Fringe Runner (Fringe Series Book 1) (20 page)

Reyne’s blood ran cold, and he pulled out his gun.

Critch spoke first. “Now, I know why I didn’t like you the second I saw you.”

Mason frowned and waved him away. “You think I’m the malcontent here? Everything the Founders do—everything
I
do—is to preserve the Collective. Sometimes, hard decisions need made. Innocents, like your friend, Kason Somerville, must sometimes become casualties, or else they may upset the balance.”

Reyne found it hard to swallow at hearing confirmation of Kason’s murder.

“You bastard. You’re a viggin’ dead man,” Boden said in hard words. “That’s a promise.”

“Kason never did anything wrong,” Reyne said, forcing deep breaths.

“I’ll be the first to say Lord Somerville was a gentleman, but he discovered knowledge that he shouldn’t have found. I’m tasked with the responsibility of looking at the big picture.” He paused for a moment. “I have no choice, much like the traitor had no choice on Broken Mountain. She was forced to choose between the lives of her and her compatriots or the Uprising. Isn’t that right, Aila?”

Reyne sucked in a breath as he spun around to see Doc taking small steps back from the crew. Her crystalline blue eyes watered. When they made eye contact, she didn’t look away. He stood, slack-jawed, as he struggled to fit the pieces of a puzzle together that made no sense. Finally, he said the only word he could manage to get out. “You?”

Her lips trembled. “I had no choice,” she said in the softest whisper. “They would’ve killed us.”

Doc’s teary gaze pleaded with him. He stared, finding himself unable to process what he now knew to be true.

For twenty years, he’d craved to kill the traitor of Terra—not for ruining his life but for the murder of thousands of torrents at Broken Mountain.

For twenty years, he’d worked alongside the traitor of Terra, and had shared his bed with her.

With a wince, he snapped around to face Mason. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, and he raised his pistol. “Enough. You lured us here and have been biding your time ever since. It’s clear you want us dead, so what are you waiting for?”

The man cocked his head. “I concede that you are correct. It’s a simple fact that I cannot have players on the board who are unwilling to perform their roles. You’re just pawns that should’ve been cleared from the board twenty years ago. That oversight will be fixed momentarily. Accept my apologies. It’s nothing personal.”

“Oh, it’s personal all right,” Critch said just before he fired at Mason.

Mason jumped, startled.

Critch’s jaw dropped. “Son of a bitch.”

The shot had never hit Mason. Instead, it hit a transparent pane that stood between the Founder and the crew.

The man shook his head. “Always the headstrong one.”

Critch fired another shot. Reyne fired one off, too, because he was royally pissed off.

“Watch yourselves,” Mason said. “I could kill any one of you with a single press of a button.”

Reyne frowned and searched the walls until he’d found what he’d missed before. Two holes were in the ceiling, and he could make out the glint of a barrel in one. He faced Mason. “You going to slaughter us?”

“Now, now,” Mason said. “That wouldn’t serve my needs. Corps General Ausyar will be here any minute to arrest you. He’ll see that you’re all publicly executed. A video of that execution—the final vestiges of the bioterrorists—will be played throughout the Collective. With your deaths, the Collective will be in balance again.” He held up a finger. “Though, I should warn you, the corps general has developed quite a grudge against you, Captain Reyne, when he learned you had killed his beloved. Still, I do appreciate that you tidied up that loose end. Now, it’s time for me to tidy up mine.”

He craned his neck to peer around Critch to look at Demes. “You’re the talented young tech, are you not?”

“What of it?” Demes asked.

Reyne furrowed his brow, trying to figure out what Mason had up his sleeve.

Critch took a step forward, while motioning for Demes to stay back. “Leave him out of this.”

“Ah, but I can’t. I ran a scan for data chips as you walked into this room, and that man is carrying information you came here to broadcast.” He tapped a couple buttons on the remote control he carried, and a massive photon blast shot from the ceiling. Reyne protected his eyes from the scalding heat. When the heat dissipated, he looked to find a charred, blackened body, more ash than flesh.

“Demes,” Critch murmured and snapped around to face Mason.

Mason patted the air with his hands in a placating gesture. “I apologize for the primitive manner of execution, but I can’t risk anyone accessing the data he carried.”

Critch took a deep breath. He walked forward and tapped on the clear pane with his pistol. “How airtight is this room, Mason?”

The man narrowed his gaze. “What do you mean?”

The pirate smiled. “When we first got here, you ran a scan for data chips. But you didn’t run a scan for biological agents, did you?” He pulled out a test tube and dangled it.

Mason’s face blanched. “What are you doing with that?”

“As you said, I’m the headstrong one. So, tell me, if you shoot me and I drop this vial, what’s going to happen?”

Mason didn’t answer.

Critch continued. “I’m betting your little guns aimed at me aren’t enough to kill every spore before it’s airborne. I’m guessing this blight will take out me, you, hell, all of First City.”

