Crusade For Vengeance (Dark Vengeance Book 2) (11 page)

There was sympathy in Hanna’s eyes, but all she said was.  “I’ll get on it and let you know.”

“Thanks.”  Valerie turned away and went to her room.  Shutting the door behind her, she sat on her bed.  The tears she felt at the corners of her eyes from the admission, leaked out and ran slowly down her cheeks.  The nightmares hadn’t stopped.  They continued every night.  She was grateful to both of the girls for never mentioning them during the trip from Blaze in their small cramped cabin.  Valerie awoke crying in the dark every night without fail.

This was the first time in a while they sprang on her during the day.  Taking a deep breath, Valerie scrubbed the salty tears from her cheeks with the palms of her hands and stood.  A splash of water from the small sink washed what was left away and she was ready to face the world again.

“Ahhh.  Damn it, Pat.  You did that on purpose!”  His opponent exclaimed after the ball careened off his head.

“You’ve got to be faster and I believe that is game, set and match to me.”  Patrick Dorme said and disengaged his grav harness, floating gently to the floor.

“It wasn’t exactly sporting.”  Marco Koudstaal pouted.

“A win is a win and a wager is a wager.”

“Of course, of course.  I’ll have it transferred over to you.”  Marco picked up a towel from the edge of the court and wiped the sweat from his face.  “Perhaps you can give me a chance to win it back.”

“Another round?” Dorme queried with a raised eyebrow.

“Lightning no!  You’ve proved I need to get myself back into shape.  It’s been too long since the Marines.  Cards.  My place next week.  You in?”

“I think I could manage that.  Send me the details and I’ll let me know.”  Dorme said and swept out of the zero G tennis court.

After a shower and a change of clothes, Dorme made his way up to the Club’s bar.  Marco had a meeting and headed straight off, but he was sure there would be others worth talking to.  There were no outstanding jobs at the moment and he was in no rush.  A leisurely afternoon with drinks and decent conversation would be just the way to spend his time.

“Mr Dorme?”  He turned and saw a man and a woman walking towards him.  Their suits were off the shelf, not tailored and he could see the slight bulge of hidden weapons under their jackets.  The way they carried themselves spoke of confidence, whatever happened they were convinced they could handle it.  The slightly aged faces showed they were from Manual stock and much younger than him. 

Too confident in their own abilities to be police they had to be Devils.  Dorme wasn’t worried, if someone wanted him dead, it wouldn’t be Devils sent after him and not in such a public place.

“Yes?”  He deliberately exaggerated the sneer in his tone.

“Come with us, please,” the man told him and it wasn’t a request.

“And where would we be going?”

“You’ll find out when we arrive,” her tone wanted him to argue.  Devils weren’t like most Manuals, they thought it made them special.  He was tempted, with his greater level of experience, he did not think he would struggle to neutralise these two.  He was also armed with a small Pulse pistol hidden, far better than theirs, by his tailored suit.  A tingling at his back identified a new threat.  A glance over his shoulder showed two more identically dressed Devils had arrived.  Four to one odds made it much more likely he would lose.  While winning a fight in the Club would only heighten his reputation, losing was not tolerable.

“Since you have made me curious as to what this is about.  Lead on.”  They weren’t fooled in the slightest.  They knew he was cornered and would have no choice, but to do as they said.  The two behind stepped up to Dorme’s shoulder.  He was forced to follow the first two out of the Club and into a black aircar.

They were respectful of his skills and must have been briefed on his own time in the Devils.  They gave him no opportunity to attack with any chance of success.  The VI screens in the aircar were switched off and the cockpit’s door was closed.  Dorme had no idea where they were going.  Even the compensator was set to full.  The aircar could be still sitting at the Club’s entrance for all he knew.

None of his escorts spoke and he had no intention of talking to them unless he needed to.  The ride was a half an hour of silent boredom.  After the first few minutes, Dorme shut his eyes.  The Devils would not be fooled into thinking he was asleep, but it saved him from having to look at them.

The only indication of them arriving at their destination was the opening of the aircars door.  Two of the escorts went first.  Dorme stepped out into a hanger, so generic, it could belong to any of the towers in the city of Zeus.  There were no identifying signs or features.  A glance over his shoulder showed they even went as far as closing the bay doors.

His escorts led him through a secure door, only opening once they swiped their ID’s.  Inside it was much the same as the hanger.  The corridors were plain, the VI screens scattered along the walls were blank and there were no people to be seen.  He was taken deep into the tower, through corridor after corridor, until his escorts stopped at a door identical to the dozens of others they passed.

