Children of Darkness (Rogue Star Book 1) Read online

  Marcus tapped Solomon on the shoulder. “Look sharp, partner. We’ve got company.”

  Solomon got to his feet. His hands shook as the two behemoths bore down on them. He reached for the blaster they taken off the Earth Force agent but Marcus grabbed his wrist. That little blaster would just piss them off. “Steady. I don’t think they mean us any harm.”

  “They’re Gorts, they mean everybody harm.”

  The creatures stopped two strides away. The one on the right held out his hand. In it rested a small metal disk half an inch thick. Marcus knew better than to accept gifts from strangers, but he also knew better than to refuse a Gort. He reached for the disk, at any moment he expected to get his arm ripped off. He grabbed the disk and the Gort lowered his hand and stared at them.

  Marcus handed the disk to Solomon, relieved to have his extremities intact. “What do you think?”

  Solomon checked it over. “Doesn’t look dangerous. There’s a button on the side that probably turns it on.”

  “What’s it do?”

  Solomon shrugged. “Beats me.”

  “Turn it on.”

  Solomon handed it back. “You turn it on.”

  Marcus grinned and thumbed the button. The disk hummed and a moment later a hologram of a man’s head appeared. He wore his white hair pulled back in a neat ponytail and sported a white goatee. His eye sparkled, piercing and icy blue. Vlad Valcore.

  “Hello, Marcus,” Vlad said in his familiar Russian accent. “I hope King and Kong didn’t startle you. We need to talk. I’m sure you remember the way, but the lads will make sure no one bothers you.”

  The hologram faded away then the recorder sparked and shorted out. Marcus tossed it to King who snatched it out of the air and crushed it. King smiled revealing double rows of razor sharp teeth. Vlad must have heard what happened, maybe he could help them get off planet.

  “What now?” Solomon asked.

  “Now we go see what he wants.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea? We’re in enough trouble without getting mixed up with Valcore.”

  “I can’t argue about the trouble we’re in, but Vlad might be our best way out of it. If anyone can get us off Mars it’s Vlad. Lead on fellas.”

  King plodded forward and Kong motioned them to follow while he brought up the rear. They obliged and after half a block Solomon said, “Be honest, you just want to visit Vlad once more before we leave Mars, maybe forever.”

  “I would like to say goodbye. Hell, the old man was like my second father. He taught me everything I know.”

  “About crime,” Solomon added.

  “Not just that. He taught me to fly, to fight, and take care of myself. After Mom and Dad died I wouldn’t have lasted six months if Vlad hadn’t taken me in.”

  Four blocks from the platform Marcus spotted a pair of white haired, stooped humans, a husband and wife he thought. The pair rushed toward them. The man held an expensive holorecorder. He pointed it right at King and snapped a picture. King snarled and bared his fangs.

  The wife smiled and clapped her hands. “Oh, George, get a picture of it snarling.”

  “Yes, dear.“ The old man raised the camera and snapped another picture. The resigned look on his face said he’d prefer the Gorts kill him than tell his wife no.

  Marcus smiled. King and Kong must have had orders to be on their best behavior since they didn’t rip the man’s arms off and beat him to death with them. Marcus had seen a Gort do that once.

  The tourists wondered away and Marcus heard the wife say, “Wait until Martha sees these pictures. She’ll be so jealous.” Marcus shook his head. Those two should buy a lottery ticket.

  They reached Vlad’s home base, an old Earth antique shop. They went around to the rear of the building and found the back door unlocked. King opened it and motioned them in.

  Stepping into the shop felt like stepping back in time. He’d only been eight the first time his mother brought him here hoping to find a new book for her collection. They’d gone home with a leather bound copy of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. He remembered the huge smile she wore the whole way home, Mom already had two leather bound Verne novels and she’d looked so excited to add a third. All three of those books now sat on a shelf in his cabin on the Star.

  Marcus and Solomon walked through stacks of books and old oil paintings. The scent of wood polish and leather filled the room. They passed a glass case and Marcus saw the old Colt Peacemaker still rested in the same place he remembered.

