《Mack 'n' Me 'n' Odyssey》


 1鈥擜 Bad Start

    I came from comfort and privilege¡­ Well, I came from a background that could afford to send me to a government-run school¡ªand that only because it was mandatory¡ªand I was part of a system where you could go to university at the government¡¯s expense, and then pay back the cost¡ªif you ever got a job that paid enough.


    This made me one of the lucky ones, in spite of my parents going through a bad break-up, and mum and me having to move to a poorer part of town. On the upside, I didn¡¯t have to worry about where to sleep, or what, when or how I was going to eat next, or if someone was going to¡­ well, not at first, anyway.


    When that happened, I left home. I left town. I ran as fast, and as far as I could. The freighter crew found me in the galley. I¡¯d managed to get past the security code for the pantry, and figured I could cook something while they slept. I didn¡¯t know about shifts and rosters and crewing a starship 24/7, not back then. That trip, I learned.


    And I learned a bunch of other stuff, too. Like comms, and hydroponics, and life support, and a little bit of navigation. Mostly, though, I learned tech and security, because the captain didn¡¯t know his smuggling runs were being watched by Odyssey, and Odyssey¡¯s man thought I might have skills.


    And Odyssey¡¯s man kept me out of the hold where they kept the cargo.


    ¡°She¡¯s mine!¡± he¡¯d snarled, when the captain said I should be added to the manifest. ¡°I found her.¡±


    ¡°She got past you at the port,¡± the captain had argued.


    ¡°I caught her.¡±


    ¡°Not before she had herself a fry-up.¡±


    Not exactly true, I thought. Keevers had caught me while it was still half-cooked. What he said next bought him my undying gratitude.


    ¡°Which I¡¯ll make sure she eats.¡±


    The look I turned to him, then, must have been something, because he almost smiled¡ªwhich I rarely ever saw, afterwards.


    ¡°She¡¯d turn a good profit,¡± the captain said, and Keevers shrugged.


    ¡°She¡¯ll make you more, when I get done.¡±


    This had brought him a thoughtful stare, and, ¡°Fine, but the cost of keeping her comes out of your wage, and you¡¯ve got two years to prove your point.¡±


    ¡°Two years,¡± Keevers had begun, but the look on the captain¡¯s face was enough that even I knew he¡¯d better not argue. ¡°Fine, but she¡¯s hands off for everyone. I won¡¯t have her training disrupted.¡±


    This had gotten him another look, one I couldn¡¯t interpret, at the time. Now, I know why Keevers had added what he did.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got plenty in the hold to keep everyone entertained,¡± he¡¯d added, and the captain shrugged.


    I hadn¡¯t known what he meant, when he¡¯d said it, but it didn¡¯t take me long to work it out.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, girl?¡± he asked, two nights later, when he found me curled up in a locker.


    Not that he needed to ask. We could both hear what was happening down the hall.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you stop it?¡± I asked, and he¡¯d looked sad. Sad and angry, and I wondered what I¡¯d said.


    ¡°No,¡± he¡¯d said, but he did, him and Odyssey both, and he kept me safe during that, too.


    The first I¡¯d known something was going very wrong for the smugglers was when the klaxons started to sound, and then cut off abruptly. The screams from down the hall stopped, and I heard the guy at the nav comm swear. He¡¯d glanced up, as the captain came running into the control centre, was speaking before the man was at his console.


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    ¡°She just came out of nowhere, sir. Nowhere. One minute we were in clear space, the next¡ª¡±


    ¡°What came out of nowhere?¡±


    And that was when the ship stopped dead in space.


    All eyes turned to Keevers, but he was studying his board, pointing out the red patches blooming along the hull.


    ¡°See that?¡± he¡¯d asked, and I¡¯d nodded. ¡°Comms mines. They¡¯re patching in to the ship¡¯s systems.¡±


    ¡°Comms mines?¡± The captain sounded alarmed, but Keevers stayed calm, focused on his screens, and focused on me.


    ¡°See that?¡± he¡¯d asked, pointing to the way the engine rooms were flashing amber.


    Again, I nodded.


    ¡°Teleport.¡±


    ¡°Teleport?¡± the captain shouted.


    Keevers turned to the captain.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been boarded,¡± he said, and I watched as he keyed several commands into the system, heard him curse when the screen flashed ¡®Access Denied¡¯ in reply.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you stop them?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve jammed compartment access,¡± Keevers told him, lifting his hands off the control board, and then lifting them above his head. He¡¯d glanced across at me, nudging me with his knee so that I did the same.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± the captain roared, but I could see the armed and armored figures coming through the door behind him.


    I knew exactly what Keevers was doing.


    It was still a surprise when he reached sideways and grabbed me, dragging me to the floor when he threw himself out of his chair. I hit the deck, and then scrabbled sideways to get behind our work station, Keevers pushing me all the way.


    ¡°Hells bells, and stars and fury!¡± he muttered, but he kept his head below the level of the console, and snagged me tight against him when I would have bolted across the control room. ¡°Don¡¯t move, girl. You might live through this yet.¡±


    I might? That came as a surprise to me, because the firefight going on above console level was like the shortest lightning storm, ever. And then they came, those armored figures, moving quickly into the control room, until Keevers and I found ourselves staring up the barrels of some very big guns.


    ¡°Get ¡¯em up!¡±


    I got, raising both hands over my head¡ªright up until I realized Keevers hadn¡¯t moved.


    ¡°Keevers!¡± I turned, reaching for him, and was picked up and then slammed into the deck.


    The weight on my back didn¡¯t stop me from trying to turn around to check on my guardian.


    ¡°Keevers!¡±


    ¡°Get him to Medical,¡± was almost comforting.


    ¡°Maybe he has a chance,¡± was not.


    I fought to get to him, but I couldn¡¯t get out from under the operative pinning me to the floor.


    ¡°Keevers!¡±


    I didn¡¯t stop trying to reach him, until a hand grabbed the back of my neck and pressed my head against the floor.


    ¡°What do you want me to do with this?¡±


    This? I stilled. I was a this?


    ¡°Keevers wanted to keep it alive,¡± said the voice that had ordered Keevers to Medical. ¡°Port it over and lock it down, until he can explain.¡±


    ¡°But what¡ª¡±


    That first voice didn¡¯t let my captor finish.


    ¡°Now!¡± Fury laced those tones, and light engulfed us both.


    ¡°Keevers!¡±


    I was still shouting it, when the light faded and I landed on another deck. I was still held, and I was still pinned.


    ¡°Oh, for fury¡¯s sake, SHUT! UP!¡±


    I shut, but only because I¡¯d caught a glimpse of where we were, and what was happening to Keevers. I¡¯d never seen a regen room before. I thought they were drowning him. And I couldn¡¯t do a thing about it, except watch.


    I stared in horrified silence as they stripped him bare, my eyes drawn to the bloody holes stitching one side of his chest. They strapped him into a frame and closed the tank. I stayed silent, as the regen fluid engulfed him, and I saw clouds of silver swarm into the liquid and swirl around him.


    I must have made some sound, then, because one of the medics glanced my way.


    ¡°What in the stars is wrong with you?¡± she snapped, and it took me a moment to realize she was referring to the person pinning me to the floor.


    ¡°Keevers was protecting her.¡±


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t think she might need to know we weren¡¯t killing him? Given where she¡¯s been?¡±


    Where I¡¯d been? I remembered the cargo in the hold, the ¡®training¡¯ systematically carried out down the hall from the control centre, heard the medic continue.


    ¡°Do you even have a brain inside that tiny, little head of yours?¡±


    She came toward us, and knelt down so I could see her.


    I couldn¡¯t help it. I tried to get away, shifting sideways in a panic that got me absolutely nowhere.


    ¡°I need a sedative,¡± she said, and another of the medics moved to a counter along one wall.


    She ignored him, and turned back to me, while she waited.


    ¡°Keevers wants you to live, so we¡¯ll make sure of that¡± she said, and I stopped trying to get away. It was good to hear her add, ¡°and he¡¯ll pull through.¡±


    I felt a sob catch in my throat. She looked almost sympathetic, but glanced up as her colleague brought her a hypoderm.


    ¡°But you,¡± she said, taking it, and turning back to me as she prepped the needle, ¡°have had a shock, and you really need to sleep.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said, my mouth going dry and my heart racing at sight of the needle. My body scrambled to escape as I tried to explain. ¡°No needle. No need to sleep. No¡­¡±


    But she was relentless. Gentle, but relentless, and I was still protesting when the sedative took me under.


    ¡°Idiot!¡± I heard as darkness closed, but, somehow, I don¡¯t think she was referring to me.

 2鈥擭ew Place, New Rules

    I saw Keevers a few times after that. The first time was when he came into the small cubicle that served as my room. I was quietly destroying another pillow, when the door to my quarters hissed open.


    ¡°I hear you¡¯ve been causing trouble,¡± Keevers said, stepping through, and closing it behind him.


    I didn¡¯t care. I stared seconds longer, making sure he was real, and then dropped the partially dismembered pillow before launching myself across the room at him. I wrapped both arms around him, until I heard him gasp, which was when I let him go. When I looked up, his face was a comical mix of pain, consternation, and happiness, as he surveyed the mess I¡¯d been making of my bedding.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they give you enough to do?¡± he asked, indicating the strips of cloth that used to be a perfectly serviceable set of sheets, and I blushed.


    Truth was, they had given me stuff to do, but I¡¯d trashed the first computer system with the keyboard, and that had been that. They hadn¡¯t interrupted me in my destruction of the sheets. Not yet. I wondered at that, and then eyed Keevers suspiciously.


    ¡°Who are they?¡±


    He moved slowly over to sit on the edge of my bed.


    ¡°They?¡± he asked, and I nodded. ¡°You mean the people who came and got us off that smuggling vessel?¡±


    I nodded again.


    ¡°They are my bosses,¡± he said, ¡°and they¡¯re asking me some very serious questions about why I bothered to save you.¡±


    They were? My face heated as I blushed, even more.


    I looked up at him.


    ¡°You were gone,¡± I said. ¡°And I¡­¡±


    I waved a hand around at the little box I¡¯d been kept in.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think they were helping you?¡±


    ¡°Captain kept some of the cargo in little rooms,¡± I said, referring to some of the people taken from the cargo hold and kept aside for what was termed ¡®special¡¯ training.


    Keevers cursed.


    ¡°And you were waiting for when they came,¡± he said, and I nodded, tears sparking when I saw he truly understood.


    He cursed again, and pushed himself off my bed. He was halfway to the door when it opened, and he stopped. I didn¡¯t recognize the female agent, but Keevers did.


    ¡°You heard her,¡± he said. ¡°She thought she was being ¡®kept aside¡¯.¡±


    He glared at the woman, and she glared back. Finally, she answered.


    ¡°Our bad,¡± but she didn¡¯t sound a bit repentant, and then she laid a hand on his arm. ¡°You did good, John. We¡¯ll take it from here.¡±


    And that was when I got it.


    Keevers was leaving¡ªand he was leaving me behind. I crossed the room to him, reached out and took one of his hands.


    ¡°You¡¯re not coming back?¡±


    And he laughed, short and painful, as he turned and wrapped his arms around me.


    ¡°Give it a rest, kiddo. I got you out of a really bad place, and brought you to something a whole lot better. I like you, but I can¡¯t keep you, okay? This is the next best thing.¡±


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    That hurt, but I got it. And it was true. He had got me out of a very bad place, and kept me out of a worse one. Whether it was anywhere near ¡®a whole lot better¡¯, was yet to be seen. I leant my head against him, and then let him go.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, as my vision blurred, but I refused to cry.


    I swallowed back the tears, and looked up at him¡ªcatching a sadder version of the almost smile I¡¯d seen before.


    He stepped back, and laid a hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°I gotta get back to the tank, kiddo. Before the medics come to find me. Apparently, I¡¯m not done yet, but Agent Delight here said I had to come and see you, before she decided you needed putting down.¡±


    I felt my insides freeze, and shot a quick glance at the agent waiting just inside the door. She met it, let me see just how close I¡¯d come, and looked up at Keevers.


    ¡°Get going, John,¡± she said. ¡°Medical will have my hide if I let you fall down before they can put you back in the tank.¡±


    And he nodded, squeezing my shoulder once, before letting go and walking out the door. I waited until it had closed behind him, before looking at Agent Delight. To my surprise, she had the tiniest smile on her face as she looked at me.


    ¡°You,¡± she said, ¡°are a barrel of trouble.¡±


    Which was when I decided I¡¯d see just how well I could live up to that assessment.


    Pull me off a slave ship, and then force me to work for them, would they? Some might call that luck. Well, I had words for it that weren¡¯t quite the same. I¡¯d left home so that I had a choice¡ªand I sure as shit wasn¡¯t going to let these people take that choice away.


    And I was very careful to keep all of that off my face, when I returned Agent Delight¡¯s stare.


    She made a show of looking me up and down, and then casting a critical eye around the room.


    ¡°And you owe us quite a few credits.¡±


    Well, I have to admit, my mouth fell open at that. I what? Delight didn¡¯t give me a chance to get a word in edgewise, however. She just kept right on.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to bill you for Keever¡¯s first rescue,¡± she said, and I stared. I kept staring as she went on. ¡°But we will bill you for retrieval off Lockyer¡¯s Transport.¡±


    And, now, I did have something to say.


    ¡°But¡ª¡± I began, and she cut me off.


    ¡°And then there¡¯s the computer, the sheets, the medical care¡­¡±


    Medical care? Did she¡­ Was she referring to them sedating me? But, again, she didn¡¯t let me get a word in edgewise.


    ¡°¡­your accommodations and food for the last three days.¡± Finally she stopped. ¡°What?¡±


    And well she might ask. I had opened my mouth to say something, several somethings, actually, and she¡¯d just rolled over me without so much as an invitation. I just said the last thing that came into my head.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re not letting me go, then?¡±


    Yeah, I know. So much for not saying anything about not wanting to be there.


    ¡°We could let you go,¡± Delight answered, ¡°but with the contacts of those slavers looking for who took out the transport for their operations in this sector, that wouldn¡¯t be very responsible of us¡ªand Keevers says you have potential, that you just need somewhere safe to be allowed to reach it. We figured that might as well be us.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you did, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we did,¡± and Delight cocked her head to one side, ¡°and I¡¯m kinda sick of your attitude. You might try being a little bit grateful.¡±


    Grateful, huh? Well, I didn¡¯t feel particularly grateful. I was willing to go along with their little game, because I liked Keevers, and, if this was where he wanted me to be, then so be it. But grateful? She had got to be kidding!


    Some of that must have leaked out onto my face, because the next thing I knew Delight was across the room, and I was up against a wall with her hand around my throat.


    Gratitude was one thing, but there was no way I was putting up with shit like that. I lashed out, and she ducked, then she bounced me off the wall, so I grabbed hold of her wrists, and tried to pile-drive her chest through her spine with my feet. That connected, and she smiled¡ªwhich had to be about the most frightening thing I had seen in a very long time.


    I didn¡¯t let it stop me, though. If I was going to get into trouble for this, or fined, or billed, or whatever, I was going to make it more than worth the price. I grinned back, and then she took a step away from the wall, let go of my throat and broke my hold on her wrists.


    I hit the floor flat on my back, and she pounced while I was still trying to catch my breath and see past the stars. It felt like I¡¯d been hit by a small truck, and the little breath I had left, vanished under her weight. For a few minutes, I couldn¡¯t breathe at all, couldn¡¯t find my arms and legs to coordinate them, couldn¡¯t even think straight.


    ¡°Give,¡± she said, resting her forearm across the top of my chest, just a fraction off my throat.


    ¡°Give,¡± she repeated, when I didn¡¯t answer, and her arm slid forward to just above my windpipe.


    I nodded, before she could ask again, and she got off me.


    ¡°Get up!¡± she snapped, and I tried to get enough of myself together to obey.


    She didn¡¯t repeat the command, but watched, as I worked out everything was still attached and working. When I rolled to my feet, she headed for the door.


    ¡°This way,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s a cohort about a week into training. You can join them.¡±


    They had cohorts? They forced more than one person at a time to join them?


    It was an understandable mistake, but, as I soon learned, most of Odyssey¡¯s recruits wanted to be there¡ªeven if I did not.

 3鈥擟ohort from Hell

    Delight took me to a common room, knocking on the door, and then stalking right through, until she saw the instructor over by the coffee machine. I¡¯ll give her this, the instructor took in Delight, and then her gaze tracked to me, and she managed a welcoming smile. I still caught the look that said she knew exactly what sort of recruitment I¡¯d gone through, just a glimpse, before the warm-welcome mask slipped into place.


    ¡°Agent Delight,¡± she said, ¡°I see you¡¯ve brought us another recruit.¡±


    Delight managed an answering smile, albeit a little small and a little tight, and she glanced back at me.


    ¡°This is Lyn Cutter. She¡¯s a late addition, so she¡¯ll need some extra training in a few areas.¡± Delight paused.


    I was still staring at her over the use of Lyn. It was a pet name, a short version of Jocelyn, but not something everyone knew. It made me wonder what else they knew about me. Delight threw me a teasing glance, before turning back to the instructor.


