Prevail (The Pike Chronicles Book 2) (12 page)

Jon looked over the railing and saw the man’s hand gripping the railing below. He swung his weapon over the railing and locked onto the hand. He fired. The man screamed. He heard him tumble, obviously losing his footing. Jon rushed forward, moving in for the kill, and found the man’s contorted body lying on a landing, already dead. The fall had broken his neck.

Above him he heard footsteps, and then Breeah’s voice, “Jon?”

“Down here.”

Breeah and Anki came down the stairs to Jon’s location.

“Are you alright?” said Breeah.

“Yeah. You?”

“Fine.”

He reached down and picked up Anki, who was looking at the dead man on the stairs.

“What happened to him?” said Anki.

“He tripped,” said Jon.

Anki shook her head. “He should have held the railing.”

Twenty more flights of stairs and Breeah still felt pretty good. Her legs didn’t hurt. Her breathing wasn’t strained. Thankfully her stamina had returned. After getting shot on the Hermes, she wondered if her fitness level would come back once she recovered. Jon had assured her it would, and he was right. She had made a full recovery, and none too soon.

She had needed her reflexes when the first two men came at her. A lifetime of training ensured that her body reacted with precision, and deadly force. Those fools saw a mother and daughter. Victims. She had always been taught never to underestimate an opponent. Apparently those men never learned that lesson, and it cost them their lives. So many were like that. Never challenging themselves. Never pushing. Assuming their opponents would always be weaker. That wasn’t how she was brought up. Her father always taught her to fight from a position of weakness. Always assume your enemy is stronger, he used to say. Always assume you are outnumbered. What will you do? How will you survive?

Ahead of her Jon came to a stop and raised his hand. Looking back at her he pointed to his ear and then pointed down the stairs. More attackers. Jon had told her about his special abilities, but it still amazed her. She heard nothing but knew not to question his senses. Then there were his physical abilities. Speed. Strength. Endurance. He still held Anki, down all those flights of stairs, and didn’t have a bead of sweat to show for it.

Ahead of them was a door leading to the twenty-third floor. Jon pointed to it and they rushed through. They quietly moved down the hallway. She kept glancing back as they went, pointing her weapon behind her in fear that the enemy would come through the door and shoot them in the back. They rounded a corner. She pointed her weapon ahead. It was clear. They kept moving. She looked behind her. Still nobody. She was ready, but tense. Part of her wanted to be attacked. She wanted to face her enemy, not worry about phantoms and shadows.

Halfway through they came upon a walkway connecting their building to a neighboring one. An opportunity to escape? They hastened across the walkway. The glass surrounding them made her feel very exposed. They were suspended between two buildings, fully visible to anyone looking in their direction. She expected the attack craft to show up again and fire. She pointed her weapon up toward the sky. Swept it from side to side. She brought it down and panned left to right. Up and down. Nothing. She turned and aimed at her rear. Nobody came. She aimed up again, looking for the attack craft. It was nowhere to be found.

When she looked back to where their apartment was she saw several more wingless aircraft buzzing around it. Were they the authorities investigating the incident? Was that why the attacking craft left? Or were they the enemy too? Everything was unfamiliar. How could you tell friend from foe? The greatest enemy hides in the light of day, her father used to say. Did artificial daylight count?

They made it across the walkway without incident. Nobody followed. Jon slowed his pace a bit, turned back to her and said, “I think we can use the elevators now.”

“I did not see anything when we crossed,” said Breeah.

“Neither did I. Looks like the attack craft is gone.”

“What about the men on foot?”

“They could be anywhere, but I’m guessing they’re looking for us in that building.”

“What do we do now?”

“We need to find Captain Seiben,” said Jon. “If they know about us they probably know about his involvement in the mission.”

“So you do think this is the work of the raiders?”

“We can’t know for sure, but it’s the most logical explanation.”

“Well let’s find Captain Seiben.”

Captain Seiben was a nice man. A genuine man. You could count on him to be honest. She liked him and his family and hoped nothing happened to them.

They got onto the elevator and took it down. They both concealed the guns in their waistbands, under their shirts. The elevator stopped repeatedly, letting more people on with each stop. Before long the cabin was fairly crowded. She didn’t mind mixing with the crowd. It would help them hide. She just hoped none of the other passengers were the enemy.

Their adversaries were a mystery. Who were they? Why had they come? They could only guess. She could be staring straight at one and not know until it was too late. She hoped Jon would know. She counted on it.

