Zero (42 page)

Hugo stared at the blank display after the colonel had signed off, breathing through his teeth until he felt the heat ebb from his face.
“Hugo to bridge.”

More's face appeared.
“Yes, Captain?”

Hugo paused long enough to make More frown.
“We have a new heading.” he said. “Get us to Tranquillity.”

More's eyes flickered.
“We'll have to downgrade to sub-economy mode, sir.”

“
Do it. Where's Webb?”

“
In the crew cabin I think, sir.”

Hugo paused and looked away for a second, jaw working. Then he nodded.
“Get us to the moon and get us docked.”

“
Yes, sir,” More said and signed off. The lights dimmed still further and the air stilled as the cabin's air conditioner shut down. His breathing sounded loud in the ensuing silence as did the sound of his own voice arguing with him in his head.

ɵ

“Descending now, sir,” More said as the ship shuddered through the gravity field.

“
Do you need a hand?” Hugo asked, seeing that Webb had not come back to reclaim his pilot seat.

“
I should be fine, sir. Nearly there.”

The orange-black sky of Tranquillity filled the viewscreen, criss-crossed with the glowing bands of skyways. The spacescrapers towered up against the dull backdrop. Southside Harbour was wide and orderly with hangers and a control centre as almost as big as a spacescraper towering over the berthed ships. He tried to decide if it was a relief not to be returning to the Northside Harbour and all the memories it might stir.

“Docked, sir,” More said after the landing gear had clunked into the berth. “Running shut down -” More broke off, frowning as a light started flashing on his control panel.

“
What's that?”

“
The starboard hatch, sir. Someone's left the ship.”

Hugo frowned.
“Already?”

More nodded.

“Hugo to hold.”

“
Sir?” Sub's voice filled the bridge.

“
Has Bolt gone to organise fuel already?”

“
No sir,” Sub said after a moment. “He's here with me.”

More met his puzzled gaze with one of his own.

“Hugo to Webb.”

More's face flattened when no one replied.

“Repeat,” Hugo said. “Bridge to Commander Webb.”

Hugo listened to the silence again and then went through to the crew cabin but it was empty.
“Hugo to Rami,” Hugo snapped into his wristpanel as he jogged back past the cabins.

“
Sir?”

“
Is Webb with you?”

“
No, sir.”

Hugo cursed again as he ran back across the bridge then jumped down the stairway two at a time. The galley was empty and the medbay only contained a startled looking Spinn and a tense Rami. He ran to the hatch but it wouldn't open. He cursed, keyed in the code again.
Incorrect lock code
flashed on the controls. He kicked it and stormed back through to the medbay. “Rami, he's locked us in.”

“
Who has?”

“
Webb. Scan the systems, find out what he's done and override his lock commands. Now.”

Rami's jaw tightened and she sat herself at a workstation and began entering commands. Spinn blinked in a corner, clutching a panel to his chest.
“Doctor?” Hugo snapped. “Do you want to help her?”

Spinn swallowed and started typing into the panel, forehead starting to gleam with sweat.

“Bolt to Captain Hugo.”

“
I'm here, Crewman,” Hugo said and the wall display next to Rami's workstation flashed on to show Bolt looking stormy. “Sir, we can't open the hold doors.”

“
We're working on it.”

Bolt took one look at his face and then shut off the connection.

“Anything?”

Rami shook her head.
“I can get around his locks, sir. It's just...”

“
What?” Hugo said, roping together his patience.

“
The history system's a mess. It looks like someone's been digging through everything.”

Hugo went cold.
“What specifically?”

“
Well, our data banks and camera feed history look to have been rifled through. And it looks like someone monitored your last conversation with Luscombe.”

Hugo felt himself pale. “Can you tell who it was?”

“No sir,” Rami said. “But it was someone on the ship.”

“
Get those doors open.
Now
.”

Hugo stood and glared at the hatch, stopping himself from kicking it with an effort
, replaying the conversation with Luscombe over in his head and trying to convince himself he was wrong about where he suspected Webb had gone. The red light still blinked on the controls and More stood with a panel, monitoring Rami's progress. After what seemed like an eternity the light changed to green and with a hiss the hatch slid open.

“
I'm going after him,” Hugo said. “You stay here.”

“
Sir,” More began. “Shouldn't you take some transport?”

“
We can't wait until Rami's unlocked the hold. Get her digging through any moonframe security systems she can get into. Try and find out where he went.”

“
Sir... if he doesn't want to be followed we won't find him.”

“
Do it anyway.”

The customs agents at Harbour Control had
no record of Webb. Rami confirmed there was no footage of him on any of the Control Centre's cameras. Hugo got through after an eternity of checks that made him want to kick things even more and then ran out onto a walkway, looking this way and that feeling utterly lost. He took a breath and closed his eyes and forced his brain to work. Then he turned left and struck out for the nearest shuttle port with a line heading Northside.

ɵ

“Captain Hugo,” Jaeger said, looking up from his bar display. “Long time no see.”

“
Have you seen Webb?”

“
Who?” Jaeger said, just a little too casually.

“
You know damn well who,” Hugo growled.

Jaeger shook his head.
“Look, Hugo, don't go getting me involved in whatever this is.”

“
He's been here?”

Jaeger shrugged.

Hugo leaned over the bar so that his face was right in the barman's. “Listen to me,” Hugo tried to keep his voice level. “He's about to do something very stupid. You better tell me what you know.”

