Death Dealer Page 12
What she did find was the Hand had been so impressed with Nerishka, assassin for hire in Valkris’ espionage syndicate—something the world was renowned for supplying—that they’d headhunted her. Justin had been met with resistance for years until something had happened and Nerishka had been abruptly brought aboard.
From what Lyra could discern, Nadine was active in the Silstrand Alliance—not more than three hundred light years from the Ayra System—but her records were also sealed. What Lyra really wanted to know was exactly how Nerishka had fallen into working for the Hand, and where she’d picked up her skill with toxins. Lyra’s curiosity was centered more around what made Nerishka who she was now—advantageous if Lyra wanted to know her organic partner better.
She hadn’t come into this mission for a short-term pairing. She planned to be with Nerishka for as long as was allowed. Not because she liked Nerishka—which she did—but more because the Death Dealer’s reputation was second to none. And as her assistant, helping the Death Dealer on her missions was a privilege few AIs were offered.
Lyra wasn’t about to mess it up.
A CHAT
STELLAR DATE: 10.06.8948 (Adjusted Gregorian)
LOCATION: Belshazzar, en route to Xerxes
REGION: Ayra System (Independent)
Nerishka palmed the door to her would-be assassin’s temporary jail cell and entered the room, a small steel case in her hand.
Her captive lay on the bed, still bound and unable to move. The woman was staring up at the lights on the overhead, the glare making her green-tinged skin seem more pronounced.
The woman’s eyes flashed with anger. “You really think I’m that stupid?”
Nerishka chuckled. “I didn’t realize names made people stupid. It would make things a little easier. I guess I could call you ‘Number Three’. I could go with ‘hey you’, but I think that is going to get confusing fast.” After a short pause, Nerishka said, “Chartreuse! That’ll work…although it might be a little too elegant for you. How about Lime?”
The assassin rolled her eyes. “Are you a comedian, or a spy?”
Nerishka sighed in mock sadness. “I guess I’m working at both. Maybe you gave me too much credit? You and your friends—or is it sisters?—you seem pretty passionate about killing me. You never even stop to have a chat first.”
The woman snorted. “You always this funny? Or do you think acting like you’re not a ruthless killer will convince me to not complete my mission?”
Nerishka pursed her lips and tilted her head, studying the green features for a moment. “You think I’m ruthless? I think I’ll take that as a compliment—though it should tell you something about your future.”
“I know who you are, Death Dealer. You don’t have to pretend with me.”
Nerishka shook her head. “Not sure who this Death Dealer person is. I’m just trying to enjoy a vacation. I’ve already killed two of you, though. May as well go for the trifecta.”
The women’s eyes widened a fraction before her features flattened.
Nerishka let out a laugh. “Oh dear. You didn’t know about the second of your sisters I’d killed?” The woman gave no response and Nerishka continued, “Thing is, I defend myself before stopping to answer questions. Can get a little complicated sometimes, especially when I want to know what I did to earn your ire, but I end up killing you instead. Sorry about that.”
After a moment’s pause in which the assassin simply glared in fury, Nerishka’s eyes widened and she snapped her fingers. “I have it. How about ‘Olive?’ Since you have the whole green thing going for you?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Nerishka. “You think this is a game but let me assure you that it is not. We’re on your tail. We have your scent. We know who you are. And you can’t shake us. Wherever you go, we’ll be there, just waiting to pounce.”
Nerishka frowned and wagged a finger at the woman. “You ever thought of doing voice-work in sims? That little monologue was epic…gave me goosebumps.”
Lyra snickered at Nerishka’s words.
Nerishka chuckled as she addressed her captive, “Why don’t you just tell me who you work for. I mean… I’m apparently living on borrowed time anyway. It’ll make this go a lot easier for both of us.>
Nerishka ignored the AI and gave her captive a small smile. “C’mon, Olive. I’m asking nicely. As you can see I haven’t harmed you in any way. I’m being nice, so why don’t you be nice to me?”
The assassin’s jaw muscles tightened. “I’m not sure…your reputation made you sound so professional. Deadly even. But now that I have to listen to your posturing, I think you’re more of an airhead than anything.” The green woman’s lip curled as she spoke revealing a tattoo on the inside of her bottom lip.
Nerishka let out a laugh and was about to respond when Lyra spoke.
The woman’s smile widened, as if she was amused at something. A smile which faded within seconds as she found her suicide had failed. “What? How did you…?”
Nerishka waved a hand. “You have nanotech. I have nanotech. We’re all happy nanotechy people,” she airily. “Plus, my AI is brilliant, and you’re all alone in your little green head. So there is that.”
