Intergalactic Justice:
Maximum Velocity
By
Marly Mathews
© copyright by Marly Mathews, July 2010
Published by New Concepts Publishing
Smashwords Edition
Cover Art by Alex DeShanks, July 2010
ISBN 978-1-60394-443-4
New Concepts Publishing
Lake Park, GA 31636
www.newconceptspublishing.com
This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s
imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or
events is merely coincidence.
New Jamaica
The Future
Chapter One
Samantha Cassidy ran down the dark alleyway. She spoke into her personal communicator and pulled out her titanium Bo staff at the sight of the two thugs that stood at the end of the alley.
“Where is she?” Samantha asked, as static filled the line.
“I’ve got a reading on her, she should be less than twenty feet from you,” Johanna’s voice streamed out to her. Johanna as usual sounded remarkably calm, and yet Samantha was about ready to do some heavy damage.
“Didn’t I tell her that we couldn’t take down the Anasazi Triad without all of us working together?”
“And this is coming from the one woman ass-kicking machine,” Johanna retorted, making a loud noise, which strangely resembled a snort. Samantha sighed heavily. She didn’t have time for the two sumo-sized wrestlers that were now staring at her with blank expressions on their faces.
“Samantha?”
“I’m still here, but I’ve got a wee bit of a distraction on my hands.”
“What kind of a distraction?” Samantha loved her sister, but she still didn’t like the tone of worry in her voice. Johanna was constantly fretting over her welfare. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t gotten herself in this kind of a tight jam before.
“Let’s just say, they’re both the size of....” her voice trailed off when she saw the large explosive device that was rigged to the outside of the warehouse that stood behind the two thugs. She eyed them impatiently, wishing that they’d just get up and take off. She hadn’t the slightest idea why they were standing there still as statues. She walked up to them and fell into a fighting stance. She held her Bo staff out, and then inhaled sharply as one of the security lights from the warehouse settled on them.
“Oh, shit!” she muttered. They were holographic projections. Groaning loudly, she dashed to the explosive device. She pushed the activation button on her Bo staff, and smiled when it shrunk back down to its easy carrying size. Hooking it onto her belt, she smoothed her hair back and sighed.
“Hey, Johanna, you wouldn’t happen to know how to deactivate a Romanelli Bomb would you?”
“You’ve got to be freaking kidding me! Please tell me that that isn’t the type of bomb that is rigged. Samantha, for heaven’s sake, get your ass out of there. Those bombs are nearly impossible to deactivate once they’ve been set. If you stick around much longer, you’ll become part of the crater that Sullivan’s Warehouse is about to be.”
“Is Veronica still inside?”
“Yes, I still have her body signature on my sensors.”
“Have you been able to open a communication channel to her yet?"
“Nope.”
“I can’t just leave. I have to get inside to her. I’ve got ten minutes until the bomb is set to explode, I think I can just make it work.”
“JUST? Samantha, don’t you scare the living daylights out of me, with those nerves of steel that you possess. I’m coming to help you, Eleanor says that we can make the distance you’ve crossed on foot, in exactly five minutes.”
“Fine. Get down here as soon as you’re able, but I don’t have time to diddle fart around while I wait for you. I’m sorry, Johanna, but I have to go in, and get Veronica’s ass out of the fire. As much as I hate to admit it, she is part of the team now. And besides, poor Ross’s heart would be shattered, if Veronica were to go to pieces.”
“And how dear sister, do you propose to get inside of Sullivan’s warehouse?”
“I’m going to break in.”
“Oh, yeah. Just give me a minute while I hit my head against the controls. Your idea of breaking in will trigger the security systems.”
“Not to worry, Johanna. Dylan and Tyler have masterminded this nifty little gadget for me. It will nullify the security system, and let me waltz right in.”
“Sorry to break this to you Samantha, but you never have waltzed into a room, and I don’t think that you’re about to learn new tricks now.”
“Ha, ha. I’m like laughing on the inside.”
“Seriously, Samantha, BE CAREFUL!”
If she had an Earth dollar for every time Johanna told her to be careful, she’d be set for retirement.”
“Not to worry my beloved sis, I’ll be as careful as I always am.”
“Yep, that makes me feel a lot better. I wish you’d just get off your high horse, and let Tyler or Dylan accompany us.”
“I won’t be needing Tyler’s help.” She thought back to how Tyler had become distant toward her. Cold even. It had been six months since she’d rescued him from the noose Devlin had waiting for him, and the last three months with him had been a total mess. They were going down the road to divorce court…. She could feel it in her bones.
“I wouldn’t be so sure, Tyler’s slippery little fingers are invaluable when it comes to intricate security systems.”
“He’s good where he is.” She rolled her eyes with the way that Tyler had been acting since she’d rescued him from the noose, she felt safer knowing he was out of her way. He could do a hell of a lot less damage cooped up on the Excalibur than he could running amok with her on a mission.
“You know, you’re going to have to give in one of these days, and allow Tyler to be more than just your lover boy.”
“Johanna, I don’t have time for this lecture right now.”
“I don’t lecture. I never tell you what to do, I only advise you.”
“Whatever. I’ve just found the security system. Wish me luck.”
“I’m not only wishing you luck, but I’m praying like crazy.”
Samantha studied the high tech security alarm, and reached for the magic key that would let her in. She inserted it carefully into the card swiping area, and waited expectantly for the door to slide open. She stared at the warehouse door, swallowing thickly when she saw no change. “Freaking fantastic!” She was sorely tempted to just pull out her pistols, and try shooting her way in. But she doubted that would help her in any way.
Breathing deeply, she flipped the card around in her hands. Squinting against the encroaching darkness of night, she activated her powers against her better judgment and flooded the alley with amethyst sparkling orbs of light. It gave her just enough light to see her error. She had the card inserted upside down.
“Are you in yet?” Johanna’s voice startled her, and she nearly let go of the magic key.
“I’m about ready.” She didn’t want to tell Johanna that she couldn’t get in because of her own screw up.
“Were you trying to put it in upside down?” Johanna asked.
