Subtle weapon, p.1
Subtle Weapon, page 1
part #2 of ShadowTech Series
Copyright © 2022 T.W.Iain. All rights reserved
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This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is purely coincidental.
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Previously…
If you’re anything like me, it can be months (or even years) between reading books in a series. Too often, I’ve forgotten important details from the previous book. I could re-read the whole series, but who has time for that? Maybe the new book has a few useful reminders, but that’s never a given.
I don’t want you confused as you read Subtle Weapon, so here’s a quick run-down of the important stuff from the first book in the series.
I wanted to start Desert Bound with an action sequence, so the book jumps straight in with the crew breaking their commander, Ryann, free from prison. It also introduces the characters one by one (because throwing five important characters into the first scene would be tricky). There’s Piran, the tech guy who veers between being a nervous wreck and annoyingly cocky. There’s Deva, petite but tough, always with her weapon of choice—her screwdriver. There’s Brice, distant and a shade arrogant, but very physical (he thinks nothing of leaping from moving vehicles). There’s Keelin, the crew’s pilot (more on her later). And there’s Ryann, their commander because she has seniority, but constantly worried that she can’t live up to the position, that she’s letting her crew down.
With Ryann freed, the crew get suckered into taking a job for a local crime boss (Porfirio Fay—a nasty piece of work who can’t be trusted). This involves searching for an Ancient relic, the Cyastone.
Nobody’s quite sure if the Ancients are/were human or alien, but they disappeared thousands of years ago, leaving ruins, relics, and hints at their incredible technology. The company (Kaiahive) use technology gleaned from these artefacts, most notably in the creation of a thing called a lattice.
Most people now have a lattice (especially those who work for Kaiahive—which, considering their size, is a hell of a lot of people). It sits beneath a person’s skin, connected to body and mind. Lattices can be tweaked to emphasise individual strengths. Some tweaks give greater control of the body. Others enhance the senses, enabling people to become trackers. The lattice (and, by extension, the person) can connect to external systems—systems running buildings, library databases, hand-held terminals and so on. Using this connectivity, pilots like Keelin can fly without having to use any external controls. In effect, they become the craft, controlling it with their mind, even feeling the air rushing past on their skin via sensors on the hull.
The lattice also allows sussing, which is something like tech-driven telepathy. This can be tight (for person-to-person communication) or wide (for communicating in or with a group). If you come across any text
At the start of Desert Bound, Ryann is the only member of the crew who has a ‘normal’ lattice, and hers is tweaked for tracking. Deva’s lattice never ‘took’, meaning she can’t use it—she’s ‘dark’ (and those who are ‘dark’ are seen by many as lesser beings). Brice’s was tweaked for physicality, but an accident meant it started playing up—he can’t suss, but he can hear the sussing of others, even if they’re on tight communication. He is also more attuned to his body, capable of more than he should be. Kaiahive often refers to him as the Anomaly.
Piran’s lattice has been turned off (which, for a tech expert, is like having his limbs removed), but in Desert Bound he gets it restarted by a back-street lattice tech. And it seems to work better than it did before. Piran reckons Kaiahive purposely limit lattices in most people, especially those who might become a threat to them.
Kaiahive’s experiments continue. One of their darker projects created NeoGens—fast, strong and smart, but also far larger than an average person, with grey, leathery skin, a wolf-like snout, and retractable talons in their fingers. Kaiahive wanted super-warriors, but created monsters.
Keelin’s one of these NeoGens. It’s why she hides away on the craft. She can’t risk going out unless she covers herself from head to toe, and even then her height would draw attention. She’s not happy with the situation, and Ryann wants to find someone to reverse the process—if such a thing is even possible. Keelin doesn’t believe it is.
The crew all used to work for Kaiahive, but through various events (which are detailed in the prequel series to this one, Shadows) they are now on the run. If the company finds them, they’ll either be killed, or captured and tortured. Yeah, Kaiahive definitely has a dark core. In Desert Bound, they’re the bad guys.
They also believe that the Ancients are returning to destroy humanity. So Kaiahive’s developing weapons, using tech pulled from the relics the Ancients left behind. They see themselves as the protectors of humanity.
But they’re not the only ones who believe in the return of the Ancients. The Heralds, a quasi-religious group, believe that the Ancients, far from being oppressors, will be the saviours of humanity. The Heralds want to welcome them with open arms—and so they’re opposed to Kaiahive’s search for more relics. They’ll do anything they can to stop the company. If there’s a relic around, the Heralds want to take it for themselves.
You can guess where this is leading. The crew are after this Cyastone, but so are Kaiahive and the Heralds.
And, to throw a spanner in the works, there’s a third group. Ryann meets a mysterious character called Annys Reid, who believes that both Kaiahive and the Heralds are wrong. Annys and her colleagues don’t want to antagonise the Ancients, nor do they want to welcome them so openly. So they want the Cyastone for themselves too.
Yep, this is getting complicated. Brice thinks the steal-the-relic job is going to get the crew killed, and he runs off at one point. Ryann convinces him to return (telling him that she needs someone to look after Deva, as he’s got a soft-spot for her), so he’s back for the chaotic finale.
