When Sparks Fly (24 page)

Suddenly a new voice came over the com.
“Xera, tell Blue we’ll be on the ground in five minutes.”

Xera glanced at the buckling door. “We don’t
have five minutes!”

“Tell him I copy,” Blue said grimly. He must
have inferred the information from her side of the
conversation.

The door was warped off its hinges, barely
hanging on. After a moment’s pause on the other side, silence.
There was a gap nearly wide enough to admit a man’s fist…and
something started flowing through it.

Blue fired his blaster, but the tentacle
slithering through the crack seemed to simply absorb the shots.
Actually, it avoided them: Its substance parted, only to ooze back
together. And the Kiuyian was getting in
.

Blue snarled and grabbed the tentacle with
his bare hand. It writhed, clearly in pain, and Xera realized what
was going on: it was being hit with intense cold. Blue was freezing
it with his bionic arm.

A screaming noise came from the other side
of the door. The tentacle turned white with frost, stiffened and
broke. The shattered fragment dropped to the floor with a
clack
. Its inside was pink with ice and frozen solid. The
shifter howled.

Xera didn’t know how injuries affected
Kiuyians, but she hoped their enemy had just lost his hand. There
was the sound of running, which quickly faded away. She wasn’t
eager to chase after it, no matter what.

A voice came from the communicator, and Xera
recognized it now: Azor. “We’re on the ground,” he said. “We’re
tracking him.”

“What about our guys outside? Can they get
to him?” Blue asked.

“They’re dead,” came the reply. “He got to
them.”

Xera’s mouth dropped open. She stared at
Blue.

He took the communicator from her. “We
clearly underestimated our opponent.”

“You think?” Xera muttered.

Blue gave her a hard glare. “I need to open
the door. Zsak might need me,” he said.

If Zsak wasn’t dead. Xera was more than
aware of the possibility.

Blue tried pulling on the door but the steel
was hopelessly warped. Thankfully, his augmented fist was stronger
than the shifter’s flesh, and Blue managed to punch through. But
neither the door nor his hand looked too good afterward.

“Bring your sister,” he grunted when he was
finished and they could pass through. “Easy with her shoulder.”

Xera and Gem followed closely behind Blue
and could only see his back, but it was clear when his footsteps
slowed that he’d come upon something. Xera glanced forward and saw
blood sprayed all over the walls.

Blue stopped and turned, his face white.
“Wait here,” he said, his voice strained. “You don’t need to see
this.”

Gem placed her good hand on his shoulder.
“Blue?”

“It’s okay,” he said gruffly.

But it wasn’t. Xera’s throat hurt as she
watched him walk to Zsak’s fallen body. His right arm had been
ripped off at the shoulder. Zsak wasn’t moving. There was so much
damage, and for what? Was any revenge worth this kind of
carnage?

Blue knelt and felt his friend’s neck. A
look of surprise and impossible hope crossed his face. “He’s
alive!”

Azor might have been late to the party, but
his medics had impeccable timing. They were suddenly there, in the
ship and helping, and they took over, shoving everyone else out of
the way. Grateful for their help and smart enough to leave them to
it, Blue escorted the women outside to where Azor was working.

He didn’t waste time with pleasantries.
“Azor? I want the women out of here now. Someplace safe.”

“Yes. They’re going to my ship.” Azor
gestured to two men. “Yiu, Pelig, take five men and escort these
women to my ship. Their sister is eager to see them.”

“Brandy’s here?” Gem asked, perking up. She
still seemed a bit groggy.

“I’d like to help,” Xera put in.

“No,” Azor snapped. His voice rang with
authority. He turned his attention to Blue then, and it was obvious
by the look the men shared that he’d heard about Zsak. Azor looked
grim. “Let’s get him,” he said.

“Brandy!” Gem lit up when she saw her
sister. Brandy looked a hundred times better than she had the last
time they’d visited. There was color in her skin and her bones were
knitting nicely. She still couldn’t walk easily, however, and used
a wheelchair to help her travel.

In spite of this, she was well able to give
them grief over their disguises. “Hookers?” she demanded, and there
was a sparkle in her eye as she spoke. “You let them disguise you
as prostitutes?”

“It was Zsak’s idea,” Gem said, but her
smile faded almost immediately. “He’s been hurt.”

