Gambler (6 page)

"Sure thing."

Nova repeated the names to Tanguin. "I need
full background and personal details."

"No problem boss, I should have that within
an hour. It's pretty slow here at the moment."

"Good." Nova nodded at the screen and gave a
brief smile before waving her hand and causing the screen to turn
blue once more.

Nova took the time to eat a burger and take
a shower. The warm water felt good on her skin. She let the sound
of the shower take her mind away from her current mission. She
allowed herself to drift through her mind and to fully relax for
the first time in days.

She was drying under the hot air jets when
she heard Crusader's voice. "Incoming call from Tanguin."

"Coming!" Nova called, rushing to throw
clothes on as she ran back to the command pod.

Tanguin's face was already on the monitor
and she rolled her eyes at Nova as she plonked down into her chair,
not quite dry from her shower.

"What have you got for me?" Nova asked,
ignoring Tanguin's expression.

"I'm sending you through personal details,
addresses, known contacts, etcetera."

Nova nodded approval.

"There wasn't much in their histories. One
was suspected of drug abuse, but they never found evidence. As far
as the records show, these people are clean," Tanguin said,
shrugging.

"I guess I'll have to do some deeper
digging."

"Be careful, Nova," Tanguin said, staring
hard at Nova's face. "Don't do anything stupid just because Vicki's
there."

Nova's eyes hardened as she looked at the
screen. "How do you know that?"

"Because she called me half an hour ago for
the same information I just gave you."

"Did you tell her?" Nova stood from her
chair and it swung backwards. Tanguin did jobs for most of The
Jagged Maw for a tidy profit. As the resident Un-Connected, she was
an invaluable resource to the bounty hunter guild and almost
everyone called on her at some point or another. Having spent the
first half of her life inside a virtual reality, she was good with
computers. That was before the servers shut down and thrust the
whole planet into the harsh reality and the Connected became the
Un-Connected.

"Of course I didn't. I told her I have too
much to do."

"Thank you," Nova replied, her voice softer.
She pulled her chair back into place and sat down.

"She can still find the information. It will
probably just take her a bit longer," Tanguin warned.

Nova nodded, but said nothing.

"Don't be stupid," Tanguin repeated as she
watched Nova's mood darken.

"I never do," Nova replied, waving her hand
and cutting off communication before Tanguin could reply.

CHAPTER EIGHT

The simple white shirts and black pants of
the uniform she'd taken from the staff bathroom rubbed against
Nova's skin. She strode around the main floor, surveying the rest
of the room. Men and women walked back and forth, drinks in hand as
they migrated between tables.

She nodded as one of her friends from The
Jagged Maw walked past, but she didn't stop him for conversation;
she was focused. It was good to see a friendly face, rather than
Vicki's perpetual smirk.

The blue streak in Nova's hair shone under
the neon lights but her alteration was nothing compared to some of
the outrageous modifications others had. Coloured skin and tattooed
make-up were some of the more conservative sights floating around
the casino that night. Nova ignored the extravagance; she was here
for one thing only.

That was when her target came into sight.
The man wore the same uniform as she did and walked between tables
with complementary drinks in hand. She watched him for some time,
and at first she saw nothing out of the ordinary. But over time
Nova noticed little things, like the way the man kept looking over
his shoulder. Or the way he peered into the darkest corners of the
casino, as if looking for something. Nova also saw the way he
occasionally spilled drinks, as if his mind was far away. Clearly
this man was worth talking to.

Nova strode in broad circles for over an
hour before she made her move. The man ambled into the waste
disposal room and Nova entered just after him. Three doors marked
male, female, and other led out of the entrance room. She couldn't
be certain which one he had gone through and so she waited in the
hallway.

People stared at her with a mixture of
confusion and disdain as they walked past. She was staff and
therefore a lower form of life in many of their eyes. Nova was
beginning to think that Siaro had disappeared, before he finally
stepped out of the male waste-disposal section.