She grunted, rolled her eyes, and swiped the card through again. Johanna knew her to well. Here she was, trying her best to help Veronica, and Johanna had it all figured out. It was as if the woman was a telepath. They already had two in the family, and she definitely didn’t need another. Granted, Johanna had super senses that were attuned to things other people didn’t pick up, but if she didn’t know better she’d of sworn that Johanna was an Alpha Psychic.
This time the heavily fortified door slid back. Grinning like a manic fool, she rushed through the opening. “I’m in.”
“Right. Now remember to get those eyes in the back of your head working.”
“They’re always working.”
“Yes. Except for when you’re wearing your blinders.”
“This place is creepy!” Samantha stared around at the warehouse. The thing that really disturbed her was that it was empty. She shivered, and had a brief fantasy about a hot blazing fire, with a dark haired man by her side, rubbing her....
“Samantha?”
Samantha shook her head, and stopped running when she came to a dead end. “Samantha,” Johanna continued, “I have the warehouse in my sights. I’ll be there in a jiffy.”
“How much farther do I have to go before I reach Big V?”
“You should be there already. Your life sign and Veronica’s life sign are showing up on my sensors as being very close to each other.”
“You don’t say.” Samantha wrinkled her brow, and dropped her gaze to the trapdoor in the floor. “I think I might have a glimmer of an idea as to where Big V is.”
“Samantha, you don’t have much time left. I’m getting a little worried.”
“Don’t worry, Johanna. I don’t have any foreseeable plans of becoming a song on the wind.”
“Just make sure that you come out of there in one piece.”
Samantha reached down for the latch on the trapdoor, and pulled on it with all of her might. She understood where Veronica was coming from when she’d decided to pursue the all powerful Anasazi Triad, but one simply did not try to take down a criminal cartel, all on one’s own. Now, she had known that Veronica was by all definition of the words madder than a lunatic, but she hadn’t known that even Veronica would get this kind of a harebrained idea. Finally, after a shit load of tugging, the trapdoor flung backwards, nearly knocking Samantha off of her feet. She stared down, and judged the distance that she would have to jump. She leapt down, and easily landed in a catlike crouch. She whirled around at the sound of some muffled grunting.
Her eyes widened, when she took in the sight of a bound and gagged Veronica. She was in a bird like human sized cage that was suspended from the ceiling.
“I told you not to go on your own,” she chastised, quickly crossing the distance between them. Her mind reeled as she tried to decide the best way to free Veronica. “Big V, you have become the bane of my existence.” Veronica’s eyes widened to dangerous proportions, and she was blinking rapidly. “I know, I know, I have to get you out of there. The Romanelli Bomb is due to go off in five minutes, and for the life of me, I don’t know how we’re going to get out of this fix.”
She reached down to her belt, and pulled out a little something that had aided her many times before. She shot one of her grappling hooks onto the cage, as it swayed precariously. She retracted it, and went sailing upwards. She fastened her gadget around the metal bars of the cage, and watched fascinated as it worked its magic. The bars melted away giving her a big enough space to get in and get Veronica out. She swung into the cage, and landed firmly on her feet.
If their circumstance hadn’t been so serious, she would have been tempted to laugh her ass off at the predicament that Veronica had found herself in. “Don’t worry, Big V, we’ll keep this little incident between you, me and Johanna. I don’t think that Ross will be overly thrilled if he hears what happened to you. Still, I don’t think you’re going to sing like a songbird when I remove this.” She removed the gag from Veronica’s mouth, and was about to untie the ropes around her wrist when Veronica’s ear splitting scream cracked through the otherwise still and quiet room.
“LOOK BEHIND YOU!!!” Veronica finally managed to spit out. Whirling about, Samantha nearly dropped her mouth open and felt her stomach lurch.
“Okay, this is bad! Very, very BAD!!!” She turned back to Veronica and pulled out her trusty Celtic dagger from her boot. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m going to use it to cut your bonds, not you.”
She quickly sliced through the ropes, and then felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck from the God-awful noise that reverberated through the room. It sounded like a lion’s roar, but it was so loud that it literally made the cage shudder beneath them. She groaned feeling nauseous.
“Samantha? I’m waiting for you. Why don’t I see you?”
“Because, Johanna, I’m sort of stuck in the middle of something right now.”
“I don’t like the sounds of that. What kind of a thing are you stuck in the middle of?”
“It would seem that the Anasazi Triad left a little bit of a calling card behind for us.”
“Well, take care of it, and get your ass out of there.”
“Easier said than done. The calling card happens to be a New San Francisco Tiger.”
“I’m coming in after you, you can’t take that on alone.”
“I have Veronica with me. She’ll help.” She freed Veronica’s legs, groaning when Veronica took a step forward and nearly landed on her face. “Strike that one. Veronica definitely won’t be helping me. But not to worry, I should be able to take down Giant Kitty here all by myself.”
“Samantha, I don’t feel comfortable about leaving you alone.”
“I’ll be fine. Right now…you need to help me from afar.”
A huge sigh filled the com link. “In that case, you’re going to need time. I’m going to open a link to Dylan, Tyler and Ross and see if they can help me in getting this bomb deactivated. What did you say, Eleanor?”
Samantha grunted, as she carefully settled Veronica up against the wall of the cage. “You stay put. You can’t do anything in your condition, and I don’t really feel like watching Giant Kitty have you for a little nighttime snack.”
“Queenie, you’re really getting on my nerves.” Was it just Samantha’s imagination or did Veronica look a little green?
“Don’t get started with me, Big V. We’re in this mess because of your inflated head. If you hadn’t gotten the brilliant idea to go after one of the most powerful triads in the known galaxy, then I’d still be back on the Excalibur living the high life.”
“Well, excuse me, for going after one of the biggest prizes in history.”
“Yeah, and instead of capturing the prize you found yourself in the middle of a surprise.” The elephant sized tiger roared again, and finally broke free of its metal chains. “Oh look, now my life starts to get interesting!” She turned, just as Veronica tried to stand up. Her legs wobbled like jelly beneath her and she fell into a slump. Samantha frowned. “I have it covered, Veronica. What did they do to you?” Her heart thudded.