“Looks like you have, too,” Brandy noted,
glancing at Gem’s left arm and shoulder. “What’s happening?”

Xera quickly filled her in. “And now they’re
out hunting for the Kiuyian.” She glanced toward the big window in
the galley, as if it could offer any kind of useful view.

Gem could practically read her sister’s
thoughts. Xera wanted to be one of the hunters.

To distract her, she said, “Why don’t we go
down to the sick bay and see if they can tell us anything about
Zsak? I’m sure they’re still working on him, but I’d like to be
there when he wakes up. We owe him.”

“Yeah,” Xera agreed. “Besides, we can catch
up there as easily as here. I just wish they’d let us know what was
happening!”

“Don’t worry,” Gem assured her. “Blue’s not
going to let this creep get away. First he attacked me and now he’s
seriously hurt Zsak. The man can’t run forever, but he’ll wish he
had.”

Blue glanced at the blood trace on the
rocks. The Kiuyian was hurt badly, but he hadn’t collapsed yet.
They were using infrared to track his movements, and he was proving
slippery. The bastard.

“It would help if he’d stop shifting,” Blue
muttered.

Azor studied their equipment’s readouts. “He
can’t keep this up forever. He’s been shifting too much, too fast;
he’s probably panicked. Even if he’s tripping on drugs he’ll run
out of energy soon. When that happens, he’ll be trapped in his
natural form.”

“You don’t think he’ll try to fly out?”

“He’s smart enough to know he can’t leave
this rock by wing unless he wants to be shot out of the air. If I
didn’t want to bring him in alive, he would have been fried long
ago. We’re stationed in just the right spot.”

The Kiuyian alternated between flying as a
reptile and running on four legs to evade them. So far they haven’t
gotten close enough for a stun shot, but they would soon. They’d
herded him close to the rim of the island and cut off his escape
from the edge. He was now dead center in their circle, and that
circle was growing smaller.

“
There.”
Blue’s bionic eyes zoomed in
and found the Kiuyian’s location. In the form of a hunting cat, the
killer had stopped running and now just stood there panting. He
stared back at Blue as if defying anyone to get closer. Slowly,
reluctantly, his form shifted back. He was again a humanoid; and
exhausted, visibly shaking.

Azor smiled. “Stun him.”

Blue was happy to oblige. One shot, and the
shifter was on the ground, beamed into unconsciousness. “Pity,”
Blue commented. “I’d hoped he’d put up more of a fight.”

Azor watched his men move forward with
restraints. Specially designed, they’d mold themselves to any form
this prisoner tried to take. There would be no escape, not even for
a Kiuyian. “He killed your team and ripped off Zsak’s arm. I’m not
about to chance anyone else’s life,” Azor vowed.

Unfortunately, his oath was impotent. As his
men reached the body there was a sudden flash of light. The blaze
grew in intensity until it was too brilliant to look at, then
gradually faded away. In seconds, both the Kiuyian’s body and those
of three of Azor’s men were dust.

Blue blinked as his eyes adjusted, then
stared at the empty space. The Kiuyian had been wearing a bomb.

Azor cursed and wiped his own watering eyes.
“I should have expected that,” he muttered. Frustration darkened
his face, but there was nothing he could do; his men were dead. He
stared a moment; then his jaw tightened. “Well, it’s finished.
There’s nothing more we can do.”

His remaining men gave him unhappy looks but
didn’t protest. They all knew the risks of the job.

Suddenly, Blue was very tired. His shoulder
ached more than ever. “At least I can tell the women they’re safe.
They’re finally free to return home.”

“Yes. They can go back to business as
usual.” Azor seemed pensive, a rare thing for him, at least in
Blue’s experience. He glanced over at Blue and realized he was
being watched, and all trace of emotion disappeared. “Let’s go tell
them.”

Chapter 18

“Finally,” Gem said wearily. She seemed as
spent as Blue looked. “We can go home.”

“No more hooker hair,” Xera agreed with
relief. “I can finally get back to the academy.”

Brandy didn’t say anything. She slanted a
look at Azor and glanced away. She was the first to leave the
waiting room.

