Gunship (20 page)

Crazy Ray stared at the camera, a strange light in his eye. “Where?”

“Roen. A former employee came across our bulletins and recognized the good captain and her crew. The Seekers should catch up with them within the week.”

“The whole crew?”

“Yes, all of them together. With the Tethers, we should have no issues in ensuring their timely return to your station.” Welch smiled as he thought of his own plans at that point.

“Was there a boy?”

Welch looked hard at Crazy Ray. “No, no boy. But the rest of them were there. So we round them up and you can have all of them for guests and I get my business ledgers back.”

Crazy Ray chewed on a nail and paced briefly. “Very well. But they had a boy with them last time. If he is there, he is not to be touched. The others, as long as they are alive and not too damaged for my detainers to work on, will get their turns to show me how sorry they are for their miscalculations. But the boy is special, and I need a new pet to replace the one that you so rudely dispatched.”

Welch thinly disguised his disgust. If the kid was there, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to hand him over to this freak. The others he didn’t care about, but for some reason the idea of a child living with this monster so he could be turned into the next Vishon seemed an abomination. Well, he could play along for now. If his plans proceeded as expected, Crazy Ray would have just enough time to enjoy torturing a couple of his guests before Welch terminated him anyway.

“Fine, you get the boy too if he is there. And I will instruct the Tethers to handle him with care.”

Crazy Ray seemed to glow with murderous enthusiasm as he thought about the hours of enjoyment he had ahead of him with his guests to be and in training his new pet. He nodded at the screen and clicked off, humming an old Scottish tune while he opened up the closet. Off to one side was another set of doors. Crazy Ray punched in a code and they slide open quietly. Inside was a small metal cell with a metal slab for a bed and a small metal desk and toilet. The only light was a single square in the center of the ceiling. He continued to hum as he selected a drab gray blanket and pillow and tossed them into the cell. In the middle of the floor were several rings welded in place, and to these he attached a set of long, chained shackles. They always tried to escape the first few weeks, until he had them properly broken in. He usually wound up killing them when that happened. It wasn’t his fault, of course; he let them all know up front that he had a bad temper. He really hoped that this boy would be different. It felt like they had really connected during their short visit. Maybe this would be the one. He had always wanted a child of his own, but women bored him, and consequently none of them ever lived long enough to carry a child for him. He wanted to find a successor, someone worthy of the family business, but so far none of his pets had even come close. This boy had potential, but even if he wasn’t the one, he would still make a fine pet. It would be nice to have a pet again. Life was just so exhausting without one. Crazy Ray closed off the room again, still humming, and lay down in his bed, watching the Seekers and Tethers as they began their jumps towards his quarry. “See you soon, my boy!” he chuckled to himself in the dark. “I’ll see you all very soon!”

—————

Colonel Zain monitored the boy. He was asleep again following the second holoprogram. The retention was still good, upwards of 80%. Bravo had covered countersurveillance, basic survival, and basic close-quarters combat skills. The doctor’s screening also had unusually good results. Zain hated to push, but once Reilly left Roen, the training would become more difficult and the signals would have to be better hidden to avoid detection by the rest of the crew. It was a risk either way, but as long as the boy continued to show progress without any negative side effects, it was worth it. He was going to need every operator he could get, and the kid showed real potential.

“Sir.” A sergeant appeared and handed the Commander a sealed folder, then left again.

Zain opened it and then placed it on the desk in front of him. Senator Kirol was dead. Kirol had led the push to grant Zain special powers. The death certificate listed death from natural causes and stated heart attack due to clogged arteries. A follow-up report indicated that trace amounts of a chemically synthesized nanoagent, Placotol, had been found in his system. The nanoagent was dispersed by aerosol and promptly went to work replicating a yellowish buildup in the arteries that mimicked what a doctor would expect to see in a heart attack victim. The Commander closed the folder and turned back to his computer. Holoprogram Echo was almost complete, and he wanted to put the finishing touches on it before he went to bed.

Chang and Ty helped Shep drag the bodies out of the bar for the local coroner to collect while Marek and Duv dumped sawdust on the floor to soak up the blood. It was morning and everyone had gone home, leaving Reilly’s crew alone with the tac-squad members standing guard outside. Shortly after the fight had finished, the tac-squad had rolled in and locked down everything and everyone. Witnesses gave their accounts and information to the investigators. A few patrons had captured some of the action on their handhelds as they rushed for the doors. After viewing the vids, the tac-squad commander promised to increase patrols in the area. When Reilly informed him that there might be a few additional folks looking to cause them trouble, he asked how long they planned to stay on Roen. Reilly got the hint.

