Now the entirety of Law was on alert, the sheriffs and deputies pulling back to the office and moving into defensive positions around it. Worse, every indication was that the main Relyeh assault team was on its way into the city to deal with the problem and to ensure that they didn’t interfere and get the energy unit first.

  As Caleb had expected, Riley had managed to do the wrong thing and make everything more complicated.

  “We don’t have time to stand here and argue,” Tsi said. “The enemy is coming. We have to get to the modulator before they do.”

  “Understood,” Caleb replied. “But we need to get into Law without getting into a fight that’ll leave half of the officers in Metro dead, and possibly us too. And we need to do it now.”

  “What was your original plan, Card?” Riley asked. “You must have had one for me to screw it up.”

  “Tsi and I were going to enter as Sheriff Zane and Beth Stone,” Caleb said. “But we need to get everyone inside now, or we’ll be going down there to die.”

  “There’s another way out,” Riley said. “You know I have access to it. We stick to your original plan. I got a scan of Deputy Bashir before the fight. Two officers bringing in a pair of wanted kids and Beth Stone. It can work.”

  “Why would Beth Stone be walking with a collar?”

  “Right now, I think if it’s out of the ordinary that makes it more believable.”

  “Surprisingly, I think I agree with you for once.”

  Riley smiled. “Then let’s stop wasting time.”

  Caleb projected Sheriff Zane from his Skin. Kizi and Awak took the two kids from the upper blocks, while Riley projected Deputy Bashir and Tsi projected Beth Stone.

  It was crazy, but it just might work.

  “Kizi, Awak, you first. Riley and I will hold you from behind. Tsi, walk beside us like you’re in charge.”

  “Chi,” the Inahri replied.

  Kizi moved in front of Caleb, and Caleb put his hand on the Inahri’s shoulder, leading him out of the split with Bashir beside him. The officers assigned to guard the office noticed them immediately, watching with an equal measure of relief and doubt as they crossed the strand.

  “I found these two in the hospital and figured I would bring them over,” Caleb said as Sheriff Zane. “I heard the Governor was looking for them.”

  “Sheriff, the Governor’s got Law on lockdown. Nobody in or out,” the deputy replied.

  “I’m sure he didn’t mean me,” Caleb said.

  “And I know he didn’t mean me, deputy,” Tsi said as Beth.

  “Ma’am,” the deputy said. “How are you feeling? I heard—”

  “I feel fine,” Tsi said. “I want to see my husband.”

  “Uh. He isn’t here, ma’am.”

  “I know he isn’t here. But he will be here soon, and I want to see him. Are you really going to make me wait outside?”

  The deputy looked at the other law officers with him. None of them seemed like they wanted to deal with the wrath of any Stone.

  “No, ma’am. You can come inside. Sheriff, you too. And Bashir. You’re part of Law, I know he didn’t mean you. But those two can’t come inside.”

  “What do you expect me to do with them, deputy?” Caleb asked. “They ran from Law. Are you suggesting I just let them go?” Caleb glared at the deputy, expecting him to back down. He hesitated a few seconds and then gave in.

  “If you’re vouching for them, I’m sure they can’t do any harm. They’re just kids.”

  “I’m going to throw them in a cell, deputy. I can assure you, they won’t be any trouble in there.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Let’s go,” Caleb said, giving Kizi a slight shove forward. The deputies moved aside, letting them through the broken sliding door leading into the Law Office.

  The office was nearly overflowing with officers, all of them tense and on edge, waiting for Governor Stone to arrive. They had no idea who or what he was bringing with him. They had no idea what he was looking for. All they knew was they had been told to regroup there, armed and ready for something.

  “Sheriff Zane, Mrs. Stone.” One of the other sheriff’s approached. “Adam, how are you feeling? I heard you got clocked pretty good.”

  It took Caleb a second to realize the sheriff was talking to him. “I’m fine now. Thanks.”

  “I’m good too,” Tsi said.