The woman in the lead swiped her ID to open the door and waved him in.  This trip had gone a bit too far and Dorme felt the slight flutter of nerves in his stomach.  He still had his pistol, they had not searched him and not even asked if he was armed.  It was unlikely they would try and kill him without doing that first.  Why they would have brought him all this way? 

The room was cleared of any identifying furniture.  Only a low table, with a comfortable chair on either side, sat in the room.  Dorme made an exaggerated gesture of getting himself comfortable.  He relaxed into the chair and crossed his legs, stretching them out in front him.  Leaning back, he gave a contented sigh, as though he had all the time in the world.  They would be watching.

Time dragged by.  It took quite the force of will to not get up and pace the room in frustration and impatience.  By his best guess, he didn’t look at the chrono on his wristcomp once, it took a full hour before the door opened.  A man stepped in, grey hair, stocky, with a former weight-lifters build he had not let go to seed.  Dorme could not help the widening of his eyes.

“Grand Admiral Cestari.”  Dorme gained control of himself and smiled slyly.  “I imagined some high ranking General or Admiral sicced those dogs on me, but not the Commander in Chief himself.”

The Grand Admiral didn’t answer him until he settled himself into the other chair.  “Patrick Dorme.  Former Captain and commanding officer of Legion Commando Devil Company, Mantis.  Unofficially dishonourably discharged for conduct unbecoming of an officer.  Officially retired with full pay.  Now assassin for hire.”

“Am I meant to be surprised, Admiral?  I know full well you have access to every file in the Legion, including mine.  I have no doubt there is an unofficial record of my activities during my time in the Legion.”

The look the Admiral returned was cold.  “What you may not know, we have been keeping an eye on you after you left.  While most of the Families are happy to sweep things away from the light of day, some of us don’t like people like you out in the open.”

“And what do you mean by people like me, Admiral?”

“Psychopaths.”

“Hah.  That is a bit strong, is it not?  I provide a service people pay good money for and business is brisk.”

“Don’t kid yourself, Dorme.  You enjoy what you do too much, that’s why we kicked you out.  You’re a serial killer.  The Families have a use for you and it’s the only reason you haven’t been locked away.”

Dorme’s eyes narrowed.  How dare Cestari belittle him.  Forcing himself to relax, he smiled at the Admiral.

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but perhaps you can get to why I’m here?”

“I have a job for you.”

“Of course you do,” Dorme sneered.

“The terms are this.  You will be paid one million sovereigns on completion of the job.  You will not tell anyone about anything I am about to show you.  To ensure you’re compliance, I also have a list here of every one of your assassinations.  It will be released publicly, should we think you have rescinded on our agreement.  While you think you may have a good chance of hiding from the Legion, I think it would be much harder, if the Families of your victims were also spending their resources hunting you.  Do we have an agreement?”

“This must be a choice target, and in that case, my fee is two million.”

“This is not a negotiation.  Should you continue, I will release the list and find someone else.”

The Admiral’s eyes were hard and Dorme reminded himself he was not dealing with his normal breed of client.  This man wasn’t jealous, greedy, envious or desperate.  Antonio Cestari was one of the most powerful people in all of humanity.  The demand for two million was almost instinctive and he regretted it.

“Show me the list first.”

Cestari passed over the datapad in his hand.  The condescending smile going with it, made him want to draw his pistol and shoot the man in the face.  The four Devils outside, along with the undoubted numerous others, stopped him.  There was no chance Dorme would leave here alive unless the Admiral wanted him to.

Dorme looked down at the datapad.  They might have one or two names, but that would be all.  As he read the list, he felt the blood drain from his face.  They were all there, every single person he killed in the last five years.  Including those he did purely out of spite or whim.  There were a few names missing, but they didn’t matter.  They were nothing more than Manuals he killed for some variation.  They were too easy and not enough sport to make it worthwhile on a normal day.  Manuals didn’t have anyone who mattered caring about them.

“Of course, that’s your most recent history.  L.I. have been watching you for a long time, so the files are quite extensive.  Do we have a deal?”

“Yes.”  Dorme forced the word out.  Cestari had him and the Admiral knew it.

The Admiral held out his hand for the datapad and Dorme passed it to him.  Cestari entered the security code to unlock the rest of the data and handed it back.

“Your target is Major Valerie Carter.  She is currently being hunted by every branch of the government.  Due to the highly sensitive nature of this case, they only have her DNA profile.  As of yet, they have not been successful.  What you have there is all the relevant data you will need, including pictures, holovids from actual combat operations and all her known associates.  I assure you none of it has been enhanced or doctored in anyway.  This woman is the most dangerous person in known space.  She is not to be taken lightly and I would suggest...”

