To Escape From Gravity

Chapter Fourteen

Reed paced aimlessly around the careened vehicle, the low hum of the engine and buzzing of its headlights serving as a mind-numbing white noise. Harlem followed her earnestly, though the way he continually nudged at her pockets pointed to his interest being more in the jerky she had instead of keeping her company.

She couldn't believe how quickly she had let the job derail. From finding the mark in Raschent, to her patience in waiting until the desolate expanse of road to make her move, it had been going perfectly. Once she had gotten close enough to the truck's backside to make out the identification stamp, it was a simple process to get ahead of the vehicle and drop a chain of spiked iron in its path. She had expertly anticipated the retaliation, with Harlem being an excellent forerunner, engaging and distracting the security guard. And although Reed had been slightly taken by surprise in the captain's ability to counter her attack, it was a short-lived scuffle that ended with Reed having the required upper hand.

But that's where it all went wrong, and Reed was frustrated with herself for losing control. She shouldn't have let the inquisitive captain speak. Brisnick would be mortified at her thoughts, but a well-placed bullet could have sealed the job quickly and Reed would have been on her way to a life-changing paycheck. In the replays of her mind, Reed wished she had the gumption to carry out the dirty work that another mercenary wouldn't hesitate to do. But all of Brisnick's lectures about the boundaries of the moral code got in the way, and she had attempted to complete the job with some semblance of ethics. It screwed up everything.

"I'm still in control," she murmured to Harlem as they continued their impatient laps around the vehicle. If the dog was able to communicate its agreement, she might have felt an ounce of belief in the statement.

She hadn't fully lost the upper hand, the travelers couldn't leave without her allowance. But by letting the inquisitive captain attempt to retrieve the briefcase, Reed had relinquished some power. It didn't sit well with her.

As she was scheming ways she could reverse the move, two dull thuds came from the back of the DuneTrac. Snapping to alertness, the duo moved towards the sound. Reed wielded her pistol again, fixating it on the doors as they slowly opened.

"No sudden moves, Captain," Reed shouted. Harlem's bark accented the statement.

A steady hand emerged from the door, open and raised. "Just keep that dog away from me," the woman's mellow voice responded. As she stepped out, the low lights from the vehicle's inside cast an illuminated outline of her form. Reed could make out something in her left hand, but the doors were quickly slammed shut by the other occupants and the captain was swallowed up in the midnight's darkness.

"Move to the headlights," Reed commanded, keeping distance between them.

The heavy shuffle of boots made its way around the corner of the vehicle. "I'm holding up my end of the deal, I'm trusting you will, too."

Reed chuckled at that. "We didn't shake on anything, so it's not exactly a deal."

"Well, then I hope there's honor among mercenaries," the woman countered as she stepped into the piercing rays of light. Her hand was clenched around the briefcase's handle.

"You haven't met many mercenaries, have you?" Reed said, slowly approaching her as Harlem diligently followed.

"Can't say I've had the pleasure. We also haven't actually met, since I don't know your name."

"I'm not going to tell you my name before stealing from you," Reed said, baffled by either the woman's bravery or stupidity. With her erratic questions and actions, the jury was still out on her intelligence. "And whether or not we know each other's names won't change what has to happen. Put down the briefcase and back up."

"I'm Captain Normar Judell ..." the woman said as she gingerly laid the briefcase on the dirt. "...in case that changes anything."

Reed swept up the briefcase as soon as Normar moved a few paces back. It was worn and wasn't at all what she would have assumed would house such confidential information from a counselor's family. Snapping the brass clasps open, she angled herself so the DuneTrac's headlights illuminated it's contents without losing sight of the captain.

"I'm surprised you weren't more curious about the precious goods your target was transporting," she threw towards Normar. "Are you that boring or that blindly trusting?"

"I talked Kiado into giving this up because I'm equally as puzzled by what's going on. So I'd say neither," Normar responded cooly, though her heart was racing beneath her coat.

Shuffling papers between her gloved hands, Reed periodically paused to tilt one more towards the light. "Maybe Counselor Dricklen's daughter is as dull as he is. Or they're all equally as mistrusting, because all she has is a bunch of transcripts of boring conversations."

The anticlimactic reveal startled Normar. "Let me see, that can't be it," she said, curiosity again directing her movements as she stepped towards the mercenary.

Within a moment, she met the barrel of a pistol in her face. The red-haired woman didn't even look at her, while the growling dog moved to stand at guard under the drawn weapon.

"Don't get greedy, Captain," Reed said as she continued to scan the crinkled paper in her left hand. Normar returned to stand against the grill of the vehicle.

"All I see is a bunch of pointless papers, and somebody is paying me a mind-blowing amount of gold to bring them this gibberish. So sorry that you're failing your mission, but I'm not going to sabotage my chance for a better life." Reed crouched down as she holstered the pistol, thumbing through the remaining documents in the opened briefcase.

"You have to admit this doesn't make sense, aren't you concerned about the nature of who hired you?" Normar asked earnestly.

Reed let out a dry laugh. "Captain, if you knew the types of people that hire me, you wouldn't be asking that. I don't bat an eye at what the crazy people of this world request, as long as the gold is flowing. But I don't expect you to-" she abruptly stopped, leaning into the light as she brought a printed picture close to inspect. The more intently she studied it, the more rigid her body became, the curiosity capturing Normar's interest.

"What is it?" she gently prodded, though not daring to inch any closer.

With her other hand, Reed picked up another smaller piece of paper, scanning it intently. Normar was about to probe again, but before she could form her words, the other woman rushed her and shoved her harshly back into the vehicle, her pistol landing against the captain's temple. She held up the papers she had been inspecting.

"Why is Kiado Dricklin interested in this man?" Reed questioned, her voice grave and harsh.

"I told you, Kiado didn't tell me anything, I don't know what is in that briefcase," Normar said, the papers and photograph not hitting the light enough for her to make out what had caused the woman to become so agitated.

"Don't play with me, Captain," Reed threatened. "What do they know about him?" she asked again, leaning back just enough so the presented picture was illuminated. Normar's stomach dropped, and she couldn't stop the wavering of her voice.

"Sun and stars..." Normar quietly exclaimed, her thoughts drowning in confusion. Nausea hit her like a wave. She swallowed roughly. "What has he done?" she murmured to herself as a grainy image of Laedem stared back at her.