  The sheriff flushed. “Mrs. Stone. Of course, I was about to ask—”

  “Forget it,” Tsi said, cutting him off. “I’m going to wait for my husband.”

  “In the back office,” Caleb finished for her, pointing to the rear. The door to Dante’s office was right beside the door leading back to the cells, and to the garage where they could access the armory. He shook Kizi slightly. “Me and Bashir are going to drop these two off in a holding cell. We’re keeping them here until morning since they don’t seem to understand the meaning of curfew.”

  The other sheriff laughed. “Sounds reasonable to me. Say, do you have any idea what all of this is about? The Governor had us looking for Joe King, now he’s got us holed up in here. Does it have to do with the aliens that attacked us?”

  “I don’t know any more than you do,” Caleb replied. “If you’ll excuse me.”

  “Of course. Just figured I’d ask.”

  Caleb pushed Kizi toward the back of the office, making it to the rear without any other interruptions, and then leading them through the door to the garage.

  “Hurry,” he said, keeping the projection up as he broke into a run. They went around the corner and into the garage, finding the armory sealed.

  “Stone didn’t want them to know about the armory,” Riley said. “But Joe didn’t leave him much choice.”

  “He’s trying to do the right thing,” Caleb said. “Unlike some of us.”

  “You have no idea, Card. All I’ve tried to do is the right thing. For all of humankind, not just one ship of colonists.”

  “You might have convinced me of that two hundred years ago. I don’t believe it now.”

  “I don’t care. Move the crap out of the way so I can activate the platform.”

  “Joe wouldn’t have been able to unplug the power. It should be active.”

  Riley went to the control panel, which lit up when she tapped it. “I guess you’re right. I think that confirms he’s down there.”

  “It does.”

  They assembled on the platform, which started to descend.

  “I feel like we keep dancing in circles around one another, Card,” Riley said. “We’re back where we started again.”

  “I keep hoping the next time you’ll decide not to be a bitch and screw us all over,” Caleb replied. “What are the odds of that?”

  Riley smirked but didn’t respond.

  It wasn’t the answer he wanted, but it was the answer he expected.

  She was going to do something he wouldn’t like. He just had to figure out what.

  Before it was too late.

  Chapter 41

  The platform was only halfway down when Caleb heard the first signs of commotion above. It started as muffled shouting from further back in the Law Office, and quickly escalated to deeper vibrations of a number of running feet, all of them charging toward the garage.

  “I think Governor Stone just arrived,” Riley said.

  “I think the shit’s about to hit the fan,” Caleb replied. “We can’t wait for this thing to hit the ground. Let’s go.” He ran to the edge and jumped, falling three meters to the armory floor. The Skin absorbed most of the landing, keeping him on his feet.

  He pulled his sidearm, quickly sweeping the large room. It hadn’t changed much since the last time he was in it. Some of the guns and suits of combat armor were gone, but the vehicles were all there and in the same positions. The Governor had been busy, but not too busy.

  The rest of the group joined him a moment later, leaving the platform to continue its descent.

  “Can you stop that?” Caleb asked Riley.

  “Already on it,” she replied, rushing toward the terminal. She was cut off when red bolts began sweeping down from above, one of them hitting the terminal and shutting it down in a shower of sparks and a burst of smoke.“Shit!”

  “Joe!” Caleb shouted. “Joe, are you in here? It’s Sergeant Card.” He heard heavy boots slam onto the platform. The enemy was coming fast. “Get behind the APCs,” he said to the others, followed by “Joe!”

  He dove behind one of the armored vehicles as a series of bolts whipped around him, missing him by a hair. He came up and spun, getting off a couple of quick shots at the first target he saw that wasn’t a Law Officer. The Relyeh Inahri was wearing bulky battle armor, worn and scarred as though he had seen a lot of combat. They took the rounds off the armor, adding two more scuffs to the collection.

  “Joe!” Caleb shouted again. “Damn it, where are you?”

  “Keep them back!” Tsi hissed into the comm.

  “There’s too many,” Awak said.

