***
The supply closet was never used. Ducking inside, her trembling fingers flicked the comm open on audio only.
“I hope you have a good reason for contacting me.”
Shivers rolled down her spine at the coldly uttered statement. Lothar had a reputation for being cruel. The evil he radiated wasn’t feigned and she knew from first-hand experience how dangerous it was to be on the other end of his anger. Clearing the fear from her voice, she said, “The Jutak warrior still can’t walk.”
Lothar snorted. “There’s no surprise there. What do you have to report that’s relevant?”
Again she shivered at the implied threat. She needed to have something valuable to say. “I think he has someone coming. A friend to help.”
“Is there any chance of this happening? I was under the impression he was permanently damaged.”
Stars, stars, stars. His voice had dropped. Disdain and menace didn’t come close to describing how he spoke to her. She narrowed her focus and scrambled to say the right thing. Anything to keep him from wanting to punish her personally.
“No.” Confidence dripped from the single word she whispered, though she had a small sliver of doubt about the truth of that. If anyone could succeed against this obstacle it was the rough Jutak warrior.
“Good. Need I remind you of my displeasure should you fail me in this too?”
“No. I won’t fail.” Not again. Not after the last time.
It had been a shrewd move on Lothar’s part to send her to the top military research center in hopes of gleaning some news about the Jutak warriors he despised. A carefully constructed identity and her physical alterations due to her last punishment made her entry into this world smooth and uneventful. No one had suspected she was anyone other than who her records stated.
The placement had been perfect because she was in a position to impart any viable information about the soldiers who came through the facility.
It was sheer good fortune she’d been present when the request came in regarding emergency surgery with cybernetic enhancements for a Jutak warrior. As a result, her position allowed her to switch out the equipment sent to Enotia for the procedure. She and Lothar had known the faulty parts would require the injured Jutak warrior to come to CV-8.
Once there, his proximity would allow Lothar to land a blow he hoped would devastate the elite soldiers.
The problem was that she was deathly afraid of being caught. The altercation on the stairs had been a wasted opportunity. She should have been able to defeat her opponent. Do more to shift blame in a specific direction. It would have solved her biggest problem and set the stage for her disappearance.
“Anything else, or do you want my special attention?”
Bile rose in her throat. She immediately decided to forego mentioning the fight for fear he’d feel the need to call her home.
“No. Everything is going as planned. The other Jutaks will soon be in place.” Bane would contact them. Perhaps they would gather to protect him.
“Let me know the moment you are aware of when a team from Alonson’s Unit will be sent to their colleague. Do whatever necessary to create urgency around them joining him. I will teach the upstart, Torkel Alonson, that it is in his best interest to stay out of my business.”
“Yes. Of course.” But the comm had already died.
Shaking, she smoothed her hair down and opened the door of the supply closet.
“Off shift already?” a voice sang out.
Heart in her throat, she spun around. Medic Tao smiled as he strolled toward her down the hall.
“Yes. I’m leaving now.”
“Heard there was a possible threat regarding Jutak Hardusho.” The concern reflected in his gaze was sincere. “
“Yes. Security is questioning everyone to see if they can find out anything.” Her heart was beating too fast. Could he sense her panic?
“Well, I’m sure they’ll be cameras in those stairs now.”
She agreed. Staff had complained before about the oversight.
“Have a good rest this evening. You work too hard.” Tao squeezed her arm in passing and entered another patient’s room farther down the hall.
Mouth dry, she let out a slow breath. Too close.
Chapter 7
It was easy to recognize the tall, rangy man who entered his room first thing in the morning with a four-legged animal trotting at his side. Jaron had sent Bane a holo of his friend, Hunter Gils, along with his file. Most of the information on Hunter was blocked due to his former part in an experimental government program called WIRED. The sections that weren’t highlighted focused on his career as a Jutak warrior based outside of Enotia.
“Jutak Hardusho?”
He nodded. “Call me Bane.”
“I’m Hunter Gils.” The dark-haired man strode across the room to where Bane sat in the hover chair then gestured to the four-legged animal at his side. “This is Bogan.”
Intelligent brown eyes watched Bane from a black furry mask. Short brown hair covered the creature’s sleek, agile body. Two perky ears stood upright at attention. “What is he?”
“A war mongrel.”
Bane had heard of the animals. Originally, genetic material had been extracted from certain canine species on Earth. A limited number had been bred specifically to participate in the Vargos war under a top secret K9 unit, but he didn’t know any had survived. “Thank you for coming.”
“Jaron’s a good friend.” He glanced down at Bogan. “Zut, Bogan.”
The animal sat instantly, gaze never leaving Bane.
“Sorry. I’m working on his socialization now that he’s no longer in the military.”
There was a look in Hunter’s gaze, something profound.
“How do you want to get started?” Bane was eager to see if Hunter could help him.
“One moment.” Hunter went to the door and clicked the lock. When he returned, he squatted in front of Bane in the chair. His gaze was steady yet probing. “I assume you know my background.”
“Enough.” Bane understood the value of secrecy.
Hunter smirked. “I’m aware Jaron would have pulled my records and hacked what he couldn’t. But what I’m about to share is known only by a select few. I’m extending my trust to you because of my history with Jaron. I have another wife now. Life at The Zone is good. I’ll destroy anyone who puts that at risk.”
“I stand by my vow as a Jutak warrior. I won’t disclose anything you share with me. And that’s even if whatever you do doesn’t work.”
Hunter’s mouth twitched, his gaze lightening. “I take it you have doubts.”
Bane decided to give him the same level of honesty. “When I was initially injured, I knew my life would change. When our team medic mentioned the risky surgery, I went in fully cognizant that I might never walk again.” Bane drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Since then, I’ve seen more specialists than I care to count. If this doesn’t work, it won’t be because I didn’t try every option available.”
“Something tells me you won’t have to worry about the last.” Hunter dropped to his knees and reached toward Bane’s legs then stopped. “I need to touch you. Those from my world have an affinity for tech. I can do it without, but touch works better.”