Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Nik stepped out of his cabin, gritty eyed. He’d slept like shit, haunted by sexy dreams of a dangerous and out-of-reach woman.
He strode down the corridor, intent on taking more of a look around the ship.
He knew they’d docked at Enterprise Station during the night.
He’d visited there once or twice. It was a nice, neat space station that existed mainly for trade.
It had good security and clean, sparse corridors.
It lacked the rustic charm of some of the space stations closer to the galaxy’s edge.
And it had none of the danger of the truly wild ones like Galaxy’s Edge.
He watched the Institute crew bustle around, in their neatly pressed uniforms. He felt a pang of something akin to regret.
When he’d first joined the Institute as a teenager, hungry for knowledge and with a huge thirst to learn, he’d loved being a part of something bigger than himself.
Wearing that uniform had meant something to him.
Then he’d uncovered the dirty little secrets some of the people he’d respected were hiding. He shook his head. It was sad what some people would do for money.
He paused on the mezzanine level above the cargo bays.
The large cargo door into the station was open.
People hurried in and out, some operating small cargo lifts carrying pallets of goods, while others wore powered exosuits with mechanical arms for heavy lifting.
Stacks and stacks of goods and supplies sat in neat rows.
Avril certainly wasn’t short on money for this expedition.
“Sleep well?”
Like she’d stepped from his dreams, Nera appeared beside him, her impassive gaze on the controlled chaos below.
“Not really.” She was in another all-in-one black suit that hugged every one of her slim curves.
She leaned a hip against the railing. “Nightmares about Gunn?”
“No. Dreams about you.”
Her head swung back to him, her multi-colored eyes assessing. Then she turned back to the work below. “It appears they’re almost finished with the loading. I’d guess we’ll be underway soon.”
Frustration choked Nik. Nera wasn’t a coward. If she kept dodging him, she had reasons. Deep, dark ones he’d only guessed at. He focused back on the movement. He noted rations, weapons, and stacks of parts. All standard supplies. Then he frowned. “Are those containment boxes?”
Against the far wall were four large, reinforced boxes. They were heavy duty, with an electrical containment system built into them. He’d seen them used by animal hunters who captured exotic alien wildlife.
“They do look like containment boxes.” Nera stared at them. “Perhaps for storing the artifacts?”
“Yeah.” They could have been modified to be safe storage for artifacts.
But containment boxes kept things in, not people out.
A siren started wailing, and the large outer doors began to rumble closed. The crew was now busy securing the supplies on the deck with mag locks.
“Dr. Phoenix?”
Avril’s voice drifted up from below. He spied the astro-archeologist waving from the cargo area. He lifted a hand in return.
“We’re ready to get underway.” She ran a hand over her ponytail.
“And thank you for your well-thought-out suggestions for the hunt. I’ve assessed everything and think we have a very good plan of attack.
” Her gaze slid to Nera, her face taking on a slightly pinched look.
“Ms. Darc, your input was valuable as well.” She smiled back at Nik.
“See you on the bridge shortly.” She bounced away.
“She’s attracted to you,” Nera said.
Nik turned his head. “Huh?”
“Dr. Sickly Sweet wants to fuck you.”
He grunted. He didn’t really give a crap about Dr. Luma-Smythe. She seemed nice and competent, but best of all, she seemed to truly care about history and wasn’t a part of the darker muck of the Institute. “We should head to the bridge.”
Nera pushed away from the railing with a nod.
They navigated the corridors together. He was surprised to find the silence wasn’t charged. In fact, it felt kind of companionable.
They entered the bridge. It was large and spacious. Two tiers of curved desks with high-tech comp screens were manned by an efficient crew consisting of a mix of humans and alien species. Everyone was busy with pre-flight preparations, making ready to push back from the space station.
Nik spotted Solomon lounging in a chair at the back. The young man gave them a nod as they joined him.
“Pretty nice ship,” the young treasure hunter said.
“It is.” Nik sat down. “What lured you onto this hunt, Jonas? You usually prefer working solo.”
Solomon grinned. “The chance to make a name for myself.” He looked back at the busy bridge. “I’m planning to find some awesome old Earth treasures this trip. I’ll be the best treasure hunter in the galaxy.”
Nik stifled a smile. Jesus, the kid made him feel old.
“You have to knock Dathan Phoenix off that perch,” Nera said dryly. “Followed by Niklas and Zayn, not to mention myself.” She crossed her long legs. “You have a way to go yet.”
