Weapon, p.6
Weapon,
p.6
"Allegedly, right?" Pris asked.
"No, and I knew about it, but did nothing, for you see, I was in love with her."
"You were dirty?"
"I turned a blind eye to it. Never accepted a dime, but I said nothing. This went on for two years until she started fielding hit-men. That's when I went to IA and reported her. They used me to gather intel, but she found out and set me up to die, behind those doors, actually."
The doors opened as if on cue.
"Gabe, we need to get the plark out of here," Pris said, but she was talking to empty air. Gabe was already walking through the door. "Gabe!"
Siv and Pris ran after their partner and found him standing amongst at least a dozen dead people. "She was house cleaning," he said. "She wanted to make it look like I had been killed during an organizational shakeup, only thing was, I got to the party late, didn't I Saoirse?"
A ravishing red headed women walked out of the shadows carrying a grenade. "Hey, Gabe, miss a bus?"
He pulled out a pistol and aimed it at her. "I never got a chance to ask you why, Boss. Why all this?" he asked while sweeping his hand around to include all the dead bodies."
"You do know I'm not your partner, right?"
"Yeah, I know. Leave it to old Gabe to find closure two centuries after his death. Who the hell are you?"
She tossed the grenade aside. "My name is unimportant. I am here to test you, to see if you are worthy to walk away with the first piece."
"How the hell do you know about the key?"
"I know everything. I downloaded the databanks of your two ships shortly after you arrived. Gabe, here, is on a quest, and I am what awaits him. The test is a simple one: I am going to give you two choices. You must pick one."
"So, what are my choices?"
Saoirse smiled. Gabe went immediately to tank form. Siv screamed as the front of Gabe's body split open and spit out a crippled, burnt form. It was Gabe. He landed face-down on the floor in front of the tank, his body broken and bleeding. He lay there for a moment before grabbing the front of the tank. Slowly, painfully, he pulled himself upright so that he could look his long-dead partner in the eyes. "Is that all you got, bitch?"
"Gabe! Pris yelled as she ran to help him. She came to an abrupt stop when she hit the force field surrounding him, the tank, and Saoirse. Siv tried to transfer to the tank, but was repelled.
Saoirse glanced at them and shook her head. "They can't help you, Gabe. You're going to die a horrible, painful death unless you make the right choice."
"Did you always prattle like this?" he asked as blood dripped from his destroyed flesh. "I don't understand why I didn't shoot you sooner."
"Love will do that to you. What did you think about the psychogenic grenade? I designed it to be used at raves. The kids would love it."
"All you did was give me ailurophobia. I compensated by getting a dog. Now, could we get on with this test? I've got a two o'clock mani/pedi."
"I will completely heal you or you can have this piece of the key."
He slowly stepped away from the tank to stand in front of her. "Neither. I'm walking out of here. You, my dear, are psychotic." With great pain, he unholstered his gun and threw it to her. "There's a round in the chamber. Do us a big favor and off yourself."
The tank closed and aimed its weapons at Pris and Siv. Before it could fire, it burst into flames. Moments later, it was nothing more than a scrap heap.
"Why? Why did you destroy it?" Saoirse demanded.
I will not let you use me to hurt others," he replied as he held out his hand. "I'll take that artifact now if you please."
"But you'll die."
"My choice. Artifact. Now."
The item appeared in the air above his hand and dropped into his palm.
"Thank you," he said.
The universe blinked...
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Gabe, Pris, and Siv stood in a forest glade. Nearby sat two spaceships, tents, and a group of very confused tomb robbers, excuse me, artifact saviors. There was no sign of ruins or the Sentaro village, or for that matter, the Sentaro themselves. Two battle shuttles sporting EMEF insignia were landing nearby. Gabe realized he was back in infiltrator form.
"OK, could someone please explain this to me?" Pris demanded.
A pistol appeared in Gabe's hand. He snapped it up to point at one of the 'Saviors' who was raising a weapon at the approaching EMEF teams. "Put it down."
The perp dropped the piece, then placed his hands behind his head. Gabe's gun disappeared.
"Scanners show no indigenous sapient life forms within range. No ruins, no village, nothing."
Pris walked over and tapped his armored chest. "What's the deal with blowing up your armor?"
"Saoirse could use it to hurt you two, and I couldn't allow that. My control was slipping, so I did the only thing I could do: I destroyed it."
"But it doesn't have a self-destruct," Siv reminded him.
"That fact seems to have slipped my mind."
"Gabe, turn around so I can see your shoulder," Siv asked.
Gabe turned and bent down so she and Pris could get a closer look. "What's wrong?"
"You're now sporting a gold glyph which looks like the artefact Saoirse gave you."
He popped a drone from his back and used it to examine the new addition to his ensemble. "Interesting."