“You’re bluffing. The blight is produced on the moon. You couldn’t have gotten ahold of any.”

“You willing to bet your life on that?”

Mason swallowed. “There are millions of innocents here. You can’t possibly—”

“Innocents are always the first casualties of war,” Critch snapped back.

The pirate threw a quick glance at Reyne before turning back to Mason. “You’re going to let us walk right out that door, and you’re not going to alert the authorities or do anything else to draw attention to us. You know why? Because before I leave this shithole of a planet, I plan to stash a vial of blight in the middle of First City. And it’ll be in a trap that I can set off on any whim. Do I make myself clear?”

Mason’s chest heaved, and his face turned a plum red. He held up his remote.

Reyne held his breath and waited for the blast.

Instead, the lock behind him clicked and the door opened.

“I’ll let you buy yourselves minutes today,” Mason said. “But, the CUF will hunt you to the ends of the universe.”

“Let them hunt us,” Critch said. “I guarantee they won’t catch us before I take your head.”

Staring into the Abyss

Heid

Heid replayed the news segment again. She rubbed her burning eyes, inhaled, and tapped her comm. “Sebin, report to my quarters.”

“On my way.”

She was on her feet and standing by the time he arrived a minute later.

When he saw her, he frowned. “Is everything all right?”

“No. Everything’s not all right.” She replayed the news segment onto her wall panel. The volume was muted, but the pictures of the fugitives on Alluvia told the story. She recognized the profiles. Not all of them, but she’d recognize the scarred face of Critch anywhere.

She shot Sebin a hard look. “They made it to Alluvia. Yet, I never received any responses to my messages to them.”

His brow knit together. “I don’t understand.”

“They never received my messages.” She shook her head. “You betrayed me, Painter.”

He pointed to himself. “What? Me? You should know I would never betray you.”

“You contacted Mason.”

His eyes widened. “I didn’t contact him. He contacted me—”

“You were not to contact Mason!” Her fists shook. She calmed herself down with a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “I gave you explicit instructions to
not
engage Mason under any circumstances. He could not know what we were doing.”

“But, he reached out to me right after the torrents left Myr, and said he was helping us out from the ground on Alluvia.”

“He lied,” she said bluntly. She rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath. “It’s not your fault. I should’ve known he’d put his claws into your head.”

“No,” Sebin replied, incredulous. “He—”

“Played you, just like he plays everyone, and now a future we’ve sacrificed everything for is in jeopardy, all because of your naivety. Only Mason would have the authority to block my messages.” She pointed to the screen. “Those torrents were counting on my help when they reached Alluvia, and I failed them. Now, they’re all dead or soon will be.”

She pulled out her gun and aimed it at Sebin. She needed to hold the gun with both her hands to keep it steady.

“Don’t,” he said.

“People are dying because of us…because I trusted you,” she added in a tiny voice she didn’t recognize.

He gazed into her eyes for a long moment. He didn’t click his heels as he’d always done in the past. Instead, he spoke softly. “I love you.”

Her lips trembled. Then, she clenched her jaw and then shot him through the heart.

The Stuff of Nightmares

Reyne, Critch and the others ran through the warehouse and out the front door. They saw Mason climb into the hovercraft that they’d arrived in and peel away, leaving them with no escape vehicle. In the distance, the hum of multiple hovercrafts was drawing near. Sixx chose the first direction and led them around the building and away from the street side.

The other side of the building wasn’t much better. Reyne grimaced against the pain in his side.

“I could use a hovercraft right about now,” Critch said.

“We’ll take the water,” Boden said.

Reyne shot a surprised glance at his mechanic.

“The water?” Sixx asked. “I thought it was full of sea monsters.”

“The catfish hunt mostly at night. Trust me. Some tenured runaways even live under the platforms. We only have to swim down twenty feet or so.”

“Twenty feet?” Reyne asked, eying the water with trepidation.

Critch scowled. “I grew up on Terra. What in the eversea would make you think I could swim?”

“I grew up in Ice Port,” Reyne said. “I’d never even seen a real lake until I left Playa.”

Boden rolled his eyes. “Can none of you swim?”

“Of course I can,” Sixx said.

“I can swim,” Chutt added.

“I swam a little when I was a child,” Doc said.

“I can doggie paddle,” Birk said.

“That doesn’t count,” Boden countered.

Critch shook his head. “Three out of seven, not great odds.”

“I can take two of you down with me,” Boden said. “I can come back for two more unless Sixx and Chutt can each take one.”

“Why not,” Sixx offered. “If I’m going to drown down there, I’d rather not drown alone.”

“I’ll take Doc,” Chutt said quickly.

She sighed against the pirate and mouthed the words,
thank you
. The pirate turned and gave her a hooded gaze.

