Search for the Phoenix: Phoenix Series Book 2 (24 page)

“What’s funny?” Nolan asked.

“And you got on his ship,” Boo said.

“I didn’t think about it until now,” Megan said.

“What am I missing here?” Nolan asked.

“Should we fly back with him?” Boo asked.

“I think we’ll be okay, as long as the weather doesn’t start getting rough,” Megan said.

Boo laughed.

Nolan sighed and looked around the room. People were turning their attention back to their own business.

Devin returned and set three frosty mugs of beer on the table. “Enjoy. I have to attend to my other customers.” He smiled at Boo. “It’s good to see you again.”

“You, too,” she replied.

Devin nodded to the group and then walked away.

“You seem to be on good terms, under the circumstances,” Nolan said.

“What happened between you two?” Megan asked. “If it’s not too personal, I mean,” she quickly added.

Boo shrugged. “Devin is a good man. Business got in the way. He runs this bar, and I run my business out in the desert. Neither of us can take time away to be together. It just seemed pointless after a while.” She glanced toward the bar and found that Devin was looking at her. They both smiled. Turning back to her companions, she said, “Enough of that. Drink your beer and tell me what you think.”

Nolan and Megan each took a sip. “This is good,” Nolan said.

“Yes, very nice,” Megan said.

Boo took a long pull from her mug, swallowed, and then sighed. “It’s my favorite beer.”

“Does he bottle this?” Megan asked. “I’d like to take some home.”

“Nope. This is strictly on tap,” Boo said.

They drank, talked, and ordered more beer. Boo occasionally looked around the room until she found Devin. Sometimes, she would watch him. Other times, she would find that he was watching her. Megan caught on to what was happening, but she said nothing. At one point, Nolan caught Boo staring across the room. He turned to see what she was looking at, and as he turned back, Megan laid a hand on his forearm and squeezed. He looked at her questioningly, and she shook her head almost imperceptibly.

Two hours later, the trio stood and headed for the door. Halfway across the room, Boo stopped. She turned and found Devin watching her. As her companions waited, she walked over to him, put her arms around his neck, and kissed him. Devin wrapped his arms around Boo and held her. Megan put her arm around Nolan’s waist and pulled him closer. Nolan hesitated, and then put his arm around Megan. When she glanced over at him, he was blushing. She lowered her arm and said, “Maybe we should wait outside.”

Evening was coming on as the group walked through the town, heading toward the spaceport. Along the way, Boo stopped at a couple of stores to pick up supplies. Nolan offered to carry some of the bags, but the ladies refused.

“I think we should leave for Caldon in the morning,” Nolan said.

“No, you’re not ready,” Megan insisted.

“They need to know about the weapons on those Xetian ships,” he said. “We can’t wait.”

“He’s right,” Boo said.

They continued in silence for a while. Finally, Megan said, “All right. We’ll leave in the morning.”

It was well past nightfall when they returned to the Griffin. Nolan pulled up a map of Pax and plotted their return course. He’d never find Boo’s place in the dark without the navigation system. While Nolan piloted the ship, Megan and Boo went to the galley and sat at one of the tables.

“Now I remember why I don’t often go into town,” Boo said.

“Devin?”

“It reminds me of my isolation and loneliness,” Boo said. “I had to give up my personal life to run my business. As I get older, I wonder if I made the right choice.”

Megan nodded. “I used to be a medical technician on a starliner. I loved it. I traveled all over the galaxy. I’ve been to at least half the settled worlds. Then I met John, and everything changed.”

“So you gave up your career for him?” Boo said.

“No, I just changed it a little. I settled on Caldon to be with John. I became an EMT and continued my career. I was able to merge my old life with my new one.”

Boo turned her head and looked across the empty room. “Well, there aren’t any salvage dealers in town, and there aren’t any bars in the desert. I had to choose, one life or the other. Did I make the right choice?”

“You’re the only one who can answer that,” Megan said.

“Oh, I know. But it’s a question I have been asking myself more and more lately, and I still don’t have the answer.”

“What does your heart say?”

Boo laughed. “If I listened to my heart, I’d have become a bartender twenty years ago.”

“You’ve been married twenty years?”

Boo nodded. “Seems a lot longer.”

“Boo, you have to do something,” Megan said.

Boo turned away again, but she said nothing.

Captain Jiorgenson’s personal data unit chimed. He glanced at the origin code and then quickened his pace. Reaching his office, he closed the door and opened the message from Megan Carson.

Captain. Urgent. Meet me at your earliest convenience. Same place as last time. Please reply with time.

He read the message again, wondering what could be so important that she would risk contacting him. There was only one way to find out. He typed his reply.

I’ll meet you at 5:30 PM. I can spare an hour at the most.

* * * *

Captain Jiorgenson entered The Cove and looked around. After his eyes adjusted to the low light, he saw Megan sitting at a table near the back wall. A man sat with her, his back to the door. Crossing the room quickly, he took a seat at their table. Seeing the man’s bruised face, he suddenly realized who he was. “You shouldn’t be here,” he hissed.

“Relax,” Megan said. “Nobody knows he’s here. We’ve brought you some valuable information.”

