Death Dealer Page 9

  Lyra frowned. The AI paused for a moment.

  Nerishka sputtered on a laugh.

 

  AI’S GAME

  STELLAR DATE: 10.06.8948 (Adjusted Gregorian)

  LOCATION: Skycar, Eshnunna

  REGION: Anahita, Ayra System (Independent)

  Lyra had tried for almost an hour to contact the AI and a number of other key staff of the Crosus Cartage Company but she’d had no luck.

  Lyra sounded annoyed.

 

  the AI replied, eliciting a grin from Nerishka. Lyra continued,

 

  Lyra huffed.

  Now, Nerishka sat in a skycar, hidden within the folds of a dark cloak. It would shield her from questions as she blended into the foot traffic, but she planned to approach the warehouse with extreme prejudice. Hence the armor hidden beneath.

  Despite Nerishka’s calm reaction to Lyra’s suspicions regarding the non-response from Crosus Cartage, Nerishka wasn’t planning on being complacent. Considering Karsin’s death—and the two attempts on her own life—she was disinclined to make any assumptions.

  The skycar dropped them off several blocks from the building where the warehouse was located, and Nerishka proceeded to change her appearance before hailing a second car.

  This time she wore a more serious, business-appropriate suit, although her pants and jacket fitted well enough to reveal her curves. The skycar stopped in front of Crosus’ warehouse and then disappeared off along the busy causeway, leaving Nerishka standing in front of the drab building, in the middle of the morning rush.

  She studied the entrance, while also paying close attention to the workers in stained suits and cargo-shuttles carrying loads of varying shapes and sizes drifting past.

 

  After a moment Lyra said,

 

  Lyra’s tone revealed she wasn’t sure how to react to such news.

 

  Lyra sent an affirmative.

  Nerishka squinted up at the darkened building.

 

  Nerishka lifted an eyebrow.

  Lyra huffed.

 

  Lyra’s avatar lifted a curious brow.

  Nerishka sighed.

 

  Nerishka let out a chuckle as she approached the entrance to the warehouse. Lyra said only moments before Nerishka palmed the access panel.

  Waiting only for the door to open a tiny bit, Nerishka slid into the sliver of thick darkness and waited as the door closed behind her. Her HUD activated IR and nightvision, casting the interior of the building in an unnatural palette, the empty waiting area steeped in a grey-green darkness.

  Lyra dropped the floor plan of the building on Nerishka’s HUD, and the forms of four people appeared in a room at the back.

  Nerishka hurried past the narrow reception area and entered an office space.

 

 

 

  Nerishka gave a short nod and exited the office, then proceeded into the interior cargo holding area where crates and containers lined the floors and filled racks that rose up to the ceiling. She passed through the darkened space, noting the red lights on the floor that marked off the path through the stacks.

  At the back wall, a door sat partially open, and Nerishka made out a table with five seats, only four of which were occupied. she asked Lyra as she frowned at the table, littered with stale, dried out food that appeared days old.

  Her AI frowned.

  asked Nerishka as she neared the table.

  Lyra nodded. Lyra made an odd sound, one halfway between surprised and annoyed.

  Nerishka had to admit she was impressed at how supremely the Crosus AI had managed to fuck up.

 

  Nerishka lifted an eyebrow.

 

  Nerishka smirked.

  Lyra let out a soft sigh.

 

  Lyra’s avatar bobbed its head.

  Nerishka chuckled. side, Lyra?>

 

  Nerishka said, reassuring the AI.

  Lyra sent a grateful smile via her avatar.

  Nerishka wanted to ask how, but she decided it was best not to distract Lyra. So far, the AI had been an asset—learning her way through the mission and understanding what her role was—and Nerishka had found she’d already grown fond of her.

  Despite Nerishka’s initial reservations when they were paired, she couldn’t deny Lyra’s growing value to her, both mission related and personal.

  Lyra announced mere moments later. After a few minutes, Lyra let out a whoop.

  Nerishka lifted an eyebrow.

 

  Nerishka laughed softly as the lighting in the room brightened and the players at the table straightened, then looked around at each other in confusion.

