A Dark and Hungry God Arises (53 page)

You're a dead man. Milos had told him the truth. Here in Billingate, he was nothing without Captain's Fancy.

Nothing except himself. Nick Succorso. The man who never lost.

The man whom Sorus Chatelaine had cut and then abandoned aboard the original Captain's Fancy; the man who had resurrected himself from that death to become the stuff of legends.

He measured distances; estimated his chances of knocking both rifles aside in time to land a few blows.

The gorilla looked like he could absorb a punch which would pulverize Nick's fist, and go on smiling.

Nick returned a grin of his own. His scars curved blackly under his eyes; the tic was gone from his cheek.

As if he hadn't just received a death sentence — as if in the face of Amnion threats and the Bill's muscle, UMCP

treachery and Angus' malice, he'd at last recovered his true immortality - he asked almost casually, 'I don't suppose the Bill happened to mention what he wants me to do before I can have my ship back?'

The guards shook their heads. 'You got to ask him, '

the gorilla sneered.

'I will, ' Nick said for the sake of his self-image, 'as soon as I can spare the time. '

Turning his back sharply, he strode away.

Thermo-pile and Taverner and the Bill and Hashi fucking Lebwohl were out of their minds if they thought they could do this to him.

Grinning hard enough to stretch his scars, he rounded the corner, passed out of sight of the guards — and nearly collided with Mikka Vasaczk.

She put a hand on his chest to ward him off. He didn't need to look into her eyes to see how angry she was; how desperate. The force of her thrust and the set of her hips told him that she'd come close to hitting him.

Sib Mackern and Vector Shaheed stood behind her like bodyguards. They had Pup with them. But as soon as Nick registered their presence he ignored them. He didn't have time to consider the implications of the fact that they were together. The orders he'd given them should have kept them apart: therefore they hadn't obeyed him. That was dangerous, but secondary. They would pay for it later. Mikka and the guards outside Captain's Fancy were his immediate concern.

'Just the people I was looking for, ' he announced softly. His sardonic assurance was so complete that he almost believed it himself. 'Come on. We've got work to do. '

He moved past her as if she had no choice except to follow him.

'Nick. ' She caught his arm, pulled him to a halt. 'Listen to me. ' Her grip was as hard as she could make it. For some reason it reminded him of the strength of her legs when he'd had sex with her. This is the last chance you're going to get. '

Deliberately he glanced at the nearest bugeyes. 'Save it. The Bill won't hesitate to use anything you say against you. '

Against me.

Apparently Mikka didn't care. 'Listen to me. ' The lines of her face were clenched and bitter. She looked like a woman who'd decided to step in front of matter cannon fire. We're not taking any more orders. We don't work for you. We're not your crew any longer. You've made it too obvious we're expendable. And we don't much like what you're expending us for.

'Now we're going to stop you. '

She didn't let go of his arm.

Nick couldn't help himself: he gaped at her. 'Say what?'

Sib Mackern edged closer to her shoulder, as if he wanted her to protect him - or as if he'd decided to die with her.

Nick's incredulity didn't touch her. The bugeyes are part of it, ' she grated. 'A little trick we learned from you.

The strategic use of recordings. No matter how fast you are, you can't kill all four of us before one of us manages to tell the Bill at least some of the things you don't want him to know. '

'That's right, ' Vector put in. He sounded calm and a little sad. 'In fact, I don't think you'll be able to kill any of us before Operations sends those guards' - he nodded in the direction of Captain's Fancy - 'to find out what all the noise is about. '

The engineer was right. Unless Operations or the Bill had too many other things to concentrate on, the guards were probably already headed this way.

'But if you don't kill us, ' Mikka continued as Nick stared at her, 'you won't be able to prevent us from talking to anybody we want. Captain Chatelaine for one. '

Like his scars, her eyes were full of blood. 'Captain Thermopyle for another. '

Despite the danger of the guards, Nick stood still, let his heart beat two or three times while he met her fierce glare. She'd always been the best of his crew - the most capable and intelligent; the most loyal. If only she'd been better looking, she might have held his interest longer.

He still didn't understand how he'd lost her.

