Shielder — A new Science Fiction Romance (Book 1, Shielder Series) (12 page)

Nessa barely heard him. She stared toward
the street, repressing a shiver. An Antek. She'd seen pictures and
heard the gory tales, but seeing the real thing only brought the
terrifying reality home. Anteks were barbaric brutes who carried
out Controller orders efficiently and without mercy.

"Dansan's a Controller?" she blurted out,
drawing the obvious conclusion.

"No. Dansan is far worse than any
Controller." Chase slid forward and glanced around the corner
again.

Her thoughts whirling, she crept along
behind him. "But you said Brutus works for Dansan."

"Brutus is a renegade Antek. Dansan employs
an entire troop of them." Chase tensed. "He just went inside
Giza's. Damn. It's too early. Something's wrong. I hope to Spirit
Sabin didn't go straight there." He reached back and grasped
Nessa's arm. "Come on. I don't have time to take you to the ship.
You'll stay at Moriah's until Sabin or I come for you."

Sensing his urgency, she didn't question the
abrupt change of plan. She slipped out quietly and followed him to
Moriah's, still trying to make sense of Anteks pledging allegiance
to a non-Controller. To the best of her knowledge, all Anteks
underwent Controller mind indoctrination, as did officials and
leaders of all planets, and all agents—including shadowers. How
could an Antek break free of the formidable Controller
domination?

Chase stopped in front of the mercantile.
"Get inside." He motioned toward the building, then turned
away.

"Where are you going?" she called after
him.

"To find out if my partner just walked into
a trap. Now go inside." He strode toward a building catercorner
across the square, carrying the rifle in front of him.

Nessa hadn't noticed the pyramid-shaped
structure before. Since it had a huge "G" emblazoned on the
sand-colored wall facing her, she assumed it must be Giza's.

She started up the steps, her attention
focused on Chase. Catlike, he moved onto the covered walkway edging
the pyramid, and vanished around the side. She took another step,
prepared to go inside, when a movement caught her eye, drawing her
gaze back to Giza's.

Two massive Anteks prowled from behind the
pyramid and stomped the same direction Chase had gone, into the
dimness of the covered pathway. Terror swept through her, trapping
her breath. The impulse to flee burst over her, to escape as far as
possible from the nightmarish Anteks.

She looked around wildly. Where could she
go? Moriah couldn't offer sanctuary against two Anteks. But these
two didn't work for the Controllers, more rational reason
interjected—or so Chase had said. They worked for Dansan, whoever
that was. Nessa's thoughts lurched in another direction. Both Chase
and Sabin might have just entered an ambush.

Hideous scenarios flashed through her mind.
Anteks torturing Chase, killing him. No! She couldn't lose him—not
now. She tried to ignore the concern unfurling inside her, to
convince herself she only cared because she needed Chase for
transport to Intrepid. Yet, whatever the reasons, she knew she had
to help him.

She ran down the steps and across the
expanse to Giza's, halting only after she was safely in the shadows
at the base. She slid her knife from her boot and pressed against
the wall, waiting for her labored breath to calm. Hearing voices to
her right, she inched that direction.

Reaching the corner, she glanced around and
saw light from an open doorway about four meters away. The voices
grew louder, although still indistinct, as she inched farther
toward the entry. Just outside the panel, she crouched down.

"Well, Brutus, what say you about our
prize?" a deep, but distinctly female voice asked.

"We pleased, Dan-san. Always to serve
you."

"Clever answer," the voice purred. "Here,
have a reward."

A gruntlike snort followed. Nessa glanced
over her shoulder, finding the area behind her deserted. Slipping
onto all fours, she crawled to the doorway and edged forward enough
to see in.

The overpowering reek of filthy, hairy
bodies assaulted her, and she pushed back a surge of nausea.
Breathing through her mouth, she surveyed the cavernous room, dimly
lit by solar flares. Massive, thronelike chairs, ornately carved
with bizarre designs, were scattered around like huts in a Shielder
colony.