Solomon’s eyes glinted. “I’ll get there.”
“Great, you made it.” Avril hurried by. “We’re just about to get under way, so strap in.”
“How far to the bridge portal?” Nik asked.
“Not far. Twenty minutes at most.” With a nod, she moved down to talk with some of the crew.
Nik strapped in and noted Nera did the same, although she sat on the edge of her seat, like she was ready to jump up, if required. He wondered if she ever truly relaxed.
“Prepare to take us out, Commander Da’Gon,” the captain said. She was a tall woman with dark skin and curly hair she’d tamed back into a braid. Nik hadn’t met her, but he’d heard good things about her skills as a captain.
Solomon leaned forward. “So, what do you think, Phoenix? You think we’ll really find anything there? On Earth.”
Nik shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.” But they had to try, had to see for themselves. “And call me Nik.”
Solomon nodded. “I really hope we find something big.” Barely contained excitement flared in his voice.
God, the kid reminded him of a young Dathan, bursting with the need to prove himself. Hell, Nik had been the same—he’d just been better at hiding it. Although he’d dreamed of making a name for himself at the Institute, not as one of the galaxy’s most notorious treasure hunters.
He glanced at Nera, sitting so still, so straight. What had she dreamed of when she was young? And what did she want now?
The Magellan moved smoothly away from the space station and soon was cutting through space.
“Bridge portal in visual range,” someone called out.
Nik leaned forward, studying the viewscreen.
He spotted a glimmer of silver, just a little bigger than a star.
As they flew closer, it grew, until he saw the portal.
It looked like a funnel made of shimmering, energetic silver.
The large, circular mouth of the portal tapered away to nothing.
He knew that it was a natural formation but that markers embedded in the mouth by the Galactic Engineering Division held the portal open and steady for ships to travel through.
Then he noticed the two massive starships flanking the portal.
Both bore Institute markings, and were decked out with an impressive array of weapons.
He frowned. Obviously, they were protecting their new asset.
He really wanted to believe they were ensuring the safety of the galaxy’s history… but he knew better.
The bridge portal loomed above the ship. “This distortion just…appeared?” he asked. “Leading straight to Earth.” It seemed too impossible.
Avril gave him a smile. “Amazing, isn’t it? Here we go.”
Nik noticed Nera gripping the edge of her seat. He leaned over, his voice pitched so only she would hear. “Never crossed a bridge?”
“No.”
“Nothing to worry about.”
“Except if any of these people I don’t know mess up and we end up bridge fodder.”
He patted her hand, pleased when she didn’t shrug him away. “Sometimes a little trust goes a long way.”
She made a noise in the back of her throat and glanced up…just as the ship slipped through the portal and smoothly onto the Sol Bridge.
There was a happy murmur from the bridge crew. The viewscreen showed a steady stream of silver outside the ship, as though they were passing through metallic rain.
“Okay, everyone,” Avril said. “In two days, we’ll reach Earth. I’ve assessed all of the proposals, and as per Nik’s suggestions, we’ll start in the ruins of New York. We’ve sent probes through to Earth, but radioactive interference has made getting reliable intel problematic.”
“How are we going to survive on the surface?” Solomon asked. “Can you vaccinate us?”
Avril shook her head. “Due to the nature of the radiation, we can only treat it after you’ve been exposed. Depending on the location on the planet and the radiation levels, the exposure times will vary. After you reach the limit, you have to get back to the ship and receive the antidote.”
Nik didn’t like the sound of that. “You’re saying that if something goes wrong on the planet, if we stay on the surface too long, we’ll die.”
“It is of prime importance you do not stay on the planet longer than the exposure time and receive your treatment.”
“Can we take the shots with us to the surface?” Nera asked.
“You could, but it won’t help. You need to be away from the exposure source for the treatment to successfully remove the radiation from your system.”
Great. Nik frowned. If there was one thing he knew about treasure hunts, it was that the unexpected always happened. Despite precision planning, things often went wrong.
“So, after New York, we’ll head south. Both Mr. Solomon and Ms. Darc made some good suggestions.
We’ll make for New Mexico City in what was the country of Mexico.
It was an area rich in ancient history in Terran times, with some world-class museums. There have always been rumors some of the museums were not evacuated, and it is quite possible that some artifacts remain in place. ”