And it’s definitely chaotic. We have Piran faking an emergency in a museum, and disabling craft with his tech know-how. We have Deva getting trapped by Heralds on a moving lorry, chases through the city, and a three-way battle between Kaiahive, the Heralds and Porfirio Fay’s people. We have Keelin going full beast-mode, slaughtering company agents as she rescues Ryann and Annys (and the Cyastone). We have Brice and Deva leaping from moving vehicles that are under fire. And, at the end, the crew escape, with the Cyastone. They fly off, into the desert.
But others still want the relic. And Kaiahive still wants the crew. They’re arguably in a worse position now than they were at the beginning of the book.
Which brings us to the start of Subtle Weapon…
Ryann
It had been three hours since they’d escaped from Kaiahive, from the Heralds, and from Fay. Three hours of flying, across desert, then across water, and still Ryann couldn’t relax.
The half-empty mug in her hands no longer steamed, and the taste of the drink had long since departed. But holding the mug stopped her from fidgeting.
“You reckon there’s anything for us on those islands?” Piran asked.
He slouched to her left, one hand idly tapping a terminal, his fingers chasing icons around the glass.
“There’s no company presence on any of them,” she said.
“Wasn’t supposed to be in Athelios either.”
“I’m not suggesting we go in blind. But we can’t stay in the air indefinitely.”
He shrugged. “Supplies’re good. Power’s still running fine. Not like Keelin tires either, right?”
“She has her limits. And the Proteus needs attention.”
“Sure. Proximity’s shot, rear left booster’s glitching, loads of alerts blinking.” He smiled. “Keeping an eye on the system. Just in case.”
“Does Keelin know?”
“Not making it a secret. Anyway, no reason we can’t push on to a decent port. There’s one in Remios, right?”
“That’s another five hours away.”
The door to the shower room opened and Deva stepped into the cabin, fresh clothes enveloped in a fug of apple-scented steam.
“Hey,” the young woman said, grabbing a mug from the dispenser and easing into the chair across from Ryann. “No sign of Brice yet?”
Ryann glanced to his bunk, and pushed gently with her lattice. His trace hung there, but it was indistinct, just as it had been since they’d escaped from the city. She got no clear lock on his lattice, and when she focused with intent it was as if his trace became mist, as if she were looking through him.
It was a problem she couldn’t contend with at the moment. He was alive, and he’d returned to help the crew. That was enough for now.
She turned back to Deva. “I’d say he still needs time on his own.”
Piran pulled a face. “Don’t want to think what he’s doing in there. I mean, he doesn’t sleep, does he? Same as Keelin. So what else is he doing cooped up in there? Mind you, could do him some good, relieve some of that tension, you know?”
Deva rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything. It was good to see one of them growing up.
<Ryann?>
Keelin’s voice sounded through Ryann’s lattice, and she tensed.
<I’m here,> she sussed back. <Do we have a problem?>
There was a pause. <Not sure. Picking up activity from the islands. Too far out to get a firm lock, could be a local search.>
<I take it we’re talking craft here.>
<Yeah. Reckon they’re from either Delo or Miko. No firm data yet.>
<But they’re not necessarily a threat.>
<Still need to be wary.>
<Of course. Keep me informed. Thanks, Kee.>
<Sure.>
Keelin cut the connection. Ryann returned her attention to the cabin. Deva’s brow furrowed, and she tilted her head in question.
She was a smart kid. Despite a lack of working lattice, she could always tell when Ryann was sussing. She would’ve made a fantastic tracker, with that kind of empathy.
“We’re approaching the islands.”
Deva nodded, but the frown remained. “We still settled on Miko?”
“It looks like they have a landing pad we can use, along with potential supply access.”
“That not a risk? Links to the mainland are monitored, right?”
Piran leaned in. “That’s what I’ve been saying. The company’ll be all over the place. Told you, Ryann—we need to push on. Keelin’s good for it, right?”
“We need a break,” Ryann said. “And there’s no guarantee we’ll be safe in Remios.”
She didn’t need to mention that there was no guarantee of safety anywhere.
“Miko.” Deva tapped the table in thought. “That’s the flat one, right? Not the volcano.”
Ryann shook her head. “Delo’s the volcanic island.”
“So we’re not going there,” Piran said.
“The volcano’s extinct,” Ryann told him—again. “And Delo has possibilities. The land falls away to the east into a tree-covered plain, which would give us cover.”
Piran waved a hand. “Yeah, yeah. Come in low, hide out, run what repairs we can, chill for a bit. Sounds ideal. There going to be a beach with a pool? Bars, couple of nightclubs? Could go for a massage, too.” He shot a glance at Deva. “Not going to get anything like that round here, am I?”
Deva gave him a weak smile. “Sure Keelin’ll crack your back if you ask.”
The way Piran’s face paled almost made Ryann smile.
And then Keelin’s voice cut through Ryann’s mind.
