On a Pale Ship Page 25

  Luc unclipped his blaster pistol, set it on a table and walked to the door that led to where Emilie and the children were. He was only partially aware of Gob's hurrying to stand behind him as the door buzzed open.

  "They will awaken shortly," Pham said. "It is best if you remain still while they do."

  Luc unstrapped Emilie's restraint and wrapped her hand in his own. "I've got you, Lieutenant."

  When he looked over, he noticed Gob had freed each of the children and pulled their beds together. Gob sat back against the wall and slid to the ground, his head still high enough to keep an eye on the group.

  The first to stir was the girl who had stopped attacking Luc to help the small boy he’d knocked out. According to what Pham had told them, she must have done that by pushing through an ever-strengthening pain loop. A panicked look flitted across the girl's face, but as soon as she saw the boy she’d protected, she scooted over and gathered him into her arms.

  Strong fingers closed on Luc's hand and he turned toward Emilie as her eyes opened.

  "Captain?" she asked, blinking. "I … I can't remember your name."

  "My name is Luc."

  "Gray," she replied. "You're Captain Gray."

  "That's right, Emilie."

  "Where am I?" she asked. "I had such a bad dream."

  "You're safe, Emilie. That’s all that matters for now," he said.

  Chapter 22

  Day Jobs

  Luc sat back in the sleek, silver taxi that had been called from Joliot, a city of fifteen million that was five hundred kilometers from Dorian's laboratory compound on Irène. He felt a little blue leaving Dorian behind, but both knew long separations were likely to be part of their lives together. It wasn't that he minded being alone, it was more that they hadn't had sufficient time to really get to know each other. He smiled, recalling the moment when she'd called him her boyfriend and the slight blush she'd taken on when she realized she'd said it.

  "Let me get this straight," Jimmy said, sitting across from Luc in the cab. "You're sleeping with the boss and now we all have day jobs? But you're an executive director and me and Gob here are what? Septic engineers or something? Something doesn't feel quite right about this."

  "How does an annual salary of two-hundred-fifty thousand credits sound?" Luc asked.

  "Earth or Curie credits?" Jimmy fired back. It was a good question as Curie credits were worth about half that of the Earth/Mars central currency.

  "Earth."

  Jimmy whistled. "She never put out like that before."

  Luc raised his eyebrows. "How about one-hundred-fifty?"

  "No need to get snippy. I didn't mean anything by it," Jimmy said.

  "Gob? Same deal," Luc said. "You in?"

  "Have our objectives changed? What of the tiny thief and the children?"

  "The jobs are a cover," Luc said. "We won't stop until we find Katriona and bring her back."

  "And the children," Gob said, stolidly.

  "And the children," Luc agreed.

  "This, I would do for free."

  Jimmy slapped Gob on the knee. "Take the money, you big galoot. We're not actually going to do the work. That's the joy of a cover; they pay us either way."

  "We're going to work in the research and development division of Wotton," Luc said, "one of the most advanced weapons-manufacturing companies in the four solar systems. Are you sure you don't want to get your hands dirty? Talk to the engineers. Check out the new toys. You know, real boring day-job stuff."

  "You should have done the sales thing." Jimmy twisted open the top of his flask, took a long drink and looked over his shoulder at the metropolis of Joliot. "And there's my stop. Taxi, drop me at One Hundredth and Picture. I believe there's a bar there calling my name."

  "Jimmy?" Luc asked. "We're headed to Wotton. Henrietta Wotton will want to meet you."

  "We've met," he said as the taxi dipped down into Joliot's busy traffic lanes. "Gob, you mind looking after my girl for me?" He handed over the long-barreled custom rifle, Rocinante.

  Gob nodded.

  "You have history with Mrs. Wotton?" Luc asked.

  "Ms. Wotton," he answered. "Let’s say we aren't exactly on speaking terms."

  "Your rifle is manufactured by Wotton," Gob said, inspecting the weapon's receiver. "It is heavy for a field weapon." The statement seemed odd as Rocinante looked like a toy in the big man's hands.

  "And she's as mean as a one-eyed badger," Jimmy said, pushing on the canopy as the taxi came to rest on a street in an entertainment district.

