The Tortuous Path (Fall of the Terran Empire Book 2) Read online

  “I no longer work for Zeta. I have no reason to lie about it.”

  “Right.” The man nodded repeatedly. “Like I said, no need to worry about me. I can keep my mouth shut.”

  Danny wanted to reach over an slap the man. “Why don’t you believe me?”

  “He’s toying with you, little brother,” Gerry said. “Can’t you see he is enjoying it.”

  Danny’s eyes narrowed. “Is that right?”

  “Hey, just breaking your balls a bit. They did give you those, didn’t they?”

  “I’m not sure you’re going to survive this trip.”

  The man laughed, as a second man joined the conversation. “Simon here thinks he’s funny,” the second said as he hooked a thumb toward the first who continued chuckling.

  “I wonder how funny Simon will be if he has to eat his dinner through a straw?” Danny said menacingly.

  The man laughed again, leaving Danny perplexed.

  “Do you really think it is wise to provoke me like this?” Danny said.

  “Just take it easy, okay?” said Simon. “I don’t mean any harm. I’m just having fun with you. Loosen up a bit.”

  Danny leaned back in his seat. “I’m loose. And they did.”

  “Did what?” said Simon.

  “Give me balls.”

  Both men burst into laughter at the comment. Even Gerry let out a giggle.

  When the laughter finally subsided, Simon grew serious. “You two have seen a lot of combat, huh?”

  “That’s why they call us combat clones,” Danny said.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of your kind in action.”

  “You’d know it if you did. Provided you lived through the encounter.”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard you’re all real badasses. I’m glad we’re on the same side.”

  “We’re not on the same side. We’re merely doing a job for Mr. Leventis.”

  “Sure. As are we. But, right now. For this trip. We’re on the same side. Right?”

  “I suppose.”

  “That makes us a team. That’s all I’m saying. We’re all in this together.”

  “Do you ever stop talking?” Gerry said.

  “What’s wrong with talking? We’re just getting to know each other, seeing as we’re all on the same team and all.”

  Danny glanced at the display showing the Zeta battleship. “How long until we reach the jump gate?”

  “We don’t need it. This ship is big enough to create its own jump point,” said Simon.

  “Okay, how long until we do that?”

  “We’re still too close to the planet. We need to put a little more distance between us and its gravity well. Shouldn’t be too long though. Thirty minutes to an hour.”

  Danny nodded. He wouldn’t feel safe until they were out of this system, and away from that battleship. There had to be at least a thousand clones on board that ship. If only he could free them, he mused. They were enslaved and didn’t even realize it.

  Zeta’s existence was a horror. Still, the Empire and the Frontier Alliance did business with Masterson, hiring Zeta clones to fight and die for them. They had all somehow convinced themselves that Zeta clones were not human, that they were no more than machines.

  But he was alive. He was human. And so were all his brothers and sisters. Danny felt his cheeks flush with heat as rage swelled up inside him. He would free them. All of them. And then, those responsible would pay for their sins. He would see to it.

  “Your people sure know how to build a ship,” said Simon.

  “They’re not my people. Not anymore. Why do I have to keep reminding you of that?”

  “Come on now. You know what I mean. Whether or not you still fight for them, they gave you life. Right? That makes them your people. I was born on Tran, for example. It’s a terrible place, and I had a lot of shitty things happen to me while growing up. But they’re still my people. Know what I mean?”

  “Yeah, I do,” Danny said. All Zeta clones were his family. His people, as Simon referred to them. Unfortunately, he would likely have to kill more of them in the future.

  “The Zeta battleship is hailing us,” the helmsman said.

  “Shit,” said Simon. “Go ahead and answer them. See what they want.”

  “They’re asking for permission to come aboard. They say they are looking for fugitives and want to make sure they haven’t stowed away on board our ship.”

  “I thought you said they wouldn’t bother us?” Danny said.

  “Yeah well, shit happens. Tell them it’s unnecessary. We inspected everything ourselves before taking off. If there were stowaways, we would have found them.”

  “They’re saying they want to have a look anyway. Just to be sure.”

  “Fine. Tell them they can come aboard.”

  “What the hell are you doing?” Gerry said.

  “The only thing I can do. We can’t outrun them, and if we try and open a jump point, they will destroy us before we can enter it. The only option is to let them look around.”

  “You’ve lost your mind!”

  “Maybe.” Simon smiled. “Time to test those holo-disguises.”

  Chapter 10

  Danny was surprised at how well the holo-disguises worked. Looking at his long-time friend Gerry, he saw a heavy set, balding man with a beard, rather than the tall, muscular woman he had always known. “This technology is impressive.”

  “You can’t tell that it’s me?” Gerry said.

  “No. Not even with my ocular implants. Even your voice is masculine. How about me?”

  “Same. The tech works well.”

  “Good,” said Simon. “Because the Zeta shuttle is about to dock.”

  Danny looked up at one of the displays showing the small craft docking with the freighter. Once a secure seal was in place, another display showed the opening hatch. Black-clad Zeta soldiers emerged from the shuttle. They fell into line and advanced.