    ¡°Self-defense needs a lot of work,¡± she added, and then she left before I could think of anything to say.


    I stood there, letting the instructor take a good, long look. And then I stood there some more, waiting for her to say something. When she didn¡¯t, I glanced right and left, taking in the students on either side, noting the placement of the tables and chairs, taking a good deep breath of the coffee scent filling the air.


    I found I was the centre of every student¡¯s attention, saw that cups were being drained before being set carefully down, as each student came out of their seat. This was either going to be very, very good, or very, very bad.


    The instructor looked me over, and I returned her look and raised my eyebrows as if to ask her what she was going to do about me. In hindsight, that might not have been my best decision.


    Finally, she spoke.


    ¡°Catching up on your self-defense might take a bit of work,¡± she said, but I didn¡¯t reply.


    I stared at her, alert to the movement around me, noting the glimpses I caught in my peripheral vision as students tucked chairs under tables, and stepped clear, listening to the sound of movement that told me where the ones were that I could not see. A long time ago, I¡¯d taken a martial arts class.


    ¡®A¡¯, as in one, singular, class. I¡¯d then used what I¡¯d been taught to defend myself in a fight at school, and that had been the last self-defense class I¡¯d been allowed to go to. Unfortunately, we¡¯d lived in the wrong part of town for that kind of shit, and the kid had relatives. And some of them knew where I lived. I hadn¡¯t known my mum¡¯s taste in dates had gotten that bad. If I had, I might have left long ago¡­ except I¡¯d wanted to complete my degree.


    What a shame.


    The instructor took a sip of her coffee, and then settled back against the side-bench.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what you know,¡± she said, and the cohort moved.


    It didn¡¯t move as one, though, and that was their first mistake. Their second mistake was trying to attack from behind. Cowards. Their third mistake was to see the tables as obstacles.


    If the fight in the control room of Lockyer¡¯s Transport had taught me one thing, it was that cover was your friend. I figured it would do just as well in a fist-fight, as it did in a gunfight.


    I was almost right.


    Instead of facing up to my opponents as they came out from behind their tables, I took a quick step to the side, and then slipped in under the table nearest, and out the other side. I also figured that I deserved a weapon. With so many against me, it was only fair. With that in mind, I picked up a chair.


    Unfortunately, my classmates turned out to be quick studies, and the two nearest me also slipped the chairs out from under the tables closest them. Now I was in trouble.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Tyson,¡± said the guy on my left, lining up his chair.


    ¡°And I¡¯m Alice,¡± said the girl on my right, as she readjusted her grip on the back of hers.


    ¡°Fantastic,¡± I replied, stepping out of the arc of Alice¡¯s chair, and using my own to block Tyson¡¯s first swing.


    The impact jolted up my arms, and into my shoulders. I tried to tangle the legs, and hook the chair out of his hands, but his grip was too strong, and I didn¡¯t quite succeed. The chair legs tangled, and I had to pivot quickly to avoid Alice¡¯s second swing.


    You¡¯da thought, with two against one, the others would have backed off, but that didn¡¯t happen. I caught a glimpse of movement a little bit behind me, and had just enough time to duck. That would have worked a whole lot better, if my new opponent hadn¡¯t been trying to land on me in the first place.


    Sure, I was lower down, and he had a longer way to fall than he¡¯d anticipated, but I was still sort of where he¡¯d thought I would be, and he still landed. And he landed hard. My duck turned into an all-out sprawl, and I caught my head on the edge of the table on the way down.


    Now, I understood why they might be considered obstacles in a fight.


    I kept a hold on the chair, but my new opponent had managed to hit me at around chest height, and he¡¯d followed me down to land astride my torso. I tried to roll out from under, and ended up on my side, with one of his knees pinning one of my arms to the floor. Finding my other arm still free, I tried to drive my elbow into his gut, but he was faster, grabbing my wrist and twisting my arm behind my back. Now, I was in trouble.


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    ¡°Aw, stars to Hell, Ax. What are the rest of us supposed to do?¡±


    It was a good question. I didn¡¯t know what they were going to do, but I needed to throw up. It was probably the blow to the head¡ªeither the one from the table, or the one from when I¡¯d hit the floor with Agent Delight. The only problem was I couldn¡¯t move, and no-one was paying me any attention.


    I lay on the floor, listening to the tumult of voices above me, watching the way the table legs blurred into multiples, and then back to one, and wondering if my head would stop hurting, any time soon. I willed my stomach to stop churning, but only succeeded in getting it to subside to restless. It made me wonder how in all the heavens I was going to get out of this one.


    I wasn¡¯t, it seemed. The instructor hadn¡¯t called an end to the fight, and I hadn¡¯t given in¡ªand Ax must have figured it wasn¡¯t over, because he hadn¡¯t moved. On that, at least, we agreed.


    I stayed still, flexing against his grip on my wrist, and the way his knee rested on my arm. I didn¡¯t think it was funny when he laughed. I thought it was less funny, when he lifted his knee long enough to flip me onto my front, and drag my other hand behind my back.


    Great. Just great. I rested my forehead on the floor, and sighed. I figured they¡¯d get to whatever was next when they were ready.


    ¡°A chair, huh?¡± the instructor said, and I realized she had come closer.


    I managed an ¡®uh huh¡¯ in response.


    ¡°Where¡¯d you learn that trick?¡±


    ¡°No idea,¡± I mumbled. ¡°Just seemed too good a chance to waste.¡±


    That brought a laugh from the rest of the cohort, but I noticed Ax hadn¡¯t let go of my wrists, and he hadn¡¯t gotten off my back, either. The instructor must have noticed as well.


    ¡°Good job, Ax,¡± she said, ¡°and you, too, Tyson and Alice. From now on, she¡¯s your responsibility. Ax, you¡¯re first in charge, then Alice, then Tyson. Anything goes wrong, that¡¯s the order of the ass-kicking. You make sure you keep her in line.¡±


    I lifted my head, trying to get a look at the instructor. Since when did they make these guys smart? And then the answer came, along with memories of Keevers and Agent Delight. Right. Since this was Odyssey, and I¡¯d been recruited and repossessed.


    I lowered my head back to the floor, and couldn¡¯t suppress a groan.


    Great. Just great.


    ¡°This fight is done,¡± the instructor added. ¡°You can let her up.¡±


    I heard a general shuffling of feet, and chairs scraping back as my cohort colleagues returned to whatever they¡¯d been doing when I¡¯d arrived. Everyone, except, of course, the three stooges who¡¯d been set to guard me.


    Ax didn¡¯t shift, and I could sense the other two hovering nearby. I waited, and, finally, the message got through. I wasn¡¯t going anywhere.


    Ax sighed, and then let go of my arms, and lifted off my back.


    ¡°You can get up, now,¡± he said, and I moved to get my hands under me, before slowly getting to my feet.


    First thing I did was turn around. Ax, huh? I wondered how much trouble I¡¯d get into, when I punched him.


    Second thing I did was take two steps back, until I fetched up against the table I¡¯d dived under at the start of the fight. He was taller than me¡ªand, well, there was a lot of him. And I just couldn¡¯t help myself.


    ¡°They sure do stack it high where you come from, don¡¯t they?¡±


    As a greeting, I might have done better just saying ¡®hi¡¯. Seems Ax came from the same sort of neighborhood as the one I¡¯d just left, except he used an open-handed slap, instead of a fist. I know, because I watched him open his hand, just before it connected with the side of my head¡ªand then it knocked me sideways, and I stumbled before dropping back to my knees.


    And I threw up, which had been coming for a while. I¡¯d just been hoping to avoid doing it in the dining hall. Footsteps signaled the others moving away¡ªand also when they returned. With a mop, and a bucket, and a cloth. For a minute, I thought I was on a team that would take care of me, and then Ax propped the mop beside me, and dropped the cloth into my lap.


    ¡°Clean it up.¡±


    For real? I glanced up at him, and saw no reason to argue. It wasn¡¯t his size. It was the way he stood. He caught my gaze and lifted an eyebrow. I didn¡¯t bother arguing; I grabbed the cloth.


    To be honest, there wasn¡¯t much to clean up. I hadn¡¯t had a lot to eat due to my misbehavior, and there wasn¡¯t a lot in my stomach. It struck me that this, rather than the bump on the head, would account for the dizziness. Whatever.


    I got to it, the three of them watching me work to make sure I did the job properly¡­ and probably to make sure I didn¡¯t use that mop in the way I was thinking. Like I said, Ax and I came from the same sort of neighborhood. From the way they were looking at me, I¡¯d say Tyson and Alice might have grown up somewhere similar, too.


    The rest of the group were sitting on the other side of the room, but they were watching us closely, and I was pretty sure at least some of them were taking notes. When I was done, Tyson grabbed the bucket, mop and cloth, and headed for a door at the other end of the room. Alice glanced up at Ax, and Ax looked at me.


    ¡°You look done in, Cutter,¡± he said, and I wondered what he¡¯d come up with next. Wherever Odyssey had gotten him from, it sure as shit wasn¡¯t straight off the streets, which is why his next order didn¡¯t come as too much of a surprise. ¡°Go get three coffees. I¡¯ll take mine black. Alice has cream with two sugars, cos there¡¯s no way known she¡¯s sweet enough, and Tyson has his white with none, the pussy.¡±


    I glanced over at the sideboard, and then went. I figured Ax was watching me go, but I didn¡¯t look back. I got the coffee: one black, one sweet with cream, and one white and none. And then I brought it over to the table they¡¯d commandeered.


    I figured this was a dominance game, only it was a game I¡¯d lose, until I accepted that I just wasn¡¯t going to win. To win, I¡¯d have to take the place they were offering, which, given that they¡¯d just been made responsible for my good behavior, was bottom of the pile. I kept this in mind, as I set the cups on the table¡ªand I remembered Keevers, too.


    He¡¯d kept me on a pretty tight leash, which had kept me safe¡ªbut he¡¯d made sure I had what I needed. I was going to have to give Ax the same chance¡­ but, as soon as he¡¯d settled himself in as leader of the happy trio, I was gonna do something about being bottom.


    I kept that in mind, as I focused on staying on my feet and tried not to sway. That last part was getting harder, as the day caught up. About a minute passed by, before he set his cup on the table.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your gear?¡± he asked, and I shrugged.


    He frowned.


    ¡°You do have gear, don¡¯t you?¡±


    And I shook my head. What I¡¯d had on the smugglers¡¯ ship had disappeared long before Odyssey had arrived on the scene, and I¡¯d just made do with what I could get out of the ship¡¯s stores. It hadn¡¯t been easy, but I¡¯d survived. Keevers had kept me safe. My stuff? Not so much.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve got nothing?¡± Alice asked, before Ax could continue, and I nodded, feeling an unexpected rush of emotion, as I realized exactly what I¡¯d left behind when I¡¯d run away from home.


    That brought more memory, and I felt a storm of pain uncurling, deep in my chest. I swallowed, willing it away, trying to force it back down, back into the box in which I¡¯d had it caged. Something in my face must have warned them what was happening, because Ax frowned.


    ¡°Go and get yourself a coffee,¡± he said.


    ¡°However you want it,¡± he added, when I hesitated.


    I went, hearing his next order ring out behind me, and finding it strangely comforting.


    ¡°And then get your ass back here.¡±


    At least someone wanted me around.

 4鈥擨nduction

    As if Ax¡¯s words were some sort of signal, the rest of the group relaxed, some coming up to make their own coffees as I made mine. None of them spoke to me, and I didn¡¯t want to speak to any of them. After all, they¡¯d all been ready to take me down, and I still didn¡¯t know how to feel about it. What sort of organisation was Odyssey, anyway? Because this sure a shit was not what I expected by way of corporate training.


    I got my ass back to the table, and Ax indicated I should sit by him. For a moment, I toyed with sitting in the exact opposite space, but this was the first hot drink I¡¯d had in a while, and I wanted to get to drink it. I figured I might not get to do that, if I started another fight.


    Besides, if I started another fight, I¡­ well, I don¡¯t know what, but I figured there¡¯d be a meal soon, and I was hungry. Once I¡¯d settled myself beside Ax, our instructor stood up from the table she¡¯d taken at the end of the room, and went to stand up near the coffee counter.


    ¡°Most of you will finish your medical and occupational assessments this morning,¡± she said, with a brief glance at the group I was sitting with. ¡°This afternoon, as you know, is set aside for outfitting. Stick with your timetables, and be back here at twenty hundred for a final debrief. Ax, Tyson, Alice, Lyn, stay back. The rest of you are dismissed.¡±


    We stayed, and I, for one, was grateful for the extra time to finish my coffee. When the others had left, the instructor came over, and sat at our table.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t been introduced,¡± she said, and I wanted to ask her whose fault that was, except that Ax nudged me with his leg when I started to open my mouth, so I shut it again. ¡°I am Agent Faridi. You address me as ¡®ma¡¯am¡¯, understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± I managed, but I was having trouble concentrating.


    She pretended not to notice, and got right down to business.


    ¡°You four are going to be on extra duty until Cutter catches up,¡± she said, and I fielded glares from Tyson and Alice.


    Ax just looked amused.


    ¡°She¡¯ll also need a full assessment schedule, and kit out. She¡¯s come with nothing, and the places she¡¯s been weren¡¯t savory.¡±


    This got me twin looks of curiosity, and one of pure assessment. I was beginning to worry about Ax. While the other two seemed new to the deal, he did not. I tried to work out where he might have been to be this familiar with dealing with trouble. He caught me thinking, and his lips twitched.


    Well, I thought, someone¡¯s enjoying himself far too much.


    Agent Faridi ignored the byplay, and kept on.


    ¡°We¡¯re moving the four of you to a suite of your own,¡± she said, and that comment earned me more speculative looks. This time, Faridi caught them.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°Cutter is trouble on a stick, and behind the eight ball¡ªand you three are now responsible for seeing she stays out of trouble, and catches up. As a result, your training program is going to be slightly modified to compensate.¡±


    Tyson groaned, and Alice sat up straighter. Ax smirked.


    ¡°Extra training?¡± I asked, and Faridi nodded.


    Tyson rested his forehead against the fingers of one hand, but Faridi ignored him.


    ¡°Agent Keevers said you had too much talent to waste and we should push you until we found out how far it went.¡±


    The look I was getting from Alice turned hostile, but Faridi continued.


    ¡°He also said, I should choose my best, and put them through the same program.¡± Now, she looked at the other three. ¡°Fortunately, Agent Delight gave me the perfect opportunity to select the three of you without me having to tell the rest of the group why. I will be referring to you as the ¡®Specials¡¯, and no one is going to want to be in your shoes.¡±


    She gave each of us, a long, assessing look, and then she turned to me.


    ¡°And, yes, whatever happens to this group, it is all your fault.¡±


    She rose, pulling a small computer from her pocket, and tapping its surface. A series of chimes came from Alice¡¯s, Tyson¡¯s and Ax¡¯s pockets, and they pulled out identical machines, opening their covers to read the screens. I watched Tyson¡¯s eyes widen, as he glanced from the computer in his hand to me, and back down at it.


    ¡°You have got to be shitting me,¡± he said, and was echoed by Alice¡¯s ¡°Seriously?¡±


    Ax just grinned, and gave my shoulder an open-handed shove.


    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡±


    I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard anyone sound that happy to be hit with extra work, in a very long time.


    ¡°What?¡± he said, looking up and catching the rest of us staring at him, and then he shrugged. ¡°Shit just got interesting, and I¡¯m not bored anymore.¡±


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    ¡°Wow. Yeah. Just. Thanksforthat,¡± Tyson quipped, glaring at me.


    Ax reached out, and gripped his upper arm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me come over there,¡± he said, and I watched Tyson subside.


    ¡°Sure man,¡± he said. ¡°No problems. Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Alice teased. ¡°Just don¡¯t come over here and kick my ass¡­again.¡±


    Tyson glared at her, glanced at Ax, and said, ¡°What she said, man. What the hell ever she said.¡±


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll leave you to it,¡± Faridi told us, and headed for the common-room door.


    We watched her go, and then I turned to watch the others. They were all staring at me, and it didn¡¯t feel good. I swallowed, but I didn¡¯t look away.


    ¡°What¡¯s up next?¡± I asked, indicating their hand-helds, and Ax reached out, and laid a heavy hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°You get to help us move,¡± he said. ¡°Come on.¡±


    We spent the morning getting the others moved into a suite of rooms set at the end of the recruiting complex, and then we went to outfitting. We were there earlier than the rest, and I¡¯d figured it was just because our timetable had been moved around¡ªright up until they started equipping us.


    My first clue something wasn¡¯t right, was Tyson.


    ¡°What the Hell is all this shit?¡± he asked, as the supply officer handed him a set of body armor and three nicely tailored suits.


    The man looked up at him.


    ¡°Any reason you don¡¯t think this is yours?¡± he asked, suspicion edging his tones.


    His question made Tyson worried.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ It¡¯s not what I expected, is all,¡± Tyson said. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to swear.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you did,¡± Alice said. ¡°You sure as shit did.¡±


    ¡°Shut the hell up.¡±


    ¡°Enough, the both of you,¡± Ax said, and took his kit with a murmur of thanks.


