Space Wrangler (32 page)

And now the monster was awaiting her answer, so she said with a sniff, “Marrying TJ
is
my heart's desire, but like you said, he needs to grieve. So we'll let him bang a few more bio-girls, then when he's ready, I'll marry him.”

The monster burst out laughing. “Well said! You might make a decent daughter-in-law after all.” Striding to the doorway, he seemed ready to leave without another word. Then he turned, his tone philosophical. “I made one mistake in all this. You might be the only person in the world who can appreciate the irony of it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I should have taken Roberto's daughter for myself. Gotten her pregnant with a new and better son of my own, instead of settling for a grandson.” He paused to enjoy Gabby's horrified gasp, then continued. “She was right there. Ripe for the taking. In my
bed.
” He chuckled malevolently. “My fucking bed, no pun intended. That was an omen, don't you think? How did I miss it?”

Gabby stared, chilled to the bone. She had called him a monster, but until this very moment, hadn't seen it firsthand in all its fiendish glory.

And despite her many regrets, she now knew it was a
good
thing if Alexia Montoya was dead in the sinkhole and thus beyond the reach of this abomination forever.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Rick held Alexia's sleeping body, marveling at the silky softness. The intimacy. Ever since her ordeal in the Titan's leg, she had craved contact so much, she invariably had one arm looped over him, one leg crossing his, and often, as now, her free hand atop his head so her fingers could mesh with his hair.

Had she always been so tactile? Or did the Titan drive her to it?

Thinking back, he remembered that first evening in TJ's penthouse. Hadn't she insisted she wanted to touch a Titan even then? And with an ungloved hand no less.

And she had touched Rick's hand several times during dinner, enticing him with every word, every laugh, every gesture.

And again, after the Titan viewing, when they had spent that long, luxurious night together in David Seaton's penthouse, they had both been insatiable. Not that that was unusual. Sex at its very essence was tactile. Skin on skin, vibration on vibration, hot wet lushness and hard-core need, colliding wildly.

Get a grip
, he advised himself with a silent laugh.
It was great, yeah. But was it so different than other times? Other girls?

The answer was a resounding “yes”. This girl was different. Unique.

Almost worth it.

Deep down inside, he had known he'd want a woman of his own someday. He would tire of bio-girls. Yearn for a deeper, truer connection. And when that day arrived, he would find a female who would accept his lifestyle without question. In fact, she would prefer it. Spending months on end in the outer sectors. Chasing comets, wrangling thugs, reveling in the vastness. She wouldn't just do it for him. She would want it for herself.

Instead, he had hooked up with Alexia Montoya.

Unbelievable.

Slipping out of the bunk, taking care not to disturb her, he pulled on his flight suit and headed for the control room. At times like this, he could always count on Sensie to distract him. Sure, things were a little more complicated now that his computer and his girlfriend shared brain patterns, but she was still his best friend, wasn't she?

Settling into his command chair, he said softly, “Sensie?”

“Yes, Captain?”

He posed a question that was hopefully harmless. “Any new theories on the behemoth? What was he guarding? We already thought about a super-thug protecting a super-infodroid, or a swarm of them, but we don't really believe that, do we? And if not, then what?”

“I have no new theories, Captain,” she assured him. “I can only evaluate the available data, which is inconclusive.”

“But if you had to guess?”

“I do not guess.”

He grinned. Some things never changed, and he had begun to appreciate that. “Okay, so we have two other working theories. Either the Destroyers had some hugely important research project in that sector. Or there is another phenomenon, like a second sinkhole.”

“You sound like Alexia,” Sensie told him sharply. “A second sinkhole makes no sense. And if there were something in that sector of import, I would have identified it with my sensors. So your theories are incorrect.”

“Then why did they need such a huge thug?”

“I cannot know.”

“Fine. Based on your inconclusive data, what are the possibilities?”

She was silent for a moment, then said grudgingly, “We know the Destroyers used thugs to protect their creations, such as the Titans and the infodroids. And we know the thug in question was oversized. More than required to protect any infodroid. And the likelihood of a super-infodroid? That is negligible. Their strength is in their quickness. Their numbers. Their ability to disperse.”

Rick nodded, impressed. It made sense, didn't it? Why create one super-nymph when a cloud of them could be so much more effective, both in gathering data and evading capture?