Please, God, she didn’t really know if she wanted to know. She’d heard a great many tales about the darker side of the Anasazi Triad. Their practices in the way of torture and the occult would make a hardened criminal shake in their boots. And Veronica had decided to cross them. Her mouth grew dry.
“What are you going to do now, hot shot?” Veronica asked. “You can’t take that monstrosity down on your own.”
“Big V, there’s a time and a place for your big mouth, and right now, isn’t the time nor the place. And by the way, thanks for the vote of confidence in my stellar abilities. What I plan on doing is saving our butts. If you have any other bright ideas feel free to share.”
Samantha pulled out her electric whip, and snapped it through the air. Then, with her other hand, she reached for two of her homemade grenades. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Veronica stagger to her feet.
“I can help,” Veronica muttered, swaying slightly. Samantha had to give her credit. The woman’s grit sometimes rivaled her own.
Giant Kitty lunged for them, and nearly took a bite out of Veronica, when Samantha activated her Bo staff. It grew to its full size, and she threw it so that it would lodge lengthwise in the cat’s mouth. The large tiger tried to snap her Bo staff in half, but since it was reinforced with the strongest alloy known to humankind, Giant Kitty’s strong jaws could not break it.
“Chew on that for a while, pussy cat,” she muttered. She hooked her whip back onto her belt, and moved forward to help Veronica. “Lean on me, Big V.”
Veronica slumped against her and Samantha grunted beneath the formidable weight. “You know, Big V, you might want to consider laying off of those French pastries for a while.”
“Oh, go blow it out your ass!” Veronica’s hiss blew the wisps of hair off of her face.
“As ever, you are the epitome of culture and class.”
“Samantha, we don’t have time to chit chat.”
“Oh, and here I thought we could have a party.”
Just then, the Giant Kitty swung toward them with one of her massive paws. She broke the line that the cage was hanging from, and they went careening through the air. They both rolled to the other side of the cage. Samantha let out a muffled cry when she hit the metal bars.
“That will definitely leave a mark in the morning.” As soon as the cage stopped rolling, Samantha sprang to her feet, and reached out toward Veronica.
She half-ran, half-walked back to the place where the trapdoor was located. Thinking on her feet, she shot up one of her grappling hooks, and smiled when it latched onto the floor above.
“You first,” she said, watching as the tiger struggled with the Bo staff. Thankfully, the Giant Kitty hadn’t decided to follow them, deciding instead to free herself of the damnable Bo staff first. It would not take the cat long to somehow figure out how to get rid of the staff and Samantha had to outwit the feline in the time they had left. Hearing the cat roar in triumph, her heart stopped. She could do this.
Samantha turned around and again pulled out her homemade grenades. She took out her electric whip with her other hand. “Come on Kitty, let’s dance.” She snapped the whip through the air, drawing on the well of power deep within her. It crackled through the air, haloing her and the rope in a violet glow. The cat froze, stunned by the wealth of power emanating around her. It roared again, making Samantha’s ears ring.
“That’s not very nice,” she murmured, reaching out with her mind to touch the cat’s mind. Images flashed through her brain of Veronica being beaten black and blue by the Triad. A man stood in the shadows with white hair. His psychic power made her feel queasy. She struggled against the suffocating sensations and tried to bring herself out of the psychic haze.
“Have a blast with what happens next, Kitty,” she murmured, retracting her whip she attached it back to her belt. Veronica had scrambled up the rope aided by Samantha’s rush of telekinetic force which propelled her the rest of the way up. Pain throbbed behind Samantha’s eyes. She hadn’t been exercising her powers properly and as a result, she was badly out of shape. Putting her abilities through this sort of workout was literally making her head sore.
“I’m up,” Veronica called down, sticking her head through the trapdoor.
“Yeah, and I’m still down.” The giant kitty let out another huge roar that made the hairs on the nape of her neck stand on end. Her stomach churned.
“Well, grab on, and I’ll hoist you up.” Veronica’s anxious face bobbed in front of her. By the looks of things, Veronica was trying her best to keep a calm visage. Samantha attached the other end of the grappling hook to her belt, and made sure that she kept her hands free. She’d need them, since the shit was about to hit the fan. The gigantic cat still lunged toward her. Its jaw was open and she aimed and then chucked the grenade straight at the wildcat. Using her powers, she put the grenade on a direct continued course.
“Pull me up, NOW!”
She stared up at Veronica. Her face contorted with effort but she didn’t have the energy required to hoist up Samantha’s weight. With the foggy look in V’s eyes she doubted the woman would recall what Samantha was about to do next. Veronica knew she had powers but she’d never shown her the full extent of those abilities and she didn’t know if Veronica would be able to handle full disclosure in the state she was in. Seeing Samantha erect a telekinetic force field with her mind was one thing, knowing that Samantha could do what she was about to do next was another. She sent out a burst of energy toward Veronica charging Veronica with enough power to pull her up.
Veronica did exactly as she was told, and Samantha was up beside her in no time. Veronica started to run toward the exit, and Samantha was hot on her trail. The disorientation grenade would only put Giant Kitty down for a few minutes. After that their asses were grass, and Giant Kitty was the lawnmower.
“What time is it?” Veronica asked. Samantha glanced down at her watch and felt ice lodge in her heart.
“Time for this building to go KABOOM!” she cried. They wouldn’t make it, the Romanelli bomb was set to go off in two seconds. “Johanna?” she questioned. But her ears were met with static, and her heart fell. She was hoping that she’d at least be able to say goodbye to her sister. She’d been in grave trouble before, but this situation was unlike any she’d ever experienced. Well, there had been the time when the Moonlight Bar had been bombed. What was she thinking? She could get them out of this fix. She always had, and she wasn’t about to stop trying now. After all, she was Samantha Cassidy, the ever-renowned Queen of Danger.
“Get down, Veronica!” Samantha screamed. She lunged forward, knocking Veronica off of her feet. Samantha activated her personal electrical force field just as a volley of explosions went off. She hoped the force field would hold since she didn’t have the energy to reinforce it with her own abilities. Seeing what had happened to Veronica and then giving Veronica the telekinetic boost had almost drained her right down to zero. The blasts shook the hallway, and Samantha was afraid to open her eyes, for fear of what she might see.
