Stark Surrender (31 page)

And overhead, holovids showed several dozen other groups of beings, some in offices, some in factories, some in what looked like command centers for Logan’s cruise ships.

When the Stark family walked in, all voices hushed, and Kiri found herself the cynosure of hundreds of fascinated gazes. She felt her cheeks flush, and tried not to fidget.

They were just curious about Logan’s family, she assured herself. Most of these people probably had never met Logan’s brothers or their fiancés. Anyway, Logan’s people were mainly focused on him. After all, he’d just survived near death, and more. And many of them didn’t know the real story, only that he’d disappeared for a time, and gossip and rumors had abounded on galactic news.

But Logan kept his hand on her back as they walked in, almost as if he was making a statement.

Joran paused, and the rest of the family stopped with him, standing in a group. Kiri would have stepped to the rear, but Zaë stopped her with a reassuring smile. “It’ll be all right,” she whispered. “They just need to see us, and know that we’re all safe.”

“Okay,” Kiri muttered. “I guess if you can do this, I can too.”

She wished that she’d had another glass of wine though, as several of the women in the stands looked at her, then put their heads together and whispered, their eyes wide. Of course, they would be curious about any woman with Logan. She would too, in their place.

She turned her gaze to Logan as he moved on to the center of the open space. He looked around at his people and smiled slightly. And that was all it took to bring them to life. Seemingly as one, his people rose to their feet and began to applaud, beaming. The big room rang with voices from across the galaxy, repeating one word. “Stark! Stark! Stark!”

She couldn’t help but be caught up in their infectious joy and relief, and around her, the others were beaming too. This outpouring could come only from beings who admired and looked up to their employer.

Logan let them go on for a moment, and then held up one hand. Everyone in the room and on the various screens quieted, and waited.

“Thank you,” Logan said. “It’s good to be back. You all know that I’ve been absent for the last several weeks. I have not, contrary to rumor, been in celebrity rehab.”

Laughter swelled the room, then died down.

“I have, however, been in the medcenter here at LodeStar HQ New Seattle. My security people here were investigating a new and vicious street gang. Against their advice, I involved myself. I became separated from the team, and was attacked and left for dead.”

Kiri watched the crowd closely, taking in their shock, distress and then understanding.

Logan was bending the truth, but in another more important way he was telling the truth, and without distressing all these beings with details of how very close they’d all come to losing him, or how close he’d come to losing his mind. He wasn’t trying to hide his own culpability in the attack, either, not one bit. It had happened because he’d been out alone on his strange, haunted crusade.

Again, Logan paused to allow shocked conversations to swell and then die.

“The leader of this gang, a being who calls himself Mordacity, has declared war on the citizens of New Seattle. However, I want to reassure you all that we are safe here, and that the police are working to stop the gang’s activities, as are citizen groups.”

“First time Tal’s gang has ever been called a citizen group, I’ll bet,” Taara breathed. She and Kiri exchanged a look.

“So try not to believe all the news you hear in the next days,” Logan went on, “as I’m sure reports of my death will be greatly exaggerated. If those of you on ship have questions, feel free to ask your captains. I’ll be speaking to my Frontiera staff a little later also. Thank you.”

He nodded, and applause sounded again, this time more subdued. Kiri saw concerned faces, both in the room and on the holovid screens. Many of his employees, she knew, were seasoned veterans of the IGSF, and had fought in the Solar Wars. They must sense he was downplaying the danger here.

The holovids disappeared, but Logan remained in the center of the room, facing the local staff.

“That’s the official report,” he told them. “But as you know, we are on lockdown, and we’ll all have to remain here until the threat of this gang has been removed. Any of us who try to leave are vulnerable. Those of you with families know that your homes are under police or block patrol surveillance, and that your families should remain indoors.

“All LodeStar businesses in the city are locked down also, and employees have been sent home and advised to stay inside. This Mordacity is no one to take lightly. Now, I’m sure you have questions.”

“Sir, are we just going to sit and wait for this gang to attack?” demanded one man.

“As far as the police know, yes,” Logan said. He waited a beat before adding, “Your section leaders will give you more intel on that as needed.”

This caused a murmur of excitement. Kiri did not share it. She tensed, lifting one hand to her mouth. Oh, great God beyond. He intended to fight the GloJacs.

“What should we do to be ready, sir?”

“Those of you in security will be briefed immediately with Bronc Berenson. The rest of you are to carry on with your jobs as best you can. We won’t hide anything from you—you’ll know when things happen.”

“Are you sure the police can protect our families?”

“I’m sure they will do their best, as always. And we’re all working together to resolve this problem as quickly as possible.”