“Got it,” he told Sensie. “What else do we know?”

“We know with reasonable certainty that the Destroyers annihilated their own accomplishments. And so I would speculate that they built something in that sector, and then destroyed it. But as was their habit, they did not bother destroying the associated thug. And so the behemoth remained, huge but ultimately protecting nothing.”

“So they built something. But it's not there anymore,” he murmured. “But in its day, it was amazing?”

“Amazing is a relative word,” she reminded him. “I do not wish to bruise your ego, but if they built something truly revolutionary in that sector, they would have guarded it with more than one thug.”

“My ego?”

“You were heroic in your battle against the behemoth,” she insisted, her tone vaguely patronizing. “But the Destroyers would not have consigned a great creation to the protection of a thug that could be overcome by a single mortal, even if the mortal was a brave and strong warrior who was assisted by a sentient and a fully-armed vessel.”

He had to laugh at the putdown. A mortal. Was that how Sensie saw him?

And wasn't she correct?

“I'm going to bed,” he announced. “This mortal body needs some sleep.”

“I agree, Captain. And you must look at the bright side.”

“Meaning?”

“If I am correct, there should be debris in that sector that we cannot otherwise explain. Filled with bio-metal, and thus valuable in its own right. But also containing clues to the technological accomplishment that was annihilated so long ago.”

“You're right,” he told her gratefully. “That should be our next stop. After we get Alexia through the sinkhole and rescue the others.”

“Assuming you survive all of that,” she agreed.

He burst out laughing. “Because
you'll
survive regardless? Because unlike me, you're
im
mortal? That's what you're saying?”

“My existence would have no meaning. But yes, oddly enough, I would survive.”

He winced. “Sorry, Sensie. I didn't mean to joke about it. And don't worry. I plan to survive just fine.”

“That is good news, Captain.”

He nodded. “Good night, Sensie.”

“Good night, Captain.”

He took a deep breath, concerned for the first time about what would happen to his sentient—his companion—if he didn't survive. As long as Alexia made it through the sinkhole to Earth, she'd make sure Sensie didn't fall into the wrong hands. But what if Alexia didn't make it either?

She'll be fine. We'll all be fine
, he promised himself.
You're trained to survive, remember? And this time, you're not leaving anyone behind.

Wandering back to his bunk, he shed his flight suit, then slipped under the covers next to Alexia. Predictably, she molded against him within seconds.

“Hey, cowboy,” she murmured, more than half asleep. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it's all good.” He nuzzled her warm, bare shoulder. “Remember the day we met?”

“I'll never forget it.”

“Me either.” He kissed her neck. “You love being touched, don't you? And you were that way from the start. It didn't just start in the Titan leg, did it?”

Her amber eyes opened, and she smiled in delight. “I'm pretty sure
you
started it, Captain Gage. With that sexy jacket of yours. I saw you in that buckskin, and I wanted to reach out and stroke it. And actually…” She gave him a sleepy smile. “I think I did.”

The suggestion startled him. “You're saying all this is
my
fault?”

“Are you complaining?”

“Never.” He cleared his throat. “It's almost time to get in the ACTs, Alexia. Do you need to hydrate first?”

She snuggled closer. “We haven't strategized yet. For one thing, we can't just stroll into Sea-Mont headquarters together. Even if I'm disguised, it would draw too much attention.”

“Let's hope the sinkhole is open and the smugglers get you back to Earth.”

Her eyes clouded. “You really want that?”

“Yes.”

She stared for a moment, then gave a weary sigh. “I know I could help you. But you're right. I need to get to Trent's counterpart at NASA. So he can solve all these mysteries. If only he had embedded himself in the Sea-Mont Prototype instead.”

Rick cleared his throat again, this time because he didn't trust himself to reply. And to his surprise, Sensie didn't jump in either.

That could mean anything, couldn't it? But he had a feeling it meant Sensie was miles ahead of him. As always.

So shouldn't they clue Alexia in?

Alexia waited as her question hung in the air. She hadn't meant anything by it. Just stating the obvious, right? So why did Rick look so guilty? And where was Sensie, who usually loved to fill these silences with half-baked observations disguised as wisdom?

So she challenged them carefully. “What? You don't think Trent's brain map is at NASA either?”

Again they were silent.

“Rick?”

