High Flyer - Michelle Diener Page 0,67
was one of those failures?”
Iver stared at her. “You think your nanotech has integrated so well with you because it was designed for our ancestors who settled the Verdant String planets?”
“Yes.”
“But then we'd know about it, wouldn't we? At least some of us would have that nanotech in us.”
Hana shrugged. “It's just a theory, but when I think it, it feels . . . right. As if my upgrade is agreeing with me. That's why I want to find the place I crashed. See what evidence I can find.”
Iver blew out a breath. “I want to be with you when you do.”
She grimaced. “First we have to escape Bret's clutches.” She brought an arm around her middle, breathed in and out as she hugged herself tight.
“It's getting worse?”
She shook her head. “Not worse, it just isn't very pleasant.”
“And your foot?”
She wriggled it. “It's fine. I stayed out of the camp as long as I could to give it time to heal.”
“You're saying the magnetic fields are strongest inside the camp?”
“Either that, or the shield somehow affects my upgrade in a very similar way to high magfield interference.”
Iver looked over at the ruins thoughtfully. “Maybe I can sow a little discord here with that information.”
Hana nodded. “I've also taken some steps to make things difficult.”
Iver looked over at her. “What did you--?”
The sound of shouting cut off what he was about to ask, and they both stepped out of the hut to see what was happening.
Although Hana had a good idea.
She'd orchestrated it, after all.
A group of people approached the camp from the river.
Craven, Brynja, Barre and Tillis. The fifth person was a man who, unlike the rest of the smugglers, looked like a serious soldier. His uniform was pristine, and clearly not cobbled together.
So, maybe not a member of the group.
Maybe whoever was circling Faldine in a nearspace capable ship, waiting for the TellTale, had decided to imbed someone in with the smugglers.
They were shouting, and Tillis was hitting a flat metal sheet with a metal spoon as they approached.
“What the fuck?” Bret had come out of a hut a few doors down from them. “You led them here. You must have.” He turned slightly and pointed a finger at Hana.
“All I did was come to camp as you insisted. If they were watching the camp and followed me, that's not on me, that's on you.” She leaned against the hut wall and stared Bret down, unable to help the shiver that went through her.
His eyes were dead.
Bret turned away, but Hana noticed the flush on his cheeks.
He had made a mistake, and there was no way for him to shift blame. He had been the only one throwing orders around yesterday and issuing ultimatums.
“She's right. You didn't think it through, did you?” Grimms limped out of a hut, and put a hand on her hip, watching the approaching group. She was holding a SAL. She flicked a look at Bret and then started limping toward the wall.
Two guards jogged down the side of the wall, one from the direction of the camp's entrance, one from behind the ruin.
Kyle had stepped out of the hut right next to Iver's soon after Grimms and he gave them a hard look before he walked over to join her.
“That looks like all they've got in terms of defense,” Iver's voice was quiet.
It wasn't a lot.
There had been others yesterday, but Hana recalled how many had been carried back to camp on a stretcher, and guessed this was the best Bret could do.
The camp leader pulled a SAL from the back of his pants and walked toward the other four. “Shoot them.”
Grimms glanced back at him. “Why are they making a noise.” She kept her voice low. “This could be a diversion. Others could be coming over the wall on the other side.”
Bret conceded her point with a nod. “We still shoot them. Tie them up. Then go shoot their friends.”
She shared a glance with Kyle, then nodded.
Bret stepped between them, right up to the wall, lifted his SAL and shot Brynja in the chest.
She went down after a few steps, and as the others opened fire, those on either side of Brynja crumpled to the ground.
“Now what?” Kyle asked.
“Now we drag them over here and tie them up.”
Hana glanced at Iver. Tilted her head to indicate the back of the hut.
“You're up to something,” Iver whispered as they edged their way around the back.
She nodded. “Do you think you can walk out of