Mercenary Read online

  She glanced at the note above the three boxes: Do not tear.

  Ah… a code. She squinted, drew a tear from the corner of her eye and took it on her fingertip, then dabbed it to the third square. It chimed and turned green.

  Guess I pass. She grinned, opened the double-layer flaps and drew out the contents.

  Personal dossier folder of someone named Gorg Evans. Geez, that’s gotta be a cover. A travelogue of Eos? We’ve been there, but…

  She paged through the booklet, and a pair of lenses in a flat box fell out. They were plastic, obviously single-use.

  What the hell?

  She gently slid them into her eyes. She’d worn contacts before, didn’t care for them, but here they were. She flipped back to the first page of the booklet. On page seven, things changed.

  Orders, written below the page text, invisible. Damn, that’s pretty clever. She sipped tea as she read and made notes, glanced at the personal dossier, then kept going.

  Her stomach rumbled. She glanced at the chrono, realizing she’d been reading for nearly an hour. Breakfast… or lunch, as it may be.

  Her wristcom buzzed. Good morning. Hoping you’ve done your reading for the day and thought we’d have brunch together. Fawkes.

  Damn. He knows I’m reading this now. Feedback from opening it, I betcha. She typed out a reply, smiling. Miss you. How about Ginny Sue’s at 1100? Talice.

  She rose, glanced around, then took the satchel and contents to her safe. She opened it, shoved everything inside, and spun the nob, making sure it was locked. She sat on the unmade bed. What am I gonna do about this man? I know this is business, but damn…

  She dropped the contacts into the recycler, dressed quickly, grabbed her jacket, and headed for the door. She paused, looked around the apartment, stepped back in and straightened a few things, went back into the bedroom, and made the bed quickly. Just in case. Just in fucking case…

  * * *

  The sun broke through on the way to Ginny Sue’s. The place was packed, but Fawkes was there, casual in trim trousers, open-collar shirt, and light coat.

  He looks good, Talice thought. Damn good.

  They hugged lightly, then found a table overlooking the harbor. She loved the ocean air, even crisp as the morning was, and slid into her jacket.

  Fawkes ordered tea and coffee, then looked out over the boats at anchor for a few moments. “So how was your get-together?”

  Talice paused before her answer as the drinks were delivered, then grinned. “Nobody died.”

  Fawkes nodded, smiling. “You look great. Fresh. Ready to go.”

  “Yeah, I’m a bit anxious. Got some questions, but they can wait.” She drank, then Fawkes motioned to the buffet. They made their way through the line, returned to their table, and dug in. Talice was starving, and went for seconds. When she came back, a brightly-colored box rested beside her tea cup. She raised an eyebrow.

  “A small gift, one I hope you’ll accept in the manner offered.” Fawkes nodded her to open it.

  It was… some sort of bracelet… with an oval, in which two… levers or something, extended outward from the center. A third swept around the face of the oval as she watched.

  “It’s nice. I just have no idea what it is.”

  Fawkes laughed gently. “It’s a copy of an ancient timepiece, called a wristwatch. The jewels arranged around the edge show time in a twelve-hour period. The yellow and blue jewels at the side shows daytime or nighttime, or as they said then, AM or PM. The red jewel protruding from the side is special. Very special.”

  “How special?”

  “Jazz special.”

  Talice nodded slowly, hoping she understood. “So I put this on my wrist? Like this?” She removed her wristcom and slid the “wristwatch” over her hand, then set the fastening. It was snug, but not too tight. She admired it, liking the way the light played on the jewels. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

  “It’s got commtext built in, that’s the green jewel, and a pretty good range. You shouldn’t have any problems staying in contact as long as you’re near a relay.”

  Relay. As in the ship is what he means, surely. Damn, this thing can use the ship’s comm to contact him on Theia while we’re off-planet? Wow.

  “Could come in handy.” She raised her cup and peeked demurely over it as she drank. “You know me well.”

  Fawkes caught the reference and laid back his head, laughing. Talice waited. He returned his gaze to hers, and they locked eyes for a long moment.