They made it to the ground level without incident and joined the throngs of people on the sidewalk. She tried to act normal, but could not help looking around constantly. She tried to stay calm, but her nerves were quickly becoming unraveled. Her suspicion of those around her bordered on paranoia. She couldn’t help it. She did not want to be surprised.

But she was.

The crowd had pressed in around her making it difficult to keep a protective buffer between herself and others. A cold point pressed against her back. A knife.

Breeah didn’t know if it would be pushed in and didn’t want to find out. The second it touched her spine she spun. She timed it well. Even if the thrust came it would be partially deflected. It wouldn’t be a killing strike. But the man behind her didn’t thrust. He hesitated. Probably confident in taking her by surprise.

One of the first things she was taught growing up was to defang the snake. Your opponent has a weapon. Whether you have one or not you have to eliminate the threat. The snake’s fangs. In this case the knife. She fluidly did this with three moves, taking no more than a second to execute.

Her arm came around first and hit the attacker’s forearm, moving the knife away from her body. He still held the knife and would quickly come back at her with a slash, followed by a thrust. To avoid that her other hand followed and checked the man’s elbow, taking away his attack. Control the elbow and you control the arm. The third thing she did as she came around was hammer her heel into the man’s knee.

It takes just nine pounds of pressure to break a knee. The strike made the man buckle and instinctively reach for his leg. That split second loss of focus allowed her to strip the knife out of his hand. The man’s eyes widened with shock as his own blade came back at him. She swung it across the side of his neck, slashing the artery, and then thrust it back like a piston, driving the point into his throat.

One of the other things she was taught early on: always aim for the soft targets.

But most importantly, know your target. Choose a target and go after it. Commit. A focused, decisive attack is more likely to succeed and will often overwhelm your opponent. Even a stronger opponent.

She quickly became aware of the crowd around her. People were now screaming in horror at the man falling to the ground, blood squirting in the air from the severed artery in his neck. And her standing there, still gripping the blood soaked blade.

Jon grabbed her by the arm and yanked her away. “We have to go. Now!” he said.

They ran down the street, the frightened crowd parting for them as they went. Breeah threw away the knife. She still had the gun, and she didn’t think that carrying a bloody knife in her hand would help her cause.

“But you just got home,” said Darla, Captain Seiben’s wife. “You’re not supposed to go out again for at least three weeks. It’s in your contract.”

“I know, but how can I refuse Mr. Jansen?” said Seiben. He understood her frustration, but he couldn’t tell her the truth.

“It’s not right. What about Alina and Otka? They’ve barely spent any time with you.”

“I won’t be gone as long this time.”

“There are other freighter captains. Jansen should pick one of them.”

“This freight is very valuable. That Mr. Jansen wants me to take this trip, rather than someone else, is a great honor. He is also paying me well for the trip. Three times my regular wages.”

“We don’t need the money. The girls need to see their father. I need to see my husband.”

“It is only this once.”

That set her off. “No it isn’t,” she snapped. She wagged a finger at him and said, “If you do it this time, Jansen will expect you to do it again.”

“And what would you have me do? Say no? Lose my job? Where would that leave us?”

“We could leave the station,” she said, her tone softening, pleading. “We could emigrate to one of the planets. The kids could feel what it’s like to truly be outside. To breathe in fresh air.”

“The air on the station is fresh,” said Seiben, defensively. “It’s constantly filtered. It’s probably cleaner than any of the planets.”

“You know what I mean,” said Darla. “We could start a new life. This isn’t the only place to live in the universe.”

“And what would I do there? There isn’t any demand for freighter captains on the planets.”

“Do you have to haul freight?”

“Would you have me carry passengers then? Perhaps I should become a tour guide?”

“My point is there are opportunities there, so long as you are willing to look for them. We don’t have to be trapped on this station.”

“We aren’t trapped. We have a good life here.”

“Do we?”

“Yes, we do. All our needs are provided for. The children are getting a great education. I have a good position.”

“A position that leaves no time for your family. And what about the last time? Those raiders could’ve killed you. You put yourself at risk every time you go out.”

What would she do if she knew the risk he was taking with this mission? “Nothing would’ve happened. Even if Jon wasn’t there Mr. Jansen would’ve paid the ransom and they would’ve let us go.”

“And if he didn’t pay? Then what.”

“Don’t be silly. The cargo and freighter are worth more than the ransom. Of course he would pay.”

Darla stood there pouting. He knew he couldn’t change her mind. She was a planet girl and always would be. She could never fully accept this life. He pulled her close and gave her a hug. She relaxed a little but he could tell she was still mad.