“What do you think you are doing?” Veronica demanded. Samantha was still sprawled on top of her. Gingerly, she opened one eye and then the other, only to stare into Veronica’s wide angry eyes.
“Hey, Big V, don’t get any ideas, I don’t like the cozy situation we’re in anymore than you do.” Samantha rolled off of Veronica and sat up. She expected to see the rubble from the building strewn around her, and yet the building was completely intact. “I don’t believe it!”
“Well, I do,” Veronica said, pointing toward a yawning hole in the side of the building. Johanna was peering anxiously down at them from Eleanor.
“You okay?” she asked, resting her eyes on Samantha.
“I seem to be. I’ll check to see if everything is where it’s supposed to be later on.”
Johanna gave her a brilliant smile, and then the smile faded from her face, when she was thrown forward. One hell of a blast had connected with Eleanor. Samantha scrambled to her feet, and along with Veronica they ran toward the hover car called Eleanor. They skidded to a halt just below Eleanor, and Samantha craned her neck to stare up at the star filled sky. By all accounts it should have been a simple, calm night. Instead, there was a small fleet of hover cars bearing down upon them.
“Remind me to smack you upside the head when we get out of this mess,” she said rounding on Veronica.
“How stupid do you think I am?” Veronica shot back.
“Stupid enough to bring down the full wrath of the Anasazi Triad on our heads!” Samantha retorted. Biting her lip, her eyes scanned over the swarm of Triad hover mobiles that were flying toward them. The simultaneous whine of weapons charging filled her ears.
Now, they were definitely in for it.
Chapter Two
Samantha gripped the edge of the metal and rope ladder that Eleanor had lowered. She pushed Veronica up ahead of her, and waited while Veronica groggily clambered up the rungs. Samantha was next, and she stepped up onto the first rung just as Eleanor shook beneath another blast. Thinking quickly, Samantha pulled out one of her phase pistols and aimed it straight at the nearest hover car. She pulled the trigger, and watched with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips as the car went spiraling downwards.
“Eleanor, please call up random defensive and offensive firing sequence,” Johanna’s voice called out, over the din of battle.
“My pleasure,” Eleanor answered. Samantha heard the familiar whine that Eleanor made when she charged her weaponry. “Taste a little bit of my home cooking, you little chicken shits!”
Samantha cringed, when the ladder rocked again. Wild wind whipped through her hair. A bug splattered against her cheek. “Gross.” She swiped the back of her gloved hand across her cheek.
“Eleanor, please keep your showing off to bare a minimum, that is until we get Samantha’s arse up inside.”
“’Course, sorry I didn’t know what I was thinking.”
Samantha was just about to remind Eleanor that she was a machine not a real human, when Eleanor’s AI appeared before her.
“Cripes, Eleanor, you’re going to give me a heart attack.”
“Highly unlikely,” Eleanor contradicted. “I’m here to provide a distraction, you just get your booty up inside into the passenger seat. Your odds of hanging on forever and avoiding weapon fire are extremely thin. You need to get to safety.”
“You know, this is one of those crazy moments where we seem to be shit out of luck,” Samantha muttered, staring wearily up at Johanna. Johanna scooted over and stared down over the side of the car to reach out for Samantha. “Don’t worry about me, Johanna, just make sure that you pay attention to what’s going on. Eleanor's shield’s won’t last forever.”
“Must I continually remind you that I am a Faerie Cruiser and that I’m perfectly capable of multi-tasking?”
“You remind me of that bloody fact on every single one of our missions,” Samantha grumbled. Hauling herself up the last few meters, she jumped up into the passenger seat as the ladder sprung back up inside of Eleanor. “And you do a bang up job taking care of us.” Her grudging admission seemed to delight Eleanor. “But despite all of your hard work, it’s frantic times like this that I sort of wish we’d have stayed back on Earth. In comparison to this, Hawaii was an absolute dream. It was a walk in the park. That month we spent there was sheer heaven....”
“Walk in the park, my ass! You complained about being on vacation every single day!” Johanna pointed out, rolling her eyes.
“Yes. I know. But I was with my family, and we did happen to come across that hefty little bounty, while there.” She sighed.
“Happened to come across is putting it mildly. You searched for trouble, and when you found it, they nearly kicked us out of the hotel. I know we’ll never be able to show our faces there again!”
“Oh, you’re exaggerating. It wasn’t that bad. You’re blowing things way out of proportion.”
“Samantha, you chased Chuck Smith all of the way through the hotel, out into the pool area, and right across their grounds. You interrupted a wedding, for heaven’s sake!”
“Oh, well that was nothing. All in a day’s work, and I did apologize to the bride for getting her nerves up.”
Johanna snorted, and narrowed her eyes. “You were shooting as you went. The monetary damage nearly took all of the money that Chuck Smith’s bounty was worth. Not to mention the fact that you could have hurt someone!”
“I was only aiming at Chuck! And besides he was only armed with a stun weapon…no innocents could have been killed. And having to pay for the damages was a small price to pay for hauling in that loser. He had strangled two women, what was I supposed to do, let him get away Scot free from me, so he could do it again?”
“Of course not,” Johanna replied.
“Thank you,” Samantha grumbled.
“Ah, I don’t want to interrupt your friendly little disagreement. But I think we’ve got bigger fish to fry at the moment.” Veronica’s abnormally weak voice caused Samantha to raise one eyebrow.
“You know that you’re royally screwed when Big V, there becomes the voice of reason.”
“Thank you, Samantha,” Veronica said.
“No prob. Any time.”
“We are outnumbered and out gunned. My distraction didn’t seem to be effective. What shall I do now? I would advise against staying and making a stand, though since I am only an artificial intelligence I shall listen to my betters.”
“What crawled up your artificial ass and died?” Samantha asked, wondering at Eleanor's huffy tone.
“I think it would be best if we made a fast getaway at our maximum velocity,” Johanna advised. “But then that’s only my two cents worth.”