  “It’s something I’ve thought about, but business is business,” he said.

  “I know. Me, too. I just… never expected to get to know you like this… Hal. It’s still strange, but not in a bad way. The team… doesn’t know.”

  “We should keep it that way. But at some point, you and I will need to talk about this… arrangement.”

  Talice met his eyes. “I’m a fan of non-verbal communication, in case you’re wondering.”

  Fawkes smiled.

  Talice was nearly ready to jump him on the spot.

  * * *

  Northland Base…

  The team members took the public metrolink from their locations to Northland Station terminal, traveling in civies and looking like typical city folk. That is, if men like Briggs, Rory, and Dosu could ever look typical. Talice had often wondered what it was like to be that big and have that much mass… and how their significant others survived the throes of passion with such mountainous males.

  They carried no luggage; that had been sent by Marine couriers to the Base the day before. Personal weapons had been checked, itemized, and recorded, all equipped with biometric triggers for safety. If Marines did anything right, it was complete respect for their weapons.

  They congregated at a side entrance in the Base terminal, exited into a blacked-out airvan, passing through the sentry point with only the briefest of pauses. Then to a hangar at the far end of the landing field and through the doors, which closed as soon as the airvan turned and left.

  They were surprised to see Bird One and Abie, with her flight crew, waiting. All but Talice and Mac, who had been informed.

  Talice led them down a hallway to a conference room. Barely a word had been said during the entire trip, and as they took chairs at the table, looks were passed around.

  “I know this isn’t like it used to be,” said Talice, as she set the info satchel on the table. “We’re not in the Corps anymore, so technically this meeting doesn’t exist. But that doesn’t mean it’s not important.”

  The only person at the table without a bit of trepidation in her face was Mac, who took up the conversation. “Working for Scarbach was necessary. Now we’re working for something bigger. Stuff the Corps is needing done, but can’t do because of politics.”

  “Black Hole,” said Talice. “Mac and I discussed this, what, a year or more ago?”

  Mac nodded.

  “So here we are, in the covert-for-your-country-ops business. You’ve all told me privately you’re in.” Talice took them all in, eye to eye. No one moved. “Okay, let’s talk.”

  She emptied the satchel contents and passed around the personal dossier. “This is Gorg Evans. He’s a covert infiltrator of a group on Eos, the planet some of us visited on a mission as Marines. He’s been there over a year and was due for extraction after a second. But things have gotten too hot for him, and he needs to come out now.”

  She passed the booklet of Eos around, notes written on the pages with subliminal messages on them. “Read those notes. They’ll give you a summary of the group. It appears to be the parent organization of the one we took out. Evans was the source of that intel, and the main reason the operation went so smoothly, except for the little problem with Lieutenant Serpens. But that’s ancient history now, and we have a job to do.”

  “At this point, we don’t know yet where the rendezvous location is, for obvious reasons,” said Mac. “We’ll get that info during the trip.”

  “So this is presumably a n
o-combat mission?” Rory thumbed through the booklet as Briggs and Bělinka read over his shoulders.

  “And we know what that means, right?” Talice chuckled. “Yes, it’s supposed to be a retrieve-and-run operation. We’re taking no chances.” She looked to Abie, who rose.

  “Bird One has been upgraded a lot.” Abie brought up an image on the wall with her projector. “The wing guns are installed and operated from Jamal’s tac-board in the cockpit. They can be operated manually from their locations, as well. We’ve got extra O2, ordnance, and tech in hardpoint pods, two ATVs, and thirty days of supplies. We’ve got a portable robo-surgeon, high-grade military issue. Cabins have been updated. All the comforts of home.”

  She changed the picture to a schematic of the Laberos system. “Transit time is six days, but we could make it in five if we had to. Once we get our coordinates for the pickup, we’ll know how much time we’ll need in orbit and for the operation.”

  Abie sat and Talice stood again. “Teams are as before, Rory and Briggs are Team One, with SmartGuns. Cover One, Junior and Ollie. Team Two, me and Bělinka. Cover Two, Dosu and Nikolay. Mac is in Bird One as overseer.