***

“Are you sure this is a good idea, sir?”  Wioletta asked from behind him.

Antonio Cestari turned away from the window of his office, from where he watched Dorme’s aircar fly away to return him to his Club.  Looking at his Chief of Staff he nodded.

“It has been months and we have not found anything to give us a lead on Carter’s location.  We have been forced to hamstring all of our assets searching for her and it’s not working.  Has there been anything from our units inside and around Granath & Dietze? ”

“No, sir.  No one matching her description or DNA has entered the tower where their office is based.  Our facial recognition software is running thirty hours a day, seven days a week, on everyone in the block with no hits.”

“If only we had a system powerful enough to do that planet wide.  Computers don’t care who you are looking for.”

“No, sir.  The programs get too unstable with so many variables.  Perhaps she never left Blaze?  She could still be there, for all we know.”

Smiling, Antonio shook his head.  “You never met her did you, Wioletta?”

“No, sir, but I’ve read her file as thoroughly as it is possible to do so.  She knows enough about what she would be going up against, once she told Noomi Pomykala your name, to realise she tipped her hand too far.”

“Carter has never quit at anything in her life.  I sometimes think that is why she survived out of all those children.  The most important people to her, were always those she commanded.  She felt a responsibility for them unmatched by her contemporaries.  Even as a young Lieutenant, she would stand up for her Manual troops against much senior officers.  Imagine that loyalty transferred to her children.”

He shook his head again.  “No, she knew exactly what she was doing.  She’s here on Olympus somewhere and when she’s ready, she will rain down fire and destruction.  I would really rather catch her before she does that.  If it means we have to bring scum like Dorme into the fold to do it, then so be it.  Better the Devil you can control than the Devil you can’t.”

It was the middle of the night but the street lights all along the road gave plenty of illumination as their small rented hovercar made its way along.  Identical to all the hovercars the Privileged used for their short trips, where it was not worth talking the aircar, it fit in perfectly.  Deni was at the wheel, cool and calm, while she drove through the middle of this Privileged suburb.

“How are you getting on, Hanna?” Valerie said into her com from the passenger seat.

“I’m into their system,” she reported from the Workshop.  “Nothing has changed since I took a look last week.  I’m uploading your spec’s into my ignore program along with all the tech you have.  I still can’t believe they’re hooked up to the datanet like this.  It leaves them wide open to a Hack.”

“Stay on task, Hanna.” Valerie admonished.  She wanted to tell her how proud of the girl she was.  How she was probably the best Hacker, with the exception of Sneaker, in the Pantheon.  The gangs on Zeus showed a much better level of competence than anyone in authority realised.  Those on Blaze were even better, but there the authorities implemented hard-wall security, completely cutting their systems off from the local datanet.  The only exceptions were heavily defended access points.

Valerie couldn’t praise Hanna.  It was taking all her concentration to keep her emotions in check.  Her entire being practically vibrated with dread for the conversation she was going to have all too shortly.

“OK, OK,” Hanna replied.  “I suppose without that link, their security firm can’t monitor the systems.  Right, upload is complete.  Now remember, although nothing about you will cause red flags, you still need to stay out of the cameras field of vision.  This firm pride themselves on old fashioned eyeballs watching the screens, they claim it as one of their unique selling points.  I would love to see their operation.  They must employ warehouses full of people.”

“Did we bring Troll along and no one told me?” Deni joked.

“Ha-de-Ha,” Hanna responded.  “I don’t talk THAT much.”

“This’ll do, Deni,” Valerie cut in.  “Keep the speed and I’ll roll out when this car passes.”  She pointed to the hovercar heading up the street from the opposite direction.

“OK,” Deni acknowledged.  “Stay safe.”

“Here we go.”  When the other car came alongside them, she opened the swing door and rolled out onto the adjoining pavement.  She continued the roll, over the two metres of permacrete, until she was under the bushes lining them.  On her elbows and knees, she crawled under the thick bushes to the three metre wall behind.

“I’m at the wall,” she reported.  “The bushes are very close.  I won’t be able to do this silently.”

“Street and garden is clear,” Hanna told her.  “I’m in the city’s camera network as well as the ones inside.  Nobody’s about.  Make as much noise as you need to.  I’m shutting off the energy spikes.  You have fifteen seconds from my mark.  After three.  Three, two, one.  Mark.”

