Riding on Whispers (the Wolfegang series Book 3) (19 page)

“You got me, Captain. She’s blocking her thoughts from me.”

“She can actively do that? I was under the impression it was unpredictable.”

I could practically hear Ricky shrug. This wasn’t something he wanted to talk about. “She’s been on guard lately.”

Wolfe awkwardly cleared his throat. He knew the cause just as well as I did. I’d thrown up walls since our argument about the necklace. We were all aware of that. Nothing like a small group of people living on a ship together; it was worse than a small town or boarding school. Secrets were hard to keep.

It was good to know I could block thoughts, which could come in handy. I chewed on my lip. I’d have to figure out exactly how I was doing it though, and at the moment it was a mystery to me too.

“I’ll contact you before we land on the base,” Wolfe said, completely changing the subject. “After that we won’t make contact. You signal us only if there is an emergency.” I heard a clap, like Wolfe had placed his hand on Ricky’s shoulder. “I’ll see you when the mission is over.”

“I’ll be watching over you two,” Ricky said.

I heard Wolfe’s footsteps on the metal and they were getting closer. I moved to the console and powered up the shuttle, trying to make it look like I hadn’t been eavesdropping. The clear console lit up and the holographic programs appeared. I flicked my hand and the images hovered over the console in 3D.

Wolfe glanced at me as he came in. “Enter these coordinates into the navigational system. It should only be a few hours before we arrive.” Wolfe rattled off numbers to me.

I typed in the coordinates with my fingers against the image, hovering above the console. The shuttle shook, and the holograms to my right showed the engines beginning to turn and their power levels increasing. Wolfe sat in the pilot’s chair next to me, and adjusted various parts of the shuttle, calibrating for a short distance.

With our modified comms, Ricky and Celeste would be close enough to contact. They’d be nearby for an extraction, if it became necessary.

Wolfe took over the controls and steered us successfully out of the hangar. When we reached open space he set navigation to autopilot.

Wolfe and I hadn’t been alone since our argument, which was intentional on my part. And now we had two hours alone together. I didn’t know how to act around him, but I tried to be normal. I wanted to move on from that moment and forget it ever happened.

I pulled up a file from the database where I last left off. I still hadn’t gotten further than the year 2100. I needed something else to focus on. If Wolfe wondered why I was looking at articles on history, I hoped he would assume it was research for his map.

“What are you reading?” Wolfe asked.

I tried not to twitch. Did he really need to make this harder than it had to be?

“Just some old articles,” I replied.

He paused. “Okay, well, when you get a chance I need you to check the weapons system.”

I nodded. “Yes sir, I’ll do it right now.” I got up and checked the opposite console, brought up the images for each weapon, and tapped the hologram for each to power them up. The levels went from blue, to yellow, to green, and then red. The weapons were fully charged. “We’re all good, Captain.”

Wolfe watched our approach on the navigational console display. “Excellent, now don’t forget to refer to me as Michaels, not Wolfe, and you’re Natalie Johnson.”

“I won’t forget.” I went back to reading, but I couldn’t focus. Nothing made sense to me. I waved impatiently at the article display and it dissolved back into the home image. The small, sleeping quarters might be a good idea for some peace and quiet. “I’m going to take a nap, wake me if you need anything,” I said to Wolfe as I passed by him. The door slid shut behind me and I lay down on my back.

We could do this. Everything would be fine. My fingers laced over my stomach, and my booted feet hung over the edge of the bunk. My eyes closed, and I tried to clear my mind so I could rest, even if it was only for a few moments.

It felt like seconds later when Wolfe shook me awake.

“Kat, you need to get up,” Wolfe said.

I blinked the sleep out of my eyes and looked up. His face was in mine, shocking me with how close he was. I gasped and flew back.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, but we’re about to dock.”

I rubbed my face and got up. I probably looked like a hot mess.

“You had nightmares.”

I just stared at him. I really hoped that didn’t mean what I thought it did. Please tell me I didn’t.

“You talk in your sleep,” he stated.

Of course I did. How embarrassing.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Wolfe asked.

“I’m fully capable of pulling this off, if that’s what you mean,” I said, heading into the tiny bathroom. I splashed water on my face and saw him watching me in the mirror.

I fussed with my hair, putting pieces back in the bun. “I’m ready.”

“Okay,” he said. He placed a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll get through this and you’ll see your brother.”

“Thank you.” I didn’t know what else to say. He could reassure me all he wanted, but I had to see something to believe it. I couldn’t just hope things would work out. It gave too much room for disappointment.

I wasn’t sure how much more of it I could take; it felt like I was about to shatter apart. There had to be time at one point to try and glue myself back together, but I just wasn’t pulling it off. There were too many things to deal with and not enough time to process.

I grabbed my things and the pistol settled at my hip in its holster. I made sure I had my ident chip around my neck. We’d docked and I hadn’t even noticed while I napped. Wolfe led the way off the shuttle, and I tried not to look conspicuous or scared as I followed him. It didn’t feel like I was doing a very good job, but no one stopped us as we walked through the enormous hangar.

It looked like something out of
Star Wars
. Troops marched around and orders rang over a loud speaker. Humanoid robots checked equipment, and ships flew in and out of the hangar on missions or practice runs.

“Stick close,” Wolfe muttered. He grabbed my arm and pulled me along.

I quickened my pace to keep up. Suddenly he stopped and I ran straight into his back. It was so not smooth. I felt like I’d forgotten everything Celeste taught me. Way to keep a low profile, I admonished myself.

“Identification please?” The soldier manning the checkpoint held out his hand, waiting.

