Destiny's Choice (The Wandering Engineer) (47 page)

Sprite
took a moment to answer. “I... I believe he is not a suspect Admiral. Call it a
hunch if you will, but he has been in your presence several times after each
incident and I've gotten a good reading from his vital signs. He showed signs
of anger, annoyance, and others, but no sign of it being focused on you.”

“Oh?” 
he got his head under control.

“Mister
Chambers has exhibited anger at the incident, and frustration over it happening
on his watch. He has a clean record and has not shown any signs of working with
anyone in this.”

“Interesting,”
Irons said sinking back into his seat slowly. After a moment he sat back. “He's
an honorable man?”

“As
far as he thinks. He is a prick however, but he's just doing his job in his
opinion.”

“Where
did that last come from?”

“His
online diary. Personal journal. I hacked it.”

“Sprite...”
he sighed.

“Which
is my other reason for knowing it's not him. I built a psychological profile
based on that. The journal goes back to the beginning of the voyage, and has
entries prior to it that were uploaded and appended. I've checked, they are all
legit, time stamp's match and no sign of tampering. He's on the level Admiral.”

“Okay,
but that doesn't rule out a leak.”

“No
but we have to start somewhere.”

Irons
was walking down the corridor a few minutes later when Sprite cleared her
virtual throat. “Yes?” he asked, stepping around a pair of talking passengers.
He was still getting a handle on his temper. She knew better than to bother him
while he was doing it. Obviously this was important enough to risk furthering
his ire.

“Mister
Chambers would like to speak with you.”

“I
figured as much,” he sighed, stopping and turning around. He made his way to
the chief's office. “Admiral Irons to see Mister Chambers,” he told the shift
supervisor. The moderately obese man shifted his weight a little, adjusting his
belt and then jerked his meaty hand to the side door. “In there. He's expecting
you.”

Irons
nodded politely. From his observation the shift super wasn't big on working
out. Or if he was, he stuck to weights and not aerobics. Pity, it would catch
up with him soon enough. “Right,” he went in the indicated direction, rapped on
the door and then entered.

“You
wanted to see me Mister Chambers?”

“Chief.”

“I'd
think Chief Bailey would be a bit put out over that. Something about to many
chiefs and not enough Indians,” Irons said with a smile. The security chief’s
office was spartan and functional. Metal desk, LCD monitor on one corner, a
slinky on another, two chairs, a coffee pot tucked into a corner and a food
replicator. He turned. Oh and a not quite hidden armory tucked behind what was
supposed to look like wooden wall paneling. Interesting.

Ed
rolled his eyes. “For heaven's sake Admiral, knock it off. Sit.” he pointed to
the chair across from his desk. “Coffee?” he asked, holding up a pot.

Irons
raised an eyebrow as he sat. The security chief was being very informal and
down right friendly. “Sure, why not.”

“Black
I take it,” Ed asked, phrasing that as more of a statement than question.

“Right.”

“Here
you go,” he offered the cup, sliding it across the desk and then turning to
pour himself another shot. “I've been meaning to talk to you but I, well...”

Irons
shrugged. “You're the investigator, you can't break protocol and inform me.”

Chambers
scowled and then shrugged. Irons had been the bigger man, held out the olive
branch. It was time, hell, past time he took it. “And I've been cool to you for
other reasons. I know, I've been an ass. I admit it. Born an ass, I'll die an ass.”

Irons
smiled, a genuine smile of amusement at that statement. “I wasn't saying
anything,” he replied, picking up the still steaming coffee cup and taking a
sip.

“You
didn't have to,” Chambers said with a snort of derision, “it's been pointed out
to me. I'm not as big a prick as that pencil necked pencil pushing pencil
shoved up his ass Charlie, but I'm a character in my own conceited way.”

“If
you say so. I'm not going to argue with a man while in his own office. Good
coffee by the way,” Irons said, taking another sip.

“Good,
glad that's out of the way,” Chambers said sitting back. “I took a few courses
while in Anvil. I never, well...” he grimaced. “I admit, I wasn't happy about
someone telling me how to do my job.”

“What
changed your mind?” Irons asked.

“I
caught one of my people reading a text and bawled him out. I thought he was
reading some stupid book. He was, but it wasn't a simple book. Forensics for
dummies if you can believe it!” he chuckled, shaking his head.

“It's,
hmmmm. I'm not sure if it's on the syllabus or not.”

Chambers
shook his head. “It's not, but he said he got it off a recommended reading
list. That and a bunch of material on police procedure and intelligent
investigation methods. That got me to wake up and take a second look. Damn near
missed out on a lot of good material.”

“Became
a believer?” Irons asks amused.

“You
could say that. Which leads me to this. I've gone over what Sprite sent me.
It's thin.”

“Very.”

“But
the only way to get to the bottom of it is to confront them. Or wait until
we're back in Pyrax and find out there by tracing the accounts. Me? I'm not
willing to wait.”

“Glad
we're of the same mind,” Irons said amused.

Ed
gave him an appraising look and then snorted. “I caught you in the nick of time
didn't I?”

“I
was on my way to follow the lead yes.”

“Well,
if I can't keep you out of it, and since yours is the neck on the line, I might
as well keep you in it. Damn the book,” Ed said, setting his cup down and
getting up.

“Sometimes
the book has to be ignored. It's a set of guidelines after all,” Irons said
setting his cup down and getting up as well.

“Fine,
lets see what we can find out.”

Irons
followed the security chief as they made their way through the corridors. Mr.
Chambers moved purposefully, with a gait that made most people step aside and
make a hole. His boots echoed on the deck, marching in orderly precision, never
wavering, even when they came to intersections. He preferred to take ladders
over the  lifts which was fine with Irons. Along the way they picked up tag
along guard as if by magic. He wasn't sure if it was their boss's look or some
hand sign but they fell in line quickly and quietly.

