Reason For Vengeance (Dark Vengeance Book 1) (22 page)

The food was plentiful and tasty.  Valerie was glad to have an excuse to not talk and tucked in.  It had been too long since lunch and her body needed the fuel to sustain itself.  The platters kept circling until even Valerie ate her fill.

Things settled down and people began to talk.  Valerie braced herself to keep the Chief away from the topics she couldn’t talk about.  It was unnecessary though, the Chief seemed to talk about her tribe, inviting Valerie to comment without asking any questions.  She questioned Edel numerous times over different topics and the same went for the person on the other side of her, the Master Engineer.  Not once did she ask Valerie a single question, where she came from, where she was going, what happened to her or why she was in the mountains.

Glancing across at Jens, the Master Hunters eyes gleamed back at Valerie in the fire light.  She nodded her thanks to him and he smiled in return.

“A most perceptive man,” the Chief said to Valerie.

“I’m sorry, Chief Mulgrew.  I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

“The Master Hunter,” the Chief clarified.  “He is more perceptive than his wife gives him credit for.”

Valerie nodded.  “Yes, and I owe him a debt.”

“It is good that you recognise it.  Just as we recognise that we owe you a debt.”

“You owe me nothing, Chief Mulgrew.  I have done nothing to deserve it.”

“Perhaps.”  The Chief turned from Valerie and stood.  She clapped her hands loudly and the conversations around the fire quietened to silence.  “It is time for us to tell the tales of our brethren.  Who at this fire has a story to tell us?”

Several hands were raised around the fire and the Chief pointed to a man in his earlier thirties.  “Builder Kolmann.  Please tell us your tale.”

“Thank you my Chief,” he said once he got to his feet.  “This is a tale of my brother Markus and how he tried to get a Tofu to cross a river.”  Kolmann told the story well and everyone bar Valerie was laughing from his brother’s failure after failure, to get the disaffected and rebellious Tofu to do what he wanted.  No matter what he tried, nothing worked, until he finally asked his brother for help and they worked together to get the Tofu across successfully.

When Kolmann finished the circle clapped to show their approval at his story.  A man stood from where he was sitting next to Kolmann laughing with the rest at the tale.  The two men hugged before sitting back down.

The Chief leaned over to Valerie.  “His brother.  I think they have a competition going to see who can embarrass the other the most.  Within a week the other will come back with another funny tale about Builder Kolmann.”

The chief picked another and the tales continued.  Some funny, others trials completed or accomplishments the teller was proud of.  Never were they told by the person who’s story it was, they were told by a witness or someone close to the subject who wanted to show their love or pride.  Many of the stories were difficult for Valerie to hear, they spoke of family and loved ones.  That she knew none of them, allowed her to keep the distance she needed to stop herself being overwhelmed by it.

No more hands were raised and Valerie thought the tales were finished.  No one saw her fight with the Stone Dragon and she thought she would not have to tell her story.  After seeing the lengths the tribe had gone to so that egos were kept out of this tradition, it would be ill-mannered for her to tell of her own victory.

The old woman climbed to her feet again.  “Now we have a special story.  This tale is the first of its kind to be told.  It is the tale of one lone woman brave enough to stand against the might of a Stone Dragon.”  The people around the circle leaned forward.  Many would have already heard the tale from the hunters since arriving in the camp.  They were still eager to hear it first-hand.  The Chief smiled.  “Our tradition is for another to tell the tale and so Master Hunter Rothe will regale us with this amazing feat.  He saw it in all its glorious might from a holo recording.” 

Nodding to Rothe the Chief sat back down and he climbed to his feet.  The Chief leaned in close to Valerie to whisper.  “Do not worry.  We will try not to stroke your ego too much.”

