The Huntress (16 page)

“Thanks, Ema. Could you wake me when you’re finished?”

“Um-hmm.”

“Don’t heal the scratch on my neck, though.”

“Why not?”

“Sentimental value.”

Ema snorted but didn’t comment.

Mea closed her eyes, drifting for a while. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep but tried anyway, concentrating on keeping her mind blank. Sometime later, Ema lowered her gently to the table. Sitting up, she ran an experimental hand down her left side.

“Good work, Ema.”

“You’ll need to come back in the morning for me to recheck it. And you need to sleep. Take some tranquilizers if you have to. Your body needs the rest, young lady.”

“Yes, Ema.”

Stretching gingerly, she left the infirmary. There was just a faint pulling in the area where the wound had been. Tomorrow morning that would be gone. Slipping into her room, she put her bloody underclothes into the sanitizer and showered to get the blood off her skin.

Standing naked in the middle of her quarters, Mea fought with herself for a long moment before sighing in surrender and throwing on a wrap. She could use some fresh air anyway. And it wasn’t like she was planning on seeing him.

Stepping out of the hatch into the night, she tipped her head back to gaze fondly at the moons in their staggered positions. All three were up, which meant that it was very late indeed. Leaning against the ship, she studied the night sky and listened to the familiar roar and hum of the spaceport. Though it was noisy, it was also soothing, and she felt a lethargy weigh down her limbs.

Will he sleep?
The night was warm enough and the sky seemed clear.
Will he get tired of watching us and leave?
The stars seemed to blur, and she blinked slowly. If she had Regan, she might survive the loss.

Tipping her head down, she looked toward Stone’s last known position. Of course, she could see nothing. If he was still there, he was hidden in the darkness. With a shake of her head, she stepped back through the hatch.
That’s enough fresh air,
she lectured herself. Going back to her quarters, she stripped and slid into bed. When she finally did fall asleep, it was deep and dreamless.

*******

Mea spent the next day in the control room battling with Child Security over the viewscreen. At first they were adamant in their refusal of her petition, but Mea wore them down slowly. Arguing and cajoling her way through the lower ranks, she pushed up past the supervisors to the managers, ready to go all they way to the Coalition if she had to. Sweet-talking those that could be sweet-talked and bullying those that could be bullied, she finally managed to get them to agree to send a psych evaluator out to interview them.

The evaluator interviewed her and Regan separately and then together, inspecting the ship and even questioning Warren and Ema. Mea did her best to be as cordial as possible, but after several hours of endless questions, the woman got on her nerves. The evaluator was trying very hard to find something else wrong with the situation besides Mea’s profession. Only Regan kept Mea from pitching the woman off the ship by the seat of her pants.

When the evaluator finally left, they both heaved a sigh of relief and took a break for a meal and cookies. They tried to distract each other until Child Security came back with the verdict, but the wait was excruciating. It was late afternoon by the time they were notified. The final verdict was approval of Mea’s petition to adopt, pending a negative response from Regan’s aunt and uncle. Only if her family couldn’t take her would Mea be allowed to keep her.

It was a victory and Mea refused to let Regan think otherwise. “Let’s go shopping.”

“What?”

“I need a new outfit for Bragan’s wake, and you, my dear child, have been wearing the same clothes since I met you.”

“I don’t know, Mea. I don’t feel like going out—”

“Are you kidding? I don’t shop that way. Come on, this’ll be fun.”

Mea sat down in front of the viewscreen again and tapped it quickly. A man’s face appeared after a moment. He had long dark hair, a thin face, and bird bright eyes. When he saw her, his face lit up and he spread his arms as though to hug her through the screen.

“Mea Brin! My beauty! My sweet! It has been too long.”

“Hey, Powel. It’s good to see you.”

“And how may I be of service to you this day?”

“I’m going to a wake tonight and I need a new dress. Something appropriately boring, old-fashioned, and conservative. The munchkin here needs a whole new wardrobe.”

“Well, then, by all means, hook me in! I’m all yours.”

“All right, give us a minute.”

He nodded affirmative and disappeared from the screen. Mea’s fingers flew over the panel in front of her before she rose, grinning at Regan’s mystified expression. “Come on, squirt.”

