Chapter 25
"And of course," the Man said, lighting a long tapered candle on the desk, "the problem with a wildcard is that you have no way to predict the way it will fall."
The wick caught the flame and embraced the light, casting shadows across the wooden surface. The glow was mesmerising and NG felt his eyes drawn to the flickering halo of orange fire.
"Did you have any idea what Hilyer was going to do?"
NG tore his gaze from the candle's flame to the Man, the most powerful individual in the guild and possibly in human controlled space, sitting there opposite, and for the first time since NG had set foot on this massive cruiser, questioning his actions. It was hard not to be defensive, and with the liquor coursing through his veins and the darkness closing in, it was becoming hard to keep focused.
The Man didn't let up. "The furore that this item has generated suggests that it will have monumental consequences for the history of mankind," he said. "You, of all people NG, should understand the enormity of that. I worry at the timing of this development. It does not align with the timeframe for my plans."
Never before had the Man spoken so openly of such things. NG reached across and picked up the jug, filling both goblets with the last of the steaming hot wine. That the Man was worried did not bode well. For anyone.
"Again," the Man said slowly, "I ask, did you suspect what Hilyer intended to do when he left Aston?"
NG shook his head. "No, no I didn't."
-
Docking had never been his speciality. With no AI in control, the basic backup computer systems on any guild ship could handle a simple route with little input from a pilot. Hil's problem now was that he had to be careful exactly what he broadcast to the station before they arrived. He let the ship fly on auto from jumping into the system to a fair distance from the orbital but as soon as comms traffic started coming in, he disengaged everything and took manual control. It wasn't worth the risk that the automated systems would send some kind of signal that would give them away.
He strapped in tight because as much as he was trained to fly a ship this size, he'd be the first to admit he had no finesse. The mood he was in didn't help and he belligerently left it to the last possible moment to kick in the braking sequence and align for dock.
They scraped in, too fast and with station operators yelling warnings at them, but he really didn't care if Genoa lost a layer of paint or even an engine. The dock's safety systems were adequate enough to catch them. He ignored the warning sirens and powered down.
The welcoming committee dockside was a mix of emergency services personnel running to put out what looked like a fire Hil thought he'd probably caused with his stylish entrance, station security who looked pissed and the corporation heavies he was expecting. One of the uniforms was arguing with the suits but it was clear who had the situation under control.
Hil walked across the dock, no baggage, no weapons, pockets emptied. He scanned the group for familiar faces. He thought a couple of them had been on Abacus, but there was no sign of Kase and Martha. He was almost disappointed, but thinking about it, Martha wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She'd turn up on her own terms.
He didn't make it to the group before two of the Zang guys broke away and intercepted him.
As they got close he recognised one of them as one of the twins, looking like he'd had serious facial reconstruction, a deep scar crossing his right eye socket.
They frisked him roughly and didn't find anything because there was nothing to find. He took it calmly, trying not to smirk too openly. They weren't gentle and he wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of bitching about it.
They finished by slapping a patch on the side of his neck over the implant, that was expected, and restraining his arms too tightly behind his back, also true to form. What took him by surprise was the tiny device they stuck to the back of his neck. It adhered with a sharp pain like a needle going in deep and for a second he couldn't catch his breath. He gasped and the guy laughed and flicked the device, sending another shard of pain lancing through his spine.
Hil bit back a curse.
The guy with the scarred face shoved him back and grinned, holding up a small remote. With over exaggeration, he threatened to activate it. Hil stood his ground defiantly, keeping his balance, and keeping calm - until the guy hit the remote and an excruciating pain sent Hil to his knees, feeling like his heart was going to explode. It didn't ease up even when he managed to look up and see that the guy had disengaged the device.
"Not so cocky now, huh?" he said and hit it again.
By the time they pulled him up, Hil felt like his spinal cord had been ripped out, shivers of pain still darting in and out and sparks of light behind his eyes. That he hadn't been expecting but it didn't change anything. He wasn't sure what they thought he was going to try but he was going with them. He wanted to go with them but if they wanted to have their fun, then fine. He choked back what would have been a laugh if he could have managed it and the guy shoved him again but didn't activate the remote because a corporate suit was heading their way, frowning.
"Bring him over here," the suit said with disdain and Hil was pushed forward. "Where's the package?"
Hil smiled and shook his head. "I want to see Anya," he said. "Then I'll tell you where LC is with the package."
The twin with the missing eye moved in close and grabbed the back of Hil's neck. "You're not in any position to negotiate," he whispered harshly, holding up the remote again.
Hil kept the smug smile firm, keeping eye contact with the suit but answering Scarface, "Funny, but you're the second low life who's said that to me recently and the other asshole was wrong as well."
The man put up a hand, waving off his thugs. "We'll take you to Anya, alright," he said with a sneer. "Take him down to the base, and try not to kill him on the way."
