Justice Keepers Saga - Books 4-6

Chapter 10

A long hallway with carpeted floors was illuminated by purple moonlight that came in through windows on his left. At the far end, a large pair of double doors stood closed, soft light glinting off their metallic surfaces.

Ben stood in the middle of the corridor with his head down. Don"t chicken out now, he thought, making his way forward. You came this far.

Don"t chicken out now,You came this far.Potted plants with large green leaves that drooped stood on either side of the doors, and when he glanced over his shoulder, he saw the sides of other skyscrapers through the windows. It was a beautiful night without a cloud in the sky.

He stopped in front of the door.

Ben shut his eyes, then hung his head in frustration. You have to know, he thought to himself. You get a head start on this, and you might be able to leave the system before-

You have to know,You get a head start on this, and you might be able to leave the system before-Before what?

Before he was arrested for treason? For delivering weapons to a hostile militia that was technically in an act of rebellion against the Leyrian government. Was he truly going to turn tail and run? Doing so would almost certainly mean an end to his relationship with Darrel. Not that he was planning on a lifelong commitment, but…

The doors slid open, revealing a large, open room with a single desk of polished Smartglass and some more potted plants in the corner. The soft moonlight was barely enough to let him see, but he had no desire to activate his ocular implant and no desire to turn on the lights.

This was a spare office in the new LIS building in downtown Saroga. Sometimes, field agents who were placed on colony worlds needed a work space when they returned to Leyria. This would do for now.

He went to the desk.

Brushing his fingertips along its surface, he brought up a square-shaped window that would allow for a user interface. “Computer,” he said. “Sync with my multi-tool and access LIS investigation files.”

The window on the desk"s surface displayed a list of ongoing investigations with case file numbers for each one. He selected file 5127-CT, the investigation that had been launched three months ago when someone left an anonymous tip about missing weapons shipments on the Fringe. That someone had been Tyron, of course. When that bastard made a threat, he followed through.

A message window appeared informing him that he did not have authorization to view the contents of this file. Instantly, his stomach twisted itself in knots. Two weeks ago, he"d had full access. The fact that he could no longer view the contents of this file could only mean one thing.

He was a suspect.

“Companion have mercy,” Ben muttered, shuffling over to the window. “It"s already started, hasn"t it?”

A set of stone steps built into a grassy hill were illuminated by small floodlights, and willow trees on the hilltop sighed softly with strings of lights laced through their branches and dangling alongside their leaves. Beds of flowers lined the hillside, blossoms sprouting in shades of red or violet. Gabi had said that these were the Nesaran Gardens: one of the most romantic spots on all of Leyria.

Jack stood on the path in a pair of gray pants and a green t-shirt with a V-neck, his hair a bit messier than usual. “Well, this is unexpected,” he mumbled. “I know you said we had a date, but I was kind of expecting a coffee shop.”

Gabi stepped up beside him in a white sundress with thin straps, her hair left loose to fall over her shoulders. She had put a purple flower in it, just above her right ear. “We only get three days here,” she explained. “If I"m going to take you on a date, it should be one of the more memorable spots, no?”

“Good call.”

He looked up to see the purple moon in the night sky shining bright and clear with a slight nimbus caused by a thin layer of cloud cover. Summer felt a burst of joy when his eyes fell on her home.

His lips curled into a small smile. “It"s lovely here,” he said. “Thanks for bringing me.”

Gabi led him up the steps to a place where people stood with drinks in hand, taking in the sight of flowerbeds alongside the path with blossoms of yellow and orange and red. He spotted two men holding hands over a bed of tulips.

In the distance, a pavilion with a metallic roof that shimmered in the soft light was home to maybe twenty people who stood in pairs or little groups, making enough noise to fill the air with a buzz of conversation.

The whole place felt very…ritzy. Jack had to admit that when he imagined going on a date, this wasn"t exactly what he had in mind. Still…it was nice. And he had never really had anyone go to such lengths on his behalf.

Underneath the pavilion, a circular bar with a counter that glowed with soft white light was covered in something that looked like vines. Canadian sensibilities made him wonder what would provoke someone into creating a structure like this – this pavilion offered absolutely no protection from the elements – but then he remembered that the Nesaran Gardens were located at a latitude where snow wouldn"t be an issue.

