Chapter 20
Hal looked like he wanted to go first, but Fiona put a hand on his arm.
She’d clipped the silver rod back in place, because the injuries would be difficult to explain if these intruders were Baruke’s people or somehow from the Security Department.
Not that the ski mask said official to her.
She wondered suddenly what a ski mask was called in Grihan or Balcoan.
She’d have to ask Eazi later.
“Let karma do the work,” she whispered in Hal’s ear. Then she stepped out of the door and stood on the landing looking down at the two masked Balcoans moving toward the stairs.
“Who are you?” she asked. She saw movement behind them, and froze for a moment until she worked out it was Eazi’s drone, moving in their direction. It stopped along the way to pick up another part.
“Who are you?” one of the Balcoan’s called up.
“I asked first.” She took the first step down, careful to keep their attention as the drone drifted closer.
In response, the Balcoan shot at her, and she stayed where she was so her reflector would keep Hal safe, too.
The shooter moved forward immediately, so the ricochet struck him in the head rather than at chest height, and he grunted as he went down on one knee.
So the masks had shockgun protection, too, because otherwise he’d be unconscious at the very least.
The Balcoan behind him took a step back, trying to work out what had just happened, and the drone brained him on the head from behind with the part it had picked up from the stacks moments earlier.
He fell forward, making space for the drone to hit his partner, as well, who was still on one knee, hand to his head.
“You say you didn’t see them come in?” Hal asked Eazi, stepping around Fee to run lightly down the stairs.
“No, there was no hover or any other sign of approach from outside. Did you see where they came from?” Eazi asked.
“No, my view was blocked.” Hal stopped beside the two fallen Balcoans and then crouched beside them and went through their pockets.
He pulled out more restraints and a small portable light, but nothing else.
“They’re pros. No identifying items.” He made sure neither of them were going anywhere, even when they came to.
He rose to his feet. “I thought they might have come through from the front office.”
Fiona had, too. “We could ask the one upstairs. He’s still conscious.”
“Why don’t I do that?” Hal smiled as if he’d just remembered a treat he’d saved for later. He jogged back up the stairs and Fiona moved aside to let him pass.
“I’ll look around downstairs.”
Hal stopped. “There could be more coming.”
She shrugged. “Then I’ll deal with them.” She lifted her wrist and he gave a nod at the reflector bracelet.
The drone put the part it had used to hit the two Balcoans back in its box and then turned away into the stacks to get the last few items on the shelves.
“Thanks for the muscle,” she said to Eazi.
“My pleasure. I’ll have the drone stay here until you can find where those three came from. I’ve looked through this building’s design work and there is no alternative entry point listed.”
She guessed if there was another way in, it wouldn’t be on the official blueprints. She headed for the front office first, as she’d had the sense they’d come from that direction, and stopped short when she opened the door.
The desk that had been facing the front entrance to the warehouse was now at a 90 degree angle to where it had been, and was sitting on a raised piece of floor.
There must be struts and air compressors or some alien tech she didn’t know about involved, because it looked as if the three Balcoans had come up from a tunnel that ended underneath the desk, and it had risen up and twisted out of the way to let them out.
Well, well, well.
She moved back into the warehouse, found the drone right behind her.
“Looks like there’s a secret tunnel that connects to the front office,” she said. “So now we know how all those boxes on the shelves disappeared. Can you make sure no one else comes through while I go get Hal?”
“I can.” Eazi got the drone to drift to the office door and park up against it.
“Thanks.” She patted its side and ran back up the stairs.
Hal had put the Balcoan in the chair and pulled off his ski mask.
“I found where they came in,” she said, watching their prisoner as she said it. She stepped closer so that Eazi could get a look at him through the lens on her shoulder.
Hal smiled at her.
“It’s a tunnel that lets out into the front office. Be interesting to see where it goes.” She moved back and leaned against the wall. “Did he tell you anything?”
“No.” Hal shrugged easily. He looked like he had all day.
“Thanks for the facial image. I’ve found him in our arrivals lens feed for Larga Ways,” Eazi said.
Fee saw Hal tense a little at that. She guessed it wasn’t so much that he was impressed at how fast Eazi had identified their man, but more to do with the Grih being so sensitive to the idea of thinking systems tracking them.
They’d fought a whole war over it, so she couldn’t blame them, but right now, this was useful.
“The name he arrived on is Jimir Gran. He was in a Balcoan supply ship and some of its inventory was for Paxe, allegedly. That’s how they got a priority berth, but then the captain came to us with only one or two items and excuses about the rest,” Eazi said.
“Jimir Gran,” Hal said, and Gran jerked in surprise.
“Maybe it’s actually his real name,” Fiona said.
There was a sound from below, and she turned to look down the stairs.
“Someone is trying to come through from the front office, and they had to have come up from the tunnel, as no one’s approached from outside.” Eazi’s voice had gone a little electronic, the way it usually did when he was stressed.
She glanced at Hal to make sure Eazi had included him in the warning and when he gave a nod, she ran back down the stairs.
Hal was right behind her, but Jimir Gran began shouting in Balcoan, warning his friends, and Hal spun and ran back up, and by the time Fiona reached the ground, there was silence.
Hal had probably administered a low stun by pulling back his protective clothing, she guessed.
By the time she reached the door, and found Eazi’s drone using all its power to keep it shut, Hal was right behind her again.
“You can let them through now,” she said, and the drone rose straight up to hover above them.
Two Balcoans stumbled into the warehouse as the pressure on the door suddenly disappeared, and one of them reached forward, grabbed hold of her, and yanked her into the front office while the other shot at Hal.
He was wearing protection, but he staggered back under the onslaught, and the last thing Fiona saw was him shouting, his own shockgun raised, as he returned fire.