Chapter 10
(Vesha)
A few hours after Sàdiya returned there was a small hollow knock on the metal door. The three girls froze, all their attention on the door.
"Vesh? Come on, let me in, it's freezing out here. Z? Sàdiya? You there? Hey it's just me, Lil' Z." Another quiet knock. "Please let me in."
Sàdiya and Vesha looked at each other. Sàdiya shrugged, "It's up to you." Vesha glanced at Z who was still curled up on the couch. Z nodded sleepily and Vesha quickly opened the door to let Z'rellia in.
"About time," the little dark haired waif grinned. She ducked under the door pulling a large wagon full of odd bits of electronics behind her. Vesha closed and latched the door then turned a questioning look on Z'rellia.
"Well, you didn't think I was actually going to stay with Krain after watching him kick you three out now did you?" Her smile widened. "I bet he's regretting that decision right about now, or at least he will when he realizes I took everything that was mine; all the computers, the surveillance cameras, the modified datapads, the comm devices… everything."
Vesha and Sàdiya grinned at each other. Z'rellia sat on the couch next to Z and gently put one arm around her shoulder. "How you holding up?"
Z smiled wanly. "I've had better weeks."
"Well, I think I have something to cheer you up." Z'rellia pulled a datapad out of her pocket and flipped it on. "Check this out." She handed the datapad to Z.
Z shook her head. "I don't understand."
"Let me see," Vesha said. The small screen was covered in seemingly random letters and numbers. "What is this, Lil' Z?"
"That, my friends," she said, flashing a grin at each of them, "is an encrypted file." She crossed her arms and sat there with a smug look on her face.
"And..." Sàdiya made a little "go ahead" motion with her hand.
"Oh right. I came across that right after you three left. I was just messing around, waiting for Krain to take off so I could gather up all my stuff. Anyways, I found that when I sliced into the Bounty Broker's Association. See, I was trying to find out who put the bounty on Z's head, which I did. No surprise there. The senator is paying for that contract. Twenty thousand creds! Can you believe it?"
"Yes, but what is this?" Vesha waved the datapad in front of Lil' Z and tried to keep the panic out of her voice. Twenty thousand creds! Her heart slammed in her chest. How could she possibly keep Z safe now?
"I was getting to it." She snagged the datapad out of Vesha's hand. "This here is a bounty contract for none other than the senator's son." All three girls looked at Z'rellia with stunned silence. She smiled smugly then said, "That's right, Z, you weren't the only one who wanted him dead. Someone else wanted him gone badly enough to pay fifty thousand creds—and that was before Z got to him." Then she frowned and glanced back at the datapad. "It's just too bad you can't collect the bounty...fifty thousand! Could you imagine what we could do with that?"
"Maybe we can collect." Sàdiya grinned, her eyes alight with possibilities.
Vesha yawned and smiled back at her. "If anyone can come up with a way, it's you. But we need to rest. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be crazy."
"Sure," Z'rellia said, "but I don't think I'll be able to sleep until I get these cameras installed."
The girls settled in for the night, exhaustion heavy in their limbs. The only light came from Z'rellia's screen, casting soft green glows across their faces. The sounds of Z'rellia rummaging through her tools and supplies was comforting. She hummed quietly to herself as she left the small shed to set up the cameras.
Outside, the city was quiet—too quiet.
BOOM... Vesha's eyes flew open and she sat up, instinctually reaching for her sister. Z found her hand and squeezed it. She could hear Z'rellia and Sàdiya moving in the dark.
BOOM... The metal door of the storage shed shook, the sound echoing in the small room. Vesha pulled her blaster. The weight of it felt good in her hand. "Z," she whispered, "are you okay? Can you shoot?"
"Of course I can. I'm fine."
BOOM... The sound shook Vesha to the core. Her heart raced and her palms were sweaty. "Sàdiya, Lil' Z, be ready to run."
Light from Z'rellia's computer illuminated the room. Vesha crouched next to the couch, Z sat next to her, both with blasters at the ready. Sàdiya held a small blaster; Vesha had no idea where it came from. She had never seen it before. Probably something from her stash, she figured. Sàdiya winked at her when she saw her eyeing the small weapon. Z'rellia sat on the floor next to Sàdiya, her computer in her lap, scrolling through the footage from the security cameras she had installed the night before.
"There's only one man out there," Lil' Z said.