“I am here to tell the tale of Master Warrior Valerie Carter who did what all here thought impossible.  I will tell you exactly how she did it.”  Rothe wove the story to the audience well.  Valerie was surprised at how well he remembered it from one simple play through.  All the details, the lost pistol, dropping her pack, the shorn fang and the Dragons limp forelimb, were included.  What Valerie didn’t recognise was herself.  What he attributed to a brave hero, she only remembered rage with the need to fight and kill.  To make something else feel her pain, even if was only for the barest of moments.

When Rothe finished, the circle was silent and unmoving.  Until one single person stated to clap and Valerie realised it was Edel sitting beside her.  All around the circle people took it up, coming to their feet as they did so and gave her a full standing ovation.  The wave of their emotion broke over her and she gritted her teeth to stop from collapsing.  Standing, she bowed to the circle to acknowledge their praise before being seated.  The circle began to break up, people headed off to bed for the night.

The Chief was still sitting beside Valerie and handed her a glass of drink.  Valerie could smell it and the alcohol it contained before she tasted it.  It was as strong as the smell promised.  Valerie accepted the feeling of warmth, running down her throat gladly.

Looking at her, the Chief said.  “Now, I know we owe you a debt.”

“As I said.  There is no debt,” Valerie disagreed.  “The Dragon was far from here and would never come near your people.”

“That is not the debt we owe you.  I acknowledge your accomplishment gladly, but as you say, it has no bearing to my clan.  No, the debt we owe is for our children, our hunters.”  Valerie looked at the Chief in the dying fires light.  “A warrior capable of that feat would have little to worry when faced with children armed only with single shot rifles.”

Saying nothing, Valerie sat there unmoving.  “Should you have so chosen you could have killed our children.”  Edel gasped from behind Valerie, not having realised what her master had seen, as soon as he watched the recording, and the Chief continued.  “Thank you for making the choice you did and that is the debt we owe you.  Should you ever need anything of The Mulgrew’s, please ask.”

Knowing how harsh life was in these mountains Valerie could see the Chief’s point.  There were many who, with her abilities and skills, would have gladly killed the hunters for the dozen Tofu loaded with meat and plants.  Also, as they pointed their weapons at her without an aggressive move on her part, she could have argued it had merely been self-defence.

Valerie gave the Chief a seated bow.  “I accept what you say and acknowledge your debt to me.  If the need should arise, I will call upon you.”  Caring little for the debt and knowing she would never call on them, Valerie recognised their pride.  They had little in the way of wealth and given what they could to her, it cost her nothing to accept what they considered a gift.

“Now, Chief, I am tired and would like to turn in.  I plan to leave early in the morning.  Master Rothe said that there would be someone willing to get me started on my journey to Inferno?”

“Of course, Master Warrior, please, do not let me keep you.  Builder Kolmann has a truck and will meet you at the guest quarters at first light.  Sleep well.”

“I will, and thank you for a wonderful evening.  Goodnight all.”

The others wished her a goodnight and Valerie followed Edel off into the darkness.  The girl was subdued, but Valerie could feel the question hanging between them.  Edel did not manage to hold it in long and asked before they even reached their beds for the night.

“Would you have killed us?”

Pausing before replying, Valerie considered lying, but didn’t have the energy.  “Probably not.”  Edel did not say a word for the rest of the night.

Later Valerie woke from the nightmares gasping for breath as she did every night.  Once she calmed herself, she felt Edel’s eyes on her in the darkness and doubted the girl had slept.  As Valerie turned over to try and sleep, she considered the Clan.  As a place to hide it would be perfect, it was the people that were the problem.  Valerie did not think she could cope with such a close knit community.  They would worry and ask questions, something Valerie could not deal with.  No, she decided as she drifted back off to sleep, this was not the place.

***

A week later Valerie slumped down at a table in a bar she did not know the name of, somewhere in Inferno.  Her back was to the wall and the bar had only a few people in it.  She placed her single glass in front of her and the full bottle of whisky next to it.  Her bag was in a rented room across the street, all of her valuables were with her, in her coat pockets, along with her pistols.  Her only obvious weapon was the Dragon Fang blade, now with a Dragon hide handle in a loop at her belt.