    I stepped forward, last in line, but the cause of it all. The supply officer looked at me, looked at the screen my finger-scanned DNA had brought up, and looked at me again.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the one,¡± he said, and I felt my heart go cold.


    ¡°The one that what?¡± I asked, and he just smiled, and glanced past me at the other three.


    ¡°They have no idea what they¡¯re in for,¡± he murmured, and his smile grew wider.


    ¡°I heard that,¡± Alice snapped. ¡°Care to explain?¡±


    I saw Ax roll his eyes, as the supply officer shook his head, chuckling softly to himself.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to spoil the surprise,¡± he said, reaching under the counter and pulling out a duffle bag, with my name on the label.


    He met my eyes as he passed it across the table.


    ¡°Enjoy.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say to that, and I¡¯m pretty sure the others weren¡¯t too happy with me, but they checked their computers, and Ax checked there was nothing else, and then he took us back to the suite.


    ¡°Unpack it and rack it,¡± he ordered, and we did just that, meeting in the small living area that served as a focal point for the four rooms.


    ¡°What now?¡± I asked, and he said the only words I wanted to hear.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for lunch.¡±


    We had assessment that afternoon. The others grumbled about having to do theirs again, but our orders made it clear: Anything one of us had to do, the others had to do, also. No explanation was given, but I figured it was something to do with team building. The only thing was, I¡¯d thought we¡¯d be assigned to a team once our training was complete, not made into a team from the get go.


    It made me curious as to what our backgrounds were that had us all lumped in together. I mean, I could guess. I knew my background, and I guessed Tyson¡¯s wasn¡¯t much better, given just how much he reminded me of the kids I¡¯d been with in school, but Ax? Alice? I mean, Ax was our age, but he seemed a lot older than any of us had any right to expect¡ªapart from his juvenile enjoyment of anything and everything that came our way.


    Honestly, anyone would have thought he was a kid at a fun park, rather than an adult going through the training process for what was a ridiculously specialized company that needed its people as well-versed in combat techniques as they were in table etiquette. Medical came and went. I don¡¯t want to think about it.


    I really hate needles. Hate¡­as in I¡¯m shit scared of them to the point of needing to be held while some medic makes me a pin-cushion. Only problem is I don¡¯t like to talk about it, and the others didn¡¯t know¡ªright up until I burst out of the exam room in my medical-centre-issued nightie and did a runner for the door.


    Alice just watched me go by, and Tyson was too slow. Just my luck it was Ax, who finally caught up. And by ¡®caught up¡¯, I mean he beat me to the door and waited for me to reach it. I was so busy glancing over my shoulder, that I didn¡¯t see him until it was too late, and then I bounced off his chest and landed on my butt on the floor in front of him.


    Ax just kind of looked down at me, and then back the way I¡¯d come. I couldn¡¯t help following his gaze, staggering clumsily to my feet when I saw the medic standing in the doorway, hypoderm in hand, and a very puzzled expression on his face. Ax looked at the man, and then looked back at me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t like needles, huh?¡± he said, and I shook my head, backing away from him, and trying to figure out a way to the door.


    Ax frowned, and stepped away from it, and I just bolted, knowing he wasn¡¯t far enough away for me to get by him, but too terrified not to take the chance. He grabbed me as I tried to slip past, coiling an arm around me, and turning my face to his chest.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve got you. No-one¡¯s gonna hurt you, okay?¡±


    I lifted my face to look up at him, and that¡¯s when he looped his other arm around me, lifted my feet off the ground, and held me tight against his chest. Movement caught my peripheral vision, and I turned my head. The medic stood beside me, without a hypoderm in sight.


    ¡°Look at me,¡± Ax said, and I did, which was when the medic struck.


    ¡°Keep looking,¡± Ax said, when I yelped, and that¡¯s when I realized he was holding on too tight for me to move.


    I¡¯m not sure I would have obeyed, but Tyson came to stand beside us, reaching up to grip my jaw and stop me from turning my head. I felt the second round of shots punch through beside the first, and kept my eyes on Ax¡¯s face.


    ¡°And once more,¡± the medic murmured, and I pressed my forehead against Ax¡¯s chest.


    ¡°All done. Thanks guys,¡± the medic said, and patted me on the bit of back not covered by Ax¡¯s arms. ¡°Come back in, and we¡¯ll finish the exam.¡±


    I didn¡¯t move, and, in the end, Ax had to carry me back into the exam room. He set me down on the bed at the side of the room, and got Alice to come and stand beside me. Tyson came in, too, but he leant himself back against the exam-room door, and wouldn¡¯t move. The medic looked from one to the other of them, and then at me.


    ¡°I¡­¡± he began, clearing his throat, his glance darting nervously between us. ¡°I, uh¡­¡±


    I decided to put him out of his misery.


    ¡°Just get it done, doc. Ain¡¯t gonna happen otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well.¡± He cleared his throat, again, picked up his check list, and got to work.


    I can¡¯t say that it was the most fun experience in my life¡ªand neither was waiting in the room while the others had their checks.


    ¡°We¡¯re a team,¡± Ax said. ¡°From now on, we do these things together.¡±


    Tyson opened his mouth like he was going to say to hell with that, but Alice elbowed him in the ribs, and Ax fixed him with a look that made Tyson close his mouth over whatever he was thinking, and signal for the doc to begin.


    Oh, we were a team all right. Yeah. Sure we were.

 5鈥擮ut of Training

    We got through the first three weeks¡¯ training just fine, Tyson, Ax, Alice and me, but I didn¡¯t want to be there. Truth be told, I didn¡¯t know where I wanted to be. Hadn¡¯t got a clue.


    If mum¡¯s boyfriend hadn¡¯t had a seriously evil streak, I probably would have made it through my degree, and gone on to do something like, I don¡¯t know, forensic accounting, or an internship in a law firm, or something in computing, or whatever I happened to land in when I was done. I might even have looked at government.


    But the world was what it was, and mum¡¯s guy-of-the-moment had been what he was, and mum¡­well, mum had pretended not to see, and hadn¡¯t known what to do when I tried to raise it.


    I¡¯d been left with very few options, except to get the hell out. So, I¡¯d got, and I¡¯d snuck onto the Lockyer¡¯s Transport using a load of meat and vegetables as cover, and then the shit had really started rolling.


    Since most things roll downhill, I was kinda hoping it was a special kinda shit, and Odyssey was an improvement, and not part of the sewer at the bottom of the slope. A girl can dream, right?


    It¡¯s just that I was feeling kinda jaded, and I didn¡¯t want to work for anyone who forced me into the deal. No matter how much trouble their agent had pulled me out of. I kept this in mind as I went through the training schedule.


    It helped keep me sane, sane enough to earn my own little mini-computer with its timetable and associated applications and alarms. And I learned. I figured that, since I didn¡¯t know where I wanted to go, or what I was going to do when I got out of here, every skill that came my way could be useful, so I grabbed each and every one¡ªand I owned them, until they were mine. When I finally got myself out from under Odyssey¡¯s great, big thumb, I was going to be one useful mammal.


    Maybe I¡¯d even be useful enough that I could earn my own way in the world. Ditch my keepers. Make my own path. Maybe¡­


    I could dream, right?


    So, I learned. I learned how to dive through data, find a thing not meant to be found, find a way into something that others wanted to keep me out of, and find the value in the data. I also learned how to find a client, and hook them into an Odyssey contract. It took me months, but I¡¯d known it was gonna take me time, when I started.


    The foot I¡¯d started off on? I¡¯d known I was gonna have to spend at least a year in Odyssey¡¯s company to earn enough trust to be able to have the tiniest chance of kicking free. And I loved finding things, my favorite thing being people who didn¡¯t want to be found, just because they were usually the baddest of the bad¡­or because they weren¡¯t and I could get them to Odyssey, and Odyssey could hide them better than they could ever hide alone. For those folk, at least, Odyssey was a safe haven.


    I think if Odyssey hadn¡¯t forced me to stay with them, if they¡¯d ever given me the option of coming and going as I pleased, then they might have had the ghost of a chance of keeping me. As it was, they held me close, reminded me I couldn¡¯t leave, and made leaving¡ªand staying out of their hands afterwards¡ªthe sole aim of my existence. That, and not getting found out by Ax.


    Because Ax was in my face, every waking minute, of every waking hour, of every waking day. Okay, maybe every hour he spent in training, when he wasn¡¯t out falling in love with some of the truly reprehensible lady agents who came planetside to recuperate. I figured one of them would eventually eat him alive, and I¡¯d be out from under, but I used every minute he was distracted to improve my game.


    It took me six months to get good enough at finding things, before they started teaching me how to get to the things I found. I learned to open doors, and safes, and how to infiltrate the security systems of ships like the Lockyer¡¯s¡ªand then they started us on the really hard stuff: secure facilities owned by criminals, corporate headquarters of dodgy companies like Bluebirds, or the shuttle controls of personal vehicles for the rich, famous, or seriously reclusive. Once I could open, and operate, those things in my sleep, they increased the PT component.


    There was no point, they said, in being able to open a door, if you couldn¡¯t get to it¡­or get away from it, with what you¡¯d procured. There was no point in finding someone, and setting them free, if you couldn¡¯t help them get away from their captors¡ªand no point in recognizing a really bad piece of work, if you couldn¡¯t outrun, out gun, or out maneuver it.


    And when we had all that down pat, they taught us how to dress for the best, and worst, parts of town, and look like we belonged to every sector in between. I did my first data infiltration eighteen months into the course. I was told it was unheard of¡ªbut only when I made it out again, and had foxed the target so badly it was chasing sixteen ghosts of so-not-me sixty ways to Sunday.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that,¡± they said, and then looked at the screen because I was laughing too hard to explain.


    Apparently, I could. I sooo could, and there was nothing they could do about it.


    Except maybe order me to stop, which they didn¡¯t. Training¡ªand training pay¡ªgot augmented with the little jobs I could fit in between¡ªlittle official jobs, Odyssey-sanctioned or requested¡ªand I took my three keepers with me. I don¡¯t think they appreciated the work, but they really appreciated the pocket money.


    We didn¡¯t bond, though. Ax had his femme fatales, and designs on leading combat ops, which was certainly not Alice or me¡ªand Tyson was more direct drive. He liked being ordered around, just not by Ax or me. Alice, though... He was kinda stuck on Alice.


    And Alice? Well, she didn¡¯t like me, kept trying to prove I wasn¡¯t as good as they said I was, and didn¡¯t like it when I proved her wrong. Not. My. Problem.


    Not yet. Hopefully, not ever. I figured Odyssey would work out we weren¡¯t team-worthy, and fix it. Company wasn¡¯t entirely stupid.


    Either way, it came as no surprise that I got to do more of those official Odyssey extras on my own. And the others had things that they disappeared to do without me. We stayed in our suite, but we moved forward on our own.


    By then, I kinda liked working for Odyssey. I just didn¡¯t like being made to. Also, by then, I was pretty clear on just how good my chances were of ever breaking free of them, which was kinda like never. And I couldn¡¯t go freelancing, and I couldn¡¯t just take a holiday, and I couldn¡¯t go places where I¡¯d be marked as an Odyssey agent, and I just couldn¡¯t¡­ Two years in, and all I wanted was out.


    I wanted a chance to be me, to find out what it was Jocelyn Cutter really liked doing, instead of what Agent Cutter could be doing. For the company. For Odyssey¡¯s sake. Goddamnit! I just wanted to be me¡­or, at least, to work out who, and what, that was.


    Two years, ten days, and sixteen hours in, and I got my chance to get the hell out. And it was my only chance, too. This op? This op was my grad op. When it was done, I¡¯d get my very own Odyssey implant, and I¡¯d never be alone, again.


    Odyssey would always be with me, walking every step inside my head. They¡¯d always be able to find me, and I¡¯d never be able to turn them off. Screw that for a joke.


    Nope, this was it. My first live op¡­and, hopefully, my last live op for Odyssey. It was going to be easy, they said. Walk into the chem plant, they said. Steal Canton 82, the super drug, they said, but, for the stars¡¯ sakes, don¡¯t take it; it kills inside thirteen hours, and we haven¡¯t fabricated an antidote, yet. So, I did exactly what they said to do¡­almost.


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    I found an intern, and put her in a shipping container. It was all decked out with a stasis pod to call her own, and I sent her to the furthest end of the galaxy without a single shred of ID except what was in her DNA. After that I took her place at the plant.


    That was the easy part.


    I also found a company that specialized in emergency teleportation, amongst other things. I transferred a large sum of someone else¡¯s money into their account, and had me a beacon and a stand-by team for the four-hour window I thought I¡¯d need.


    That was the not-so-easy part.


    For the it¡¯s-a-little-tricky part, I hacked the company files, and replaced the data in the intern¡¯s company records with data of my own. At least getting into the facility was as easy as turning up on time for work, and signing on for my first shift¡ªwhich was when it all went a little bit sideways. The company ran the induction, and the training video, and that¡¯s when I discovered that interns got to assist in drug testing.


    And by testing, I mean the interns were the test subjects. We were assured the drugs were already certified safe, that they¡¯d have medical teams on stand-by, and that we¡¯d agreed to such testing in our contracts. Yeah¡­that clause hadn¡¯t been in the paperwork I¡¯d signed.


    Judging from the looks on my fellow-interns¡¯ faces they didn¡¯t recall it, either. But not a one of us complained. For them, this was their first job, their first ¡®big break¡¯, and they didn¡¯t want to louse it up. For me, it was just part of the mission, and I hoped the Hell, Odyssey had a contingency plan for if it all went south.


    Funny how I ended up in the batch that were doing Canton 82 trials. I tried hard not to think about the coincidence, and even harder not to panic when I saw the guy in charge protesting in the office on the other side of the glass to the lab. I knew that guy. Files said he was the guy who¡¯d designed the damned drug, and he seemed adamant that we couldn¡¯t test it, shouldn¡¯t test it, at least, not yet.


    Lip-reading, right? Something Odyssey insist we learn. Sure am glad I did. But I didn¡¯t let on to the dozen others with me. They were busy doing the getting-to-know-you thing, kinda oblivious to the drama going on in the other room, and not real interested in me. Suited me just fine.


    What with the delay, and the professor finally settling down, I was able to pretend I needed to pee, and got an escort to the bathroom. They¡¯d left us alone long enough for me to find a couple of empty bottles that looked an awful lot like the ones they kept the 82 in¡­ and I¡¯d already seen what color it was. Yellow, right?


    Nice. I got back to the lab, just as they decided it was time for lunch, and we all trotted down to the caf. We ate, and then I slipped back to the lab, wi-fi connected a data-mine to the computer, and got it downloading the research data.


    While it did its thing, I jiggered the door to the lab so I could get in, switched the bottles I¡¯d prepared earlier with a couple of bottles of Canton 82¡ªand prayed no-one would notice the difference in shade. Once I got that stowed, I grabbed the data-mine, and headed down to the carpark.


    The professor was already there, and he was in a hurry, which suited me just fine, because I was kinda in a hurry, too. He glanced up just as I came alongside him, and then glanced down as I shoved the pistol I¡¯d concealed all day, into his side.


    ¡°Move over,¡± I ordered. ¡°I¡¯ll drive.¡±


    Driving¡ªyou bet the Odyssey course had that covered. And I loved it. At least, this time, if I crashed the car, no one would be threatening to take it out of my wage¡­or my hide.


    ¡°You¡¯re one of the girls from the trial, aren¡¯t you?¡± the professor asked, as he moved over.


    I tossed my bag in beside him, before sliding into the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He paled.


    ¡°Did you¡­ Did they¡­¡± He licked his lips, and opened his mouth to try again, but I filled in the gaps for him.


    ¡°You mean did I take any of the Canton 82, yet?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes,¡± he said, and I shook my head.


    ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m in such a hurry?¡± I asked. ¡°I told those guys I wanted out of the trial, and they weren¡¯t happy. Said they¡¯d discuss it, after lunch. I figured it was better I didn¡¯t wait.¡±


    He relaxed at that.


    ¡°Good girl,¡± he said. ¡°Although I think we¡¯re both in a very large amount of trouble, now.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Because they¡¯re not going to let either of us live,¡± he said. ¡°Me, because I won¡¯t give the go ahead for the trial, and you, because you don¡¯t want to go ahead with the trial.¡±


    I laughed, and he gave me the funniest look.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m here to offer you a way out, then, isn¡¯t it?¡± I said, getting the engine started and reversing out of the carpark, while he stared.


    ¡°Do tell.¡±


    ¡°Odyssey will hide you,¡± I told him, ¡°but they¡¯ll want your records of the testing and the trials. Did you keep a back-up?¡±


    I might have siphoned the records from the computer, but any extra data the professor had been keeping on the side was sure to be appreciated. I didn¡¯t tell him about the data-mine in my handbag, or the carefully wrapped bottles¡­although maybe tossing them into the car hadn¡¯t been my best idea, ever.