  Soon, the familiar sound of the marching Zeta soldiers echoed through the corridors. Danny heard them nearing the bridge and tensed when they appeared.

  They had come aboard with a team of twelve. A non-clone officer stepped forward. “Who’s in charge here?”

  “That would be me,” said Simon, striding over to the man. “How long will this take? I’ve got deadlines to meet.” Simon took on a brash countenance, trying to give an air of confidence that Danny doubted he felt.

  “We’ll try not to take too much of your time. Trust me when I say that this is for your protection.”

  “We can take care of ourselves,” said Simon.

  The officer smirked. “Believe me when I tell you that you can’t. Not against these two. If they were on board, they could slaughter your entire crew, and you couldn’t do a thing about it.”

  “Okay, but this is a big ship. It’ll take you a long time to search it, and as I said, I have deadlines.”

  “It won’t take as long as you think. We have specialized scanners that will identify their implants. We’ll do a sweep of the ship, and then you can be on your way.”

  “Alright, if you say so. I’ll let you get to it then,” said Simon. “Just try and be quick about it.”

  The officer issued some orders and the Zeta soldiers left to search the storage compartments.

  Do you know anything about these scanners, sister? Danny said through the neural link.

  No, it’s the first I’ve heard of them.

  Do you think Simon knew about them?

  No idea.

  Danny’s mind raced, thinking of all the possible outcomes. No matter how he analyzed the situation, it always ended the same way. Their deaths. Even if they used the element of surprise, they didn’t have a chance against twelve combat clones. If by some miracle they defeated the Zeta team, they still needed to get out of the system, and that battleship would never let that happen.

  He glanced over at Simon and noticed a bead of perspiration on his forehead. Was he nervous? Would the Zeta officer notice
? If he did, how long would it take before Simon sold them out?

  Relax little brother, Gerry said. There is nothing we can do. If they figure it out, we will kill as many as we can.

  What happens to Simon?

  He’ll be on his own. He’s a smart man. He will figure something out.

  I’m killing the officer first, said Danny.

  I wanted to do that myself.

  Sorry.

  Fine, but if Simon sells us out, then I get to take him out, Gerry said.

  That’s not fair. He was poking fun at me, not you.

  Then let me have the officer, and you can have Simon.

  Deal.

  Danny looked at Simon and smiled. The criminal nodded, pretending he had everything under control, but Danny saw the fear. Little did Simon know how misplaced his fear really was. He worried about the soldiers, when the real threat sat across from him.

  The Zeta team took their time searching the ship, returning several hours later. “Well, did you find anything?” Simon said to the officer.

  “No, everything checked out,” the man said, looking around. “We’ll just need to scan this section, and we’ll be on our way.”

  “This section? Why? Don’t you think we’d know if there were clones here?”

  “We just need to be thorough,” said the officer.

  “Okay,” said Simon. He turned to face Danny, Gerry, and the other men. “Give them some room so they can do their job.”

  Danny and Gerry got up and started walking toward Simon when the officer intervened. “That’s alright. You’re not in our way. Just go back to your seats.”

  Should we shoot them now? Gerry said.

  Let’s wait and see what happens, Danny said.

  I guess it doesn’t make any difference. We’re dead either way.

  Danny kept a wary eye on Simon, who watched the events unfold with growing anxiety. Would the criminal sell them out? Surely, he must know how foolish that would be. But then, how could you rely on a logical response from a criminal?

  The approaching Zeta clone drew Danny’s attention away from Simon. She held a small device that she pointed and waved around. The scanner. Coming to a stop, she studied Danny with cold eyes and pointed the scanner at him. This was it. Danny’s hands both rested on his lap, mere inches away from his weapons.

  He watched the woman carefully, looking for any sign that the device had found his implants. Something as minor as a raised eyebrow would seal her fate.

  She remained stoic. Hard. After waving the device in front of Danny, she moved to Gerry and did the same. Danny fixed his eyes on Simon, who seemed to register Danny’s intent. Good. The criminal would not risk telling Zeta if he knew the outcome.

  The woman scanned the rest of the men without incident and returned to the officer. “All clear,” she said.

  The officer nodded, and the woman returned to her place with the other clones. “I apologize for delaying your ship. We will leave now, and you can continue on your way.”

  I don’t understand. Why didn’t the scanner detect our implants? Danny said over the neural link.

  Maybe it’s broken, Gerry said.

  No, that’s not like Zeta.

  Maybe Simon did something. He did do some work on our implants.

  You’re right. Simon must’ve known about the scanners.

  He probably invented them.

  “You realize you’ve cost us money, don’t you?” said Simon, regaining some of his attitude now that he thought he was safe “We will miss our deadlines now.”

  The officer studied Simon with barely hidden disdain. “As I have already said, Zeta Corp apologizes for any trouble we have caused.”

  “Not good enough,” said Simon.

  Danny cringed.

  “What is it that you want?” the officer said.

  “My employer will demand to be compensated. What shall I tell him?”

  For a moment, Danny thought the officer would lose his temper, but the man seemed to regain his composure. “Tell your employer to invoice Zeta Corp, and he will be fairly compensated. Is there anything else?”

  “No, that’s all.”