  Caleb got a quick count through the outlines projected in front of him. Nine Inahri and a dozen officers. Why were they helping the enemy?

  He pulled back behind the APC, following a red bolt as it flashed past and hit the wall behind him. The hatch next to the strike was sliding open, though he didn’t see any feet beneath it.

  “We can get out the second exit,” Caleb said. “Fall back to the hatch. Fall back!”

  The Free Inahri moved, backing toward the hatch and keeping the attackers honest with dense cover fire. Caleb saw one of the law officers go down.

  “Don’t shoot the humans, damn it!” he snapped.

  A hiss at his back got his attention. He turned his head in time to see a trife poke its head around the open hatch. It took him half a breath to remember the docile creatures he had found hiding out down here. What was it doing?

  It vanished a second later, retreating.

  Riley was right behind it.

  Where was she going?

  Caleb broke for the hatch. He couldn’t let her get ahead of him. There was no telling what she would do if she found Joe first.

  Bullets whipped past him. A few of them hit him, the Earther ballistics unable to pierce the material but the force still affecting his balance. He slowed and twisted, quickly grabbing his stunner and firing off three quick rounds. A trio of officers shuddered and collapsed.

  One of the Relyeh Inahri broke free, charging toward him with reckless abandon. It was the one in the worn armor. The one he had shot. He could see the man’s face through the tinted faceplate, twisted in anger.

  Caleb rolled to his feet, eying the soldier and the hatch. The other Relyeh Inahri were closing in, the Free Inahri trying to retreat. Awak was missing. And where was Tsi?

  They had to get through the hatch. They had to get to Joe.

  He had to slow the enemy down.

  “Tsi go through the hatch and to the left. Find Valentine. Find Joe. Don’t let her get the energy unit. I’ll hold them…”

  He trailed off as the Inahri soldier leaped toward him, a dense boulder launched like a rocket. Caleb threw himself aside, rolling and getting back to his feet as the soldier hit the wall, using it to bounce off, his body leaving a dent in the bulkhead. He came at Caleb swinging, arms moving in a quick left-right combo that kept Caleb reversing. He couldn’t begin to match the strength of the armor, but he was more agile in the Skin.

  He ducked a jab, coming up and slamming his replacement hand into the battle armor’s chest while asking the Skin to direct a blast of energy there. Unlike during the trial, the Skin was fully active, and it responded to the request, hitting the soldier with enough force to throw him back and put another deep score in his rusted armor.

  Caleb was momentarily free. Tsi ducked through the hatch behind him. Kizi was close. The Relyeh Inahri were right behind them. They didn’t shoot at him. Why?

  Old Rusty was getting back to his feet, preparing for round two. That was why. The fight wasn’t personal to Caleb. It seemed personal to whoever the soldier was.

  The Inahri started toward Caleb again, a little more cautiously this time. Kizi passed behind them, making it to the hatch.

  The enemy shot him in the back.Three red flashes that cut through the Intellect Skin and burned deep into his flesh. He cried out, falling into the frame, turning as he did. He hit the ground, firing back at the Relyeh, the closer range giving the ion pistol enough power to pierce the faceplate of one of the soldiers. That Inahri collapsed, but there were too many more.

  Caleb looked back at Old Rusty. Then he looked past him. The law officers were there, staying away from the Inahri. Staying away from the worst of the fighting. They looked confused. Sad. Frightened. He spotted Governor Stone among them. The Governor seemed like he had aged ten years in a few days. His hands were shaking. His eyes were dull. Did he know how much he had screwed up?

  He flicked his eyes back to Old Rusty. “Who are you?”

  “Za Harai,” the soldier replied. Somehow, he had understood the question. “Your death.”

  Chapter 42

  The four trife that had gone ahead of Joe came scampering back, hissing wildly as they neared him. He could hear the fighting clearly from his position. He had heard Sergeant Card calling his name.

  “He’s a friend,” he tried to say to the trife. They moved in front of him, blocking his path, refusing to let him go.

