eye, blocked the passage, red lines zigzagging up and down between the walls and the counter. She turned the system off for as long as it took her to get past and hoped the man in the control room wouldn’t notice. Now to
check their secret store.
Standing at the end of the middle row, she activated a control. A faint rumble set her heart thumping again. A block of stone as tall as a man slid back and aside on runners. Lights blinked on but she turned them off, relying on the barely-discernible gleam from her torch. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
Row after row of shelves loomed ghost-like, fading into the distance. The place was much larger than
the public stores. She walked slowly along the aisles reading labels, once again checking for unexpected additions. Machine parts, engines, cutting blades, lathes, metal presses, tubes of various types of alloy, building materials, lengths of cloth, sheets of metal arranged according to size. All these items were innocent. But if this was all legitimate, why was a military InfoDroid sitting in the control room?
She pulled a box of machine parts down and looked inside. Yes. She knew it. Hand guns. She pushed
the box back and pulled out another. The contents looked harmless enough but the instructions and the warnings didn’t. Some sort of malleable explosive. And this one over here, labeled pipes, actually
contained rocket launchers. So that was it. They’d devised a code; legitimate names for illegal items.
Now at least she knew the truth. What she would do about it was another thing altogether. What could
she do?
Deep in thought she activated the secret door and stepped back into the store room.
“And what would you be doing here at this time of night?” The voice was soft and baritone.
A tall figure faced her. Fear galloped up her backbone and grabbed her throat. Brad Stone. “Um… I
forgot something. I came back to look for it.”
Damn and blast. So busy stewing she forgot to check the security system before she came out. Idiot.
He had a half smile on his face, as though he didn’t believe her. “Did you find it?”
“Uh… no. No, I didn’t.” She tried a laugh. “Knowing me I’ll find it in my room when I get back. I’ll…
I’ll get on.” She made to step past him but he blocked her.
“Your ID doesn’t appear on this tablet,” he said lifting the device. “Why is that?”
Her heart thudded painfully. “Must be a malfunction.”
“Ah. Is that how you got through the infrared grid at the door without triggering it?”
Oh, shit. She gaped up at him.
“Stone? Stone! Are you in there?”
She swallowed a gasp. Oh, shit. Oh, shit. The voice came from beyond the counter, harsh and loud.
Stone grabbed her arm and shoved her back amongst the shelves while he strode toward the advancing
footsteps. She cowered, her heart pounding.
“What’s wrong?” Stone said.
“What the fuck are you doing down here?” That was Ludovic, she was sure.
“Just doing a non-routine check, boss. We used to do that in Fleet. That way, criminals couldn’t be sure when we’d be around. But if it bothers you…”
“No. No, not a bad idea. Fine. Get on with it then.”
Ludovic’s footfalls faded away.
“Miss Marten?”
She edged out of the shadows. “Thanks.”
He smiled and his shoulders relaxed. “I get the idea you are as interested to know what’s really going on here as I am.”
Her fear ebbed away. Just a little. Maybe she’d have an ally. “Why are you interested?”
“That military InfoDroid in the control room. Where did they get it and what else do they have? People like these arm and support terrorists. I don’t like that; the Confederacy doesn’t like that.”
“You’re from the Confederacy?”
“Yes. What’s your interest?”
“What they’re doing is obviously illegal if they want a system that can fool a military grade InfoDroid.
They’re using me to commit a crime. So I went and checked.
check their secret store.
Standing at the end of the middle row, she activated a control. A faint rumble set her heart thumping again. A block of stone as tall as a man slid back and aside on runners. Lights blinked on but she turned them off, relying on the barely-discernible gleam from her torch. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
Row after row of shelves loomed ghost-like, fading into the distance. The place was much larger than
the public stores. She walked slowly along the aisles reading labels, once again checking for unexpected additions. Machine parts, engines, cutting blades, lathes, metal presses, tubes of various types of alloy, building materials, lengths of cloth, sheets of metal arranged according to size. All these items were innocent. But if this was all legitimate, why was a military InfoDroid sitting in the control room?
She pulled a box of machine parts down and looked inside. Yes. She knew it. Hand guns. She pushed
the box back and pulled out another. The contents looked harmless enough but the instructions and the warnings didn’t. Some sort of malleable explosive. And this one over here, labeled pipes, actually
contained rocket launchers. So that was it. They’d devised a code; legitimate names for illegal items.
Now at least she knew the truth. What she would do about it was another thing altogether. What could
she do?
Deep in thought she activated the secret door and stepped back into the store room.
“And what would you be doing here at this time of night?” The voice was soft and baritone.
A tall figure faced her. Fear galloped up her backbone and grabbed her throat. Brad Stone. “Um… I
forgot something. I came back to look for it.”
Damn and blast. So busy stewing she forgot to check the security system before she came out. Idiot.
He had a half smile on his face, as though he didn’t believe her. “Did you find it?”
“Uh… no. No, I didn’t.” She tried a laugh. “Knowing me I’ll find it in my room when I get back. I’ll…
I’ll get on.” She made to step past him but he blocked her.
“Your ID doesn’t appear on this tablet,” he said lifting the device. “Why is that?”
Her heart thudded painfully. “Must be a malfunction.”
“Ah. Is that how you got through the infrared grid at the door without triggering it?”
Oh, shit. She gaped up at him.
“Stone? Stone! Are you in there?”
She swallowed a gasp. Oh, shit. Oh, shit. The voice came from beyond the counter, harsh and loud.
Stone grabbed her arm and shoved her back amongst the shelves while he strode toward the advancing
footsteps. She cowered, her heart pounding.
“What’s wrong?” Stone said.
“What the fuck are you doing down here?” That was Ludovic, she was sure.
“Just doing a non-routine check, boss. We used to do that in Fleet. That way, criminals couldn’t be sure when we’d be around. But if it bothers you…”
“No. No, not a bad idea. Fine. Get on with it then.”
Ludovic’s footfalls faded away.
“Miss Marten?”
She edged out of the shadows. “Thanks.”
He smiled and his shoulders relaxed. “I get the idea you are as interested to know what’s really going on here as I am.”
Her fear ebbed away. Just a little. Maybe she’d have an ally. “Why are you interested?”
“That military InfoDroid in the control room. Where did they get it and what else do they have? People like these arm and support terrorists. I don’t like that; the Confederacy doesn’t like that.”
“You’re from the Confederacy?”
“Yes. What’s your interest?”
“What they’re doing is obviously illegal if they want a system that can fool a military grade InfoDroid.
They’re using me to commit a crime. So I went and checked.
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