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Chapter 10 - Disclaimers and rating as first chapter.
I was just about to enter the slipstream again when the two under ubers brought Harper to the cockpit. Zeus was waiting there for him and I could tell from the expression on his face that things were not looking good for Harper.
Zeus had received a communication from his ship. They'd found Harper's little gift and they were not happy at all. Zeus was so furious that I thought he might burst. He was struggling to keep control but when Harper was dumped unceremoniously in front of him I thought he was going to kill the kid there and then and to Hell with the consequences.
Harper stood up shakily, he looked round until he found me and gave me a groggy looking grin. "Hi Boss," he said cheerily. I've never met anyone like this kid. He seems to bounce back no matter what's thrown at him.
He turned to Zeus. "You called," he said?
Zeus moved very quickly, in an instant his bone spurs were raking Harper's throat. The outraged Nietzschean hissed at the much smaller human. "I should kill you now kludge." The tips of the spurs were digging into Harper's flesh and I could see blood starting to well up in the wounds.
Zeus laughed, I really didn't like the sound of that laughter, there was no joy in it. The sound made me shudder. He turned to me. "Do you know what this little heap of crap tried to do? He set a virus in my ship, the minute it went to slipstream it would have been destroyed. Fortunately my engineer found the viruses and disabled them. No wonder you wanted me to take the Maru, you had no intention of being on board my vessel when it blew up."
I gave Harper a sympathetic look, I must admit I thought he would have been more inventive than to use the same virus that he'd discovered on the Maru.
He looked back at me; the lid of his uninjured eye drooped for a split second. Was he winking at me?
Zeus moved his arm away from the kid's neck. Blood trickled down Harper's shirt, adding to the stains already there. He stood there with that defiant look on his face. I'd come to know that look very well.
Zeus motioned to his guards. "Take this thing away and teach it a lesson. Don't kill it or make it unfit to work. I will take great pleasure in killing it myself once it has served its purpose. Its death will be both slow and very painful."
He turned to me. The expression on his face changed from rage to lasciviousness, I preferred the rage. "As for you, you will wish that I had killed you when I have finished with you." He continued by telling me in great detail exactly what he was going to do to me. "When I've finished with you," he snarled. I will hand you over to the rest of the crew for them to enjoy."
I tried not to let him see how scared I was. I gave him the iciest glare I could manage. Harper was struggling with the guards. I think that if he could have reached Zeus he would have killed him with his bare hands. I hadn't realised how much my young engineer felt for me.
One of the ubers hit Harper hard on his wounded arm. I could see fresh blood seeping through the bandage. Harper whimpered and he slumped against the guard.
I sneered at Zeus. "If you carry out those threats we have nothing to lose. Let's end it all here because I have no incentive to take you to the cargo now. We have nothing to lose. Zeus gave his unpleasant grin once more. "Haven't you?" He laughed again, this time he sounded truly happy. He pointed his gauss pistol at one of the gratings in the ceiling. "I suggest you come and join us," he said.
The grating moved and Trance dropped down onto the deck. "I'm sorry Beka," she said simply. Zeus inspected her, undressing her with his eyes. He smiled evilly at me. "Well Valentine I think the odds just changed in my favour. I will spare this one's life if you give me what I want, if you refuse I will treat her in the same way as I intend to treat you. However, this time you will watch every minute of her humiliation." He stroked Trances' arm. She recoiled from him and he licked his lips enjoying her discomfort.
"Give me your word Zeus that you won't harm her." He nodded. "Say it uber." I really didn't trust him.
"You have my word," he said. He bowed at me, mocking me.
"You leave me no choice then Zeus." I checked the controls and prepared for slipstream. The only consolation was that they hadn't managed to capture Rev. Not yet anyway. I was worried sick about Harper, I really didn't think his body could take much more punishment.
We went to slipstream, the usual lurching, disorientating feeling of riding the stream. This was the last jump before our destination. I just wished that I hadn't lied so much to everyone because it was time for pay back. I wondered how Zeus would react when he found out that his cargo no longer existed.
