11


We moved along the concourse, keeping a brisk pace. Henshaw hadn't bothered to conceal his appearance much, choosing to dress slightly less flamboyantly and forgo the trench coat. He wore athletic shoes that Tom had found in the Jellybird’s storeroom.
Elise and Path followed a hundred meters behind us, almost out of view. They were easy for me to pick out because I knew them. All I had to do was glance back and X-37 would capture the scene. He'd analyze it and give me a summary. It was one way to avoid appearing conspicuous when checking for a tail, though I’d have to be mindful not to do it too often. I didn’t want to appear paranoid, even if I was.
This time when we took the train, we got off near the landing platform where the Lady Faith was docked.
There weren't any guards.
"What do you think that means?" I asked, gesturing to the absence of guards on the landing pad.
"It seems that Arnold made his play and has withdrawn," Henshaw said.
“Arnold the governor of Roxo III?” I asked.
“The same. He probably needs his best troops with him to ride out the disorder. As for the normal guards, they seem to be AWOL."
"Looks like a trap," I said at about the same time X-37 warned me of the dangerous possibility.
"Anything could be a trap," Henshaw said. "In my experience, the less it looks like a trap, the more likely it is to be a trap.”
"You may be right. Or you might be paranoid," I said. "Let's get my upgrades and leave.”
"The absence of guards may not be such a great thing," Henshaw said. "It probably means that Nightmare and his champion are up to something."
I studied the landing area again, thinking that his casual mention of his gambling adversary was important. Who the hell was Nightmare? There was no place for an enemy to set up an ambush unless they were inside the ship. Which meant there was more here than I was seeing. "I guess I should be worried this character has a champion. Does he think he's a king?"
"Something like that. A real highroller. Not a bad gambler, but he's most interested in gladiatorial contests," Henshaw said.
"I see where this is going," X-37 said.
I didn't respond to my limited AI. We were on the same page. The reason James Henshaw had been so hot to get me here was that he was setting up a fight. "Gladiatorial contests? If I didn't know you better, I would think you planned this all along."
"There is a gathering room on my yacht," he said. "I think the prior owner used it for Pilates or something."
"Is Pilates dangerous?” I asked, having never heard of the fighting style.
"Not so much," he said. "I'm not lying about your LAI. Mess this up and you're going to wish you’d never heard of the Reaper Corps."
"Henshaw, you have no idea." I wanted to confront him about the game he was playing, but this wasn't the time or place. And strange as it seemed, I was invigorated by our semi-adversarial relationship. This man who had obviously learned his trade from the best Union spies presented a challenge that didn't involve direct violence.
It was a strange thought. Who would've known I was missing mental stimulation? Too bad it was going to end in a fight like always.
Henshaw hesitated, almost like he was going to turn back and head to the Jellybird. “Whatever happens, I promise you I'll fix X-37."
"I'm starting to think nothing you say is true," I said. As clever as Henshaw was, he sucked at concealing guilt about whatever was about to happen. He suppressed the tell quickly, lowering his hand from where he had been touching his right temple.
"I don't live in a black-and-white world of easy decisions, and neither do you," he said. "If we're going to try this, we should get going."
I made my decision and started for the loading ramp of the ship. Docking clamps kept the ship from being stolen, but Roxo authorities demanded the right of inspection at a moment’s notice. As a result, the main door to ships were left open and monitored by each ship’s AI. If an unauthorized intruder approached, the ship could be locked down. This rarely happened. The shadows inside were deep and I couldn't see much.
Drawing my pistol, I also synchronized my optics to better penetrate the gloomy interior. Henshaw approached and the Lady Faith greeted him.
"Welcome back, James," the ship AI said. Her voice was deep and rich. "Your guests are waiting in the dining room."
I stopped him from entering. "Your guests are waiting, Jimmy," I said. "I hope they’re enjoying themselves."
"We're slightly behind schedule—fashionably late," he said.
After one step inside the yacht, I realized Elise had been right. Going alone would've been a mistake. I contemplated calling them up to my position but decided it wasn't time.
From the outside, the Lady Faith appeared long and sleek but not so huge that it looked intimidating. "X, look sharp. I want you to bring your A game. No side projects."
"Sure, Reaper Cain. I'm dropping everything,” X-37 said. “I was onto something important, but I guess I'll just get back to it later."
"I don't need your attitude, X." My Reaper limited AI had been on his best behavior, but I knew his personality was a mirror of mine. He could be a jerk in all the wrong moments.
Henshaw seemed to think our bickering was amusing, even though he only heard half of the conversation. I ignored him.
"Fine," I said, stopping before we crossed the open area to the ship. "Give me a summary of what's so interesting that you’ve gotta give me lip."
"Lip? Really, Reaper Cain? How exactly would I do that?" X-37 said. "I'm dealing with a lot of data streams."
A tingle went up the back of my neck. I wondered what kind of data streams could keep X so busy. "Start prioritizing data streams. Partition what you can't analyze quickly."
