Hathor Legacy: Burn (19 page)

25
Denial

"Do you think they believed us?" Sgt. Tragg studied the readouts on the dashboard of the security transport. Unlike regular transport vehicles, these had an override that gave the officers control over the speed and navigation. So if they had to take a route other than the GPS-calculated one, he'd be able to steer the vehicle wherever he wanted.

"They have no choice," Nadira replied, as she looked out of the grey-tinted window. Built for efficiency, as opposed to luxury, the cabin had a long, barely-cushioned bench in the front, and two additional rows in the back.

As she'd requested, Tragg had come to the house and asked that she accompany him to answer questions about the warehouse. Maji and Azure had not taken it very well, and Azure had suggested coming along. It had taken both Nadira and Tragg to reassure them both that it was all right. Nadira was not being taken to detention or anything worse.

"Karin Luke didn't need much persuading," he said. "She wanted to come right away. When I talked to her she was at the Entertainments building."

"You went there?"

"Sure.  Figured leaving a message wouldn't have the same impact." He swiped his finger across one of the screens that tracked their progress across the city. "She looked scared when she saw me though. Not sure why. Usually those exec types don't scare easy."

"Because they know they won't be touched," Nadira remarked. They were riding through the park now. Dakar's house was only a couple of minutes away from here. He was the last person she wanted to see again. No, there was another person she didn't want to see.

They rode along in silence for a few moments. Tragg kept his attention on the monitors and tracking stats displayed in front of him. He needed to keep his mind busy. Nadira could understand that. Right now, she wanted the same thing.

"Nadira, I know you gave a statement to the Sentry Leader. But…I have to ask you…did you see the LT and the others at the warehouse?" He rubbed his chin. "You don't have to tell me if it's too much."

At least he'd started calling her, Nadira, as she'd asked him to. "Did Brant tell security what I said?"

"Yeah, he gave a report. But he didn't give much detail about what happened to them. I just wanted to know."

"I only saw Lt. Lin before…Tomas, I don't know if this is going to help. It was dark and people were running everywhere. I didn't have a chance to see a lot."

"Sure." He sighed. "They didn't get burned. I got there after you were taken away. That's when I saw them. I mean, their bo
dies."

Faint pings of energy showered over her, like it felt when you had to get circulation back into your arm or leg. Her energy was restoring itself, little by little. But sitting here feeling Tragg's em
otions would drain her again if she wasn't careful.

"How long were you on her team?" she asked.

"Five years. I rotated to Hathor about six years ago. I was on Mining Base 5 and then on Base 11--real shitholes. Artificial environments, rowdy miners and factory workers getting drunk on their downtimes. Joined up when I was eighteen. Been through a lot of assignments in the past twenty years. I was glad to get here."

"Are all Novacorp planets like that?"

"Not all." Tragg tapped one of the monitors. "Most of the mining ones are pretty wild. We had to scramble a lot. Most officers want this duty, or Astarte."

"They don't have people like us, do they? Guardians?"

"Nope. Only Hathor. That's why the execs are pressing security to find the arsonists. Usually we find the perpetrators and ship them out. Between Guardians and security, we catch them right away.  But with the arsons, it looks like we can't handle it. You know?"

Yes, she did know. "What will the company do if we can't find them?"

"Bring in troops from the other planets, I guess. But that's tricky. Once you do that, you can't go back. It's like opening up a box and taking your stuff out. Nothing ever goes back inside as neat as it was."

They were in the Entertainments District now, not far from their destination. As usual it was buzzing with activity and filled with people. It was hard to imagine what it would be like with armed company troops patrolling.

"It's like that robbery on Demeter a few months back. They got the thief in a few days, right? All taken care of."

"I know. I worked on that."

"Really?" He grinned. "Well, that was good work. That's what the company expects. When that apartment blew up in the Palatine, they picked up that executive's son. But, he didn't do it. Novacorp doesn't like sloppy work. Looks like we're not doing our jobs. If this goes on, next thing you know, troops are in and we're out."

Obviously, Tragg didn't know the story behind Jon's interrog
ation or his association with her. But every time she thought of it, anger surged through her body, setting her nerve endings on fire. Not only had Dakar tried to destroy Jon, but Mikal had assumed he had the right to take what he wanted from her.

"Usually, they handle disruptive folks. Just lock them down for a while and that works. But some of them get a bit crazy being out in space. You never know. That's when they have to issue a
Burn Order."

"A
Burn Order? Do they kill them?"

"Nah." He scratched the side of his head where the hair had been trimmed practically to the scalp. "That means inject them and ship them out. Some chemical from the labs that messes with their thinking. Calms them down right away. Then they end up on some penal settlement. Company hates waste. This way they stay pr
oductive. And there's no more trouble."

She shuddered as she pictured someone being injected with a chemical that would destroy their ability to think for themselves. Great. Yet one more thing to worry about when it came to what Novacorp could do to them.

"Here it is coming up," Tragg said as he steered the vehicle towards the curb. "I'll wait for you."

"You don't have to." Not that she minded having a security o
fficer around. "I appreciate what you've done. But I know you have more important work to do."

"Not yet." His jaw tightened as he struggled to keep himself in check. Finally, he sighed and turned his attention back to the dashboard display. "Go on. I'll be here."

Choosing the busy café to meet in probably wasn't the best thing for a private conversation, but Nadira wanted to meet Karin in a public place. And the Nova Star café was as public as it got.