"Secure them," the petite woman leading the EMEF teams ordered while pointing to the saviors. She sported general's stars and the name McMurphy stenciled on her name tag. "Agent Kitra, Ms. Siv, DI Adon. We've been monitoring the situation from orbit. Any idea what happened to the ruins and the Sentaro?"
"You mean they were real?" Siv asked.
"Right up to the moment they disappeared into thin air. General Marta McMurphy, EMEF," she said.
"General. Thanks for not blowing us out of space," Gabe replied while returning to human form.
"Yes. Truth be told, I had an ulterior motive. Did you find what you were looking for?"
"We did. It was much more difficult than Josiah led me to believe. I've seen glimpses of his past in the record. Is he still alive?"
"Yes, he is still alive and in protective custody. Now, as for you three. Agent Kitra, you and your prisoners are to be returned to Katala where you will be debriefed while they face formal charges."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Gabriel, you and Siv will accompany me to Earth for reassignment."
"Excuse me? I seem to remember that I'm between jobs."
"Yeah, no. It seems that your commission in the USPF has been transferred to the Office of Earth Security where you have the rank of Detective Chief Inspector. You, Ms. Siv have been drafted into Earth-Sec as a Detective-Sergeant. You will act as Gabe's assistant."
"Plucky sidekick," Siv corrected.
Gabe nodded. "Plucky sidekick."
"You'll have to take that up with Earth-Sec."
"General, I still have more pieces to find and an Engine of Creation to activate."
"Earth-Sec realizes this and has formulated a plan. You will be briefed when you arrive on Earth. Gabe, a lot has changed since your death in 2025. Just remember, in the final analysis, the League is just a bunch of people trying to make it through each day..."
"And it's our job to help them. I understand, General."
"Good. Then let's get this show on the road."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Gabe and Siv waited for the third member of their crew to arrive. Nearby, their ride waited patiently as the ground crew put the finishing touches on her.
"I wonder who we got?" Siv asked. "I hope they're nice."
"The division commander assures me they are of the highest caliber."
"Hey, guys, fancy meeting you here," Pris said as she strolled up. "Nice looking ship."
Siv hurried over and hugged the Katalan agent. "Pris! We thought you'd be heading up your own team. What brings you to Earth?"
She smiled, then went to attention while handing a folded paper to Gabe. “Detective Sergeant Priscilla Kitra reporting for duty, sir! I'm your number three."
He read the paper. "Excellent. Siv, what do you..."
She was busy doing fist-pumps.
"...think? Very well. First order of business, can we please drop the titles and stick to Gabe, Pris, and Siv? There's only the three of us."
"Works for me. Have we been assigned an AI?"
Siv raised her hand. "That would be me. The computer system is one of the new, ultra-advanced units developed by Elven Industries LTD with the help of Bob, Leader of the Olympian Immortals. Though not a true artificial intelligence, it's as close as you can get with present technology."
A courier walked up and saluted while handing Gabe an envelope. He returned the salute, then opened the envelope and read what was inside. "Ladies, we've been invited by Ambassador Irithyl to a soiree tonight at the Ventosian embassy. Corporal, inform the ambassador that we’ll be there."
The courier saluted, then turned on his heel and ran off.
Gabe continued to read the paper. "Odd. We are instructed to dress informally."
"Sounds like my kind of party," Siv said. "Hey, isn't General McMurphy married to the Ambassador?"
"Why, I think she is," Pris noted. "Gabe, did you ever figure out where you met her before?"
"Nope, and I've not had a chance to talk to her since getting back here to Earth. Maybe I can talk to her tonight."
"We got time for a tour?" Pris asked.
"Of course. Pris, let me introduce the Earth Courier Delphi. After you," Gabe said. He followed his crew inside as the ground crew continued to prep the ship.
###
A limo arrived at the dock promptly at 1900 hours and whisked the crew of the Delphi to the Ventosian embassy where they were dropped off at the front door. Gabe stared as members of several unfamiliar races made their way into the building. "Wow," was all he could say as a pair of Alturans slid past.
"You get used to it." Gabe tore his gaze away to look at the speaker. He stopped and stared.
"My name is Jewel Irithyl, and I'm a Logash," a tall woman with glowing eyes and an elf-like tail said. Embedded in the center of her sternum was a glowing blue crystal.
"A Logash. Wait, wasn't your kind..."
"...Destroyed by the Alue two million years ago?" She leaned over and hugged Siv. "Sort of, but we've made up, haven't we, sister?"
"Yeah, we have." Siv replied.
"Come on in, everyone is waiting for you."
Gabe stopped. "Waiting for me? Why is everyone waiting for me?"
"You'll see." She took his hand and led him into the building.
