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Myka pounded at him with his fists, screaming. “Get the hell off me, you f**ker!” The man moved like he didn’t feel a thing, dropping the kid in a heap of too-thin arms and legs in front of Renna.
“Tie them up and load them into the van,” her captor ordered. The smooth metal of an exovise clamped around her wrists. At least he’d tied them in front of her. A flash of light in her peripherals told her Myka’s soldier had done the same to him.
Once she was seated on the long bench inside the van, one of the soldiers leaned close to tie a blindfold over her eyes. She heard the boy struggling against him beside her. “Get off me!”
“Take them back to base. We’ll stay and clean up this mess. And watch out for that one. She’s dangerous.” The door slammed with a thud, rocking the van, and Renna fought the acid burning her throat. In all of her years as a mercenary, she’d never been caught, never been in a situation she couldn’t get out of. And here she was, trapped like a common criminal. She was better than that, dammit!
The van circled the parking lot, and she felt them descend the ramp into the parking structure. They circled round and round in silence for several long minutes before she felt the magnacraft straighten out. The sounds of other hover cars and wingcraft around them told her they were on a busy street, but after the circling, she had no idea which direction they were headed. Usually, she’d rely on her implant to track their movements, but it had been destroyed in the crash. She was working blind.
Beside her, Myka pressed his shoulder to hers, as if needing the human contact. “I’m not going back in that cage,” he said fiercely.
Her hands twitched to comfort him. She wasn’t one to get maternal, but for some reason, this boy got to her. Maybe he reminded her too much of herself at that age. Whatever it was, she had to get him to safety. If only she knew where safety was.
“So you grew up on Banos Prime? Were your parents miners?” she asked, hoping to distract him until she figured out a plan.
“No, they were scientists. The company sent them out there to track the ore levels and mining conditions. They were part of a large team.”
“Weren’t they evacuated off-planet when it was invaded?”
“It was too late. They got me into the last transport off-world. Women and children only. And Mom wouldn’t leave Dad behind. They made sure my Uncle David knew I was coming. I don’t think they knew the attackers intended to destroy the planet, not conquer it.” He sounded so calm, so adult. Like all of this had happened to someone else.
“Tell me about your uncle. What does he do?”
“He’s a scientist, too. Only he invents things. We live on Iniros. He has a lab there.”
Renna froze. She only knew of one scientist who worked on Iniros. Most of the residents of the planet were ministers for the Cooperative Republic of Galaxies or wealthy businessmen who had vacation homes there.
“So what exactly does your uncle invent?” she asked, needing to confirm her suspicions.
“Scientific stuff. Like weapons and ships. I guess he’s important or something.”
By the gods. “Are you saying you’re related to David Aldani? Of Aladea Labs?”
As in, the same people who’d hired her to retrieve the gamma particle destabilizer.
“Do you know him?” Myka asked hopefully.
“Enough!” a voice barked from across the van.
The kid stiffened beside her, and she frowned. “Who are you people?” she asked.
“You’ll find out soon enough. Now both of you be silent!” His voice was low and sharp, like he hadn’t wanted them talking about Myka’s uncle. Was this all connected somehow? Had Boyd set her up?
Silence fell like a heavy blanket, only broken by the noise of passing vehicles. She still had no idea which direction they were headed, never mind where they might be going. Damn her cheap implant. She should have sprung for the nucleospatial model she’d thought was too expensive.
The car slowed, vibrating over a set of metal electro-tracks in the ground. Renna tilted her head. Transit lines ringed the city center like a bull’s eye, allowing the train-cycle to traverse the entire loop in less than half an hour. They were traveling into the city.
She leaned back against the seat as casually as she could. She had an idea, but it would require perfect timing and balance. Renna let out a slow breath and lowered her shoulders from her ears. The van slowed again, swinging to the right. There was a slight pressure as it started down an incline.
Perfect. She let herself slide forward with the motion, her tight black leggings gliding against the metal bench. Momentum did the rest.
Renna braced herself for a tumble, but she underestimated the soldier across from her. Before she even hit the ground, he’d grabbed her, jerking her back on the bench. She flailed against him, which was easier said than done in the exovises gripping her wrists.
She slipped her arms over his head and pressed her face to his, trying to wiggle out of her blindfold. It slipped down a fraction, enough for her to see in the dim, windowless car. That was all she needed to slip across his lap and kneel on the bench beside him. The angle gave her enough leverage to tighten her arms around his neck. His breath wheezed in her ear as his bucking grew frantic. He pinched and grabbed at her, trying to push her off, but despite the pain, Renna squeezed harder, strangling him until his frantic movements slowed. He finally went limp against her, and Renna pulled her arms free with a shudder. Gods, she hated that. Killing never got any easier.
As the man slid against her to the floor, she tugged her blindfold off with shackled hands.
“What happened? What’s going on?” Myka asked. He’d been perfectly silent during her struggle, but his hands were clenched so tightly together his knuckles had turned white.
“I’m fine. And now we’re going to get the hell out of here.” She ripped the blindfold from his face, and he stared at the man sprawled on the floor of the van.
“How did you do that?”
She shook her head. “No time for that now.” Dim light filtered through the crack of the back door, and she fumbled for the latch. As the van slowed, Renna grabbed her pack off the bench. Somehow it had made it into the van along with them.
“When I give the word, jump. I’ll be right behind you.”
Hope crept into the boy’s expression, and he nodded.
Renna pushed the door wide.
The van rocked to a halt.
“Jump!” she said, landing unsteadily on her feet. Myka followed but stumbled, and she grabbed for him before he could fall. The air in the shadowy space was cool against her flushed face, and smelled of metal. She’d bet her life it was another parking structure.