On Hanna’s last word, Valerie leapt up.  She felt the thick branches scrape along her body as she blasted through them.  Her hands caught the top of the wall and gripped tightly.  In one smooth motion she pulled herself up and over, dropping silently to the ground in a crouch.  More trees and bushes surrounded her and ahead she could see the wide expanse of open grass.  Her Legion combat goggles instantly adjusted to the change in environment.

“I’m in and I have a clear view of the house.  Where is everyone, Hanna?”

“The two servants have retired to their quarters and your mother-in-law is in the library.  No one else has arrived.”

“OK.  I’ll go in through the playroom.  Unlock and kill the security on one of the windows.”

“That’s right next to the servant’s quarters.  Isn’t it a bit risky?”

“It’s also the closest entry point to my position.  There isn’t a lot of cover across the lawn.”

“Alright, you’re the boss.  I’m sending the camera locations and the highlighted window to your goggles’ HUD.”

A number of dots appeared across the house on Valerie’s Heads Up Display.  They were coloured red, amber and green to denote if they were looking in her direction.  One of the playroom windows there was now a bright pink outline.

“Got them.  Do you have a pattern on the cameras?”

“Erm.  Yes.  My system just gave me the run down.  I’m numbering them for you.”  Beside each of the coloured dots a number appeared.  “How long will it take you to get to the window?”

“Ten seconds.”

“OK, it’ll give us an extra three to play with.  There’s a camera inside the playroom.  I‘ve selected a window that has a nice big sofa just inside.  You should be able to get under cover before it swings back to you.  Don’t forget to close the window behind you.”

“Give me the count, Hanna.”

“Once camera five goes amber, wait for five seconds and then run.  Here we go...  Five, four, three, two, one, Now!”

At full speed, Valerie sprinted forward, her boots barely touched the ground she was going so fast.  The window popped slightly ajar when Hanna unlocked it, saving Valerie precious seconds.  Pulling it open she hopped through, swung it shut and ducked behind the sofa with two seconds to spare.

Inside, it was dark and silent, the door to the servant’s quarters tightly shut.  The only sound she could hear was her own steady breathing. 

“Floor is clear, Valerie.  No obstructions.  The door leads to one massive reception room.  By hades, that’s bigger than our flat on Blaze.  I’m not talking about the old one either.  I mean the one over the Sun.”

“Hanna.”

“Sorry, Deni’s right, I’m turning into Troll.  MIL is still in the library.  You taking the stairs?”

“Yes, they’ll put me right outside the library.  What are you doing with the camera inside?”

“She hasn’t moved much in the last thirty minutes.  I’ve built a loop and I’ll slot it into place before you enter.  I couldn’t do the whole house.  It would use too much bandwidth and increase the risk of getting caught.  When you exit the playroom, go behind the pillar two metres in to your left.  There’s a blind spot there and you can wait for the next opening.”

“Count it off.”

“Nine seconds... Three, two, one.  Mark.”

In moments Valerie was right where Hanna told her to go.  With her back to the pillar she could see into the playroom.  While behind the sofa she didn’t take it in, but now she realised it had that too clean look of a room unused.  Tom’s siblings were a similar age to him.  His parents decided they wanted to have three children within a five year span, so they could grow up together.  Both Tom’s sister and brother had had their children over twenty years ago.  None of them had kids of their own yet, as far as Valerie knew, so the playroom sat unused.

It was a small thing but it tore at Valerie’s heart.  It should be bright and full of light and laughter from Daphne and Bobbie.  The tears threatened to come again.  She was only able to hold them back through an immense force of will.  Hanna’s voice came over the com and gave her a welcome distraction.

“I’ve found our gap.  You need to do this in one go, with two pauses.  First is precisely two metres, straight out from the base of the stairs.  One second and no more.  Second pause is on the second landing for one second again.  MIL is sitting in her chair to the left as you enter the library.  She will have her back to you.  I’ve based the move on how fast you crossed the lawn so don’t hold back.  Ready?”

“Ready.”  Valerie acknowledged and steadied herself. 

“Three, two, one.  Mark!”  Dashing round the pillar, Valerie was at the base of the stairs, in the precise place, when Hanna barked.  “Stop.”  The pause was fleeting.  “Go.”  Launching herself forward, she took the stairs three at a time and froze in place.  “Stop.”  Pause, half a breath.  “Go.”

She moved like a ghost, with no noise, and then she was in the library with the door shut softly behind.  She didn’t want to turn her head, but in the end she had to.  The woman sitting, laid back in the chair, hadn’t reacted.  Her attention was all on the open book in front of her.  Valerie could just see the top of the old fashioned paper hard copy Renee Doherty preferred over a datapad.  She always said she couldn’t get the true meaning of a book unless she read it on paper.