  “We’ve got three new stealth drones that will be used to find Evans’s signal once he sends it. His locator is highly directional, so it will take at least two of those drones to pin it down. Basically, he’s shooting a signal straight up in the air, and we have to find it.”

  “Over the whole planet?” asked Nikolay. “That could take time, Captain.”

  Talice shook her head. “We’ll receive his presumed location once we’re on the way. That will narrow it down.”

  “We hope,” said Briggs, passing the booklet down the table. “Terrain will be an issue, unless he’s in a city. That will complicate things, I’d think.”

  Talice looked to Mac, and they both nodded. “I hope command has thought this all out, yes, and he’ll likely be somewhere clear. But that doesn’t matter. It’s our job to get him out in one piece. Alive.”

  “Speaking of which.” Junior raised his hand. “Who’s in charge of this on Base?”

  “Can’t tell you that, I’d have to kill you. But we’re doing this with full approval of the Corps. Unless we’re captured or killed, in which case they know nothing.” Talice grinned, but faces of the others didn’t share her jest.

  “It’s just different, Captain,” said Ollie quietly. “Working for Scarbach, a private contractor for our services, isn’t the same as the officials. I’m sure we’re all a bit concerned, but trust you to lead the way.”

  Talice sat at last and looked around the table. “I know. I feel the same way, wishing I was back in the Corps with the associated backup and command structure. But this is what we’ve chosen, and it’s a good way to stay in touch with our roots. We’re still Marines at heart. Let’s keep that in mind.”

  “Hua,” said Rory softly. Nods around the table followed.

  “Let’s take a look at Bird One,” said Talice, standing again. “Abie, show us all your new toys.”

  * * *

  Enroute to Eos…

  Bird One moved smoothly through the interplanetary void, the low rumble of the engines a constant companion and reminder of where the team was and what lay ahead.

  Talice sat in the ready room with Briggs, Rory, and Mac.

  “You know this won’t go anywhere near the way it’s supposed to.” Rory pushed away his dinner plate and drained the remainder of his beer.

  “That’s why they’re sending us instead of official troops,” said Mac. “They have confidence in us to do the job, but if there are problems, the Marines don’t get blamed.”

  “Who is this guy?” asked Briggs. “Yeah, he’s a spy, but what else? What intel does he have now that’s so important he can’t transmit it?”

  “He likely didn’t transmit anything he’s learned,” said Talice. “My guess is, there are others outside this group he’s been passing info along to and they’ve been the ones actually sending it through to the Marines. Double-blind.”

  “So there may be more people to rescue?” Rory looked to everyone. “Have we thought about that?”

  Talice shook her head after a pause. “Good point. And maybe the reason he’s getting out is he’s discovered one of his contacts is a double agent?” She looked to Mac. “How do we vet these people, assuming there are any others?”

  “You’re assuming there’s a plant there, too? Maybe that’s how Evans got ratted out?” Briggs blew a breath. “How about a nice, safe hostage situation?”

  “We’re in uncharted territory, people,” said Talice. “If there are more than Evans, we need options.”

  “Need a magic truth drug,” said Rory.

  Mac shook her head. “No such thing. I was privy to some tests early in my career, and nothing proved reliable. Hell, they’ve been doing this for a thousand years, and it keeps coming back every so often. Hypnosis is actually better than just about anything.”

  Briggs chuckled. “Do we have a hypnotist on board?”

  “As a matter of fact…” Talice paused as all eyes fell to her. “Ollie has a bit of training in that discipline.”

  “Ollie?” Briggs laughed aloud. “Our resident crack shot and sniper? No shit?”

  Talice nodded. “Think of the concentration necessary to be that crack shot. He had Psyche as one of his minors in officers’ training.”

  “So… we hypnotize everyone and get them to tell the truth?” Now Rory was nearly laughing.

  “Not that simple, but yes, it’s at least a possibility if the issue arises,” said Mac.

