Polaris (21 page)

Jeth reached out and took Sierra's hand once more. She glanced at him and smiled, reassurance in her eyes. A faint flicker of the old hope sparked in him for a minute at the sight of it.
Avalon
was gone, but Sierra was still here.

Guilt at the risk she was being asked to take threatened to rise up in him, but then he remembered that he wasn't the only one who'd suffered loss at Saar's hands. Sierra had buried her grief over Vince deep inside her, but Jeth knew it was there. It haunted her gaze. She wouldn't back out of this now even if he asked her to. She had her own vengeance to exact.

He squeezed her hand. They would do this together, and that made them unstoppable.

THEY SPENT MOST OF THE NEXT TWO DAYS GOING OVER THE
plans as well as doing drills in hand-to-hand combat. The drills were Sierra's idea.

“The security in the city is tight,” she explained. “You won't be able to carry so much as a pocketknife without setting off the metal detectors at the subway entrance.”

Jeth knew she was right, though the idea of a city with that much security seemed hard to imagine. They set up a makeshift ring in the middle of the cargo bay, rearranging the crates and barrels until they'd cleared a rough square. The first day they practiced basic techniques, then moved on to sparring.

By the second day, things turned competitive. Jeth watched from the sidelines, perched atop a crate with his feet dangling, as Perry and Eric's sparring match got more and more intense. Both of the Brethren wore their implants, which gave them insight into how the other would move next. As a result, the fight looked more like a choreographed movie scene than the brawl it actually was. Perry would throw a right cross, which Eric would dodge and then counter with a hook only to have it deflected.

On and on it went, neither man getting tired, their stamina sustained by the implants. Even still, Perry was having the harder time of it. They were matched physically, but the Axis hierarchy was a factor, too. Every now and again Eric would exert his implant power over Perry, trying to get him to make a mistake.

The ploy eventually worked. Perry leaned back to dodge a vicious uppercut, not realizing that Eric was feinting. Eric's true punch, a left hook, caught Perry in the side of the mouth and sent him reeling. He stumbled then fell, blood pouring from a busted lip.

Watching from beside Jeth, Cora let out a gasp, covering her eyes.

“It's all right.” Jeth patted her leg, wishing she'd listened when he'd asked her to stay on the bridge with Marian instead of watching the combat lessons. “He's fine, see?”

Cora peered between her fingers to see Perry laughing as he picked himself up off the floor. He and Eric shook hands.

“Congrats, Brother,” Perry said, slapping Eric on the back. “This one to you, but not the next one, I promise.”

On the other side of the ring, Aileen did a slow, mocking clap, her signature smirk on her lips. “Nicely played. But how about trying Remi next?”

Eric shifted his gaze toward the man in question, appraising him. So far Remi had yet to train, or fight at all. He simply sat there, watching everyone work, silent.
Brainless,
Jeth was beginning to suspect. He'd not yet heard the man utter a single word. It was strange, unsettling.

“Sure, why not?” Eric shrugged.

As Remi stood up to accept this challenge, Jeth could think of a dozen different reasons why not—all of them having to do with the man's size. Eric was big, but Remi was damn near a giant. And yet he didn't possess that lumbering awkwardness Jeth usually associated with someone that size. Remi's movements were easy and smooth, not at all hindered by his muscle mass. Jeth wondered how old he was. He would've guessed late twenties, but the man's eyes suggested someone a lot older. In many ways, Remi's eyes bothered Jeth more than his silence. They weren't empty or dull like somebody slow-witted, but they weren't exactly
present
either, as if he observed the world around him from some far, unknowable distance within his head.

“This is a bad idea,” Sierra muttered from Jeth's left. He didn't reply. It wasn't that he disagreed with her, just that curiosity had gotten the best of him—he wanted to see Remi in action. A guy didn't get a physique like that by just lying about all day.

Remi did not disappoint. In seconds he'd landed two punches, one to Eric's face and one to his gut. The sound of them striking made Jeth wince. Through the link, he felt Eric's pain before the implant dulled it, speeding his recovery.

Realizing he needed to stay out of the way of those fists, Eric took a defensive stance, bobbing and weaving to dodge incoming strikes. Nevertheless, Remi landed three more punches. The last one left Eric staggering. Remi raised his
fist to follow through with one final punch. Jeth took a shallow breath, fear squeezing his chest, some of it his own, but most of it bleeding through the link from Eric. A powerful urge to leap in and defend him came over Jeth.