She moved out of the control room and turned to her right, sliding back a panel in the wall to reveal a ladder leading down to the training room. Mea slid down it and waited for Regan.

“I didn’t know this was here.”

“I could tell.”

When Regan stepped off the ladder and turned around, she jumped to see Powel standing in the center of the room. Mea knew the instant Regan figured out that it was a hologram. The child’s face was as easy to read as a viewscreen.

In order for Powel to see them, they had to be within a certain range of the holographic system. Once they came close enough, he turned to them, all smiles. “Mea, my darling, you become more exquisitely beautiful every time I see you.” He kissed the air beside her ear.

She shook her head ruefully. “Flattery will not get you a bigger commission, Powel. This is Regan Freya, your new subject.”

“Oh, you are just the cutest thing! Step closer, little darling, and let me take your measurements.”

Regan gave Mea a dubious look before inching closer.

Powel tapped away at some invisible panel, making approving noises. “All right, now, that’s excellent. But perhaps we should start with you first, Mea, since you have only one paltry dress to purchase.”

“This should be quick.”

Mea pulled Regan out of the way as he tapped on his panel again and a dress appeared out of thin air, floating in front of them. It was vibrant red, long, nearly sheer, and sleeveless.

“For god’s sake, Powel. I’m going to a wake. I said boring and conservative, not screaming sex.”

“But sweetness, this is the very thing these days. You would take their breath away—”

“One of our hunters is dead. I don’t want to take their breath away. I want to show proper respect and regret. Let’s try something in black or deep blue. Something you can’t see through.”

“To hide that lovely form would be a crime,” he pouted, but the red dress vanished to be replaced by a cobalt blue, long, shimmering sheath cut dangerously high in the front.

Mea rolled her eyes and Regan giggled. “Okay, I guess I’ll have to be more specific. I want black, no slits, no shimmers, no glitters, and no frills. It doesn’t have to be long, but not the short I know you like.”

“You try my creativity, but I think I have just the thing.”

The blue disappeared, and a short, soft black dress appeared. It was still sleeveless, but cut conservatively otherwise, considering what he’d shown her so far. The thick straps went around her neck, leaving shoulders and a generous portion of her back bare, but the bust was cut fairly high and the skirt was just above her knee. She paced around it, and then stepped into the hologram so that it seemed as though she wore it over her clothes, eyeing herself in the mirror.

“Pull the back up a bit and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

“Splendid! You have marvelous taste, as usual.”

“Now,” she said as her purchase disappeared, “let’s see how much credit we can burn through for you, sugar.”

But before they could begin, Warren dropped down the ladder. His expression was solemn. “Ladies, Mike’s on the com for you. It’s your family, Regan.”

Mea’s stomach dropped, but she managed a reassuring smile for Regan and took her cold little hand. “Let’s go get the good news.” The pale dread on the child’s face was a mirror of the cold knot in Mea’s stomach, but she hid it as best she could and turned to Powel. “This may take awhile. I’ll contact you again when we’re ready.”

He nodded and turned discreetly away, flickering out of sight.
At least the wait is over,
Mea thought as she steered Regan’s stiff little form toward the ladder.

Chapter 14

Stone eased back into the shadow of the building and wiped sweat off his forehead. The damned sun was hot as hell. He wouldn’t have to worry about the heat for long though, judging by the black clouds rolling in with unbelievable speed. Soon, he was going to be drenched and wishing for that damned sun.

He leaned out again to look at Mea’s ship, its surface reflecting the light painfully back at him and making his eyeballs ache.
What the hell was going on in there?
Conley had said that Regan’s family would contact them in a few hours. That had been a day and a half ago. Why was she still in the hunter’s ship? She should be long gone, to her aunt and uncle or to a foster family.

Just as the clouds swallowed the sun, the android walked out of the hatch and headed straight toward him carrying several items. Grinding his teeth, Stone folded his arms and waited.

Warren stopped within a few feet of him and held out a slicker and two
thermoses. “Coffee and soup.”

Stone ignored the offerings. “Why isn’t she gone yet, android? What the hell is going on?”