“Yeah. Well, it’s worth more than that, since I heartily agree at the moment. I may be daring at the best of times. But even I can see that this isn’t the right time to go up against one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the known universe. Unlike one woman in this car, I do possess a brain, and it isn’t up my ass.”
“At the moment,” Johanna whispered beneath her breath. Samantha gave her a sizzling stare and then sighed when Veronica spoke up.
“Samantha, you really shouldn’t talk that way about your sister,” Veronica interjected, staring smugly at Samantha from the back seat.
“Alright. Enough of this bickering, I’m beginning to get an ass ache,” Johanna muttered. “Eleanor, kindly revert operating controls to me. If you don’t mind I’d like to get us away from this freak show as soon as possible.” Johanna stared over at Samantha and Samantha gave her a silly grin.
“I thought it was agreed upon that I would do the driving,” Eleanor huffed.
“No. I never agreed to such an asinine idea. And, just so that you know, this little game we’re playing is getting old. I’m the driver. You’re the computer. You only drive the car when I am busy or…”
“Put out for the count,” Eleanor provided, heaving a great sigh. “Fine. I’ll allow you to do the driving, but I’m still doing the navigating.”
“As long as you let me steer you, then I don’t care what sort of navigation advice you give me.”
“I don’t care who’s in control at the moment, but someone had better get ready to do some fancy flying. Because those bad assed dudes mean business, and I don’t think we’re in a position to fight them, much as I hate to admit it.” Samantha groaned, rolling her eyes when she heard Veronica’s unusually soft-spoken voice.
“Has anyone been bright enough to get in touch with the Excalibur?”
“Do I look like the village idiot to you, Veronica?” Johanna snapped off. “Of course I was smart enough to open a link between Eleanor and the Excalibur. Except there is one problem, our link was being tapped and I had to cut it off.”
“Well, what still burns my butt, is that you thought it necessary to go after the Triad. Didn’t I tell you that you’d be up to your ears in dangerous shit if you went after them? I swear woman, you don’t listen to anyone but yourself. I mean we do have Royce Crowe down in the brig, but NO you had to go and get a bigger bounty that would give you more sacks of money, not to mention a whole world of personal glory.” Samantha spewed out a gust of air, and flung her ponytail out of her face.
Veronica continued to remain unusually silent. Johanna stared up into the rearview mirror, and began nervously chewing at her lip. They were speeding through the sky at their highest speed, though by the looks of things, the Triad was still hot on their trail.
“Veronica?” Samantha asked. She missed the woman’s acerbic retort, and shivered, as an uneasy feeling washed over her. “Johanna, there’s something really wrong with Big V.”
Veronica’s eyes were rolling up inside of her head.
“What?” Johanna asked, whipping her head around, and nearly giving herself a good case of whiplash. “Oh, crap! Samantha, was Veronica drugged with something when you found her?”
“Yeah, but I thought it was just some sort of sleeping drug. Come to think of it…she looked a little green and her eyes were glassy.”
“It was something stronger than a sleeping pill. I’m sorry to say. Here, you’ll have to do the driving while Eleanor keeps her attention fixed on firing the weapons.”
“I can do both,” Eleanor piped up. Johanna rolled her eyes at Samantha and then motioned for them to switch places. In one amazing feat, Johanna and Samantha successfully switched, and then Johanna moved into the backseat, dragging her black med bag behind her.
“Veronica?” Johanna asked, tilting Veronica’s head toward her.
“What’s the matter with her?”
“Her pupils are dangerously dilated. I don’t think she’s been injected with any type of poison that is indigenous to Earth. But for the life of me, I don’t know what she’s been injected with.”
“You know, the Triad did have a New San Francisco wildcat in the basement of the warehouse. You don’t suppose that maybe they gave a New San Francisco poison to her, do you?”
“You’ve probably hit the nail on the head. I’m going to give her the treatment for New San Francisco’s deadliest poison and see if that will buy us some time until we can get back to the Excalibur.” Johanna rummaged around for the necessary hypo spray and then injected Veronica. “Stay with me, Veronica!” Johanna pleaded, feeling for her pulse.
“Don’t worry, Johanna. Veronica’s way too ornery to buy the farm.”
“Samantha, just concentrate on the driving!” Johanna snapped. Samantha stared back and let out a howl of surprise when she saw the Triad hover mobile that was gunning right toward them.
“Hang on. I’m moving into evasive maneuvers. Are you with me, Eleanor?”
“Always,” Eleanor replied, shimmering into existence beside Samantha.
“I will never, never get used to your AI form. You look just like Veronica, and it gives me the willies.”
“Try establishing a com link between us and the Excalibur again,” Johanna barked out. Samantha chomped down on her lip, and winced at the following pain. Johanna was worried, really worried. Things didn’t look good for Veronica and the thought was making Samantha’s heart race. She and Veronica may like to spar with each other when the mood struck, but she didn’t know what she’d do if Veronica died. In fact it was such an abhorrent thought, that she didn’t even want to contemplate it.
“Absolutely,” Eleanor said, making Samantha cringe.
“I really hate that word,” she said, briefly closing her eyes. “How’s Veronica doing?” Samantha asked, just as Eleanor hooted.
“I’ve successfully taken down another one of those sneaky little bastards,” Eleanor explained. She lit up the interior of the car, so that Johanna could see what she was doing.
“Samantha, are you flooring the engines?”
“Look, Johanna, if I went any faster we’d rip Eleanor apart from the exertion. She’s going at her maximum speed.”
“Fine. But I just don’t think that we have much time. I simply must get to the Excalibur’s med bay. I don’t have the necessary equipment here.”
“Well, if I could get in touch with the ship, they just might be able to rendezvous with us.”
She chanced a glance into the back seat and felt her heart plummet. Johanna was working furiously on Veronica but it didn’t seem as if she was making much headway. They were damn lucky that Johanna was a medical doctor, yet her skills didn’t seem to be helping Veronica at all.
Samantha was determined to get Veronica back to the Excalibur on time. No one was going to die on her watch if she could help it. And no matter how much Veronica and she disagreed, she certainly didn’t want to see Veronica bite the big one.