“Remi, stop!” Aileen shouted. But it was too late. Remi let go of the punch, his massive, sweat-glistening arm careening through the air like a piston.

At the very last second, though, Remi pivoted his whole body to the left. The punch swung wide of Eric's head, striking the side of a metal barrel that formed one corner of the ring instead. A loud, ear-piercing crunch filled the cargo bay, the sound of a machine chewing through metal. Remi pulled his hand away from the barrel, and Jeth felt his jaw drop. The punch hadn't left a dent—the impact had split the barrel at its seam.

“Whoa,” Flynn said. Jeth glanced over at him, and Flynn nodded, knowingly. “Cyborg.”

Jeth didn't reply, but looked back at Remi. The man's hand wasn't even bleeding. He might've punched through cardboard instead of metal.
What are you?

Aileen slid off the crate and into the ring, stopping to examine Remi's hand despite there being no sign of injury. Jeth stared at her, his doubt growing. He'd been so caught up in everything that had happened since
Polaris
first appeared in the Belgrave that he'd forgotten his initial suspicion—that no one simply left the employ of a crime lord. Crime lords didn't let assets go. Not alive, anyway.

Sierra leaned toward him, her words so soft Jeth barely
heard her. “Something's not right about those two. I don't trust them.”

He nodded. “I couldn't agree more.”

“We should ask her.”

Jeth glanced down at her, a smile teasing the edge of his lips. “Somehow I don't think Aileen is going to divulge her darkest secrets to you.”

Sierra arched an eyebrow at him. “And you think she'll divulge them to you?”

“Probably not, but at least I'll be able to figure out if she's lying about anything.” It was a skill he'd perfected in the years he'd worked for Hammer. “And I doubt she'll try to punch me in the face.”

Sierra snorted. “I wouldn't count on it.”

The idea was laughable, considering how small Aileen was, but Jeth knew better than to underestimate her. He'd made that mistake the first time they'd met. He'd taken her for some spoiled little rich girl, one of the nobility of the planet Grakkus. It was a mistake that had nearly ended with him imprisoned. Only luck and his brilliant sister had gotten him out of it.

There's no need to doubt her,
Perry's voice suddenly intruded in Jeth's mind.

He looked over at the other man, who'd been listening in on Jeth's whispered conversation with Sierra through the link.
Why not?
Jeth thought back.

Perry shrugged.
Dax vetted her thoroughly before signing her on.
Humor filled the link as Perry sent through a memory of
Dax when he'd first met Aileen. He'd been totally smitten with the pretty brunette right from the start.

Perfect,
Jeth thought, knowing all too well how dangerous it was to judge Aileen by her looks. He'd made the same mistake.

She's worked dozens of jobs for him already with no issue,
Perry continued.
Dax trusts her. The Axis holds the proof
.

Jeth frowned, at once convinced by Perry's certainty but also put off by it. He supposed if the Axis link were live at present, it would be a different story, but this was a little too much to take on faith.
Then what the hell is Remi?

No idea. The Axis didn't have that information. But Dax trusts him, too.

This news solidified Jeth's resolve to determine the truth for himself. It was one thing for Dax to trust these two from afar, but quite another for Jeth to trust them to have his back on a job like this one.

“There's no damage done,” Aileen said, drawing Jeth's attention back to the ring.

He glanced at the ruined barrel and decided her statement was arguable.

Aileen waved at Sierra. “I think it's our turn, don't you?”

Sierra frowned. So far the two girls had seemed content ignoring one another as much as possible, but Aileen's invitation was a challenge. Jeth didn't like it. What if Aileen was harboring superhuman strength like her silent companion? She certainly hadn't possessed it the first time they'd met, but that was a while ago. Maybe she'd been
using the Remi Workout Secret or something.

Jeth opened his mouth to tell Sierra not to do it, but then he remembered that she wouldn't listen. Not to mention that he wasn't wearing shin guards either.

His worry, it turned out, was unfounded. Sierra dominated the fight easily. With her longer reach, she kept Aileen on the defensive, the shorter girl having little chance to get in close enough to do much damage. Jeth could also tell that Sierra was pulling her punches.