  A pause fell upon the room as they considered the implications.

  “You have no idea where we’re to get this guy, Captain?” Rory again.

  “None. We’ll know in about…” Talice glanced at the chrono on the wall. “Six hours. Why don’t you guys check the scooters and other gear, make sure nothing’s jarring loose.”

  “We checked on schedule, about four hours ago,” replied Briggs.

  “C’mon, old man.” Rory rose from the table. “The ladies want privacy.”

  They took their exit, closing the hatch behind them.

  Mac looked to Talice. “What?”

  Talice sipped tea before speaking. “This bug is still in my system. It’s eating me alive. If anything happens, you’re in charge. Don’t wait for me, do the job first.”

  Mac held her gaze on Talice for a long moment. “So maybe you shouldn’t be going out on the mission.” She held her hand up before Talice could reply. “Look, I know you’re trying to prove this thing can’t beat you, but we know the situation. And if you’re in a predicament out there, it endangers everyone. No Marine would ever do that.”

  Talice looked away, then nodded. “I’ve got to do it, Mac. If I go down swinging, then so be it. I won’t die in a hospital bed, gasping out my last breath, wondering what I should have done.”

  “But if you take the team with you, that’s hardly a good thing.”

  Talice shook her head. “Briggs and Rory won’t let that happen. They’re professionals, they’ve been on missions where we lost people. Hell, they were with us when Serpens fell to pieces.”

  “Yeah, but they had both of us to back them up. You’re rationalizing this, and it’s not good. You’ve got to be sure you’re up to this, or stay out of it and we go home. Let the Marines do the dirty work.”

  Talice shook her head again. “No. I’ll see this through. I just want you to know, and I’ll pass along to Briggs, you’re in command if I’m out of action. But he knows how to handle things on the ground. Between the two of you, it will be alright.”

  Again, Mac said nothing, letting the silence drag on. “You’d better live through this, or I’ll kick your butt. Got it?”

  Talice just smiled and nodded.

  * * *

  Talice had dozed off lightly in her cabin, but an incessant buzzing woke her. At first, she couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from, then realized it was from under her pillow
. The gift “wristwatch” from Fawkes.

  She rolled over and looked at the watch face as text scrolled across it. Holy crap, coordinates! He sent this on a secure circuit instead of Bird One’s comm. Wow.

  She slid into her camis and headed for the cockpit, passing through the ready room where Ollie, Nikolay, and Bělinka were discussing cultural differences. She gave a perfunctory greeting and knocked on the cockpit hatch. Orlando opened the door a moment later.

  “Coordinates for our pickup.” Talice read off the numbers and Jamal entered them into the tactical update. He glanced at the watch in Talice’s hand.

  “That’s a relic. Where did you get it?”

  “A gift. And it’s a replica, not the real thing. Even has built-in comm.”

  “I can see that. Somebody likes you.”

  “Get the info into the Navcomp so we can set up our orbit accordingly,” said Abie. “We’re still three days out, but if you received a tight-beam message on that little thing…”

  “Tech is wonderful when it works,” replied Talice. “Otherwise, it’s just so much junk.” She glanced at Will Thomas, reclined and asleep in his copilot’s harness. “You guys need to get up and walk around or your legs will be worthless by the time we get there.”

  Abie ran her hands across controls on the seat arms. “Micro-massagers built in, and leg supports. It’s my butt that falls asleep.” She motioned to a door in the back corner. “Head and shower. We’ve even got pull-down exercise equipment, resistance-training stuff. We’ve spent four or five days in this cockpit on more than one occasion.”

  “Still… try a bit of moving around. Never know when your butt will be needed.”

  “Navcomp updated, insertion and orbit calculated,” said Orlando. “We’re doing a polar orbit, so we can cover the max territory and get more intel.”

  “Sounds good.” Talice turned to leave, then looked back to Jamal. “I’m hoping we won’t need Bird One for anything other than the pickup. But in case we do…”

  “Aye, Captain. We’ll make sure our guns are hot.” Talice nodded and headed back downship.