He paused for another beat, and then nodded. “I’m extremely sorry that you’ve all been placed in this situation. I know none of you signed on to fight. But we’re going to work together and we will assist the law to triumph over evil in our city.”

Then he stepped back and nodded. A hubbub of organized exit began.

Logan was quickly surrounded by employees, many of whom looked strained and worried.

Kiri turned to Kai, but he was watching Bronc Berenson, already gathered with a large group of his security guards and techs. Rak and Opal were among them. As one, they were hard-eyed and intent on whatever Bronc was saying. Kiri had an uneasy feeling her brother wished he was among them. But he’d survived a harsh life, it wasn’t her place to verbally fuss at him now.

Instead she joined Taara and Zaë.

“Creed’s in touch with three of his Zhen Lau brothers here,” Taara said, watching her blond warrior with worry and pride mingling in her gaze. “He’s going out to meet with them.”

“What? How is he going to get out?” Kiri asked. “Will he be all right out there?”

“There are ways out underground. I don’t know where, but Creed does. And he’s ex-Zhen. He can disappear when he wants to.”

“Joran’s been in contact with the IGSF and the IBI,” Zaë said. “They’re on the way, but that’s all I know.” How long would it take them to arrive? The question was in all their eyes.

“The police will be pretty busy around the city,” Kiri said. “So I doubt they’ll want to waste time protecting an armored building like this. They have to prioritize.”

“I wish I were trained to fight,” Zaë said. “I want to do something.”

“Can you fire a laser?” Taara asked.

“Of course.”

“Then you can fight if you need to. And sometimes throwing the nearest heavy object or swinging it an attacker can be the best defense.”

“You’re right,” Kiri said, squaring her shoulders. “If things get ugly, we can help, or at least defend ourselves.”

Although considering what the GloJacs had done so far, if they had the chance, Kiri suspected they’d get extremely ugly. But she had a feeling Taara knew this, and Zaë wasn’t stupid, either.

It was going to be a long night.

Chapter Thirty-Three

It turned out that Logan’s office in the center of HQ could be used as a war room. Directly above the penthouse, it was surrounded by offices with LodeStar staff busy at their jobs, or awaiting direction from Logan and the team.

They had holovids up of areas all over the city, and Kiri felt as if she’d been catapulted back in time to the Solar Wars as she watched police setting up barricades, and rough beings she knew must be gangers doing the same opposite them.

But there were positive vids, too. Creed was in one, with a group of tough, silent young men gathered around him. Joran stood on a landing pad under the curve of a LodeStar cruiser, inside a hangar.

“Sir—” Bronc called, but his deep voice blended into a rumble of thunder outside the compound.

There was a short, fraught silence.

“Was that natural?” Zaë asked.

“No, baby,” Joran answered, his arm around her, pointing to the holovid screens that showed the area around HQ. One was filled with a surging boil of black smoke, where a twelve story building had been. “That was the building directly south across the street. An old manufacturing facility, from the look.”

“Well, you didn’t expect Mordacity to wait for a holographic invite, did you?” Tal asked, but his eyes were alight with the same fierce glow that Kiri saw in Joran’s gaze, Creed’s and even Logan’s. They were excited about this, she realized with a shock. Ready to leap into battle with a deadly ganger.

“That was the old SeaFair factory” Bronc reported, “Took it half down. They’re using the big bombs. Guess we don’t have to search them out, they brought it to us.”

“Did someone call fire?” Kiri asked.

“No,” Logan said. “I don’t want fire cruisers anywhere near here, getting caught in a crossfire.”

“Crossfire?” she echoed. “Are you going to be shooting back?”

He gave her a look of exasperation. “Yes, Kiri. They’re attacking our area, we’re going to shoot back.”

“But you can’t just take the law into your own hands, Logan.”

“Kitten, we’re going to war.”

“And I thought you were a businessman. I knew you had more than spiders in that basement of yours.”

His smile turned feral. “Much more. Hang on, kitten, it’s going to be a bumpy night.”

Creed and Joran shared a glinting look that said their brother was back, all the way, and they were ready.

“Shit! They’re taking out the office buildings to the east!” Bronc yelled, and once again a rumbling blast swallowed the last of his words. It was like he was calling down the distant thunder with his deep voice, Kiri thought, ridiculously.

Things were going to move fast—she sensed it even with no Indigon powers. She grabbed Logan and gave him a fierce hug. “Do what you have to do, but be careful,” she told him.

He cupped her face in both hands, kissed her hard, and gave her a searing look. “Don’t worry, kitten. I’m not losing you now.”