Picking up the bottle, she poured the first glass and drained it in one.  The harsh, cheap whiskey burned as it went down.  Valerie quickly followed it with a second and a third.  It was difficult for her to get drunk.  It took at least twice the amount of alcohol than anyone else and she sobered up faster.  This just meant she needed to drink more and she was willing to do so.

No one here would ask questions, she had alcohol, a ready supply of it and plenty of cash to purchase it.  She could sit here and try to numb the pain, while remembering her family.  Yes, this was where she needed to be, this was the place. 

Hanna crouched in the shadows of the bushes and Deni shivered in the cold next to her.  Hanna wasn’t shivering.  She was too wound up for that.  She didn’t know if it was excitement of the Job or fear of what would happen if it all went wrong.  No, it wouldn’t go wrong, not this time, not after all the planning and work this Job had taken over the past week.

Deni leaned in to whisper. “You ready?”

“Of course I’m ready,” Hanna rasped back.  “I’ve spent all week on this.  I’ve barely slept working on this.  Now shut up, it’s time.  Keep your eyes peeled.  I don’t want no surprises, right!”

Deni reached over and squeezed Hanna’s shoulder.  “Hey, I’ve got your back, Hanna.  You do what you’re good at and get that bastard Tern off your back.”

“Huh, only till the next Job,” Hanna sighed, appreciating her friends support.  “OK, let’s do this.”

She moved to the edge of the bushes and looked both ways down the road.  It was deserted, just as it should be at two in the morning and as she’d planned.  The spy cams were on the street lights, but they were automated and as an underfed fourteen year old, if Hanna kept in a crouch and moved quickly the automated systems should classify her as one of the many animals inhabiting Blaze.

Even here, in one of the rarefied and exclusive communities of Inferno they allowed for the occasional animal predator.  Particularly the Catwing.  A twenty kilo predator just as happy stalking on four limbs, as hunting in the air for its rodent prey.  Those rodents lived happy lives in the lush parks built for these ultra-expensive homes and their Privileged occupants.

Hanna darted across the road, heading directly for her target house.  Specifically, a turn in the two metre high, energised topped, surrounding wall.  It went in towards the house for a metre before turning back onto its line, following the curve of the road.  This left a corner for Hanna to use as her entry point.  She needed to move quickly to mimic the speed of the Catwing.  Speeding up to a sprint, she leapt into the corner, her right foot pushing against one side to launch her up and to the left.  Her left foot landed cleanly on the other side and she pushed off up to the right.  She was now at the top of the wall.

This was the bit where she had to rely on luck, she couldn’t slow down or the cameras would catch her, but there was no way of knowing what was on the other side.  During her planning, she walked past this house a dozen times, but she couldn’t find a line of sight to this point in the garden.  Hanna cleared the wall, blue energy flashing past her eyes, whilst she was twisting round, tumbling in the air, as she had practised, to land smoothly and quietly onto her toes.

Hanna stayed there, still and silent, listening to her surroundings.  It was deep darkness where she landed.  It was going well.  The street lights were creating a well of shadow in the garden, just as she’d hoped.

Next up, she had to get into the house.  Gently and quietly, she pulled her Quartz 5.0 datapad out of her inside pocket.  It was already powered up and ready to go, its black light display allowed her to read the screen, but gave off no glare to reveal her.  She cycled through the programs until she found the one she needed and activated the Hack.

One of the main features of modern security was to isolate the systems in a building.  Everyone wanted to be fully connected, but in a high technology age, where someone who was smarter and with access to a more powerful computer, could compromise your security, the safest system was to not let them in in the first place.  A system that could not be accessed was a safe system.  Most buildings security was completely isolated from the main datanet.  Communication and media were accessible, but they would be physically separate from everything else.

People still did want the maximum convenience though so the building would have an extremely short range signal, covering the properties boundaries or an offices floor space, allowing a person to connect.  In properties like the house Hanna was trying to enter it went even further, the outer wall also jammed the signal.  The only way to access the house systems was to be physically inside the property.

