”

Joshua opened a door.  “Just through here.”

The apartment was plain, simple and comfortable and Joshua ushered her to the lounge before disappearing into what must be the bathroom. Katherine carefully slipped off her coat, frowning at the now wrecked sleeve. 
There was no way that invisible stitching could fix that!
   She slowly removed the blood soaked hanky and studied her arm.  Joshua reappeared with a red medikit in one hand and a water bowl and wash cloth in the other.

“Welcome to my home,” he said placing everything on the coffee table and taking a seat beside her on the couch.  “Let me look at that.”  Joshua squeezed t
he excess water from the wash cloth into the bowl and Katherine offered up her injured arm to his ministrations.

“So.  Where are you from if not from here?” he asked as he cleared the blood away from her arm.

“From Earth initially,” she replied as she watched Joshua work on her injury.  His hands were firm but gentle and their touch distracted her from the pain.  “Lately I’ve just been a citizen of the Gateways.”

“A Spacer?” Joshua asked in surprise.  “If you don’t mind me saying, you don’t look it.”

“What are Spacers supposed to look like?  Big, large, hairy and butch?”

“No, of course not, it’s just…” Joshua
stopped as he dumped the wash cloth in the water bowl and removed the sutures from the medikit.

“Just What?”  Any thought she had of calling the
Adelaide
or meeting the police had evaporated.  Even with all she had been through tonight, it was just nice to sit down and talk to someone without them expecting anything of you.

Joshua looked embarrassed.  “It’s just that you don’t expect a woman who looks like you do to choose to be a Spacer.”  Joshua quickly plastered the sutures over the wound, applied the spray bandage and sat back.  “You look like you should be an actor or celebrity.”

“Bet you say that to all the girls.”  Katherine smiled.  She felt flattered.  “So what do you do for a crust?”

“I’m an Administrator, which is really a fancy name for dogsbody.”  Joshua closed up the medikit.  “Would you like a drink?  Coffee, water, tea?”

“A coffee would be nice.”  Katherine flexed her forearm, the sutures held the cut securely.  “You did a good job with this Joshua,” she said as he went to the meal counter to put the kettle on.

“Thanks.  Do you take two sugars and milk?”

Katherine nodded and leaned back into the couch.  A feeling of euphoria washed over her, the adrenaline high had reached its peak.  She always felt this way after a close run fight.

Once the kettle had boiled, Joshua made up two cups.  On the way back to the couch, he paused to look out the only window. 

“Is there anyone there yet?” Katherine asked.

“Yes.  There are two officers out there.  They look to have everything in hand, they’ve bought a van with them.”