The drop ship was the same type as last time, plush, reeking of money and still incapable of compensating for the vicious velocity of an emergency descent. With no watch or timer, Hil mentally kept a vague idea of how much time was passing.
There was a lot more corporate security once they landed and entered the corporation's complex of low, flat domes. He watched their systems closely as they passed through, playing games trying to figure out what plan he would've used if he'd been trying to break in. It wasn't impenetrable.
He changed his mind when they entered a wide, open, circular atrium that he could see was laced with bio-sensors. Corridors led in all directions like spokes, a guarded energy barrier across the entrance to each. To break in here, he'd need to infiltrate a bio-electronic security system that was at least as good as anything he'd broken before. He reassessed his opinion of the corporation he was dealing with. Not that it mattered.
They marched him across the open area, getting a mixture of indifference and curious stares from the corporate suits and lab staff they passed. He kept his head up and memorised every procedure they went through, only losing track a couple of times when Scarface screwed with the remote, giving him brief flashes of discomfort that verged on agony.
The whole place was bland, sterile bio-tech - corporation through and through but still nothing that would identify it as Zang. They reached a lift and the doors opened to an equally sterile and cold interior. Hil was pushed in and surrounded by his escort. The thugs stood to either side. He looked to one then the other and stared straight ahead, a slight smile twitching the corners of his mouth. He tested the restraints and reckoned he could get free when he wanted. The suit was standing with his back to him. He could break free and break the guy's neck before the scarfaced twin and his new buddy could move. But that wasn't the point.
As if they'd read his mind, they moved closer and a persistent throbbing emanated from the device, not enough to hurt but enough to take all his attention from anything but concentrating on staying upright.
They dropped down and leaving the lift, it was evident that security was tighter down here. They picked up another four guar
ds who took them through more checkpoints.
At one, they shoved him into a cubicle and told him to strip. A more thorough search still didn't find anything. They gave him loose fitting pale grey pants and a matching oversized shirt to put on. They really weren't taking any risks and didn't even let him keep his boots. It was flattering in a way.
Then it was more cold corridors until eventually, they were led through into a large room with knots of people standing waiting. Hil scanned the faces and his stomach muscles tightened as he spotted Kase and Martha up ahead. He caught Martha's eye and she tensed, trying and failing to keep any emotion from her face. He smiled as he was led past. She stared without moving.
For once it was Kase who couldn't resist speaking up. "Hey, Hil buddy," he said. "Nothing personal, y'know. Just business."
If he hadn't been expecting to see them, it would have been near on impossible not to react. But he'd got all that out of his system at Pen's place with the help of a good friend and a bottle of whisky so seeing them now face to face, he could keep up the air of nonchalance, even though his eyes might have said different. Screw them all.
He stopped and turned to them. "Hey, Kase," he said, "heard from Genoa lately?"
The phony smile on Kase's face dropped and Martha's eyes widened a fraction. Hil was given a shove in the back and moved on before he could say anything else.
He heard Kase say to someone behind him, "Hey, get me a link up to security on the orbital. Now!" as Martha muttered, "What the hell?"
It was a small victory but sometimes that's all you need to keep going.
He was taken into a smaller room with a soft carpet underfoot. There was a small table and just one chair. He was pushed into the chair and they secured the restraints. He didn't resist. They gave him a short, sharp shock before throwing the remote down onto the table, laughing as they went.
He was left alone.
It was quiet, very quiet considering how many people there were in the hallway outside. He kept track of the time and kept his heart rate slow and steady. It was unfortunate that Elenor hadn't managed to get him two shots of the drug but he'd manage. He toyed with the idea of busting out of the cuffs but decided they were probably watching and he didn't feel like putting on a demonstration.
So he sat there. The longer, the better as far as he was concerned.
Finally, the door opened and he counted seven people as they trooped in and took up position around him. The twin, his new buddy and the suit were among them, as were Kase and Martha who avoided looking at him. The last guy to enter was an older man, much older and with an aura of power about him that made the room hush. He stood immediately in front of Hil, who resisted the urge to sit up straight under an intense gaze that was directed right at him.
"You're late," the man said. "We were expecting you days ago."
Hil stared back, eyes narrow.
The old man gestured. "Untie his hands," he commanded and Hil had to stifle a smirk as Scarface rushed over to release the cuffs.
Once his hands were free, he rubbed at his chafed wrists then slouched back even further and folded his arms, still staring at the old man, wondering who he was in all this.
"Where is the package?" the old man said quietly, his accent something vague, nuances of Earth mixed with subtle shades of Wintran.
"Where's Anya?" Hil replied defiantly.
The hush in the room deepened as if they couldn't believe he dared to speak to the old guy like that.
There was a moment then the man smiled, a wolf's grin that creased up his face. It vanished as fast as it had appeared. "Bring her in."