By now the initial neural burst had faded away, though a tremendous buzzing remained in Eve’s head, making it impossible to resist. At several points she was slammed against either wall of the alleyway, leading to even more disorientation, as well as several ugly gashes on her arms and legs. Finally, as the alley opened up into a larger area between two buildings, the Rezident threw Eve down to the ground entirely, her chin furrowing painfully into the rocky pavement.
Three sets of legs stood before her. Looking up, Eve saw Peter between two Vextar agents. Her first love appeared impassive, nearly as devoid of feeling as the two professionals.
“And so it ends,” the Rezident snarled.
A foot connected with the side of Eve’s head. Further kicks propelled the TAIN operative onto her back, whereupon the Rezident’s enraged face seemed to block out the entire world.
“Not much luck for you, was there?” Drawing back slightly, the Rezident clicked her tongue. “Primary contact compromised and flipped. Then, when you try to deliver your message to the secondary contact, your gutless ex-boyfriend manages to screw that up as well.”
Unbidden, memories of Eve’s earlier life came to the fore, lying with Peter, naked, on the bank of a small stream in the woods after making love. His handsome face focused on her, talking of their future together. Eve’s parents had been so pleased at her first choice of boyfriend, inviting Peter over for Sunday brunch. Even as a teenager, she’d been so proud...
“Peter?” Eve cried out, reaching out for his foot. “Peter, how could you? I always thought...”
“You thought what, my dear?” Another brutal blow from the Rezident left Eve gasping in pain. “That your old screw would sacrifice himself to protect you?” Laughing, she now bent down to look her victim in the eye. “How disappointing. I thought TAIN would send a more worthy adversary than some love sick child.”
Of course, the Rezident was correct. Faded, worthless memories were swept aside by the stern faces of her TAIN instructors. “Fuck you, bitch!” Eve muttered. Then, rage bursting forth, she looked up at Peter. “And fuck you, you dirty stinking snake!”
“No one told you to come back here, Eve.” Peter shrugged. “We all do what we have to.”
“That’s exactly right, Peter.” Smiling, the Rezident grabbed Eve’s hair, yanking her head up to face her. “And now, you have to give me your package.”
“Fuck you!” Eve snarled.
“Hmmm.” Making a great show of considering Eve’s response, the Rezident now slowly shook her head. “That’s not the answer I was looking for.”
A sharp nod brought one of Peter’s guards down on top of Eve’s back, straddling her. Nearly crushed by the man’s tremendous bulk, Eve could only cry out as her right arm was twisted up nearly behind her head.
“Now, Eve,” the Vextar woman began, bending down once more. “There’s nowhere to run, no way to fight. Give me the package, and I’ll see what can be done...”
Intent as she was on the vanquished TAIN courier, it took a moment for the Rezident to realize there was something going on to her left. Glancing up, she saw Peter struggling with the second guard, the two of them pushed up against the wall. Intent on the action taking place with Eve, the Vextar guard had been clearly surprised by the Rydian turncoat.
God, you just never knew about these people, the Rezident thought. Here Peter was, having sold out his girlfriend for the second time in a week, now fighting a hopeless battle to save her.
Who knows? The Rezident had a softer side. Peter might have even made it out of this alive. Though, in truth, she probably wouldn’t have been able to resist the urge to just blow a hole in his pompous head before blasting off from Cenedia.
But now the die was clearly cast. Motioning Eve’s guard to stay where he was on her back, the Rezident pulled out her pistol, waiting for a clear shot.
Disoriented and in pain, face still shoved into the ground, Eve’s attention was also drawn to the legs of the now-fighting figures. Through her blood-streaked vision, she saw one combatant take out the other’s legs, both of them tumbling to the ground. The TAIN courier thought of one them must be Peter, but she couldn’t be certain amid the hopeless jumble of arms and legs.
Eve then heard the distinct whine of a laser pistol, a bright, glowing hole appearing in the back of the man’s head closest to her. A second bolt lashed out, Eve’s personal captor falling off to one side with a surprised grunt.
Leaping back against the wall, the Rezident dodged the third shot from down the alley, then another from a surrounding rooftop. Instantly, she realized Peter had set her up.