<More intel for you.>
Ryann took a breath. Deva must’ve picked up on something, because she watched closely, the frown returning.
Ryann raised a hand to settle her.
<Been monitoring that activity,> Keelin sussed. <Flyers. Reckon they’re Ions. Thought they were heading from Delo to Miko, but they’ve swung round. Keeping a tight formation.>
<Just tell me, Kee.>
Piran looked from Deva to Ryann now, confused. His eyes glazed as he accessed the Proteus’ system—and, surely, he’d pull up the data Keelin read.
<Incoming,> Keelin sussed. <They’re heading our way.>
Piran
Piran threw himself into the tech’s chair, fastened the harness. Damn thing needed oiling or something, only snapped into place on the third time.
“They’re coming for us!” he said.
Keelin, in the pilot’s seat to his right, shook her head. “Don’t know intentions yet.”
“Check their course—straight for us! And they’re in formation. What the hell else are they doing?”
“Keelin’s correct.” Ryann eased into her seat, at the rear—the commander’s position. “They haven’t engaged yet, so we make no assumptions.”
“But we don’t need to meet them. We can divert or something.”
Keelin growled—and it was freaky, how she sounded so much like an animal when she made that sound. Another reminder—as if he needed one—that she wasn’t…normal.
He turned away, focused on the data streaming across his lenses. It didn’t help. Too many ways to interpret it, and none of them were good. Even if those bugs weren’t coming for them, they’d register the Proteus. Probably already had. They’d send a signal, bound to be intercepted by Kaiahive somewhere along the line. And then the company would come down on them once again.
“That would draw attention to ourselves,” Deva said. She sat behind Keelin, and she looked relaxed—but she’d fastened her harness too. “We act suspicious, they react. Right, Kee?”
“Right.”
The door to the bridge opened. Brice stepped through, smirked when he looked in Piran’s direction.
“Thought you were busy in your bunk.” Piran faced front, shouldn’t’ve turned.
“Heard we’ve got a problem,” Brice said, all calm and casual, like this didn’t concern him.
“Yeah? Snooping on conversations again?”
“Hard to miss your noise.”
“Boys,” Ryann said. “You know the situation, Brice?”
“Incoming. Could be Kaiahive.”
“We don’t know that for certain.”
Brice slipped into his seat, directly behind Piran. Why couldn’t the moody sod stay in his bunk? Wasn’t like he could help up here, was it?
“Piran,” Ryann said. “What do we know about the craft?”
He scanned through the data, confirming what he’d already checked. “Ions. Seven of them. Tight formation, so professional pilots. All modified. Getting unfamiliar ping-backs, possibly…” He ran the data through a couple of routines, analysed on the fly. “Looks like high-power plasmas. Scan’s running too high for idling, though.”
“Primed?” Deva asked.
Piran swore, spun round to face Ryann. “They’re going to shoot us down!”
“We don’t know that. Keelin—have we had communication?”
“You want me to give them a call?”
Piran thumped his arm-rest. “No! Don’t you dare talk to them! They’ll…they’ll know we’re here.”
“They know that already.”
Keelin’s face—snout, set-back eyes, the whole lot—showed nothing. And that scared Piran. If she was retreating into herself, then…then anything could happen.
“We don’t need to open communication,” Ryann said. “If they call, I want us all to hear it.”
“This isn’t good,” Piran muttered. Then, louder, as he watched the data in his lenses, “Current speed, they’ll be on us in thirty seconds. Heavy power signal—definitely primed.” He swallowed. “They’re splitting. Buggers are breaking ranks!”
“I can’t see that on my data.” Deva tapped at the terminal in her lap.
“Deeper sensors,” Piran said—because she couldn’t see everything, could she? Only top-level data scanned to her terminal. “Got a pair to our port, a pair to starboard. Couple more increasing speed.” He spun to Keelin. “That a standard split?”
She nodded. “Boxing.”
“Huh?”
“You’ll see.”
“It’s bad, isn’t it? Come on, Kee! Get us out of here!”
“Keelin!” A tendril of spit fell from her snout.
Piran raised his hands. “Keelin. Sorry. Sure. But…but they’re boxing us in, right? Trapping us.”
“Looks that way.”
“So why…I mean, do something!”
She faced front again. “Message,” she said. “Patching it through.”
The voice that erupted from the speakers was male and monotone. “Keep your course steady. Ident received. Checking.”
“Sounds like he loves his job,” Brice said. As if this was any time to joke.
Keelin glanced at Piran. “Hope your mask holds up.”
“You doubt me?” But he shot through the system, double-checked—triple-checked, whatever—the false ident he’d inserted. And of course it was fine. Didn’t skimp on his work, did he? Hell, he doubted even Keelin knew how deep that mask went.
The bored voice burst from the speakers again. “Don’t deviate. I repeat—don’t deviate. We mean you no harm, but are under orders to retaliate with terminal force should you disobey. Patching through a destination. Please log it and follow.”
The system pinged with the incoming data. Keelin frowned.
“Guess we get to visit your volcano island after all,” the pilot said.