“I'm
not going to have any trouble am I?” Chambers asked, pausing at a hatch. Irons
scanned the interior. A Neo-cat was within. From the look of it the compartment
was the same floor plan as his. Basic and spartan. Good. No weapons other than
what the cat had built into her. Also good. Unfortunately it was a Neo lioness,
a cat that was easily a hundred kilo's of lithe feline grace and killing power.

“No.”
He looked around to be sure. No, none of the other cats were around. Good. They
didn't need a second front in case this went south.

“Good.”

“Wait,
you're not going to play good cop bad cop are you?” he asked.

Chambers
paused and gave one of his subordinates an amused look. The big guy snorted.
“That's for the movies.” His finger stabbed at the entry button.

The
hatch opened and he leaned in. “Miss Asia a moment of your time please?”

The
lioness blinked and then her eyes narrowed. She cocked her head and Irons could
see her pulse quicken as the tips of her claws came out.

“What's
this about?” she growled.

“We'd
like to ask you some questions about....”

That
was as far as Ed got before a bolt of energy leapt out of a nearby plasma
conduit and slammed into the Admiral. He felt the jolt of heat and power, but
his systems handled it easily, dampening it. He felt it enter the decking.

“Careful!”
he said, turning. “Someone call engineering! Get that locked down now!” he
yelled just as another bolt struck.

Asia
squealed as her foot touched the floor. The others were shielded since they had
insulated shoes, however she had kicked off her flip-flops and was barefoot.
When her bare foot touched the deck it completed a circuit of least resistance.
The energy ran up her foot, through her calf and then off through a table
touching her leg and into the holo projector on the table. Energy crackled into
her and she shook like a rag doll before dropping to the deck. The holo
projector sparked, light exploded from it as it overloaded and blew in a shower
of sparks and crackling energy.

“MEDIC!”
Irons yelled turning his head away from the explosion.

“We
can't call out! Comms are jammed!” guards called back. They were picking their
radio receivers out of their ears.

“Static
energy, send a runner, your comms are fried by EMP probably. Get someone out of
this. And damn it, lock that down!” Irons said, going over to the now blackened
EPS conduit panel and placing his right hand on it. His shields shrugged off
the next spike. He reached in and squeezed, feeling crystal crumble in his
hand. What ever that was it was finished now.

They
waited for Asia to wake. Bryan had said it would take time, she'd gotten a good
piece of energy, enough to do serious physical damage. Fortunately it hadn't
arced across her heart. Had it done that she'd have died instantly. The energy
had chewed up a lot of tissue in her leg, going from her foot up to her knee
before jumping out to the metal table nearby.

The
Neo cat's frame filled up the gurney. One of these days Irons was going to
remember to replicate Bryan a larger gurney or two. Maybe a regular hospital
bed. Hell an antigrav tank might be nice.

He
looked around the room. Security was all over. There were a half a dozen guards
in the room. None of them looked at all happy. He could understand why.

Hera
was there, summoned by Bryan and Ed Chambers. After that incident Irons had an
inkling of what was going on. He was curious though to see if she would admit
it.

“So,
awake I see,” the paramedic said, watching her eyelids flutter.

“You
okay?” Hera asked, hand paw on her friend's arm.

“Yes,”
she grimaced, her eyelids fluttered open. “Water,” she croaked. Bryan held up a
straw and she sucked at it for a moment. She moved her arm and then paused at
the sight of the IV. Golden eyes turned to the medic. They bored into him long
enough to make him pause before professional decorum kicked in.

“Electrolytes
and saline to replace the water you lost. Also some regeneration metafactors to
help rebuild the burnt tissue. You've lost most of the calf muscle of your
right leg, your Achilles tendon, and some skin on your heel and knee. The fur
as well,” Bryan grimaced, waving his hands at the smell. She grimaced at the
burnt smell as well.

“So
I'll live?”

“Looks
that way,” Chambers said with a nod. She flicked a glance his way and then
locked golden eyes onto the Admiral. Her jaw flexed, canines slightly exposed
themselves when her lips thinned. Her nostrils dilated and then her eyes
narrowed. Her claws came out, shredding the sheets around her paws. Irons
didn't need to see her vital signs on the monitor to see she was agitated.

“Easy,”
the Doc said, concerned. She looked over to the Admiral. “Perhaps you shouldn't
be here,” he said. It sounded more of a suggestion than a comment. Irons didn't
care, he wanted to be there, he needed to know something.

“No,
I wanted him here,” the security chief said, hand on the butt of his stunner.
“We need to get this straight now before scuttlebutt gets carried away.”

“Good
luck with that,” Sprite said to the Admiral's ears alone. He tried not to sigh
but partially failed. “It's already all over the ship chief Chambers, As
usual.”

Chambers
grimaced and shook his head. Irons glanced at him and then down to the Neo
feline.

“You
were offered this passage in exchange for killing me weren't you?” he asked
softly.

Hera
stiffened, eyes going to the Admiral, then down to her new matriarch. She saw
confirmation in the golden eyes. “You...”

“Made
a deal with the devil. It fits,” the security chief said, shaking his head.
“The accidents...”

“Weren't
by me,” Asia said clearly. She growled softly. “Yes, I was told that my...
our...” She shot a glance to her clan mate. “Our passage was paid for when we
killed you.” Her eyes locked on Irons for a moment. He returned her predator
stare with his own. “However I decided to... change that when you discovered
the virus.”

“Change
it?” Hera asked, as surprised as everyone else.

“Clearly
we... I was dealing with someone who was not trustworthy. They would have
killed us all if not for the Admiral. So, why not cheat a cheater?” Asia asked,
lips curving back in a primal grin.