Six Anteks ringed the room, their eyes
intent on a woman slouched on one of the huge chairs that had been
placed up on the counter running along the left wall. Nessa's
attention fixed on the Anteks in morbid fascination. At this close
range, she realized how huge they were, nearly seven feet tall, of
massive girth. Their snouts dominated their broad faces, making
them look more beastlike than humanoid. Small, dull eyes peered out
from beneath protruding brows. Short bristles covered their skulls,
almost obscuring flush ear openings. At their necks, the bristles
gave way to hairy whorls, which she knew covered their entire
bodies. They smelled rank. Grimacing, Nessa turned her attention to
the woman seated on the counter.

She had propped her booted feet on an
acrylic crate. Snowy white hair flowed over her shoulders and down
her back. Sharp, almost colorless eyes glinted in a pallid face
devoid of any emotion. Reaching into a bucket beside her, she
lifted a piece of bloody meat. "And you, Brutus. You caught the
enemy. You get an extra reward." She tossed the meat to an Antek
across the room, blood flinging all directions.

He caught it midair and shoved it into a
mouth full of sharp teeth. Another Antek lumbered toward the
bucket, but stopped short when she whipped up an electrolyzer rod.
"Uh, uh, Keret. You've already had yours."

She must be Dansan. The Antek had called her
by that name. Nessa studied the woman, unable to determine her age.
Her body, sheathed in a snug silver flightsuit, appeared firm and
muscled, but her face showed signs of age. "My, my, but we do have
cause for celebration," Dansan cackled, gesturing to Nessa's far
left.

There was Sabin. He was slumped over in a
chair, apparently unconscious. An electronic shackle bound his
wrists together behind the chair, while another secured his ankles.
Blood oozed from a cut over his eye and his flightsuit was
torn.

Nessa barely restrained her gasp of horror.
Then she almost gasped again when she saw Chase crouched behind
another chair on the opposite side of Sabin. He signaled furiously
at her to get away and then crept behind Sabin. Deftly, he snapped
a decoder on the shackle lock on his wrists, before slipping back
behind the other chair.

"What should we do with our prize,
soldiers?" Dansan's smoky voice slithered across the room. "Cut him
up and have him for our morning meal?"

Snorts and hoots of approval met this
comment. Horrified, Nessa watched the decoder, hoping it would
quickly find the lock sequence, although she wasn't sure how Chase
and Sabin could elude six Anteks and their leader. She thought she
saw Sabin's fingers move slightly.

"Before we enjoy some sport with Shadower
Travers, we need a drink!" Dansan swung her feet from the crate and
leaped up. "Thorne! Where are you? You have guests. We want a
drink." She pounded the electrolyzer rod against the counter.

"Thorne! Thorne! Thorne!" The Anteks took up
the chant, stomping and pounding.

A little man scurried through a panel behind
the bar. "This is highly irregular," he sputtered in a shrill
voice. "I'm not open for business until 1500 hours."

Dansan's eyes narrowed to transparent slits.
"Oh, really? Now isn't that just too bad. You see, Thorne, the Ants
and I are having a special celebration, in honor of our friend over
there. And you know how the Ants like to celebrate. Occurs to me,
if you give them drinks to keep them occupied, they won't tear up
your place. Seems fair enough, doesn't it?"

Brutus lumbered up behind Thorne and grasped
the little man's tunic, lifting him off his feet. "Fair, Thorne?"
he grunted.

Thorne's face paled considerably as his feet
kicked uselessly at the air. "All right, all right!" he gurgled.
"For you Dansan, I'm open for business."

"I'm so glad you share our enthusiasm over
the capture of Shadower Travers." Dansan nodded to Brutus.

He dropped Thorne, who crashed to the floor,
then scrambled shakily to his feet. "Drinks coming up." He hurried
behind the bar.

Dansan strutted along the counter, looking
down on her henchmen. “So, who wants to ‘play’ with Travers first?
How about you, Keret? Wasn't it your brother he killed and turned
in, for a measly 200 miterons?"

Keret growled and spun toward Sabin. Dansan
swung up the electrolyzer rod threateningly. "I haven't given the
go ahead yet. How about you, Raik? Didn't he give you that scar on
your leg?"

"Drinks," Thorne announced shoving a tray on
the counter. A loud clink followed his announcement, only it came
from Sabin's direction. All heads turned that way. Sabin remained
slumped over his legs. The shackle lay open on the tile. The
decoder had obviously done its job.

Dansan leaped to the floor. "What in the
Abyss—"

"Heads up, Travers," Chase whispered loudly,
sliding a gun along the tile behind Sabin.