  Luc checked the time, it was two in the afternoon. "Give me a call when you're ready to get serious."

  With that, Jimmy jumped out of the cab, landed lightly on the pavement, and didn't look back.

  "He is a good man in a fight," Gob said.

  "And I'll bet he's going to be a pain in my ass."

  The taxi lifted again and sailed another twenty kilometers until it came to a stop atop a modest building of only thirty stories.

  Aside from Rocinante, the two of them carried nothing other than their sidearms and the clothing on their backs. Even so, the slim, red-haired man who appeared from the building's nearby roof entry looked apprehensive.

  "Mr. Gray?" he asked, stopping three meters from where the pair stood.

  "Lucien." Luc stepped forward, offering his hand in greeting. "And my partner, Gabino Alcazar."

  "Ms. Wotton sends her regrets at not being available to meet you directly," he said, hesitantly stepping forward and shaking hands. "She's asked that I take you to your office and get you settled in."

  Luc nodded his head. "And you are?"

  "Oh … I assumed you'd received my comm." The fair-skinned man's face and neck turned red. "I'm Kane Rees, your new assistant."

  "Very well, Kane Rees," Luc said. "Lead on."

  "Wotton has a policy that weapons cannot be carried on the premises. I believe security wishes to demonstrate this policy," he said. "A detail is meeting us at the lift. I apologize for the inconvenience."

  Luc nodded, following the man. Ahead, the door Rees had emerged from opened again and two fit looking men in beige short-sleeved shirts and uniform pants exited.

  "Ident, please," the older of the two requested. As he approached Luc, he held out a transparent pad. Predictably, his companion stood back, hand casually resting next to his sidearm.

  Luc complied, placing his hand onto the surface. A bright line of light flashed across the pad as it scanned his palm. A green outline with a vascular imprint was momentarily displayed and then it disappeared.

  "Director, Gray," the man said, sounding almost bored. "Welcome to Wotton. We'll need to get a full registration, but that can be completed later. Your weapon, please." Luc's AI confirmed the man was a high-ranking member of Wotton's security services. Unconcerned, he unclipped his pistol and handed it over. Peripherally, he saw Kane visibly relax.

  The security officer moved to Gob and held the pad out. To the officer’s surprise, Gob's hand was larger than the scanning surface and it took several passes to complete the job.

  "Gabino Alcazar?" the officer asked. Gob nodded in agreement. "I'll need your weapons."

  Gob gave Luc a concerned look and unclipped the pistol with his left hand.

  "The rifle, son," he prompted.

  "No," Gob said simply. In response, the second security officer unclipped his pistol and placed a hand on the butt.

  "I'm going to need that weapon."

  "Tell your partner to remove his hand from that weapon," Luc said, his voice holding a warning.

  "I don't think you understand how things work at Wotton." The man looked up into Gob's face, not backing down. For a moment, Luc wanted to laugh. While the officer had a muscular build, Gob was at least twice as big.

  Luc considered it a good sign that the first officer hadn’t placed his hand on his own weapon. His partner, while ignoring Luc's demand, hadn't drawn, even though the tension was ratcheting up.

  "I see this going
one of two ways," Luc said.

  "And that is?" the man asked dryly, still staring up at Gob.

  "You or someone of your choosing accompanies us to my office. You can keep an eye on the weapon, but we will not surrender it," Luc said.

  "Don't see that happening," the man said.

  "You might hold on to that for a moment," Luc said. "The second option is that we carry you and your man down to my office so you can be escorted from the building for insubordination."

  "I am not your subordinate," he said. "Just hand over the weapon. We'll take good care of it."

  Kane Rees cleared his throat nervously. "Mr. Gray is the Executive Director of Research and Development. I believe the rifle is a custom-built Wotton and as a prototype is within Director Gray's purview."

  The first officer clenched his jaw and Luc could see the man's obvious ex-military bearing warring with Rees's logic. He'd been challenged and had difficulty stepping down.

  "I don't work for you," he said finally, stepping back. "Joesh, you'll accompany Director Gray and his companion for as long as they are in possession of a firearm."

  "Yes sir," the second officer replied.

