Artificial Absolutes (Jane Colt Book 1) (23 page)

Unable to cross the doorway without getting hit, he waited for the guns to overheat. They wouldn’t be able to sustain that kind of firepower for long. The blasts tore the wall beside him and grazed his shoulder. A searing pain shot through him. He quickly assessed his injury.

Surface bleeding, laser burn—hurts like hell, but I’ll be okay.

The shots stopped. Devin rushed down the stairs, praying that Jane hadn’t run into trouble while he’d been cut off.

He rounded a corner. Jane lay unconscious near a dead thug. Adam knelt beside her, aiming the handgun straight up at him. “Adam! It’s me!”

Adam lowered the gun and collapsed against the wall. Red stained his hands and clothing. Jane had traces of blood smeared across her face and shoulders, but she appeared uninjured.

Devin rushed down the rest of the stairs.

“You’re bleeding.” Adam sounded concerned.

“I’m fine.” Devin knelt beside Jane. “What happened?”

“She dropped the gun when she fell. He went straight for her, didn’t even look at me. She fainted after I…” Adam looked at the dead thug and didn’t finish.

Didn’t think he’d have it in him.
Devin silently thanked whatever gods might be listening that the kid wasn’t as maddeningly nice as he seemed. “You had no choice.” He gave the old line even though that kind of reasoning seldom did any good.

Adam glanced at Jane. “I’m sorry… I’ve been trying to wake her, but she won’t… She’s…”

Devin put a hand on Jane’s shoulder and shook her. “Jane!”

She remained limp.
Shit.

She’d seemed off since Viate-5. He should’ve disregarded her protests that she was fine. He should’ve… but there was no time for that. More Wrath Guards—or hacked robots—could attack at any moment.

“I’m sorry,” Adam said. “I don’t know what happened. She fell and… I’m sorry.”

The repetition sparked Devin’s impatience. “What the hell are you apologizing for?” He handed Adam the laser gun. “Shoot anything with a weapon.”

Adam took the gun. He stood and looked down at the body of the man he’d killed. He seemed shaken by the sight, but there was no sorrow or regret in his eyes, only a stony darkness Devin hadn’t thought possible on the kid’s gentle face.

Devin placed one arm under Jane’s back, the other under her knees, and scooped her up. He glimpsed a number on the wall.
Nineteen—two more levels.

Adam, with the laser gun in one hand and the handgun in the other, passed him on the way down the stairs. Aiming into the corridor on the level below, he fired upward several times. He destroyed the internal defenses even though they hadn’t activated. His shots were clumsy, and it was clear that he’d never held a weapon before that day. Devin was sure he’d get them all on blast volume alone.

“Clear!” Adam backed up against the doorframe and watched the corridor. He held the laser gun, which looked far too big for him, up at his shoulder. He kept the handgun ready at his side. The sight of the pretty-boy priest-in-training armed like a hit man was rather amusing.

Fast learner.

“One more level,” Devin said. “Then it’s straight across the square.”

Adam kept his eyes on the corridor. “Okay. By the way, this laser gun has unlimited ammunition, right?”

“Basically.”

“Good, because my aim’s
terrible
.”

“You’re doing great.”

Devin crossed the doorway. Adam passed him again, stopped at the next landing, and took out the internal defenses on that level.
He’s pretty calm for a first-timer.

They didn’t run into any trouble as they entered the deserted square. The shrieking alarms must have discouraged everyone but the Wrath Guards from being out in the open. Even they seemed to have quit, probably because their comrades had been gunned down by the very float they protected.

Madam Wrath’s glowering hologram shone in the center. It reminded Devin of how far No Name’s reach had to be if they’d been able to get past her guards and knock her out, then take control of her float. He’d never been more grateful to be on an old float whose many breakdowns and repairs had disconnected most of the doors from the central computer.

He crossed the square. “We’re docked at V-Two-Eight-Eight.”

Adam ran into the hatch-lined corridor ahead and fired at the internal defenses. Devin wondered why, if No Name was so determined to get rid of him, they hadn’t fired at Adam. Collateral damage clearly wasn’t an issue. They probably needed him alive.
They must need Sarah alive too.
That conclusion was something of a leap, but Devin didn’t care. He needed to think it:
I can still save her.

“Devin?” Jane blinked up at him.

“Hey, Pony, it’s okay.” He entered the docking corridor. “I’ve got you.”

Her gaze turned to his shoulder. “You’re hurt…”

“It’s nothing. Just looks bad. We’ll be out of here soon.”

“Put me down!” Jane’s protest sounded small and weak. “I mean it!”