The town had taken up arms after the attempt on Reilly. Most folks were packing as they went about their daily business. If trouble was looking for them, it would be keeping a low profile right now.

Reilly watched Marek as he helped sweep up glass and right tables alongside the rest of her crew.

“Thanks,” she called out to him when he was done, waving him over to the bar.

“It wasn’t anything much.”

“You saved my sergeant’s life. Ty had some good things to say about you from your service together.”

At that, Marek grinned. “Me an’ Ty, we go back a bit. He’s about half crazy, but I’d go to war with him any day of the week. He told me what’s what with y’all, and I’d still like a shot at your mechanic job if it ain’t been taken yet. I ain’t scared of no man, and hard work won’t scare me off either.”

Reilly looked at him. “Well, I guess the job is yours, then.”

Marek nodded. “Rules?”

“That’s easy. Don’t piss me off, don’t get anyone killed, don’t be stupid, and watch each other’s backs. I like to keep it simple. That way there’s less room for people to misunderstand me.”

Marek nodded. “Fair ’nough. When you moving into your new ship?”

At that, the rest of the crew stopped and looked over at Reilly. She tried to stare them down, then finally gave in. “Oh, all right. I bought a damn ship and didn’t tell you all. I was planning to take you by to see her last night. That was before I turned into a bullet magnet.” They continued to stare expectantly at her. She sighed, emptied her mug, and bottomed up a shot for good measure, then shook her head to wake up.

“Duv, go wake Seth up and meet us back here in ten minutes. We can all walk over together and check her out before breakfast.”

Duv took off to get Skeeter while the others hurried along with their work. Finally, Shep waved them out so he could close up. They all gathered on the porch as Skeeter ran up, followed by Duv, who came at a jog. He gave her the look, and she shook her head.

“Not a word, Seth. You either, Marek,” Reilly warned as she stepped off the porch into the red dirt of the street.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, ma’am.” Marek fell into step with Ty, and the group unconsciously spread as if walking on patrol. They appeared relaxed, smiling and joking as they followed Reilly to the Cirrus lot, but to a trained eye it was apparent that they were all on guard. Ty noticed even Skeeter had fallen into step with the rest of them and appeared to be keeping watch on his quadrant. Maybe Reilly or one of the others had covered that with him. Whoever had done it, it had certainly stuck. Ty made a mental note to take the kid shooting and show him the ins and outs of his new rifle later that week.

Lee Roy spotted them as they walked up and came out to offer a warm welcome and coffee, which Duv grabbed up immediately. Reilly signed the contract and swiped her handheld to make the final payment. Then Lee handed over the security codes for the ship and waved them on towards the back of the lot. Reilly and Chang walked together up front, discussing the pros and cons of the ships they were passing. A loud sigh interrupted them.

Reilly glanced back and spotted Ty sulking. “What?”

“I hate getting new ships. I’m gonna have to redo my entire tactical map and find a good room that will work with all of my backup plans. Not to mention getting up to speed on the guns, operating systems, emergency overrides, and the like. You know there was only one ship that I ever had down perfect, and she was beautiful. I could fight in, on, or around that ship anytime, any condition, and I knew she was always there for me. Gods I miss that ship!”

“Hmmm…sounds to me like somebody needs a woman!” Duv laughed and then almost choked on his coffee as Skeeter followed up with his own comment.

“You could always introduce Sergeant Ty to that lady you were interviewing. She sounded nice…” Skeeter lowered his voice a bit. “And I think maybe he kinda likes her, since he keeps talking about her all the time!”

Ty grinned. “Yeah, maybe you could introduce me, Duv…”

“
Shén me niao!
” Chang stopped short, breaking into a string of native Mandarin curses mixed with disbelief while Ty and Duv ran right into him. They both backed up, cursing over the coffee they had spilled on each other, and then looked to see what was wrong.

“It can’t be…” Ty stood rooted in place while Skeeter excitedly jumped around the front of the ship, happy to have the secret out at last.

Duv dropped his coffee cup and slowly walked to the nose of the ship, looking for the brass plate that would tell him what he already knew to be true.