Expressionless, the android stared at him then put the food and slicker down on the ground. “You want answers? Come inside out of the rain.” Then he walked away.

Stone thought he’d feel a hell of a lot better if he took off the android’s head. Fat drops of rain began to fall just as Warren made it back to the ship. They felt icy on Stone’s overheated skin, and he looked down at the slicker with a grimace. He slipped it on as the sky opened up and sheets of rain pummeled him. It was falling so hard he could barely see the ship. Crouching over the thermoses, he waited—irritated, angry, and now very wet.

After a while, it let up enough for him to open the thermoses. His stomach growled gratefully at the soup, but he grumbled at taking charity of any kind from the hunter. He ate it all, though, and was just finishing the coffee when a delivery transport stopped in front of the ship. He watched with a puzzled frown while two loads were taken to the hatch and received by the android. He couldn’t see what they were.

The rain had stopped and the clouds began to break apart when another transport arrived. This one he recognized. It was from Hunter HQ.
This is it,
he thought. They were here for Regan, and this was the last time he’d see her. That thought made the soup and coffee in his gut turn to lead.

But when Regan and Mea appeared, he frowned. They looked…happy. Mea said something to the kid, and Stone could hear her laughter from where he stood.
What the hell?
He expected tears at least and maybe some kicking and screaming. Not smiles and laughter. Something was wrong.

Regan disappeared into the transport, but Mea hesitated. Turning her head, she looked straight at him. And smiled. The lead in his gut turned molten, and he ground his teeth. What the hell was that woman up to now? She ducked into the transport, and they lifted off.

Stone stalked toward the ship grimly. He was going to get some answers out of
the android if he had to tear him apart to get them.

Warren was waiting for him at the top of the ramp. “Before you get all violent on me, I have a transport coming so you can follow them.”

Stone stopped halfway up the ramp and stared at the android. “Why?”

“That’s what you want to do, isn’t it?”

He really wanted to wipe that smirk off Warren’s face. The android grinned wider as though he could see the violence moving under Stone’s skin.

“Mea doesn’t know I’ve sent for it and the munchkin has no idea you’re still around.”

“What the hell is going on?”

“Follow them and find out.”

Growling with anger, Stone started up the ramp again, but Warren was too quick, ducking through the hatch and closing it with a laugh. About to start pounding on the hatch, Stone heard the hum of a transport and turned. It was a small one and beaten up, but he stalked down the ramp toward it anyway. If it was a trap, screw it. He was too frustrated to care.

Climbing into the cramped quarters, he looked at the pilot. “A hunter transport just left here. I want you to catch up and follow it.”

“Why? I know where they’re going.”

“What?”

“Sure. They’re all going to the same place tonight. Some big function at the academy.”

“Fine. Take me there.” Stone moved to put his thumb in the ID creditor, but the guy waved him away.

“It’s been paid for. Lucky you.” He stared at Stone for a second. “Well? I’m not moving ‘till you sit and strap in.”

With a scowl, Stone did so and glared at the back of the man’s head, thinking murderous thoughts.

*******

Mea tucked a stray lock of hair with the others piled in a careless mass on her head and held there with two long, ebony sticks. Besides those two hairpins, she wore no other ornamentation. When hunters gathered for non-business purposes, it was considered rude to wear jewelry of any kind, since it could be a concealed weapon.

Looking down at the girl next to her, she grinned. Regan wore a sharp, little black suit, back in her boy disguise. She had refused to wear a dress, rubbing her short hair self-consciously, so Mea suggested going as a boy again. Powel had had fits, but they’d worn him down and even he had been pleased with the final result. She looked cute as hell, but she was plucking at the suit and fidgeting.

“Nervous?”

“Yeah. Uncle Mike scares me.”

“That’s just his boss routine. You just give him a big ol’ squeeze around the middle, and he’ll melt like snow in the sun.”

Regan clapped a hand to her mouth to stifle horrified giggles, eyes huge. Mea snickered along with her, unable to help herself. They had both found damn near everything hilarious since they were told that Regan’s family was financially unable to support her. Child Security had given Mea the go-ahead to adopt the girl and ever since, the two of them had been dizzy with delight.