  “Very well. Safe travels.”

  The Zeta team marched away. Their shuttle separated from the freighter and headed back toward the battleship.

  “What the hell was that all about,” Danny demanded.

  “I couldn’t just let that entitled prick leave like that. I had to put him in his place a little.”

  “Pull a stunt like that again, and I’ll put you in your place. Permanently. Understand?”

  Simon gulped. “Yeah, I understand.”

  Chapter 11

  “Do you remember your names?” said Simon.

  “I’m Hasad,” Gerry said.

  “And I’m Rollan,” Danny said.

  “Perfect. And what job are you returning from?”

  “We just delivered a shipment to the Tran system,” Gerry said.

  “What type of shipment?”

  “Women,” Danny said with disgust. “To be sold as sex slaves.”

  “Good, just hide your feelings when you say it. You’re supposed to be a human trafficker. Remember?”

  “What happened to the women?” Danny said.

  “They were set free. Mr. Leventis doesn’t lower himself to that level. There’s plenty of money to be made without getting involved in that shit.”

  Danny nodded, hoping Simon was telling the truth.

  “The ship Hasad and Rollan were using is waiting in the freighter’s hangar bay. You’ll have to fly it to the station.”

  “Where will you be?” Danny said.

  “We’ll be waiting in the Avar system, delivering some cargo. When you finish the job, you can find us there. All the details you’ll need to know are on this data chip.”

  Simon handed Danny a small case the size of his fingernail. Danny flipped it open and found a tiny chip inside.

  “I suggest you memorize the information on that chip during your trip to Aurora station,” Simon added.

  “How do we know the information is accurate?” Gerry said.

  “Oh, it’s accurate. Believe me. Mr. Leventis likes to take his time with this sort of thing.”

  “When do we disembark?” Danny said.

  “Right now. We’re as close as we want to get to the Volsung jump gate. Once you leave, we’re going to change course and head for the Avar system. So, if there isn’t anything else….”

  “No, I think we’re ready to go,” Danny said.

  “Yeah, let’s get this over with,” Gerry said.

  “Great,” Simon said with a smile. “Follow me to the hangar bay and your ship.”

  When they stepped onto the hangar bay, the size of the ship surprised Danny. It wasn’t as big as a warship, or a commercial cargo vessel, and it looked sleek enough. Yet, the dimensions didn’t seem right. “I was expecting something smaller.”

  “Why?” said Simon.

  “There were only two guys.”

  “You forgot about the cargo. There were a lot of women on board.”

  “Right.”

  “There’s something else,” Simon added. “The ship has weapons.”

  “Really? It looks like a civilian ship.”

  “It is. It’s been retrofitted to include a couple of plasma cannons.”

  Danny inspected the ship. “I don’t see them.”

  “That’s the best part. The cannons are concealed, and virtually undetectable.”

  “I’m sure a good scanner can find them.”

  “Nope. They’ve got some shielding in place that hides them. They’re only detectable if they’re deployed, and by then it’s likely too late.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Yeah, it’s a real smuggler’s ship. It has all sorts of hidden compartments. Its cargo holds have also been modified to hide the human shipment.”

  “These guys were a regular couple of scumbags,” said Gerry. “Makes my skin crawl that I have to
look like one of them.”

  “Look at the bright side,” said Simon. “When you take out their boss, you’ll put a real big dent in the human trafficking business.”

  “Yeah, but for how long? There are plenty of scumbags in the galaxy willing to step into Erkaban’s shoes.”

  “Not if Mr. Leventis takes over. He’ll put an end to the entire racket.”

  “We’ll see.”

  The two clones boarded the smugglers’ ship and headed for the cockpit. Once there, Danny touched the instrument panel and used the implant in his finger to connect to the ship’s main computer. He established a connection without difficulty and gained access to every aspect of the spaceship.

  Taking control, he willed the ship’s engines to come online and maneuvered the ship along the hanger bay with his mind. Coming into position, he fired its powerful thrusters, and flew out of the freighter’s hangar bay, into the fiery chaos of metaspace.

  Clear of the freighter, Danny activated the main engines, and the glistening spacecraft sped away. Even as Gerry relaxed in the co-pilot’s chair, Danny was aware of her interest. Through the neural link, Gerry saw everything Danny did, and experienced his control of the ship’s systems as if she controlled them herself.

  They both felt the ship struggle with the metaspace turbulence. They both watched the computer perform myriad calculations to adapt. They both stretched out with their minds, taking advantage of the ship’s sensors, to explore the surrounding turmoil.

  Danny also explored the ship’s interior. He utilized its cameras and poured over its schematics. He found the hidden areas where the smugglers hid their human cargo. He imagined their victims’ suffering and wished he could fill that same hold with the smugglers instead.

  He checked out the ship’s weapons, activating them with a thought, then concealing them with another. The spacecraft was an extension of his mind. Another limb, submitting to his commands.

  “Try not to think about their victims,” said Gerry. “Otherwise it will cloud your judgment when we reach the station.”

  “I will. Don’t worry.”

  “I know what you’re thinking.”

  “Of course, you do. Our brain implants are connected.”