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Thomas chimed in. We ll be here when you get here. Don t wait too long. You need your
sleep too. Rick got the impression of well-fed vampire satisfaction but the link grew
weaker with the final words. Thomas was succumbing to the ship s rotation into
sunlight.
Elvie, you know how important you are to us&
She sniffed once more. But you can t fuck a computer, and I can t be anything else.
I got that. I suppose the others want you to come to bed.
You did say we should get some sleep.
He could have sworn he heard her sigh. Make sure it s sleep you get, Ricky. I don t
want any of you too groggy to work. This operation will be tricky enough as it is.
Dismissed, he headed for the sleeping quarters to join his drowsy partners. They
wouldn t want to play but it would be good just holding them and mixing minds in
their sleep. Even now he felt their mental touches reaching for him in wisps of green
and gold.
He took off so eagerly that he barely noticed Elvie s wistful whisper from over his
shoulder. Sweet dreams& Rick.
68
Rogues
Chapter Nine
Christian s compound had looked impressive in the schematics, but seeing it for
real was another matter. Harriet stood between the two men at what Elvie s map had
designated one of the side gates. This door was as heavily protected as the front gate
but didn t have the additional sensors needed to spot air vehicles. They d landed their
small shuttle far enough away to avoid detection and walked through shrubbery and
what might have been a garden at some point. Remains of paths through beds of
tangled weeds let them approach with ease.
About two hours past sunset, it was reaching full dark. Not a problem for her or
Thomas, but Rick was wearing light-enhancing goggles to see enough to keep up. The
dark lenses gave him a strangely exotic look.
He held up a small tablet, their link to the AI back on the ship, and directed its
viewer at the gate. Okay, Elvie, we re here. What can you tell me?
The AI s voice was tinny through the little speaker. The lock is a Seccural Twenty-
two, with a few modifications. Nothing too tricky. She chuckled. Should be a snap for
you, Ricky.
Harriet gave Rick a hard look. An upper model Seccural is a snap ?
Thomas smiled, his fangs glinting in the low light. My companion s past includes
some experiences with locks. That s how we met.
Oh?
Rick appeared to be studiously ignoring them as his vampire buddy gave the story.
He pulled a short box from his pocket, held it flat against the gate and began entering
numbers and symbols.
Thomas continued. The Sleepwalker was docked on one of the seedier planets in the
galaxy. Made Sedilous look like a pleasure palace. Anyway, this guy broke into the ship
while I was asleep. Managed to disable the locks on the cargo hold and was helping
himself to some of my rarer items. Figured he d sell them and make a few bucks.
He broke into a ship with an AI? How is that possible?
Ah well, that s where it gets interesting. Elvie watched him break in and didn t
stop him& well, at least not until he wanted to leave. Then she locked him in and
waited for me to wake up.
Thomas leaned in. Frankly, I ve always thought she was a little sweet on him, even
though AIs aren t supposed to be able to develop those kind of feelings.
I heard that, Elvie s clipped tones broke in. Ricky is a friend.
Really? You make friends with criminals on sight? Thomas rolled his eyes and
Harriet stifled a chuckle. She was beginning to understand the easy camaraderie the
69
Liddy Midnight & Cricket Starr
two guys had with Elvie. Friend or not, he managed to charm both of us out of turning
him in. One thing led to another and here we are, thirty-plus years down the line.
I wish you d all shut up while I m working. Rick turned his head to glare at them.
Deactivating a Seccural Twenty-two isn t exactly a picnic. It takes skill, steady hands
and concentration, and your blathering isn t helping at all. One slip-up and I could set
off some sort of alarm and alert the AIs, bring everyone down on us&
With a barely audible click, the gate in front of them slid open.
Thomas grinned. Or you could open the door. What a surprise. He pushed past
the silent but smug-looking Rick and went inside. Come on, everyone. Somewhere in
here there is evidence just waiting to clear our names.
He led them through the silent grounds to the main building where they d decided
it was most likely Chris had his private quarters and the computer with the accurate
records of his misdeeds.
Again they avoided the main doorway and instead found one of the smaller exits,
although there were still plenty of serious locks there. And something else. Once Rick
worked his magic and got them inside, they found themselves in a corridor made of
some smooth material that gleamed in the dim light.
Curious, Harriet reached out to stroke the glossy white surface. It reminded her
uncomfortably of a laboratory wall. She looked back over at Thomas who was
frowning, his eyes dark with concern.
This isn t good.
What is it?
The plans called for biofilters but this is more than that. I think he paused.
This entryway reminds me of something you might have seen many years ago. He
took a deep breath and looked grim. During the last inter-system pandemic.
Harriet s heart stopped and, when it started beating again, went into overdrive. The
last epidemic had been a horrible thing, nearly wiping out both normal humans and
those with enhanced characteristics. In the decades that followed there d been many
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