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apartment, I ll wait for her there.
If you re determined to stay, I ll arrange accommodations, he answered
immediately. It s better that way.
Better for whom? Her smile turned speculative.
* * * * *
Meredith noticed the guard attempting to trail her as she left the office building.
Korbin had great instincts. He just needed better help. Several abrupt turns and a bit of
backtracking lured the young man into an alley. A quick blast from her pulse pistol
rendered him unconscious and she returned to her ship.
Find a commuter lot. Somewhere we can stay for a couple of hours, she ordered
Hamilton as she activated the panel in front of her. We re about to confirm the rebels
base of operations.
The last retinal scan logging Corry s movements had been two days before. So
much for Korbin having lunch with her.
How can we be certain this is where the hostages are being held? Juarez asked.
Meredith debated how much to tell them. The executive council had stressed that
discretion was top priority. She stuck to the facts. All residents of Borrelly, both
inmates and employees, are implanted with an ident-chip. We ll use shipboard scanners
to locate any person without such a chip.
A sector-by-sector scan could take
Get started. She cut off Hamilton before he overtly questioned her decision. Corry
didn t have an ident-chip either. It was far more probable that she had left the outpost,
but this might kill two birds with one stone.
It was a tedious process. Hours passed as names and designations of the entire
population of Borrelly scrolled across the ship s main vidscreen. Late in the afternoon,
the scanner beeped, indicating an error or what Meredith had been hoping to find, a
person not identifiable to the scanner.
Meredith adjusted the search parameters, closing in on the outpost s newest facility.
The complex was still under construction. She laughed.
Korbin is listed as superintendent for this project, she told the others.
That s pretty damn brazen, Juarez said. He s hiding them in plain sight.
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At a glance, it s business as usual. No one is going to question guards on Borrelly.
Everyone is doing what they re supposed to do. Hamilton glanced at Meredith. There
are only two in the complex without ident-chips. Aren t we after three hostages?
We have to start somewhere. Juarez, put us down here. Meredith pointed to a
clearing on the far side of the complex. Hamilton, you re with me, so you ll need to
look the part. Meredith and Hamilton changed out of their military garb and into
nondescript workers uniforms.
Meredith programmed her arm band to track the two signals and led Hamilton
toward the complex. The side entrance was flanked by guards. They crouched on the
ground, protected from view by a rounded hill.
Create a diversion and I ll take out the guards.
He raised his brow at her command but didn t argue. She crept to the crest of the
hill on her belly and braced the rifle against her shoulder as Hamilton strode toward the
guards. If this was a simple construction zone, why did they need armed guards?
Hamilton s angle was perfect, leaving her a clear shot at each target. Kill or
incapacitate? She heaved a frustrated sigh. It was so much easier when the enemy was
truly an enemy and not disgruntled children.
Easing the intensity level back to stun, she dropped the first guard and the second
in quick succession.
Nice shots, Hamilton said as she joined him, but the gleam in his dark eyes
revealed his amusement at her leniency.
She looked at her arm band while Hamilton heaved one of the unconscious guards
to eyelevel and scanned open the door. Down that corridor and to the right. With
only an occasional glance from the construction workers, Meredith and Hamilton
located the holding cells. A control booth separated the two small rooms. She drew her
pulse pistol and crept toward the portal. Avoiding the retinal scanner, she entered the
master override code Admiral Tiptonn had given her. Nothing happened. Damn it.
Hamilton motioned her back and aimed a controlled energy stream into the locking
mechanism. The privacy panel released with a soft hiss.
A young man sat facing the wide console and multilevel displays. She fired her
pulse pistol before he knew what hit him, and Hamilton shoved him back from the
controls.
She studied the vidscreens, her mind sifting through possibilities. Danette Tiptonn
was easily recognizable even in an inmate s uniform. The young man must be Palmer,
so where was VinDerley?
Holy shit, Hamilton muttered when he got his first look at the hostages. Were
they trying to start a war?
Meredith didn t comment. She deactivated the energy barriers and reverted control
of the doors to their motion sensors. You get Palmer. I ll release Danette. The blonde
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Aubrey Ross
just stared at Meredith suspiciously as she entered the holding cell. I m Major
Caperelli. The coalition sent me.
How do I know that? Danette snapped, rising from the bunk.
You can trust me or stay here. Meredith turned toward the door, unwilling to
argue. Do you know what they ve done with the premier s son? I haven t been able to
locate him.
You re really from Halley Prime? Danette followed Meredith into the corridor,
glancing around anxiously as if she expected someone to interrupt them. Interesting.
Why would I lie? Meredith asked.
We haven t seen Ashton in days.
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