All of a sudden, the com link between the Excalibur and Eleanor crackled to life.
“Where are you ladies?” Tyler’s worried voice asked. Samantha wanted desperately to see him before her, since for once in her life she didn’t know what to do.
“We’re on our way back to you guys,” Samantha said a little terser than she had intended.
“Is that weapon fire that I hear?”
“Yep.”
“Do you need our help?”
“Yep.” Samantha didn’t want to admit it, but having them arrive onboard the Excalibur would be a Godsend.
“Send me your coordinates, and we’ll be on our way.” Tyler was a very good pilot almost as good as Johanna.
“Eleanor, you heard the man.”
“It’s done,” Eleanor answered, just as they were rocked by another volley.
“Uh, Eleanor, I thought Faerie Cruisers were supposed to be powerful hover mobiles.”
“I assure you, I am trying my best.”
“I know. I’m just at my wits end at the moment.”
“Veronica, don’t you go away from me. Wake up damn it!” Johanna said, abandoning her medical supplies and shaking her. “I hate poison. HATE IT!!!”
“What’s the matter with Veronica?” Tyler’s question went unanswered for a few minutes.
“She’s been injected with what seems to be a deadly poison.” Samantha sighed.
“Good God. I should call Ross up here.”
“No! Don’t. It would only worry him. But you can tell Dylan to get med bay ready for us,” Johanna called out.
Samantha looked back and felt the blood drain from her face. She’d never seen Veronica look so bad. She should have done something else to keep the crazy bitch from going after The Triad. This wasn’t supposed to be how the night ended. Veronica was supposed to just be in a shit load of trouble that was easily enough to rescue her from. Samantha hadn’t expected to find her drugged silly, and now dying. It was funny how so much could change in such a short amount of time. She shook her head, and bit down on her lip, to keep her eyes from watering.”
“It’s done. Dylan’s down in the med bay ready and waiting.”
“And Ross?” Samantha asked.
“He’s still in engineering blissfully unaware.” Tyler’s voice was heavy. “How are you and Johanna?”
“I’m fine. But I think Johanna’s about ready to scream.”
“Samantha, how much more time until we rendezvous?” Johanna asked anxiously.
She was just about to answer Johanna, when the Excalibur came into view. At the sight of the large ship, The Anasazi Triad broke off and scattered through the sky. But Samantha had a sneaky suspicion that they’d meet again. Because if Veronica didn’t pull out of this, she’d gun for their asses personally. And as everyone in the universe knew, when you pissed off Samantha Cassidy you made an enemy for life.
“Oh, God. NO!!!” Johanna cried. “You can tell Dylan not to rush on things,” Johanna said in a shocked whisper.
“Why?” Samantha asked, feeling her heart plummet.
“Because Veronica is dead!”
Chapter Three
Samantha felt sick. She couldn’t believe what Johanna had just announced.
“Dead? Veronica can’t be dead. I won’t allow a team member to die on my watch. I didn’t tell her she could die, so she must still be alive! Eleanor, get your super duper sensors up and running. Check for any smidgeon of a life sign on Veronica. And since you can multi task, take us into the Excalibur.” Samantha dashed into the back seat, and grabbed a hold of Veronica. Tears streamed down Johanna’s face, and yet Samantha was still in a state of shock. She would not let Veronica die!
“Wake up, BIG V!” she cried out, pulling her into her lap. She touched Veronica’s temple, searching for a sign of life from her. She felt Veronica clinging to the living world at the same moment Eleanor detected it with her super sensors.
“She is not dead, though she is nearly there,” Eleanor announced triumphantly. “You were right, Johanna. Veronica has been injected with a particularly lethal poison. It is slow acting, that is why it took so long to work its way through her blood stream.”
“Okay. So she isn’t dead. That’s good news. But how the hell do we resuscitate her?” Samantha felt her heart beat start up again, even though her hands still trembled.
“You shall need to find the antidote. Veronica will simply fall into a coma without it and within ten days she will more than likely die, she will simply wither away.”
“We’re not even going to contemplate that option, Eleanor. Tell me, where and how do we get our hands on this antidote?” Samantha demanded.
“It will be extremely hard to find. It is very rare, and highly expensive, even if you do find it on the market somewhere, though I’d warrant that you’d be more likely to find it on the Galaxy’s Black Market.”
“Ain’t no way I’m breaking intergalactic law by doing business with criminals. Has it suddenly slipped your electronic brain that we are by the book bounty hunters?”
“Certainly not!”
“We do have one friend that could lend us the money to buy the antidote,” Johanna suggested.
Samantha groaned and smacked her forehead. She stared at Johanna and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you say his name!"
“Samantha, you have to admit that he would help us.”
“He is a dirty sneaky bastard, and I don’t want to ever hear his name again.” Guilt slammed her heart. She couldn’t admit to Johanna that she’d been dreaming of Devlin to the point where he robbed her nights of the dreams she should have been having.... Thinking of him now made her want to scream. Her relationship with Tyler was disintegrating before her very eyes. She knew that Johanna could see the troubling signs, though Johanna never broached the subject to her.
“Samantha, he helped us,” Johanna insisted, her bright eyes filled with determination. She swallowed against the lump forming in her throat. Tears pricked behind her eyes, she couldn’t get emotional now. She couldn’t forfeit all she had with Tyler by admitting to Johanna that Devlin was slowly consuming her every thought.
“Yeah. Helped us by nearly sending Tyler to the gallows. I won’t take his tainted money. I’d rather go and ask you know who for money than take his.” Her voice trembled a bit. If Johanna had detected her slight wavering in belittling Devlin she didn’t betray it.
“You know who goes through money like most people go through toilet paper. Believe you me; we’d be better off going to Devlin for funds. At least his checks would never bounce! And, Lord Devlin would be more than happy to lend us the money. He wouldn’t want to see Veronica die, just because she went after the Anasazi Triad. Devlin doesn’t like them anymore than we do. They have caused innumerable problems for him in the past. I actually think Devlin would do the dance of joy if he heard the Triad was down for the count. They’re one hell of a nasty lot. The galaxy would definitely be a nicer place without them!”