Built on top of a connector that ran from one side of the main boulevard to the other, the outside wall was actually a window that provided a view of the street below. Nadira didn't see Karin when she walked in, so she eased through the crowd and selected a table where she could look out over the boulevard.

Above her the ceiling went up three levels, creating a large open space that was filled with various pieces of hanging art and floating disc-shaped lights. Thumping music mixed with conversation wasn't as overwhelming as it would've been if her abilities were at their regular strength. That was one advantage of not being completely restored.

While she waited, she placed an order for a cup of tea. What time was it now? The chronometer projection over the door said, 13:01. Maybe Karin hadn't been as enthusiastic as Tragg had thought.

But then Nadira saw her at the entrance. Karin was dressed in white, from her fitted short jacket to her pants that emphasized her curves. Even her shoes were shiny white with pointed toes. Her dark hair was cropped to her ears, which allowed an unobstructed view of her large, crystal earrings that looked like two, sparkly disks. Behind her, a large, burly man dressed in corporate grey followed along, his eyes scanning the room.

When she got to the table, she nodded to the man and he walked back over to the door. "Hello, Nadira," she said, as she pulled out a chair.

"Your bodyguard?"

She nodded. "I was here earlier. We waited outside to see if anyone else was coming here with you. You got out of a security transport."

"It belongs to Sgt. Tragg." Nadira took her cup of tea from the automated server. The trolley stopped long enough for her to pick up the cup and spoon, before rolling along to the next table. "Has someone threatened you?"

Karin smoothed a lock of hair away from her face. "I heard about Jon. It said on the news alert that he went back to Astarte. Did he go on his own?"

"It wasn't his idea, if that's what you're asking."

"I didn't think so. Security must still suspect him if they made him leave Hathor." Karin folded her hands on the table, her long, silvery nails were encrusted with tiny crystals.

"Did you also hear about the warehouse fire? I was there. Company security got a tip that the traffickers would be there. The warehouse was owned by Montaigne Holdings."

If Nadira wanted a reaction, she got one. Karin blinked so fast that it looked like her false eyelashes would go flying off.

"Trafficking? I thought it was just the fires they were investigating," she said.

"You know it's not just about the fires. That's why you wanted to talk to me, right?" Nadira sipped her tea, as she continued to meet Karin's gaze. "Matt Bento told Jon about Ron's side business. He's moving people into the city."

Karin unfolded her hands, then folded them back again. "He has interests in Service Houses owned by Novacorp."

"And he has unregistered ones too." Nadira set her cup down. "Matt said they're bringing in Guardian trainees, not just Deshtu."

"That's not true," Karin snapped. "Are you trying to have him killed? He wouldn't even make it to a penal colony if the Guardians got hold of him."

Why was she defending him? According to Jon, Karin didn't have much respect for Ron. "Then why did you want to talk to me?"

Karin bit her lip, gnawing it so badly that Nadira was sure she'd be bloody if she continued. Finally, she stopped, but it took a moment before she spoke. "Ron has been acting strangely for several months. Taking trips out of the city at odd times, never telling anyone where he's been. I've seen him with someone who also works for the company. But when I first saw him, he was wearing grey."

"Do you know his name?"

"No, but…but he looked a lot like the man who came to the reception. The one who talked to you and Jon the night of the third fire."

"Mikal?" If she'd been physically punched in the chest right now, it would have the same feeling. "How can you be sure? You saw him from a distance."

Karin nodded. "But he looked familiar. I think it's the same person who's been meeting Ron."

"How can you be sure they were meeting?"

"I'm not sure. I've seen them together, that's all," Karin said. "You know him?"

"He's Elder Dakar's assistant."

Karin's hand went to her mouth, like she was stifling a scream. "Nadira, what if he's investigating Ron? The Elder knows what's happening and he's going to have my brother killed."

"Why would he do that? He's a Guardian."

"It happened during the Corporate Wars. They killed people for trafficking. Novacorp let them do it." She tapped her fingers on the tabletop, drumming out her anxiety. "I knew it. They'll kill my entire family."

"Karin, Guardians won't kill anyone. I promise nothing will happen to you."

"You can't promise anything. If you had that much power, Jonathan wouldn't have been picked up and deported. And we both know he didn't set off that explosion. So imagine what will happen when they can prove my brother's guilt."

How could she argue with Karin's logic? But even so, she had to do something to get to the truth. "I need your help. If we can find out what he's doing, we can clear him."

"You're not trying to clear him. Security's been asking questions about the warehouse. It's a matter of time before they connect him to the fires. No one will care if he did it or not."

"I'll need your help to prove it either way. If you can find out what he's into, get information on the houses…can you do that?"

Karin's expression turned cold, her lips pressed in a tight line. Her violet eyes were like gemstones, shiny and hard. "I'm not going to help the Guardians to kill him. I thought this was the right thing to do, but it's not. You can destroy my family and I won't let that happen."

"If they find him with the people he's bringing in, it'll be too late. Don't you see? If these fires go on, Novacorp will send in troops," Nadira said.

She shrugged. "You're just trying to scare me. Why would my brother burn down houses if he's running them like you're saying? Besides, I have nothing to fear from troops." Karin pushed back from the table and stood up. "I have more to fear from Guardians."

Her bodyguard rushed over and pulled the chair out of her way. After giving Nadira a stern look, he pushed it back under the table.

"Are you going to send security for me again?" she asked.

"No, next time you see them, they'll be coming for your brother."

Karin's hands shook as she smoothed out her jacket. "If you ever see Jonathan again, please tell him I asked about him. All he talked about was how much he loved you. Well, we both see where that got him."