    I gave an internal shrug. Hopefully they¡¯d survived, or there was enough 82 they could scrape up to do whatever it was they needed. Odyssey would find everything when they found the car, because I wasn¡¯t taking the bag with me.


    ¡°Why, no,¡± he said.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked. ¡°No extra records of thoughts that came to you in the night?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no,¡± he said. ¡°We couldn¡¯t ever do anything like that. I kept that kind of thing in my implant.¡±


    In. His. Implant. Oh, dear Lord. THIS. WAS. AWESOME!


    I drove as sedately as I could out of the carpark, and then hit the gas as soon as we were a block away from the plant.


    ¡°Oh, my,¡± the professor said. ¡°I say, this is a little swift.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I said, taking a corner on two wheels, and gunning the engine as I made for the freeway. ¡°We¡¯ll hit the pick-up point in no time.¡±


    I was almost right. We were getting close to the pick-up point, when I saw lights in the rear-view mirror, and the wail of sirens reached my ears.


    ¡°Oh, dear,¡± said the professor.


    I turned to him.


    ¡°Look,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll pull over and speak to him. When I get out of the car, I want you to slide on over to my seat, drive to the next off-ramp, and then take the first left. Tell them Cutter sent you.¡±


    He stared at me.


    ¡°But they don¡¯t normally let you out of the car,¡± he said. ¡°They just pull you over and speak to you.¡±


    ¡°Next off-ramp. First left. You got it?¡± I said.


    ¡°Next off-ramp. First left,¡± he repeated, ¡°but what about you?¡±


    ¡°Tell them I¡¯ll find my own way back.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay.¡± He was silent for a minute, then, just as I began to slow down and pull over, he said, ¡°And can Odyssey really keep me safe?¡±


    I remembered some of the files I¡¯d read, and I didn¡¯t have to lie.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I told him. ¡°Odyssey can keep you safe.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± he said, then added, sounding much more confident, ¡°Next off-ramp, first left, Cutter sent me, will find her own way back¡­ Next off-ramp¡­¡±


    I pulled over, and got out of the car. This was clearly not in the officer¡¯s playbook, because he just sat in his vehicle and looked at me. I gave him a kind of ¡®what?¡¯ gesture with my hands and a tilt of my head, and he got out of the car.


    ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± I demanded, as he got closer, and I made my way down the car toward him, hoping he didn¡¯t register the professor making his move into the driver¡¯s seat.


    ¡°What is wrong with me?¡± he shouted back, and I figured it must have been a long day on patrol.


    Fantastic.


    I snuck a look over at the patrol car, and was relieved when I saw he was the only one in it. Not the safest practice, but some cities just didn¡¯t seem to have the problems¡­or the awareness, of others. Go figure.


    ¡°What is wrong with me?¡± the officer repeated, like he couldn¡¯t believe I¡¯d said it, and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, you,¡± I said. ¡°I mean, here I was driving along and minding my own business and then there you were, all up in my face, flashing your lights all over my ass. I mean what did I do?¡±


    I ended that last on the kind of angsty teenaged wail that some early twenty-year-olds just don¡¯t seem to grow out of, and he stopped.


    ¡°Look, miss,¡± he said. ¡°Do you know how fast you were going?¡±


    ¡°F¡­f¡­fast?¡± I said, faking a tearful sniff, as I raised a hand like I was wiping my eyes, and hoping the professor would make his move, soon.


    The cop¡¯s expression softened, became almost sympathetic.


    ¡°Yeah, fast,¡± he said. ¡°You were doing nearly double the speed limit.¡±


    And that was when the professor finally found the accelerator, and took off in a shower of gravel.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± the officer managed, before I dropped him in the dirt with a well-placed punch to side of the head.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, sinking a boot into his ribs as I went past, and not sounding the least bit repentant.


    By the time he recovered from that one, I¡¯d taken his patrol car, and was heading in the opposite direction. Somewhere, in this direction, I remembered seeing the city sewerage ponds. I hit the sirens and the lights, and crossed the freeway until I found the off-ramp. In hindsight, I could have just driven the car over the cliff that bordered the bend some five miles down the road, but I hadn¡¯t researched that far out, so I didn¡¯t know it was there. Either way, driving the stolen police car through the sewerage treatment plant¡¯s fence, and hitting the teleport beacon, as I accelerated toward the nearest pond was one of the most nerve-wracking experiences I¡¯d ever had.


    I sure as shit hoped I¡¯d paid them enough to port me out in time.

 6鈥擜n Unexpected Hitch

    They did, but they weren¡¯t happy. Seems they¡¯d back-tracked the money¡ªand I was good at hiding my tracks. Unfortunately, the man they had on staff was better.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I said, when the light of teleportation faded, and I found myself in an iron-barred cage.


    ¡°Hey, yourself.¡± The voice came from behind me, deep, male, and very nonchalant, and all I wanted to do was take down whoever owned it.


    I turned.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± I asked, indicating the cage around me. ¡°I paid the fee.¡±


    The guy on the other side of the cage was big, as in he was taller than me and broader than me, and he didn¡¯t look impressed.


    ¡°Money wasn¡¯t yours to pay,¡± he said. ¡°Company wanted it back.¡±


    I stared at him in surprise, then said the first thing that came into my head.


    ¡°But they didn¡¯t know it was gone.¡±


    And that was when he smiled, which was when I knew that I¡¯d been had.


    ¡°Gotcha.¡± His smile said it all.


    ¡°You sonuva¡­¡±


    He took a step toward the cage, and I took a step back, fetching up against the bars on the other side.


    And that was when I got my third surprise for the day: the bars were electrified. Current jolted through me, and I jumped forward, stopping just short of the bars on the opposite side. The big guy just watched, head tilted to one side as I shimmied to a halt, and kept myself from touching the bars in front. I found my balance, settled myself in a comfortable stance, and waited.


    It didn¡¯t take him long to figure I was done talking.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got some skills, girl.¡±


    I folded my arms, and slouched a little. If the bars hadn¡¯t been so zappy, I¡¯d have leant on them and yawned. As it was, there was nowhere to lean, and I wasn¡¯t either bored or tired. That didn¡¯t stop me from trying to give an impression of both.


    ¡°So?¡±


    I dropped my chin to my chest, and looked past my fringe at him.


    ¡°I could use someone with skills like that.¡±


    I tilted my head, a little, so I could see him, more easily.


    ¡°Uh, huh.¡±


    He came right up close to the bars, and stood in front of the cage.


    ¡°You have any plans?


    There was something behind that question, a lot of something, and I didn¡¯t like the idea that he knew a lot more about me than I wanted him to.


    ¡°Plans,¡± I said, and that was when he dropped the fourth bomb-shell of the day.


    ¡°Well, you haven¡¯t asked me to call Odyssey, yet...¡±


    I backed up, hit the bars a second time, and stepped smartly forward, again. I wanted to pace. I wanted to bolt. I wanted to do so many things, and I couldn¡¯t do jack. I never did handle being helpless very well.


    With nowhere to run, and the elephant in the room being given a name, I reached both hands through the bars, grabbed the man by the front of his shirt, and pulled him hard up against the cage.


    Like I said, he was bigger than me¡ªand he was stronger than me, and he was acting like he thought he was smarter than me, too. Well, I figured I¡¯d see what happened when he got a dose of his own medicine. I might have laughed when the current arced through him, except he stretched an arm through the bars, and pulled me in close.


    ¡°Two,¡± he gritted through clenched teeth. ¡°Canplay. Atthat. Game.¡±


    But I was not going to be bested by some asshole that couldn¡¯t live up to his business agreements. I focused on keeping my hands curled in his shirt, and wondered which one of us would let go first, which was when I discovered what it was like to grab a tiger by the tail, or a bear by its chest hair, whichever analogy fits this better.


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    He pulled away from the bars.


    But he kept me pinned against them.


    Bastard.


    ¡°Increase the current,¡± he said, and I let go of his shirt.


    Just¡­ Not. Fast. Enough.


    ¡°You son¡ª¡±


    Yeah, I lost the rest of that when the pain hit, and then the big brute unhooked his arm, and I managed to pull away from the bars. Of course, I tumbled into the ones on the other side of the cage, and then bounced forward, again. I was reaching out to ward off the cage in front of me, when the guy spoke again.


    ¡°And¡­ Off.¡±


    I grabbed hold of the bars, and lowered myself to my knees, resting my forehead against them.


    ¡°Had enough, yet?¡± he asked, and I nodded.


    I was panting, my breath coming in harsh gasps, edged in sobs.


    ¡°Want us to call Odyssey?¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°Care to tell me why?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Apparently, that was the wrong answer. He snapped his fingers, and current surged briefly up the bars.


    I don¡¯t know how long I was out for. I only know that I wasn¡¯t in the cage when I woke up. Beside me, someone moved¡ªand that was all it took. I pushed away from them before my eyes were fully open, before I had registered the light sheet covering me, before I worked out I was dressed in nothing but my bare skin.


    ¡°Sonuva¡ª¡±


    ¡°You say that a lot,¡± said the man I¡¯d seen outside the cage, as I got tangled in the sheet and fell off the bed.


    He didn¡¯t try to catch me, just watched me fall, wincing as I hit the deck.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna take it you don¡¯t mean anything by it.¡±


    I lay on the floor, looking under the bed at his feet. He was sitting on a chair, and he hadn¡¯t shifted. I pulled the sheet close around me, and sucked air between my teeth, as bones grated in my wrist.


    ¡°I take it that¡¯s not a happy sound,¡± he said, as I rolled carefully to my knees, cradling my forearm against my chest.


    He waited, which I know, now, was nothing short of a miracle. Mack is not a patient man. Back then, though, I didn¡¯t know squat, and I didn¡¯t know his name. I pushed slowly to my feet, using the bed for support.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked, leaning on the thin frame sticking out of the wall.


    I watched as he noted the way I was holding my arm, even as I tried to keep the sheet around me. He probably saw a change in the color of my face, too. I don¡¯t know. There wasn¡¯t a mirror, but I reckon I went several shades of grey with the pain.


    Either way, he ignored my question, and came around the bed to scoop me into his arms. I was a bit surprised when he held the sheet around me, more than unnerved when he carried me past the bed to the door.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°You sure ask a lot of questions for someone in your position.¡±


    ¡°Someone in my what?¡±


    Normally, I¡¯d have fought to get free, but I hurt. My wrist really hurt, and the rest of me felt like I¡¯d gone ten rounds with a bull-dozer¡­or maybe Ax on an exceptionally bad day. The guy carrying me looked at me, serious-faced, and just a bit cross.


    ¡°Well, according to the official reports, you¡¯re dead. Drowned in a sewerage pond, or some such. Nice job, by the way. And then there¡¯s the matter of our fee; we don¡¯t accept stolen funds.¡±


    I stiffened at that, and he stopped.


    ¡°What? You gonna try and tell me the money you paid us wasn¡¯t stolen?¡±


    I shook my head, wondered exactly what he was planning on doing about it.


    ¡°Good, because Tens don¡¯t like being called a liar.¡±


    Whoever Tens was, I didn¡¯t expect he would. I waited, and the man started walking again.


    ¡°Care to tell me why you don¡¯t want to work for Odyssey, anymore?¡±


    I stared at him.


    ¡°No.¡±


    It was worth a try, and it made him smile. It was not a happy smile, and it worried me. He stopped and turned toward the nearest door, nudging it open with his boot.


    ¡°Gonna have to tell me, some time,¡± he said, then lifted his head and shouted into the room. ¡°Oskar! She fell out of bed.¡±


    The man that appeared in the doorway at the end of the room glared at him.


    ¡°Well, of course she did, Mack. What did you do? Push her out?¡±


    I stared at the face above me, and then turned my head to look more closely at the man sassing it.


    ¡°No. I moved.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess: she was just waking up, you were sitting beside the bed, you moved and startled her, and she went over the other side.¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡±


    ¡°I told you to leave her in the med box.¡±


    I felt my eyes widen. He had? Wait. I¡¯d been in a med box? On being greeted with silence, the doc sighed, and started again.


    ¡°What did she do?¡±


    ¡°Looks like she broke her wrist.¡±


    ¡°Bring her through.¡±


    ¡°Mack, huh?¡± Even to me, my voice sounded tired and creaky.


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Is there any more to it?¡±


    ¡°To what, my name?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He dumped me down on a hard, metal surface.


    ¡°Mack will do.¡±


    ¡°Give me your arm.¡± The doc.


    I watched as he took my forearm and laid it on the metal top of a nearby table. He ran a scanner over it, keeping an eye on the monitor beside him as he did so, and then he ran the scanner over the rest of me.


    ¡°Huh,¡± he said, and Mack moved around to stand beside him.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± he asked, pointing at the screen


    ¡°Looks like some sort of tracking beacon.¡±


    ¡°Is it live?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t, until the scan hit it.¡±


    And Mack lifted his head, his eyes taking on a far-away look.


    ¡°Tens,¡± he said, speaking out loud, although he probably didn¡¯t have to. ¡°We¡¯ve got a tracker on board. Jam us, and then get your ass down here.¡±


    He winced, as though someone was shouting in his head, which, I guess was pretty much right, and then he came and sat back down beside me. He was still sitting beside me, when Tens burst through the door, a short time later.


    ¡°And how in Hades is that thing live, after the juicing it got?¡± Tens wanted to know.


    By that stage, Doc Oskar had sat my forearm in a nanite bath, and Mack was sitting on the edge of the bed, one great forearm resting across the top of my chest, his hand holding my injured arm in place.


    Tens took one look at us, and glared at Mack.


    ¡°You have got to stop breaking the new staff,¡± he said, before turning to the doc. ¡°Show me.¡±


    It might have been funny, if I didn¡¯t hurt so much.

 7鈥擨t鈥檚 All Down Hill

    ¡°You know Odyssey wants you back, right?¡± Mack said, when I came round after having the tracker taken out.


    I swallowed against a dry throat, and he handed me a glass of water.


    ¡°And you know the bounty for your return would turn us quite a profit¡­¡±


    I paused, in the middle of taking the next sip, and stared at him over the rim of the cup. He handed me two round, white pills.


    ¡°Painkillers,¡± he said, and I took them, holding them in my hand.


    He waited, and then sighed.


    ¡°You need to take those.¡±


    I didn¡¯t agree, and my face must have said as much, because he sighed, again.


    ¡°You either take the tablets, or I¡¯ll tell the doc.¡±


    And what, exactly, would the good doctor do? I wondered, and Mack read it in my face.


    ¡°He¡¯ll bring me a hypoderm, and we¡¯ll make sure you get your painkillers that way.¡±


    Another needle, huh?


    I took the tablets, and hoped Mack wasn¡¯t as much of a lying sonuvabitch as I thought he was.


    ¡°You said I had skills you could use,¡± I said, when I¡¯d swallowed the tabs.


    Mack frowned.


    ¡°That was when I thought you were dead to Odyssey.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡±


    ¡°Tens thinks the signal got through.¡±


    I finished my drink in several hasty swallows, and passed him back the cup, and then I pushed back the covers, and swung my legs over the edge of the bed.


    ¡°Time I was going, then,¡± I said, and slid off the bed.


    I don¡¯t know what unnerved me more, the fact Mack said nothing to dissuade me, or the fact he just watched me get out of bed, and didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Where will you go?¡±


    I took a step toward the door, and still he didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Better you don¡¯t know,¡± I told him. ¡°Better no one knows.¡±


    His next words were a little disconcerting.


    ¡°And how are you going to leave?¡±


    I quirked an eyebrow at him, and then went for the door as fast as I could go. No way was I going to tell him how I planned to commandeer a shuttle, or jettison myself inside a life pod. Better to keep him guessing as to which option I was going to take.


    I was pretty sure he¡¯d have worked out it was one of the two, but there was no point in making it any easier. At least I was dressed, now. Standard-issue ship¡¯s fabricator stuff, and nowhere near as good as the stuff Odyssey had given me, but I¡¯d replace THAT later. As the man said, I had skills. I heard him come out of the room behind me, but I didn¡¯t look back.


    It was a little disconcerting to not hear him running and shouting in my wake¡ªkinda made me wonder what tricks he had up his sleeve. I saw a door open up in the corridor ahead, and watched as Tens stepped out. From what I¡¯d seen, this was Mack¡¯s main comms guy¡ªand he didn¡¯t look impressed.


    ¡°Leaving us so soon?¡± he called, turning toward me, and I slowed, glancing around to find the nearest door.


    There wasn¡¯t one. Judging by the symbols in the corridor, the door Tens had come through was the one I needed in order to reach the life pods, and the door to the hangar was the next one past him. I stopped, half-turning so I could see Mack walking purposefully up the corridor toward me, and not a door between us. Well, shiiit. Tens called out again.


    ¡°Do you even know where you are?¡±


    I didn¡¯t have an answer to that. Pretty much anything I said was going to show me just how much I hadn¡¯t thought this through, and it wasn¡¯t something I wanted to face. For an Odyssey-trained operative, I¡¯d been more stupid than when I¡¯d snuck aboard the Lockyer¡¯s, and that was saying something.