  The five stepped into the waiting lift and took a frosty but thankfully short ride to the thirtieth floor. Kane exited, stepping into the doorway of the lift and gestured for Luc and Gob to follow.

  "Sorry about all that," Kane said as they walked along a brightly lit corridor, past colorful pieces of artwork sitting neatly above wood-paneled wainscoting. "Wotton takes security very seriously."

  "Understood, given our product line," Luc said.

  "Here we are." Kane turned as he reached a set of double glass doors that opened into a reception area. A middle-aged woman who sat at one of two small desks smiled pleasantly at their arrival. Like the hallway, the area was neatly appointed, with everything tidy and in its place. Four doors stood open behind the desks and light from glass windows streamed into the small room.

  "Joesh, you'll stay on the other side of this partition," Luc said to the security officer, sweeping both hands out from his sides, palm up, indicating anywhere in the hallway.

  "I need to escort the weapon," Joesh replied, not as confidently as his boss.

  "You'll do that from this position," Luc said. Either the officer would accept his authority or he would not. Joesh glanced nervously over his shoulder, deciding to push his luck since he was closer to the reception area than Luc was. The officer turned and walked toward one of the four open doors. A low growl emitted from Gob's throat as the officer ignored Luc's order. The menacing sound was enough to cause the much smaller man to change his mind and move back to the hallway.

  "Good we have that worked out," Kane Rees said, smiling. "This is your office."

  The corner office Luc entered looked out over the bustling city. He looked out, mesmerized by the activity and sprawl. Joliot's population dwarfed that of the entire nation of Nuage.

  "I'll be just outside if you need anything," Kane said, excusing himself.

  Gob crossed the room to a light-brown leather couch that sat against the tall windows. "Kind of barren."

  Luc's eyes took in the rest of the office. Gob's assessment was right. A large desk sat in front of empty wooden shelves adjacent to the other bank of windows. Aside from those pieces and a small conference table and chairs, the office was empty.

  A knock at the door drew his attention. Luc looked up to discover a dark haired, angular woman in a narrow black dress smiling at him.

  "Alicia Lane." The woman crossed the distance between them, extending her hand.

  "Lucien Gray," Luc answered, accepting her greeting. His HUD displayed that she was one of three vice-presidents in his division. Her current title was Vice President of Product Implementation — whatever that was.

  "Welcome to Wotton," she said, daring a glance at Gob who had seated himself on the couch. "I'll admit, we're all curious about the new boss. Henrietta's announcement came as a bit of a surprise. Mind if I ask why you chose to invest in Wotton?"

  Before he could answer, two men approached the office door, jostling momentarily for position. A tall chiseled man stepped ahead of a much older, shorter man. Both wore suits, but they clearly had much different tailors. The older man's suit was dated and had significant wear, where the younger man was stylishly and impeccably dressed.

  "Ethan Wilson," the younger man announced, his voice filling the room. Luc's AI showed that Ethan was his Vice President of Quality Control.

  "Quentin Wright," the older man said less assertively. As he shook Luc's hand, the man’s eyes bounced over to where Gob sat, apparently asleep with his head resting in the corner of the couch. Quentin’s face grew worried and snapped his head back to Luc, his calloused hand gripping harder than Luc would have believed possible. "Jimmy. Has something happened to Jimmy?"

  "No," Luc answered. It wasn’t surprising that the Vice President of Development had been informed about Jimmy joining the division. However, Quentin seemed to have a personal connection. "He'll be along later."

  "Rocinante," Quentin Wright said, his eyes narrowing on Luc. "He would never part with it."

  "Jimmy had a stop to make," Luc said. "In the meantime, he left Rocinante in Gabino's care."

  "That would explain Henrietta's ape squad in the hallway," Quentin said. "Perhaps I could entice Mr. Gabino to accompany me to the garage. I wouldn't mind giving Roci a checkup. It’s been a number of years since I last saw her."

  "Alcazar. Gabino is his first name, although friends call him Gob," Luc said, giving the older man an appraising look. "And Dorian told me we were researching a new line of armor. I'd like to see about fitting Gob, myself, and Jimmy for a demonstration I'm trying to get lined up."