“Perhaps,” Tyler broke in, just as Eleanor landed in the docking bay. “I could ask my family for the money, or I could go and....”
Samantha sighed heavily, suddenly remembering that Tyler was still eavesdropping on them. He’d picked up that nasty habit about six months ago come to think about it. He was always monitoring her every move and it was beginning to grate on her last bloody nerve! “Don’t even think about it quickie fingers. You’ve sworn off thieving, remember?” Samantha asked. She couldn’t take his drastic mood swings. One minute, he seemed like his old self again and the next, he seemed like a totally different person.
“Yes. I remember,” Tyler, muttered reluctantly. “But I could nick something that would bring us more than we could ever have imagined. I know of just the relic....” Eleanor opened her doors, and Tyler reached in for Veronica.
“Tyler, don’t even think about it. No way are you going to get into that cat burglar get up of yours again. I don’t care how shiny that object you spotted was. No way…no how, end of story. Where’s Dylan?” Samantha asked, darting her eyes around the docking bay for her brother-in-law.
“He’s down in engineering, breaking the news to Ross.”
“I think Ross is on his way,” Samantha muttered. She could hear something pounding toward her, which sounded remarkably like a herd of hippos. The ground rumbled beneath her feet.
“BETSY!!!” Ross cried, the agony steaming across his face. “I’ll take Betsy to the med bay.” Ross went running back through the ship with his wife cradled tenderly in his arms.
“How do we break it to him that we can’t bring Veronica out of her coma without finding the really expensive antidote?” Johanna asked.
“Hey, Eleanor, I almost forgot, what is this frigging expensive antidote called?” Samantha could feel her stomach plummeting at the thought of the mega expensive price tag.
“It is called Alorian the fruit of all life on New San Francisco. But humans simply call it Alo. Not only is it an antidote, but if used improperly, it can become a narcotic.”
“Freaking wonderful! Just what we bloody well need,” Samantha sighed. And then she let out a loud and long groan when Dylan’s voice boomed out over the speakers.
“We have an incoming distress call.”
“Who’s it from?” Samantha questioned.
“I can’t stick around and with my thumb in my bum and my mind in neutral. I have to go and attend to Veronica.” Johanna rushed away, allowing Samantha to try and digest the night’s activities. This was definitely a night to remember.
Samantha nodded her head, and smiled at Tyler, when he came around to wrap one arm around her. She brushed some dust off of her black leather trench coat, and inconspicuously shrugged off Tyler’s arm. She couldn’t stand having him touch her at the moment.
“Keep us updated on Veronica’s condition,” she called out to Johanna’s retreating form.
“You got it,” Johanna called back.
“Come on. We’d best hightail it up to the bridge. Tyler, as soon as we get up there, you can take us off this godforsaken planet as quickly as possible. As far as I’m concerned New Jamaica can go to rot.”
“It will be my pleasure, love,” he said, smiling down at her, with that oh so sexy smile.
“What’s the matter with you?” she asked. She didn’t like the way he was looking at her.
“I was just thinking when I saw Veronica I was so happy it wasn’t you that had been poisoned. And I feel so awful for having such a singularly selfish thought.”
Samantha didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t given her this much concern in six long months and her stomach rolled with the suspicions blanketing her mind. She couldn’t get like this, she hated hearing about the wives were always suspected their husbands of doing something nefarious. Tyler had never been like that, even during their separation she’d known he’d still loved her but now—her throat went dry. She shook her head. “Don’t worry about me, Tyler. I always make it out alive.”
He stared at her with a look that almost seared right through her. “That you do,” he mused, forcing a smile on his face and narrowing his gaze at her. She looked away from him. Why did she feel like she was staring at a stranger? Snap out of it, Samantha. You’re getting a little too obsessive compulsive about this, there is nothing wrong with Tyler, and he’s your husband no matter how you might think about Devlin 24/7. Her face flushed. “Come on, we need to get to the bridge.” She walked ahead of him, darting one last look behind her. He straightened and met her gaze. A chill went through her. She blinked, snapping herself out of her reverie. She could cope with Tyler, the man of many personalities. She would keep her marriage on track no matter how hard she had to work on it or how hard she had to fight her burgeoning emotions for a man she claimed to despise.
They made their way onto the bridge and Tyler immediately settled himself in the empty pilots chair. Dylan stared at Samantha from the co-pilots chair and pointed at the console.
“I think you might just want to listen and watch the visual distress call that’s been sent to us. The signal conks out at points so you’ll have to rely on audio only.” He pressed the activation control, and crackling static poured out to them, until the channel cleared.
“Samantha, I hope you and Johanna are receiving this message. I need your help. I’m into shit right up to my waist, and I don’t even think that hip-weighters will help me at this point. They’re coming after me, and they’ve already gotten Rory.”
It was at this point that the view screen filled with a handsome man’s desperate image. He looked dirty, ragged and tired.
“Quinn!” she breathed, not willing to believe her eyes. “What a prick! He has some nerve getting in touch with Johanna and I after what he has done.” Anger filled her being and she flared her nostrils and took a step forward.
“Maybe you should give the hottie a chance,” Lucy said, as she shimmered into existence.
“And maybe I should get Dylan to deactivate you.”
“You know, you’re always threatening me with that but you never deliver.”
“Listen to me, you little....” Samantha droned off right when gunfire rang out over the communiqué.
“I’m sorry for all of the shit that I’ve disturbed in our past. Can you please forgive me? Samantha, you’re the only one that I can trust. They took Rory in the middle of the night, and I think they’re planning on selling her to the Republican’s Slave Trade. Please don’t allow that to happen to her. I’m only a bloody smuggler, I’m up over my head this time.”
Samantha grimaced, and snagged her teeth on her upper lip.
Dylan suddenly paused the distress call and stared back at her in concern. He leaned forward and pierced her with his aquamarine gaze.
“The following gets a bit sketchy, but I want to know how you feel about it right now.”