BOOM... The door groaned and bent slightly. Vesha looked at the small computer screen. Sure enough there was one man on the other side of the door with some large metal contraption he was using to break down the door.
Vesha grabbed their emergency pack and handed it to Z, then she looked at Z'rellia and said, "Grab what you can. We're going to have to make a run for it."
Sàdiya was watching the others, a calculating look on her face. Vesha barely noticed though, her primary concern being her sister. All four of the girls grabbed what they could, held their blasters at the ready and stood, waiting for the inevitable.
BOOM... Vesha winced at the sound of metal tearing. The door came loose from the runners and was torn aside. For a second all four girls froze. Standing before them was a large man encased in durasteel. Vesha felt her heart stop, how could they possibly escape this giant of a man? Then time seemed to speed up.
"Run!" Sàdiya screamed. She rushed the man, firing her small blaster directly at his helmet. The man took a step back and the girls darted past him. Vesha kept a tight grip on Z's hand as they ran down the street. Z'rellia ran a few paces in front of them. Vesha glanced back over her shoulder and stumbled to a stop. The man had Sàdiya hoisted up over his shoulder. She pounded on his back, screaming at the top of her lungs. Vesha took a step back towards them. Her stomach dropped. Her brain screamed at her to run toward the armored man, but her body locked in place. She'd seen enough blasterfire to know when the odds weren't in her favor. And this wasn't bravery—it was suicide.
"Vesh!" Z screamed and pulled her back. "There's nothing we can do. Come on."
"But..." Vesha hesitated. The man was walking towards them now, Sàdiya still over one shoulder.
"Z's right," Z'rellia said. "If he wanted her dead, he would have killed her. Now come on. We need to get somewhere safe, then we can find a way to rescue her."
Vesha and Z sat on the small bed in the dingy motel room waiting for Z'rellia to get back with the creds from Sàdiya stash. Between the three of them they had just enough to cover one night in the sleazy establishment.
The small room consisted of a lumpy bed, a tiny round table with one chair, and the refresher. The girls cleaned themselves up as best as they could then began sorting through the supplies they managed to bring with them. They piled it all in the middle of the bed. The total of their belongings made a pitifully small pile.
"We should split everything between the three of us, just in case we get separated." Z started sorting everything into three piles.
Vesha grabbed her hand to stop her. "That isn't going to happen..."
"You don't know that."
The door clicked as someone inserted the key. Both girls grabbed their blasters and pointed them at the door. The door opened a crack and Z'rellia said, "It's just me, and I brought a... well a..." She opened the door all the way and walked into the room, a girl, perhaps a year or two older than the twins, followed her into the room. Vesha eyed the girl nervously, only lowering her blasters slightly. Z'rellia closed the door and slid home the extra latch. "This is Mariatu. She's Sàdiya's aunt—and trust me, we want her on our side."
Vesha arched an eyebrow at the new girl, taking in her appearance. She had shoulder length reddish brown hair and green eyes. She was short and thin and wore grey pants and a pink shirt. Vesha stood and clipped one of her blasters back on her belt and gestured with the other one. "Look girly, I don't know what you think you can do to help, but rescuing Sàdiya is going to be dangerous. We can't afford to have you in the way..."
Mariatu's eyes swept the dingy room, the trio of girls, the weapons. She didn't flinch. Only then did she speak, her voice calm. "I can handle myself."
"Vesha, I think..." Z'rellia started to say and Z, setting her blaster down on the bed, put a hand on Vesha's arm.
Vesha ignored both of them and said, "This isn't fun and games. These blasters," she waved the one in her hand and patted the one at her hip, "are real, and the man who took Sàdiya has bigger, better guns than we do."
Mariatu drew her training saber and ignited it. It hummed softly and glowed green in the dim room. "This might only be a training lightsaber, but it can still do a lot of damage. Like I said, I can handle myself," a hint of steel crept into her voice. She switched the weapon off and clipped it to her belt.
Vesha's jaw dropped just a little and Z'rellia sighed. "As I was saying, Mariatu's a padawan. Yeah—that kind. Jedi-in-training. I think she'll be just a tad bit useful, don't you?"
Vesha bristled, "Just because you have a fancy glow stick doesn't mean you can fight."
"Vesh," Z said softly, gently pulling her sister back. "We need all the help we can get if we're going to find Sàdiya."
Vesha sighed, "I know, I know. Alright," she waved Z'rellia and Mariatu over, "this is the plan..."