“You Rydian son of a whore!” the Rezident yelled, leveling her own weapon at Eve’s first love.
Several more shafts of light ripped into the Rezident's body at once. Gun clattering to the pavement, the Vextar leader then crumpled to the ground.
Confused and in pain, Eve knew it was time to run again. Staggering to her feet, she barely had time to scoop up the Rezident’s fallen weapon before finding herself enveloped in a tremendous hug. Still not herself, Eve was unable to prevent her newest assailant from tumbling down on top of her.
“Eve, thank God you’re all right!” Flat on her back once again, Eve stared up into Peter’s wild, tear stained face. “You’re so brave! And talented! My God...”
“You traitor!” Pressing the gun against Peter’s temple, it took all Eve’s self-control not to pull the trigger. “You’re going to tell me everything you gave to them before I kill you!”
“Drop it! Now!” Suddenly, two laser rifles were pointed down at Eve’s face, one to either side.
“Eve, please! It’s over.” Peter made no attempt to pull up, staring fully into her eyes. “You’re among friends now.”
“Friends?” she spat out, the gun never wavering. “You’re Gandian loving filth! Peter, how could you?”
“Drop it now, or we’ll shoot!” One of the two rifles jabbed her in the shoulder.
“Wait!” Peter slowly sat up, hands raised, Eve’s gun now orienting on his chest. “Stand down, Aaron.”
“What the fuck, Peter? She’s out of her mind...”
“I said stand down!” Peter’s tone of authority was unmistakable. The rifles dropped away.
“Now get off of me!” Breathing heavily, Eve jerked the gun barrel to one side.
“No, Eve.” Still resting lightly on Eve’s upper legs, Peter made no move to release her. “You’re going to listen to me.”
“I’ll shoot you, Peter!” Trying to sound fierce, Eve found herself becoming very tired. “I swear I will!”
“My love, you’ve suffered a nasty neural shock, and you aren’t thinking clearly.” Ignoring her weapon, Peter spoke calmly, soothingly. “Otherwise, you’d see that we’re on your side.”
“No!”
“All the Vextar agents are dead, brought down by our weapons,” he continued. “They can no longer hurt you.”
“But you were helping them!” Eve was finding it very difficult to hold the gun up. “You sold me out at the Contemplar!”
“I’ve been a double agent, Eve.” Ruefully, Peter tapped his head with a finger. “The Resistance developed an incredibly small, undetectable transmitter. Implanted in my head, the Resistance can hear and see everything that I do.”
God, how familiar he looked. Her Peter, gently smiling down at her. “I don’t understand!” she whined, letting her arms fall down.
Carefully, Peter now took the weapon from her drooping fingers. “Getting captured was easy enough, but we needed to give the Vextar something to verify my new allegiance, something that would allow me to stay on the inside.”
“But why me, Peter? How could you give me to them?”
“Oh, Eve.” Settling down beside her, Peter took his her head in his lap. “Yes, I told the Vextar the time and location of a meet in the Contemplar with an unknown TAIN courier. But for a very specific reason. The plan was to let the Vextar capture the courier, then the Resistance was going to ambush the Vextar team on the way from the Contemplar, releasing you and obtaining the message from the Terran Alliance. During the second assault, I would act as if I was fighting against the Resistance. Thus, we’d get TAIN’s message, protect the courier, and firmly establish my credibility as a Rydian defector.”
“What?” Somehow Eve still didn’t want to believe. “But I thought it was real!”
“I know, and your disdain hurt me more than you could know.” Stroking her hair, Peter sighed. “It was all very risky. And I had no idea it was you who’d be showing up. I was so shocked, in fact, that I managed to give it away.”
Yes, it felt right. Eve’s rage began seeping away. “Peter, I didn’t know.” Reaching up, she stroked his cheek. “You’re lucky they didn’t kill you.”
“They almost did.” Closing his eyes, Peter relished her touch. “But it all worked out in the end. You took care of the Contemplar contingent. And through my transmitter, the Resistance learned of what the Rezident was planning here on Cenedia.” Now he gave Aaron a hard look. “Though their timing could have been a bit better.”