    I could have sat down on the floor and waited for them to come, but that just isn¡¯t my way. I¡¯d grown up either avoiding fights, or being decisive enough to end them. I¡¯d grown up fighting prejudice about what girls were good for, and just what they could and couldn¡¯t do. These two home-grown gorillas wanted to keep me on their ship? They weren¡¯t gonna get to do that without a fight.


    Given the door I wanted was closest to Tens, I figured I¡¯d head that way, first. Besides, maybe I could take Tens down before Mack reached me. I remembered the length of corridor behind me. Yeah, and maybe baby giraffes were born doing the cha-cha-cha. Still, it was worth a try.


    Tens was a comms guy. What were the chances he¡¯d had the same training I¡¯d had¡­ right?


    He watched me come, walking down the corridor to meet me half way. Decent of him. I made as though to go around him, and thought maybe he¡¯d let me pass, but then he stuck out his foot and tried to put me on my ass. I hopped over his leg sweep, and pulled back out of reach of his first strike.


    Man, he was fast. Way fast. At least, I was closer to the door.


    I backed up, and he followed. I glanced back to the door, and he was on me faster than I¡¯d thought possible. Ribs, lower bicep, shoulder, jaw-line, out.


    Holy. Fuck.


    Next time I woke up, I was in cuffs and hobbles, and Mack was crouched beside me.


    ¡°Wh..¡± I swallowed, blinked, and swallowed, again. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°How about a really good reason not to waltz you out the nearest airlock?¡±


    Yeah, that was a conversation stopper.


    I coulda said because Odyssey would pay them good money to return me, except there was no way I was going back.


    ¡°I got skills you can use,¡± I said, and watched his lips tighten in a thin line.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said. ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So, what job did you have in mind?¡±


    I watched him go still, took a guess he was having a real serious conversation with his comms man, or one of the other crew, figured I didn¡¯t blame him¡ªthen decided to push it.


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    ¡°You want me, or not?¡±


    That earned me a glare, so I poked him again.


    ¡°Or are you too chicken-shit afraid of Odyssey to go get your balls back?¡±


    He laughed, then, which was not the reaction I was looking for¡ªand then he stood up, and turned away so I couldn¡¯t see his face. I watched him raise his hand like he was pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, and smirked because I knew I¡¯d gotten under his skin.


    ¡°You are some piece of work,¡± he said, still turned away. ¡°I¡¯m not even sure why Odyssey want you back¡­unless it¡¯s to space you themselves.¡±


    Say what?


    I don¡¯t like being tied up, and I really don¡¯t like people talking about spacing me¡­or waltzing me out an airlock. Makes me cranky. And I was bored. I jack-knifed over onto my side, and used the little bit of leverage I had to take his legs out from under him.


    This... This was really not my best idea ever, I thought, as he hit the floor and then bounced. Truly. Like, what was the guy? Part cat? Cos he landed pretty much the way I expected, but then he twisted in a sort of sideways leap, before I could roll away.


    ¡°Goddamnit!¡± And it was his turn to smirk¡ªas he slammed me into the floor, and pinned my hands and arms against my chest with his body. I glared up at him, wondering how in all the stars I was going to shift his weight. That smirk got wider, almost became a smile.


    If looks could kill¡­. Man, don¡¯t I wish. His face was a foot above mine. His head would have exploded. He thought something was funny as hell¡ªand then the door opened, and the smirk went away.


    ¡°So, you want to hang onto her for a while?¡±


    Now, there was a voice I didn¡¯t want to hear. Agent Delight had already offered to put me down, once. I momentarily froze, and then tried to twist out from under Mack¡¯s body.


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    He shifted position, propping himself up with one hand on the floor, and a forearm across the top of my chest. Just my luck that he kept my hands trapped between us.


    ¡°Goddamnit, Mack!¡±


    I tried to see past him, watched as Delight¡¯s booted feet came into view. Couldn¡¯t move away, when she bent down to stare into my face. Judging from her expression, she was pretty pissed, but she didn¡¯t say anything, just assessed me with a good long stare, and then straightened up.


    ¡°We¡¯ll charge you the usual fees for using one of our agents,¡± she said, and I heard her feet moving toward the door.


    ¡°Like Hell, you will,¡± Mack said, and levered himself off me.


    Delight stopped, but Mack ignored her, when I started to move.


    ¡°Stay,¡± he said, as I wriggled into a sitting position.


    I looked from him to Delight, and promptly disobeyed. That earned me a hand in the hair as I was hauled to my feet, turned, and pushed face-first into the nearest wall. I ducked my head in time to hit forehead and not nose first, but the effect was pretty much the same.


    ¡°I saw the number she pulled to get away from you,¡± Mack said, keeping my head right where he¡¯d planted it in spite of me trying to move away, ¡°and I¡¯m darned sure she¡¯s only just got through Basics.¡±


    I stilled. The last two-and-a-bit years had been Basics?


    ¡°Your point?¡± Delight sounded bored.


    ¡°You could hire us for the internship phase of Advanced.¡±


    There was silence. Mack got pushy, and I guessed he¡¯d found some sort of advantage.


    ¡°That was the next step, after this mission, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Delight sounded wary.


    And Mack¡¯s grip on me shifted, as though he was moving to let Delight have a better look at me. His next words confirmed it.


    ¡°I mean, do you really want this much trouble loose in an ops area¡ªespecially when it¡¯s the kind of trouble that really doesn¡¯t want to be there?¡±


    The silence lasted a little longer, and, when Delight replied, she did not sound happy.


    ¡°What I want doesn¡¯t come into it. I have my orders.¡±


    Someone gave Delight orders? As in orders she didn¡¯t like and had to obey? For some reason that made my day¡ªso I didn¡¯t try stopping the short giggle that bubbled out of me. I didn¡¯t need Mack giving me a rough shake to know just how bad an idea it was to antagonize the agent. Her next words confirmed it.


    ¡°Yeah. Laugh it up, shit-for-brains, but my other orders are to put you down if I can¡¯t bring you back¡­and you wouldn¡¯t be the first.¡±


    ¡°So, paying out her contract is out of the question?¡± Mack interrupted, and his query had a desperate edge.


    I wanted to turn my head and stare at him. Couldn¡¯t. Move. An. Inch.


    Apparently, he¡¯d had the same effect on Delight. Her next question was pure curiosity.


    ¡°Why would you do that?¡±


    And the pressure on the back of my neck increased, but Tens¡¯ voice came over the comms before Mack could reply.


    ¡°Well, you know how he likes to pick up strays¡­¡±


    And Delight was amused. I heard her feet move, as she turned to Mack.


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t have enough trouble on board, already?¡± she asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s just annoyed because you hacked his system to teleport aboard,¡± Mack replied.


    ¡°Suck it up, princess!¡± and I knew she wasn¡¯t talking to Mack.


    The lights around us flickered.


    ¡°Tens¡­¡± Mack¡¯s warning was tinged with worry, but the lights flicked back to normal.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t dream of it, sir,¡± the comms guy said, his voice echoing over the intercom, and Mack relaxed.


    ¡°Too right,¡± Delight muttered, ¡°because then I¡¯d be forced to blow this tub out of the air.¡±


    Mack¡¯s grip tightened enough to hurt, and I gasped. He shook me again.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, hey,¡± Delight mimicked. ¡°What did she do?¡±


    Honestly, when I got out of this, I was¡­ I¡­ uh¡­ well, fuck it all.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Delight said, as though she¡¯d just received the answer to a question she¡¯d asked a while ago. ¡°HQ agrees to you taking on the advanced training phase, but you¡¯re doing all of it and not just the internship. Maybe you can turn her around¡­and they have an assignment to start you off with.¡±


    They do¡­and they did? But Delight didn¡¯t stop. I heard her footsteps moving toward the door.


    ¡°Usual contract terms,¡± she said, and I heard something fizz. ¡°What?¡±


    Again, the intercom spoke¡ªand Tens sounded more than smug.


    ¡°You only get to use that trick once.¡±


    Delight sighed.


    ¡°Go on.¡± And the tone of her voice said it had better be good.


    Mack took over.


    ¡°She¡¯s trouble,¡± he said. ¡°More trouble than an ordinary trainee. We¡¯ll have to take precautions. Costs of keeping her in hand will be higher. Compensation is in order.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Delight¡¯s reply was reluctant. ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And then there¡¯s the retrieval.¡±


    ¡°I was under the impression you got paid for that.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Mack said, and shook me, again. ¡°We had to give it back. Client was one of our regulars.¡±


    Oh. Well, crap. I sighed.


    ¡°Did you find out before, or after, you picked her up?¡±


    ¡°Before,¡± Tens said.


    ¡°Did the client ever know the money went missing?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°So, your point is?¡±


    ¡°You owe us for rescue and retrieval.¡±


    I was being retrieved? I sighed, again. Well, this day was getting a whole lot better¡­ NOT!


    Mack pulled me back off the wall about an inch, and then punched me back into it. The world went just a little bit fuzzy.


    ¡°And she needs the kind of implant you use in advanced training, or she won¡¯t be able to do the kind of work you¡¯ll want her to do. The one she¡¯s got won¡¯t cope.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we could¡ª¡±


    But Mack didn¡¯t let her finish.


    ¡°I think it would be best if we did that, but you¡¯re paying for it, or she won¡¯t be up to speed.¡±


    ¡°Then it should be our implant.¡±


    ¡°We have business we don¡¯t share.¡±


    ¡°You have secrets from Odyssey?¡± Delight¡¯s fake surprise didn¡¯t fool any of us, not one little bit.


    ¡°Call it an industrial courtesy.¡± Mack was matter-of-fact.


    ¡°Odyssey would rather not be paying your security costs.¡±


    ¡°Odyssey would be the cause of the breach.¡±


    ¡°We could put in modifications¡­¡±


    ¡°There would still be operational aspects you needn¡¯t know real-time.¡±


    ¡°We download the implant anyway.¡±


    ¡°We can sanitize our own. Not yours.¡±


    ¡°And your point is?¡±


    Mack gave me another shake, and I groaned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think we¡¯re going to have enough trouble with her, without having to worry about Odyssey interference, too?¡±


    ¡°We would never.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been known.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d be more comfortable with our own equipment in her head.¡±


    ¡°You replace it at the end of internship, anyway.¡±


    I tried to read the stunned silence that followed, but Mack pushed his point.


    ¡°You pay the surgery and base hardware costs. We¡¯ll cover the cost of software and content.¡±


    ¡°Done, but you¡¯ll put nothing in that thing that can take her out.¡±


    Say what?


    ¡°Why not? Odyssey would?¡±


    Say thefuck what? But Mack wasn¡¯t finished.


    ¡°We¡¯ll put in what we deem necessary.¡±


    More silence followed, but I guessed this was because Delight was communicating with her masters. I wondered if I could break Mack¡¯s grip, bent my knees, and braced my feet against the wall.


    ¡°I need a minute,¡± Mack said.


    ¡°Take all the time you want,¡± Delight told him, and I swear she was smiling.


    I half expected to get nine kinds of crap kicked out me, because I¡¯d decided that was what it was going to take for Mack to stop me from hobbling right out of the room and down the corridor to the nearest life pod. No way, was I going to hang around while I was bartered away to someone who was going to stick something in my head that was likely to kill me. No. Way!


    I tried to push off from the wall, but Mack just stepped in and leaned on me.


    ¡°Just hold still,¡± he said, the last word sounding like he was holding something between his teeth¡ªand then I heard the pop of a cap coming off. A small cap. Like the cap on top of a derm. I turned my head, trying to get a look, just as Mack held the compressor against my skin.


    ¡°No,¡± I said, but my voice was choked by fear, and what should have been a shout was no louder than a whisper. ¡°No needles. No nee¡­¡±


    There was a hiss as it fired.


    ¡°Dammitall, Mack.¡±

 8鈥擜 Couple of Boundaries

    Last thing I remember was Mack letting go; I was out before I hit the floor, Agent Delight¡¯s words chasing me down into the dark.


    ¡°She really hates needles, doesn¡¯t she?¡±


    Mack¡¯s reply, floating after it.


    ¡°Now, where were we?¡±


    I came to with a mother of a headache, and a blindfold over my eyes. Tried to lift my hands to take the blindfold off. Found I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Just great,¡± I muttered.


    It got worse, when Mack spoke¡­from inside my head.


    ¡°You can unlock the force cuffs with your implant,¡± he said.


    I could? I thought about it, and the headache got worse.


    ¡°You might want to sleep a bit longer,¡± he suggested, and I wanted to argue, tried to argue, felt something click inside my mind, and dropped right off the planet.


    The headache was gone when I woke up. The same could not be said for Mack.


    ¡°Feel better?¡±


    ¡°Oh, f¡ª¡± which devolved into a shout of pain, as lightning lanced through my skull, and then Mack explained.


    ¡°No more cussing.¡±


    So, of course I cussed, again.


    And again.


    And. Ag¡ª


    ¡°Oh. Fu¡ª¡±


    ¡°I can keep this motherfuc¡ª¡±


    ¡°All day, man. All day¡­¡±


    ¡°You know, she¡¯s gonna kill herself to prove a point, right?¡± Tens voice was a welcome distraction, ¡¯cos what I was gonna say next was gonna hurt like a bi¡ª


    ¡°Oh do you fuc¡ª¡±


    And the pain stopped, which left me dragging in another breath, one that sounded too much like a sob for my liking. I pushed past it, managed to find a voice that sounded steady.


    ¡°Took you long enough.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡± Mack sounded tired.


    ¡°To understand that¡­¡± I stopped.


    I mean, really. What the hell was the point, anyway? I could tell them no-one was going to ever make me do what I didn¡¯t want to, but truth was, it just wasn¡¯t true. Truth was, I was pretty much going to go on the next mission Odyssey had set for us, and then, probably the next, and the next, and the next¡­


    I tried to curl up in a ball so I could cry, and the force cuffs stopped me. Well, that was okay, I undid those with a thought, and rolled onto my side. The ankle cuffs were just as easy, and then I realized the implant in my head was hooked into the ships¡¯ systems. I straightened myself out.


    ¡°You motherfucking sons of bitches want to play? Let¡¯s play.¡±


    That caused a scramble. Pretty sure I heard an ¡®oh shit¡¯ from Tens, and I knew Mack was heading my way. The good thing about implants is that they¡¯re mobile¡­or, at least, I hoped they were; I hadn¡¯t had much experience with them. I rolled off the bed, yanked the blindfold free, and headed for the door.


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    It, of course, was locked.


    Took me a minute to patch through to the locking mechanism. The ship¡¯s innards were shifting to block me. Something in the implant tried that, too, but there was this little trick Odyssey had taught me, which turned that sucker right off. Off, I say¡ªand I laughed.


    I looked for the mechanism that had been causing me pain for cussing, and I grinned. Now, I had a plan. First, I had to deal with the lock¡­and Tens. Something told me Tens wasn¡¯t going to be too impressed with me¡ªand, if Mack was on his way, then Mack was almost here. I opened the door and bolted.


    I was two corridors down and heading for the shuttle bay, when he finally caught up. By then, I¡¯d gotten the implant to put the trigger mechanism for the cuss-punisher into the ship, and was just putting the finishing touches on the delivery mechanism¡ªand Tens was fighting me all the way. Boy, was he pissed.


    If I didn¡¯t get my ass off this ship, I was going to be in more trouble than I¡¯d yet managed. And that was saying something. To add to the mess I was creating, Mack was definitely upset with me. Score.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯ve done.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Sure you do.¡±


    ¡°And you need to undo it.¡±


    I kept moving. Got my hand on the handle for the hatch leading to the hangar. Got jolted into the other side of the corridor. Damn, these boys liked their electricity. That was¡­that was¡­ A needle punched into me, and I looked down, saw the dart hanging out of my side.


    Well, crap!


    ¡°You gonna undo what you did?¡±


    Mack was kneeling beside me, so I shook my head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t want Tens getting bored,¡± I mumbled, and then Tens stepped into the corridor.


    ¡°Well, damn,¡± I muttered, and the ship zapped me, again. ¡°Oh for¡­.¡±


    And I stopped, and I glared at Tens, but he was already walking away. Laughing fit to bust, as he stepped into the panel he¡¯d opened up to shoot me from.


    ¡°Bastar¡ª Ow!¡±


    ¡°Tens!¡± Mack shouted, and the lights dimmed and then came back up, again.


    ¡°Right,¡± Mack said, turning back to me. ¡°Now, you can swear!¡±


    But the world was shuddery around the edges.


    ¡°Great,¡± Mack said, pulling the dart, and then lifting me from the floor, and Tens¡¯ disembodied voice floated out of the comms system.


    ¡°At least we know she¡¯s got the hang of her implant.¡±


    ¡°How long before this wears off?¡±


    ¡°Antidote¡¯s in her room. The blue one.¡±


    The blue one? I rolled my eyes at Mack, and then closed them. Whatever the hell Tens had put in his dart, it was making me feel sick¡­and sleepy.