  Quentin's eyebrows rose but he was interrupted by Alicia Lane. "I haven't heard of any demonstrations," she said. "And Quen, you said the QX armor wasn't ready for production."

  "It's not," Quentin replied.

  Luc smiled placidly. "Gob. You want to go with Mr. Wright?"

  Gob's eyes flew open and he stood suddenly, surprising Alicia and Ethan who each took a step toward the door. Lounging on the couch, Gob had seemed innocuous enough. The speed with which he reacted, however, and the presence he exuded caught them both off guard.

  Alicia was first to respond. "You're rather a big man, aren't you," she said, smoothing her dress.

  "Kane," Luc said, ignoring the small talk as Gob worked to extract himself from the room.

  "Yes Mr. Gray?" Kane replied immediately, slipping around Gob and Quentin as the unlikely pair excused themselves.

  "Would you bring in lunch? I have a feeling the three of us will be a while," he said, catching Ethan and Alicia's eyes and gesturing to the conference table that sat next to the window.

  "Certainly, any cuisine preference?" Kane asked.

  "Please order for me, I'm certain I can trust your judgment," Luc replied. "And send double the amount down to the garage for Gob. It's best if he doesn't get grumpy."

  "There’s a delightful French bistro two blocks up. I'll get right to it," Kane said. "I've an admin subroutine that would give me access to your preferences if you wouldn't mind." He pinched and tossed a program at Luc. Luc's AI scanned the routine and deemed it to be slightly invasive, but otherwise harmless. Luc acknowledged the permissions.

  Alicia placed a hand over her earwig showing that she wasn't talking to the room. "Tilly. Please reschedule my afternoon meetings."

  "Let's get to it, shall we?" Luc said, stepping over to the oval table next to the windows. "I believe you asked why I invested in Wotton, Ms. Lane."

  "I don't understand why you dismissed Quen," Ethan said. "This is an R&D meeting and Quentin is our lead scientist."

  "According to a friend of mine, he and Ms. Wotton founded Wotton together," Luc said.

  "Getting started already? I do appreciate a take-charge attitude," a woman's voice said from the doorway.

  Luc turned to find the olive-skinned woman he
knew to be Henrietta Wotton walking toward them. Like Alicia, she wore a black dress, but that was where the similarities ended. Henrietta was older, shorter, had wider hips and a slight bow to her legs. Luc recognized command presence when he saw it and stood from the chair he'd just taken.

  "Ms. Wotton. It is so nice to finally meet you," Luc said, crossing the room. "Dorian sends her warmest regards."

  At the mention of Dorian, the woman smiled. "She's a pistol, that one, and possibly Wotton's greatest supporter and asset. Ethan, Alicia, you'll both do well to take your cues from Mr. Gray, if only because he has the ear of the most powerful woman in the system."

  Luc smiled at the subtle warning delivered. Wotton was willing to accept Luc on Dorian's word, but she would keep her own council on his abilities.

  "Hopefully I won't disappoint either of you," Luc said evenly. He'd spent enough time around those in command that he knew just how to keep things even.

  "Alicia, Ethan, give us the room," Wotton said.

  Luc watched as the two excused themselves, somehow managing not to look like they'd just been kicked out.

  Once the door closed, Wotton turned to Luc. "I'm not one for mincing words. You joining Wotton was Dorian's idea and my choice. I hope you'll have the good sense to allow your team to actually run the day-to-day here. You're no more equipped to run this division than I am a squadron of fighters or a team of exceptional soldiers. The fact is, your cover demands a high-profile position and I expect you'll become competent over time, assuming you have that much time."

  "Appreciate the candor, ma'am," Luc replied, releasing his hands from behind his back, old habits having caused him to assume an at-ease posture.

  "There are only three people at Wotton who know the extent of your mission: me, Kane Rees, and Quentin Wright. As far as budget for extra-curricular activities, Dorian has cleared you for a darn near unlimited budget, at least to start with. There is just one thing I want to make clear," she said. Luc acknowledged what she'd said so far with a nod. "I don't know how you were able to get personal with Dorian. I know she doesn’t date beyond an occasional dalliance. She's my friend and I'll take it personally if you harm her in any way. Are we clear?"