Then he let her go and moved to Bronc. “Bring these holovids up bigger. I want heat signatures, so we can see how many beings they have on the ground.”

“Already on it sir. Here.” Bronc indicated small, red-gold blobs moving on the screens.

“Be careful,” Tal called. “Some of those are mine.”

“Holovids coming,” one of Bronc’s techs called, working on one of the tablets. “And ... up.”

Kiri gasped as the images of the areas around the complex grew to fill the room. Two buildings were in flames, and the tall factory that had towered on the property to the south was half gone, the left side still rising several stories, the right collapsed in a heap of rubble.

“Creed, where are you?” Logan asked.

“East of you one block, toward the bay,” Creed said from his vid. “We have twenty men, most of them Zhen trainees. We’re behind a big mob of GloJacs, and barricades are going up, with wrecked cruisers, building parts and other materials.”

“What are their numbers?”

“That’s the bad news,” Creed said. “Mordacity has scraped a lot of thugs off the streets. He has a few hundred GloJacs here, although I wouldn’t bet that many of them are trained fighters.”

Tal spoke up. “No, but here’s worse news, and all of you need to listen hard. Mordacity has techs cooking up drugs, and he’s happy to hand them out free—which is one way he gets so many recruits. Tonight the mix is uppers—he’s got them feeling laser and bomb-proof. So be warned, skilled or not, they won’t quit, and they won’t feel what you dole out until they’re down for keeps.”

“Good to know,” Joran said grimly. “Won’t do any good to try and take them alive then.”

“Sadly, no,” Creed said. “But once they’re inside the perimeter, they’re in—we’re not letting them back out.”

“Wouldn’t count on that either,” Tal said. “Part of the gang is on air cycles—new ones. He’s spending big to take Stark down—and me with him.’

“You got any good news?” Joran demanded.

“Yeah. I’ve got some friends with air cycles of their own, and they love to fight. So don’t shoot at any black and silver riders—they’re the Time Outers, and you don’t want them as enemies. Some of my people are also out here with the Zhen.”

Bronc found them on on vid, and pointed them out. “Why aren’t they at your building?”

“Scala and I are here with some of our best, don’t you worry. Nobody’s messing with the Flash tonight. But it looks like Mordacity wants you a lot more than me, Stark. We’ve got little to no activity here, and I gotta lot of people who are spoiling for a fight, so I let them come your way.”

“Leaving HQ inside the perimeter, swarming over with GloJacs,” Bronc said. “Great.”

“The building will hold,” Logan said. “Joran?”

“On the roof. We’ll keep any of them from landing up here. Also have your armored cruisers ready to take off, all weapons ready.”

“Good. Bronc, have you spotted Mordacity yet? I know he’s here somewhere,” Logan said, striding back and forth between the holovids. “I can feel him.”

“I have him, sir,” said one of the techs, a slim Indigon woman. She was staring at the holovid of the factory to the south. “He’s up there.”

Logan turned, his stance going rigid. Kiri peered more closely, and saw beings swarming over the factory and the rubble like chartreuse-hued cockroaches.

“Bring that one up closer,” Logan ordered, pointing.

The holovid zoomed in, revolving as the cameras searched from above.

“There,” called the Indigon. “On the fifth story. In that old landing bay.”

Kiri gasped. For there he was, a figure in white duster and hat, incongruous against the smoke-blackened building. He stood in an opening, on the wide shelf of a landing pad five stories high, now ragged at the edge from the blast.

“Oh, God,” Kiri cried out, for the gang leader was not alone. A Gorglon lumbered out onto the pad beside Mordacity, holding another being in the grip of one massive paw. A Pangaean, his green skin sickly pale in the twilight, his cornsilk hair twisting in terror.

Mordacity gestured casually, and the Gorglon stretched out his trunk-like arm and simply let go. The Pangaean fell, arms and legs milling, through the night air. He landed like a cooked veg dropped from a countertop, ash puffing up around him, and lay sprawled on the rubble-strewn pavement.

“He killed him,” Kiri whispered.

“God help us,” someone said behind her.

“Get me audio,” Logan ordered, his voice hard and cold.

“Yes sir. On it, sir.”

The tech nodded, and Logan spoke. “Mordacity.” His deep voice echoed with power.

“Mr. Stark,” Mordacity’s voice grated in contrast like oily rocks. “There you are, safe in your compound, where no one can harm you.”

“What do you want, Mordacity?”

The ganger clapped one hand to his snowy chest in a lavish surprise. “What do I want? Why, thank you for asking. I want you, Mr. Stark. Or ... Lode, as you called yourself. And, until you come out of your safe hidey-hole, I shall continue to sacrifice citizens ... say one for every one of my people that you murdered.”