  The steps up to Vlad’s office sat in the back corner of the building. Time to pay his respects to one of the three most powerful men on Mars.

  Marcus took a deep breath, let it out over a slow five count, and started up the steps. At the top they found a well appointed room lined with bookshelves filled with leather bound books, and other small collectibles. In the center of the room sat an antique oak desk and three leather chairs. Behind the desk sat the man from the hologram, Vlad Valcore. A cigarette hung from his lip and as they approached he took it out and smiled. He set the smoldering cigarette in a porcelain ashtray.

  “Hi, old man,” Marcus said.

  Vlad stood and walked around the desk. He looked a little thinner and his face had a few more lines. Still, for a man in his mid-seventies Vlad stood straight and tall. Marcus stepped closer and the two men embraced. “Good to see you, my boy.”

  They stepped apart and Marcus smiled. It felt good to see the old man again, right, like if he’d left without this visit he would have had unfinished business. “Good to see you too.”

  “Sit down both of you. We have much to discuss.”

  Marcus and Solomon sat in front of the desk while Vlad made his way back to this chair. He took a drag on his cigarette and blew a smoke ring.

  “I thought you said you’d quit.” Marcus said. “Those are terrible for you.”

  Vlad smiled. “You sound like Anna. Why worry so? Cancer and heart disease were wiped out centuries ago. There’s nothing I can do to myself that medicine can’t cure. Being on Earth Force’s most wanted list is much worse for you.”

  “We’re on the most wanted list?” Solomon’s voice squeaked.

  Vlad let out a wheezing laugh. “Not the official one, but considering how many men they have looking for you, you made someone’s list. They have spaceport two shut down and agents crawling all over the place.”

  Marcus sighed. It sounded worse than he imagined. Good thing Vlad reached them before they walked right into a shit storm. “Thanks for the warning.”

  Vlad waved him off leaving a trail of smoke in the air. “What’s got them so riled up?”

  Marcus smiled. “A woman.”

  Vlad smiled as well. “Of course. Tell the tale, my boy.”

  When Marcus finished Vlad shook his head. “Remarkable. I look forward to hearing how it ends. Now to business. I believe we can help each other.”

  “We could use some help.” Solomon said.

  “A plan is in place to get you off the planet. In exchange I need you to make a delivery for me.“ He held up a disk like the one King carried. “This is your cargo.”

  “Where?” Marcus asked.

  Vlad held up a data chip. “All the details are here. The disk must be accessed within one minute of midnight Earth standard time. If you access it at any other time it will self-destruct. If it isn’t accessed by two minutes past midnight it will self-destruct.”

  “Pretty heavy security. You must not be too confident in your plan to get us off Mars.”

  “I put your chances at fifty percent. They want you bad, Marcus. You’ve really stepped in it this time.”

  “I prefer to think I stumbled into it this time. Still, you’ve got a deal. What’s the plan?”

  When Vlad finished Marcus thought fifty percent an over generous assessment.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Iaka hadn’t seen any agents for hours. After she escaped the assassin, she fled north and found a dark alley in a poor section of the dome in
which to hide. She’d eluded them for now, but they’d have agents everywhere looking for her. How could she get back to the spaceport, find Marcus and Solomon, and get off the planet?

  The stench of the alley overwhelmed her fear and she walked out to the end and looked left and right. The street looked deserted for the moment. Cheap housing filled this part of the dome and most of the people went to work first thing in the morning and didn’t return until late. Night would fall soon, the workers returning home for dinner. She needed a place to hole up, her body ached and she couldn’t think straight.

  She had an idea, but it made her cringe. Ducking back into the alley she stripped off her slacks. Her tunic came down to mid-thigh and made a passable dress. She unbuttoned the top three buttons and let her hair down. She took a deep breath and let it out. All right, here we go. She left the alley and started down the street.

  Iaka tried to strut and swing her hips. It felt unnatural. She tried to blend in most of the time, not stand out. It got darker and more people walked the streets on their way to or from work. A few we’re out looking for a good time.

