The Spider and the Fly Read online

  ***

  The Manticore lurched violently, and the screech of tearing metal echoed across the bridge. Markus yelped as his seat restraints automatically triggered, locking him in place as the entire universe exploded around him. He closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe. If a bulkhead was about to rupture and smash in his face, he really didn’t need to see it coming...

  He had no idea how long the earthquake lasted, and between the constant shaking and the occasional stomach-wrenching turn, he might have even lost consciousness. But eventually the worst of the tremors passed, and somehow, despite all the odds, he was still alive.

  But the jump drive hadn’t fired, and the moment he reopened his eyes, he knew it never would again. The bridge was a loss. The viewscreen was still functioning, albeit barely, but most of the consoles had completely shorted out. A chunk of metal had even torn through the ceiling and cleanly impaled the seat he’d vacated just moments before impact.

  Behind the rubble, still locked in her seat, was Jen. She wasn’t moving.

  “Thexyl, you still there?” Markus asked, keying for the release on his restraints. The Kali didn’t reply, but a quick glance at one of the few working status monitors confirmed that the internal com was down. Hopefully that meant he was still alive and just unable to respond; he seemed like a decent enough man, especially considering he was working for a Spider.

  Markus leapt over to Jen and checked her pulse. She was alive, but a huge hunk of something had smacked across her forehead and probably given her a concussion. Given how badly she’d treated him since dragging him on board, it was tempting to just get the hell out of here and leave her to rot. But no, even if she was never going to defect with him, he wasn’t about to abandon her like this. Maybe once she met the real people behind the Mire she wouldn’t hate them so much.

  Sadly, with his neural implant active there wasn’t a whole lot he could to do help her right now other than get her off this wreck of a ship—assuming they weren’t still in the Dowd’s targeting reticle. He glanced back to the viewscreen, expecting to catch the end of an impressive battle, but as it turned out the worst of the fighting appeared to be over. The Dowd ship writhed and twisted as explosions riddled its hull, and with a final, agonizing spasm, it blew apart.

  “Unidentified freighter,” a contralto female voice said over the com. “This is the Golem. Is anyone still alive over there?”

  Markus smiled as he leaned over to put his hand on the com switch. “It’s nice to hear your voice, Tayla.”

  “Coveri? What’s your status?”

  “We’ve lost main power and almost everything else. We’re going to have to evacuate. My…warden is injured and will need medical attention the moment we’re aboard. I’m not sure if her handler is alive or not, but if he is I’m hoping he’ll cooperate.”

  “Understood. We’ll send a rescue shuttle to pick you up. Golem out.”

  Markus turned back to Jen and rubbed a hand across her cheek. “Well, I hope you enjoy a little role-reversal. I promise not to shock you…much.”

  He hit the release switches on her armor, and after a few seconds of messing with the buckles and clamps he managed to slip her free and sling her insensate body over his shoulder. With his empty hand he grabbed the storage container where she’d placed the data crystals and clasped them on his belt, then swept up her rifle. Kali weren’t known for being petty or suicidal, but he figured it wasn’t worth taking chances if her partner decided not to play nicely.

  Two minutes later he’d arrived at the airlock, and Thexyl was already there waiting. He didn’t bother reaching for the pistol at his waist.

  “Is she alive?” he asked. His voice was glacially calm, but his skin had taken on a yellowish hue. He was afraid, though whether it was for his own life or that of his partner’s—or both—was impossible to tell.

  “Yes, but she’s going to need medical attention,” Markus told him. “I assume there’s nothing left here worth salvaging?”

  The man’s serpentine head bobbed to the side. “The ship is lost. The power grid overloaded and blew out most of the primary systems. If Jen hadn’t doubled up on the aft shields, we would already be dead.”

  “Will it hold together long enough for us to evacuate?”

  “I’m not certain, but the containment fields are holding for the time being.”

  Markus took a step back and glanced out the closest viewport as he resettled Jen on his shoulders. The rescue shuttle was just about ready to dock. “Well, you don’t have to worry. They won’t hurt you.”

  “So you say,” Thexyl murmured. “I’ve always assumed that the Convectorate propaganda about the Mire was exaggerated. The question is by how much.”

  “That’s all in the past. We’re not supremacists or terrorists—we’re revolutionaries. We’re fighting to bring down the Hierarchy for everyone’s benefit.”

  “Naturally,” the Kali replied in an odd, croaky tone that must have passed for sarcasm amongst his species. “Perhaps once we’re on board you can introduce me to all the non-human crewmembers.”

  Markus felt his cheek twitch despite himself. “The Mire isn’t what you think. You’ll see.”

  “Yes,” Thexyl said. “I will.”