“I didn’t murder them,” Logan answered, “I executed them like the criminals they were. And you do realize your evil is even now being recorded, Mordacity? Galactic news probably has more spybots out there than the police do. You’ll have nowhere to hide soon. Unless you leave at once.”

Mordacity laughed, and Kiri shuddered in revulsion at the sound. “Hide? Why should I hide when I will soon own this city? After we’re done here, I’ll be moving on to take care of Darkrunner. And isn’t it too bad he refused to come and play tonight? But never mind, I know where to find him.”

He gestured again, and the Gorglon reappeared, this time holding a human girl, a teenager, who struggled wildly and whimpered, a high animal sound, her eyes wild, face contorted in terror. Long red hair hung down her back.

“No,” Kiri cried out. “Don’t let him do it. Shoot him!”

The gang leader held up one hand, and the Gorglon paused with the girl hanging over the darkness yawning below. She sobbed helplessly.

“Is that your new whore I hear begging for the girl’s life, Stark? She sounds so bloodthirsty. There’s just one problem with your suggestion. Shoot me, and all these fine citizens go with me.”

He waved his hand at the building behind him.

“They’ve packed the place full of people, sir,” called one of Logan’s techs. “And our spybots are sensing explosives in there as well.”

“Which means any laser shot that misses him takes them out,” added another.

Mordacity bared his sharp teeth in a horrible smile. “Your minions are correct, Stark. The fate of these innocents depends on you. Oh, and did I remember to mention? They are all related to your employees.” He laughed again.

The girl hung in the Gorglon’s grip, whimpering.

“All right,” Logan said. “I’ll come to you. Let the girl go back inside.”

“Let her go?” Mordacity asked, in shocked tones. “But she’s my insurance policy. If I let her go, you won’t come out to play.”

“I’m on my way.” Logan turned and headed for the door.

Bronc slashed his hand through the air, and the audio from outside cut off.

“Logan,” Kiri cried, running after him. “What are you doing? You can’t go out there. He’ll shoot you on sight, or—or throw a bomb at you.”

Logan gripped her shoulders, but he spoke to everyone in the room, all staring at him with levels of concern to horror.

“No, he won’t—not right away. He loves to perform, to draw out his play. He’ll take his time and enjoy himself. Which gives all of you time to come up with a way to save me and the hostages.”

This time he really had gone crazy. Kiri didn’t realize she’d mumbled the words aloud until he looked down at her.

“No, kitten. I trust our team. They’re the best. And I can’t let him continue to murder innocents while we wait for the police to get to him.”

“What about one of our armored cruisers?” Bronc demanded. “We can shoot him off that ledge.”

“Yes, and you saw how many victims he has gathered in the building behind him,” Logan said. “Many of them will die also, or be badly wounded.”

“Better to lose them now than half this city in the days to come, sir, if he continues on his rampage,” Bronc insisted.

Logan shook his head. “No. You see, I recognize that girl. He’s telling the truth about who they’ve captured—they’re our people. She’s the daughter of one of our secretaries. Her holovid is over her mother’s desk.”

“Oh, fucking hells,” Bronc muttered, looking sick. “I knew she looked familiar. The Pangaean must have been one of ours too. A factory employee, maybe.”

He straightened. “Let me go out, sir. I’ll—”

Logan held up one hand. “No, and I’m on my way. All that madman has to do is get bored, and the girl dies.”

He swept them all with a look. “Don’t just stand there staring at me,” he ordered, “get busy and figure out how to save our asses!”

“Yes, sir.” The LodeStar people sprang to do his bidding, but Kiri ran after him and threw herself into the elevator just before the doors closed.

Logan kept his back to her, shaking his head. “Kiri—”

She threw her arms around him, pressing against his long, muscular back. “No, I know,” she said quickly. “I won’t—I won’t try to talk you out of it. I just ... want to hold you.” While she could.

He took a deep, shaken breath and let it out. His big hand covered hers and gripped so tightly it should have hurt, but didn’t even register. Love and terror filled her until she felt as if she would burst.

“I love you,” she said, her face pressed into his back. “I have since the first night we met. R-remember how mad I was when you t-tested me for STIs without asking?” She gave a chuckle that was half sob. “Well, I’m that mad right now, Logan. I just got you back again, and here you are heading out alone to face the crazy gangers for the second time. But I’m so proud of you, too. Know that, please.”

He tugged at her hands. It took her a sec to realize he was trying to turn and face her. She looked up at him through a haze of tears, trying to memorize his beloved face with her gaze, his solid warmth with her arms.