Gabi took a bar stool and set her elbows on the counter, lacing her fingers tightly. “What would you like?” she asked with a glance in his direction. “Perhaps I should ask what Summer will let you have.”

Jack smiled, hanging his head as he tried to fight off his embarrassment. “Gaining the power to bend space and time comes with a price,” he muttered. “Got anything that"s light on the alcohol?”

“Light on the alcohol?”

Light“She can handle a little bit.”

Tapping her lips with a single finger, Gabi closed her eyes. “I"ve got it,” she said. “Computer, I"d like one Stellar Cascade for my boyfriend and a glass of Zicaran white for me.”

A hatch with edges so fine you wouldn"t even notice unless you knew what to look for split apart, leaving a circular hole in the counter. Thirty seconds later, a platform with two drinks rose up. One was obviously a glass of wine.

The other.

Whatever Gabi had ordered for him came in a tall thin glass. It was blue and fizzy like soda. Jack wasn"t quite sure what to make of it.

He lifted the glass to his lips and took a sip. The beverage was sweet and just a bit sour. And it tingled on his tongue just like soda. The real surprise came when some of it seemed to evaporate and fill his nostrils with a scent that matched the taste.

Clamping a hand over his mouth, Jack winced. “Oh my god!” he mumbled into his own palm. “Is it supposed to do that? Why do I get the impression this thing is a hit with college students?”

Gabi watched him over her shoulder, a sly smile on her face. “It"s actually much more popular with teenagers,” she said. “One of the few alcoholic beverages they can order. You"d have to drink ten before it really hit you.”

“You let kids drink booze?”

“It isn"t quite so cut and dry on our world,” she explained. “We try to encourage responsibility by giving them the opportunity to experiment with milder drinks rather than simply denying them access to everything until they reach a certain age.”

“How do you prevent them from just walking up here and ordering ten of these?”

“The bar"s automated systems are programmed with biometrics. They assess the age of anyone who approaches the counter by measuring height, weight, body type and facial structure. A fifteen-year-old can order at most one Stellar Cascade. That number increases as they get older. New options also become available.”

oneJack took the stool next to her.

As dates went, this one was actually keeping him entertained. If nothing else, he was learning quite a bit about Leyrian culture. His girlfriend – it dawned on him that he was finally comfortable using that phrase – had a talent for planning a romantic evening. This was probably the most interesting date he"d ever been on, but…

But it wasn"t frozen yogurt and sitting side by side on a bench next to the Ottawa River. He didn"t have to wonder what that meant; he knew perfectly well what it meant, but the opportunities to go down that road had come and passed. Best to just put it out of his head right away. Still, a small selfish part of him wished that Anna could have been the one to tell him about Stellar Cascades.

A much larger part of him felt that he was being lax in his duties – they had come to Leyria on business, not pleasure – but their appointment with Professor Nareo was scheduled for tomorrow. They had to do something to pass the time.

hadsomethingBesides, it wasn"t like things would go to hell if Jack Hunter took one night off.

one

Vetrid Col stood on a city street that curved slightly, a street lined with thick bushes and trees on either side. The bright lights left him feeling exposed. Leyrian cities used piezoelectric sensors so that the streetlights only came on when a car or a pedestrian passed through the area.

Col wore black: boots, pants and a light jacket with the hood down. His hollow-cheeked face of olive skin was shaved clean, and he kept his black hair cut short. Neat and tidy. Normally, he wouldn"t be comfortable with his face exposed, but here, a man in a hood drew more attention than he would like. Besides, no one else was outside at this time of night.

He approached a gap in the trees lining the sidewalk, a gap that looked in on the front yard of a small house. Through it, he could see the small two-story structure with its dome-like roof. The thrill came over him now that he was close.

Col felt his mouth tighten. Focus. The thought came as a chastising rebuke that seemed to blend the voice of every teacher he"d ever had.

Focus.He crouched down at the edge of the property.

Slipping one hand into his pocket, he pulled out half a dozen small marbles with a glossy metallic surface. He left them in his palm for a moment before tapping each with his thumb to activate it.

He tossed them.