Abruptly, as if he could do such things without effort, he twisted his arm free. In the same motion he shifted a few steps to the side. Involuntarily Mikka, Vector and Sib turned to face him; they moved as if he were steering them, positioning them between him and the corner.

Lazily he swung up his hand and pointed his index finger into Mikka's face. 'I'm not going to try to kill you, '

he said distinctly. 'I told you - I need you. We've got work to do.

'You don't really want to talk to the Bill. He hasn't got anything to offer you except a grubby life in this stinkhole. Personally I don't think he's going to be able to offer even that much longer. '

Are you listening, you bastard? Are you sure you want to bar me from my ship?

'And you don't want to talk' - Nick sneered the name

- 'to Captain Chatelaine. She works for the Amnion.

Directly for the Amnion. Before she changed the name, her ship used to be called Gutbuster. She did covert operations for forbidden space back in the days when Billingate didn't exist. '

Another small step to the side. Now Pup was in range.

He would make a good hostage. A quick grab; quick pressure on the carotid arteries in his neck. Then Mikka would do anything Nick wanted. For a minute or two, anyway.

Her brother pressed against the wall as if he were cowering. His eyes flinched back and forth between Nick and Mikka.

'As for Captain Thermo-pile -'

Sib took Nick by surprise. Nick had decided long ago that Mackern was no threat: the same fear which enabled him to go beyond the limits of his training and talents at the data station would also paralyze him. So Nick focused his attention exclusively on Mikka. He couldn't react in time as Sib whipped forward, caught Pup's wrist and jerked the kid out of reach.

Mikka swung Pup behind her and faced Nick as if she meant to hurl herself at his throat.

Nick adjusted his balance slightly, let her see that he was ready. Like an avatar of the man he used to be, he remarked, 'I think I've finally figured this out. You're the ones who let Morn out of her cabin, so she could rig that ejection pod. You've all been working against me at least that long.

'But you know something? I don't care. I really don't give a shit. You still haven't got a clue what's going on here. You're floundering around in the dark, instead of using your brains to keep yourselves and maybe Captain's Fancy and all the rest of us alive. '

'Why don't you tell us, Nick?' Vector countered steadily. Why don't you give us one of your so-called clues' - he compressed more venom into that one word than Nick had ever heard from him - 'instead of keeping them all to yourself?'

'Because, ' Nick drawled back, 'I don't want the Bill to hear me.

'But you mentioned Captain Thermo-pile. As it happens, I'm on my way to see him right now. Why don't you come along? Once we're aboard his ship, you'll get more dues than you know what to do with. '

'Mikka, no, ' Pup panted urgently. 'It's a trick. You said yourself this stinks. Why are Thermopyle and Taverner together? What's going on? He's trying-'

'Answer the kid, ' ordered the gorilla as he stepped past the corner, waving his impact rifle, 'asshole. Tell everybody what's going on. '

Gasping, Sib jumped to the illusory protection of the wall. As if he were sliding, Vector eased out of the way.

As solid as a boulder, the guard planted himself beside Mikka and Pup, and aimed his gun at Nick's belly.

Nick was ready for that, too. Even the pain in his head had receded: he felt ready for everything. All he cared about was that the guard was alone. The gorilla had left his companion behind to keep watch on Captain's Fancy.

'Mikka, ' he said in a conversational tone, 'I'm only going to give you one more order. This is the last - then we're quits.

Take this shithead's gun and stick it up his ass. '

At once Mikka moved.

Not to obey: she pulled back to show her empty hands, avoid the line of fire, cover Pup.

Nevertheless it was enough. Ponderous and brutal, the gorilla wheeled to track her with the muzzle of his rifle.

By then Nick was already in motion.

He took two lightning strides and leaped.

Swinging up his left knee to lift him higher, he snap-kicked the toe of his right boot into the guard's larynx.

Convulsively the guard flung his gun away as if the metal had shocked him. Gagging on crushed cartilage and torn muscle, he slammed to the floor.

With negligent ease, Nick caught the rifle out of the air. His hands settled on the barrel and the firing stud.

'God damn it, woman, ' he growled at Mikka, 'I told you what I wanted. '

Instinctively she braced herself. Pup seemed to thrash at her shoulder, trying to get in front of her. Vector held Sib so that he couldn't move.