Boden nodded. “Okay, Sixx you take Birk. That leaves me with the captains.”

They followed the Alluvian to the edge of the platform that ran alongside the row of warehouses. Hovercraft engines and voices barking commands came closer and closer.

“We need to hurry,” Reyne said.

Boden watched the water. His eyes darted around as though searching for something. “This is a good spot. Climb in slowly and grip the ropes along the pontoons. Whatever you do, don’t make any splashes. No quick movements. You have to trust me on this.”

“I take it splashing is a bad thing.”

“Only if you don’t want to draw in a school of killer tuna.” Boden sat and edged himself over and down the pontoon, entering the water without making the slightest wave. He went under, and Reyne found himself holding his own breath. Boden lifted his head out of the water seconds later. “Everything’s clear. Get in.”

Reyne took a deep breath and was seriously, intensely scared. Stepping into a bottomless ocean was terrifying enough. Stepping into a pit of razor-toothed sea monsters was what nightmares were made of. Reyne sat on the edge and lowered himself into the surprisingly tepid water. He felt the safety of Boden’s hand on his back, and he found the touch calmed his terror. He didn’t go in as smoothly as Boden had, but he also didn’t make a splash. Once he was in, Critch followed at the same time Sixx and Chutt entered the water.

Reyne held himself up, afraid to go under the surface, as though he were safe as long as his head was above water. Birk went in next, and Boden helped him down.

The voices shouting commands were getting louder, and Reyne suspected the CUF had discovered that their prey had escaped the warehouse.

Doc sat on the platform. She looked at Reyne. “I’m sorry. I never knew how to tell you. They caught Throttle and me at the farm. They were going to kill you. They—”

“I’ll deal with you later,” Reyne snapped back. “Get in the water.”

She slid in a bit too fast, but Boden caught her before she went all the way under. He helped her grab onto a rope, and she remained frozen, eyes wide.

“I’ll take the lead,” Boden said. “Sixx and Chutt, you follow. Now, don’t worry if you lose me. Just keep diving down against the pontoon until you reach the bottom. Use the pontoon to keep pulling yourself down if you have to. Then go under it and head straight up to the surface. Your ears may hurt, but it’s not deep enough to do any permanent damage.”

The voices grew perilously near.

Boden heard them, too, because he rushed over to grab onto Reyne and Critch. “It’s like moving in space. I can move faster if you’re limp. Trust me, I won’t let go of you. Okay? Take the deepest inhale you can, and let yourselves become dead weight. It’s okay to let out air on the way, but remember to never inhale under water.”

Reyne glanced at Critch, who seemed to be absorbing Boden’s every word. When Boden sucked in a breath, they each did the same. Reyne found himself yanked under the surface, and his first instinct was to kick back up. He fought against it and instead imagined himself in the zero-g simulator at the space dock.

He opened his eyes, and found he could see under the surface, though the water distorted things. Pressure built in his ears until it downright hurt, and he instinctively grabbed his nose and cleared them just like he would diving through the atmo.

Boden continued diving down, and everything darkened. Reyne found himself in awe of the speed at which they sank, but his lungs began to burn. Even with all the time he’d spent in suits and conserving his air, he craved to breathe, and they hadn’t even reached the bottom yet. He grew more and more fearful that he’d drown.

A huge dark shape moved past them. Green eyes glowed on a head the size of Reyne’s chest. As he reached for his knife, the sea creature came toward them. He was ready to stab at it, only it didn’t get close enough and continued its journey.

Reyne gripped his blade, waiting for an attack. But then the pontoon was suddenly above him, and he scraped under its slimy bottom. Reyne thought Boden swam fast before. That was nothing compared to the speed they shot upward once they cleared the bottom of the pontoon. He’d barely blown out the last of his air when they broke through the surface.

Reyne gasped and pointed with his knife. “Sea monster. Down. Below.”

“It was only a cod,” Boden replied. “More inquisitive than aggressive, but if you would’ve cut it, you would’ve drawn in every blood-eater in the area.”

Reyne eyed his blade and then promptly sheathed it.

Boden motioned to the rafters above them. “Pull yourselves up onto the support beams to get clear of the water. Try not to make much noise, because there’s less than a foot of platform between us and everyone on the surface. I’ll go check on the others.”

He took a deep breath and disappeared below the surface.

“I want that man on my crew,” Critch said.

“Over my dead body,” Reyne muttered. “If we live through this, I’m going to have him teach me how to swim.”

“Now, who’s the optimist,” the other man said before grabbing onto a rafter and lifting himself out of the water.

Critch made it look easy. Reyne grabbed a rafter and made it look damn near impossible. Pain shot through his side as he pulled himself up. He splashed water and froze, expecting the worst.

“Here.” The pirate held out a hand and grabbed Reyne’s leg and helped him pull himself the rest of the way out of the water.