She didn't waste any time and leapt straight
for him, pushing them both back through the door and locking it
behind her. She shoved him to the side and did a quick walk around
the room to confirm that there was no one else.

"What is the meaning of this?" Siaro
demanded.

Nova looked at him for a few moments, taking
the time to judge the man's character. He wore the casino's uniform
but his hair was better kept than many of the others. From his
accent, Nova knew he came from Inner Tabryn, or at least close
enough that he shouldn't have to work at a casino.

"What are you doing here?" she asked,
blocking the door, a hand on the gun tucked behind her back.

"I work here," the man said as if talking to
a simpleton. "What are you doing here?"

"Also working."

"You don't work at the casino."

"No, but I work for the casino." Nova
narrowed her eyes, her hand clasped round the stunner in her
pocket. Siaro didn't look dangerous, but it was better to be safe
than sorry.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I just need you to answer a couple of
questions."

"I don't see why you had to accost me and
drag me into the bathroom for that."

"Trust me, that wasn't even close to
accosting. Explain this." She held out an image of his locker and
the piles of cred-sticks.

"How did you get that?" The colour dropped
out of his face and a bead of sweat dribbled down his forehead.

"That doesn't matter. Tell me what you're
doing with all of that money and I'll be on my way."

"If you stole my money I will wring your
neck. I swear it." Siaro stepped closer to Nova and raised his
hand.

"No closer." She pulled out her gun and held
it out between them, only centimetres from Siaro's chest. "I didn't
take your money. Now, where's it from?"

"It's mine."

"Really? And do you usually wander around
with that much credit on you?"

"Of course not! Do I look like an idiot to
you?"

"Then what was it doing in your locker?"

"It's all of my savings. I needed it."

"Why? Developed a bit of a habit?"

Siaro shook his head. "No! No. Nothing like
that."

"Well?"

"I need to hire some people." Siaro's eyes
darted from side to side.

"What kind of people?"

"Mercenaries."

Nova thought for a few moments, staring at
him. "Why would a well-dressed man such as yourself need
mercenaries?"

"I need them to—" The man looked down at his
feet. "I need them to find my daughter."

Nova's arm dropped to her side as Siaro
spoke. Her brows drew together.

"Tell me about it."

"Why should I tell you?" His voice broke and
tears hovered at the corners of his eyes.

"Maybe I can help."

The man stared hard at her. "How can you
help?"

"I know people. Just tell me what
happened."

"She was taken; disappeared without a
trace."

"From Tabryn? Are you sure she didn't simply
walk away?" Nova asked, thinking of the rampant drugs which could
easily suck anyone in.

"No! It wasn't like that. She was there one
day and gone the next."

Nova felt a momentary pang of sadness as she
remembered Caila. She too had disappeared suddenly without a trace,
even if her body was still there. On Tabryn that kind of thing
happened all the time.

"So what's the money for? Has someone asked
for a ransom?" Nova asked, shoving her own memories to the
side.

"There's an army. An army of soldiers; the
best. They'll help me find her."

Nova raised her eyebrows in disbelief.
"Siaro, I know you want to find your daughter, but are you sure
that's a good idea? Mercenary armies can't be trusted, and they
don't specialise in kidnappings. I—"

"These are different! You have no idea what
I had to do to get that money. Anyway, what business is it of
yours?"

"I just mean… this kind of thing happens and
maybe you're wasting all of your savings—"

"Wasting? Wasting?! You think it's a waste
of money to try and do everything I can to get my daughter
back?"

Siaro put his face right up to Nova's. She
could smell his breath as the warm air brushed against her
face.

"Just tell me how you got the money and I'll
be on my way," she said in a low voice.

Siaro pinched his nose with his hand and
looked at her through blood-shot eyes. "It's a loan, from Frank
Albertoni."

"The guy who runs the Opal Casino?" Nova's
mouth dropped.

"Yes. And in exchange I will have to spend
the rest of my life doing his dirty work, including spying on
Cracos and working in this hell-hole. So don't you dare tell me
that I'm wasting my money."