Nessa started when Sabin's head shot up. He
snatched the gun and leaped to his feet in one smooth motion. At a
light-speed blur, he shot through the second shackle, right between
his ankles and rolled toward the entry.

"Get him!" Dansan screeched, and the Anteks
scrambled. Chase toppled his chair over on two Anteks and rolled
after Sabin. He and Sabin hurled themselves behind other chairs and
opened fire, which the Anteks returned. Blasts exploded chunks of
wood from the chairs. Dansan dived over the bar to relative safety,
with Thorne right behind her.

Nessa clutched her knife and scrambled to
her feet, although she stayed clear of the doorway and pretty much
out of view. Turi hissed in alarm, but she didn't have time to
reassure him. Three Anteks were down, and Dansan had fled through
the rear exit. Two other Anteks engaged Chase and Sabin in
crossfire. The sight of Brutus sneaking up unnoticed behind Chase
sent shock waves through her.

"Chase!" she screamed. "Behind you!"

But he couldn't hear her over the din of
gunfire. Brutus raised his weapon at Chase's head. Nessa acted on
instinct, calling upon skills she'd learned seasons ago. She hurled
her knife, burying it in Brutus's back. He dropped the gun with a
cry of rage and whirled her direction.

He charged her like a wild animal. Her heart
exploded in an adrenaline rush. She tried to sidestep the crazed
Antek, her rubbery limbs uncooperative.

Turi scrabbled from the pack, clawing her
shoulder in the process. Brutus staggered, then regained his
balance and hurtled toward her. She leaped back frantically, just
as Turi let out shrill yelp and catapulted himself through the
air.

He landed on Brutus's face, biting and
scratching.

"No!" Nessa screamed, rushing forward.
"Turi, no!"

Bellowing, Brutus tore Turi off and hurled
him across the room. He hit the wall hard and fell to the floor
with a sickening thud. He twitched, then stilled.

"Turi!" Nessa tried to go to him, but Brutus
grabbed her. He wrenched her arm and she gasped from the pain. He
raised his hand to strike her but froze, his eyes opening wide as a
blast sounded behind him. A grunt escaped him and he slid to the
floor, a gaping wound next to the protruding knife. Chase leaped
over him and shoved Nessa toward the entry. Sabin followed.

"Let's get out of here." Chase dragged her
through the entry.

"No! I can't leave Turi!" she cried,
struggling against his hold. "I can't leave him!"

"He's dead, Nessa. Come on."

"You'd better hurry, if you're going to
catch Dansan." Sabin took her other arm.

She bucked and kicked, grief clouding
reason. "He can't be dead! Not Turi. We can't leave him! We
can't."

"He couldn't have survived that impact. We
have to leave—now." Chase didn't attempt to placate her further.
Sweeping her up, he swung her over his shoulder and broke into a
run.

They ran to Moriah's, where Chase borrowed a
two-seat land skimmer. A stupor pervaded Nessa's senses; she
couldn’t even protest when Chase hauled her into the skimmer and
jumped in beside her. As they sped to the ship, she sat frozen, her
grief crystallizing around her heart. She didn't resist when Chase
hustled her aboard and strapped her in for takeoff.

Turi was gone. One of the few lights in her
life snuffed out.

Dansan had evaded him again. Vanished like
vapor, probably into one of the numerous wormholes connecting the
quadrant's vast expanses. Staring at the blank sensor screen, Chase
kicked a console and swore profusely.
He'd almost had her!
So close.

Yet he'd failed again—the story of his
life.

His head and shoulder throbbed, but it was
no less than he deserved. Each unsuccessful attempt to capture
Dansan only served to remind him how he had failed his people, when
they had desperately needed him.

He touched his forehead and winced. His
fingers came away sticky with blood. The cut wasn't serious, but
needed tending if he didn't want it to get infected. His wound from
Saron had not had time to heal completely; it probably needed
checked as well. He set the ship coordinates for Star Base
Intrepid, then headed to the lab to get some antiseptic.

When he passed Nessa's closed panel, he
slowed, cursing. Here he was, thinking only of himself. He hadn't
even checked on her since she'd fled the cockpit after takeoff.
Hadn't even stopped to consider that her daring action had saved
his worthless hide, or bothered to thank her. He'd been too
enmeshed in self-pity.