The program Hanna crafted specifically for this Job was running, she watched carefully ready to fine-tune it at a moment’s notice, but it cut cleanly into the house security.  Her modifications slipping seamlessly into the system. 

It was time to move.  Carefully she sneaked away from her hiding place in the dark, over to the two storey house.  The security programs on the windows and doors on the ground floor, were too tough to crack as they were the primary entry points.  It would have been possible, but would take too long and had a higher possibility of digital fingerprints being left behind.  The upstairs windows were more vulnerable.  Her program diverted the security measures for one of the windows.  It was now “looking” at a window on the other side of the house.

That was the easy bit and now came the hard part.  Somehow she had to get to the window.  Over four metres up, even if she could get hold of one; any anti-grav field would be instantly spotted by the security system and set all the alarms off.  She needed to do this by herself and very much the old fashioned way.  Hanna pulled a cord out of her belt with a three pointed hook on the end.  Setting her feet just over a shoulder width apart, she breathed deeply trying to find a moment of calm.  She would have only one chance at this. 

The system had to have an allowance for random movements and sounds, but anything new that was regular or repetitive would be picked up.  She started the hook spinning on the cord, playing it out as it gained momentum.  Three times she let it go round before launching the hook upward.  Sailing up and with only a low clink, it caught on the gutter bracket just above the window she’d planned as an entry point.

Hanna let out a deep sigh.  This was the bit in the plan worrying her the most.  She gave the rope a tug to make sure it was secure, before shimmying up its slender length.  The window she chose was small and a fully grown adult would not be able to fit through, but at a slender one hundred and forty centimetres, Hanna would be able to manage.  At the window she reached out and pushed gently, causing it to swing open, her program having released its magnetic seal.  Both hands back on the rope, she lifted her legs into the window and over the sill to hook herself in, so she could pull her upper body over.  Once sitting on the window she squirmed through its narrow opening, twisting round so her belly rested on the sill and shook the rope to release the hook, pulling it quickly in so that it didn’t bang into anything.

She dropped gently to the floor and eased the window shut.  She was right outside the main bedroom, not the best place to enter a house, but it was the window with the least security on it.  Hanna had studied the house layout carefully and knew where to go.  She moved quietly down the corridor, around the corner and there was her target.  Two thumb sized key cards, belonging to the two aircars in the very secure garage down stairs.  Each aircar was worth over two hundred thousand Sovs and they were the real objective.  Hanna would copy the keys and depart without leaving any trace behind.  All someone needed to do then was to walk up to them when they were parked in a street, use the copied key, get in and drive off without any fuss.

She got her Quartz out, connected the double key port from another pocket and plugged the two keys in.  The Quartz almost hummed as it used its full power to access the keys and copy their algorithms.  An error message soon appeared.  Hanna started accessing the codes and adjusting the program on the fly.  These keys were specifically designed to resist what she was trying to do. 

Hanna’s fingers moved smoothly over the flat screen, inserting prepared codes and short programs.  Chipping away at the security, she felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth.  This is what she truly enjoyed.  The burglary was what she had to do to survive.  She was too small to be an Enforcer, vehemently against being a Whore, didn’t have the gift of the gab to be a Grifter, but she was an OK Thief and an excellent Hacker.  She loved to pit herself against those who designed the security systems.

The Quartz was the best she could buy.  She saved every sovereign from her Jobs to be able to afford it.  Even then her friend gave her a massive discount.  Her cut from this one would go into an upgrade from one of the best engineers in the Blaze underground.

A slight movement in the corner of her eye broke her concentration, she moved instantly.  Instincts learned in a world where death literally could be round any corner, saved her life.  An energy bolt shot through where her chest had been.  The stairs were only two steps away and she didn’t hesitate.  She launched herself down them almost head first, twisting so her shoulder hit the top of the stairs, she pulled herself into a foetal position and rolled down, Quartz clutched to her chest.