He arched a frustrated eyebrow. “I hate to say this. Because I'm sure I'm wrong. And you'll go crazy.”

She had no idea what he was getting at, but still her pulse quickened. “Tell me.”

“It's rampant speculation. Completely unfounded in science, that's for sure.”

Alexia bit back a laugh. “Okay. I promise I won't go crazy. Just tell me.”

His expression grew wistful. “Remember what you said about the Sea-Mont sentient? How he was harsh with you? Almost a bully?”

She nodded. “He was a jerk, actually.”

“And computers aren't generally jerks. Or bullies. But big brothers are. At least sometimes, or so I'm told.” His green eyes blazed. “I never had a sister. But if I did. And if I thought she was throwing her life away on a hopeless quest…”

She stared at him for a moment, then his point came crashing home and she flung her arms around his neck. “Oh my God, you're right! It's
so
Trent. Always thinking he knows best.” Covering his face with kisses, she said again and again, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“It doesn't change anything—”

“It changes
every
thing. He's our secret weapon. He won't let David kill me. He'll help us find Zeke and Gabby. He'll open the sinkhole for us.” Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. “He's so stubborn. So sure he's right. He would never help me find
him
. But he'll save
me
. Save us. Because he's Trent. My brother.” She sobbed against Rick's chest. “Of all the things you've done for me, this…this…”

“Okay, beautiful,” he soothed her, patting her hair. “Just remember, we're not sure yet.”

“We're sure,” she said, peeking up at the monitor. “Sensie?”

“We are sure,” the computer agreed in a hushed voice. “And Alexia is correct, Captain. We are forever in your debt.”

It didn't take long for Alexia to convince Rick that she herself was his secret weapon for saving their friends. She would confront the Sea-Mont sentient and explain her life was in danger. His big-brother routine would morph into protective action and he'd open the sinkhole, provide coordinates and escape routes for helping Zeke and Gabby, and get them all safely off the platform.

All Rick had to do was get Alexia onto the platform and into the Sea-Mont lobby, where he could incapacitate the guard, go to the fifth floor to take TJ hostage, then force him to take them to the sentient.

At that point, the sentient would either cooperate with his baby sister or Rick would revert to his original plan—blasting his way through the platform with TJ as his hostage while Sensie laid down fire to draw attention from the rescue.

Zeke had included a second bio-girl outfit in the bundle of clothes in the Titan's leg, so the plan came together quickly. Alexia would wear the sexy white tube dress and knee-high white boots, along with the same blonde wig as before, but trimmed into a short sassy cut, and saunter across the platform. Everyone thought Alexia Montoya was dead, so they presumably wouldn't scrutinize her too closely. She didn't dare walk with Rick, because he might be on some sort of secret watch list, so she would lag behind him. That way he could reach the lobby first and do a number on the guard.

“We could use more intel,” she told Rick briskly. “So maybe you should go to the Trading Post first. Try to find Lana. She'll have all the latest rumors for sure. I'll wait a while before I leave the ship.”

“It could work,” he agreed. “You'll be wearing a dummy pulse band, but if you carry the beacon, you can signal me if something goes wrong and I can be there in seconds.”

“Yay for the beacon. Romantic
and
practical.”

“It's okay,” he assured her with a sheepish grin. “I'm over it.”

“And you should carry a
second
beacon, Captain,” Sensie reminded him. “To signal
me
if I need to fire on the platform.”

“Good idea. If they arrest me, they'll take my pulse band first thing, so that's out. I'll hide the beacons in my boot.”

“I'll hide mine in my boot too,” Alexia said. “What about weapons?”

“I'll be armed. They're used to seeing me that way. And I have a little two-fer gun you can stick in your other boot just in case. It's not worth much, but if they confiscate mine, you can slip it to me.”

“Or I'll just blast them with it.”

He arched a teasing eyebrow. “Who's in charge of this mission?”

“You are, sir.”

“Don't forget it.” A shadow crossed his face. “I might need to shoot TJ at some point. Can you handle that?”

“Please don't. He's as much a victim as any of us.” When Rick scowled, she amended her request. “If you need to injure him, okay. Just don't kill him. He's family to me. He always will be.”

“Too bad the feelings aren't mutual,” he began. Then he shrugged. “Whatever you say. And let's hope we get in and out without shooting anybody at all.”