“Valuable enough to risk your life bringing it to me?” the captain asked.

“Yes,” Nolan said. He passed him a large envelope. “I didn’t want an electronic record of these, so I printed them.”

Jiorgenson opened the envelope and pulled out a thick stack of photographs. The first was of a section of spaceship hull with Xetian markings. The next three showed components of a SACOM weapon prototype. As he continued through the stack, he found more ship fragments with Xetian symbols, and more SACOM weapon components. “What is so urgent about these?”

“Those weapons were aboard those Xetian ships that ambushed the First Fleet,” Megan said in a whisper.

“That’s not possible,” he said.

“I took these pictures myself, Captain. I’ve seen them with my own eyes. I’ve touched them. Someone in SACOM gave the Xetians advanced SACOM weapons systems,” Nolan said.

“I still say that’s not possible,” the captain insisted.

“This wreckage was collected in the area where the First Fleet was ambushed,” Nolan said.

Jiorgenson flipped through more of the pictures.

“We know the fleet was carrying some sort of super weapon. We think someone inside SACOM wanted the Xetians to destroy the fleet,” Megan said.

“Why? What would they gain from it?” Jiorgenson asked.

“Because they wanted the super weapon for themselves,” Nolan said.

“Captain, you need to find out who supplied those weapons,” Megan said.

Jiorgenson stared at the top picture for a moment. “Very well. I’ll look into this.”

“Make sure you do,” Nolan said hotly. “If you don’t, I’ll send these to the Galactic News Agency.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Jiorgenson said. “I promise you, I’ll find out who was responsible.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Megan said as she and Nolan stood. “We’ll be leaving.”

When they were outside, Nolan said, “I don’t trust him.”

“Why not?” Megan asked.

“You saw how he reacted. He doesn’t care about those weapons, or who gave them to the Xetians,” he said.

“No, you’re wrong. He was extremely upset, but he kept his emotions under control.”

“How could you tell?” he asked.

“There were signs—eye movements, respiratory rate, even his pulse changed.”

“How could you tell his pulse changed?”

“If you watch closely, the arteries in the neck throb slightly. Also, there’s a vein on your temple that throbs, too. If you know what to look for, you can tell a lot about a person’s emotional state,” Megan said.

“So you trust him?”

“He risked his career, and probably his life, to save you. Isn’t that enough?” she asked.

Nolan was quiet for a while. Finally, he said, “I guess so. If you trust him, I do.”

“Good. Now, where do we go?” she asked.

“I’m going to my apartment to collect some things,” Nolan said.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Someone might be watching your apartment.”

“I doubt it.”

“Nolan, SACOM grabbed you outside your building in broad daylight! You said they were waiting for you.”

“That was then. They probably don’t even realize I’m missing yet,” he said.

“And if they do, they’ll be watching your building. I don’t like it. I’m going with you,” she insisted.

“Why? So they can grab both of us and nobody will know we’re gone? No, I’m going to my apartment alone. We left in a hurry. Don’t you have things you’d like to get from your apartment?” he asked.

“Well, yes, but I don’t want you going to your apartment alone.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” he said.

Megan watched for a moment as he walked away, and then turned and headed for her apartment. As she walked, her anxiety grew.

Nolan stopped a block from his building and looked around. There were no unmarked black trucks, and no men leaning against the wall trying to look inconspicuous.

As he approached the door, he looked around to see if anyone was following him. He relaxed as he crossed the empty lobby and stepped into the elevator.

Arriving at his floor, he walked along the corridor, grabbed his doorknob, and walked face-first into his door. He wiggled the knob a few times and pushed, but the door was locked. He pulled out his data unit and suddenly realized that Jonas Grumby didn’t have his door code. Shoving the data unit back into his pocket, he opened the flap covering the keypad and froze.

“What is the combination?” he asked himself. He carefully entered eight digits, but the lock beeped and a red light flashed. He tried another sequence, but the door remained locked. “Damn! What is the code?” Another sequence gave the same result. He tried again, and this time the lock beeped, a green light flashed, and he heard the click as the bolt retracted. He sighed and opened the door. Moving about the living room, he gathered several items and then headed for the bedroom. Dropping the items on his bed, he went to the closet and pulled out a suitcase. Placing it on the bed, he opened it and tossed in the items from the living room. Going back to the closet, he grabbed several articles of clothing and threw them into the suitcase. From his dresser drawers, he selected other items and tossed them in with the rest of his stuff. Closing the case, he picked it up and limped out of the bedroom, nearly running into a man holding a neurodart pistol.

Nolan dropped the bag and raised his hands, wincing at the searing pain in his ribs.

“I want all your valuables, now!” the man said.

Nolan took a moment to realize what the man had said. It certainly wasn’t what he had expected. Was this really a robbery? “Who do you work for?” he asked.

“What?” the man asked. “Shut up and give me your valuables!”

“I don’t have anything of value here,” Nolan said.

“You were in quite a hurry to get the things in that bag. What’s in it?”

“That?” Nolan asked, pointing to the suitcase. “Just some clothing and a few personal items.”

“Personal items… as in, things of value?” the robber asked.

“Not especially. Just a few things I need.”

