Blaedergil's Host by C.M. Simpson (reading well .TXT) 📕

from a contaminated surface. It had made no sense. How could it be any more hazardous to port out from this, than it was to port back in from a muddy field, or a bloody dungeon? Tens must have caught the disbelief in my head, because he gave an impatient sigh.

“I don’t have time to explain.” He turned to one of the techs, only to find the girl was heading towards the door.

“I’ve got it.”

She didn’t leave the room, but stopped and palmed open a panel hiding a small storage room, the other tech following her. Together they returned with a hard, flexible covering they put over the platform. As they began to lock it down, Tens grabbed me by the arm and took me to a panel that slid to reveal another alcove.

“We need to make sure there isn’t any on your boots,” he said, and I stood still while he did the necessary cleaning. He also sprayed down the combat suit, and then ran hot air over me for a quick dry.

“I still don’t—”

“You don’t need to. Now, get up onto that platform, and go get our captain back.”

I went, relieved he hadn’t called Mack my captain, given he’d been privy to that conversation, too. He chose not to comment on that, his focus apparently on the controls before him, but I wasn’t fooled. I’d have been willing to bet Tens could operate the teleport and come up with a smart aleck reply. I’d even have bet he wouldn’t have broken a sweat while he did it.

31—Crewmen Found

“Get your head in the game, Cutter!”

The light snapped away from me, and Tens’ voice jolted me back to where I was... which was—I looked around—not where I expected to be. For one thing, there was elegance in the modern furnishings around me—and, for another, the carpet underfoot was white, which made me extra glad Tens had washed the gore off my boots. For some reason, I’d have felt guilty tracking that across the white pile underfoot.

The only problem was that I didn’t see a single sign of either Mack, or Delight—or any evidence that they’d ever been here.

“Look harder.” Even in my head, Mack’s voice sounded like he’d been gargling gravel. Man was hurting.

“Just move your ass, Cutter.” Delight didn’t sound any better.

This time, I didn’t know whether or not I was happy that they’d made my implant such a party line, but I was glad to know they were both alive.

“Yeah.” Mack’s voice didn’t hold any confidence that this was either a good thing, or that it would last for much longer.

I found a corner where I was out of sight of the both the wall-length picture window, and the two doors leading into what appeared to be a living room... in white... and with all the modern amenities a high-born clansman could ever want. Although, given it was the place Tens had pulled Melari from, perhaps I was looking at all the amenities a high-born clansman thought were necessary in seducing a high-born clans-woman who outranked him twice over.

“Just find them!” Tens sounded impatient. “Don’t make me come down there!”

Oh, yeah, he was impatient all right.

“Don’t you dare,” Mack responded to Tens’ threat. “Just stand by to pick us up. Trust me; this grab is going to make catching us off Blaedergil’s mansion look like a walk in the park.”

It was? Because that hadn’t been like any walk in any park I’d ever known. I thought about not finding him, but shrugged. The job was what it was, and we couldn’t all live forever.

“Who says any of us are going to live?” Mack wanted to know, and I focused on finding him.

The security feeds were on the same access Delight had given us, but running a facial recognition search through it came up with nothing, which meant that...

“Oh, fuck. Tens look for a second complex under this one, or a transport... or maybe a ship boosting from orbit.”

“A ship?” but he didn’t argue, and seconds later I was torn apart in a flash of white.

I landed hard, with Tens voice in my ears.

“Start shooting.”

I didn’t ask why, but raised the Blazer and did exactly as he’d instructed.

“Now, run!”

My eyes were still adjusting from the sudden flare of white, but I ran, finding a space between the shadows and continuing to fire at anything that moved.

“Take the door on the left.”

By that stage, I could make out walls and bulk-heads.

“Where the fuck are we?” I asked, reaching for the control panel beside the door, only to have the door open up in front of me.

“You don’t want to know,” Mack replied, and I vectored towards his voice.

“Close your eyes.” Tens.

I obeyed, and the light that flashed beyond my lids would have been painful, even with the suit compensating.

“Open, them.”

The first thing I saw was Mack shackled to a wall like somebody’s idea of poster art.

“Don’t stop to admire the view, Cutter. Shoot the shackles.”

Damn. Man had a sudden surge of faith in my aim, but I was firing as I thought it, taking comfort from the thought that, if I missed, Mack could always grow it back.

“We’re gonna talk about your attitude,” Mack growled, as the first shackle blew apart, but I ignored him, and took the second shackle out, freeing his hands. He was falling even as I shot one of his legs free. The last shackle released of its own accord, and he hit the deck before I could fire a fourth time.

“Delight’s next,” Tens told me, but I was already pivoting, scanning the walls for the ice-hearted Odyssey agent.

“You have no idea,” and her tone was as cold, as I’d just thought of her heart as being.

She was shackled to the opposite wall, but she was already dropping, and I guessed Tens must have finally hacked the system enough to have access to the locking mechanisms on the wall-mounted restraints. I tossed Mack his locator, and ran towards Delight. No way did I want to try