"Good. I'm glad we understand one another." He leaned close to the door again and, hearing nothing, opened it. The hallway was still clear.
With Nicoli taking the lead, they stepped out, closing the door behind them. At the end of the hall, Nicoli located the lift and they took it up one flight.
The doors opened onto another long hallway with a door at the end. Nicoli supposed this was the way he’d been brought into the building. Without getting out of the lift, Nicoli let the doors close and punched the button to take them up to the next level.
This time when the doors opened, they were looking into a grand foyer filled with robed Harvesters. Some stood around talking while others merely crossed the foyer on their way to other destinations. Nicoli grabbed Kiera’s arm and escorted her off. No one paid them any attention. With the robes on they looked like everyone else. It was the perfect disguise – until someone engaged them in conversation.
“Now what?” Keira whispered.
Nicoli looked around. From this perspective, the building seemed to be shaped like a wagon wheel with this foyer as the central hub and hallways radiating off of it like spokes. Before he left the building, Nicoli was determined to explore every one of them.
“Let’s see what’s down here.”
He crossed the short distance to the nearest hallway. It seemed heavily populated, but no one stopped them as they started down it.
Reaching the end without incident, they stepped through the only door and stopped abruptly. Stretching out for what seemed like kilometers were rows upon rows of plants.
“Food," Kiera said, having drawn the same conclusion he had.
"Probably.” He stepped up to the nearest plant and grabbed a handful of soil. “But they’re not planted in dirt. I don’t know what this is, but it's synthetic."
Kiera looked around. “They seem to be thriving."
"Yes, interesting. Wait here.” He started down one row, not sure what he was looking for. After several steps, he heard a light hissing noise coming from further inside the room. He followed the sound until he stepped into a cool mist.
Not everywhere, of course. Just in this one section. Looking up, Nicoli saw the source of the water; it was the pipes running along the ceiling. He visually traced them to their point of origin – a large metal regulator lodged in the wall. One of the lights on the front was lit.
Even as Nicoli studied it, the light went out and the mist stopped. A second light came on and Nicoli heard the mist come on in another section of the room.
“Computer operated climate control,” Nicoli remarked with satisfaction. He hurried back to the door where Kiera waited. “Let’s go.”
“Where?”
Instead of answering, he opened the door and went through, assuming, correctly, that she'd follow after him.
They continued to explore the building, Nicoli worrying the entire time that at any second, their luck would run out and someone would stop to question them.
The time seemed to drag as they searched for the main computer and at times, Nicoli found his mind drifting to images of his companion, as she’d been when he first found her. It was very distracting and certainly the last thing he needed at this juncture in the mission.
“Well?”
Nicoli ignored her question. It was the fifth time she’d tried to get him to tell her where they were going - and the fifth time he'd ignored her.
He opened the door to the next room in their search and looked inside. It appeared to be some type of waiting room, filled with unoccupied chairs.
It wasn't that Nicoli wanted to encounter Harvesters but he was suspicious of how few they’d actually seen during their search. The Harvesters couldn’t have survived so many centuries being careless or lucky, which meant they were clever. And clever was not a good trait to have in one’s enemy.
“Well?” Kiera asked, clearly tired of their continued searching.
“Maybe.” He stepped into the room and gestured for her to follow. Across the room was a second door and Nicoli went to it. Not hearing any noise from the other side, he opened it and went inside.
This looked like a medical exam room. In the center of the room was an exam table with cabinets of equipment and supplies lining one wall. On the adjacent wall was a desk and there, on top of the desk, sat a holographic image generator that could only belong to a computer.
Finally.
“Watch through the door and let me know if anyone comes in.” He waited for her nod before moving to sit at the desk. It took a few tries to bring up the screen and keyboard and then a few more to actually get into the operating system, but he managed.
Just like every other planet in the system, the Harvesters couldn’t function without a connection to the universal web and he needed to tap into it. Unfortunately, getting past their security was proving to be an unexpected challenge.
“Aren’t you finished yet?” Kiera muttered a few minutes later. “I could’ve downloaded the entire USP Intergalactic Trade Agreement by now.”
He cursed her under his breath as he tapped his fingers in the air, trying a different series of code. The computer was similar to the virtual-com he used back on Althusia, but just different enough that it wasn't accepting his commands. “You know about the IGTA?”
There was silence as she thought about it. “I guess I do,” she finally said. “Maybe my memory's finally coming back.”
“Wonderful," he replied dryly. “What I need now is less talk and more surveillance. I don't want any surprises."
“Do you think you could hurry, though?” She sounded exasperated. “I can feel myself growing old.”
“It may interest you to know that it’s not as easy as it looks.” He bit out the words, feeling his temper rise.
“Are you sure you're doing it right?”
That was it. His temper sparked and he gestured for her to take his place. “Perhaps you think you can do better?"
She met his challenging gaze with one of defiance as she stepped past him to stand before the computer. She took a moment to study the holographic keyboard image and then ran her fingers across it causing the screen image to flicker and blur.
“What are you doing?” He grabbed her hand before she could do anymore damage.
“It can’t be any worse than that gibberish you’re keying in.”