“X-ray Delta Niner Seven Foxtrot Whiskey One.” Duv said the number out loud as his finger traced each character, as if to make certain that this was real.

“It is a ghost ship. This can’t be!” Chang still hadn’t moved.

“Nope, she’s real. Lee salvaged her couple years back. Him an’ me been working on the old girl since, gave her some new raciness under the chassis, tuned her up good.” Marek looked over at Reilly. “It’s an honor for us both to see you flying her again and for me to be joining up with your crew.”

Ty walked up slowly to stand next to Duv and stared at the brass plate. Then, spreading his arms as wide as he could, he gave the ship a pseudo hug. “Damn! I missed you, old girl!”

Chang looked at him skeptically. “Okay, tonight is Ty’s night to get drunk and relax. You need to defuse before you burn out. This affection for metal objects is disturbing! I claim first right of refusal on my old room.” Chang headed inside with the others to look around.

Ty still clung to the front of the ship, his head turned and down just a bit. Duv leaned in closer to see what he was doing as Ty let out a small, contented sigh and then sniffed just once.

“Are you crying?” Duv asked, trying to look Ty in the face.

“Just got some dust in my eye, that’s all!” Ty snapped back as he turned away and swiped at his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m with Chang on this one. You’re definitely off tonight. C’mon, let’s go see what she looks like inside!” Duv punched Ty in the shoulder, and together they headed in through the cargo bay. It felt like they were coming home.

—————

The day went by fast. The crew quickly found their old rooms, with Duv and Skeeter taking two smaller rooms located across the hall from each other just behind the bridge. Reilly claimed the officer’s bunk for herself, while Chang and Marek took the two rooms located off of the back of the common area so they would have easy access to the kitchen and the mech rooms. Ty had already settled into his old room in the center of the ship. The room was actually a long, narrow, open area with a slight L-shape at one end. It was created from the space between the top and second floor of the ship and the space in between the two main hallways. The entranceways blended perfectly with the walls, so unless you knew it was there, you’d miss it. It also had a ventilation access behind one wall, which provided a third emergency exit if needed. Marek showed Ty the new compartment he and Lee had built into the wall above the bed and another that was large enough to fit a couple people into under the floor.

The cargo bay had twenty gear lockers along the front wall. Reilly tasked Skeeter to get each crew member’s tactical gear assembly and go bag and set them up with a locker. At three o’clock, the crew finally paused for a break and some food. They were all worn out from the previous night, but the excitement of settling into their old ship had kept them moving. Reilly decided to call it a day.

“We got all of our personal gear and a good deal of our tools and tac-gear on board,” she announced, leaning up against Maude. “We’ll shoot for a late start tomorrow, around nine, so everyone can get some rest. Here’s the plan: remaining gear and supplies gets moved in the morning, and then get the rest of the Vervian cargo from secure storage tomorrow afternoon. Ty, you and Seth get the covert holds set up for the Vervian cargo. Chang, you and Marek bring back the rest of the gear. Duv, in the morning I want your final list of potential recruits. We’ll discuss the screening options you all decided on and let the lucky few know they can meet us bright and early Sunday morning to get started. That will probably knock a few out of the running right then.” The crew laughed and then sobered up as Reilly kept talking.

“I know some of you want to head down to the BAR tonight. It should be the safest spot in town after last night. But if we know anything, it’s that the universe sure isn’t predictable.” Reilly looked around at all of them, a few heads nodding in agreement to her words. “So if you want to go out, here are the rules: nobody goes alone anywhere, everybody is armed, and if your buddy is drinking, then you are sober.”

Ty raised his hand, grinning, but Reilly waved him off.

“I know, I know a man has needs. Got it. If you wind up with a hot date, I don’t care if you bring her back here as long as she is off my ship before I’m up in the morning. Or there will be hell to pay! Everybody needs to be in and locked down by midnight. If you’re not and I have to come looking, you’d better be in some serious trouble when I find you. And don’t bring back anyone who is going to shoot up me or my ship. Got it?” Reilly eyeballed the lot of them. “Good job today, everyone.”

She turned and headed up the catwalk.

“Captain, you sure you don’t want to join us?” Ty hollered after her.

“Thanks, Ty, but I think I’ll stay here and enjoy some downtime that doesn’t involve guns, daggers, or people trying to kill me. Have a good time!” She continued on up the metal stairs.

