the station, realized it was locked beyond hope, and sold it just in time for me to buy it. And here I thought the universe didn’t love me. Granted, this was the second closest planet to the station, and the shadier of the two, but I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Not only was this a top-of-the-line communication device, it was also designed especially for von Hasenberg family members, though you would be hard-pressed to notice based on the design. It had a few extra features, too.
I set the com to run a self-diagnostic, and when that came back clean, I turned on scanning mode. Designed to secure a space for communication, this mode would find any trackers or bugs the fence had managed to attach to us. Most coms had some form of bug sweeping functionality, but this one was much more sensitive than standard.
The card and shirt came back clean, much to my surprise. Our cloaks were a different matter. Each had a tiny tracker attached. I used my com to connect to the trackers and reconfigure them. Whoever was monitoring the trackers just saw them go offline. I, however, could now see their locations overlaid on a map. It wasn’t a standard com feature, but it proved useful enough that von Hasenberg family coms always came equipped with it.
I attached the two trackers to Loch’s cloak—one high near the neck and one at the bottom edge. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him . . . but I didn’t trust him.
The rest of the stuff I bought was clean, including the shirt, pants, necklace, and bracelet that were all mine originally. It wasn’t everything I’d left behind, but the com, necklace, and bracelet were definitely the most important bits.
I scanned myself and didn’t find any new trackers. “Loch?” I called. He’d left the room to find heat but hadn’t returned. When he didn’t respond, I put on my overshirt and cloak. I stored the small items in a cargo pocket and then put the clothes and Loch’s cloak back into the bag.
Something felt off, but I wasn’t going to freak out without reason.
The entry was empty, as was the dining room on the other side of the house. A hallway led deeper into the building, much like the house we’d stayed in last night. It was dark and silent.
“Loch?” I tried again. Silence answered.
Normally when presented with a choice between going deeper into a dark, creepy abandoned building or stepping out the front door into the—admittedly low—light, I’d choose the light every time. But Loch had disappeared down this hall and while I didn’t necessarily think he was in trouble, it was weird that he wasn’t responding.
The flashlight built into the com wasn’t great, but it cut through the darkness better than nothing. I drew my knife. If Loch was just in the bathroom, I was going to feel really silly.
An open door on my right led to the empty kitchen. My stomach grumbled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten enough to cover the calories I’d burned. I ignored it and continued deeper into the house.
The next door was closed. This would be so much easier if I had a gun, because clearing a room with a knife was a terrible idea. Still, I couldn’t leave a room unexplored, not if I wanted a valid retreat option.
I stood on the hinge side of the door and reached across to the handle. It turned easily and I pushed the door open then stepped back so I was hidden by the frame. Silence. I risked a peek and the part of the room I could see was empty. I cleared the other side of the room, including behind the door.
Three more rooms proved to be empty, until only one room remained. I pushed the door open, not sure what to expect. What I did not expect, however, was another empty room. Weak light spilled in through the frosted window, illuminating an empty utility room. A door led out to the backyard. Boot prints in the dust proved Loch—or someone—had been this way recently.
To follow or not to follow.
It had been fifteen minutes since Loch disappeared. He could be out scouting the perimeter because he expected me to take longer. Or he could’ve decided to double-cross me and I’d walk out into an ambush.
Only one way to find out. I turned off my flashlight, pulled up the hood of my cloak, and touched the button next