  Judging by the number of looks she got Iaka decided she must have done something right. Two factory workers propositioned her, but they both looked too strong for what she had planned. A soft looking man in his forties caught her eye. A middle manager maybe, married, out looking for a fling. Perfect. No way he lived in this neighborhood.

  She sashayed over and sweat dripped down his face. “Looking for a good time?”

  “I, I, yes. How much?”

  “A hundred for an hour, three for the night, hard credits of course.”

  “That’s uh, that’s fine. An hour. Do you have someplace you do this sort of thing?”

  Damn it. She’d hoped he had a hotel room. “Sure, baby.“ She bent down and grabbed his arm. He trembled. She glanced around and spotted a cheap looking motel. “Come on.”

  She led the man toward the motel. Sweat soaked his shirt. The motel’s paint pealed away from the plaster. The auto-doors opened half way as they approached. Iaka went first and strutted up to the clerk bot, putting on a real show, the poor bastard might as well enjoy the view.

  “We need a room,” she said as her date joined her.

  “Five credits.” The bot said.

  She looked at the man one eyebrow raised. He blinked.

  “Got to pay up, sweetie.” She said.

  “Of, of course. How much was it?”

  “Five credits,” the bot repeated.

  He dug a coin out of his pocket and passed it to the machine. Iaka caught a glimpse, fifty credits. The bot made change and slid a pass card across the desk to them. “On the right.” It said.

  Iaka snagged the key card. Room twelve. “Ready for some fun?”

  The poor man trembled harder now. She needed to get him to the room before he passed out. She grabbed his arm again and they hurried down the hall. Iaka found their room and slid the card though the lock. She guided her date ahead of her, glanced around, and shut the door. It auto-locked behind her.

  She turned around and found her date standing beside the bed. “I’m sorry, I’ve never done anything like this.“

  She moved over closer to him. “Neither have I.”

  He leaned forward to kiss her. As soon as his eyes closed she stepped behind him and wrapped her arm around his throat. He struggled, Iaka tightened her grip cutting the blood flow to his brain. He went limp and she lowered him to the floor. A quick search revealed five hundred credits in hard coin. She shook her head. What kind of idiot carried that much money in this part of the dome? She didn’t feel so bad about lying to him. She probably saved his life

  Iaka tore a pillowcase into strips, tied him up and gagged him. She checked to be sure he could breath okay then went to take a shower. Clean again Iaka came out of the bathroom and found her date glaring at her. She smiled. “I’m really sorry about this. I’m not actually a hooker. This has been a horrible day. I lost my job and I’m down to my last credit. I’m a little desperate. You lay there and keep quiet so I can sleep and in the morning the cleaning crew will come and cut you loose. Don’t worry, I’ll leave you enough credits to get back home.”

  He struggled and groaned through the gag. She frowned at him. “I can choke you out again if you prefer.”

  He stiffened and fell silent. “That’s better. Good night.”

  She crawled into bed and closed her eyes. With a mental command she set her implant to wake her at five in the morning. A few seconds later exhaustion got the best of her and she fell asleep.

  Iaka sat up fast when the micro jolt from her implant hit her brain. Six hours went fast. She got out of bed and checked on her date. He’d fallen asleep. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. She tucked fifty credits into his right sock and left him on the floor.

  Now how to get back to the spaceport. Her stomach growled. Okay, breakfast first, then the spaceport. She looked at her bare legs. She’d have to get a pair of pants too.

  Iaka left the seedy motel and headed toward a better part of the dome. She needed a disguise, something to change her looks enough to pass a quick inspection. Once she altered her looks she’d hop a hovertrain in a direction they didn’t expect. Her plan might work, emphasis on might. She couldn’t think of anything else, and a crappy plan beat no plan so she’d go with it.

  Street lights brightened the predawn darkness. Iaka jogged north, away from Earth Force headquarters. When she got out of the worst part of the dome she flagged down an auto-cab and ordered it to take her to a shopping district.