“He cheated me out of my inheritance,” she said dully. She walked away and shakily poured herself a cup of black coffee. Struggling to control her rioting emotions, she just barely managed to bring the cup up to her lips without spilling any of the precious brew.
“You can’t hold a grudge forever,” Tyler remarked.
“Look who’s talking,” she scoffed, staring at Tyler and then Dylan. “This is coming from the two brothers that no longer associate with any member of their family.”
“We do that, because they could not accept us!” Tyler and Dylan said almost simultaneously.
“I won’t forgive him. EVER!” she stressed.
“What about Rory?” Tyler countered matter-of-factly. “Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, she’s part of your family too. Maybe we should call up Johanna to weigh in on this issue.”
“Johanna, will have the same opinion that I have.”
“I wouldn’t bet your life on it,” Dylan muttered.
“So what do you expect me to do? Help the man that stole everything from my mother, and forced Johanna to quit her internship and me to go into the family business?”
“Sorry to break this to you, Samantha, hon, but you would have gone into the family business either way,” Tyler pointed out.
“Maybe I would have,” she admitted. “Okay. I admit it I had my heart set on it. But sometimes, I think that Johanna’s only in this crazy lifestyle because I’m in it up to my head.”
“You wouldn’t be able to track down your father’s killer any other way,” Dylan reminded her.
Samantha fell silent for a minute, considering what they’d both said. They were both right, but she didn’t want to openly admit it. She couldn’t blame Quinn for her becoming a kick ass bounty hunter. She would have had no other choice especially when her father had been so brutally murdered. She was still trying to seek out her father’s killer, and she feared that it would be a quest that would never be fulfilled.
“Quinn Mallory is a royal pain in my ass,” Johanna stated. Samantha turned her head and found her sister standing in the doorway, with her arms crossed. “Lucy filled me in down in med bay. I couldn’t do anything else for Veronica, so I thought I’d allow her and Ross to have a private moment. She still isn’t conscious but I thought Ross just needed some privacy. You know, Samantha, if we help Quinn he might be able to help us.”
“How? Quinn doesn’t do anything out of the goodness of his own heart. To him, money makes the world go round.” She was tempted to spit on the floor, but she’d never participated in such a disgusting act, and she wasn’t about to start now.
“We have to consider Rory. She is our niece after all.”
“WHAT?” Dylan and Tyler said at the same time.
“Oh, didn’t we ever tell you?” Samantha asked, falling into a chair. “Quinn Mallory is our father’s bastard son.”
“But we thought that he was your cousin.” Dylan’s eyes were popping out of his head.
“Yes. Well, dear, that’s what we wanted you to think,” Johanna murmured.
Samantha sipped at her hot coffee and grimaced when she nearly burnt her tongue. “I didn’t want anyone to know how closely Quinn was related to us. He’s a bloody greedy pig! Johanna’s right. I hate to admit it, but we can’t very well allow Quinn’s daughter to be sold into the slave trade. Can we send a message back to him?”
“Unfortunately, we only have what is in the distress call. Why don’t you ladies listen to the rest of it before you jump to any conclusions?”
“Fine,” Samantha said, leaning forward so that she could see the view screen better.
Quinn’s movie star good looks filled the screen as visual was restored. “I’ll be heading to New Monaco straight away. I should be there by the 24th of this month. Please, say that you’ll help me. Either way, I’ll be out of communication range until I reach New Monaco. Once there, I’ll meet you ladies at the Caterra Casino. I think I should be pretty safe there. The Triad hates New Monaco, since Lord Devlin hates the Triad,” he paused, and darted a glance behind him.
“He wants us to meet him on New Monaco? The man must be nuttier than a fruitcake! I wouldn’t go back there for anyone in the world!” Her heart thundered against her ribcage. If she returned to New Monaco she’d see Devlin again and her old feelings that she had smothered long ago would continue to resurface. She’d be trying to tear Devlin’s clothes off before she could stop herself. No, it was far too dangerous for her to be around him. He would unlock the love she had for him—he would shatter her world, as she knew it. She was safer away from Devlin. That’s why she’d always wanted to hate him. She could either love him or hate him, and sometimes, she believed she did both. After her exploits with him on New Monaco and after they’d left his planet, a hollowness had invaded her life. She had been happy with Tyler for a time but he’d changed shortly after their vacation on Earth, and her thoughts had started to turn once again to Devlin. When she was around Devlin she knew who she was, he looked at her with annoyance, at times, but he accepted her for what she was as well. There was a brutal honesty between them, one she found refreshing and in a strange way, highly desirable.
“I’ll be anticipating seeing the two of you again. Did I ever tell you, Samantha, that Rory looks just like you did as a teen?”
Samantha scrunched her face up. That did it! There was no turning back now. She wouldn’t for the life of her go back to New Monaco for all of the money in the world, but Rory was family whether she liked it or not. And you just didn’t abandon an innocent family member to the fate that she’d be facing.
“Johanna?” she asked softly.
“Yes?”
“How long will it take us to reach New Monaco?”
“We can be there by tomorrow afternoon.”
“Well. Guys, I guess we’re going after Quinn’s daughter. And somewhere in between will have to get that antidote for Veronica. Are you three up to it?” she asked looking at each of them.
“Not three. Four,” Ross said, from the doorway.
“Right, then. Let the games begin,” she said, as Tyler pulled them up out of New Jamaica’s atmosphere and they streaked into hyperspace.
Chapter Four
Samantha couldn’t seem to get the image of Devlin out of her mind. No matter how much she paced the deck he kept popping back into her head. Sighing heavily, she sank back into her chair. Johanna had gone back down to med bay to check on Veronica, and Tyler was piloting.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked. His voice was raspy, and his eyes were filled with an extraordinary amount of curiosity. Dylan was off in the corner, fixing something that had gone on the fritz.
“Not right now,” she muttered. Normally, she would not have pushed him away, but Quinn had done some pretty despicable things to the family, and she found it very hard to consider ever forgiving him.
They lapsed into silence for exactly five minutes. Just as her thoughts began to wander back to happy days spent with Quinn, Tyler’s voice broke her reverie.