“I’m still a little off from getting shot,” Reyne said as if that explained everything.

Critch, mercifully, didn’t offer a rebuttal.

A second later, Sixx and Birk broke the surface, both gasping and sounding even more desperate for air than Reyne had.

“Up here,” Critch said and then pointed above him. “But do it quiet-like.”

Neither wasted any time in getting out of the water.

“I think that may have been the worst experience in my life,” Sixx said once he was safe on a beam.

Reyne’s brow rose. “Worse than that woman on—”

“Worse,” Sixx finished.

Boden broke through the surface. “We’re good.”

Chutt shot up the next moment, who immediately pulled himself up onto the rafters as though the water was acid.

Doc surfaced a second later, gasping. “You bastard!”

“Keep it down,” Boden scolded.

“The asshole cut me!”

Reyne glanced at Chutt, who gave her a knowing grin from his perch.

A wave rippled near Doc, and she twisted around. “What was that?”

Boden shoved away from Doc and rushed to pull himself onto the rafters.

Reyne tensed as he watched Doc. “Get out of the water.”

“It’s too late,” Boden whispered. “They’re already locked on.”

Everyone watched Doc who was struggling to tread water. “Help me,” she pleaded.

If Reyne could swim, he probably would’ve jumped into the water. Instead, all he could do was watch in dread as a smooth, gray shape broke the surface. Something barreled into the woman with a splash, and she disappeared under the surface, only to reappear a second later, coughing. “Help me!”

Dozens of gray shapes broke the surface then, all headed straight at Doc. Her shriek was drowned out under the roiling water. A frenzy of tails and fins randomly broke the surface. Red blood swirled among the gray.

Reyne watched the relentless attack, clinging to his lifeline.

Many long seconds later, the water calmed. Reyne stared into the dark water, still expecting her to surface any second, but nothing surfaced, and he could make out no movement below. The blood blurred into the dark blue water until no traces remained of Doc or her attackers.

A sense of loss poked at the edges of his heart, but it was subdued. Strange, he thought, since they’d been close for over twenty years. He supposed it was because he’d lost her back in the warehouse. Her lie overshadowed the time they’d shared together. All that time, she’d known how much it tore up Reyne being seen as a traitor, let alone all the punches he’d taken and shitty jobs because of his tarnished reputation. Still, she’d said nothing and just played along, as though she were being compassionate. Hell, she was just being selfish.

Looking back, it was obvious she’d been the traitor. He’d been too blind to admit it.

He might possibly mourn her death someday.

But that day definitely wasn’t today.

Sixx broke the silence. “Please tell me I never have to get in that water again.”

“You never have to get in that water again,” Boden said, still staring down. After a couple seconds, his attention returned to the crew around him. He pointed up at one-foot wide beams. “We walk the rest of the way.”

Critch looked up. “How the hell do we walk those?”

“Very carefully,” Boden replied.

*

Six hours later, they’d covered a mile, and every joint and muscle in Reyne’s body ached. His side felt like someone had embedded a white-hot rod of rilon in it. During the trudge, he was forced to accept Chutt’s assistance a time or two when Reyne slipped and nearly fell into the water. However, he still planned to have words with the pirate if—when—they got out of this mess.

Finally, Boden got them to the topside through a surface hole cover. Once they were standing on solid ground, Critch cocked his head at the cover. “Why the hell didn’t we use one of these to get below the platform the first time?”

Boden shrugged. “I didn’t see one nearby.”

“Call me surprised we’re still alive,” Sixx said. “Only one thing. We’re still stuck in the middle of enemy territory.”

Reyne’s comm chimed. He read the short message and burst out laughing. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

Critch frowned. “What’s so funny?”

“Boys, we’re traveling home in style. We’ve got to hurry, not to mention we have the little problem of getting from here to the space docks without being seen. I’m guessing our faces are plastered on every screen across Alluvia by now.”

“Leave that to me,” Critch said and turned to Chutt. “I think it’s time you have a smoke.”

Chutt grinned and pulled out a small plastic bag. “Hell yeah.”

Five minutes later, Reyne stood in the shadows near the dock entrance watching Chutt walk casually down the sidewalk.

“It’s a little trick I like to call the Fire Feint,” Critch said next to Reyne.

Chutt dropped a lit cigarette near a hovercraft. Within seconds, the craft’s smoke alarms sounded, and everyone in the vicinity turned to the noise.

“Now.” Critch led their group through the entrance and down the docks, careful to not look up into any cameras.

“Seriously, where do you even find a cigarette nowadays?” Sixx asked Critch.

“Chutt makes them himself. They taste like shit and will burn your throat raw for a week, but they work like a charm.”

The ship came into sight, and Reyne found himself grinning from ear to ear.

Critch’s jaw dropped. “How the hell did she manage to get the
Gryphon
onto Alluvia?”