    ¡°I hate you,¡± I murmured, as Mack set me down, keeping an arm around my shoulders as he picked up the blue hypoderm sitting on the bedside table. I really wanted to run away, but nothing was working, so I just watched him make me a pin-cushion for about the three millionth time. ¡°I hate Tens, too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you can hate him, later,¡± Mack kept his arm around me, and handed me a glass of water. ¡°Right now, you and I need to get going. You¡¯ve wasted enough time.¡±


    I¡¯d wasted enough time? Seriously?


    But Mack gave my shoulders a squeeze, and took the empty cup from my hands.


    ¡°Yup.¡± He held out his hand.


    It was easier to take it than argue. He raised an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t say anything. I let Mack guide me to a closet. Hah. This really was my room!


    ¡°You¡¯ll need the set on the left,¡± Mack said. ¡°You¡¯ve got underwear in the top drawer.


    Wait. I what? I looked at Mack, and he shrugged.


    ¡°You need to get dressed,¡± he said, and I put my hands on my hips and tapped my foot.


    Mack shook his head.


    ¡°Nope. I¡¯m not leaving. You have caused enough trouble as it is.¡±


    I swallowed, cleared my throat.


    ¡°Well,¡± I said, ¡°could you at least turn around?¡±


    And he tilted his head to one side and raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Tens said. ¡°Like that would make any difference in the fact you¡¯re gonna be watched every step of the way.¡±


    I glanced around the room. Couldn¡¯t see a single camera. Turned back to Mack, and folded my arms.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me come down there and get you dressed.¡±


    I felt my jaw drop, and raised my eyebrows at Mack. He just folded his arms and raised his eyebrows in answer.


    ¡°You heard the man,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t make him come down here.¡±


    I wanted to think they wouldn¡¯t, but I had a nasty feeling that I¡¯d find out otherwise. Mack looked at me, and pointed to the clothes I¡¯d taken from the cupboard.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got what you need,¡± he said.


    This was ridiculous.


    ¡°If it helps,¡± Mack said, ¡°you can turn around.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just back off?¡± I asked, and, to my surprise, he did.


    I¡¯m not sure, Mack lounging against the door was much better, but at least he was no longer in my face.


    I started getting out of my clothes, remembered the cameras, and stopped.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look, Tens.¡±


    The response was not what I wanted to hear.


    ¡°Two chances.¡±


    ¡°Tens,¡± and, for once, I was happy to hear Mack¡¯s voice.


    There was a sigh, and the cameras went down. I know, because Tens patched the system overview through to my implant, and let me watch the ones in my room go off-line. Well, that made me feel a whole lot better. I was out of my clothes and about to get into the new ones, when Mack interrupted.


    ¡°You need to change your underwear.¡±


    I felt my face heat.


    ¡°Go to Hell.¡±


    ¡°The new stuff has a bit extra in it.¡±


    Sure it did.


    ¡°And you need to be quick.¡± Tens.


    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t looking.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t say the audio was off,¡± and the relevant circuitry showed on the implant, along with the why of me needing to hurry up.


    ¡°Crap.¡±

 9鈥擲outhward Bound

    I hurried. Two minutes later, I was dressed right down to a new pair of combat boots that looked more like evening fashion without the discomfort. Snazzy, but I wasn¡¯t going to tell Mack just how much I liked them. Ten minutes later, I was in the back of a shuttle staring at Mack in disbelief.


    ¡°You want me to do what?¡±


    ¡°I thought it was pretty clear.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡±


    ¡°So why ask? Just get to it.¡±


    I glanced from him to the shuttle¡¯s door. There was a jolt and shudder as we hit atmo, and then a bit of turbulence. We dropped through it fast enough, and then the side door slid open. Mack glanced over at it, and then back at me.


    ¡°Well, off you go, then.¡±


    I¡¯da said I felt butterflies, but they were all caught up in the sheets of ice coating my innards. I swallowed. Hard. And made myself stand up.


    I got two steps closer to the door, and then I stopped and turned to face him.


    ¡°What?¡± Mack asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never jumped before,¡± I said, and he swore.


    So much for a no-swearing policy.


    ¡°Tens.¡± His voice echoed through my implant.


    ¡°I got it, boss.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Mack got out of his seat, and came to stand in front of me.


    ¡°You need to jump.¡±


    I backed up a step.


    ¡°You need to jump and count to twenty, and then you need to activate your chute.¡±


    I glanced back at the door, saw clouds and a tiny, tiny landscape, and shook my head.


    Mack took another step toward me.


    ¡°Out,¡± he said, and there was more threat in that one word than anything more descriptive.


    ¡°Time¡¯s getting short,¡± Tens said. ¡°You a pro, or not?¡±


    And that, more than anything got me moving. Of course, I was a pro. Of course, I was. I turned about and took three decisive steps toward the edge of the shuttle bay, and then I jumped.


    ¡°Count.¡± Tens, in my head, as my mind jolted to a horrified halt, and he gave me a number. ¡°Four, two three. Five, two three¡­¡±


    That helped, although not much.


    ¡°Five, two, three,¡± I shouted, the wind taking the words the minute they hit air. ¡°Six, two, three; seven, two three; eight¡­¡±


    I kept counting, even while the rest of my head was screaming. I had no time for screaming. I knew that. I got to twenty, and realized I had to do something, couldn¡¯t remember, and looked down at the harness in a panic. Tens swore, and the chute deployed.


    ¡°You need more practice,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yuh think?¡± I managed, grateful my mental voice didn¡¯t have to rely on shaky vocal cords, extra thankful that neither he, nor Mack could see the tears of relief leaking out of my eyes.


    ¡°Bend your knees.¡±


    I bent, stumbling forward on landing, and then the first bullet whistled over my head, the crack of it being fired, coming seconds after.


    What the fuck?


    ¡°Run!¡±


    I ran, heading for the nearest cover I could see. Right up until the chute pulled me off my feet.


    Funny how Tens and Mack had the same vocabulary.


    ¡°Hit the release.¡±


    The release? The¡­ I fumbled at the harness, heard footsteps approach, before stopping in front of me, and then looked up, feeling the blood drain from my face.


    ¡°Oh fuck.¡±


    To be fair, it was a pretty big gun to be looking down the wrong end of.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tens agreed.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get back to you with a Plan B,¡± came from Mack


    And then they went off air, leaving me to deal with the very angry, so-not-supposed-to-be-there guys with guns.


    ¡°Lev!¡±


    I stared. Mission hadn¡¯t exactly covered language, since I hadn¡¯t exactly come down here to socialize.


    ¡°Lev!¡± and, this time, the command was accompanied by a definite upward shift of the gun barrel.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I said, risking a glance down at the harness I was still wearing.


    Dude-with-Gun said something impatient and probably rude, reached past his weapon, and grabbed the shoulder harness to pull me to my feet.


    ¡°Man! Keep your hair on!¡± I said, still trying to work out what I needed to hit to get the harness to release.


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    ¡°Lev le marn!¡±


    I looked up at the guy, seeing as he seemed to be shouting at me.


    ¡°Lev le marn!¡±


    Again, the gun barrel jerked up in short moves.


    ¡°Get your hands up.¡±


    Since when could Mack speak¡­whatever this was.


    ¡°Right. Yeah. Thanks for that.¡±


    But I did as I was told, this time looking past the weapon to its handler. At least one of us knew what he was trying to say. By now, there was more than one of him. I tried to ignore the way the chute dragged at my shoulders, and studied the guys in front of me.


    Guys and girls. Oops. My bad.


    I made sure to scan them all, hoping that Mack and Tens could see what I was seeing. Four of them held back, but a second one came to stand alongside the one pointing the gun, and I saw movement at the edge of my vision that told me there were more.


    The new guy looked at me, and snapped out another order I didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Marn syur tet.¡±


    ¡°Hands on head.¡±


    I complied.


    ¡°You know I don¡¯t understand a word these guys are saying, right?¡± I muttered, and saw the new guy¡¯s eyes widen.


    ¡°Which is why I¡¯m translating.¡±


    ¡°So, when I tell them, later, I don¡¯t understand, they¡¯re not going to believe me,¡± I murmured, keeping my voice really low, and trying not to move my lips. I hoped the new guy hadn¡¯t caught what I was saying, but I saw him frown, and I had a bad feeling he might have caught every word.


    ¡°Would you rather be shot?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± I tried saying that last one with my mouth closed, not taking my eyes off the dudes in front.


    They weren¡¯t much to look at, but, then, Odyssey had taught me not to judge anyone by their looks. Some of the instructors they¡¯d brought in hadn¡¯t looked like anything much at all, and then they¡¯d started teaching.


    I learned to be more wary of the dude with the average build, and the nothing-special looks, than of anyone who drew the eye. And they all had this look, like the new guy, like Mack¡­or Ax, now I thought about it.


    Really. I think I¡¯d have preferred the new guy to be holding the gun. The one doing the gun-holding looked a little green to me. He looked like he might actually shoot me by mistake. I tried to divide my attention between the two. When the new guy tilted his head at the group of four and whistled, I turned my head to see who he¡¯d called.


    ¡°Booj pa!¡± said the guy with gun, so I froze, hoping I¡¯d guessed right, ¡¯cos, man, I¡¯d be telling me to stand still, too¡­and then I¡¯d be shooting me, if I didn¡¯t.


    I stayed as still as I could, with my head still turned so I could see who¡¯d answered the new guy¡¯s summons. Guess I knew who was in charge of this not-so-chicken-shit outfit.


    It was not comforting to see him answered by a girl weighed down with a bunch of technical equipment.


    ¡°Oh shit,¡± Tens said, and my implant went quiet.


    Oh shit? I thought. That¡¯s the best you can do?


    But, even to me, the implant seemed strangely unresponsive. It was like having a part of my brain suddenly turn itself off. Listening to the head guy rattle off a request in whatever weird language they were speaking, I hadn¡¯t a clue about what was going to happen next.


    ¡°Great time to stop translating, guys!¡± but I knew the comment went nowhere.


    I watched as the girl came up to the leader, and then the head guy spoke again. The guy with the big gun backed up a couple of steps, but his aim didn¡¯t waver. I risked glancing from him to the leader, and letting my uncertainty show.


    ¡°Shyur jenoo.¡±


    I stared, and he made a downwards movement with his hand. I followed the gesture, and he repeated it. Repeated the order, too.


    ¡°Shyur! Jenoo!¡±


    ¡°Sure wish I knew what you wanted,¡± I said, cocking my head.


    He glared at me, and I stared back. As glares went, this one wasn¡¯t as bad as one of Mack¡¯s, and nowhere near as frightening as one of Agent Delight¡¯s. He crossed the distance between us, grabbed me by the bicep, and pulled downwards, as he slammed a boot behind my knees.


    ¡°Shyur! Jenoo!¡±


    ¡°Well, crap. Why didn¡¯t you just say so?¡± I asked, and that was when he brought a fist down on the catch releasing the harness.


    I was pretty glad to feel the weight of that drop away from my shoulders, not so glad, when the guy settled to his knees beside me and jammed a pistol in my ribs.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Somehow, I managed to remember to keep my hands on my head, remembered to stay still as another trooper came in to take them down and cuff them behind my back, didn¡¯t make a sound when I was hauled to my feet. At which point, the tech came over and ran a wand over me, paying close attention to my head.


    I listened to the whines and squawks coming off her equipment, and noted the change in tone when it went over the implant. That was going to cause me some problems.


    ¡°Holy fuck, Mack. What sort of shit did you land me in, this time?¡± I asked, but I got no response, and I didn¡¯t know whether to be glad or really disappointed. After all, it wasn¡¯t the first time I¡¯d been let down. Pretty sure I¡¯d get over it.


    I eyed the weaponry carried by the men and women around me, and amended that last thought.


    Maybe, I¡¯d get over it, if they let me live. Maybe¡­


    Head Dude let go of my arm, and tapped me on the shoulder, gesturing that I should follow him. At least, that¡¯s what his hand gesture said. His words? Well, I couldn¡¯t be sure.


    ¡°Mersweevay!¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I muttered, choosing to obey his hand signal. ¡°Whatever you say.¡±


    He was grinning as he turned away, like he was in on a joke I had no hope of understanding.


    ¡°Smart ass.¡±


    I thought I caught a hitch in his stride, but then he kept moving. So much for swearing being a universal language. And that was when I began to wonder why they weren¡¯t responding to simple Galactic Basic. I mean, Galbas was about as universal as cussing, wasn¡¯t it?


    I¡¯d come in on a hill-side meadow. From there I was supposed to have had a ten kay hike through the edge of a small estate, to something that looked like a cross between a small mansion and a single-story, corporate lair. With these guys, it was a brisk walk to the edge of the meadow, where there was a bit of a track, and then they began to jog.


    I might have drawn the line at that, except the head guy turned back, and came alongside me. Taking a firm hold of my arm, he said, ¡°Jog!¡±, and kept up the pace, dragging me along with him. I might have protested, except I didn¡¯t want to fall over.


    ¡°Byen fee!¡± he said, sounding pleased. I might have been happy to hear him happy, except he said it in the same way you might praise a dog, or some other pet that was doing what you wanted. Instead of feeling happy, I wanted to smack him.


    I might have tried, too, except my hands weren¡¯t free. ¡®Byen fee,¡¯ indeed.


    When I got back to the ship, Mack was going to hear about this!


    I wanted very badly to ask where we were going, but I figured I¡¯d find out soon enough. I also really wanted to be anywhere else except here, and I didn¡¯t see how that was going to happen. Why wasn¡¯t Mack teleporting me out of here?


    For that matter, why hadn¡¯t he told me exactly what I was going for, when I landed? So far, he¡¯d fed me the barest bits of information¡ªand those only just before I needed them. Like having to jump out of the shuttle. Like needing to get to the manse on foot, because everything coming onto the grounds was checked, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any patrols between the perimeter and the house.


    Like shut-up-don¡¯t-ask-how-a-chute-won¡¯t-be-noticed¡­ It was almost like he¡¯d wanted me to get caught. Was that it? Had he planned for me to be captured before I reached the main buildings? And why?


    Why the chute without checking to see if I¡¯d ever jumped? Why send me down with barely any equipment? Why no weapons? Had Mack changed his mind? Decided to dump me on some unknown world, and tell Odyssey he¡¯d lost me in an op gone wrong? Was that it? That was it?


    I stopped. Dead. Losing my footing and hitting the ground hard on my knees.


    ¡°Mack! You scum-sucking, star-hugging, ass-covering, mouth-breeding, donkey-shitting, sun-splitting, motherfucking bastard!¡±


    I might have started punching the ground, right then and there, except my hands were still firmly bound behind my back, and someone still had a very firm grip on my arm. Utter, gob-smacked silence filled the air around me, but I didn¡¯t care. I was so sick of nothing ever going right. Just¡­


    And that¡¯s when someone started laughing.


    Great. Fucking fantastic. I squeezed my eyes tight shut, and then opened them again, turning my head to glare at the man beside me.


    ¡°What!¡±


    And the head dude stopped laughing, and pulled me to my feet.


    ¡°Very creative,¡± he said, all traces of amusement gone. ¡°Very original. Now, run!¡±


    And he dragged me back into a jog.


    I didn¡¯t want to jog, but then I didn¡¯t want to be where I was, either, which just goes to show you can¡¯t have anything you want¡ªnot even on a good day. Which this, most certainly, was not.

 10鈥擨nfiltration & Exfiltration

    I didn¡¯t expect to find Mack waiting for me, when they dragged my sorry ass through into the foyer of their fancy-ass, glass-office-block-wannabe building.


    ¡°So, you found her, then?¡± he asked, barely sparing me a glance.


    I couldn¡¯t believe it. I¡¯d been run some twenty kays, because no one builds a road straight to their HQ anymore¡ªand I do mean run. They¡¯d jogged a couple of kays to where they¡¯d parked their jeeps, and then they¡¯d stopped. I¡¯d stopped, too, glad of a break, but not too happy when they¡¯d opened up my pack and dumped a couple of good-sized rocks inside before closing it tight, and then checking the straps were secure.


    At first, I didn¡¯t get why they¡¯d done it, or why they¡¯d clipped a chain around my waist, and then hooked it to the back of one of the jeeps. And then the lead guy had climbed into the front of one of the jeeps, and looked back.


    ¡°Try and keep up,¡± he¡¯d said, and tapped the driver on the shoulder¡ªand everything became painfully clear.


    ¡°Motherfucking bastards,¡± I muttered, and he grinned, turning to face forward, and leaving me wondering what would happen if I tripped.


    I might have been happier with the arrangement, if he¡¯d looked like he was keeping an eye on me¡­or if there¡¯d been a jeep behind us, but he didn¡¯t, and there wasn¡¯t. I watched as the other vehicles pulled out and took off, single file, down a narrow track that threaded a path between the trees at the edge of the field.


    The pace they set made my jaw drop, as I watched them go, and then the jeep I was attached to started to move.


    ¡°You are shitting me,¡± I muttered, but I didn¡¯t let that stop me from breaking into a walk, and then a trot, when it rolled onto the track.


    For a minute, I was afraid it would take off after the rest, dragging me behind it, but it didn¡¯t. It did pick up speed, though, until I was running faster than I¡¯d had to on the track leading to the vehicles. Fortunately, that didn¡¯t last long, and the jeep slowed enough that I was jogging at about the same speed as before. Not that I would have been able to keep that up for long, just longer than I thought I could.