“You passed out. I—”

“Stop treating me like a freaking princess and put me down already!”

“
Look out
!” Adam yelled.

Devin ducked and shielded his sister as blasts pierced the air above him. The shooting stopped. He looked back. A destroyed robot lay on the ground.

Jane took the opportunity to twist her way out of his grasp, giving him an annoyed look. She darted toward Adam. “Nice shooting.”

Adam looked surprised. “You’re awake!”

“Yup, and recharged. C’mon, slowpokes!” She raced down the corridor, then stopped and steadied herself against the wall.

Is she okay?

Footsteps approached from the square.

“Adam!” Devin called.

Adam hastily tossed him the laser gun.

Devin fired in the direction of the footsteps. Returned shots flew at him, but they all missed. Thugs shouted at each other. One of them yelled, “
Fuck this
!” The footsteps reversed and faded away.

Jane ran to V-288. She turned a large wheel at the hatch’s center, pulled a lever, and yanked the hatch open. As she and Adam entered the airtight tunnel, Devin blasted a few repair bots that stuck out from the vents. The Stargazer’s door creaked. Two giant guard bots rounded the corner. They were probably blast-resistant. He rushed into the tunnel as the bots opened fire.

By the time he reached the ship, Jane had already started up the engines.

“I’m in! Go!” He thrust the lever that shut the door and retracted the tunnel.

Devin entered the cockpit as Jane drove the ship toward the hangar’s exit. He didn’t have to tell her to move over; she got up and slid into the copilot’s seat. According to the tracking chart, several armed ships outside the hangar headed in their direction. He engaged lightspeed, a dangerous thing to do in such a crowded area. But without shields or a way to fire back, his only option was to run.

The Stargazer zoomed out of the float. It trembled as it scraped against another ship. The attackers matched speed. A few were in visual range. Devin wrenched the controls to avoid their fire. The Stargazer wasn’t nearly as maneuverable as the Blue Tang had been. Hit after hit impacted against the hull.

The ship came to an abrupt halt. An alarm buzzed as “unauthorized pilot” printed across the viewscreen.

“
What the hell
?” Devin put his hand on the scanner again. Nothing changed.

Jane sprang up. “My turn!”

Devin switched seats with her. They were doomed if they sat there. She pressed her hand against the scanner and hurriedly engaged lightspeed. The attackers, which had streaked past when the Stargazer stopped, doubled back.

Erratic.
That was the only word to describe what Jane did next as she flipped and swerved the Stargazer in no particular direction. She moved away from the interstellar tunnel she should have headed for to escape or toward the hostile ships she should have avoided. But it seemed to work. Whoever piloted or controlled the other ships couldn’t keep up with her antics. Several hit each other in the crossfire.

Devin was impressed. “Good job.”

“Thanks.” Jane’s head drooped. He realized that her seemingly brilliant flying wasn’t entirely due to her reflexes. She smiled tiredly. “I’m a better pilot when I’m woozy.”

Adam gripped the back of her seat for support. He remained silent, as if not wanting to get in the way. A look of pain crossed his face. He doubled over, clasping both forearms. The ship lurched, and he stumbled.

Devin rushed to catch him as he fell. “Still?”

Adam grabbed the back of Jane’s chair again. “It never quite stopped.”

Jane twisted the ship to avoid a torpedo. “What the
hell
did they do to you?” She wasn’t fast enough, and the missile hit the Stargazer’s roof. A sizable piece flew off the hull and crashed into an oncoming attacker.

She gasped. “What was that?”

Devin returned to the copilot’s seat. “Solar panel.”

“
What
?” Jane yanked the controls.
“Are we gonna lose power and die?”

Devin checked the ship’s status on the control screen. “No, the other one’s all right.”

“Okay, so as long as we don’t lose that one too or get hit by a missile and explode, we’re good, right?”

“Yeah.”

Jane flipped the ship again, narrowly avoiding collision with a Barracuda, which crashed into another ship that careened from the opposite direction. Both ships burst into an eruption of flaming debris.

Devin glanced at the tracking chart. The remaining pursuers were out of visual range, heading for the interstellar tunnel.

Don’t be predictable
. “Jane, fly back toward the float.”

“Huh?” Jane’s face lit up. “Oh. Good idea.”

She veered the ship. Her hands shook, causing the Stargazer to zigzag.

Her apparent weakness troubled Devin. “Engage autopilot.”

“Okay.” After pressing the necessary controls, Jane collapsed into the back of her chair. She tugged at one of her sleeves, then looked up at Adam. “Sorry about all the craziness. You okay back there?”