  As soon as she got out of the cab a sweet, yeasty smell grabbed her. She followed her nose past an arcade and a shoe store. She found the source of the smells coming from a little bakery with a fake brick face. A display of baguettes, rolls, and cookies filled the window. Her mouth watered. Pants would have to wait. Her stomach growled in agreement.

  She went in, ordered a cup of coffee and the gooiest cinnamon roll in the display case. She took a few minutes to enjoy the food and a moment of peace. How long since she took time to sit in a cafe and sip coffee? More than the five years she spent frozen for sure.

  Iaka dropped a coin on the table and started toward the door. Licking the last of the icing off her fingers and not watching where she went, Iaka walked right into a man wearing a pin stripe suit coming through the door. She stumbled back and he reached out to steady her. “I’m terribly sorry. Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine,” she said.

  He smiled. “Well, good day then.” He stepped around her and went to the counter to order.

  Idiot. If she didn’t pay more attention she’d end up dead. No more screwing around, time to find Marcus and get off this rock.

  Iaka found a clothing store a short walk from the bakery. She strolled up one isle and down the next looking for inspiration. She grabbed leggings then spotted a young woman wearing a pair of wrap around glasses with several electronic devices attached. Those might work. A quick search turned up a dark pair of glasses like the girl wore. She added glittery earrings and on the way out grabbed a pack of gum. She paid, slipped the leggings on, and left the store. She had an idea for a persona.

  Fifty people stood on the platform waiting for the hovertrain to arrive. Iaka stood in the midst of them, she wore her glasses and earrings, smacked her gum, and blew an occasional bubble. An older woman glared at her and Iaka stuck her tongue out. She spotted a pair of Earth Force undercover agents but so far they hadn’t given her a second look. The train zoomed up to the platform and the doors opened. People streamed out, then more piled in, Iaka among them.

  She rode for two hours, putting distance between herself and those looking for her. She got off just after noon. A dozen people exited with her but none of them looked like agents. So far, so good, no agents monitored the trains this far from spaceport two.

  The schedule posted at the platform said the train for her next leg of her round about trip wouldn’t arrive for half an hour. Not
far from the platform she spotted a hotdog stand and bought one along with a bottle of water. She spotted a bench and sat down to eat.

  The world looked blurry. Iaka hadn’t stopped moving for almost twelve hours. She’d jumped between trains half a dozen times before she dared board one headed to spaceport two. She spotted several agents during her travels but none of them gave her more than a cursory look. Now it would get tricky. They’d expect her to try and get back to Marcus. If she had the credits she’d have bought a ticket on a commercial cruiser and sent him a message with a warning once she’d gotten away, but she didn’t have the credits and she couldn’t abandon the people that saved her life.

  The train came to a stop at the passenger terminal and she got off along with a group of thirty tourists. She glanced around, grateful for the glasses hiding her eyes. She spotted dome security easy enough, their black and red uniforms, heavy blasters, and intimidating presence marked them like a flashing hologram. A group of ten passengers she’d overheard discussing a space cruise walked toward the ticket counter and Iaka moved with them. She needed to get to the commercial section of the spaceport.

  She drifted away while the last member of the group checked in. The front of the terminal overlooked the landing pads. She looked out, hoping for inspiration to strike. Out on the concrete crimson streaks of light flashed through the air. An alarm went off and the terminal went nuts. People ran around screaming. Iaka grabbed a middle aged man as he passed.

  “What’s going on?”

  His eyes bugged out of his head and sweat slicked his skin. “Terrorists. They say a group of terrorists are fighting the security forces.”

  Marcus, she felt certain, trying to blast his way free. Iaka spotted an agent hurrying toward the back of the terminal and followed him. She forced her way through the crowd keeping the agent within sight until he reached a door that exited behind the terminal. She waited a minute then opened the door. A short distance form the terminal she spotted three combat skiffs, long narrow platforms equipped with antigravity generators and powerful thrusters, and armed with heavy cannons in the rear and piloted from an enclosed cockpit in the front. The agent she followed trotted toward them.