  Lyra sounded relieved, and pleased, as Nerishka backed out of the room and exited the warehouse.

 

  Lyra snorted.

  Nerishka sighed as she exited the building and headed down the street, noting that a cargo-shuttle was lifting off from the pad on the far side of the warehouse.

  After walking a few blocks away, Nerishka hailed a skycar for a ride to the spaceport where her luggage was already waiting.

 

  Nerishka let out a low groan.

  JERIAH

  STELLAR DATE: 07.03.8948 (Adjusted Gregorian)

  LOCATION: New Olivar

  REGION: Maui, Ontario System, Septhian Alliance

  Three weeks prior…

  Regional Director Jeriah smoothed her hands down the front of her floor-length skirt and then moved them back to her hips. It appeared she was at a loss as to what to do with either of her hands. Not surprising since she was equally at a loss as to how to process the data she was staring at.

  Jeriah was studying the reports she’d received, a frown marring the perfect skin on her forehead. Kri, Jeriah’s AI, had thrown up the vids, along with reports and system locations of the three agents they pertained to. She let out a ragged sigh, ran her fingers through her hair and then returned her hands to her hips again.

  Kri commented, his tone as cool as always.

  Jeriah responded, sarcasm and a little edge of coldness in her tone.

  Kri commented as he threw up more details onto the holo, providing Jeriah with the kind of information she preferred to see when working through puzzling cases—like the one that had just landed in her lap.

  Jeriah let out a sigh. Her tone had again been impatient, and she knew that when Kri’s response came it would be infuriatingly calm and serene, as if he was so happy to have to be in Jeriah’s head.

  was Kri’s brief reply.

  Jeriah remained silent. Another twenty years with an AI who she personally didn’t like—or get along with—seemed like a life sentence. But changing her AI wasn’t something she’d be able to do at the flick of an eyelid, especially not when she’d only been with Kri a year now. Why Helen had insisted Kri be paired with Jeriah, she would never know.

  Stars, I hope Helen knows what she is doing. I want this AI out of my head. But Helen was wiser than any AI she’d ever come across. She had to trust in Helen’s plan. Still, Jeriah was yet to see what was so special about the AI.

  For all intents and purposes, he was an exceptionally skilled AI and had not let Jeriah down once in the year since they’d been together. Perhaps she ought to just focus on Kri’s skills and ignore what he lacked: compassion, thoughtfulness, tact. Pushing aside her unsatisfactory relationship with Kri, Jeriah focused on the holo before her.

  She waved a hand to swipe through the reports and brought up the first file she’d received three weeks ago from the Jordan System.

  Jeriah had seen the file before, but this process was important.

  Kri pushed the data up again, enlarging the holo to contain all the information. An image of the agent, Nathaniel, popped up on the corner of the projection along with his stats and his length of service.

  Jeriah sighed.

  Kri sent a frown. he asked, his tone neutral as though this wasn’t a conversation they’d had repeatedly over the months.

 

 

  Jeriah bit back the comment she was about to make. Then she said it anyway.

  Kri’s reply was predictable and just as frustrating.

 

 

  Jeriah folded her arms and waved her fingers to enlarge the stills of the vid Nathaniel had sent.

 

  Jeriah sighed.

 

  Jeriah bit back a groan—here they went again.

 

 

  a future time. I wish to educate myself further on the finer aspects of organic profanity.>

  Jeriah grinned at that. Kri had an amazing ability to be hilariously funny simply because he sounded like he had a two-by-four permanently stuck up his figurative ass.

 

 

  Jeriah studied the frames as they played and considered Nathaniel’s emotional responses as he spoke.

  Kri sent a nodding avatar, one that was also frowning and holding his chin contemplatively. Jeriah smiled. Perhaps there was hope yet for the AI.

  he said. asked Kri.

 

 

  Jeriah smirked.

 

  Jeriah murmured as she studied the vid, focusing on the room behind the agent, refocusing on locations of items in each frame. Perhaps if she looked elsewhere, other than Nathaniel’s face, she may see something different.

  Kri prompted.

  Jeriah replied and focused on Kri’s question.

  For a moment, Kri was silent as he considered Jeriah’s suggestion.