It was an irrelevant thought, only giving Valerie more time before starting the conversation.  She switched off her com and steeled herself harder than ever before a battle.

“Hello, Renee.”

Valerie’s mother-in-law leapt out of her chair, caught in utter surprise.  When she saw the intruder she froze, her eyes widened in shock.

“Eleanor!  How?  Where?  You’re dead!  That’s not possible.”

“It’s me Renee.  I...  I survived the explosion.  That...”  Valerie couldn’t say it, not here.  Not to this woman, who lost almost as much as Valerie.

“Tom?  The children?”  The sudden hope in Renee’s voice ripped at Valerie’s heart.  She made herself shake her head.

“No.  They...  They didn’t survive.”

“How...  How can you be sure if you’re here now?”

“I was there.  I saw it happen.  I saw...”  Again Valerie just could not find the words, but her meaning came across.  Renee sank back into her chair and covered her face with her hands.  Knowing exactly how she felt, Valerie walked over and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Get off me!  It was you, wasn’t it!”  Renee flung Valerie’s hand away.  “You got Tom involved.  You set the bomb!”

“No!  I..”  Valerie stopped what she was going to say.  She owed this woman the truth.  “Yes, I set the bomb-” Renee launched herself at Valerie, nails extended like claws and in that moment, Valerie saw herself mirrored in this woman.  This is the face she hid.  Catching Renee by the wrists, Valerie held her back as gently as she could.  The other woman fought with all her strength.

“Stop it!  Renee, stop!  I didn’t kill Tom! I would never hurt him or the children!  They were my life!  Yes, I set the bomb, but it was after they were killed.  Murdered by a hired hit squad!”

Mercifully Renee stopped struggling and went limp in Valerie’s arms.  Tenderly she lowered the woman back down onto the chair.  Kneeling in front of her, Valerie took her hands in her own and found she didn’t know what to say.

For a long time they stayed there in silence.

“You’re wearing the coat,” Renee said in the barest of whispers.

Even with her enhanced hearing Valerie barely caught it.  “I’m sorry.  What did you say?”

Renee lifted her head.  Tears were running down her face.  “You’re wearing the coat he got you for your birthday.”

Looking down at herself, Valerie took in what she looked like for the first time.  Dark trousers, pistols holstered on each thigh, dark top and the dark overcoat Tom gave her for her birthday.  She didn’t look anything like the woman Renee’s son married.

“It was the last thing they ever gave me.  I’m never without it.  How did you know?”

“I helped him design it.  Bespoke Sergei Lavrov.”

“Yes.  I didn’t know.  I guess he didn’t have time to tell me.”

“What happened that day?  You said you were there.”

“It’s not easy, I..”  It didn’t matter how hard it was, she owed it to this woman.  Taking a deep breath Valerie reported it as though she was briefing a Senior Officer on a mission.

“We finished opening the presents.  While Tom played with the kids in the lounge, I went into the kitchen to make muffins.  A few minutes later, two armed men came through the front door.  They had a kill order on Tom.  It was obvious from their movement; no hesitation, no shouts he was under arrest.  Their guns were up and as soon as they caught sight of him, they opened fire.  They were so keyed up for their attack, they didn’t realise Tom had Daphne on his back and Bobbie in his arms.  All three were dead in seconds.

“The next thing I know, I’m kneeling by their bodies.  The men tried to arrest me.  I think they were in shock at killing the children.  I killed both of them.  I went outside and killed the two other members of the team.  They were all off-duty officers of the Zeus Police.  After saying goodbye to my family, I drove the police aircar into the house, detonated its electron cell and made my escape.”

“Why?  Who would send killers after my son?”

“I don’t know yet.  That’s why I’m here.  It has something to do with the Sandy Shores project and someone stealing from Arnold Ison, Lateef Crowder and Darby Pope.  Tom found out about it and they killed him for it, but before I get into that, I need to tell you the rest.”

Over the next two hours, Valerie told her mother-in-law everything that had happened since she entered the tunnel under her house.  Valerie didn’t miss anything out, including her true identity.  There was only thing she couldn’t bring herself to say.  She was responsible for Furioso.  Renee didn’t know who she really was and Valerie couldn’t bring herself to tell her.

Renee sat there in complete silence, letting Valerie tell the story uninterrupted.  Now she was finished, Renee spoke quietly.

“So you’re not really Eleanor Zantolas?”

“No.”

“You’re Valerie Carter, formerly a Major in the Legion Commando Devil’s?”

“Yes.”