Zsak was still sleeping. He was alive. The
surgeons had reattached his arm and treated him for a mild
concussion as well. With time he’d be just fine, but maybe not so
quick to take on a Kiuyian solo. The whole incident made Blue
wonder what Azor would be like if he ever used his ability on the
job.

Azor was very private about his heritage. To
Blue’s knowledge, he’d never shifted while on duty. After seeing
the possibilities, he wondered why. The man’s abilities could be a
real asset in the right setting. Then again, they all had
hang-ups.

Blue hadn’t thought twice about freezing the
Kiuyian assassin and punching through the door, but now he looked
at his battered hand and wondered what Gem thought of his robotic
arm. She’d known about it, of course, but it was one thing to know
someone had mechanical parts and another to see the proof. He hoped
it didn’t negatively affect her opinion of him.

It
felt
like a real hand. He flexed,
marveling that the sensations were every bit as good as those of
true flesh and bone. It had hurt to hammer away at the door, but
instead of a bloodied hand his false skin had now curled back to
expose a metal skeleton, gears and wire. Even now, the
nanotechnology of his hand was repairing the “tissue.” In a couple
of days he would be good as new.

He’d seen Gem glance at it, but she hadn’t
said anything and her face gave nothing away. No, he hoped she
wasn’t repulsed, and he would give her the benefit of the doubt.
And he couldn’t wait to show her how functional the hand was when
they first made love.

He was going to marry her, he’d decided.
This was no time to ask, of course. Everything was still unsettled,
and she was still in pain from her shoulder wound. He’d like to
make sure the pain meds weren’t interfering with her reasoning when
they talked. And they could use a little more courting time. She’d
just begun to thaw when all this had hit.

Also, there was her family and their
situation. Brandy had cut a deal with the cops to spill everything
she knew about Jean Luc, but she still needed to serve her
sentence. He couldn’t see Gem planning a wedding while she was
still growing accustomed to that situation. And then there was
Xera. She’d want to leave for the academy ASAP, which would be a
problem if Gem wanted her to be at the marriage ceremony in person.
It had taken a court order to get the girl home last time. Once
they had complete hold of her, the GE wouldn’t give her any leave
for at least six months.

Blue’s impatience built just thinking about
things. He’d have to talk with Xera, see what her priorities were.
It would be awkward, sharing his intentions when he hadn’t spoken
with Gem, but sometimes a man had to bend the rules.

There was no time tonight, sadly. They all
needed sleep, and he still had a report to write. The ship was
heading back to Gem’s home island, and in the morning they would be
at The Spark. He hoped he’d think of a way to stay by then, because
he didn’t want to leave Gem again.

Ever.

“Xera, can I talk to you for a moment?”

It was early in the morning and they’d just
filed into The Spark
.
Xera nodded and followed him curiously
into the garden. Blue glanced around, then studied her as they
walked the path. “I’m going to ask your sister to marry me.”

She halted, clearly surprised by his abrupt
announcement. “Now?” she said cautiously, but she didn’t look
upset.

He crossed his arms and, out of habit,
scanned the dirt paths with his eyes. “I haven’t asked yet. I
wouldn’t mention it to you first, but you’re gung ho to leave.”

She gave him a confused look.

“She might want you here for the
wedding.”

“Oh.” Xera blew out a breath and looked out
over the garden. “How long do you think it will take?”

“You tell me. Think she’ll say yes?”

Xera narrowed her eyes, thinking.
“Eventually, sure. You’ll wear her down. She won’t want to say yes
right away, though, when she’s still unsettled. This is a lot to
throw at her.”

“I know. I’d rather not wait if I can help
it, though.”

Xera grinned. “Afraid she’ll find something
better?”

“Something like that,” he admitted
ruefully.

“Ah, the eager suitor,” she mocked, but it
was good-natured. “I’ll help, but it’s going to cost you.”

“How much?” he asked. She could rake him
over the coals with this and probably knew it, and he would likely
pay any sum, but he doubted she’d ask for money. More likely, she’d
extract blood.

She considered him. “I’ve noticed you
working out; you’re good. Of course, I’d expect that from someone
who was special ops. I’d like to learn whatever you have to teach.
It’s bound to come in handy with the Galactic Explorers. In return,
I’ll do whatever I can to speed my sister to the chapel.”