The woman glared at Nerishka. Or rather glared more; she was doing a lot of glaring. “OK, Olive, out with it. Who do you work for? You’ve got rather impressive stealth gear, so it’s not some back world. Fletcher or the Ayran military? Hegemony? Trisilieds? Scipio?” Nerishka paused before adding, “Orion?”
With the nano Lyra had deployed inside the assassin’s body, Nerishka could read her opponent’s physiological responses to each option. None appeared to be positive.
“You may be able to control your reactions,” Nerishka said after a moment spent gauging the woman’s responses. She patted her case of vials. “Once these cocktails are flowing through you, you’re not going to be able to hide your responses so well. And since we have your mods locked down, you’re going to feel everything.”
The woman snorted. “You think I’m afraid of pain? We were trained to withstand even the worst of torture techniques.”
Nerishka sighed, then placed her case on the table beside her captive’s hip. She lifted the lid and removed an injector, feeling its familiar weight in her palm as she said, “You’re leaving me no choice. I need you to talk, and I don’t have time to waste.
The woman lifted her head to better see what Nerishka held. She let out a laugh and dropped her head back onto her pillow. “What? You’re going to inject me with some of your special nano? Or maybe one of your fancy poisons?” She let out a snicker. “Oh, we know all about your use of poisons. I’d have called you Toxic Trash or something. Death Dealer…what a joke.”
Nerishka swallowed a frustrated grunt, then shrugged as though the woman’s words hadn’t affected her. “Sorry, Olive. Going to have to use the toxins anyway. One can’t simply trust the word of an assassin, now can one?” Lyra’s chuckle echoed in Nerishka’s mind.
Nerishka administered the truth serum, remaining silent as the woman glared at her throughout the process. It didn’t take long for Nerishka to confirm that though the assassin wasn’t completely immune to her serum, the effects of the blend were greatly reduced.
The assassin’s laughter drew Nerishka’s attention back to the bed. “If you think stopping my nano was enough, you’re sorely mistaken. We’re supposed to report in periodically. Just to confirm we’re alive, you know? And I’ve missed too many check-ins.”
The grin she gave Nerishka was bordering on maniacal and Lyra said in a quiet voice,
“Be warned, Death Dealer,” the assassin called out to Nerishka. “You and your people have scurried around in the shadows for too long. Your time is coming and there is nowhere you could hide that we won’t find you.”
Nerishka barely paid attention to her captive now, focusing more on Lyra who said,
Lyra made a sound similar to a gasp.
Nerishka shifted her attention to the grinning assassin, the movement beneath the woman’s skin easy to see.
Nerishka did get out. And in time too.
The doors had barely slid closed when the assassin’s body exploded, spraying every surface in the room with blood, guts and unrecognizable body parts.
Nerishka let out a soft groan.
DISEMBARKATION
STELLAR DATE: 10.12.8948 (Adjusted Gregorian)
LOCATION: Belshazzar, approaching Nimrud Station
REGION: Xerxes, Ayra System (Independent)
Six days later…
Nerishka stared out of the window at Xerxes.
It was the far side of the planet from where she’d make landfall, but down there…somewhere…was the next set of clues. Where she’d uncover what had caused the deaths, and Karsin’s own death would not be in vain.
The suspicion that Karsin’s death may not have had any connection to Fletcher and the events on Xerxes weighed on her mind. But, for now, she chose to focus on one thing at a time.
Soon the Belshazzar would be docking at Nimrud Station and she’d meet up with Dresden and his team. Nerishka wasn’t so much as dreading it as wanting it to be over with as soon as possible.
She frowned as it hit her that she hadn’t even been thinking of getting things over with in terms of the mission. Her focus had been entirely on the ghost from her past. Stars, there was so much that had been swept under the rug between them. It would be a lot to overcome.
And did she want to overcome it? Should she even be wanting to?
Lyra said softly, her admission accompanied by a pulsing of guilt.
Nerishka laughed.
Lyra’s avatar supplied a frown.
Lyra let out a snort.
Lyra let out an imperious snort.
Lyra fell silent for a long moment and Nerishka nudged her,
Lyra sounded tense and impatient, no doubt her annoyance was more at herself than anything.
Then Lyra let out a short, triumphant laugh,
Nerishka chuckled.
Lyra nodded, sending a cheerful grin.
Nerishka pursed her lips, more than impressed.
Lyra grinned again.
Nerishka chuckled.
The AI fell silent for a moment. Her tone returned to business.
Lyra sent a blushing smile.
Nerishka had already received the details on rules and regs for both the planet and the station and had gained clearance for her weapons—the visible ones, at least.