Part 28 (1/2)

”How are you doing? I wanted to thank you for your a.s.sistance. We're in your debt.”

”I'm more than willing to trade anything you need for a ride back home. I want to go back to my job at VG as soon as possible.”

”Please be patient. As you know, a lot is going on right now.”

Chris could tell from the admiral's tone that he was being prepared for bad news.

”I'm not headed back to Earth? I'm sorry, I don't understand. I just want to get home.”

”I'll route you back with a supply s.h.i.+p as soon as I can. But for now, you have to stay with us. Your information has been critical. We've changed course, and we'll be under heavy acceleration for hours.”

Chris's shoulders slumped.

”So, we're going back there.”

”We're not the only ones, unfortunately,” Jameson said. ”We've noticed a Chinese task force left Earth orbit and we believe it's headed for Synchronicity.”

”I don't see how they found out. Cinmei was in that locker most of the time.”

”She found a way. Her link was sophisticated or rather I should say her links. She had three.”

”Three? Well, I guess I should expect something like that from a spy.”

Chris felt his fear come back as strong as ever. It seemed that the Chinese weren't done s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g with his life yet. He wondered if he'd survive the next encounter.

Chris arrived at the lounge. Now he needed that drink even more.

Fifteen.

Aldriena watched the port inspection machine sift through her luggage. The k.n.o.bby arms carefully grasped her latest C4B and brought it out onto the counter. She waited for the inevitable question.

”This item, identify,” droned the machine.

The Cascavel alerted Aldriena to the proximity of another weapon. She instinctively s.n.a.t.c.hed up C4B. She threw a quick glance back toward the departure atrium from where she'd come and then toward the curtain that covered her other exit.

The curtain rustled just as she looked. Aldriena saw a person in gear coming through. She caught a glimpse of a device in the newcomer's gloved hand.

Aldriena leveled her gun. This C4B could stun, but it was also a projectile weapon. She selected an antipersonnel round with her link and then yanked back the trigger once without bothering to log her shot.

Snap!

The sound was fairly m.u.f.fled. The intruder halted, balance wavering. Aldriena reached out with her free hand and yanked the person into the reception booth. The intruder fell forward. A pistol fell to the floor. Aldriena released a tight sigh. The UNSF weapon wasn't too bad. She didn't miss her old gun so much anymore.

”This item, identify,” repeated the machine.

Most citizens would call for help with their link after such an attack. Aldriena had enough experience to keep silent. Whoever this a.s.sa.s.sin had been, Aldriena couldn't gain anything by calling attention to herself now.

The a.s.sa.s.sin had been sloppy with his equipment. The weapon had somehow been hacked to authorize its illegal use, but the weapon link protocols hadn't been disabled. It was only that link traffic that had allowed her Cascavel to give her a second's warning.

If they had been competent, I'd be dead.

Fortunately, her gun didn't cause an immediate alarm, either. Aldriena checked with the sound curtain service. It had been activated at the same time as the wall robot to protect her privacy. That meant no one would have heard the discharge of her firearm. There was still some chance the curtain had recognized the sound and reported it to security, but Aldriena figured the UNSF had probably made sure her weapon wouldn't cause undue attention, aurally or electronically.

”One-shot stunner,” Aldriena finally answered, slapping C4B back onto the countertop. She smiled at her own blatant lie. The weapon had proved itself otherwise.

The machine slowly reacquired its lock on the device. ”You may retain your weapon,” it decreed.

”That's rich,” she mumbled.

The spinners' psychology puzzled her.

Why do they conduct careful searches of newcomer's items and then allow the weapons? Some mysterious a.n.a.logue of honor or bravery? All the spinners seem to pride themselves on their combat skills.

Maybe they want to normalize the compet.i.tion, to know what their enemies have, so they can be fought and defeated as peers. Unless our weapons don't even qualify as dangerous to the spinners. What a depressing idea.

She kneeled down and pulled the helmet off the would-be a.s.sa.s.sin. The face was female and Asian.

”Caralho!” spat Aldriena.

”If you have a complaint, feel free to log it here or from your quarters,” the robot responded.

The woman's eyes were rolled up into her head. a.s.suming the round had worked correctly, the woman would be out of action for a day. By the time the attacker could walk straight, the battle for the station would be long over.

Aldriena stood back up. ”Oh, I've logged a few, believe me,” she sneered. She frowned and furrowed her brow as she considered the woman at her feet.

Chinese? How could they have known of my arrival?

Aldriena left the body and the pistol on the floor. She couldn't move the body anywhere to hide it without risking immediate detection, and the gun would doubtless refuse to fire unless she managed to hack it.

The robot finished and closed down. Aldriena took C4B and slipped it into her gear. She strode out of the booth, calm and confident. The concourse outside the port had a smooth tile floor with rugs of different colors heading to different destinations. Aldriena chuckled. People had links that could direct them anywhere, yet the designers enjoyed employing such an archaic system of decor.

People must find the simplicity of following a colored carpet amusing even when they have more advanced means buried in their heads.

Aldriena noted that the airscrub gra.s.s on Synchronicity grew in long troughs running along the top of the walls near the ceiling.

Whenever a corporation decides to build a new s.p.a.ce station, they probably have to create a committee to decide how the gra.s.s should be positioned.

She saw three people. Two wore blue-tipped gear, the other green. The green sat looking off into s.p.a.ce, probably partic.i.p.ating in one of the virtual challenges the spinners loved. The other two walked together, headed in her general direction. Aldriena immediately noticed something strapped onto their backs-weapons. A quick glance at the green person showed her that she'd overlooked the same there. A s.h.i.+ny black thing was lying next to him on a lavender ottoman.

She walked briskly down the concourse in front of her. Part of her mission was to identify defensive measures in place and sabotage as many as she could. Obviously, some weapons had been handed out to the inhabitants. What could she do to counter them?

Her Cascavel had a few tricks that might help. She had a program that would jump from host to host and flood the weapons with shot requests. It wouldn't completely shut the weapons down, but it could significantly slow the rate of fire. It wouldn't take long for security measures to neutralize the rogue program, but if she released it at the right time, it could be useful.

Aldriena distributed the program to several nearby processors with a release trigger based on fire requests. As soon as anyone else made a shot request of their weapon through their link, the program would start.

A person in gear, headed in the opposite direction, stopped and addressed her.