“I’m all right.” Adam appeared shell-shocked, his eyes wide and his voice quivery. “Nice flying.”

“Thanks.”

Devin’s slate beeped. He pulled it out of his pocket and unfolded it.

Corsair: Real ghosts? I believe in them, funny things.

Archangel: What?

Corsair: Like that unnamed murderer. Either dark blue or computerized. Yeah. What a scary bunch that guy was involved in. I think. Nastiest, really. Kind of ghost, that is. Like, he could be anywhere or anything. Eh, that’s my opinion. Please understand. Living with the opposite of my first swim’s teacher is hard—you know, the famous one.

Archangel: You’re not making any sense.

Corsair: Eh. Coming clean here. Kind of hard to admit the truth about ghosts.

Archangel: What are you talking about?

Corsair: Stop. First. I want you to help me as you did back when you were your own opposite. Figure it out. Don’t talk to me until you have.

Was Corsair trying to send a message? Or was he simply babbling under the influence of alcohol or something? Devin had planned to tell Corsair about the computer chip he’d taken from the deep blue machine.
Doesn’t seem like a good idea right now.

Jane peered at the slate. “What’d he say?”

“No clue.” Devin folded the slate. “Tell the ship to keep going like this for about three hours, then have it turn around and head toward the tunnel. That should give them enough time to give up on us.”

“Okay.” Jane programmed the autopilot. When she finished, she slumped onto the control panel and buried her face in the crook of her elbow.

“Hey, Pony—”

“I’m tired, that’s all.” She turned to him, resting her head on her arm as though too tired to lift it. “I know this is our third big getaway and all, but I’m still not used to having to run for my life like I’m in a freaking holodrama.”

“I’m taking you to an IC hospital as soon as we’re out of here.”

Jane bolted up. “
Like hell
! You know we can’t go anywhere near the IC! What about Dad? What about Sarah? What about
justice
, Devin? You know the
system’s
not gonna sort it out for us! I’m telling you, I’m
fine
. Sorry I’m not a tough guy like you, but that’s no reason to act like I’m some fragile ninny.”

“You fainted.”

“I got knocked out, you idiot. In case you didn’t notice, I fell down the stairs.”

Adam reached forward and felt her forehead.

Jane raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Temperature’s normal,” Adam said. “Still, you really should get some rest. You’ve been through a lot.”

She groaned. “Not you too!”

“I’m just worried about you. You really scared me back there.”

Jane looked up at Adam and smiled sweetly.
Too sweetly.
Devin turned away with a mental grumble. “Adam, I… um… wanted to say thanks. For saving my life. I was surprised when you shot that thug. I mean… I never thought you could… you know?”

“I did what I had to.” Adam’s voice was almost a whisper. He paused, and then continued in what sounded like an attempt at offhandedness, “I’m just glad I hit him, because unlike your brother, I have the shooting skills of a repair bot.”

“Hey, it worked, didn’t it? We can’t all have super mercenary skills. Speaking of which, Devin? Where’d you learn to do all that?”

Devin turned. His sister brimmed with unasked questions.
Might as well come clean about some things.

“I got mixed up in a… gang… back at university. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. They taught me some of their tricks, and I helped them with some of their jobs. After I found out who they really were, I tried to leave, but they have their ways of keeping a person around.”

Jane leaned toward him. “Is that where you were after Mom was assassinated? When you disappeared for all those months?”

Devin nodded and told her he’d become an informant for ISARK, the Intelligence and Security Agency of the Republic of Kydera. “That’s how I got out. They gave me immunity in exchange for my help in taking down the bad guys.”

“Whoa.” Jane looked surprised, but mostly impressed. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“Didn’t seem relevant.” The agonizing guilt Devin always felt when he thought about what he’d done seeped into his mind.

Jane looked as though she had more to ask, but she didn’t pursue her questions. “That’s pretty awesome. So my brother’s a super-spy.”

“If you say so.” Devin noticed the color had drained from her face. “The autopilot’s set, so you can—”

“I’m
fine
.”

“Please, Jane,” Adam said. “I think—”

“Will you guys stop being paranoid?” Jane looked at Adam, then at Devin. “I can’t fight you both. I guess you can’t take me anywhere I don’t want you to anyway, now that the computer’s befuddled.”

She got up slowly and walked toward the door, holding the wall for support. Adam tried to help her.

Jane shook her head. “I’m fine. Really. You two behave.” She left the cockpit.

Adam stared after her, his eyes betraying a kind of longing Devin recognized and knew too well.
So another one’s fallen for Jane. I wonder how long he’ll last.
He put his focus on his slate.