“We were looking for you in the street, not this alleyway.” Aaron glanced up and down the narrow passage in either direction. “We’ve got to get moving, Peter. More could be on the way.”
“All too true, I’m afraid.” Helping Eve to her feet, Peter pointed down the way they had come. “Come on. There’s a safe house on the other side of town.”
“Is it really you?” Burying her head in his chest, Eve let the tears flow freely. “After all these years?”
“Oh, my love.” Peter held her close. “Didn’t you know? We were never apart.”
***
Disguised as a miner and his wife, Peter and Eve stood on the outskirts of Cenedia’s small spaceport.
The carnage in the Undarian alleyway was both three days and a lifetime ago. Recuperating in a small, dusty apartment, Peter had given her a complete overview of what he’d learned in the Resistance, while Eve had managed to impart much of the expertise she’d gleaned in TAIN.
Between professional sessions, however, they’d managed to catch up in a more personal fashion. It had been wonderful, yet their lovemaking also contained an air of quiet desperation.
On the evening of the second day, while lying in bed, Eve had finally brought things to a head. “Peter,” she said, head resting on his chest. “Come back with me.”
After the briefest of hesitations, Peter shook his head. “I can’t.”
“Why?”
“I’m needed here.”
“But Peter, the Vextar knows about you now. How could...”
“I’m going back under, Eve.”
Shocked, she’d sat up, staring down at him. “You’ve got to be kidding!”
“Why not?” Now sitting up himself, Peter leaned back against the wall. “We were attacked in the alley, I escaped, was almost killed when I approached my old Resistance friends, so the Vextar is my next best bet. Believe me, at this point, they’ll take any help they can get.”
“No, Peter!” Grabbing his arm, Eve found herself shaking. “It’s too dangerous! They might just kill you out of frustration.”
“They might,” he conceded. “But I doubt it.”
“And what about us?” Hating herself for taking this road, she nevertheless continued. “Peter, we’re together again, after all this time...”
“Eve,” he began. “If I returned with you to the Alliance, would you resign from TAIN?”
“No,” she conceded. “I couldn’t sit comfortably by while all of Ryda remained prisoner.”
“So you would fight the Gandians in your own fashion?”
“Yes. But Peter, we could still be...”
“Eve, I need to fight them in my fashion.” Jumping up, Peter paced across the small room, then back again. “There are people relying on me here, people who trust me. How can I just abandon them? How can I just leave them for the good life back on Earth?”
Eyes closed, Eve didn’t respond.
“The message?” Peter continued, referring to the capsule she’d taken from a special compartment surgically hidden in her left foot.
“Yes?”
“For obvious reasons, I won’t go into any details.” Just as he had done while under stress at the Contemplar, Peter ran a hand back through his hair. “But let’s just say I’m needed here more than ever.”
Great, Eve thought. The Terran Alliance was planning something big on Ryda, and was using the Resistance as front-line shock troops. “Then I’ll stay too.”
“No!” Grabbing her chin, Peter raised her face up to him. “You have a job to do as well. TAIN needs a full report from their field operative. They also need this.” Pulling something from his pocket, Peter dropped a message capsule in her lap. Peter’s reply to TAIN.
Hugging him around the waist, with Peter stroking her hair, they’d cried together for a very long time.
Now, at the moment of their parting before the spaceport, Eve turned to him. “Will I ever see you again?”
“Of course you will, my love.” Fixing his warm, comforting eyes on her, Peter smiled. “This war won’t last forever. And when it’s over, we’ll both be together forever. I promise.”
Touching hands briefly, he then walked off, fading away into the crowd without a backward glance.
Stunned, she had managed to find the captain of a Derwedian ore freighter. After uttering the agreed upon contact phrase, Eve found herself hidden in the storage bay of the Derwedian “neutral,” blasting off on her homeward voyage.
Once they were well clear of the last Gandian patrol vessels, Eve climbed up onto the main deck. Ryda’s time would come, of that she was certain. But for now, staring out into space, she could only watch as both the planet of her birth, and her dreams, faded away into the distance.
Also by Phil Stern
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