Gabe found himself in a large, open reception area. Tables filled with food and drink were placed strategically around the room while humans and non-humans walked, talked, and ate. Off to one side of the room, a small jazz quartet played familiar tunes.
"DCI Adon, an honor to finally meet you. Lucien Irithyl at your service," a tall elf said while holding-out his hand.
"Ambassador Irithyl. The honor is all mine. This is my crew, DS Kitra and DS Siv."
"Ladies. May we lose the titles? You can call me Lucien."
They all happily agreed.
"Lucien, Jewel said you were waiting for me?"
"Yes, we were, but I will let Marta explain. Jewel, could you tell her Gabe is here?"
"Of course, Brother." She walked away.
"Brother?"
"A long story involving Josiah Muntz. Muntz and I go way back."
"I only met him a couple of weeks ago. Is there any word on his sister?"
"Zoe? She's still on the loose, and we think she's still looking for you. Ah, here's Marta."
Gabe looked up and saw General McMurphy walk up flanked by two human women and an elf woman. Something about the elf woman caught his eye. Her eyes were human. Marta hugged him "Gabe, I would like you to meet my daughter, Aerith," she said.
The elf took his hand. "I have my mother's eyes and my father's tail."
"Happy to make your acquaintance."
"And this is my mother, Quinn," the general said.
Gabe looked twice at Quinn. She looked to be the same age as Marta. "Ma'am."
"This is my grandmother, Khloe."
"Nice to meet you." Gabe's detective hackles were rising. Khloe looked no older than Gabe.
"And this is my great grandmother, Eliana."
"Great grandmother? Eliana, I am honored. General, can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Marta replied.
"What the hell is going on here? These ladies look young enough to be your sisters..."
"A man over two hundred years old asks such questions of his grandchildren."
From behind the group, a woman emerged, she looked to be no more than fifty years old. She had Gabe's eyes and smile.
"Last, but not least, this is my great-great-grandmother, Emma Adon. I think you two have already know each other."
Gabe nearly fainted as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing. Siv and Pris ran over to steady him. "Boss, what's wrong?" a concerned Siv asked as she held his arm.
"Emma is my daughter," he replied as she ran up and hugged him. "Daddy!"
"How is this possible?" Siv asked. "Gabe died over two hundred years ago, when Emma was seven."
"We're running tests and the results are amazing," Marta said while wiping a tear from her eye. "We've narrowed it down to a quirk in Grandpa's DNA, a quirk all his daughters share, including Aerith."
Gabe and Emma heard nothing of this for they were too busy catching up on over two centuries of life spent apart. Soon, Marta, Aerith, and the other progeny of Gabriel Adon joined in as the crowd around them watched and listened in wonder.
<<<<
About Frank Carey
Frank Carey was born in Detroit, Michigan, over a half century ago, but the writing bug didn't bite him until two years ago. By day, he works as a Research Engineer at a small firm located in the Desert Southwest region of the United States. By night, he writes stories about other worlds and the beings who call them home. He feels blessed to be able to share his stories with the rest of humanity through the miracle of electronic self-publishing, something that was the stuff of science fiction only a few short years ago.
“I write for the sheer joy of writing. I publish because I can.”
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Thank you for buying and reading this book. Please, let us know what you think about the book by posting an amazon.com review or e-mailing us at: elvenindustriespress@gmail.com.
Frank’s Amazon Author page: http://amazon.com/author/frankcarey
Further Reading
Weapon is the first book in the Engine of Creation series which is set in the League of Planetary Systems, a universe created by Frank and Jo Carey as the setting for many of their books.
Valera Experiment by Frank Carey:
Arrival
Reunion
Redemption
Smuggler Elf Chronicles by Frank Carey:
Smuggler Elf
Smuggler’s Daughter
Smuggler’s Wife
Smuggler’s Legacy
Smuggler’s Return
Other books set in the League of Planetary Systems:
The League Foundation Trilogy 1 by Frank Carey
The League Foundation Trilogy 2 by Frank Carey
Progression by Jo Carey
Bug Hunters in Space Series by Jo Carey
Book 1: Bunta Juice
Book 2: Aquapillar
Book 2: Feenix Bug
Snapdragon Ladies Series
Book 1: Ciara by Jo Carey
Book 2: Nebulon by Jo Carey
Book 3: Melicity by Jo Carey and Frank Carey
Galactic Cruise Lines by Jo Carey
Book 1: Ballroom
Book 2: Acapella
Book 3: Bake
Book 4: Style
Book 5: Celebrate
Holidays Cubed by Jo Carey
Tales from Old Olympia by Frank Carey and Jo Carey
Book 1: Arte
Book 2: Gabi
Book 3: Euno
Other books by Frank Carey:
Pulse: A Collection of Short and Flash Fiction
Frank Carey, Weapon