Nick would have loved to shoot her. She deserved it: they all did. But he needed her.

'I figure, ' he breathed maliciously, 'you've got about ten seconds to reach a decision. After that the Bill won't let you make any choices ever again. '

Despite the fact that his head suddenly hurt as if someone had hit him with an axe, he turned and ran for Trumpet as smoothly as a hunting cat.

With his peripheral vision, he saw Soar's id display flash red: 'SHIP UNDOCKING. '

Crimson and pain seemed to fill his ears. He couldn't hear anything except the hammer of his boots and the labor of his lungs. Until he reached Trumpet's access passage and turned, he didn't know that Mikka and Pup, Vector and Sib, were all following him, running hard.

'Nick, ' Mikka panted before he started down the passage, 'there are more guards coming. A lot of them. ' She stopped so abruptly that Pup blundered into her. Sib's boots skidded out from under him; he nearly fell. Vector was ten or fifteen meters back: his arthritis made him slow. They would be here already, but they're lugging some kind of heavy equipment. Looks like mining lasers. '

Nick reeled for a second; caught his balance. They're not going to Captain's Fancy? They're coming here?'

'I don't know. ' Mikka shrugged stiffly. They're headed in this direction. '

Which meant the Bill knew where Angus and Milos were. He knew where Davies was.

Racing ruin, Nick dashed along the access passage and across the scan field to Trumpet's airlock.

With the heel of his hand, he toggled the external intercom.

'This is Nick. ' In spite of his urgency, he managed to sound almost relaxed. 'Let me in. I've changed my mind.

And I've brought some help. '

No one answered. The speaker emitted an impalpable whisper of static. The lock didn't open.

Boot heels thudding, Mikka came to his side. Sib and Pup joined her; Vector doggedly brought up the rear.

'If I were you, ' Nick drawled into the intercom, 'I would listen to me. You could use help.

'Oh, by the way, I think I should mention that there's a platoon of guards heading this way. They've got mining lasers. The Bill is going to peel you open like a vein of cesium. '

You flagrant sonofabitch, you'd better know what you're doing!

With a whine of servos, the lock began to cycle.

Mikka shoved Pup headlong through the opening; nearly dived after him. Nick nodded Vector and Sib ahead of him as if he meant to cover them with his rifle; as if he cared what happened to them. Pirates with swash-buckling reputations did things like that. As Mikka keyed the lock to close the outer door and open the inner, he stepped briskly inside.

Before the lock sealed, he caught a glimpse of guards at the end of the access passage.

They were definitely coming this way.

'Now what?' Mikka demanded, breathing hard.

Nick didn't bother to answer. As soon as the inner door opened on Trumpet's lift, he entered the car. What was left of his crew, the surviving remnant of his ship, crowded after him. He sent the lift upward.

Mikka and her group weren't literally all that was left of his crew. But the rest had become even more expendable than she was: Captain's Fancy herself was expendable. The Bill had made that necessary.

Nick imagined that he would exact more recompense than anything the Bill could afford to pay.

The lift let him out into Trumpet's core passage amid-ships. Moving with long, confident strides, he led his people to the bridge companionway and ran smoothly down the treads.

Angus and Davies stood between the command stations, facing him. Except for their shipsuits and the swelling bruises on Davies' face, they looked like a video trick — time-elapse replicas of each other.

Mikka clattered down the companionway, with Pup, Sib and Vector behind her. Because they didn't know what they were getting into - or perhaps because they'd always known Angus Thermopyle as a dangerous enemy

- they arrayed themselves at Nick's back as if they were on his side.

Nick met Angus' glare, Davies'. Angus' was yellow with old, irreducible malice. But Morn's limpid eyes in Davies' face made the boy look more intimately murderous. His father hated everybody: Davies hated only Nick.

With all the insouciance he could produce, Nick asked,

'Where the hell is Milos?'

'Captain Sheepfucker. ' Angus didn't move a muscle. 'If you think you can walk in here and take over with only one gun and four people to back you up, you've been eating your own shit too long. '

Nick glanced down at the impact rifle; he nearly giggled. With a shrug, he tossed the gun to Angus.