    Turned out someone was keeping an eye on me, because the jeep stopped as soon as I fell the first time. I watched as the leader slapped the driver on the back of the head. The driver turned and spat something back in rapid-fire language, gesturing emphatically at the rear-view mirror, and then at where I was getting back on my feet. They both half-turned in their seats to watch, as I struggled back up.


    As soon as I was there, the driver turned back to the front, and put the vehicle back in gear.


    ¡°Kooray,¡± the boss-man said, and turned back to the front.


    I koorayed, but it wasn¡¯t easy. For one thing, my hands were still tied behind my back. For another, I was absolutely knackered¡ªand that goddamn pack hadn¡¯t gotten any fucking lighter, either. They took a bit longer stopping the second time I fell, longer still to actually get out and come around the back to see if I was okay. I have to admit I did not expect to be hauled to my feet, and then have someone run beside me when the jeep next pulled away.


    Bastards.


    The leader¡¯s hand around my bicep wasn¡¯t as much help in keeping me on my feet as a strong desire to not fall over before he did. The crunch of gravel under my feet was a relief, but not as much of a relief as when the car stopped in front of me, and they unhooked the chain. And I still refused to fall.


    Not giving them any satisfaction was impossible, but I figured they¡¯d dump me in some sort of holding cell, real soon, and I could collapse, then. Hearing Mack¡¯s voice after stumbling up the stone steps out front, and then into the building, was a surprise, as was the leader¡¯s question.


    ¡°You know this man?¡± he asked, and that was when I decided to give Mack a run for his money.


    I lifted my head, and took a long look at him. Something in my expression must have tipped him off, though¡ªprobably the deliberate blankness I kept there¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t you¡ª¡±


    I shook my head, and the head goon stared at me.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± he asked, turning me toward an outraged Mack.


    I glanced at him, and shook my head, again, and the leader turned to Mack.


    ¡°I am sorry, Mishyer, but she says she doesn¡¯t know you.¡±


    By then, I¡¯d decided I could really, really do with seeing the inside of that cell. I didn¡¯t need Mack setting up to make a fuss.


    ¡°She¡¯s lying,¡± he said, and then glared at me. ¡°Not that I blame her. I¡¯d lie, too, if I¡¯d taken a dive out of my boss¡¯s shuttle, instead of finishing a simple resupply errand.¡±


    Really? That was the spin he was putting on it?


    I thought about arguing, but I was too tired. My legs were shaking, and I was still breathing hard. The pack dragged at my shoulders, making the floor look inviting. Mack took it all in, as he studied me.


    ¡°What did you do to her?¡± he asked, and I watched the head dude put on an expression of faux innocence.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± he said. ¡°She was full of energy when she landed. Said she needed to run. I let her run.¡±


    I stared at him, and then let my knees fold beneath me.


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± the leader said. ¡°I take it there is a retrieval fee?¡±


    ¡°There most certainly is!¡±


    I wanted to say I really didn¡¯t know Mack, but I couldn¡¯t. I just knelt on the floor, trying to catch my breath, and waited for them to finish whatever stupid game they were playing. There was silence between them, but I didn¡¯t bother looking up. Whatever the game was, the two of them could just go play it on their own.


    It was a moment before either of them spoke, and then it was the head guy.


    ¡°I take it you have records for her?¡±


    ¡°What would you like?¡± Mack asked. ¡°We have employment, DNA, and medical, including the new implant inside her skull.¡±


    ¡°The last two,¡± the leader said. ¡°Send them down. We¡¯ll do our own work-up to verify.¡±


    Work up? As in medical work up? As in tissue samples, blood, and all the needles that required? I lifted my head, just as the leader took hold of my arm and hauled me back onto my feet.


    ¡°Come,¡± he said, pulling me toward a door behind the reception counter where Mack was standing.


    As we headed for the door, I heard the receptionist turn to Mack.


    ¡°Your I.D. please.¡±


    ¡°This way,¡± my escort said, and opened the door. ¡°Through you go.¡±


    I guessed it wouldn¡¯t do me any good to recognize Mack now. The mention of a retrieval fee pretty much put paid to that. I figured no matter what I said, I was about to be identified to within an inch of my tiny, little life¡ªand I had absolutely no doubt that Mack had planned with this contingency in mind.


    The door led to a corridor, off which there was an elevator. I don¡¯t know how many floors down it went, but I pretty much figured this was the data Mack had been looking for. My escort didn¡¯t speak to me, again, until the elevator doors closed behind us, and we began our descent.


    ¡°I take it that the man in my foyer was the scum-sucking, star-hugging, ass-covering, mouth-breeding, donkey-shitting, sun-splitting, motherfucking bastard, you know as Mack?¡±


    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±


    And that was when he let go of my arm and slapped me across the face. It was a good slap, one that set my ears ringing, and made me see double. I stumbled against the elevator wall, and shook my head.


    It¡¯s hard to get your breath back, and stand up straight, when the world is wobbling so hard you think it would be safer to just fall down, so I contented myself with leaning on the elevator wall, and holding tight to the rail behind me.


    The elevator slowed, coming to a sudden stop, and he took me by the arm, and dragged me forward.


    ¡°So, was¡ª¡±


    And I decided he already knew I knew Mack, and was aware that Mack knew me.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah. It was.¡±


    ¡°And were you on a supply run?¡±


    I hung my head, tried to pull my arm free of his grip, and he laughed, letting go of my arm, and winding his arm around my shoulders, and over the top of the pack.


    ¡°You and I are going to have such fun,¡± he said, and my heart sank, but now I knew why he¡¯d run me twenty kay. I was trembling with fatigue and couldn¡¯t do a damn thing to resist.


    I ended up in the small cell of my dreams, but I didn¡¯t get to enjoy the promised collapse. The cell wasn¡¯t empty¡ªand I could see with half an eye it wasn¡¯t really meant for just holding.


    ¡°I am Bastien Gaetani,¡± the head dude said, as he guided me through the cell door, and turned me to face the nearest wall.


    I think it was supposed to mean something to me, but I guess I was new to the circles he moved in, because I had no response. He picked up on it, but then someone used to seeing fear at the mention of his name, is generally going to notice when the person they¡¯re speaking to, has none.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    I just let him push me against the wall, while he stripped off my pack and undid my cuffs. As I waited for whatever came next, I figured with Mack paying a retrieval fee, then maybe I wasn¡¯t going to die.


    ¡°You know Mackenzie Star,¡± he said, turning me back to face him.


    The look on my face must have said it all. He sighed.


    ¡°You know Mack, the man upstairs.¡±


    I nodded. My throat was dry, and I didn¡¯t want to speak.


    He leant forward taking my chin between his thumb and forefinger, and turning my head from side to side.


    ¡°I wonder what he sees in you,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re not pretty, and you clearly frustrate him.¡±


    I did? Well, that was news to me. The look on my face made him smirk.


    ¡°I wonder how much he¡¯ll pay to have you back¡­¡± That was less than comforting, and my expression must have reflected the fear that had started to stir. ¡°See? You¡¯re not as thick as you think I am.¡±


    Well, that wasn¡¯t promising.


    ¡°Go stand over by the back wall,¡± he said, giving me a gentle push in that direction.


    I glanced at the rear wall.


    Oh. Hell. No.


    Which must have also shown on my face, because he smiled, and it was as cold a smile as any Delight might have produced¡­or Tens, come to think of it. I pushed off the wall, but I was too slow. I earned another open-handed blow to the side of the head, and then his fingers curled through my hair, as his fist caught me in the gut. Twice.


    ¡°Wall,¡± he said, and shoved me toward it. ¡°Now.¡±


    I hit hard, but managed to turn my shoulder into it, which did me absolutely no good. Bastien knew what he was about, and I was too slow. He had me hanging like a portrait in less than a minute.


    ¡­which doesn¡¯t go to say that I didn¡¯t get at least one good hit in.


    I figured a good hit to the nose might get me at least to the door, and, boy, was I ever wrong. He turned his head and I blacked an eye, instead. All that did was earn me a faster put down.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the smart ass, now?¡± he asked, as he headed for the door, but he was looking far too happy with himself, and I vowed I would wipe the smile from his face, the next time I got the chance.


    Mack, however, had other ideas, and I was still hanging on the wall, when Bastien brought him down.


    ¡°See? Lazy,¡± Bastien said. ¡°Just hanging around, doing nothing.¡±


    And that doing nothing had included not sleeping, as well. I¡¯d had a parade of doctors through that had started shortly after Bastien had left, and then I¡¯d had visitors every hour. When Mack arrived, the other three walls of the cell were occupied, and I knew exactly what awaited me, if Mack decided to disown me.


    I looked at him, and he looked back, and I waited, because, to be fair, I didn¡¯t know what he was going to do next.


    ¡°You ready to come home, now?¡± he asked, and I nodded.


    Mack looked at Bastien, and Bastien came over to the wall. I couldn¡¯t help the instinctive recoil when he reached out to undo the shackles, but he just smiled, and pulled me close.


    ¡°See?¡± he said, whispering in my ear. ¡°You get to go home with your master, and I get a nice fat bonus in my account. Are you happy?¡±


    I nodded, trying to ignore the fine tremor that ran through me, wondering why he had been waiting for me out in that meadow, when he was the one in charge, and trying to work out if Mack had betrayed me. Bastien guided me over to Mack, and pushed me toward him. I managed the three steps it took to reach his side, and he offered me his arm.


    It was a courtesy, and I was grateful he hadn¡¯t tried to pick me up. When I glanced at him, his face was strangely expressionless, and I wondered what he was thinking.


    The corridor outside seemed twice as long as it did before, and the ride up to the foyer, ten times the duration of the one previous. I decided I wouldn¡¯t fall over until we hit the ship, but couldn¡¯t suppress a shudder when Bastien spoke. He promised the closest inmate he would be down shortly, and the man whimpered.


    Knowing what Bastien had done before, I would have whimpered, too. I was just glad to be walking out of that complex alive and relatively unharmed. Man, I was still fully dressed¡­and that was more than could be said for any of the folk who¡¯d been dragged in to keep me company. I kept my arm firmly tucked in Mack¡¯s, and focused on walking out of Bastien¡¯s fortress under my own steam.


    For his part, Mack was strangely silent, handing Bastien his payment, when we¡¯d reached the shuttle, and making me stand close, while we watched the man check it.


    ¡°All is in order,¡± Bastien said, ¡°for which I am both happy and sad.¡±


    He cast me a soulful look, and gently pinched my cheek.


    ¡°Sad because it means I don¡¯t get to spend any quality time with you, but happy Mack is not deprived of your company.¡±


    I tightened my grip on Mack¡¯s arm, and shot my guardian a worried glance. Bastien caught the look, and smiled.


    ¡°See? She has missed you,¡± he said. ¡°Now, if you will excuse me, I have business to attend to.¡±


    And he turned and walked away.


    I looked up at Mack, trying to read his face so I knew what he wanted me to do next. There was no way, I wanted to mess up, and risk him leaving me behind. To my relief, he turned and climbed into the shuttle, taking me with him. He didn¡¯t even try to untangle my arm, until we were aboard the ship¡ªand that only when we¡¯d reached medical.


    ¡°Sit,¡± he said, pointing to the open med-box.


    It had its side down, so I could sit on it, like one would sit on the edge of a bed. I cast him a dubious glance, but I did as I was told. As far as I could tell, the ship was still orbiting Bastien¡¯s world, and I could still be sent back. Mack¡¯s next words surprised me.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    I started to nod, then stopped, and then managed to shake my head. I pressed my lips together, but they were already trembling, and tears had started leaking from the corners of my eyes. Inside my head, I felt my implant slowly come back to life, and then Tens spoke.


    ¡°We got it, boss.¡±


    They had? But I didn¡¯t have the energy to ask what, or how. So far as I knew, I¡¯d botched the first mission¡ªand I hadn¡¯t even known what it was. Mack, however, gave a tight, satisfied smile.


    ¡°Was it what they wanted?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. He kept her segregated from general population, but the dampers on the implant worked and they left it intact.¡±


    ¡°So, what did we get?¡±


    ¡°Three other prisoners going through conditioning, including the one Odyssey wanted.¡±


    They did? They had? They what?


    Mack reached over and put a hand on my knee, and I flinched away.


    ¡°You did good,¡± he said, and I felt more tears well into my eyes.


    I had no idea what he was talking about, and I shook my head. He frowned, concern marking his features.


    ¡°Yeah, you did real good. You can rest, now.¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°I need a shower.¡±


    What I¡¯d meant to say was that we had to go back. We had to rescue those poor people I¡¯d left in the cell behind me. We had to go get whoever had been chosen to fill the space I¡¯d left, because Bastien was¡­ He was wrong. He was all kinds of wrong, and he had people just as wrong doing his bidding.


    But I didn¡¯t say it. I just asked for a shower, because I couldn¡¯t say we needed to go back, because I couldn¡¯t face the idea of going back. I couldn¡¯t face the idea of going anywhere that meant I was in Bastien¡¯s reach, and I didn¡¯t know how to explain that to Mack. Fortunately, Tens had access to the implant¡­and he knew no boundaries when it came to garnering information.


    ¡°She¡¯s right, Mack,¡± he said, and I looked around at the speakers. ¡°We have to go back.¡±


    I wanted to deny it, but I couldn¡¯t. I wanted to agree, too, but I couldn¡¯t do that, either. I couldn¡¯t make a sound either way, but the tears fell just a little bit faster.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sending her back down there,¡± Mack said, and Tens replied.


    ¡°Not sure it¡¯s up to you, boss.¡±


    ¡°You got Odyssey on the line?¡±


    And Tens brought up a screen on a portion of the med-bay wall. I wasn¡¯t happy to see Agent Delight, but she gave me an approving nod, before turning her attention to Mack.


    ¡°The strike team thanks you for your report¡ªand the diversion.¡±


    She what? I lifted my head, the movement drawing her attention.


    ¡°You¡¯re here already?¡± I asked, and she smiled.


    ¡°Sweetheart, how else do you think we expected to get Drammon out alive? You know what Bastien had in store for him. Your departure was his death warrant.¡±


    I swallowed down bile. She was right. It was, and I did, and I hadn¡¯t known what they¡¯d expected. Hell! I hadn¡¯t even known I was on a mission, let alone a mission to retrieve one of their agents. Mack groaned, and stood up beside me.


    ¡°I thought you caved too easily on the implant,¡± he said, and I felt Tens cussing in my head.


    Delight shrugged.


    ¡°Drammon is the key to something bigger, and we¡¯ve wanted to indict Bastien for some time. What you said about not being able to tweak our implants was the deciding factor. We needed you to do what you did best. If our implants were going to be a hindrance, well. We could live with one semi-rogue agent in exchange for what Drammon can give us.¡± She smiled at me. ¡°Cheer up, shit-for-brains. You¡¯re becoming a useful mammal, after all. And management says I just might have to let you live.¡±


    I felt my eyes go wide, and my eyebrows almost hit my hairline. They could, and I was? And management had told her to what? But Delight was already turning her attention to Mack.


    ¡°And you, you devious-minded individual, it was, again, a pleasure doing business. You¡¯ll find a bonus for efficiency.¡±


    ¡°What about Cutter?¡±


    Delight raised her eyebrows, and then smirked.


    ¡°She gets a high-risk allowance added to her pay, and to not worry about me hunting her down until the next time she screws up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks for that,¡± I managed, and I swear she winked at me, as she ended the call.


    When the screen had gone blank, again, Mack turned to me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get the doc to check you out,¡± he said.


    I frowned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t I get to shower first?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll check with the doc.¡±


    The answer, when he checked, was a ¡®no¡¯. Apparently, the doc needed to make sure I hadn¡¯t brought anything nasty on board that the grime on my body was hiding the clues to.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I said, and was relieved when he got me to lie in the med-box so any such evidence could be found and stored.


    ¡°Now, you can go clean up,¡± he said, indicating a small san cubicle set into the room¡¯s wall. ¡°Over there. It¡¯ll collect anything we might have missed.¡±


    I went, relieved to be able to strip out of the clothes I¡¯d worn on the mission, and step under the water of a hot shower. I was not so happy to find the clothes were missing when I stepped out again, so I just stood in the shower bay, and tried to figure out what to do. It shouldn¡¯t have come as a surprise, when Mack opened the san-unit door.


    ¡°Out,¡± he said, and I glared at him.


    ¡°Out,¡± he repeated, and held up a new pile of clothes.


    Well, that was different. I stepped out of the shower bay, and took the clothes.


    ¡°Out,¡± I said, pointing to the san-room door.


    I was speechless when he went.


    When I was dressed, I stepped back into the medical center. The clothes were loose-fitting and made of some sort of material that was both warm and cool at the same time. They didn¡¯t cling, and they came with slippers.


    Cool.


    Mack was gone when I stepped out, but the doc was waiting.


    ¡°Tell me what happened,¡± he said, and then guided me, step by step, through the events from the time I¡¯d jumped, to the time Mack had brought me back on board.