  Maybe they were right. It wasn’t as though Sergeant Card had come alone. There was a firefight raging up ahead. The sergeant had arrived just in time, or perhaps just a little too late. Whoever won the battle was going to be the one to find him.

  Whoever won the battle would be the one to take the energy unit.

  “Let’s go back to the others,” Joe said. He turned and started to run, the trife gladly flanking him.

  “Joe!”

  Joe had only made it a few steps. He came to a stop and turned at the sound of Sergeant Card’s voice. The trife stopped with him. They spun, moving in front of him to protect him and hissing at the man walking down the corridor.

  “Sergeant Card,” Joe said. “It’s okay,” he told the trife. They stopped hissing, watching the sergeant intently as he approached.

  “Joe.” Sergeant Card’s eyes scanned him. “Where’s the energy unit?”

  “Safe,” Joe replied.

  “No, it isn’t,” he said. “We don’t have a lot of time. The enemy is coming. We have to get the energy unit out of here. We have to keep it away from them.”

  “Right. I can bring you to it. I’m so glad you’re here, Sergeant. They killed Carol.”

  “I know. I heard. I’m sorry, Joe. It’s on us to make sure she didn’t die for nothing. You did well hiding the unit. We can get it out of here.”

  “How? There’s only one way out.”

  “No. There’s another exit. I have access. Take me to the unit, and we’ll get it away from the Deliverance. They don’t care about the people here. They only care about the unit. Metro will be safe.”

  Joe stared at Sergeant Card. There was something off about him. Not that he knew the sergeant all that well, but he hadn’t reacted at all to the sight of the trife. He didn’t seem surprised the creatures were there with him, and that didn’t seem right. Sergeant Card had said the aliens could make them see things. Was he seeing things now? Was Sergeant Card standing in front of him?

  Or was it someone—or something—else?

  “Joe, we don’t have time,” Sergeant Card said. “We can’t hold them back for long. We have to keep moving.”

  Joe looked past him, toward the fighting. Someone was coming. Sergeant Card glanced back too, a worried expression on his face.

  “Damn it, Joe, come on. We need to move. Now!”

  The aggressiveness of the sergeant’s tone brought him back to the present. There was no way for him to know if this was real or not. If this was Sergeant Card, then they could get the energy unit to safety if they hurried. If they didn’t hurry, the enemy would catch them. If this was the enemy, then he was already caught.

  “This way,” he said, turning and running again, assuming Sergeant Card would follow.

  The trife stayed at his side, with him while he ran back down the long corridor and around the corner, back to the server room, to the energy unit and the queen. He reached the door and opened it. The sergeant had caught up to him and was right on his heels.

  He entered the room. The embryos the queen had laid were already nearly fully grown, another dozen trife occupying the room and feeding from the immense power of the energy unit. He couldn’t believe it. Only a few minutes had passed.

  Sergeant Card came in behind him. He heard him gasp from the doorway, finally reacting to the sight of the creatures.

  “Joe, what did you do?” Sergeant Card hissed.

  “It’s here,” Joe said, moving deeper into the room. The queen turned her head, small, dark eyes landing on the sergeant. Her mouth opened, revealing rows of sharp teeth. “It’s okay, Mamma,” Joe said. “You’re going to help me get the energy unit someplace safe.”

  “Joe, you can’t be serious,” Sergeant Card said. “These things are dangerous. Letting them have a queen? Letting them reproduce? You’re out of your damned mind.”

  “I know they caused a lot of trouble on Earth,” Joe replied. “These ones are different. Don’t ask me how or why. But they won’t hurt me. They won’t hurt anyone.” He went to the queen. She lowered her head so he could put his hand on it. “See?”

  “Give me the energy unit. Now.”

  Joe’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t like the sergeant’s tone. “Mamma’s coming with us.”

  “That’s not an option.”

  “It won’t hurt you. See?”

  “That isn’t the point. Do you want this world to be for humans or for trife, Joe? Do you have any idea how fast these things can multiply?”