—————

Duv got cleaned up and changed to head into town. On the way out the door, he stepped over and banged on Skeeter’s room, then pushed the door in and leaned down the ladder. Skeeter looked up at him from his bunk.

“Hey Skeeter, I just wanted to see how you were settling in over here.”

Skeeter looked around at his partially organized room and shrugged. “Okay, I guess. I still have a few more things to bring up from the bay, but this is almost everything.” He leaned back, pulling the edu-system from the top of one of the crates. “I got this from the electronics stand the other day with Chang. Guess what? Got all of my level one tests posted already to the central registry, and they let me skip level two!” He waved the system at Duv with a grin. “Pretty cool, huh?”

“Huh. I didn’t know they’d let you do that. That is pretty cool. You know, I’m proud of you. You’ve been really pulling your weight and everybody’s noticed. The Captain gave me our payout for the merchandise today, and there is a cut for you. Your mom would’ve been proud, too, especially with the way you’re keeping up with school.” Skeeter looked down and smiled while Duv hung off the ladder. “You need anything while I’m in town?”

“Nah. I’m good. I’m going to stay here and work on my room then maybe do some more of the tests. Sergeant Ty says he’s going to take me shooting later this week and let me run through some live fire drills.” Skeeter set the edu-system back down and pulled open a crate with some clothes mixed in with various computer parts and dumped them on the bed.

“All right. I won’t be back until late, then, so it will be just you and the Captain on board. That means you’re her buddy tonight, so keep an eye out!” Duv grinned and started to leave the room.

“Hey, Duv?” Skeeter called up after him. Duv leaned back into the doorway above the ladder. “You think we can go down to the market this week sometime? I want to pick up some stuff for my room, and I need to get some new clothes. The Captain told me to tell you to get me some tac-gear, too.”

“We can go on Monday after we finish running the recruits through the crucible. The market should be stocked up, since the resupply ships all come in this weekend. Sound good?”

“Yeah.” Duv started to leave again. “Duv?” He leaned back in. “Be careful in town, okay?” Skeeter looked at him steadily.

“I’ll be fine. Chang, Ty, and Marek are all going too, and we’re not planning on staying out real late or anything. You feel okay?” Duv looked at Skeeter more closely, slightly concerned.

Skeeter faked a smile. “Yep. I’m good. I just wanted to tell you to be safe. See you later?”

Duv gave him another scrutinizing look, then smiled back. “See you later. Don’t stay up too late, okay?”

“Okay.” He disappeared and the hatch over the ladder closed. Skeeter waited a moment until he was sure Duv was gone and then lay back on his bed. How could he explain that he had identified four men who had been watching them all day using a standard military surveillance protocol that linked them to one of only two highly compartmentalized special mission units when he had never even been trained in countersurveillance?

When they had entered the ship earlier that day, it had been like his brain was on fire. Everywhere he looked, his mind was processing strengths, weaknesses, improvements, running scenarios, and prosecuting threats. He knew things, things he knew that he shouldn’t know, that he hadn’t known just days earlier. When Ty and Duv went over the upgraded gun systems, he had just barely stopped himself from interrupting to suggest that they look at venting the rail guns to increase the firing rate and modifying the chain bearings on the gun pods to allow for faster rotations by decreasing the friction.

And then there were the impulses. Something would alert him to a problem, and his mind would react with a solution. Often he could ignore the information, but not all of it. Anything that was of immediate importance to his survival stayed in his mind and gnawed at him until he accomplished it. The longer he put it off, the worse the feeling got, until he had to act, had to do what his brain was telling him. Like right now, for example. His mind knew how to make his battle rifle more effective, increase the firepower output and the rate without overheating the system and still allow for phase shifts. It had been nagging him for hours until his head had begun to ache. He knew that until he made the modifications he wouldn’t be able to sleep. He sighed, then sat up and pulled his battle rifle out of its bag. Within a matter of seconds, he had completely disassembled the weapon and arrayed the parts on the desk, even though he had never stripped a gun before in his life. He flipped open his handheld and punched up a schematics program, then used his stylus to draw several shapes which he then merged together. The handheld processed the new image and labeled it as a focused accumulator. He stared at the part he had just created, amazed and scared. What was happening to him? He shook his head, trying to remember anything that might have caused this change. But nothing would come. He gave up and reached into his bag again, pulled out a small welder and some metallic components, and got to work.