“
Had I?” Jaeger said.

Hugo ran both his hands through his hair.
“Look...” he took a breath, steadied his voice and looked up. “Look,” he said in a calmer voice. “Please. I just want to stop him getting executed for mutiny. What did he want?”

Jaeger regarded him a moment, jaw working then he leant on the bar.
“I don't ask questions of my guests, Hugo. I listen to what they tell me, I serve them what they ask for. But I never ask questions.”

“
He asked for something?”

“
I set him up with a point. That's all I'm saying.”

“
A weapons dealer?” Hugo felt the blood drain from his face when Jaeger nodded. Hugo pelted from
Sturm Hafen
with the drinkers staring after him.

ɵ

He cursed himself for the thousandth time for not bringing a motorbike. He clambered off the First Class shuttle at Tranquillity Hall, earning disgusted looks from the finely-dressed guests disembarking at the same stop. The groundway was packed with classy low-flyers, hover craft and even a couple of vintage wheeled vehicles. The steps up to the entrance were teeming with more people dressed in expensive gowns and suits, all velvet and silk and glints from polished shoes, diamonds and medals. He searched for Luscombe without success.

Hugo took a step back and surveyed the tall moon-stone building. It glowed like a star in the white up-lighters. Projectors were beaming swirling starscapes on the sides of the building along with the words
Lunar Conference Welcome Ball. Building a Brighter Future
.

Uniformed sentries were checking invitations at the main entrance and all the other doors were guarded. He wove between the many guests and Tranquillity residents who had paused to gape at the spectacle, then dashed across the groundway and dodged between the surrounding buildings to approach the hall from behind.

There were no up-lighters here. No projections or limos. Servicemen there were, however. They patrolled the walkways around the hall with rifles on show. Hugo scanned it all, heart pounding. Part of him was nagging to just go on up to one of the guards and tell them what was going to happen. A year ago he would have done so without blinking. But the idea evaporated before it had even properly formed and he slunk through the shadows towards some trash skips that were tucked tastefully away in the shadows. He clambered up onto the them and pulled out his multitool. Keeping a careful watch on the nearest Service guard, he began unscrewing a rubbish chute hatch in the wall.

The security was good but Hugo wove through the blind spots without having to think. He checked the anterooms at the entrance, the cloakrooms and all the alcoves in the entry hall, only feet from the arriving guests, but there was no sign of Webb anywhere. Hop
e that he had made a mistake tried to creep up on him again but he pushed it away. It was just that Webb... in whatever incarnation... was better at this than he was. Way better.

He slipped around a corner heading towards the ballroom, squeezed through a narrow gap meant for ventilation and found himself behind a heavy curtain. Beyond it was the clamour of voices, laughter, the clinking of glasses and swaying music. He edged along until he came to a sliver of light where the curtain ended and peered out. Arriving guests were being plied with wine as they
entered. They mingled on the wide, under-lit dance floor, expensive shoes clicking across the plexiglass. Hugo could smell the wine and the food and the expensive perfumes. But he could also see the swathes of white velvet draped around the walls, creating a hundred shadowy hiding places.

He peered around, trying to detect any ruffle of movement out of place. His heart hammered in his chest as he spotted Luscombe at the edge of the dance
floor, a handsome woman on his arm, talking and smiling with Governor Cho-Jin.

He tried to judge every angle in the room that had Luscombe on a direct line and noticed the first floor balcony that overlooked the dance floo
r, swathed in shadow from the curtains.

Hugo sank back
out of sight and moved as fast as he could back toward the corridor without ruffling the velvet. He increased his pace and had to skid back out of sight just in time as a Serviceman rounded the corner. He waited out of sight, breathing and willing himself to be calm, before pushing on and casting about for a staircase.

The double doors onto the balcony were locked. He tapped away at the keypad, remembering the elementary hack combinations Rami had taught him and was satisfied when there was a click and the door popped open. He crept onto the
darkened balcony, the noises from the ballroom echoing oddly in the curtained corner. He scanned the dimness, praying that even now he was wrong.

Then he saw him.

He had his back to the door and was knelt in the deepest shadows, Haven-made rifle poised on the rail. He was so still Hugo couldn't even see him breathing. There was a black cap pulled low on his face, the sight of which made something jolt inside Hugo.

“
Put it down, Webb.”

“
That's not my name.”

Hugo swallowed, took a step closer. The man didn't move.
“Put down the gun.”

He still didn't move. The people below were drifting into couples and starting to glide around the dance floor. Luscombe came into sight again, leading his partner
amongst the dancers. Webb stiffened.

“
You left a system trail,” Hugo said. “You wanted me to stop you. I could have raised the alarm but I didn’t. You don’t want to do this. Do as I say and put the gun down.”

“
You're not my captain,” the man's voice was heavy and it shook. He put his eye to the rifle scope.

Hugo dove. The shot went wide. A scream rang out below and the music stopped to be replaced by a slowly mounting hum of confusion and panic. Hugo was barely aware as he tried to wrestle the rifle from the clone. Hugo flipped himself over, using his weight to pin the slighter man to the floor. The face was n
o longer one he recognised, the rage in it was so fierce it twisted it into an inhuman mask.

The rifle went off again. More shouts came from amongst the scattering guests below. Hugo's ears were ringing from the shots. The clone managed to jab a knee into Hugo's gut and he rolled off, winded. The younger man scrambled away and stood breathing over Hugo.