Wolfe gave him his indent chip and then placed his hand over the sensor. I held my breath as the laser scanned his palm and prints. It beeped and the screen turned green to my relief.

“Thank you, Captain Michaels, please proceed.” Then the soldier waved me forward.

Wolfe walked through and stood at ease on the other side of the checkpoint and waited for me. Stepping forward, I handed over my own ident chip and looked the soldier straight into his baby blues. I didn’t want him to sense hesitation or fear. I placed my hand on the sensor as Wolfe had, and watched as it scanned my much smaller palm. I’d be highly annoyed if Celeste decided to play a really terrible joke and marked me as a felon. To my shock and delight, it turned green.

“Thank you, Lieutenant Johnson.”

I retrieved my ident chip, placed it over my neck, and followed Wolfe through the corridor. “Do you know where you’re going?” I asked.

“Ricky booked us in one of the temporary, visiting officer’s rooms.”

“Together?”

“Yes.”

I couldn’t seem to get any privacy around this man.

I walked behind Wolfe with a blank look on my face– my attempt to look like a cold, bitter killer and all that. “There are cameras.” I noticed the few glinting lenses barely concealed in the concrete walls.

Wolfe stopped in front of a door that looked exactly like all the others and placed his palm against the pad. The door slid open to a bare room. All that was in it was a bed and desk. Everything was steel and grey. Another door inside the room led to a smaller, attached room with no windows or extra furniture, but it held a separate bed.

Wolfe took a small device out of his pocket that looked like a tiny blue crystal. He placed it on the desk and tapped the top. A blue wave exploded outwards.

I dropped to the ground. “What the hell was that?” I yelled.

“An EMP,” Wolfe replied. He was completely calm. “Now we can talk without being overheard.” He threw his bag on the bed in the larger room.

I stayed on the ground and stared at the innocuous looking marble. “Is it safe?” I asked. I felt ridiculous, but he should’ve warned me first.

Wolfe threw me a look like I was acting crazier than usual. “Of course it is.”

I got up on my knees and peered at the device. “You don’t think they’re going to notice that?”

“No, it’s too small to trace. Celeste made sure of it. It’s been tested.” Wolfe started unpacking, laying everything out just right.

“If you say so,” I muttered. My head was level with the table and I looked at the crystal marble, not blinking. The light that emanated from it was mesmerizing. It looked so innocent.

Wolfe watched me curiously, and I ignored him. “Somehow we need to find your contact without drawing attention to ourselves,” he said, and shook his head. “If there even is a contact.”

I turned away from the tiny blue marble and watched him organize his socks in a perfect row, and then his shoes. His pants and shirts were folded with precision along the creases. It was nice to know I wasn’t the only weird one.

“I think we should just hang at the bar,” I said. “Someone is bound to show up there sometime. If no one does, we might hear something that could give us a direction to look in.” He was just getting to his weapons check. Why did Wolfe bring so much stuff?

“Perhaps, but we don’t have the time to wait around.” He kept pulling more stuff out of his bag, like he was Mary Poppins or something.

“Then why are you unpacking?” I asked.

He stopped what he was doing and stared at his hands. I don’t think he even realized what he was doing. “It’s a habit,” he finally replied. He put it all back and turned to me. “What about you, any habits?”

“Cursing, saying inappropriate things at inappropriate times,” I replied immediately. I stood up and looked at my much smaller bag. Maybe I didn’t bring enough.

“That’s all?” he asked.

“No, but that’s a good start.”

“I suppose.” He smiled. “But usually what you say is quite funny.”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course, I’m merely here to amuse.”

He took a step towards me. “Kat, I –”

I cut him off. “I think if we’re not going to the bar we should train a bit, get some exercise, and blend in,” I said, and stepped back half a step.

Wolfe’s face hardened and something else passed over it, but what that was I didn’t know for sure. “That sounds fine,” he said. “I’ll be in the gym in ten minutes, and we’ll start where Celeste left off.” He left before I could respond.

I breathed out slowly, and turned to go after him, leaving our visiting quarters. The gym wasn’t far, from what I remembered of the blueprints. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be wearing something military issued for exercise or what, but Wolfe would know.

I walked through the base, and past people who saluted me. Was I supposed to salute back? Did I outrank them? It felt like there was a lot more I should’ve known about our cover before we arrived. It was weird having men salute me, but it also made me feel kind of important, and like I belonged.

The concrete walls had a strip of glass at about eye level that displayed instructions, and news. It changed as I walked by, and showed a layout of the area I was in. I stopped in my tracks and stared at the image. Was there a tracking device in there, or some sort of DNA reader? Someone else walked by, and it changed again. The instructions meant nothing to me.

Wolfe was suddenly there, handing me a pile of clothes. “Change into these,” he said. His voice was low, and didn’t attract attention. “The gym is just around the corner, and you’ll see the women’s locker room when you walk in.”

I took them and found the locker room. I changed quickly and carefully placed my uniform in one of the lockers. I couldn’t afford for the uniform to be taken or lost. It was my only one.

I walked out and found Wolfe standing at the entrance. He watched everyone and everything with a calculated gaze. It was like he’d switched personalities. Wolfe was a completely different person; colder and more efficient.

I rolled my shoulders back. This side of him was a lot easier for me to deal with. It gave me a little extra breathing room. It meant we wouldn’t talk about feelings, and he’d make sure we weren’t in any danger.

“I’m ready,” I stated.

We walked out to an area that had mats on the floor and a cleared area for sparring and practice. The floor was soft and springy, like a gymnastics setup. I watched the other soldiers. They didn’t give us a second look.

Wolfe didn’t glance at me when I spoke, but kept his eyes on the other soldiers working out around us. “You should stretch,” he said.