“Once I come back from this run I’ll arrange for some extra time off. We’ll take a vacation. Maybe we’ll visit one of those planets you’re so fond of. One with oceans and beaches.”

“The girls would love that,” she said, succumbing to the compromise.

The knock at the door interrupted them. Seiben threw his hands up. “Can we not find a moment of peace?”

He let go of Darla, walked to the door and opened it. Three men stood there, dressed in black. For a second he thought they were DLC security personnel, but didn’t see the DLC insignia, or any other for that matter.

“Who the hell are you?” said Seiben.

One of the men pulled out an energy weapon, pointed it at Seiben’s head and said, “May we come in?”

They reached Seiben’s building without further incident. Were the attackers still in pursuit? Jon didn’t know. Perhaps they didn’t want to try anything else out in the open. He could only assume that they were waiting for a more discrete opportunity. Either way he had to warn Captain Seiben. They needed to leave their apartment and go somewhere safe, at least until they knew what was going on.

They got into the glass lift and took it up to Seiben’s floor. Looking out of the elevator onto the city everything seemed normal. Yet every hovercraft floating above them could be a threat. Every person walking below an enemy. Every window in the buildings around them hiding a sniper.

He didn’t know his enemy, and that left him feeling very vulnerable. Hell, he didn’t know this city, this station, or this region of space.

They got out of the elevator and walked down the hall to Seiben’s apartment. Before they reached his door Jon put Anki down and put a finger to his mouth, telling her not to make a sound. He gestured to Breeah to stay back with Anki. Breeah nodded and pulled out the gun from her waistband. Jon did the same and headed toward the door.

He stood beside the door and knocked on it. His fears were realized when weapon fire ripped through it. He backed up and waited. The door opened and a man stepped out, weapon drawn, his arm sweeping the hallway in a wide arc. Jon fired. The man dropped.

More gunfire burst through the open door. How many more men were inside the apartment? Had they killed Seiben? His family? There was no way of knowing without going in.

“Mr. Pike,” said a voice from inside the apartment. “I have Captain Seiben. I have his wife. And I have his little girls. Cute kids. But not for long. Unless you come through that door.”

Jon turned to Breeah. “I need your help,” he whispered. “I’m going to go in and draw their fire. When they start firing at me I want you to take them out.”

“What about Captain Seiben and his family?”

“Don’t shoot them.”

Breeah frowned, but nodded her agreement.

“I’m not a patient man Mr. Pike,” said the man. “I am going to shoot one of these little girls now.”

“Wait,” said Jon. “I’m coming in.”

Jon turned to the doorway, took a breath, and dove in. The men inside were waiting and fired immediately, barely missing him. He moved as quick as he could through the room. So long as the gunfire chased him it meant they were no longer facing the door.

Breeah appeared in the doorway and fired, hitting the first man in the head. She fired at the second, but he managed to duck. He jumped up, holding Alina in front of him, and pointed his gun at Breeah. She couldn’t fire without hitting the little girl.

The man fired at Breeah and she jumped back behind the wall. The man pointed the gun at Darla and fired.

When Breeah had fired Jon had changed direction and headed for the gunmen. He didn’t want to risk hitting the little girl so he didn’t fire his weapon. He had to disarm him first. He lunged for the man’s weapon as he aimed it at Darla. Then he heard the gun go off.

He had hit the man’s arm and knocked it upwards, hoping the shot would miss. He hit it again, breaking it. The man dropped his gun to the floor, and dropped Alina, trying in vain to strike back. Jon easily blocked the strike, grabbed the arm, and broke it too. He was surprised when the man fell to the floor with Captain Seiben on top of him.

“You filthy scum,” yelled Seiben. “I’ll kill you.” Seiben sat on top of the man clubbing him repeatedly with his heavy fists. After the second blow it was clear the man was unconscious, but Seiben kept hitting him.

Jon figured Seiben deserved some revenge so he let him get a few more punches in. He looked back and to his relief saw that Darla was still alive. The shot had missed her after all. Then he turned back to Seiben and said, “It might be better if you didn’t kill him. We might find out who sent them.”

Seiben stopped and looked up at Jon, a look of confusion on his face. He seemed to realize what Jon was saying and nodded in agreement. He looked down at the unconscious man and spit. Then he got up and went to his family. He took two steps toward them, turned and looked back at the man like he had an idea. He took a step back and unloaded a powerful kick to the man’s groin. The force of the kick moved the man’s body several feet.

Jon cringed. “Was that really necessary?”

“Something for him to remember me by,” said Seiben.