Chapter 10 - Disclaimers and rating as first chapter.
I was just about to enter the slipstream again when the two under ubers brought Harper to the cockpit. Zeus was waiting there for him and I could tell from the expression on his face that things were not looking good for Harper.
Zeus had received a communication from his ship. They'd found Harper's little gift and they were not happy at all. Zeus was so furious that I thought he might burst. He was struggling to keep control but when Harper was dumped unceremoniously in front of him I thought he was going to kill the kid there and then and to Hell with the consequences.
Harper stood up shakily, he looked round until he found me and gave me a groggy looking grin. "Hi Boss," he said cheerily. I've never met anyone like this kid. He seems to bounce back no matter what's thrown at him.
He turned to Zeus. "You called," he said?
Zeus moved very quickly, in an instant his bone spurs were raking Harper's throat. The outraged Nietzschean hissed at the much smaller human. "I should kill you now kludge." The tips of the spurs were digging into Harper's flesh and I could see blood starting to well up in the wounds.
Zeus laughed, I really didn't like the sound of that laughter, there was no joy in it. The sound made me shudder. He turned to me. "Do you know what this little heap of crap tried to do? He set a virus in my ship, the minute it went to slipstream it would have been destroyed. Fortunately my engineer found the viruses and disabled them. No wonder you wanted me to take the Maru, you had no intention of being on board my vessel when it blew up."
I gave Harper a sympathetic look, I must admit I thought he would have been more inventive than to use the same virus that he'd discovered on the Maru.
He looked back at me; the lid of his uninjured eye drooped for a split second. Was he winking at me?
Zeus moved his arm away from the kid's neck. Blood trickled down Harper's shirt, adding to the stains already there. He stood there with that defiant look on his face. I'd come to know that look very well.
Zeus motioned to his guards. "Take this thing away and teach it a lesson. Don't kill it or make it unfit to work. I will take great pleasure in killing it myself once it has served its purpose. Its death will be both slow and very painful."
He turned to me. The expression on his face changed from rage to lasciviousness, I preferred the rage. "As for you, you will wish that I had killed you when I have finished with you." He continued by telling me in great detail exactly what he was going to do to me. "When I've finished with you," he snarled. I will hand you over to the rest of the crew for them to enjoy."
I tried not to let him see how scared I was. I gave him the iciest glare I could manage. Harper was struggling with the guards. I think that if he could have reached Zeus he would have killed him with his bare hands. I hadn't realised how much my young engineer felt for me.
One of the ubers hit Harper hard on his wounded arm. I could see fresh blood seeping through the bandage. Harper whimpered and he slumped against the guard.
I sneered at Zeus. "If you carry out those threats we have nothing to lose. Let's end it all here because I have no incentive to take you to the cargo now. We have nothing to lose. Zeus gave his unpleasant grin once more. "Haven't you?" He laughed again, this time he sounded truly happy. He pointed his gauss pistol at one of the gratings in the ceiling. "I suggest you come and join us," he said.
The grating moved and Trance dropped down onto the deck. "I'm sorry Beka," she said simply. Zeus inspected her, undressing her with his eyes. He smiled evilly at me. "Well Valentine I think the odds just changed in my favour. I will spare this one's life if you give me what I want, if you refuse I will treat her in the same way as I intend to treat you. However, this time you will watch every minute of her humiliation." He stroked Trances' arm. She recoiled from him and he licked his lips enjoying her discomfort.
"Give me your word Zeus that you won't harm her." He nodded. "Say it uber." I really didn't trust him.
"You have my word," he said. He bowed at me, mocking me.
"You leave me no choice then Zeus." I checked the controls and prepared for slipstream. The only consolation was that they hadn't managed to capture Rev. Not yet anyway. I was worried sick about Harper, I really didn't think his body could take much more punishment.
We went to slipstream, the usual lurching, disorientating feeling of riding the stream. This was the last jump before our destination. I just wished that I hadn't lied so much to everyone because it was time for pay back. I wondered how Zeus would react when he found out that his cargo no longer existed.