She was maddening. "Do something like that again and I'll leave you here."
"You wouldn't."
He mustered up his most insincere smile. "Try me. I'll leave you here so fast --"
The flash of light across the computer's screen image caught his attention and he forgot what he was about to say. Instead, his full attention was now focused on the computer.
Of course. Why hadn't
he
thought of this? With her nonsensical commands, Kiera had overloaded the computer and forced it into an automatic reboot. If he could interrupt that routine long enough to introduce the virus, maybe he had a chance of completing this mission after all.
He watched the image disappear and knew that when the computer started back up, there would be a very narrow window of opportunity. He'd only have one chance to enter the right commands.
At the first blink of light signaling the reboot had begun, he started typing. To her credit, Kiera stood quietly by his side, watching him work.
He entered his last command and the image blinked out again.
"Did it work?” She practically whispered the words as if afraid to speak any louder.
"I don't know," he admitted.
They fell silent and watched the area where the screen image would appear. They waited so long that Nicoli was on the verge of calling it a failed attempt when a single icon flashed into existence and hung there.
It was the Harvesters' global web icon.
"We're in.” Almost giddy with relief, he grabbed Kiera's face between his hands and kissed her. It was only supposed to be a quick, congratulatory peck but the minute his lips touched hers, his original intentions were forgotten.
Her lips were soft and supple against his and he drank her in, lost in the taste of her. The sound of her soft moan drove him crazy. All he wanted to do was sink himself deep into her and forget all about Harvesters and missions.
Grabbing her by the upper arms, he gently eased her away, brushing his lips across hers once more to ease the sudden transition.
"God, you taste good. You don't know how much I don't want to stop but—“ he cleared his throat, “not the place and time."
She blinked as if trying to clear her head. "No, of course.”
He would have liked to study her expression a little longer to know what thoughts raced through her head, but she pulled the hood down to hide her expression "I should go watch the door and let you work."
She was right. He watched her leave and reluctantly turned back to his work. Now that he had accessed their global web, inserting his own code was easy enough.
"Done," he announced five minutes later. "Now we wait for it to finish running and then we can shut it down, with no one even knowing we were here."
"What's it doing?" She asked, stepping away from the door she'd been guarding.
"It's setting up a series of off-planet data relays that will systematically copy all their files. My ship’s computer will then access the data and analyze it.”
Once he'd learned their strengths and weaknesses, he'd destroy the entire race.
“Hello? Brother Nathzur? Are you there?” A voice called from the outer waiting room, catching them by surprise.
Their time had run out.
Before Nicoli could devise a plan of attack, Kiera pushed through the door, intercepting the man before he could come into the back room. Nicoli started to race after her, intent on protecting her, but stopped as he reached the door.
“Ah, there you are," Nicoli heard the man say. Through the crack in the door, he watched the man approach her.
“Time is running out,” the man said. “We must hurry before it is too late. Is everything ready?” He started for the back room but then stopped beside Kiera, giving her robe a gentle tug.
"Nathzur," he said in a playful, reproachful tone. "I know why I wear these disgusting things, but why are you still wearing one? Did the rejuvenation go poorly yesterday?"
Nicoli saw Kiera shake her head "no", which seemed what the Harvester expected.
"Good. I want you to come with me, in whatever capacity you choose.” He sighed. “It’s so exciting. A new beginning - a new life. I can hardly wait.” He glanced at a clock on the wall and Nicoli could barely make out the numbers. They were moving backwards.
"Now, let me see the body you've chose for me."
Pulling the robe over his head, Nicoli tossed it into the corner. His boots quickly followed. He barely had time to lie down on the gurney and close his eyes before the door opened and Kiera and the Harvester stepped into the room.
“Nathzur.” The Harvester's voice held a note of awe. “He is spectacular.”
Nicoli felt a gloved finger-tip touch the top of his shoulder before trailing down along his arm. When the Harvester ran out of arm, he moved his inspection to Nicoli's hip and continued down the length of his leg.
Nicoli was not a squeamish man, but still it took everything in him to tolerate the man's touch.
“Thank you for this fine gift - but what of you? Are you satisfied with your choice?"
Nicoli heard the man take a step and then heard Kiera gasp. Concerned for her safety, he opened his eyes just in time to see the Harvester pull the hood from her head.
Only the subtle shake of her head as her gaze briefly caught his kept him on the table instead of attacking the Harvester.
“It’s okay,” she said, perhaps realizing Nicoli's internal struggle.
The Harvester, of course, thought she was talking to him.
“Okay? Nathzur, by Ha’lah, your new body is better than okay. You are lovely.” His head fell forward slightly as he shook it. "You shame me by making the ultimate sacrifice." He reached for her hand with his gloved one. "Some of us, I know, had to become female. But I never thought you would volunteer. You did this for me? For us?”
She nodded.
“You've made me very happy my old friend. Our time at Rebirth should be fruitful indeed.” He clapped his hands together once. “Let’s get started.”
Nicoli snapped his eyes closed just as the Harvester turned. He heard the sound of the man's footsteps walk to the far end of the lab where they stopped. Then came the sound of another gurney being rolled into place beside Nicoli.