    Every now and then, he¡¯d stop the narrative, and examine the points that Bastien or his lackeys had touched. Every now and then, he¡¯d tut disapprovingly, and then signal for me to continue. When the memories were too much to say, so soon after each other, he¡¯d wait, and then he¡¯d prod me forward, again. As a debriefing, it was pretty thorough.


    ¡°None of this is confidential, right?¡± I asked, when I¡¯d reached the end, and he shook his head.


    ¡°Regretfully, no,¡± he said. ¡°Copies will be forwarded to the relevant parties.¡±


    I had known it, but to hear it tore at my heart, and I stifled a sob. He patted my knee in an awkward fashion, and then became brisk.


    ¡°Now, to treat what¡¯s been caused,¡± he said, and I wondered just how badly I needed to be hurt for the debrief to come in second to the treatment.


    ¡°Dying,¡± came Mack¡¯s voice, in my head, and I rested my head back against the med-box, and let the doc do his work.


    ¡°This would be easier, if you¡¯d just lie down,¡± he said, and I went still.


    The doc looked at me, and then lifted his hands away.


    ¡°I¡¯m a doctor, not a torturer,¡± he said, and I managed to blink.


    I knew that.


    ¡°And Mack would have my hide if I did you any harm,¡± the doctor continued, ¡°not to mention what Odyssey would do. That Agent Delight¡­.¡±


    He let the words trail off, and gave a theatrical shudder.


    ¡°She¡¯s a piece of work, that one.¡±


    ¡°You know she¡¯ll probably see this conversation, right?¡± I said, and he glanced at me.


    ¡°Yes, well. She is well aware of my opinion of her,¡± he said, and I wondered why he looked so angry.


    When he spoke to me next, his tone was abrupt.


    ¡°Get in the box.¡±


    This time, I did not argue. Whatever he¡¯d remembered about Delight, it seemed to have bled through his usual gentle manner, and I didn¡¯t want to trigger anything more. I pulled myself into the box, and watched as he lifted the side, and locked it in place.


    ¡°Hands by your sides, please,¡± he said, peering in.


    He still seemed anxious, so I complied. There was no point in antagonizing the only person who could mend what I broke out on a mission. The snap of restraints over my wrists was as clear to my ears, as the firm grip of the metal against my skin.


    ¡°What¡­¡± I began, and then he tapped a few keys on the outside of the box, and I heard the box hum in response.


    Before I had time to ask what was happening, the sharp, nimble teeth of two sets of hypoderms punched into my rump.


    ¡°Doc!¡±


    He hit the pedal for lowering the box, and stopped it when I was at a level, for him to comfortably reach in.


    ¡°Antibiotics for the cuts and abrasions, heavy duty painkillers for the deep-tissue bruising, and a sedative because you really need to sleep. And the cuffs because I know how well you react to needles.¡±


    To be honest, the sedative was already taking effect, or I might have thought about making a fuss.


    ¡°No hard feelings, I hope?¡±


    ¡°Nah, doc. We¡¯re good.¡±


    It was the last thing I said for quite some time.

 11鈥擱eturn to Bastien鈥檚

    ¡°We need you to go back in,¡± Mack said.


    He was sitting on a chair by my bed, and I wondered how long he¡¯d been there. I also wondered why he didn¡¯t seem to have anything better to do.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a ship to run?¡± I asked.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± he asked, by way of reply, and I stretched, experimentally, and then sat up.


    ¡°How long was I out?¡±


    The doc¡¯s voice answered me from the door, sounding just as annoyed as he had when he¡¯d put me to sleep.


    ¡°Not as long as I said you needed to be! How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I feel okay.¡±


    ¡°More than you deserve,¡± the doc said, and walked out again.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t think you should be going.¡±


    ¡°Going where?¡±


    Mack gave an exaggerated sigh.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you listen? Back. Some of the strike team got left behind.¡±


    Back? I¡¯d tucked my knees to my chest, and wrapped my arms around my legs, before I¡¯d registered what I was doing.


    ¡°Bastien?¡±


    I watched as Mack¡¯s expression closed.


    ¡°I¡¯m going in with you.¡±


    Like that made any difference. However, if there was one thing I¡¯d learned from the last mission, it was that ¡®no¡¯ was probably not an option. I tried to push the fear aside, with a different question.


    ¡°Are we jumping?¡±


    Mack paused, and looked at me.


    ¡°Do you want to?¡± His voice was vaguely hopeful, but I shook my head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back,¡± slipped out before I could stop it, and I watched his expression harden.


    Now, there was the Mack I¡¯d come to know and loathe. I unhooked my arms from around my knees, and slid off the bed, which is what med-boxes shifted into when you let the sides down. I didn¡¯t say anything, just went to the closet compartment, and looked for a suit exactly like the one I¡¯d been issued before.


    There wasn¡¯t one, but there was something with what looked like a light form of body armor. I pulled it out.


    ¡°This?¡±


    Mack¡¯s lips twitched.


    ¡°That.¡± he said.


    ¡°And I get to go armed, this time?¡±


    His lips curled into the barest hint of a smile.


    ¡°You get to go armed.¡±


    ¡°What else do I have to do?¡±


    ¡°You need to hack the internal computer system, and get the data out. All of it, if you can, or as much of it as you¡¯re able, otherwise¡­ and you need to locate where they¡¯re holding the Odyssey operatives.¡±


    This last was added in a bit of a rush, and I couldn¡¯t help staring.


    ¡°You what?¡±


    Mack¡¯s return stare was cool and assessing.


    ¡°You heard.¡±


    I felt my heart sink to the pit of my stomach. Something must have gone very badly wrong for us to have to go back.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Bastien was waiting.¡±


    I let my hands drop to my sides, felt my cheeks grow numb as the blood drained from my face.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You were something new. He had protocols in place for new.¡±


    ¡°Drammon?¡±


    Mack shook his head, and I felt a little sick. I remembered what Bastien had said he was going to do with Drammon.


    ¡°Did he¡­¡± I swallowed hard, tried again. ¡°Is Drammon still alive?¡±


    Mack nodded, but his face was tight, all trace of that little smile fled.


    ¡°But he probably wishes he wasn¡¯t.¡±


    I just bet he did. I didn¡¯t bother arguing. I just stripped out of the comfortable gear I¡¯d woken up in, and started climbing into the suit, stopped when Mack gave an amused snort.


    ¡°You forgot your underwear.¡±


    And so I had. I felt my face heat, as I blushed red as red could be, but I reached into the closet and found the right drawer. This time the underwear resembled a close-fitting leotard with long legs and sleeves.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± I asked, holding it up.


    ¡°More body armor,¡± he said.


    I stared at it, the doubt clearly written on my face. I¡¯m not sure how long I would have stood there and stared at it, except that Tens interrupted.


    ¡°The clock is ticking,¡± he said, and Mack frowned, getting to his feet.


    ¡°Hurry up,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you in the hangar.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll what?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem? You¡¯re not going to try and run on me, again, are you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I stepped out of the outerwear I¡¯d started to put on, and shimmied into the underwear.


    When I looked up, Mack was already heading toward the door. I swear, the guy wasn¡¯t human. He hadn¡¯t even stopped to look. Tens, not so much.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Get a wriggle on,¡± he said, ¡°and turn a little to the left.¡±


    Mack looked up at the ceiling.


    ¡°Tens,¡± he said. ¡°Get to work. I want real-time scans of what¡¯s happening inside the complex.¡±


    I heard Tens gulp.


    ¡°You sure you want that, boss?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± and Mack¡¯s voice was creaky, although with what, I couldn¡¯t be sure, ¡°but we¡¯ll need it. Make sure the recordings are clear. We need to nail this bastard.¡±


    Tens didn¡¯t sound convinced.


    ¡°And I want it broadcast live,¡± Mack said, ¡°because if he takes us out, down there, he¡¯ll probably take the ship, as well. Broadband it. I want it known.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll lose your anonymity.¡±


    ¡°If we live, I¡¯ll let Odyssey take care of it,¡± Mack said. ¡°Pretty sure ours won¡¯t be the first deaths they¡¯ve faked.¡±


    ¡°Who says they¡¯ll fake it?¡± Tens muttered, but he cut the comm link, and I guessed he was doing what Mack wanted.


    I shimmied into the rest of the outfit, and hoped the promised weapons were aboard the shuttle. I¡¯d qualified on most of what I wanted for this mission, figured I could pick up what I needed to know in order to be able to operate the rest. I headed for the shuttle bay, and then discovered we weren¡¯t riding down in the shuttle.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably the first thing we¡¯re going to lose,¡± Mack said. ¡°Tens will remote-pilot it. I can¡¯t afford to lose any of my crew.¡±


    I read between the lines to ¡®don¡¯t want to lose any of my crew¡¯ and began to understand what Tens had said about Mack picking up strays. I wondered if Mack would help me fake my next death, but I still wasn¡¯t sure he was a step up from Odyssey, or a step down. I also couldn¡¯t work out where his loyalties lay. I mean, he¡¯d burned me once, because I¡¯d stolen money from someone I hadn¡¯t known was his client. And Odyssey seemed to be a pretty big client, too.


    Next time, I wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake.


    Which brought me right back to the present. How much did I trust Mack? Well, I guessed, looking at the thin sliver of a craft he¡¯d attached to the bottom of the shuttle, enough to travel down with him in that. Re-entry was going to be a bitch.


    He shimmied forward in the pilot¡¯s seat, and motioned for me to get behind him.


    ¡°Weapons are in that locker,¡± he said. ¡°Check your implant. Tracer for it is in there. Don¡¯t lose it, whatever you do. It¡¯s o-dark-hundred down there, and we won¡¯t have a lot of time to look for it.¡±


    I checked the implant, pinged the locker stowed alongside the seat, felt it ping back, and tapped Mack on the shoulder.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tens voice whispered in my head, ¡°right up until Bastien jams it.¡±


    ¡°Do your job, Tens,¡± Mack rumbled, and I realized my implant was a party line.


    Great. Just great.


    But the shuttle lifted, and the hangar doors opened to space, and Tens flew us right back down to where I didn¡¯t want to go. The ride was even bumpier than before, but we detached easily enough, and I watched the shuttle fly away from us, as we dropped ever-faster earthward. Man, I hoped this thing could fly.


    ¡°Shutup,¡± Mack said, and his mental voice sounded strained.


    ¡°Yeah. What he said,¡± Tens added, and then cursed, just before his link dropped out.


    ¡°Tens?¡± I didn¡¯t like exactly how worried Mack sounded. Liked it even less when there was a sudden flare of light from the direction in which the shuttle had disappeared.


    ¡°Hang tight,¡± Mack said, and pushed the tiny craft into a steep dive.


    Seconds later we were caught and buffeted by the shock-wave of the shuttle¡¯s destruction.


    ¡°I hate it when I¡¯m right,¡± Mack muttered, and I wanted to argue that he loved it, but I didn¡¯t quite dare.


    Bastien had taken out the shuttle. Tens had broken contact for a reason. I wondered if I could damp my implant, hoped Bastien had only gotten as much out of it as Tens and Mack thought he had, but didn¡¯t want to bet my life on it. Literally. Inside my head, I explored what I could find, and then found the mechanism Tens had used to make the implant appear dormant to Bastien¡¯s scans.


    Hoping I wasn¡¯t about to put it off-line permanently, I flicked it, and felt Mack relax, just a fraction.


    ¡°Good girl,¡± he said. ¡°Very good.¡±


    And I was reminded of Bastien¡¯s ¡®Byen fee¡¯. Dammit! I was not a dog!


    For a moment, I was torn between giving Mack a good clout upside the head, or ignoring him, but he was flying, and it was never a good idea to beat up the pilot, while he was flying. I chose to ignore him, instead, and focused on finding out what was in the pockets of my latest outfit.


    I was as excited as a kid on Family Day by the time Mack set us down behind a small complex of sheds behind the main building.


    ¡°What¡¯s in there?¡± I asked, indicating the nearest shed, as we unfolded ourselves from the tiny craft.


    Mack looked at me, and I blushed.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you brought me along for, huh?¡±


    He nodded, reaching under the seat to pull out a couple of snub-nosed pistols, while I grabbed the weapons locker, and headed for the shed. Mack glanced back at the craft we¡¯d flown in on, and nodded. I glanced back to see what he was nodding at, and saw the tiny vehicle disappear.


    ¡°Visual displacement,¡± he said.


    ¡°A blend?¡±


    Mack nodded.


    ¡°What have you got?¡±


    I moved over to the control panel beside the door, reaching into one of the pouches at my waist. Unlike the last mission, I¡¯d come properly equipped. The pouch contained a small data-box, and the connectors I¡¯d need to make a hard connection, if I couldn¡¯t make a wireless one. It worked kinda the same way as the data-mine I¡¯d used back at the pharmaceutical plant, only different.


    For this, I had to activate the implant. I could only hope Bastien and his techs weren¡¯t waiting for me to try. I really had to rely on the shuttle¡¯s explosion to keep their minds elsewhere, or on the Odyssey team taking out whatever Bastien used for security scans.


    ¡°Two seconds,¡± I murmured, as Mack sidled up to me.


    ¡°Make it one, and make it quick, and pray there¡¯s no-one on the other side of the door,¡± he said, opening the lockbox and pulling weapons out of it. I felt extra weight added to the belt at my waist, and a strap draped over my shoulders as I worked. And then I felt him shifting beside me, as he stowed more weapons around himself.


    ¡°You sure you got enough?¡± I asked, getting the door open, and leading the way inside.


    ¡°You¡¯d better hope so,¡± he said, nudging the box behind a crate by the door.


    Fan-fucking-tastic. I focused on business.


    ¡°What do you need?¡±


    ¡°Find a terminal. Find a way into the vault under this complex. We can¡¯t use the way we went in last time. Delight¡¯s crew blew that sucker all to hell.¡±


    Great. I scanned the shed, noted stacked crates and pallets, and hoped there was an office toward the front. Deliveries had to be recorded, right? Workers had to clock on and off, yeah? And I was betting good ol¡¯ Bastien didn¡¯t allow just anyone into his little home-away-from-home.


    ¡°Before, or after, they got in?¡±


    ¡°After.¡± Mack¡¯s voice sounded strained. ¡°Soon as they figured they¡¯d just waltzed themselves into a trap.¡±


    Yeah, well, I guess that made sense.


    ¡°So, what makes you think there¡¯s another entrance?¡±


    ¡°Because Bastien¡¯s a rat, and those critters always have a bolt-hole. We have to find it first.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think he hasn¡¯t used it already?¡±


    ¡°Tens.¡±


    I didn¡¯t like the way the comms stayed quiet, wished Tens would come on-line and confirm he was okay, couldn¡¯t quite fathom why he stayed silent.


    ¡°Okaaay,¡± I said, hoping my tone would tell Mack he hadn¡¯t really answered the question.


    I was about to step around a stack of crates, when Mack grabbed me by the shoulder, and pulled me hard up against him, as he squeezed himself into a niche between the stacks. I pressed my lips together, pushing down the urge to shout, as we watched a forklift purr softly past.


    Well, that was going to make life interesting.


    ¡°Try patching into the system from here.¡± Mack¡¯s voice in my ear.


    ¡°Kay.¡±


    I didn¡¯t like it, but I liked the idea of running a gauntlet of forklifts even less. I went wireless.


    It took me a little longer than I liked, but I did it, and found the floorplans Bastien had hidden behind a second firewall in a partitioned drive. It didn¡¯t take me long to begin siphoning files. Honestly, it would have been faster to just copy the drives¡­if that had been an option, but there were protections against that. I wormed my way past them, and then worked out how to wriggle the files through the gap without activating the security protocols.


    Those suckers looked spiky, and I didn¡¯t want them coming after me. It was just too bad I couldn¡¯t find another place to store the files outside my implant.


    ¡°This is what I pay you for,¡± Mack said. ¡°Send me the layout.¡±


    ¡°What about Tens?¡± I asked, but Mack signaled the negative, turning us about in the narrow gap he¡¯d found and pushing me further into it.


    ¡°Just me,¡± he said. ¡°Tens will make contact, when he¡¯s sure he can get a clean signal. Don¡¯t try to reach him.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Stay here,¡± Mack said, moving to the edge of the gap, and he dragged a box across in front of me, before I could protest. ¡°This is what I pay me for.¡±


    This is what he what?


    Well, of all the macho bullshit I¡¯d ever heard in all my life!


    ¡°Get the files,¡± Mack said, ¡°then get your ass back into the ship, and stay there. Tens will fly you out, as soon as it¡¯s clear.¡±


    ¡°But what about you?¡±


    ¡°You leave me to worry about me,¡± Mack said. ¡°Just do what you¡¯re paid for.¡±


    What I was paid for, huh? I didn¡¯t bother trying to remind him that he didn¡¯t pay my wages, that Odyssey paid my wages, and that they might have a different view on what my duties were. I caught the look on his face that said he either guessed, or knew, exactly what I was thinking, and didn¡¯t agree, so I sighed.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re the boss.¡±


    And I kept my thoughts deliberately quiet on exactly what I thought of him heading downstairs to deal with Bastien alone.