"We really should get inside my ship while the coast is clear," Henshaw interrupted.
I waved him off, focusing on my environment rather than the ocular engineer. I learned long ago that when X was multitasking, I needed to double down on my own situational awareness. It was easy to look at my feet or something while I thought things through.
Which was a good way for a Reaper to die.
"Partitioning now," X-37 said. "There have been a large number of identity concealments at this landing pad. I can't tell who they were or where they went. I should warn you, Reaper Cain, I have rarely been this inundated."
"What does that mean, X?" I asked, growing alarmed—which for me meant quietly preparing myself to fight my way out of a bad situation.
"We really should be getting in there," Henshaw demanded, not looking like himself.
X-37 ignored the man. "There is one fact that is certain. The people who attempted to remove evidence of their presence in this area could afford to spend large amounts of money. Their identity concealment is very sophisticated and thus expensive."
"Good to know," I said. "Put that analysis on hold. Let's go into pre-combat mode. I want you to see anything I don't see until we've got what we came for."
"Ready to kick some ass, Reaper Cain," X-37 said.
"Are we ready?" Henshaw asked. "You should've just included me in your little LAI chat room. Might have sped things up. I could've explained to your X unit what was going on here and saved us some time."
"You mean you could've lied to my LAI and pissed me off," I said.
"Me? Tell a lie? I'm offended," Henshaw said.
We moved up the gangway.
Inside, it was an interior decorator’s wet dream. Whoever put this together had been too fond of mood-altering lighting and every sort of embellishment that made a terrible tactical landscape.
Beyond the main entrance was a hallway that curved with the shape of the ship. That element alone was enough to make it difficult to clear effectively. Along each wall were low tables affixed to the floor with wine cups every two feet.
Things were starting to get weird and I sensed the completion of Henshaw's long game of manipulation.
Henshaw casually picked up a glass, swirled the red liquid, and took a sip.
I stopped to glare at him as though I might deploy my Reaper blade to his face.
He smiled mischievously. "None for you, Reaper Cain. You have a death-match with your name on it."
"Unless I turn around and leave," I warned.
"That would mean no reward for you or your team,” he pointed out. “And the Lady Faith has been instructed not to let you leave. Much like when I was confined to the Jellybird. Turnabout is fair play.”
"Stay right there," I said.
He shrugged and continued to enjoy his drink.
I worked my way to the first bulkhead, finding a locked door. I doubled back, confident this part of the ship was as secure as I could make it.
Henshaw was growing impatient. "Is all of this really necessary? I have guests waiting."
I ignored him. "Elise, bring Path. I need you here. I cleared up to a locked door and need your help."
Henshaw became animated. "Now you're going too far. I'm afraid I must insist you continue without your friends. Lady, don't allow them inside.”
Leaning very close to Henshaw, I breathed a threat against his face, forcing him to flinch at the air hitting him with each word. “Let them in or I’ll cut off your head and gouge out your cybernetic eyes.”
I heard something I couldn't identify. Asking X-37 to analyze the nearly inaudible sound would ruin the moment, so I just waited.
Henshaw swallowed hard but seemed unable to speak.
My LAI said nothing, which frustrated me. I tapped two fingers together in one of our nonverbal signals.
"Give me a second," X-37 said. “You ever tried to listen through a blast door? I'm having to hack into the ship’s monitors to identify what that vibration was.”
I pulled back an inch from Jimmy Henshaw—the double-crossing dick.
"I have it," X-37 advised. "The vibration was caused by laughter, most likely in a large crowd.”
A realization struck me that nearly caused me to carry out my threat against the ocular engineer turned gambler and master plotter. "You’re not just recording with your cybernetics, but broadcasting!"
"Only here on my ship! No place else. Even if I could, I wouldn't have shared my time inside your ship," he said.
"You really are a gambler," I said. "Take my advice and get some help. You’re going to get yourself killed."
"We are outside the ship," Elise said. "How do you expect us to get inside?"
Her tone wasn't sarcastic or whining. Despite her complete lack of military training, I thought she adapted well to being on a mission. She was a lot like me. Danger focused her. It was time to start training her in earnest. As soon as we got back to the Jellybird. If we got back to the Jellybird.
“Last chance to keep your face in one piece,” I said, pointing at his eyes with my Reaper hand. “Let my people inside.”
Henshaw spoke reluctantly to his ship AI. "Lady, open the door for our new guests."
"Right away, James," the Lady Faith AI said.
Elise and Path joined me in the hallway. I could tell the young woman was hyper-alert and possibly nervous, but she was holding herself together despite the reality I knew was crashing down on her world. I'd experienced the same thing on the edge of times. During training preparation for missions, I was confident. But even after multiple engagements, actually doing the deed was stressful.
"Are you ready for this?" I asked.
Elise nodded. Path didn't have to say or do anything. I knew he was ready just by the look of him.