“Pick it up,” the man ordered. “Take it into the bedroom and dump it on the bed.”

Nolan bent down to pick up the bag. When he stood up, his eyes grew wide as he looked past the robber. The man spun around, and Megan punched him in the throat with the flat edge of her hand. The gun tumbled to the floor as the man’s hands clutched at his throat. He stared at Megan for a moment before he dropped to his knees, and then fell onto his side. Megan grabbed the gun, opened it, and removed a dart to examine it. She put the dart back into the gun, aimed it at the man’s chest, and fired.

“Megan!” Nolan yelled.

“It’s a tranquilizer dart. The man needs a tracheotomy, or he’s going to suffocate. The procedure is much easier on an anesthetized patient.” She pulled a knife from her pocket. “I need a piece of tubing with an opening of about a centimeter. Have you got anything?” she asked as she knelt by the unconscious man and rolled him onto his back. She felt along his larynx, selected a spot, and stuck her knife into the man’s throat.

“Oh, I think I’m going to be sick,” Nolan said as he turned away.

“Tubing! Find me something,” Megan said as she used her knife blade to hold the slit open. The man began breathing through the opening.

Nolan went to the kitchen and began searching through the drawers and cabinets. Finding nothing suitable, he hobbled down the hall to his study where he kept supplies that he used for making prototypes of small devices. A moment later, he returned with a short piece of polymer tubing. “Will this do? It’s all I have.”

“That’s perfect,” she said as she took the tube and worked it into the slit in the man’s throat.

“Oh, I really am gonna be sick,” Nolan said, turning away again.

The man began to breathe through the tube. Satisfied that he was out of danger, she said, “Grab your stuff. We need to get out of here.”

“You’re not leaving him in my apartment,” he said.

“Would you like to carry him down to the lobby and ask the person on the desk to call an ambulance?” she asked. “He’ll be fine. The tranquilizer will wear off soon, and he’ll take himself to a hospital.”

Nolan stared at the man on the floor.

“Nolan! Grab your stuff and let’s go!” Megan insisted. Nolan looked at her, but he didn’t move. “Go!” she urged. Picking up his suitcase, he turned and limped down the hall to his study. He hastily grabbed things and threw them into the suitcase. Satisfied that he had everything he needed, he closed the case and went to the living room. Megan was waiting for him by the door.

“Deep breath,” she said. “Calm yourself. We’re going to walk to the elevator as if nothing has happened.”

Nolan took a deep breath, then another. “Okay, let’s go.”

“Casual,” Megan said. “If we run into a neighbor, just smile and act normal.”

“I can’t act normal right now!” Nolan hissed.

“Then let me do the talking,” she said. “You just smile.”

They reached the elevator without encountering anyone. Nolan sighed in relief when the door opened, revealing an empty elevator. They stepped in. As the doors closed, Nolan turned to Megan and said, “What do we—?”

Megan threw her arms around him and kissed him. Then, holding him close, she whispered in his ear, “Security cameras and microphones in the elevator. Shut up.”

She stepped back and smiled at him. He looked at her, seemingly lost.

The elevator door opened onto the lobby, and Megan grabbed Nolan by the arm and led him to the door. Turning left, the pair walked casually up the sidewalk.

“What are you doing here?” Nolan asked when he finally pulled himself together. “You were supposed to go to your apartment to collect your things.”

“You’re welcome,” she said.

“Yes, well, thank you. I didn’t mean… I mean, I just don’t understand why you turned up at my apartment,” he said.

“I was worried about you. I only made it three blocks before I turned around and came here.”

“I’m glad you did,” Nolan said. “But how did you get into my apartment? You don’t have your data unit.”

“The same way that SACOM thug did. You left the door unlocked,” she said.

“No, I didn’t. I used the keypad to open the door.”

“Then you must have entered the code that unlocks the door and leaves it unlocked,” she said.

“There’s a code that does that?” he asked.

Megan shook her head. “Didn’t you read the instruction manual?”

“Yes, I did. Well, I skimmed it. Okay, I found a paragraph about setting a manual unlock code. It said it was important, so I did it.”

Megan laughed. “Those locks have two codes. The manual entry code allows you to open the door once. The manual unlock code unlocks the bolt and leaves it unlocked.”

“Well, anyway, he wasn’t a SACOM thug. He was a crook.”

Megan stopped short and spun toward him. “What?”

Nolan turned around and walked back to her. “He was there to rob me.”

“He wasn’t from SACOM?” she asked.

“I don’t think SACOM has added armed robbery to their methods.”

Megan laughed. “A common thief? Someone should write a book about the crap that has happened to you over the past few months! Come on, I still need to gather my things. Where are we going after that?” she asked.

“I think we should get two rooms in the hotel at Dawson spaceport. That way, we’ll be close to the Griffin if we need to leave,” he said.

“If we might need to leave in a hurry, we should just stay on the Griffin,” she said.

“You wouldn’t mind?” he asked.

She smiled. “I kind of like it.”

“All right, we’ll stay on the Griffin. I need to rest, and then I have an important errand to run. Can you message Derick and ask him to set up a meeting with Ronnie Carr?”