Tears spilled down Siaro's cheeks.

Nova swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm
simply saying people go missing here all the time. You shouldn't
get your hopes up just because some mercenary lied to you to get a
few credits."

"Get away from me."

Siaro took a step back, his face twisted
with a deep pain that forced Nova to turn away. She shuffled away
from him, her head hanging low. She feared Siaro would find nothing
but more misery down the path he'd chosen.

***

Nova slumped into the pilot's chair and let
out an audible sigh.

"Get me Tanguin," she said.

The screen in front of her flickered and
after a few moments an image came up of Tanguin sitting
cross-legged on her bed. The girl wore a long-sleeved shirt with a
green vest, striped leggings, and her signature single glove.

"How's the field?" Tanguin asked as soon as
her picture appeared on screen.

"Not so good," Nova said, sighing.

"How can I brighten your day?" Tanguin said,
lifting her hands.

"I need to find out if Siaro's daughter was
reported missing."

Tanguin frowned. "That should be easy
enough; Crusader could have done it for you."

"I know," Nova said, leaning well back in
her chair. "I just felt like talking to someone normal."

"Pfft. Normal's overrated," Tanguin said as
she gave directions to her computer, Delta.

Nova grunted.

There was silence as Tanguin scanned the
many screens in front of her and gave commands to Delta.

"Here we go. Yes, Siaro's daughter was
reported missing a couple of weeks ago. Tabryn's police tried to
find her. No luck so far, so they've given up the search."

"Well, he's another dead end," Nova said,
letting her head fall back so she was staring at Crusader's
ceiling.

"Weird," Tanguin muttered as her eyes read
over the screens.

"What?" Nova lifted her head to look.

"There have been a lot of missing people
there over the last few years."

"You think I don't know about the missing
persons on Tabryn?" Nova's rage flared, she had told Tanguin all
about her childhood on Tabryn, and her reason for leaving the sandy
planet.

"No. I mean there's been a lot, more than
there should be, even for a place like that."

"How many?"

"Ten reported in the last week, and only a
small portion ever gets reported, and an even smaller number than
that make it to the Cloud."

"Yeah." Nova hung her head at the news. It
didn't help her with the casino case. "I don't suppose you've
picked up on any useful information for me through the Cloud?"

"Afraid not, Nothing at all."

Nova slammed her fist on the control panel.
"Why couldn't it just be a simple in and out case? Why do I have to
be stuck on this god forsaken planet?"

"You could just leave the job," Tanguin
suggested, turning to look at Nova.

"You know I can't do that. Giving up on a
job this early looks bad."

"I know, but I thought one of us should at
least mention the possibility."

Nova nodded. "I should let you get back to
work, let me know as soon as you hear anything."

"Over and out," Tanguin said, saluting Nova
with two of her fingers.

CHAPTER NINE

That night, Nova paced through the dark
alleys of Tabryn. The address she wanted was in the outer reaches
of Inner Tabryn — not quite in the slums, but too close for
comfort. Zodac Xion lived in an upper-story apartment in a grey
building with bars on some of the windows. The tall building
crowded amongst many other identical structures, and the thin
streets below were unlit.

Nova stepped from shadow to shadow, keeping
in the dark behind buildings and large bins as she approached the
cold metal stairs which led up the side of Zodac's building. She
climbed the stairs, careful to avoid the gaping holes where some of
the metal had been cut away. The night was filled with the distant
sound of sirens and the much closer sounds of the outer city.
Breaking glass and the occasional yell echoed from nearby
apartments. Nova ignored it all.

Zodac's apartment was silent. He would be
working at the casino until late, so Nova intended to make the most
of his absence. The window of his apartment sat to the side of the
staircase on the sixth floor. Nova climbed up onto the metal
railing and from there stretched out against the wall. Her fingers
crawled along the bricks until they encountered the open space
which was Zodac's window. She placed her foot on the sill and leapt
from the railing into the broken window. She rolled across the
floor and jumped to her feet, knife in hand.