Two more bolts sizzled over head as she rolled, banging and crashing to the bottom.  Once there she tried to keep her momentum going as much as possible.  Every part of her body was screaming at her, but the adrenaline was surging through her system.  Her entire consciousness clung to one thought.  To stop was to die.

Only a metre from the stairs was a doorway.  She scrambled through it as another bolt hit the door frame.  She heard the pounding of feet on the stairs, but there was a clear floor across this room to an opposite doorway. On the other side was the front door.  Her right knee complained intensely, the pain making her cry out, but it wasn’t enough to stop her.  She sprinted forward, darting for the front door, stuffing the Quartz in her inside pocket as she ran.

A shout from behind yelled.  “Security!  Lock!” Two words that should have been the last she hear.  The house was designed to completely lock down at the command of the owner.  Shutters would slam down across all the doors and windows, sealing the house completely and protecting the occupants.  Hanna only smiled, it felt like a lifetime since she last smiled but it was barely seconds.  Security systems like this one couldn’t be overwritten or shutdown, but maybe if you were smart they could be tricked.  A sleight of hand working far more effectively than brute force. 

Hanna ducked round the doorway and straight out of the front door, sliding open soundlessly.  The owner commanded the house to lock down, but what the house heard was “Security.  Open.”  An emergency command so the occupants could exit quickly.  All the doors and windows slid open at that command, giving Hanna her emergency exit.  She included it in the original Hack and it was saving her life.

She turned a sharp right as she left the house heading to a dark corner of the garden where she could vault the wall, just as she entered it.  She heard swearing from whichever of the male couple caught her in the corridor.  She knew he would not have a hope in hades of seeing her now in the dark.  She got to the wall and at full speed leapt into the corner, her left foot landed cleanly and pushed off firmly.  Her right foot landed, but her knee gave a final jolt of pain and collapsed.  Her hands scrabbled at the top of the wall, the blue energy coursing through her as she was electrocuted and her body slammed against the wall.

For a moment she hung there screaming in pain and then for a moment more.  Somehow she found the strength to keep going.

“Move, you gutter snipe,” she growled to herself.  “MOVE!” she cried.  Pulling herself up and over the wall, the energy cooking her chest, stomach and thighs.  She fell heavily on the other side and staggered to her feet.

Hanna looked to the road and almost sobbed as she saw her getaway pulling up.  A recycling collection lorry stopped just by her.  Technology had changed the universe with machines doing wonderful things, but humans still created waste and it needed to be collected.  It was cheaper to get men and women to go around taking away what others did not want than machines. 

Recycling was vitally important as humanity learnt long ago.  They needed to reuse resources rather than continue to extract them.  Even with the massive asteroid belt and the unterraformed world’s mining operations, it was still cheaper to recycle than to ship it all planet side. 

In this neighbourhood, a vehicle from the Ghetto of Inferno would stick out like a sore thumb, but there was no way the Privileged would collect their own crap, so here was one of the few vehicles no one would take notice of.

Hanna hobbled over and rolled into a hidden bay underneath, crying out loudly in pain, but there was nothing she could do to stop that.  The door snapped shut as soon as she was in and Deni was already there, lying in the cramped space.

“Shit, you smell like cooked meat.  That looks really bad.  Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Hanna rasped in reply.  “Hurts bad, but it looks worse than it is.”  She rolled over onto her back and took a deep breath.

The lorry moved off gently, the crew knew nothing of the Job, only that they would be taking on passengers at this point on the end of their route in the area.  They took it easy as they wouldn’t get paid if the passenger didn’t get to back to the Ghetto.

Hanna grimaced.  Now she had time, she could take stock of herself and it didn’t look good.  Most of her front was scorched.  Fortunately her clothes were insulated for just this reason.  It still wasn’t enough, her top and trousers were scorched, along with the skin underneath.  Hanna knew that without them she would be dead.  Her jacket had been open and escaped unscathed.  She reached in and pulled out her Quartz.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Hanna swore loudly.