Pride set him to grinning, and as the fight ended, he flashed Aileen a smirk to rival one of her own. “Nice try.” She scowled at him, and he laughed. “No need to get so flustered by your, er,
short
comings.”

“Ha ha.” She jammed her hands down onto her hips. “I think it's your turn now. Would you like to see how you fare against Remi?”

“Out of the question,” Sierra answered for him.

Jeth shot her a look, but she didn't seem the slightest bit guilty about the double standard. Then again, it's not like he was particularly anxious to get into the ring with that monster.

“I'll have a go at him,” Eric said, stepping up once more.

The man's smugness reached Jeth through the link, pricking his anger. The last time Jeth had thrown a punch at Eric, he'd knocked him out cold. Jeth sent an image through the link reminding Eric of this fact.

We were under orders not to harm you,
Eric answered.
And you weren't fully integrated into the Axis either. You won't get the
drop this time.
Emphasizing the point, Eric exerted his power over Jeth as he had Perry.

Jeth bared his teeth in a smile, accepting the challenge. “Let's do it then.”

Sierra patted his shoulder and made her way to the seats. As soon as the ring was clear, Eric came at Jeth, fists swinging. For a second, Jeth almost failed to react, his mind a blur of thoughts and images. He managed to block the incoming jabs, but just barely as he wheeled away, on the defensive. Fortunately, the few seconds of respite the move provided proved just enough for him to focus his mind. Soon he was able to see the punches coming, gleaning them straight from Eric's thoughts, both conscious and not.

Not that it mattered. In minutes, Jeth began to experience the same frustration Aileen had as Eric pursued him around the ring, his aggression unrelenting. Eric wasn't much taller than Jeth, but it was enough that he struggled to get inside the man's reach. He threw punch after punch but kept missing by inches. Sooner or later, Eric would wear him down. Jeth knew he ought to just surrender, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't lose to Eric. Perry maybe, but not Eric.

Growing desperate, Jeth's punches became sloppy. If he could just land one with his right hand, this would all be over. But he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. Then finally, he switched his approach. Eric had been consistently using the force of his mind against Jeth, trying to will him into a mistake. Up until now Jeth had simply pushed the
force back, concerned only with keeping Eric out. But now Jeth stopped trying to push, and Eric's mind fell forward, committing too much to his next punch. Jeth dodged, and his counter uppercut landed square on Eric's chin. It wasn't hard enough to knock him down, as it was Jeth's left hand, but it was enough that Eric stumbled backward.

Flush with his success, Jeth did it again, this time landing a jab, then a left hook. He sensed Eric's growing anger. It began to affect the link in Jeth's favor. Eric's punches grew clearer until finally Jeth landed the straight right he'd been hoping for. His cybernetic fingers smashed against Eric's face and the man fell backward, hitting the ground with a loud smack.

Victory made Jeth's spirits soar, but it lasted only a second as Eric got to his feet. Through the link Jeth saw murder in the other man's mind. But the force of that mind wasn't as strong as it had been. Eric's position in the hierarchy had shifted.

So had Jeth's.

The realization sent a flood of heady power into him. “Stop!” Jeth screamed, and at the same time, he sent the command through the link with all his might. It struck Eric like a physical blow, and Eric stumbled then fell again, this time slamming to his knees mere inches from Jeth.

He was down physically, but not mentally. Eric pushed back through the link, fury and desperation pulsing through him.
You won't beat me. You won't!
He forced an image of Sierra, naked and vulnerable, into Jeth's mind. It was the
same one Jeth had let loose when he first took on the implant. At the sight of it, he almost lost his hold on the link, almost succumbed to Eric's mind once more. Then Eric sent an image of
Avalon
being destroyed, the memory so clear that it almost felt like it had the first time.

But sending it was a mistake. Fury ignited inside Jeth, the rage reaffirming his control rather than undercutting it, as Eric had clearly intended. Jeth raised his right hand, ready to deal a devastating blow, the urge almost instinct inside him. His sides heaved. A look of terror crossed Eric's face, the feeling refracted through the Axis. He couldn't stop what was coming. He couldn't move or defend himself, his will bent completely to Jeth's.

“Jeth, no!” Sierra shrieked, but her voice seemed a long way off, too far to care about. All that mattered was this. The power he had now. He'd been powerless all his life, but not anymore.