They landed on the path that cut through the front yard with a soft rattling sound, some rolling into the grass. Half a moment later, there was a soft hissing pop like wood crackling in a fire-pit.

The marbles had been a gift from Isara, each one programmed to deliver a sharp electromagnetic pulse that would short out any security systems. Most people used some combination of cameras and motion sensors to secure their homes. Getting inside would be difficult enough without accidentally setting off an alarm.

Col felt his lips peel back in a vicious smile. He let his head hang, sucking in a deep breath. It"s really nothing personal, he thought at the owner of the house. But Isara wants you dead, and I want to kill something.

It"s really nothing personal,But Isara wants you dead, and I want to kill something.He started up the path through the yard, moving carefully, stealthily. The ability to walk without making too much noise – one of the simplest necessities of survival – was a skill too few people possessed nowadays. Too much coddling. When you built a society where no one had to struggle to find food, you inevitably bred weakness.

That wasn"t why he killed.

He simply enjoyed the thrill of it: slipping past security measures, finding his target in a moment of vulnerability, removing any clues that might lead back to him. It was a challenge that pushed a man to his limits.

Around the side of the house, he found a rectangular window that looked in on the first floor. Inside, he saw nothing but darkness. There was no sign that the professor was home, but the man might have gone to bed.

Col unclipped a small disk from his belt.

He stuck it onto the window and watched as the blue LEDs blinked in quick, erratic patterns. The screen of his multi-tool lit up, and he checked the readout. This house was equipped with a standard security system: sensors would activate the alarm if he shattered the glass. Force-fields would keep him out, and the police would be here within minutes.

Fortunately, Col had made himself an asset to one of the most powerful women in Leyrian Space, and one of the perks of that association was access to military-grade tech. This little device could overpower most security systems.

Col stepped back.

A tap at the screen of his multi-tool caused the device to send out an EM pulse, and sparks flashed around the window pane as sensors and force-field generators exploded. Lights came on inside the house, and the alarm began to sound. Bleakness! His actions had triggered the security system.

Bleakness!He strode forward and seized the disk from the window, then drew a g*n and fired several rounds into the glass. With the window shattered, he carefully climbed through into what appeared to be a rec room.

A gray couch faced the window on the other side of a coffee table, and there were a few shelves along the wall with various knickknacks on each one. To his left, a set of steps led up to a kitchen.

Pulling the hood of his sweater up over his head, Col frowned down at the floor. I have to be quick about this, he thought, striding toward the steps. The police will be here in less than ten minutes.

I have to be quick about this,The police will be here in less than ten minutes.The kitchen was a spacious room with sleek, stainless steel cupboards and a glossy black refrigerator. Blinds on the window over the sink fluttered in the cool breeze; that one had been left open a c***k.

He found another set of stairs that led up to the second floor where a hallway with carpeted floors stretched on for maybe ten paces. Each wall had exactly one door, and the professor had left them open a c***k, revealing a linen closet at the end of the corridor and a small bathroom on his right.

Col opened the door on his left to find a bedroom that was kept neat and tidy with a few throw pillows on the bed. A wooden desk in the corner was bare except for a tablet that had been switched off.

There was no one here!

Col let his head hang and covered his face with a gloved hand. “All that for nothing!” he growled, spinning around. “The man picks tonight of all nights to be away from home!”

He ran back downstairs, into the rec room and out the window. He didn"t make his way back to the street; instead, he sprinted through the backyard and charged down the gently-sloping hill behind the house.

Col winced, droplets of sweat rolling over his face. “Bleakness take me!” he said, tossing his head about in frustration. “This better be worth it, Isara. Because the price of my assistance just doubled.”

At the base of the hill, he found a chain-link fence, and beyond it, an open field between this set of houses and those of the next street over. Far off in the distance, the skyscrapers of Calinar stabbed the night sky.

Lifting his fist, he tapped at the screen of his multi-tool. Nanobots emerged from the tiny metal disk, shaping themselves into a blade roughly twice the length of his hand. The software that allowed them to do so was illegal – you had to hack a multi-tool to give it the ability to fabricate weapons – but friendship with Isara had its perks.

He sliced through the fence with ease – the blade was sharp enough to allow it – and ducked through the opening.