Dealers' Choice - Susan Hayes Page 0,54

behavioral conditioning.

Xori considered quickly as she followed along behind Beta. She couldn’t do anything about the compulsion, but the anxiousness? That, she could work with.

They moved through the corridors, occasionally pressing themselves up against a wall as the male clones ran back and forth, all of them wearing combat armor and bristling with weapons. Beta’s emotions were stronger now, her anxiety growing teeth and claws as it morphed into fear. Xori did what she could to amplify that. It wasn’t easy, given they weren’t in physical contact, but it was easier than stripping away Ward’s anger. This time, she was fanning the flames of a fire that was already burning.

“Hurry. We’re almost there.” Beta’s voice was high and frantic as she pointed to a set of double doors with a shaking finger.

Xori felt a pang of guilt, but it didn’t stop her from pushing another wave of fear into her guide. If she got onto that shuttle, she’d never see her vardo again.

Footsteps rushed up behind her, and she barely managed to dive out of the way as three of the males ran by them without a word of warning. They were going flat out, weapons in hand.

One of them clipped Beta, who tumbled to the deck with a fearful cry and stayed down, her knees drawn up to her chest and her hands over her head.

Xori didn’t stop to see if she was alright. This was her chance. She started running after the three males. They were clearly preparing to defend the ship from the alleged raiders Beta had mentioned, the ones she was certain were really her rescue party. She was going to need help to get off this nightmare ship, but she could at least make it easy for them to find her.

To her surprise, she didn’t have to run far. The males she was following made straight for the same double doors Beta had pointed out. They charged into the shuttle hangar shoulder to shoulder, weapons firing. Xori took cover on one side of the door. She had no weapon, no armor, and no idea what was going on inside. She’d be safer out here. Maybe. Or Beta might snap out of it and drag her away, or Vivian could show up, or—the doors started to close again, and she dashed through them before she finished her thought. Vic and Ward were on the other side of that door. They had to be. It wasn’t rational or even smart, but she was done playing things safe. It was time for a leap of faith.

Ward stood at the edge of the airlock and eyed the distance from their ship to their target. “This idea seemed a lot less insane when we were running simulations.”

Blade’s voice came through his helmet with such clarity it was like he was standing right next to him. “That’s the problem with reality. It’s too fraxxing real.”

“And these suits are very fraxxing tight,” Vic muttered on their internal channel.

“Self-tailoring nanotech or not, I don’t think these were designed with cyborgs in mind,” Ward agreed. But they were thin enough they could wear combat armor overtop. It was a decent trade-off for the reduced blood flow and uncomfortable fit.

They were in the airlock, waiting to move the second they got close enough. To the surprise of no one who knew the owners, the Faerie Queene was outfitted with military-grade weaponry and stealth abilities that made her a match for half the ships in the IAF’s fleets. They’d managed to sneak up on their target undetected, and by the time the other ship’s engines had been crippled by a perfectly placed plasma cannon round, he and Vic were suited up and prepared for the next stage of their assault.

“You ready to go get our girl?” Vic asked over the main channel,

“Locked and loaded. Just don’t drop our guns. We’re going to need those.”

Blade’s voice filled his helmet again. “Kick their asses for us.”

“Will do,” Vic replied.

“We’re in position. You are good to go in three. Three-two-one-mark.”

They pushed off the moment Blade gave the word, activating their suit’s simple thrusters the second they hit open space. Around them, the void filled with bolts from the plasma cannon, and the skin on the back of Ward’s neck tightened as the other vessel returned fire. The light show had two purposes, to take out the other vessel’s weapons, and draw everyone’s attention away from them so they could make it to the other ship undetected.

“One nice thing. If